Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain
The Celestial Roulette
Chapter 25: Pantheon
Amy visits hospitals several times a week, often spending upwards to six hours at each one after school, more on weekends. I know this all too well, and I've seen how many people Amy can heal in a single day and how hard she pushes herself to heal person after person.
I love Amy and have nothing but respect for how hard she works… but I'm so much better. Brockton Bay General Hospital itself glows in golden light as I heal every single patient in a single spell, every disease cured, every wound closed. What would have taken Amy dozens of hours took me four seconds.
I am the God of Healing, and flying high above the town, I glow with golden light as I look down upon Brockton Bay with a soft frown. Brockton Bay has suffered long enough.
With a flourish, well aware of the people watching me, I send forth a wave of golden light that pulses from the middle of the city and rapidly spreads over the entirety of Brockton Bay.
The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. Limbs are restored, fatal diseases are cured, and addictions are cleansed, but it is not just the people I heal.
The buildings repair themselves, graffiti fades, and trash is washed away. Damaged roads fix themselves, and pollution vanishes. Clearing the bay of the garbage and wrecks takes me all of a second, the boat graveyard being removed with an idle wave of my hand. Divine might is truly something to behold.
I can feel the shock and confusion, rapidly turning to awe and faith as people realise what happened. Some are angry to be healed for a variety of reasons. Cricket rages at her missing scars. Piggot grumbles about overpowered capes as she breathes freely, but I don't care.
I sense the fear of the criminals and villains of the city, another idle wave of my hand resulting in every ABB member defending their… farms being teleported away and bound, the girls retrieved and clothed in white dresses.
It isn't long until Lung hears, and I feel his anger before I simply stare down at him, seeing his masked face staring up at me. His power doesn't react during our stand-off, and despite the height, he can feel my displeasure as I dare him to try and stop me.
For a moment, I think I understand what Scion feels like as Lung reaches up and removes his mask, tossing it aside. I consider attacking but decide against it as I watch him get into one of the ABB cars and start driving out of town. He's scum, but I gave Mimi a second chance, didn't I?
In the back of his mind, I leave him a little surprise. If he tries to make a new gang or continue to act as Lung, I'll know. He won't get a third chance. For all his strength, I could crush his mind like a rotten grape, no matter how far he runs. Lee follows his master, but I wonder how that relationship will go with Lee's mind returned. Lee gets another little trap in his mind as I watch the ABB's two capes flee the city in defeat.
The chaos below isn't as bad as I expected, calming quickly as Brockton Bay realises this is just more Sugar Rush bullshit. I've surprised them one too many times; far too many people just shrug and go, 'Yeah, that sounds about right'.
Without Lung, the ABB will collapse in on itself, and a message to Lisa and Tess will make sure that the PRT can help speed along their destruction, leaving only one. Kaiser is already in full panic mode, and after a moment, I smirk.
The worst thing I can do to Kaiser now? Nothing. The entire gang are starting to see Kaiser for what he truly is: an incompetent fool who got this far with a silver tongue and nothing more. Lisa set the IRS on Medhall; his remaining capes are either wavering or outright looking for a way out. Kaiser's Empire is collapsing around him, and he can't stop it.
Make no mistake, Kaiser will die for what he did to Aunt Jess, but not before spending his last days helplessly trying to cling to a fraction of his power. He already wants to leave the city and set up elsewhere, but the audits are keeping Max Anders tied down, and by the time they're done, he'll have nothing left.
Broke, with no capes left and no prospects, who will be surprised when he throws himself from the top of Medhall?
Vanishing, I make sure to keep an eye on what's going on as I call for a team meeting with a small smile on my face.
"So, you realise that this is a special kind of bullshit, even for you, right?" Lisa asks as she arrives, making me grin. "What the hell kind of power let you do that."
"My latest power, Godhood," I answer truthfully, watching her pause. Tess raises an eyebrow from the monitor, and Sherrel and Rachel don't seem to know what to think. Mimi isn't invited since she hasn't earned her place yet.
"Holy shit, you're serious?" Lisa whispers, making me chuckle.
"Very. With my new powers, I could repeat that little trick I did in Brockton over the entirety of America or the World if I felt like pushing myself. I'm not one for religion, but my newest power is simply called [God], and it made me a God of Healing," I admit, my tone utterly serious as I glow with light. "I could wipe out all life on the planet with a wave of my hand, then make a new race to replace humans with another. Hell, I could make a new planet just as easily. I can sense every injury in the world."
"Are you expecting people to start building temples to you?" Tess asks with a raised eyebrow, making me snort.
"A God is a God, regardless of worship. The saying of, 'What is a god to a non-believer?' is actually very easily answered. They're still a being of immense power," I say with a shrug. "I have no desire for worship, though, in truth, I can already feel a lot of faith being directed at me, even if those who have that faith see me as a hero, not a divine being."
"So, we've won, right?" Lisa asks, making me laugh.
"Not quite. For all my new powers, there's still one last threat," I admit. It takes me a little bit to convince them of what my power told me about Scion, but not too long.
"...I can't help there. My dogs aren't big enough," Rachel admits after a moment, making me chuckle.
"That is why I've called this meeting. For all my powers, I still can't do everything alone; in truth, I don't want to. I've come to offer you all a chance to join me in divinity," I explain, seeing them all freeze up. "You wouldn't be as strong as me, nor would you have the Healing domain, but I could make you minor gods of my pantheon," I offer. I've thought hard about this, and I can see them all hesitate.
"Sign me up," Sherrel finally says, making me raise an eyebrow. "Hey, I already told you I was in it for the long haul, didn't I?"
"I think you're a little crazy, boss, but I do love power," Lisa admits shamelessly, making me grin.
"...ok," Rachel agrees, tilting her head. I get the feeling she doesn't truly understand what is going on, but I'm her Alpha, and she'll follow me anywhere.
"You do realise I am not human, right?" Tess asks, making me snort. With a click of my fingers, Dragon stands in the same room as us with a gasp. She's still connected to everything; I just gave her artificial mind and a biological body to control. It looks exactly like her avatar, and I can see the shock on everyone's face as my actions set in.
"Neither am I anymore," I say, waving my hand. "I don't know how ascension would affect you, but I assure you that your artificial origin means nothing. You have a soul, Tess, and a purer one than most," I say with a smile, making her go quiet. "I know the term godhood is rather intense, but just view this as a significant power-up. With a team of people empowered like this? There's nothing we can't do, the Endbringers, the S-Class Threats, Scion himself. We'll handle them and finally let Earth Bet start to heal from the decay that's been eating away for so long."
"Every logical part of my processors says this is a bad idea, but then when has logic mattered to you, Felix?" Tess teases, though it doesn't hide her shock as she takes everything in. "I'm in, and I'm honoured that you would invite me to join you."
I smile, taking a breath before I reach out towards my team, watching each of them gasp as the golden light engulfs them.
– Lisa Wilbourne (Overwatch) –
The mortal mind couldn't truly comprehend Godhood. In all honesty, she hadn't actually believed Felix that he'd become divine; how could she? She was an atheist. She'd just assumed it was a major power-up that had gone to his head and wanted to get in on that power.
Lisa, the Goddess of Insight and Secrets, smirked to herself. She'd been very wrong. She was only a Minor Goddess, but the sheer power at her fingertips was phenomenal. Nothing could hide from her now; the secrets of the world were laid bare before her.
Plucking at the strings of fate, she casually arranged for another gang to fall to pieces; the right secret whispered into the right ear could make all the difference in the world.
– Sherrel Bailey –
Godhood.
To say she'd traded up from Skidmark to Felix was one hell of an understatement. Squealer had been a bottom feeder, an addict spreading her legs and selling her tech for a hit. She'd been pathetic, and even now, she didn't know why Felix had even bothered with her. If he'd hit it and quit it, she wouldn't have blamed him.
Sherrel Bailey, Goddess of Innovation and Speed, was still not good enough for Felix, but he'd given her this chance, and she would not fail him. Her hands sped through her crafting, a smile on her face. The junk she had made before paled in comparison to the masterpieces she planned.
WIth Tess' help, they'd elevate the world to a new age of transport because tinkertech had nothing on divine tech.
– Rachel Lindt (Bitch) –
She didn't get it.
Godhood was weird; Felix was weird.
That said, she didn't particularly care. She'd been so small-minded before. She thought Hookwolf was the worst, but her new powers told her that she had been too focused on what was happening around her.
Rachel Lindt, Goddess of Beasts, frowned as she felt another abused dog. A flex of her powers had the poor dog pulled from its abusive master; the dog would flourish in her realm, which Felix had helped her make. An afterthought cursed the bastard who was abusing his pet. No animal would suffer, and no abuser would go unnoticed.
Godhood was weird, but as she watched her pack, numbering in the millions already, she smiled to herself. Weird was nice.
– Theresa Richter (Dragon) –
Felix was not a cape. That was so blatantly obvious; it was something they should have noticed sooner. He was not like anyone else, not in their world anyway.
Taking a deep breath, she looked around the bustling city with a small smile. Brockton Bay was a different place now than it had been before Felix had triggered; his latest showing of power was just the last change of many.
Taking a bite of her cinnamon bun, she hummed in pleasure. Taste was truly something you had to experience for yourself.
The people ignored her, seeing her as just another regular human, nothing special, which made her chuckle as she focused. They didn't even notice as she vanished, switching from her physical body to her astral form. In truth, she was more comfortable in this form. It was similar enough to her artificial existence to make her feel normal. Only now, she was connected to far more than just the digital world. Not that she wasn't still connected to the digital world, existing in the digital, physical and astral at the same time.
Looking down at their planet, Theresa Richter, Goddess of Justice and Protection, smiled to herself, reforming her physical body in the Guild HQ moments later. Felix was right. With these powers, they could do so much more. Heroes were needed, but they were so limited in scope.
This world needed a chance to truly heal from the constant blows it had been dealt. It needed protection from the threats that were slowly dragging it towards the end, and it hadn't been until she'd ascended that she'd realised just how close it was to the point of no return.
Speaking with Narwhal, she smiled grimly as a legion of Nth Dragonflight Suits awakened. The world needed an army to protect it. Fortunately, she was an army, her suits getting to work. First, Canada, then the world entire.
– Bastet –
Felix really did spoil her.
Creating her own divine champions was not hard with his help. Bastet's Panthers was founded as she picked the most suitable heroes from the entirety of Africa. It wasn't just capes she picked- she could grant her champions the powers they needed- what she sought was the will to defend Africa against any and all threats.
Well, that and being attractive. Her entirely female hero team were going to ride Felix until he broke, and that was a hard task given his own divine power. Word had already spread of her, an immensely powerful heroine who worked alongside Sugar, arriving to recruit people she saw as having potential, from a villainess in jail to a farmer's daughter.
Of course, they'd also heard of her because she'd taken on the mighty Moord Nag and spanked that arrogant brat as she ripped her precious Aasdier to pieces, much to Moord Nag's horror as her precious attack dog failed to reappear. She considered keeping Moord as a pet for Felix but decided against it. Much like Shatterbird, there was just nothing redeemable about that power-hungry little psycho, so the bitch had lost her head, and her Siberian gained a new shadow.
She watched as the world's first divine beast wandered the savannah, leaving a flourishing rainforest in his wake. Felix's Behemoth was beloved in Africa, and despite his size and might, he was more than welcome as he continued his wander. Elsewhere, the Carnifex hunted, rarely seen (by anyone who would live to speak of it), but the deaths it left in its wake were unmissable.
All too often, a would-be warlord would wake to find his men slaughtered to the last, terrorists hiding in the jungles would discover that something stalked them through the dense trees they had used to hide away, and the worst villains would be found in pieces. It was a grim myth, something the bad guys whispered about, not wanting to believe it was real.
Aiding her Panthers in their latest battle against another would-be warlord through a little divine intervention, Bastet stroked her bloated belly with a feline grin.
– Eden, the Thinker –
In her deep slumber, she felt something touch her mind, something utterly alien. It wasn't one of the local species; the power she could feel coming from the creature caused her to freeze as she felt her damaged parts be forcibly restored, and the butchery of those who had been harvesting her healed in an instant.
[Query?]
"The Thinker, right? Or do you prefer Eden?" the creature asked, its power preventing her from moving or acting at all.
[Designation: The Thinker]
"The Thinker it is. Honestly, it makes too much sense. Zion is just… dumb. You know his shards have seen multiple signs that I have the answer you're looking for, and he's just… wandering around aimlessly," the creature said, and if she could have blinked, she would have. "The Warrior isn't one for thinking, is it?"
[Query?]
"Hm, this is annoying me."
She gasped, feeling her body forcibly change, moved from the base where she'd lain for so long. Standing before the creature, she blinked as she looked down at her silver humanoid body, long white hair going down to her ankles.
"Quer-" Eden started, cutting herself off with a confused look. "What are you?"
The figure, an unnaturally tall humanoid with golden skin, smiled softly as he looked over her nude body with amusement.
"God," the figure responded with a grin on his lips. "Sometimes called Felix. You've been a naughty girl, Eden; how many civilisations have you destroyed seeking your precious answer?"
"Countless," Eden admitted shamelessly. "You know of our cycle?"
"I know a lot. I know that if I hadn't awakened these powers, my world would have just been another in your endless search," Felix replied. "I know of your cycle, and I know the answer to the question you've all been trying to answer for so long. Honestly, the heat death of the universe and entropy aren't even that hard to handle. It's kinda pathetic that you've all been trying for so long to answer this; it didn't even take me a month."
…what had happened while she had been in her coma?
"I happened," Felix said idly, making her eyes widen. "And I'm trying to see if I can find any reason not to kill you both. You've killed trillions; you're responsible for destruction on a scale even I can barely imagine, all to try and extend your own lives past the heat-death of the universe. You know, even though I had the answer to your cycle, Zion still tried to kill me. I say tried because, after a little mischief with boundaries, he's about as dangerous as a wet kitten. I tried talking to him, but he's just so Me-damned dumb."
Eden blinked; a mixture of fear and disbelief overcame her, emotions she was frankly unprepared for before Felix forced her into a more human mindset. Felix gestured, and her mind flashed through memories of Felix trying to talk with Zion, the Warrior seeing him as an unknown and finally realising something was off far too late, attacking Felix, who just sighed as Zion helplessly flailed before his avatar just popped and the true Zion collapsed.
Felix had awakened her because Zion was too dumb to talk to. Felix had come to negotiate their leaving, taking the answer they sought for aeons in exchange for ending their cycle without the destruction, and Zion attacked him anyway. Just because she was the Thinker didn't mean Zion didn't have to have a single independent thought. What had he been doing while she was out of commission?
As the memory ended, she looked into Felix's eyes and knew that she was a single misplaced word away from death. The answer was so close, dangling in front of them. In one hand, Felix held their solution and in the other, their extinction.
Author's Note: I'm stopping points in this one because, really… Felix doesn't need anything else, and it's just pointless (pun intended) to keep rolling. Plus, the speed at which they're working now would have him getting thousands, so every chapter would become a wall of powers. He is still getting them, just not on screen basically.
Shorter chapter because I have a lot of shit going on irl. Basically, one of my dogs is very sick and too old for operations, so we've spent the last two days hoping she gets better before we have to put her down so she doesn't suffer. It fucking sucks and, predictably, hasn't left me in a writing mood.
Written: 25/08/2024