The cataclysm of light ahat ripped through the ceiling of the top floor of the hotel released enough force to crad shatter all of the ss in the room. The lights went out, fmes immediately caught on the beds that had been shunted over to the walls. The darksiders that weren’t immediately shunted into unsciousness by the fsh of electrical energy screamed. Sonya didn’t move an inch, her up, her expression firm, her hair fluttering behind her as sunlight shone down through the hole and the vision of age beh the pilr of light.

  Kera, short off-gray hair up in a punky style over her yellow eyes stuck out her pierced tongue and grinned with a wild expression. She go the left, the right, then at Sonya. Her eyebrows shot up as if she were surprised to see her there, she wasn’t, she was just a little off. She straightened her spiked leather jacket and took a dainty step back before sweeping into a dramatic bow. “I’m here as called, Mistress,” She said with a snicker befng down at her feet and standing up straight. The burned and near-vaporized carbon k that was Masques’ corpse y before her.

  She barked out a ugh, “Ew! He looks like a twice-roasted burger!” She grabbed her sides and ughed a little more, “Gross!”

  Sonya smirked and turned her head, the electricity in the air was throwing off her senses a little bit. She should probably che the other one. I almost fot about dear Grimman.

  A hand appeared in front of her fad her eyes went wide. Fingers ed around her head and cmped down on skin. She stared through them into the freerrified face of Grimman. She opened her mouth just as Kera sprung into a. Too te. A terrible pulse erupted inside of her brain, a shock going up and down her spine as her brain trembled and sparked in her head. Her open mouth expression turned into a brief scream, and her world went dark.

  –

  From an outsider looking in, Sonya just went limp in his hand. In the dark room with only the single pilr of light from the sun above and the few fmes that burned on fire-retardant sheets, she just hung there in his hand as he panted. Kera stood, stunned, her eyes wide. She took a step forward only to freeze as the temperature in the air dropped. Her tense shoulders rexed and she took a step back, waiting patiently as the body hanging from Grimman’s grip twitched once. Grimman barked out a ugh, “G-got her! I-”

  A petite hand snapped up and ed around his wrist. Pink light bloomed between his fingers and the pale woman’s mouth parted into a terrible, wicked smile. “You shouldn’t have dohat.”

  “H-how are you still awake?” He gasped, trying to pull his hand away only to find it locked in her grip. He pivoted, trying to throw her off as she squeezed down, harder, harder, bone ched, he screamed as he was driven to his khe pyfully wicked smile of the woman staring down at him as he gurgled and shrieked, scraping at her fingers with his nails. She tilted her head and squeezed again, his arm bending and snapping. She let go and wiped her palm off befng at Kera who tensed, she smiled beatifically at her;

  “Your timing is wonderful as always, Kera dear!” She said, “Good work.”

  –

  Ishtar was not just awake, she was fully in trol. That idiot had knocked poor Sonya out. She’d gotten cocky, for a moment, with Kera’s arrival. Still so much to learn, but that was okay. She uood. It felt good to be oop of her game again. She smiled brightly, it felt really good not to have all that extra weight weighing down on her. She didn’t think there was ever a time that she both had the reins and was in a good mood. Finally, a ce to have a little fun of my own. She looked down at the blubbering man at her feet, Now what to do with the man who hurt my dear Sonya?

  Her smile widened, “ht!” She ughed, “Kera dear!” She turned brightly, “His powers are electrical, aren’t they?”

  Kera was watg her from the side with a grin on her face when her eyes widened, she bounced on her feet, “Oh! Oh! I? I really?”

  Ishtar took a sashay step bad gestured at the crippled man, “Be my guest, dear, enjoy your meal.”

  Kera lunged, “Yum yum! e home to momma!” She cackled and nded on the man. She dug her fingers into his chest aricity danced between them, first light blue, then yellow, then a pale white that bloomed into a glow. He screamed and vulsed as Ishtar gnced around the room, several of the Darksiders were getting to their feet and staring at her with horror in their eyes. Ishtar gnced back zily at Kera as she tinued her feast. The others watg in silence as the screaming slowly stopped. Kera got to her feet and licked her lips, “Delish, thanks boss.”

  Ishtar smiled at her, “The witnesses , please,” She said and reached up to check her tie, Oh it’s loose. She thought as Kera turned into a living lightning bolt with a shriek of ughter. Screams broke out that were immediately silenced as the singur bolt of lightning ricocheted between them, boung around the room and leaving carbonized hunks in her wake. She slid to a stop in front of Ishtar and saluted. Ishtar fixed her tie and checked her cufflinks. All out of sorts, they really were th with her, poor dear. “Hallway,” She said as she turned her wrist over, and walked to the door, opening it.

  Kera turned bato a bolt of lightning and nced out as the two men whuarding the door dashed away, likely realizing that the a inside wasn’t a positive thing for their side. Sonya stepped out into the hallway after her and fussed with her cufflink. Hm… still a little loose. She thought as light bulbs fshed and exploded, a cascade of ricocheting bolts of lightning spread down the hallway in a wave, killing and iing one masked man after another. She gnced up, “Careful around the elevator, dear!” Ishtar called.

  Kera returo human form long enough to respond, her hand around a darksider’s throat, “Yes ma’am!” She called back.

  Such a good girl, Ishtar thought with a smile before brushing herself off. The wicked bolt of lightning unched past her face towards the other end of the room and more screams rung out as Ishtar turo walk in that dire, lightning boung around her in a protective halo as it occasionally shot forth to sy another darksider that dared breathe in her presence. She held her head high, smile wide, as she approached the elevator and stopped. She stared at the button that was dim and the faint smoke that was ing out of it as Kera nded o her.

  “Kera?” Ishtar asked patiently, “What did I tell you?”

  “Uh… don’t burn out the elevator?” Kera said with a nervous grin.

  Ishtar kicked a carbonized body out of her way and turo put her hands on her hips, “Kera! Now we have to walk dowairs!” She chastised the woman.

  Kera held up her hands, “Sorry Mistress!”

  Ishtar straightened up a little a out a patient sigh, “It’s fi’s fine,” She said with a wave of her hand before tapping the woman on the nose, “You were just having fun, weren’t you? How long has it been since you pyed?”

  Kera tilted her head and ted on her fingers for a moment, “Guessin’ two weeks?” Kera said.

  “Two weeks!” Ishtar sighed, “Poor thing, all cooped up,” She turned and started walking towards the door to the stairs, “Have you tried doing ps? Just to burn a little energy.” She asked as she pushed the doors open and stepped into the bare staircase. All chipped white paint and grimy floors. Ishtar wrinkled her nose, No pce for Sonya at all. How could those ingrates possibly think it would be appropriate t her here? I should kill every single one of them.

  .”So…” Kera trailed off o her, clearly having simir thoughts, “What about the other floors? I’m guessin’ more of those guys are camped out down there?”

  Ishtar gnced her way and shrugged, “Wipe them out.”

  Kera broke into a wide grin and her body crackled durning once more into a living bolt of lightning. For a moment it had a vague humanoid shape as it stood o her, crag and twitg before it unched forward towards the rail leading dowairs and through the door to the fifth floor. Ishtar brushed her hair bad straighte up a little as she tinued her dest, one floor at a time. By the time she was halfway to the fourth floor, Kera was doh the fifth, bolting out the door and winding down to the fourth floor door with eager gusto.

  Ishtar hummed to herself as she reached up while pulling Hands of the Healer out of her warehouse, she touched her own head ahe energy wash over her brain. Double cheg, she thought to herself. Still out though, silly girl. I’ll take care of things while you’re sleeping, don’t you worry about a thing. You should probably wake up soon, though. I really don’t like being the only one present. She thought, arriving at the third floor and moving on. Didn’t we just have a versation about this? She rolled her eyes, Oh well, I guess it’s not your fault this time.

  Kera zipped past her again and she checked her wrists as the sounds of men screaming rang out from just a little ahead of her. Regalia? She pursed her lips, The helmet gets really hot though, she thought and crossed her arms, tilting her head, Why hasn’t Sonya asked Amos to fix that? ht, subscious acts of self-destructive and self-abusive behavior. o self, Sonya, fix the dam! She thought as she set a reminder for the evening with a note from herself to Sonya in the HUD.

  ‘...with love, Ishtar.’ That should do, She desded to just beh the first floor and came to a stop at the door.

  Kera zipped io her and stopped as well, “Lots of ‘em on the sed floor, all done!” She said with a cheery ugh, “Haven’t had this much fun in ages!”

  Ishtar smiled approvingly at her, “Atta girl,” She said before resting her fingers on the door. “Hold back a bit for me, would you? The darksiders are already dealt with oher side of this door it seems.”

  “Huh? Aight, I guess,” Kera pouted and csped her hands behind her head zily while Ishtar opehe door,, “Shouldn’t you wear your mask, though?”

  Ishtar let out a fae-like ugh at Kera’s petunt behavior, “You’re so cute! It’s fihere’s only one person out there.” She crowed, her voice like tinkling gss as the door flung open. She stepped outside and smiled at the sole individual standing in the lobby, her head tilting to the right.

  “Little Bck Lotus, you’re far away from where you should be,” Ishtar said with a grin.

  Bck Lotus stood across from her, her eyes narrowed, “Ishtar, right?” She asked with an edge ione, “What happeo Sonya?”

  “One of the guards got a little handsy and actally knocked her out, she’ll be awake soon and I’ll surrender trol,” Ishtar said with a grin, raising a small eyebrow, “You got here fast.”

  Bck Lotus scowled, “So you really did split,” She sighed.

  “Just a little,” Ishtar said, “If it’s any sotion, we had a long talk about why that’s a bad thing, dear. Holy, she’s never beeer. Getting away helped.”

  Bck Lotus looked like she’d been struck, she looked away with a frown, “She… I want to talk to her, not you,” She said finally looking back at Ishtar.

  Ishtar raised an eyebrow, “You know, someone said the same thing to her retly,” She tilted her head, “Want to dance a little while we wait?”

  Bck Lotus narrowed her eyes, “Dance? What do you mea-”

  “Kera,” Ishtar said and held out her hand. The woman behiurned into lightning and unched herself at Ishtar before allowing herself to be caught in the supervilin’s hand. Ishtar marveled at the feeling. Kera trolled herself enough not to hurt her while still being a fully tained rod of electricity. She twirled the transformed womaween her fingers before pointi Bck Lotus, “Allow me to introduce Kerauna, the master bolt,” Ishtar said with a sneer, “May we have this dance, little Hero?”

  “You’re not wearing your mask,” Bck Lotus grunted even as she got down into a fighting stance, drawing her sword.

  Ishtar tilted her head, “Oh, I suppose this could draw some attention,” She pursed her lips and then brightened, “Oh, I have an idea!” She ughed and reached into her warehouse before pulling out the Masque of Oberon. She raised her hand to her fad pulled down, following the instincts of the ability. “That idiot Masque had no creativity, no cept of what his ability could do. Now it’s in good hands.”

  A white mask with a twisted smile formed over her face as her white clothes turned bck, her hair turning the color of night and appearing shorter. The ground at their feet shuddered and shifted strangely, halluations spreading off of her in a wave, bolt of lightning in hand, she struck a pose, “What do you think? Bck Lotus vs Masque, the leader of the Darksiders! Another addition to yend! Now-”

  “He’s dead already?” Bck Lotus asked, cutting her off.

  “That sick saeat? Yes,” Ishtar said.

  Bck Lotus frowned, “Did you kill him, or did she?”

  Ishtar tilted her head behind the mask, “Talk talk talk,” Ishtar sighed, “There’s no time for that kind of thing in a fight!” She decred, “Defend yourself, hero!”

  In an instant they met, Ishtar bringing Kera down over her head in an overhand swing while Bck Lotus let out a misty breath as her fingers seemed to ge color. She whipped her on up and blocked, lightning dang around them. She’s stopping the flow of electricity through her hands. Good! She broke the lod spun around with a ugh, dang ooe before swinging horizontally. Bck Lotus blocked with a swipe of her own and Ishtar just bounced off the blow, ging the dire of her spin and delivering ahunderous blow.

  Dah me hero! Ishtar thought, Dah me till it’s time for bed and I fall asleep in your arms!