Super Sales on Super Heroes 5 -Ch26- (Patreon)

“Right… well… I guess this is where I need to explain what I need from you, Gaia,” Felix offered as a way to get her out of the current conversation.

“I mean, I think she’s enjoying the conversation though?” Evie asked, looking to Gaia. “I can’t read her mind obviously but… I don’t think I’d mind if I were her.”

“Explain what I need,” Felix said quite firmly. “Now… you will have one fresh new soul as soon as she finally dies, right?”

Felix pointed a hand at Anya’s body.

She was trembling in the bathtub, taking short shallow breaths, with skin as pale as could be. With every little breath, her head would flop a bit from side to side.

The flow of blood from her wounds was slowing considerably. Her eyes were open and staring at nothing at all.

“Mmm. I did hear her pledge her soul to me,” Gaia murmured, looking down at the human woman. “I’ll of course accept it into my care. I don’t get too many human souls, so that’ll be interesting.”

Hesitating for a moment, Felix then reached down and gently closed Anya’s eyes. Having her stare like that was unnerving. To the point that it was more bothersome than letting it continue.

You know, it’s odd that a dying woman doesn’t bother me, but the fact that her eyes are open, does. I wonder if I’m going to have a lot of mental troubles later in life.

With a sardonic smile and a shake of his head, he then gestured at Gaia.

“I asked you to hold onto the Void Dragon’s fragment. Do you still have it?” he asked.

“Of course!” Gaia answered with a smile. “I can carry many things with me without carrying them.”

“Is there any possible way that if I resurrected the Void Dragon’s body, to put Anya’s soul into it? You said the original Void Dragon that owned the body didn’t want to come back.

“I wouldn’t want to bring them back against their will, but I also don’t want to not utilize a resource. You would theoretically own Anya’s soul as well as the Void Dragon’s soul. I own the Void Dragon’s body and can resurrect it.

“You’re my goddess, I’m your champion. Could we not just… slip her soul into the soulless body and let the Void Dragon remain where they wish? This feels like it should be possible given what we are to one another.”

Gaia’s brow had furrowed, her eyes unfocusing partly, and staring through Felix as he spoke. He didn’t doubt that she was following the conversation, he just figured that maybe she was thinking through something in the background.

That or trying to see if it would even possible. He couldn’t begin to fathom what being a god or goddess was like.

Err… wait… I’m a Demi-God, aren’t I? At what point do I become a god directly?

Hm.

How much would it cost to upgrade myself into a god?

Actually… let’s not look at that right now. I don’t even want to see the numbers. Then I’d just try to save up to get it regardless of what it was.

Avoid the temptation all together.

“I-yes. It’s very possible. So long as both Anya and Xiafhsshh agree,” Gaia said, her gaze snapping back to Felix. Her smile was still present, and she seemed eager. He assumed that the strange sounding name was what the Void Dragon had been called. “We’ll just have to wait to see what Anya thinks, as Xiafhsshh has already said it’s fine. She has no use for a body that she has no intention of inhabiting.”

“Stupid,” Evie accused. “There are so many interesting and neat things in the world. Yeah, it kinda feels like running around with prey on every side, but it’s also fun. Like… a lot of fun!

“I’ve only been here for something like a day or two and I already can’t wait to see more. Especially as a Dragon! There’s so much to do.”

“Oh… you know how Void Dragons are,” Gaia lamented with a sigh. “Temperamental in the best of times. Not having Progenitors really harmed their social abilities, too. Though in my defense, I didn’t plan their race. They just… happened.

“Hm. I wonder. If Felix and I had children, would they be gods? Demi-gods? He’s pretty close to a full god now. Would they be human like him, or spirits like me? Or something else? What an interesting thought.

“Would I become the mother of gods, so to speak, if we had children? How very curious. If we do start having sex, I should have him impregnate me at least once. Then again… his entire race puts such an odd slant to sex and procreation. I’ll have to really think this one out more. Their whole view on the world is so very confusing.”

“Should… I kill her to hurry this along?” Evie asked, pointing at the still dying Anya when Gaia finished.

Apparently Evie, like Felix, was now treating her spoken thoughts as if they were internal.

“What?” Gaia asked, blinking rapidly, then she looked to Anya. “No need, dear. She’ll pass from this world in a minute or so. Her body is still trying and will likely keep trying after that, but that’s when her soul would be free to leave the body. I can talk to her then.”

Felix nodded his head and then looked to Evie.

“Could you go get my armor? I get the feeling I’ll need it. When you get back, just put it somewhere I can get to without Anya seeing it,” he asked. “And Gaia, can you hide yours? We still need to pretend like we’re not part of the Association or Legion. Bad enough that she’ll know who you are and that you and I exist. Worse if she realizes we’re setting her up as a puppet.”

“Poo. I like my armor. I get a lot less stares wearing it,” Gaia muttered, then made a hand wave. Her armor magically vanishing to nowhere and leaving her standing there in a tank-top and shorts.

She was just as distracting as Evie was.

“Oh! Sure, not a problem,” Evie agreed happily. Turning, she left the room.

Leaving Felix alone with Gaia, his thoughts turning back to what she’d just said.

Then he couldn’t help himself.

He called up what it would cost to push himself into a full god status, rather than what he was now. To see the point cost that’d be required.

Name:   Felix Campbell

Condition:   Nervous. Weary.

If   No Action Taken: None

Action   >> Alter Race: Cost 947,492,781 points

Ah… err… right.

Got it.

Though I bet to Gaia, that’s probably not a huge cost. She likely has that in abundance, given who she is.

For me… that’s… astronomical.

A difference in perspective in scales. Something to keep in mind when I’m considering how much it costs to modify my own people.

I wonder if she’d be willing to barter with me to float the cost on my behalf.

What would it cost? I don’t even want to begin to think of what she might ask for in exchange

Though… it isn’t impossible to earn it on my own either.

I earned quite a bit through clearing all those sites.

Just have to keep at it and converting things. Lots and lots of landfills to get to.

“There we are,” Gaia said and held a hand out to Anya. “Hello dear. Your physical body has failed you and you’re now in your spirit flesh.”

Felix couldn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary. To him, it seemed like Gaia was talking to herself once again.

“Yes, you did die. Your body is beyond the point of recovery. If there was a miraculous medical intervention it’d be possible but… even then, it’d be unlikely. I’m sorry. Your time in the mortal world is over,” Gaia regretfully explained. “Unless you’d like to come back.

“My Champion has proposed an idea to me. You knew him as Felix, and he’s the one who told you to give your soul to me.”

Gaia looked thoughtful as if she were listening to something.

“No, you can’t see anything but me right now. You’re no longer part of the physical realm. But… if you wanted to return to it, we could do that. We’d construct a new body for you and put your soul into it,” Gaia continued. “Would you like to do that?”

“I… uhm… yes. That would be very possible. The body we’re going to put you into wouldn’t be yours. It’d be a Dragon’s,” acknowledged Gaia with a nod of her head, then listened again. She let out a warm rich laugh. “Most certainly! So? That’s a yes? Okay, great.”

Gaia turned to look to Felix and made an odd gesture with her hand. Her fingers fluttering and then making a flick-like motion.

A blue cloud of sparkling mist appeared beside him. Floating in midair without a definite shape.

“She has agreed,” Gaia said with a dip of her head, then she held her hand out toward Felix. In her palm was the Void Dragon bone. “Here is the body to rebuild. She asked that you reform it to look like her. Given how attractive the Void Dragon was to begin with, that would get back a few points.

“I ima… what? Are you sure? I mean… yes, it’d be possible. You’d just no longer look like you once did. I-well yes but-ah but-alright.

“Never mind, dear. Anya would like to inhabit the Void Dragon’s body exactly as it was. We’ll have to modify it to be like the others.”

Felix clicked his tongue and thought on it for a moment.

“Alright. I’ll have to tell her how to get her paperwork changed over. We can just play it off as a terrible accident where they had to really rebuild her face or something.

“Did she ever submit to a travel agency for pre-approved travel or anything like that? Anything that’d get her fingerprints into a system? Was she ever arrested?”

Gaia looked to the blue cloud, then to Felix.

“Yes, she was arrested at one point,” Gaia confirmed.

“Right… I’ll carry over her fingerprints but nothing else then,” Felix said with a sigh. Taking the bone from Gaia he focused on it. “Gaia, if you don’t mind, please make sure we bring over all of Anya’s memories to the new body from your side.”

“Hm? Oh! Yes, that’s not a problem. I’m glad you pointed that out. Memories are usually lost with a reincarnation,” remarked Gaia. “That’d have been a problem.”

Felix dove into his power.

His desire.

That he wanted to rebuild the Void Dragon from scratch. To bring it back to life in its entirety, though without the soul behind it.

That the mind inside of it would inherit all the memories of the soul that would possess it. Otherwise she’d be Anya’s soul in the Void Dragon’s body with its own memories.

Lastly, that this new being would inherit all powers due to it from having both the Dragon’s body and the human’s soul.

There was a shuddering that came from the world itself as his power activated. As if it wasn’t ready for what he was trying to push for.

“Goodness. That’s rather profound. Oh! Hello Uncle!” Gaia said with a laugh, then she glowered at nothing. “You and I need to have a word by the way. I’m not exactly thrilled with what I think you’re trying to do.”

I… what? He’s here?

I didn’t think what I was trying to do was that bad. Nothing out of the ordinary at least. Why would it be a problem?

A window popped up for Felix and vanished before he could even contemplate it. He hadn’t even been given a chance to see the cost.

“Oh? Well thank you. That’s nice of you, Uncle. I’m still mad at you though. I’m very disappointed with you trying to meddle in my life. We’ll talk more later about this. Among other things. Oh, and tell Father hello for me when you see him,” murmured Gaia with a nod of her head, then she looked to Felix. “Uncle took all your points and paid for the rest himself.”

As she finished speaking the bone in Felix’s hand vanished, the blue cloud dissipated, and a rather lovely woman simply appeared on the bathroom floor.

She wasn’t as gorgeous as Evie, but she was just a hair less so than Goldie. Her body type was also rather profound but also less than the other two.

Her eyes were so light they almost lacked color, though they oddly shifted in hue depending on how the light struck them. Long hair spread out in a cloud around her head, and it was also an odd black color that felt like it reflected back multiple colors.

Blinking several times, the woman took in a shuddering breath, then coughed. Her hand going to her chest.

“I’m alive,” said the Void Dragon that was now Anya.

“Indeed. Is it not how I, Gaia the goddess of the world, told you?” asked the deity with a rich laugh. She turned to look to Felix. “Well, now that that’s done. What do we do next?”

“Wait for Miu to call,” Felix said with a sigh and then pulled his phone out of his pocket. Looking to the lock-screen, he found there were no new messages or calls. “She should be getting back to me about Thomas and Michael.”

“I’m… I’m going to hurt them,” growled the Void Dragon. “They killed me. I loved one like a brother and wanted to marry the other. Both… both betrayed me.

“Hurt them. Hurt them a lot. Make examples of them. I let both of them use me. Me and my power. Never again.”

“Glad to hear it,” Felix murmured as he started to tap through his phone. “I want you to start working with the people behind the League of Villains website. I’ll put you in contact with them.

“You’re going to become their leader and start taking over. I think there needs to be a counter to the Guild of Heroes, and you’re the perfect person for it, Anya. Not to mention learn what your new body can do.”

Growling loudly, Anya got to her feet.

“Fine. I can do that. Gladly. I’ll build it up. Just how I wanted. I let them talk me into too much,” hissed Anya while getting to a full standing position.

She started to tip to one side and then steadied herself. Shaking her head she frowned, looking down at herself.

Experimentally, she touched her rather well-endowed chest, then her stomach, and lastly her hips.

“You also have wings, horns, and a tail. Those come out when you want them to,” Felix murmured, opening the Legion app to check his email. “You’ll also need to learn to fly, but that’s going to take time I bet.”

Pausing, he saw there was a communication from Tribune waiting for him.

Tapping it open, he began to read it over.

Legate.

The Central Intelligence Agency has petitioned for an injunction against the Association Investigative Act.

A judge friendly to them has issued an injunction to suspend all such investigations. Along with an immediate stop in regards to all such investigations.

Additionally, the religious group we audited has instigated a lawsuit against the Association and the government. If the Association Investigative Act should fail before a court review, it’s likely the Association would then lose the lawsuit.

While there were no casualties, there were a number of injuries. They opened fire on Legionnaire Goldie upon her declaration that they were there for an Audit. There were no injuries amongst our forces, and Legionnaire Goldie did her best to limit the conflict.

To the point that they were fired upon for a solid minute before she acted.

I recorded all of it from several satellites, as well as from Goldie’s armor cam. I advised that she should wear it so she could record the entire interaction.

Just in case.

The hostage crisis ended without any further loss of life. The Guild of Heroes wanted to express their appreciation to the Association for their swift handling of the event.

A number of politicians are also wishing to express their congratulations and thanks. There is an equal number that are calling for the Association to be limited in their scope and purview.

I have summarized all of this so you can decide what to do next, Sir.

My personal suggestion would be to cease all activity, return to the Association with all forces, and for the Legate to begin preparing for whatever steps come next.

Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth, Felix held his breath. He strangled the scream that wanted to escape and merely stood there.

Not moving, not thinking, not breathing.

Trying to wrangle his extreme emotions and put them back into a ball so that he could start working through the problem as a whole.

Letting out the breath, Felix had managed to get some semblance of control.

This wasn’t entirely outside of his expectations. In fact, the way he’d worded the agreement with the government had been specifically written in such a way that it technically was more of an agreement between two nations.

So much so that the land granted to the Association was akin to a foreign nation, a lot like an embassy would be. From the very beginning he’d been setting up the Association as a global entity.

Not a branch of the government.

“He looks so worried. I wonder if I should ask if he wants sex. Sex fixes a lot of things. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so much desire when he looks at me afterward,” came Gaia’s voice, cutting through his thoughts.

Unable to help himself, Felix laughed. Opening his eyes, he looked to Anya, who was now looking at Gaia with a confused face. The goddess had an open and warm look on her face and seemed entirely unaware that she’d spoken her thoughts again.

“Just more work to do. Just more work,” Felix murmured. “Alright… Anya. Do you have any questions for me? I think I’ll have to leave you to the work here and move on. Things are happening.”

Anya frowned, her entire face showing displeasure and anger. Slowly, her head tilted to one side until she could see her own old body sitting in the tub. It’d only stopped breathing just a handful of seconds previously.

“You’re not telling me everything,” she whispered instead.

“I’m not,” Felix agreed. “But I assure you, I mean you personally no harm. I need you to be a leader so someone like Michael or Thomas doesn’t take the reins.

“So long as you’re the leader of the Villains, I’ll support you and make sure you come to no harm. Just about the only warning I’d give you is to do your best to not go up against the Guild of Heroes directly. That when you have confrontations with them, try your best to not have any fatalities on either side.”

Anya stared at her body for several more seconds before looking back to Felix.

Slowly, she nodded her head.

“Alright. I can do that. I have your word on that?” she asked, her head turning to look at Gaia. “You’ll hold him to that?”

“Of course!” Gaia gleefully promised. “He’s my Champion. I’m his goddess. You’re my Human Void Dragon. The only one of its kind.

“Just be sure you spread the good word of Gaia and get more people to worship me. So long as you do that, and hold me as your deity, I’ll ensure he keeps his word to you.”

Nodding her head Anya took in a shaky breath.

“Then can someone get rid of… that? The last thing I need is for that to be floating around while I start getting documents turned over,” Anya begged, pointing at her corpse. “I want to go right after Thomas and Michael but… I can’t. I need to go solidify my position. My people. Take everything I can from Michael and Thomas at the same time. I know a few bank accounts they had that I can clean out.”

“Michael is being investigated by the Guild of Heroes. Feel free to send any information to them you want that doesn’t link back to you,” suggested Felix.

There was a loud bang, followed by someone cursing. All three people in the bathroom looked to the door.

“It’s me!” called Evie, followed by more cursing under her breath. “I hit my stupid little toe against a table.

“This thing is stupid. Why do humans have these? It’s just asking to be smashed into things. Claws are so much better.”

“Uh… I mean… you’re not wrong,” Anya muttered when Evie came around the corner and into view.

“Oh! It worked. You’re a Dragon,” Evie said and smiled broadly. “Thank Gaia I’m better looking than you. I’m already worse than every other Dragon out there, all I have going for me is my looks.”

Anya’s eyebrows crawled upward at that.

Gaia looked curious and tilted her head to the side.

Felix just stood there.

He still needed to figure out what to do next.

Then his phone rang.