Hero Chasers (Book 1)

Issue 36 - World War Super Part 5

"Welcome to Super City, the pride and joy of the new world, conjured from the ashes of the once great United Nation; the first Hero Chaser was born, brought into this world to make it a better place one step at a time, from your safety to your entertainment, there is nothing the Hero Chasers can't do. It's no wonder Super City is the fastest-growing City in the world; every day is a new day here in Super City, so come on down. See the viral sensation yourself and become that one-hit wonder you always dreamed of. Remember, you put the Super in Super City."

Beelzebub slumped back in her chair, listening to the presentation, her concentration dripping into nothing. Covering her mouth, she yawned, waiting for more; when nothing came, she sat up. "Is that it?"

The PR members all looked at each other, unsure of what to say, as the one presenting the PowerPoint cleared his throat. "Umm, for now, yes, we have a handful more promotions to drive tourism to our very door, but more importantly, any potential Deities."

Rubbing her face, Beelzebub nodded along, tapping her fingers against the chair. "I see. What did the test audience think?"

"Well, it was a mixed bag. Truth be told, last time we had Diego and Stella taking the promotion, it gained quite the numbers. But... But with them gone."

"We've got to have some Hero Chasers left to scrap into this promotion. We have Clara, Miley, and umm, the ugh, what's his name? The dick head who has his hair pampered once a week."

"That would be Keith, and he is dead."

"Fuck sake. Figure something out yourselves, then. It's what I pay you for; the quicker we push this campaign, the quicker those Deities come flooding in. Ares, Anubis and now Dauoi. They were all failures. But there's still time; get on with it." Beelzebub sighed, taking a sip of her wine and receiving an incoming message. "Talk to me, Lily."

"Umm, Miss Ada, unexpected guests have broken into the main lobby. Dauoi, Kira Catano and another person. What do you want me to do about it?"

Beelzebub paused, giving it a thought, looking to her PR team and shrugging. "I suppose they would come knocking, wouldn't they? I'll be right down, Lily, tell our guests to make themselves comfortable."

Beelzebub hung up as her PR team kept whispering among themselves. Standing up, she placed her broken Relic on the table, adjusting her sleeve deflated. "Let's see what they want."

****

Kira had blown up the main entrance, forcing the few people in the lobby to flee in fear. Fire and rubble mixed as we approached the main lobby. Lily had put the phone down, stepping away. "Miss Ada will be with you in a moment."

Kira began cracking her knuckles, blending a mixture of fire and ice. "Oh, I bet she is. The moment she appears, we take her."

I kept looking around, feeling concerned. Frigg wasn't far off the same feeling, too. "This isn't right; Beelzebub has to know we were coming. You would have thought she would have put up some defence. Should have known Miley wasn't enough."

Frigg crossed her arms, moving her neck around. "The first thing you must rule out when it comes to Beelzebub is never to expect her to do the normal thing. She's powerful, and she knows it. I bet the Deity is so confident she doesn't need something below her."

"Then that will be her undoing." Kira hissed as the main elevator began to descend to our level. We waited,d ready for the fight of our lives as the time came. Readying an attack, the elevator opened only for a handful of business workers to step out—false alarm.

"This is definitely a trap," I whisper, shaking the shadows off my hand. "I say we just storm her office."

As we kept thinking of our next plan, a whisper sent a chill down my spine. "Who are you three waiting for?" Spinning around, I was caught off guard as Beelzebub was already behind us, with a phone to her ear and a finger up to us. "Yes, Darren, great to hear back from you. I take it you're in for the Frank's Diner collab? We have a handful of brand new up-and-coming Hero Chasers who would love to take part in this opportunity. Oh, excellent. I'm happy to hear it, Darren. In that case, I'll connect with our people and set up a meeting to discuss the plans in more detail. How does next week sound? I understand; thank you again, Darren." Snapping her phone close,d Beelzebub looked at us there, fed up. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."