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(BUS)Chapter 119: Swollen
🕑 Added 2025-08-17 14:37:21 +0000 UTCMy jaw dropped at what I was seeing. Not the existence of Phase trance in Steele as that was expected but the sheer density of lifeforce the vault monster held. Weirdly though it only had three extremely powerful traits and two of them had the (Fragment) label on them meaning they weren't complete. I couldn't understand if that was normal or not and simply shrugged as I took all three of the things traits and all of it's lifeforce. I couldn't help but shudder and groan in pleasure at the vast amount of lifeforce but stopped my powers innate hunger from coming to the forefront as I curb stomped it back in the corner of my mind I put it.-
There was no lifeforce in Steele's corpse which I assumed was a side effect of her being used as a host for this thing and went to work extracting her siren trait and the other traits she had that I wanted. [Energy projection-Epic grade], [Energy reservoir-Epic grade], [Siren(Phasetrance)-Mythical grade], [Supreme body-Legendary grade], [Entropic consumption(Fragment)-Legendary grade], [Agelessness-Legendary grade] were all the traits I gained from this fight.-
1,179,181
That was the final amount of lifeforce I had left but I didn't even bother checking with Lil about her siren trait as I felt like I was stretching at the seams from drawing in so many massive traits all at once. [Entropic consumption] in particular was borderline mythical in size and when you add on Steele's siren trait that was like swallowing a planet again I felt unreasonably and painfully bloated. Oddly despite taking all it's traits and lifeforce the corpse of the vault monster wasn't entirely turned to dust, it's eye still remained.-
"Oh goody, a souvenir!" I said with a grin as I opened up my house and lifted the me sized surprisingly hard orb to store in my organic trophy room that hadn't been getting much love to be honest.
"Are you actually going to keep that?" Lil asked with a disgusted look.
"Yep, as good a trophy as any other right? Plus there's nothing else I can take unless you want me to mount Steele's clothes on a wall somewhere?" I said and got a group veto on that idea.
Ladon gave me a funny look when I walked in with the giant eyeball and all his scales stood up when he caught a sniff of it's scent but otherwise didn't bother me about it. We spent the next three hours going back down the path to the vault collecting the downed Seraphs parts and armors and weapons of the Lancemen that were long since turned to dust. It was so much in fact that I had to start piling it up in one of my spare storage rooms like a small monument to our killing proficiency. Most of the guns were useless to me and I put them in the "sell later" pile which was probably going to give Marcus a heart attack.-
"Alright I'm listening. What's this proposition of yours?" I asked out loud once I was alone.
"As we speak there is a Hyperion satellite station on it's way to Pandora to fully map out the locations that will produce the most Eridium when mined. We would like to offer you a slice of that pie, conflict free in exchange for a noninterference agreement from you." The Angel said seriously.
"That's it? That's your whole thing? Don't get me wrong I totally get that having me mess with your mining operations would be a big problem cuz i'm awesome and all but this isn't even a business deal, it's hush money. A real business deal is something like hiring me to do some jobs for you or acting as muscle to protect your interest, long term see? This can at most be considered a trade, a bit of profit you don't need in exchange for keeping a problematic element at bay. I'm kinda disappointed to be frank. I was expecting an intense back and forth but the forming of some tentative but sturdy alliance, this is kinda bland." I complained.
(3rd person POV Hyperion offices)
"That's what he said." Angel said to the man who had orchestrated all of this.
"Ha~ Well I can't say I don't get it. After likely figuring out we had set all of this in motion and edged things out to our favor this has to be a very mundane deal. No hidden strings or requirement hoops to jump through, that's why he'll take it. It's boring but logical and is all benefits for him. Besides I don't mind sharing a bit of this pie with someone who actually deserves it. What does the projections for his growth say now that he's taken Steele's powers?" The man said.
"Exponential growth across multiple vectors and strategic military armament level of individual power. A human warhead." Angel said seriously and with an audible amount of awe.
"Someone like that is better befriended than alienated. That kind of power when directed in the right way can change everything. The best part is unlike a warhead he won't be used up after a single use. The only conflict of interest is his desire to collect all of the siren powers within himself but we will deal with that problem if he ever figures out that you are not an A.I but a siren instead." the man said relaxed and a little eager.
"Would it not be wiser to just let him take the copy sooner so his strategic value would grow even further?" Angel suggested.
"No. Right now he doesn't know that you are a siren, that's a card we hold. When the time comes, if it does that is, that we need something from him that would require a heavy price we can play that card to get it for nearly nothing. More than that however is that we both know how extremely valuable and dangerous your particular powers are. If anyone could understand it as well it's him." the man said seriously
(Normal POV)
I did end up taking the deal in the end despite my disappointment with it. Having a large mining area for Eridium would serve me too fucking well not to. Not only could I skim the stuff off for my powers but I could also use it for my Eridian tech that took it or even just for straight profit since I did still need to buy out Atlas. That should be in a couple years though as so long as General Knoxx was around the corporation was still balanced on the edge of that cliff.-
The guy was old and not likely to survive much longer than a few years given his hazardous lifestyle and incompetent bosses after all. I could use that time to slowly accumulate wealth before swooping in like a shining green messiah and lift the broken corporation to new heights after a rename. For all the glory that came with the Atlas name there was much much more negative views after the whole company rotted from within and made terrible choices.-
It's better to make it clear to everyone that I am merely building something new from the ruins of the old company. It'll look better in the press and on a galactic scale. That was all for later though as for now I still had to deal with what came after the vault had been opened. For starters Tannis was free again and bugging me constantly for the vault key as well as moving into my house. The constant offers of sex were old five minutes after they started. Sure she was hot and all but I didn't really feel anything for her like that.-
Another thing we had to deal with was selling all our loot to Marcus at decent prices which let me fucking tell you was NOT easy. The mans first offer for all the loot was buying at a quarter of the used price for the stuff on an open market. We argued, like a lot, about it until we agreed on him buying it at seventy five percent of the open market price in the end. Despite the MASSIVE amount of profit he stood to make on reselling the shit at marked up prices he still looked like he had eaten a whole lemon tree, wood and bark included.
_______________________________________________
Alexander Drake
Lifeforce: 1,179,181
Integrated Traits: [Gun mastery-Rare grade]X3, [Clever mind-Rare grade],[Enhanced senses-Epic grade]X2, [Demi-supreme body-Legendary grade], [Supreme armored hide-Epic grade]X2, [Energy projection-Legendary grade], [Superior vitality-Epic grade]X2,[Lesser dragon breath-Epic grade],[Regeneration-Epic grade]X2, [Disease resistance-Epic grade],[Amphibious lungs-Uncommon grade], [Thermal sensing-Uncommon grade], [Water resistance-Common grade],[Active camouflage-Epic grade], [Eridian engineering expertise-Mythical grade], [Efficient lungs-Rare grade]x2, [Fire resistance-Epic grade]X3, [Elemental body(fire)-Legendary grade], [Shock resistance-Epic grade]X4, [Energetic sustenance(shock)-Epic grade]X2, [Radiation resistance-Epic grade]X3, [Energetic sustenance(radiation)-Epic grade]X2, [Biometallic bones-Epic grade],[Elemental body(shock)-Rare grade]X3,[Quick thinking-Rare grade], [Minor spatial awareness-Epic grade], [Buzzaxe expertise-Uncommon grade], [Siren(Phaselock)(Altered)-Mythical grade], [Pugilist expertise-Uncommon grade], [Adrenal rush-Rare grade], [Mechanical engineering expertise-Rare grade]X3, [Gunsmithing expertise(degrading)-Common grade]X3, [Elemental body(Corrosive)-Rare grade], [Corrosion resistance-Rare grade], [Mechanical Savant-Epic grade],
Stored traits: [Flame breath-Uncommon Grade], [Tinkering instinct-Rare grade], [Minor regeneration-Rare grade], [Superior vitality-Epic grade], [Omega body-Rare grade]X2, [Supreme Armored hide-Epic grade], [Hard bones-Rare grade], [Sword expertise-Rare grade], [Gun mastery-Rare grade], [Energy projection-Epic grade], [Energy reservoir-Epic grade], [Siren(Phasetrance)-Mythical grade], [Supreme body-Legendary grade], [Entropic consumption(Fragment)-Legendary grade], [Agelessness-Legendary grade]
Comments
Christian Jeffress
Thanks for another entertaining chapter
