Chapter 133

  The orangutan was agitated.

  Alexander watched it through the gateway, sitting on that same hill it had occupied since he first saw it. But where before it had been still, patient, now it shifted its weight from side to side. Its fingers dragged through the dirt, clenching and unclenching in an irregular rhythm.

  Probably a reaction to seeing so many of them gathered. Either it suspected what was coming, or it felt like their presence threatened its own plans.

  The teams had formed a loose circle behind the defensive perimeter. Supply crates and barriers provided cover nearby, and automated turrets tracked slow arcs beyond them, but the real defense was the people. Alexander stood with a few feet of space around him, close enough to Augustus and Felix on one side with Talia and Annie on the other. Annie stood next to Cash, exchanging quiet words. Together they waited near Julia and Raelene, while Draven stood apart, eyes closed and looking relaxed.

  With his secret out, Felix had chosen to wait in his natural form.

  Hjordis and her two teammates had taken up a place close to the Throne of Scales contingent. One of them, Sven, was blonde and bearded, wearing a beanie and an open wool jacket over a breastplate. The other, Lars, was shorter and stockier, with a shaved head and an unkempt beard. Two shields were strapped to his back.

  One group kept their distance. Four figures dressed in black, positioned at the edge of the gathering. They hadn’t introduced themselves, but he recognized a couple of them from the day Grimnir arrived.

  Alexander’s attention moved to them while they waited. Only the one at the front wore what looked like an actual uniform. Immaculate, perfectly pressed. No weapons, no gear. Just the uniform. He’d learned from Maximilian and Hjordis that he was the team’s second-in-command, temporarily in charge of the group because their leader had fallen during the defense of the Beastworld gateway.

  One of the others carried twin swords at the hip. The third, a woman, stood slightly apart even from her own team. She was short, around Annie’s height, with black hair streaked blue and dark clothing to match. There was an understated goth aesthetic about her, with dark makeup around the eyes rounding out the look.

  The last was covered in gadgets and devices.

  Alexander had swept his senses across them, finding an impressive array of tools, though he’d quickly lost interest. There was nothing there that he found particularly useful, but he could see the appeal to someone with a much more limited range of superpowers.

  However, the technopath couldn’t seem to help himself. His eyes kept darting between Alexander and the drone swarm above, and his fingers twitched toward the equipment hanging from his belt.

  Then Alexander sensed it. A tendril of power reaching toward Droney. It was tentative, probing.

  He smacked it down with zero effort. Like swatting a fly.

  The technopath’s eyes went wide. He looked at Alexander directly now, the gulf between them suddenly, viscerally clear.

  Alexander held his gaze for a moment.

  The man looked away. He didn’t try again.

  Movement from the direction of the shield dome’s entrance drew Alexander’s attention. Maximilian approached with purpose in his stride.

  “Apologies for the delay,” Maximilian said as he reached them. “I made a final attempt to convince Guang to join us.”

  Julia asked, “Any luck?”

  Maximilian shook his head. “He declined. He and the rest of the Golden Lotus will remain at the Empire of Stars gateway.”

  A few disappointed murmurs passed through the group, but no one seemed surprised. Guang had made his position clear from the beginning.

  Maximilian moved to where everyone could see him and raised his voice.

  “The plan has already been discussed among the team leaders, but now everyone needs to hear it.” He paused, ensuring he had their attention. “The initial assault team will be Alexander, Julia, Cash, and Annie. Julia and Annie will clear left and right of the gateway immediately upon entry. Cash handles any surprises. Alexander follows with defensive barriers and turrets to establish an immediate perimeter.”

  He looked around the circle.

  “Everyone else follows once he’s had time to secure the beachhead.”

  Maximilian continued. “The ground team holds the portal against the beasts. Your primary objective is ensuring your own survival, and that none of the beasts pass through the gateway once we’ve started the assault.” He paused. “We estimate around two hundred beasts on the other side.”

  “Two hundred and seven,” Raelene said.

  Maximilian glanced at her, then nodded. “Two hundred and seven beasts. Once the gateway is secure, the aerial team goes after the leader. That will be myself, Hjordis, Julia, Alexander, and Raelene.”

  He gestured toward the gateway in the distance. “Our objective is to eliminate the orangutan and claim the gateway.”

  Talia spoke up. “While you were discussing strategy, I was analyzing the gateway recordings. I’ve just finished my assessment.” She paused. “I’m certain the orangutan is actually multiple.”

  Alexander turned to look at her along with everyone else.

  Talia continued in that precise, analytical way of hers. “I reviewed more than one hundred and twenty hours of footage, and I saw the orangutan was departing for short periods each day—”

  Hjordis interrupted. “Yeah, we figured it was eating or shitting.”

  Talia continued. “I first noticed the anomaly because after one departure and return, the orangutan switched from right-handed to left. Another instance showed slight discoloration in the fur, indicating subdermal scarring. Another was roughly half an inch wider at the chest.”

  She met the eyes of those around her. “In total, I counted five very nearly identical orangutans. But there could be more.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The group processed that. Alexander could see the concern on some of the superhumans’ faces.

  Augustus tugged gently at his beard. “Do you think each orangutan is as strong as the cultivator you fought?”

  Hjordis shook her head. “No way. A dozen different creatures mauled the bodies of the heroes who failed the defense mission. And the orangutan was bloodied and wounded at first.” She crossed her arms. “It mostly recovered within six hours. Then, when it left and returned, we thought it had washed itself. It didn’t look any different otherwise.”

  Alexander considered the information. “The common abilities among the beasts are greater intelligence, healing, and increased physical stats, right? No powers like flight?”

  Cash confirmed with a nod. “Nothing that we’ve seen. Except those with actual wings, of course.”

  Alexander shrugged. “We can handle five or even ten Tier 2s stuck on the ground with our group.”

  Maximilian nodded slowly. “Even so, it might be worth improving the odds. We need to ensure that none of the orangutans escape. We don’t know which one owns the gate.”

  Alexander glanced around at the others. His eyes settled on Annie. “Annie could join the aerial team.”

  Annie grinned. “Hell yes.”

  “Agreed,” Maximilian said. “I’ll bring the emerald to carry her and Raelene.”

  “I should go as well,” Felix said quietly. He hesitated over the next few words, clearly unfamiliar with one. “If the... orangutan... is hiding even more, given its intelligence and cunning, you might need my help.”

  A few murmurs of agreement came from the circle.

  “No,” Alexander said. The word came out flat.

  The others fell silent.

  Alexander turned to Felix. “You haven’t had the chance to learn how everything works with the System yet. You’re still Tier 1. A single attack could kill you.” He kept his voice even but firm. “You can provide support at the gateway. Everyone on the aerial team is strong enough to take a hit and can return in a hurry if needed.”

  He frowned at his own words. Turned to Raelene. “Except Raelene.”

  Raelene’s helmeted visor gave nothing away. “I can handle it. And I’ll be on the dragon the whole time anyway. As is normal.”

  Alexander nodded. “Okay.”

  “But since we’re talking,” Raelene added, “I need something from you while you’re available. Test my suit’s defenses. Make sure they’re good enough.”

  Alexander raised an eyebrow.

  Julia explained. “You’re the only person who has ever undermined her suit. She’s worked hard since to make sure it won’t happen again.”

  “Ah.” Alexander glanced at Julia and saw the request on her face. “Sure.”

  He reached out with Technopathy and pushed against her suit’s systems. Reasonably hard, testing the boundaries of her defenses. Raelene’s form-fitting suit offered some physical protection in the form of the advanced kinetic absorption built into it, but it wasn’t an armored suit by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps the material offered some elemental protection, but the technology layered within, most of it held inside the helmet, sang to his senses.

  Her Willpower held him at bay for half a minute, though her shoulders rose and fell as her breathing grew heavier from the effort.

  He stopped. “Your Will is pretty strong. I could break through, but certainly not in the heat of battle while dealing with other threats.”

  Raelene straightened.

  “Thank you,” she said finally.

  Perhaps it was an olive branch.

  Julia mouthed a thank you over Raelene’s shoulder.

  Alexander caught movement from the group who had remained silent the whole time.

  “My team will not be participating,” the team’s temporary leader said, stepping forward. His tone was calm, but an aggressive edge ran beneath it. He looked directly at Alexander, then at the other members of Grimnir. “We will not work with supervillains. We cannot trust supervillains at our backs.”

  The atmosphere shifted. Alexander caught tension from some, resignation from others, but he didn’t react. Didn’t argue. There was little point in trying to convince them otherwise.

  The man gestured for his team to follow. Twin swords and the technopath moved to leave.

  The woman with the blue-streaked hair didn’t.

  “Mirror,” the temporary leader said. “Come.”

  Her voice came out soft but steady. “I’m staying.”

  “You have a duty to follow orders.”

  Mirror’s jaw tightened. Alexander could see how hard this was for her. The struggle played openly across her face, the instinct to obey warring with something else. Something stronger.

  “Our leader died to that thing.” She gestured toward the gateway, toward the orangutan on the hill. “He would have wanted us to avenge him. I won’t abandon my duty as a superhero.”

  The man’s expression hardened. “You will regret this disobedience when we return to the guild.”

  Mirror flinched. But she didn’t move.

  He held her gaze for a moment, then turned and walked away. Twin swords and the technopath followed without a word.

  Silence lingered after they left.

  Hjordis crossed to Mirror. She clapped her on the back hard enough to make the smaller woman stumble forward a step.

  “You’ve got the stuff of a true superhero.”

  Julia’s expression showed concern. “She might be kicked from her guild for refusing orders.”

  Maximilian spoke up. “If that happens, the Throne of Scales would welcome her.”

  Hjordis added, “The Northern Shield would as well.”

  “Grimnir’s recruiting too,” Alexander said a few heartbeats later.

  The others turned to him in surprise.

  He shrugged. “It takes a special type of crazy to risk your life to do the right thing even when authority tells you otherwise.” A pause. “But I’m mostly kidding. I know you wouldn’t be interested in joining a bunch of supervillains.”

  Annie snorted. Mirror appeared uncertain whether to be flattered or alarmed.

  The moment passed.

  The group returned to discussing strategy. Finer details this time. Individual powers and how they meshed. Who would coordinate with who on the ground team. What each group’s response would be if the beasts flanked or attempted to circle around.

  What to do if one of the orangutans broke from the pack and made for the gateway.

  Cash remained the ground team’s only heavy hitter. His ability to absorb kinetic energy and convert it into speed had been bolstered by what he gained from the solo combat challenge. He called it his ‘wrecking ball’ strategy.

  Mirror’s power involved illusions and reflecting things. Useful for misdirection, for making enemies second-guess what they were seeing, but she reassured them that her primary power was defensive in nature. She could literally reflect attacks, physical or powered. Hjordis paired her with Lars, who, together with Augustus, would provide the ground team with considerable defensive strength.

  Sven’s power to conjure and control fire tornadoes would provide area denial on approach. Talia and Draven would provide close-combat support for those who needed it when the beasts closed the distance.

  They went through it all twice. Three times for the more complicated contingencies.

  Then they began their final preparations. Gear checks. Weapons readied. Last confirmations that everyone remembered the order of the assault and their place in it.

  Alexander looked through the gateway at the orangutan on the hill.

  It was still watching. Still waiting. But he could see in the agitation that had turned to stillness that it knew something had changed. It knew they were planning something. He wondered if it understood the gateway was meant to be a one-way reward. Wondered how it would react when it saw them tear it open.

  He flexed his cybernetic hand. The fingers responded smoothly, answering his intention without delay.

  Alexander was looking forward to the fight. To risking life and limb for more power.

  Briefly he wondered if that was evidence of the change he suspected many of them were going through, or if it were just the embers of his ambition. His need to fly as high as his strength could take him.

  Maximilian stepped up next to him, interrupting his introspection, and gave him a nod. “Ready?”

  Alexander grinned and reached out a hand toward the gateway. Behind him, the entire defensive perimeter, barriers and turrets alike, lifted with a thought.

  “Let’s get started.”

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