I Need a Hero!

*FWIP*

Dust, debris and dried blood were peeled off of the nearby walls before being collected into a floating ball in the middle of the room. Man… magic made this a lot easier. I stored the ball of crap in my inventory. 

Then it was time for the cleaning kit- The bottomless water bucket (Really the MVP). A bunch of scrubbing brushes, mops and sponges, and a large amount of detergent. They all commenced the cleaning of the still terribly dirty room… while I stood near the entrance under a poncho.

So far I'd cleared about 30 rooms, all of them going up and into the nearby abandoned Dahl overseers office (at least I think that's what it was). While solid, it was also unbelievably filthy. With dust being thicker than my palm, the occasional Varkid nest and associated Varkid crap, and sealed rooms full of mold and feces surrounding any unlucky Dahl survivors. The damn bandit strongholds were cleaner than this!

I'd had the choice of multiple towers to choose from, the only reason this one happened to be my choice was due to its relatively larger size, location, state, and stage of construction.

There were smaller, more complete towers, yet they were in either crappy locations, overrun with hundreds of Varkids, or had simply degraded over time to the point where they posed a structural hazard.

This tower on the other hand… 

Was in a central point with tunnels leading to practically every major location converging in its basement. Was large enough that I'd not be pressed for space. Was sealed on most levels, meaning less than half had been exposed to the elements and wildlife, and was further inland, making it so it hadn't been as heavily affected by the acidic atmosphere as building on the outskirts.

It's almost perfect…

…

Man, I can't wait to knock it down and build something better. Thankfully all the tools I'd need for that were available.

The mining infrastructure was fully set up. Which makes sense when you assume Sanctuary used to be their main operational hub, and all of these living areas were being constructed after the fact. Everyone lives in Sanctuary as initial mining operations commence, then gradually migrates to the newly built infrastructure as the mining expands… then it never completes construction due to Dahl's abandonment of the planet.

There was even a bunch of construction equipment still lying around- like cranes, cement mixers, forklifts and miscellaneous tools… especially the small ones, just… everywhere.

Whether they were in good condition or basically decrepit, I made sure that if they could fit in my inventory, then they'd be going straight in… I had plans for them later after all. 

With a final *FWIP* and absorption of soapy water, I finished clearing the highest level of the tower I'd be basing my future operations from. Technically there were a few levels above this one, yet they were missing vital things… like windows, doors, or sometimes even walls. So this was the best I'd get, at least until I started constructing things on my own.

Another good thing about the tower I'd chosen, is that it was also connected with multiple minecart bridges over the acidic sea, leading to other mining sites. Yet not a single one of those was entirely intact- with most having massive sections missing or collapsed… or hell, not even fully constructed. Still, more options was more options.

Also not surprising considering the thousands upon thousands of hostile wildlife I can feel in the vicinity. 

…Really looking forward to getting rid of them… The threshers mainly, since I can feel that a few of them have decent pools of mana. The Crystalisk of course had more… but I remember that the only reason for their hostility is because of Dahl trying to mine them, and I honestly feel bad for the poor critters.

Something surprising is that there's still working generators supplying power to everything. At least I think it's a generator… It also might be a wind farm or something. Either way, the lights still work, the powered garage doors and window shutters still work… and the fucking freight elevators scattered around the place still work!

Some of those elevators still have multiple trucks (which are fully loaded might I add) on them… yet are still capable of moving no problem…

I'll have to look into that… but I'm hoping that once I put the spire down, it can take over the power generation… I just gotta get the ball rolling. Speaking of… I brought up the gamer shop and shifted over to see the items I'd put up for sale… still no bites.

I knew Ridley would notify me, making my check redundant… but come on! I'd had enough time to clean an entire tower! 

[A task moves slowest when you are aware of its progress]

…

How can I not be aware of it when my entire plan hinges on it?!

[…]

…fine.

…

I guess I'll make my way to Thousand Cuts then. Not like twiddling my thumbs here will be useful. And I gotta get there anyway…

I scanned upward into Sanctuary, before appearing on the outskirts of the city; then scanned and teleported outside of the shield with nobody the wiser. Roadtrip (Skytrip?) Time.

The ECHO already gave me a relatively detailed map of Pandora… or at least the general areas. And to get to where I needed to go, I'd ironically need to pass near the bloodshot stronghold I and the others had ransacked earlier.

From there I'd just have to fly through the wastes nearby until I reached the Highlands, and then on to Thousand Cuts. But first… I spent an hour heading in the opposite direction before putting the ECHO in my inventory and doubling back.

Jack would probably figure out it was me pretty quick… but better to leave as few traces as possible. Both to mislead him, and to hopefully not let Angel know I was coming.

I already had the map fully memorized, and so long as I had a clear view of the ground I wouldn't need to worry about going in the wrong direction. So with that in mind, and seeing as it was a clear day, I went extremely far up into the sky, made a mana construct in the shape of a large Rakk, cloaked myself in an illusion for good measure, and began the incredibly boring task of having to fly the over 2000 km {1242 Miles} of distance between me and Angel.

Now… What's a good song to listen to?

  1 hour in~

"COUNTRY ROADS! TAKE MEEE HOME- TO THE PLACE… I BELONG! WEST-"

2 hours in~

[Mouldy Potato] (Trash)

I'll leave that in Jack's bed so help me god.

[Companion Summon Token: SCP-3166 (SCP-Verse)] (Biohazard/Cursed)

The number doesn't ring a bell? Which SCP is that?

[Gorefield]

…Seriously?

[I'd recommend not using that token]

No complaints here. Moving on…

[Refined Malachite Ingot x 20] (Uncommon)

I wonder if Malachite is better than bullet-resistant glass?

[Shrek Shampoo Bottle] (Poor)

…Another gift for Jack I see.

[Krabby Patty] (Common)

And also a gift for Salvador.

[Centipede Furby] (Uncommon) (Cursed)

…If I leave this thing somewhere, will it follow me?

[It'll bond to the first person it sees… so it depends]

Creepy…

[Azuresong Mageblade] (Epic)

>_>

Guess I'm gonna have to ask Zer0 how to use swords then.

[Bag of rubber bands] (Trash)

Can't win 'em all.

[Crabulons Theme] (Rare)

I TAKE IT BACK!

[...You're more excited by the song than the mage weapon? *sigh*]

3 hours in~

[Levitation] - Active (90/100) -> (MAX)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated] 

[Flying] - Active (1/100)

-"Gliding with style…"

Oh! Perfect. I wonder how much faster it-

*BOOM*

(-629 MP)

"HOOOOLLLLLLLYYYYYY SSSHHHHHHIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!"

Having poured the majority of my passive mana generation into the new skill, I was still surprised when I broke the sound barrier… and my passive bug barrier… and my Rakk construct. And had to frantically manifest multiple shields around myself. Thankfully, while the Rakk construct had broken, the illusion of it didn't.

Sadly though, my clothes had instantly been shredded, with the exception of the goggles of Righty- which had instead nearly gouged out my own eyes when they were pushed back with massive force into my face due to the sudden acceleration.

"Son of a rat's ass that hurts!"

A bit of flailing around while grabbing my face and decelerating later and I finally pried the goggles out of my eye holes. 

Okay.

Strong shields are now mandatory if I wanna go fast… got it. How fast even was that?

[About 370 meters per second]

And to break the sound barrier… needs how much speed?

[Roughly 340 - 350 meters per second depending on temperature, medium and other minor factors]

Right. Damn that's cool.

…yet as tempting as it is to just use this new speed to get to thousand cuts quicker, I have no doubt that radar detection and its futuristic equivalent is a thing. So I'll go faster… but not by too much.

Well… back to it I guess. I was going to buy new clothes, but… do I need to?

[Mana Creation] (3/100)

A cloak similar to what I wore after the tutorial appeared around my body. Then switched to a casual shirt and jeans mimicking Lilith… then for fun- a hotdog costume! 

I'm an idiot! I can make any fashion item I want! And I can change its color and texture fairly easily. The clothes I'd created- even with the additional cost of adjusting their coloration to match their real counterparts, and strengthening them to be like steel, cost little more than 8 mana per second.

…Very handy.

What do I want to wear? I can look as badass as I want… yeah it's mostly cosmetic and won't give me any stat buffs like my old cloak would… but fashion!

…hehehehe

My clothes shifted… into a skin-tight blue suit with pink markings on the back and hands.

[Oh for the love of-]

"Zero-suit Samus bitches!"

[...Really reconsidering that extra rep I gave you for naming sense when we first met]

I just stuck my tongue out at Ridley. But she was right… While this did look badass, I was my own person, and I'd rather have my own style.

…or at least not just be a complete cosplayer.

Although… This would be a good time to make a fake persona to throw Jack off. And I can go use it when he's dealt with. I was hovering above a large area full of rocky crags and dusty dunes, and it took me barely a minute to find a small alcove nearby.

A quick flash of pink and I was inside- luckily without having to deal with any Skags or other critters. Well… here goes-

Perk Activated

[False Form]

Woah…

A small screen similar to the one I had when I initially got my body appeared in front of me, with a body akin to a doll being present on it. Unlike then, I could instinctively feel just how unrestricted it was in comparison… as well as all the costs such freedom of choice required.

There was a small section listing race, sex, mutations… and models. And I realized that on my short list of models… was everyone I'd ever done a thorough scan of.

This included all of the vault hunters minus Zer0, and it especially included… Lilith and Maya.

I could legitimately become a Siren…

Hell… I could even become a male Siren. 

The 'Siren' power cost a fair amount though… 1 million mana to add Maya's ability, and 3.5 million for Lilith. 

With my regen it'd take a few hours… but I only wanted to test it. I didn't want to just create it, only to use it for a few minutes, and then discard it. It'd be a total waste!

Ridley, can I store the bodies I make in the inventory or something?

[You can, but you won't be able to use them again unless you create it from scratch. But the longer you 'use', and the more you understand a certain body type, the less it will cost to recreate it in future.]

How long are we talking to become acclimated to a body? Days? Years? Centuries?

[That depends on you and the body you're trying to create. The more familiar you are with a body type, the easier it is to create. But also, the stronger the body, or the more complex/different the body you're trying to create is, the harder it is to understand and also create.]

Hmmm… what happens to the body when I shift out of it?

[It's like a snake shedding its skin.]

Ugh. Why couldn't you compare it to taking off a jacket?

[Because you can put a jacket back on. Again, if you want to use the body, you have to remake it from scratch.]

…Am I literally creating matter?

[From nothing? Hell no. You're converting pure energy into matter… which is impressive but still obeys the laws of physics to a good degree. And don't forget that mana is far more malleable than most types of energy you'll come across- lowering the cost to a pittance compared to what it technically should be]

I thought Gwen's grandma could make a human body almost instantly?

[And? What's your point? Verdona spent decades as a human just for fun. Not to mention she was over 1000 years old before she met Max- with over 300 years of that spent honing her abilities]

…Alright, fair point. Is there any way I can avoid looking like Orochimaru when I 'shed' my body?

[Just will it. How your body stays when it is shed is up to you. Some Anodites don't even leave a body behind.]

So if I wanted… I could make it appear like a regular dead body?

[...]

[I suppose]

I grinned. Cosplay of Orochimaru aside… This just gave me a great idea for rescuing Angel.

Several Hours Later~

I was now in my brand spanking new siren body, obscured under a large cloak (No Spoilers!).

It honestly felt like… well I'm not sure what I can compare it to. Like wearing a skin-tight suit if it was even more intimate… and restrictive. But I could feel the power of the siren ability thrumming in my veins. My actual ones now… which felt strange.

…I could also feel a hell of a lot of sensations I hadn't had to deal with for a while- like hunger, the actual need to breath, and the heat of the surrounding landscape. This wasn't helped by the slight sickness I felt from losing my massive mana regen.

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Samus Cole 

Level 46 

Class - Healer, lvl 46/100 (91%) 

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 46/100 (96%) 

Production Class - Engineer lvl 1/100 (17%) 

Race - Siren (Protean) (False Form) 

Alignment- True Neutral 

HP- 1000 [3.3 per second] 

MP - 10040 [100.4 per second] 

SP - 2000 [6.6 per second] 

STR - 110 (10 + 100)

DEX - 200 (100 + 100)

END - 200 (100 + 100)

INT - 1004 

WIS - 1004 

CHA - 10 

LUK - 500 

Stat Points - 8

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

My regen was still quite large… but unless the species I could turn into made up for that loss, I don't think I'd do this very often. 

I still had enough to recreate my Rakk construct and continue my journey though. This time at a speed that wasn't painfully slow… or painfully fast. Afterall I now had a physical brain that was susceptible to intense G-forces.

Annoyingly, I ended up having to stop again to buy and equip a bunch of warmer clothes, as well as something to eat. I also had to stay at a lower altitude because of my new lungs.

Stupid biological functions…

Nevertheless, by the time the sun was coming up, I was hovering over the giant bandit camp being run by the Slab King, AKA Brick. 

After the stunt I'm about to pull, I wouldn't put it past Jack to simply start killing anyone nearby just out of sheer rage. And I don't want Brick being collateral in that… so here's hoping he's willing to hear me out.

But first…

I made sure to spend some time kidnapping some random Bandits from the outskirts of the massive camp. Then retreated a bit to create a new skill that I'd need later. Ah… I'm almost nostalgic from how similar it feels to when I experimented on those goblins oh so long ago…

[It was like 3 days ago max]

Semantics. Also I spent longer in the dungeon so I'm right.

[You experimented on those Goblins too]

Ah… I did too. Anyway…

I spent barely an hour before receiving the skills I wanted… And another 3 just getting it high enough to be reliable. With my 'Surprise tool that'll help us later' acquired, I then set out to find Brick.

And it didn't take long to find out where he was posted… using a random bandit as a punching bag?

And that was entirely literal. He had a bandit in a leather bag, which was tied to the ceiling as he beat the shit out of them. I mean it's a bandit, so I shouldn't care… and I don't. But I feel like I should be, I don't know… disgusted or something? Is this due to Gamer's mind?

[Gamers mind doesn't remove empathy. Also, don't act like you're in any position to talk after what you did barely 10 minutes ago. Remember how you received Anodite callousness?]

I can see where this is going, so I'm gonna skip straight to its description.

Perk - Anodite Callousness, E Rank. Anodites are not bound by mortal morality. You are more susceptible to perceiving non-energy beings as playthings or objects, than as living beings or equals. This is even more evident toward beings you do not like.

Ah. 

…

Is this why I like the Crystalisks so much?

[Pretty much. But you also had a more positive outlook on them beforehand so take that as you will. Afterall you still like Brick despite him being made out of meat]

Uh huh… I was wondering if my dislike of Moxxi had gotten stronger… Anything other than a burgeoning god complex I should be aware of?

[Yeah. You also received a temporary perk due to becoming a Siren. I was waiting for you to notice, but it's obvious you won't unless I point it out]

Temporary Perk - Not a Phase, B Rank. Sirens are strong, both with their abilities and raw power. Gain +10 to STR, DEX and END per 1000 maximum Mana. Additionally, gain the ability to absorb and increase your Mana pool with the use of Eridium.

Does every creature I turn into have their own unique perk?

[Not every creature no. A perk is usually rather rare… you're just lucky that you happen to be in an environment where every second creature possesses at least a single Perk; Like Goliaths growth through killing, Varkids strength through forced growth, Skags and their growth in power when exposed to certain factors, Threshers and their ability to grow and adapt, etc]

Whole lotta growing in that sentence…

[It's Pandora. Aside from turning into an average human, basically everything has a Perk]

…Even Bullymongs?

[They have a nerfed version of the Threshers growth and adaptation, and a few have one called 'Foul Body']

Rakks?

[A suicidal Perk called 'For the Hive']

…Spiderants?

[Each different caste of Spiderant has its own unique Perk]

Well damn. Any way I can make some of them permanent?

[If you get good enough, and familiar enough, you can maybe try creating hybrids between multiple different species- possibly with the Perks from all of the base creatures used in its creation. Other than that, for a Perk to be permanent, it must be capable of being incorporated into your true form. The Siren ability (and by extension the Perk) wouldn't be possible due to it needing to bond with a living human… though you could probably re-create an ability similar to it given enough time… or if you just steal it]

Wait… does this mean that my Siren ability is going to pass onto someone when I shed the body?

[Hell no. You basically possess a very temporary copy of a true Siren power. While it looks the same, functions mostly the same, and is practically indistinguishable to everyone else, it will dissipate and fade upon the body's expiration]

Aww… giving everyone Siren powers would've been fun.

[...Up until they all get old and die, thus creating a new generation of brats with godlike power… or worse, just become food for Tyreen down the line] 

You make a good point. Counter argument; Brick with Phase Punch.

[...]

[...You really like Brick huh?]

Oi! Don't shame me! He was and still is my favorite Borderlands character.

[...Go talk to him then, instead of stalling up here]

…

…I'm not stalling.

[*Snort*]

…You're particularly sassy today.

[Sassiness will continue until courage increases]

I just glared for a few moments… before remembering I had a spine, and lowered myself through a side window into the room with Brick. I was still under the illusion- making me practically unnoticeable… or at least that's what I thought.

Brick stiffened up… and slowly turned toward my direction.

[Observe] 

Brick, lvl 250 

Himself, Slaughterer, Protector, Berserker, Inhuman 

Thoughts- Wary, Bloodthirsty. "Another one?..."

He knew I was here… though how, I'm not quite sure. But he was on edge, scanning the room with his eyes.

Well, better speak up before he starts attacking shit. "Hello?"

Brick zeroed in on my voice- looking directly at me even though I was sure he still couldn't see me. "You a Hyperion Assassin? Thought you idiots gave up after I gutted the last ones."

His eyes briefly flashed red as I began speaking- "Uh.. no. The opposite actually. I was gonna piss Hyperion off and didn't want you to get caught in the crossfire." I'm sure he had heard enough from me to narrow my location down for an attack if he so wished… so starting off by saying I want to screw over his mortal enemies will hopefully put me on his 'do not kill' list.

"...Why can't I see you?"

"I'm a Siren… also I'm trying not to let Hyperion know I'm here."

"Uh huh… And what are you doing that'd piss them off enough to possibly kill me? For that matter… the hell do you care if I die?"

"..."

"...I'm gonna be stealing the Vault key. Also I'm friends with Lilith… and she'd be sad if you kicked the bucket." Technically the truth… just not all of it. Still, Brick's eyes widened upon my mentioning of it.

"The key is in the base nearby?!" Of course he made the connection.

"Yep… and Jack'll be pissed as hell once he notices that it's gone… Oh yeah! Mordecai thinks that it's on a train which he plans to hijack. It isn't, but a weakened Wilhelm is… just don't use the power core he drops, since it's a trap set by Jack."

Brick looked downright shocked at everything he heard. "..."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Everyone's ECHO devices are currently under surveillance by Jack, so don't go sending each other vital info through it alright?"

"Wha- All of them?!"

"Yeah… But don't worry! After what I'm about to do, it should be a lot harder for him to keep track of everyone. Once you see Hyperion losing its shit, you should be in the clear to start messaging people" I felt comfortable telling him this much, especially considering he didn't carry an ECHO on him at the moment.

"...How do I know if everything you're telling me is the truth?"

"Just ask Roland, ah, preferably in person. I was part of the Vault Hunter group that had to save his ass from the Bloodshots." I brought out Flanksteaks helmet and dropped it to the ground in front of Brick. "Also, if you really wanna confirm, just wait and watch as Hyperion gets pissed in a couple hours. As for confirming the ECHO thing, I'm not sure how to prove that… maybe you could bait Jack into doing something as a test?"

A darker look passed over Brick's face. "How'd he die?"

"Uh… Who?"

He picks up the mask, before crushing it with a single meaty flex of his fingers- "THE BLOODSHOT BASTARD WHO HURT MY FRIEND!!"

"Oh… Roland killed him, using his own gun I should add… and while he was trying to negotiate his escape while crawling on the ground. It was actually really pathetic… for Flanksteak at least. Also, pretty sure we killed off half of the bandits in the base on our way to save him."

And just like that, the bloodthirsty look on his face morphed into a grin, scratch that, it was more bloodthirsty… but it was still a grin which was an improvement- "Good. Never liked that weasel… also, you may have just given me a way to get my boys outta here. I knew something had happened to the Bloodshots, but I didn't hear too much till just now. If what you said is true, and I'm hoping that it is, then the Bloodshots are probably still fighting over leadership… and it'd be an awful shame to just leave them without a new leader."

He chuckled darkly to himself while grabbing a giant hammer from nearby and strapping it to his back- "I can't trust everything you said… and I won't. But I can recognize Flanksteaks shitty mask from a mile away. So there's a good chance you're telling the truth. If it is true? Then thanks for helping Roland out, he's got a stick up his ass, but he's also a good man. If it ain't? I'll turn you into a new pair of boots."

With that last sentence he turned and looked me in the eye (again through the illusion). His pupils elongated like a reptile briefly before returning to normal.

"When you're done fucking with Jack, meet me in Sanctuary, cos I'll owe ya a drink… If ya succeed that is."

Even though he couldn't see it, I smiled at his mildly friendlier attitude- "I'll look forward to it."

And then, after a nod, he left the room, and I could hear him whistling to the nearby bandits and telling them to get their sorry asses out pronto. 

…Pretty sure I heard him snap one of their spines too.

Overall, Brick was a scary man… if he was a potential enemy. But with him getting ready to get outta here, I just had to wait for-

[Your items sold during the conversation with Brick]

-That. I grinned, and in a flash of pink (under the illusion because I was sneaky like that), I appeared several hundred meters away between the ravines. I made sure to stay in them on my way towards the Hyperion base. Still under an illusion of course, this time hiding my approach to the best of my ability.

The gate in front of the Hyperion base was extremely easy to find- what with the occasional mortar shots being made toward the nearby bandits… and those same bandits just sending psycho's strapped with dynamite right back. 

The area between the 2 camps was absolutely pockmarked with scorched bandit and robotic bodies, and it had obviously been ongoing for a while- made extra obvious by the blackened craters closer to the Hyperion side already beginning to grow back their grass, and the ones on the bandit side mostly still smoking. It wasn't too surprising that Hyperion was winning this little bout, but it was surprising that the bandits had lasted this long. I know Jack had a lot of bots, and was actively making more every day… but why not just bomb the shit outta them from orbit or drown them in steel? I know he did something similar in the game, both of what I just mentioned at the same time in fact. 

…Still didn't make much sense that he'd left them alone for this long though. Also…

I know it was the only viable land-route into the base… but weren't Brick's bandits focused on Buzzard combat? If they really wanted this gate, why not fly over it and start some real trouble? Yeah it'd be kicking the hornet's nest… but this is bandits we're talking about! And they clearly were more than happy to fuck with Hyperion regardless. Hell, Brick made it clear that Hyperion was actively sending Assassins after him constantly.

…Was Jack letting them live? If so, why? I'd have to assume he was based on what I knew he was capable of. Perhaps he saw them as an insignificant threat that wasn't worth the time? Hell, even Sanctuary wouldn't hold up from a full-on Hyperion assault, let alone an unshielded bandit camp- no matter how big. So what was he waiting for? Maybe he left them alone so that he'd be able to wipe them out using the Warrior later? 

Yeah… that sounds like him. Of course I could be wrong. It might also have to do with a random rule pertaining to genocide that all the corporations have to stick to, I know there was an obscure part of the lore that stated they'd basically banned usage of certain WMD's. So what's to say they don't have a similar rule about genocide above a certain scale?

Whatever the case, my thoughts are drifting too much… back to the mission. The Hyperion entrance that was able to atomize any non-Hyperion personnel was roughly the same as the game- Larger for sure, but thankfully only covering the land entrance. Which made it especially easy for me to simply fly around it and down towards the bottom of the cliff that the base was located on- again keeping my distance and under an illusion so as to hopefully avoid any detection. Cos I knew if there was one place that Jack wouldn't have spared any expense, this'd be it. Though the fact that Roland in the original assault on the base was able to climb up the outside without being detected, gave me some assurance as to it being mostly unmonitored near the bottom.

And it turned out my thoughts about it were correct- while it was heavily reinforced with metal and what looked like concrete at the bottom. But… there weren't any turrets, bots or landmines. Perfect.

A single scan was all it took to see the hollowed out elevator shaft in the center of the giant pillar… which was a direct entrance into Angel's room- a shaft which briefly flashed pink as I appeared at the bottom of it.

"I'm in."

…Always wanted to say that. Even if I had to be extra quiet about it lest I draw attention. I didn't hear any alarms, and I couldn't see any indication that I'd been detected… but that wasn't a reason to be reckless. Well… too reckless.

I made sure not to touch any of the walls or floor as I reached the bottom of the shaft- The floor beyond the initial concrete shifting into a hexagonal and high tech looking material that glowed slightly and had the occasional pipe full of refined Eridium running through it.

I'd already found Angel's location with a scan… and hot damn. It was like looking directly into the sun… with a magnifying glass. The sheer amount of power running through her system was… Delicious. I actually had to stop myself from drooling as waves of power covered every surface around me- both from Angel's connection to the surroundings, and the power coming from the liquid Eridium… not gonna even mention the Vault key. To me it felt akin to smelling an extremely tasty food, but from every direction… and I was starving.

Comparing Angel to Lilith was like comparing an olympic swimming pool to a glass of water. It was… Amazing. Horrifying to think about how she ended up with so much power, but nonetheless grand. 

I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed that, aside from her collar, clothing, hair clips and hair tie, there didn't appear to be any possible trackers or tech hidden under her skin. It was a real concern for me over whether or not Jack had chipped her with something to track her on the off chance she should escape. This would make the hard part of this plan feasible at least.

The hallway opened up into her main room ahead… but I was contemplating whether I should stealthily make my way up to her, or if I should just teleport. My main concern was whether Jack had installed thermal cameras or pressure sensors… or any other array of sensors capable of detecting me. 

I'd gotten through the corridor with no issue, and considered it relatively safe from what I could see, but the room was different- at roughly over 200 meters wide with Angel smack dab in the middle. It would be impossible for me to tell if, let alone where, he'd have set up anything to detect intruders.

Well… good thing I anticipated this. 

I activated the new skill I'd gained earlier- Surprise tool activate!

[Telepathy] (7/100)

Perspective Shift - Angel~

"Testing testing. Hello? Can you hear me?"

The hair on the back of my neck rose and my heart jumped into my throat as a smooth female voice echoed in my head out of the blue. I started frantically scanning my surroundings for any intruder, not seeing anything in my immediate vicinity or detecting anything through the cameras and sensors- Everything pointed to me being alone.

"Woah, calm down. You're the only one who can hear me, and I'd prefer that Jack didn't catch on that I'm around. I'm here to help… And yeah I know that probably sounds dodgy. But I can help you, both with getting out and curing your current condition."

I was still freaking out quite a bit, but did my best to appear nonchalant. 

"Listen, I'm a Siren like you. I can help, but a little cooperation would go a long way. Blink twice for no, blink three times for yes. Now… Do you want to be free?"

I was nowhere near calm, but the thought of freedom was enough to make me swallow in anticipation. I blinked three times.

"Good. Because what I'm about to do next will be… a bit intrusive. Listen, this will sound… rather mean, but I'm gonna have to remove your Siren ability. Are you still sure you want me to save you? I promise that you'll still get your freedom, and it'd make it a lot harder for Jack to track you down once it's gone."

I had to think about that for a moment. The power that I had… was both a gift and a curse… at least that's what most people thought about it. Not me. For me… it had been a curse from day one. Taking my Mother, corrupting my father, and ruining my life with constant agony. I know that the power would leave upon the host's death… so were they going to kill me?

…I'm not sure… but I had nothing to lose anyway. I blinked three times.

"I'm going to appear next to you, remove the collar and anything else attached to you, before switching it to a doll. If you have a way to suppress any alarms or make sure Jack can't see what's going on, it'd make this a lot easier"

I did indeed have a way to suppress any alarms- a screen of sorts that I planned to use if ever I had a chance to end my existence. Jack was too busy prepping Wilhelm for a trap anyway, so I knew he wouldn't check on me unless an alarm alerted him. Even still, I'd only be able to suppress Jack's sight for a minute or two, and beyond that would see us surrounded by an entire army of bots. 

I'd prepared myself for death… had planned a way for it to be achieved using the help of the new Vault Hunters. But I'd never prepared for the chance to live. I was under no illusions, the moment the Eridium stopped flowing, I'd have seconds before passing. I wasn't scared of death before, but on the off chance I could live?...

The hope that this stranger might actually be able to help me? Spread like a poison through my mind. All the resolve I'd had to die shaking in the face of possible freedom.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, the voice appeared again to calm me down- "It's okay Angel… I promise that you'll get through this. I won't lie and say it'll be painless- in fact it'll feel like the opposite for a bit. But once it's done, you'll truly be able to live your life and be free from under this asshole's thumb." I blanched at hearing them confirm the pain in store for me.

"Crap… sorry, my wording was shit. But I thought it'd be better to tell you the truth, you're gonna survive, but the first few seconds of disconnecting from the Eridium are gonna suck. Are you ready?"

I nervously started to nod- before remembering to instead blink three times. 

"It'll be like taking off a bandaid… a really big one" Stop making it worse! "Alright, beginning in 5, 4, 3, 2-"

And before I could wonder where they'd come from, they were in front of me- being almost entirely covered in a brown cloak from head to toe. My brain halted as I looked into their hood… and saw a familiar face.

WHAT THE HELL?!

Perspective shift - Samus~

Seeing Angel's shock was, frankly, hilarious. Though I didn't allow myself to appreciate that fact for long. 

[Observe] Angel, lvl 1150 

Siren, Caged Canary, Guardian Angel, Daughter of the Tyrant, The Machine Demigoddess, Pandora 

Thoughts- Scared, Hopeful, Confused. "WHY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE ME?!"

That level… damn.

With the speed of my thoughts, it took barely a second from the moment I appeared, to when I'd stripped Angel of her collar, clothing and apparel- touching them once before storing them in my inventory (along with the Vault Key). 

Another second, and I used telekinesis to quickly cover and dress Angel in a random set of clothes from the Gamer shop.

3 seconds. I then equipped everything she'd been wearing, including the collar that I felt immediately restricted my new Siren powers. Unfazed, I shifted the flow of Eridium from Angel to myself- intercepting it with my inventory instead. At the same time, I brought out the green, demonic orb of invulnerability and shoved it into Angel's chest.

4 seconds. Angel collapsed to her knees in pain, and I scanned her and made sure she wasn't actually going to die regardless. Now that I could get a proper, up close and personal scan, I was able to see just how messed up her system truly was. The pool of energy powering her abilities had ballooned in size to the point of absurdity, and it was only the constant influx of energy that made sure that it was in a constant state of expansion, that stopped it all from collapsing inward like a house of cards- much like it wanted to do right now but was barely being stopped by her current invulnerability. Still, I could sense as her power was slowly cannibalizing itself to fill that empty void.

Satisfied that the artifact was capable of holding her together (for now), I then brought out the enchanted golden apple and Senzu bean, before holding them out to her- "Eat them."

Despite the pain and strangeness of my request, Angel grit her teeth and accepted them both before chowing down. In the meantime I kept a hand on her shoulder to continue scanning her, while grabbing the Caduceus staff with the other and activating its healing beam.

She ate the senzu bean first, and I watched as her dwindling pool of energy almost instantly filled to full capacity, hell, she was so full of energy after it that I almost assumed my job was basically done. But of course it couldn't be that easy. 

The moment she hit a full tank… it started dropping again, before then rising, then dropping again. Her energy started rollercoastering around wildly as the senzu bean tried its best to heal her, but it was like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in the bottom. Granted, it was slowly repairing that hole, but this was years upon years of damage, damage to her vessel of power which had been ripped and torn and healed and torn again, over and over for most of her life. 

My god… the Eridium that had caused this had also not just kept her alive… but forced her to live through what was likely pain far in excess of anything I could imagine inflicting onto another being. And make no mistake, that wasn't a small amount. Her power wasn't just stretched to its limits, but far beyond it to the point where it was stretched and warped- with the energy simultaneously holding her together and stretching her more, turning into a vicious cycle over time.

I was… genuinely horrified and disgusted at the thought of someone doing this to another person they claimed to love.

If it weren't for being invulnerable currently, the container housing her power would likely have broken and killed her. And I can truly say that death would be a mercy with what she had to endure.

The senzu bean, caduceus staff, and now, the enchanted golden apple, were all working to repair those minute cracks and holes which were allowing her power to leak. The more it was fixed, the more amazed I was. Her power completely dwarfed Lilith's a thousand times over with room to spare… and that was before she was close to being healed. I-I'm not sure I'll be able to absorb all of this!

…Awesome!

She was now nearing the end of the healing session. Her energy pool was nearly completely fixed, with the originally large and horrifying rips in it fully closing one after the other. 

Right as the invulnerability wore off, and the final rip closed, she was able to get up from the floor, her body no longer shaking in pain. And for the first time in years, she no longer felt the high of the Eridium or the pain of being torn apart, she felt… powerful.

[Observe] Angel, lvl 1150 

Siren, Denier of Fate, Guardian Angel, Daughter of the Tyrant, The Machine Demigoddess, Pandora 

Thoughts- Relieved, Happy, Ecstatic, Grateful. "FINALLY!"

Surprise tool part 2!

Perks Activated 

[Preparation is Key]

[Prismatic True Form]

I instantly cast my stored and massively boosted sleep spell that I'd created and prepared just for such an occasion (just on the off-chance that Angel would change her mind). I also shed the fake body I'd created based on Lilith, yet sculpted to look like Angel. And also caught the real Angel before she could hit the ground again. 

I felt a bit bad about having to knock her out… but at the same time, I considered it very necessary. She had enough raw power to be comparable to a Vault monster at this point, and if given a bit of time, would be practically unstoppable. I didn't trust someone with that much power not to simply kill me once they had the chance, or use their new power to start a rampage against their oppressor.

Rather pessimistic? Perhaps. But I never lied to her. She was now fully healed, and once I absorbed her power, I'd make sure she got to live a long and happy life. I'd even be more than happy to help her gain other powers if she wanted… this one was simply too powerful- and more importantly, too useful, to not grab for myself.

Job partially done, I made sure to insert Angel into the carbonite pod before storing her in my inventory- on that note, I'd received just over 30 tons of refined Eridium… and I wasn't planning on leaving just yet. The fake body was lying on the ground and was still drawing all of the Eridum towards it- and I'd stay here for at least a few more minutes before heading out. 

Eridium's expensive, and I'd be damned if I just let all of this go to waste. Once it hit 100 tons, I let it then reach the false body (After I'd posed it giving the bird of course)… which promptly began melting. Gross.

Greed temporarily satiated, I disappeared in a flash of pink. Interestingly, as I appeared outside again, I was just able to catch a glimpse of a giant orange serpentine creature in the nearby wetlands…

[Observe] 

Terramorphous the Invincible (Terry), lvl 2000 

Invincible, Idol, Champion of Ifrit, Raid Boss 

…

My god… glad I'm not fighting him for a while. I made a mental note to avoid the area at all costs, before continuing my great escape.

I'd barely made it to the edge of Bricks Bandit nest before I heard loud alarms and klaxons start wailing from the Hyperion stronghold- as thousands of jet loaders began circling the entire place while a veritable sea of ground based loaders began covering every inch of available space.

Welp… Jacks certainly pissed. Here's hoping he doesn't figure out it was a fake for a few hours.

I was happy to see that, while still very much inhabited by bandits, a large portion of Brick's forces had already fled by the time Hyperion started slaughtering the remainder. And by god was it a humbling sight. Just within the first 5 minutes I saw over 30 super badass bots- and the sheer terror of seeing the sky being nearly blotted out by the number of surveyors.

…I can't wait to make it all mine.

I stayed among the canyons for the next several hundred kilometers. I did this while also covering myself in an illusion and construct like before. Don't wanna get this far only to be shot from orbit.

Once I was past the canyons I loosened up a bit, and just spent the next few hours creating and testing a bunch of random powers- nothing too dangerous though. I'd like to create my own teleportation ability without having to rely on the Rod of Harmony… but not only was messing with space dangerous as hell, but I also couldn't copy the Rod's method, since however it teleported, it didn't require mana to do so.

Still… I could comfortably make hundreds of random powers if I really wanted to- Mana (or perhaps Anodite bullshittery) was simply that versatile. But I felt that I shouldn't clog myself down with junk, leading to only 8 being kept by the time my return journey was ending.

[Obscure] (8/100) New!

I finally have a way to cover sound and smell in addition to sight. Gotta thank Brick for making me take that into consideration.

[Mana Zone] (3/100) New!

At first, I wasn't really sure how this would help me, it just saturates my surroundings in mana. Turns out it can carry my intent and is very helpful for making the wildlife fear me.

[Dissolve] (1/100) New!

A rather handy acidic-type spell that eats away at anything within range.

[Kinetic Impulse] (2/100) New!

An extremely high potential attack that can pass whatever damage I do via melee to the main target, to that target's allies. Theoretically, I could punch one person and kill a hundred. If I can supply enough mana to maintain the effect that is…

[Arcane Impulse] (5/100) New!

Basically the same as Kinetic Impulse, just made for strictly magic attacks. Expensive as fuck though.

[Marked] (4/100) New!

A target designator, with the ability to mark enemies or allies through scan and make it easier to keep track of who everyone is.

[Parasitic Seed] (1/100) New!

Have you ever seen the movie Aliens? Well I can now put something similar to a chestburster in someone. It'll be a tiny seed that will absorb the target's mana and detonate once it cannot absorb anymore. Actually, it was really interesting that I made an attack I'm 100% sure could kill me.

[Gum] (6/100) New!

What can I say? I really wanted a version of Hisoka's Bungee Gum. And having the ability to make something that's both elastic and sticky depending on how I use it, is quite versatile when combined with the fact I don't actually need to have the target anywhere near me.

Overall, a nice couple of additions to my repertoire. Especially both versions of Impulse, it needs mana to transfer and repeat the effect of whatever I do to the main target, but so long as I designate allies and restrict its chain limit… it'll probably be my new best AOE attack. Oh yeah… I also got 2 new skills that I wasn't even on the lookout for, but am very glad about-

[Sneak] (4/100) New!

[Scan] (MAX) -> [Sonar] (6/100) New!

Took sneak long enough to appear…

[Technically, while you did use illusions to hide, you never actually tried sneaking around until just recently]

…ANYWAY. The far more important new addition was Sonar. Which was basically scan except it was able to be entirely focused in a single direction- making the range more than 40 times higher… which paired well with the Rod of Harmony. Who knew that firing in a cone instead of just firing in every direction simultaneously would be so much cheaper? Could have fooled me….

I actually just started teleporting my way back once I received it. Sure it took a bit over 30 seconds to regen enough mana to send out another Sonar, but since using the Rod didn't consume any mana, and it got me a helluva lot of distance per use (more than what flying at Rakk speeds would at least), it was totally worth it in my eyes.

In no time at all I was back in the caverns and ready to get the party started! 

…I really REALLY wanna drop the spire now… but first… Angel.

[ID Create]

And I was back at the beginning of the dungeon. A quick scan shows a bunch of extremely weak goblins in the vicinity, and even a group about to encounter me. I pulled all of them to me with Telekinesis before using Mana Siphon to drain them completely, and then killing the entire lot with a single use of Mana Lance.

I'd need a calm environment to absorb Angels power… and also preferably a decently leveled Mana Siphon. I glanced at its current status-

[Mana Siphon] (43/100)

I'd feel a lot more secure if that was at max… but even doing this entire dungeon only got it less than halfway. I mean… I could just spam the entire dungeon a few times… but then again, I really didn't want to get anywhere near that Goblin King again. I got lucky last time, and I'm not dumb enough to test out if I'm that lucky again. 

…Then again, I was too preoccupied last time to absorb any mana once too many bosses began appearing.

The skill only has to do with absorbing mana right? Does it have to come from a living organism? I brought out one of the lesser mana crystals I'd received from the last goblin dungeon run. I can feel that it has a tiny amount in it, maybe 20 or so? Well… worth a shot.

…

…Nothing. I then crushed it and the small amount of mana was instantly absorbed… just not by mana siphon… *sigh*. Okay then… I brought out a glowing purple bar… of Eridium. It'll… probably be fine? Mana Siphon!

And it briefly felt like I got high. It worked. And damn did it work. Similar to when I got out of the cocoon and felt a compulsion to release my power in the form of hundreds of thin beams, this time I couldn't even control it as once again hundreds of beams raked through my surroundings- felling dozens of trees nearby.

Dazed as I was, I still made sure to check myself over using multiple scans- A single bar (even if it did affect me like a typical Siren) wouldn't kill me. But I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be reliant on it. And my new… well not biology, crystal… ness? Whatever. Didn't have any issues simply absorbing it and providing a slight boost in mana.

Most of the energy couldn't be retained… just over half in fact. The rest being the source of the beams I'd unintentionally released. But it didn't cause me any damage, it didn't instill an addiction in me for more (aside from my regular levels of greed) and… my mana pool actually slightly increased!

Not by a large amount, and I couldn't tell just by looking at my status… but I felt it. It had gone up by just a smidgeon. This gave me quite an idea, and after absorbing the remainder of my Eridium bars and confirming that I received no ill effects- 

MP - 12040 -> MP - 12048

-And also making a crater around me by accidentally destroying every tree within a hundred meters or so. I decided to start absorbing the entire 100 tons I'd received when I collected Angel.

To maximize my efforts, I'd also be advancing in the dungeon once again… I mean, I was gonna be constantly releasing AOE attacks anyhow, and may as well use it to kill some goblins. So I get to level up Mana Siphon, increase my mana pool, and kill goblins. 3 birds with one stone, hell yeah!

[You've figured out how to become a disco-ball of death. Color me surprised]

Disco ball of death, I like the sound of that. Well… let's get this party started then! Ridley, can you make it so that I get around 10 bars worth of Eridium per second?

[Of course. Get ready]

And the lightshow started once again as the surroundings were scorched even further and I flew forward at a moderate pace. I could spam practically any skill I wanted while this was happening- allowing me to also grind out levels for anything I wanted to! 4 birds one stone!

I rarely even got to see any goblins along my way, as any that were ahead were killed long before they could get close. Eventually I just switched to spamming Sonar and Scan, before killing them using whatever skill caught my fancy.

I didn't even know how many cycles I'd gone through yet- since I didn't feel any noticeable difference in difficulty, and the high from absorbing Eridium made it hard to tell time. I'd noticed quite a few bosses already… dead ones that is. With so much available mana, I was able to spam Arcane Impulse- which allowed me to massively increase the level of death I was dealing… goblins per second if you will.

It got so fast that I was actually running out of enemies, and to make sure I didn't run out of greenskins, I started teleporting forward and scanning my surroundings- which I'd then send out another Arcane Impulse at any enemies before repeating the cycle.

Like this, after around an hour and a half, I managed to reach the goblin castle once again. The goblin king still scared the shit out of me… but I'd realized why he was so damn strong. The fucker was empowered by every goblin that died, the stronger the better. And pair that with me killing all of the strongest ones near him the last time I was here… and I'd accidentally created a raid boss.

Not this time. I made sure to crush him using a long ranged Hydraulic Press before a single, extremely strong and boosted version of Arcane Impulse finished off the rest all at once.

Well… that was a lot easier. I spent about 10 minutes finishing off the Eridium and leveling Mana Siphon to max before lying down and grasping my stomach. Damn I feel bloated…

[Level Up x 14] HP, MP, and SP restored.

…I feel like I'm gonna hurl.

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Samus Cole 

Level 46 -> 60 

Class - Healer, lvl 60/100 (41%) 

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 60/100 (36%) 

Production Class - Engineer lvl 1/100 (19%) 

Race - Protean (True Form) 

Alignment- True Neutral 

HP- 1000 [200 per minute] 

MP - 131,080 [129.8 (389.4) per second] 

SP - 378 [200 per 30 seconds] 

STR - 10 

DEX - 100 

END - 100 

INT - 1298 

WIS - 1298 

CHA - 10 

LUK - 570 

Stat Points - 148 

Money - $78,584,836

My MP just got a hell of an upgrade… but shouldn't it have been more?

[The more Eridium you absorb, the less it will add. Classic diminishing returns… though you could still get all the way to a million before it isn't worth the effort.]

So what you're saying is… I gotta steal from Jack again.

[I knew you were a smart cookie]

I try.

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

[Telekinesis] (15/100) -> (23/100)

[Sonar] (8/100) -> (61/100)

[Arcane Impulse] (5/100) -> (33/100)

[Mana Whips] (69/100) -> (MAX)

[Mana Manipulation] (73/100) -> (MAX)

[Mana Siphon] (43/100) -> (MAX)

[Observe] (64/100) -> (79/100)

[Heal] (75/100) -> (MAX)

[Physical Enhancement] (39/100) -> (89/100)

[Mental Enhancement] (27/100) -> (MAX)

[Combustion] (47/100) -> (MAX)

[Mana Beam] (8/100) -> (66/100)

[Mana Flechette] (24/100) -> (35/100)

[Deflect] (31/100) -> (MAX)

[Minor Lightning Manipulation] (5/100) -> (MAX)

[Hydraulic Press] (5/100) -> (MAX)

[Mana Creation] (3/100) -> (17/100)

[Flying] (31/100) -> (MAX)

[Kinetic Impulse] (2/100) -> (5/100)

[Arcane Impulse] (33/100) -> (73/100)

[Parasitic Seed] (1/100) -> (7/100)

[Gum] (6/100) -> (25/100)

[Dissolve] (2/100) -> (9/100)

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

[Mana Tentacles] (1/100) New!

[Mana Domination] (1/100) New!

[Consume] (1/100) New!

[Greater Heal] (1/100) New!

[Foreshadow] (1/100) New!

[Explosion] (1/100) New!

[Reflect] (1/100) New!

[Lightning Manipulation] (1/100) New!

[Almighty Crush] (1/100) New!

[Launch] (1/100) New!

Spicy!

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

[Due to certain actions, a Perk has been Unlocked]

Perk Gained - Gluttony, EX Rank. Why is it never enough? You are now able to convert anything you consume into your primary life-force. In exchange, you shall never feel sated. Grants Skill [Consume (1/100)].

Well… I guess that confirms that I'm on my way to becoming a Demon Lord. I don't feel hungry though?

[The only thing you could consume while being in your True Form would be mana… which you passively generate. Congrats on dodging a bullet]

Will this affect me in my false forms?

[Oh absolutely]

…Great.

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

[Loot Gained] (Page 1 of 15)

127x Lesser Mana Crystal (Common)

63x Intermediate Mana Crystal (Uncommon)

14x Greater Mana Crystal (Rare)

1x Superior Mana Crystal (Epic)

21x Gold Bar (Rare)

31x Common Gacha

19x Uncommon Gacha

7x Rare Gacha

3x Epic Gacha

$221,551

No Uniques this time… but still a good haul.

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Well… I certainly feel more prepared to deal with Angel. Just in case, I also brought out and equipped 2 more items to give myself as much of an edge as possible.

[Azuresong Mageblade] Sword 

+12% INT

+7% END

Equip: Improves your chance to get a critical strike with spells by 1%.

Equip: Increases Damage and healing done by magical spells and effects by up to 40%

[Nature's Gift] Accessory

6% reduced mana usage

Then, I brought out Angel, before carefully laying the carbonite pod containing her in the center of the goblin base- this time still being intact as everything had died before they were able to realize they were even under attack.

I could feel a muted sensation of her power even in the state she was in, and there were even small purple cracks spreading through the pod. She's not… conscious? right?

I'm gonna… assume not. Yet be responsible by hitting her with another sleep the moment she pops out. Not that it was needed… as she was still very much knocked out. 

…I may be a bit paranoid. Anyway, I deposited Angel onto a picnic blanket I bought, and began the extraction.

I started the Siphon… and well, this is gonna take a while. Even at maximum, It'll still take a bit due to the sheer volume of her power. But it's working, and I can see her tattoo's slowly beginning to fade.

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated] [Technopathy] - Active (1/100)

Oh? I thought I'd only unlock that once I'd absorbed the entire thing? Hell I've barely absorbed any of it? 

[Technopathy] - Active (3/100)

It's already level 3?!

[Technopathy] - Active (4/100)

I checked to make sure of how much of her ability I'd taken… which was still a drop in a bucket. 

…And it already showed such results. I looked back down at Angel's sleeping face. How strong really is she? And for that matter… How much stronger will this make me?...

18 Hours Later~

Aside from casting Sleep a few more times, I had very smooth sailing in regards to obtaining Angels power- a process that was just finishing up now.

[Technopathy] - Active (MAX)

And… there it is. Kinda anticlimac-

[Due to an action, certain criteria have been met]

Uh…

[Congratulations! The Skills [Telekinesis], [Telepathy], [Technopathy], [Foreshadow], [Scan], [Sonar], [Mana Zone] and [Mana Domination] have resonated!]

[You have received the skill [Arcanokinesis] - Active (50/100)]

Woah! I could feel as I suddenly connected to all of the mana nearby- not having been aware of just how much of it was raging around me like a tornado until this very moment- before suddenly expanding a million-fold over the dungeon. It felt… like another hand, no! A thousand hands! No! Like a giant… ball? Of playdough or… water? Maybe like a blanket? It was hard to describe. But I felt that everything it touched was all under my control and that I could make it change shape or take action with only a thought. It was a massive force that spread far and wide and combined all of my Esper-ish powers into one giant force that I could control and use with ease.

I… I was just dazed for a bit as I felt how much more… efficient it felt. Telekinesis for example, was actually rather weak before- yet overcame such weakness by sheer volume of mana that I pumped into it. Yet now… it was so much cheaper, and by extension so much more powerful!

I think… that if I really wanted, I'd be capable of lifting Sanctuary. Also, I no longer had to scan to see my surroundings… I was simply aware of a large portion of it so long as I wanted to be- and only when it reached extreme distances did it feel like I had to put in any effort or mana. Yet even that could be worked around, as I felt that I could change the shape of the mana I'd blanketed into the surroundings for no cost at all into whatever shape I wanted… such as a long line which massively extended my range. 

And it started off at level 50… 

I still had the base skills- and some of them could still be useful… Like regular Technopathy which was still at max. Let's find out.

I brought out my ECHO device and used my new and improved version of Telekinesis to drop it about 100 meters away- The entire time I felt how, so long as it touched my mana blanket, I could connect to and control it.

I tried using regular Technopathy to connect… and promptly wasted a lot more mana to establish a new line of mana to the device before it could be controlled. The control from base Technopathy was higher and more refined… yet even with that higher level, it required noticeably more effort on my part as opposed to simply using my new Arcanokinesis.

Well that settles it… Arcanokinesis is my new go to for now. Even with certain skills like Technopathy, Scan and Sonar being higher leveled or even MAX level. They aren't as good. Scan and sonar can show more of the surroundings, yet for no cost I can still see a good amount- making for a killer combo with the Rod of Harmony. And I'd already established base Technopathy to be slower due to needing to create the connection unlike the instant effect of Arcanokinesis.

Quest (Defy Fate) Completed!

Objective 1 - Rescue Angel [x]

Objective 2 - Cure Angel [x]

Bonus Objective 1 - Reach Angel without setting off any alarms [x]

Bonus Objective 2 - Defeat the BNK3R [o]

Bonus Objective 3 - Get Angel off of Pandora [x]

Reward - 100,000xp, $100,000,000, Legendary Gacha Token, Unique Relic

[Phase Shift] Eridian Relic

Allows the user to briefly become intangible. Intangibility lasts for 5 seconds. 10 minute cooldown between uses. "Lemme get that for you. Executing Phase Shift"

Nice! Doors are now optional. I equipped it straight away.

[Be careful that you don't clip into something]

You think it'd make the iconic clipping sound?

[No. The most likely scenario is that whatever part is clipping, violently explodes]

Lovely…

[Level Up x 9] HP, MP, and SP restored.

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Samus Cole 

Level 60 -> 69 

Class - Healer, lvl 69/100 (39%) 

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 69/100 (21%) 

Production Class - Engineer lvl 1/100 (19%) 

Race - Protean (True Form) 

Alignment- True Neutral 

HP- 1000 [200 per minute] 

MP - 132,970 [148.7 (446.1) per second] 

SP - 2000 [200 per 30 seconds] 

STR - 10 

DEX - 100 

END - 100 

INT - 1487 

WIS - 1487 

CHA - 10 

LUK - 615 

Stat Points - 238 

Money - $178,806,387

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Due to Luck reaching 600, a Perk was earned 

[Oops! All Crits] Passive

-You just can't seem to miss. Gain the Ricochet skill

|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Nice… 

I bought and equipped a hazmat suit on Angel, before picking her up in a princess carry and leaving the dungeon. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could now isolate the acidic part of the air around me with relative ease. Making the surrounding atmosphere change from neon green to transparent. Sadly this meant the expensive Hazmat suit I'd just bought lost its purpose, so I took them off Angel and left her with some rather cozy clothes instead.

Good enough. I walked her all the way up to my tower, and even bought an extremely comfortable bed with goose feather pillows- where I then laid her down before waiting for her to wake up.

A quick scan showed me that she'd be out for a few more hours at minimum though… Perhaps I should've held back on the sleep spell…

Well, no rest for the wicked. I brought out my ECHO device and started browsing the latest news using Technopathy. Yeah I could use the new version but so long as it was in my hand this was more effective.

Hmm… Gaige uploaded a new video- save. The Dam was currently undergoing a war between the Slab king and the Bloodshot remnants. A Hyperion train was derailed in explosive fashion… Did they kill Wilhelm? Jack had… Ridley, what's the word for making something 10 times higher?

[Decuple]

Thanks. Well anyway, Jack had doubled the bounty on every Vault Hunter or member of the Crimson Raider leadership, and decupled the Siren ones- with my own now sitting at a lovely $900 Billion dollars. I gotta grab a few as soon as possible- I'm 100% gonna get that beautiful thing framed!

WANTED 

SAMUS

Smartass | Jackass | Ass | Siren

$900,000,000,000

Lilith's hadn't gone up- which at least told me he still didn't have a clue that she was alive. But Maya's was actually even higher than my own at a clean 1 trillion dollars. That's enough money to actually make a slight dent in Jack's wallet… If he pays it, even if he gets her, he won't. That or he'll pay it and then kill whoever delivered her to get his money back.

*Rumble*

Hmm? I noticed the room shake slightly as a distant boom was heard. What could-

Wait. That wouldn't happen to be? I focused on Sanctuary for a moment- to find the shields had gone down and it was currently being struck by multiple Hyperion orbital bombardments. Damnit, well I better help out. I quickly bought a sticky note and wrote a message for Angel on it- before pasting it to her forehead.

After that, It didn't take much effort to simply teleport into the city and fly up to start intercepting shots. They hit hard… but I had power to burn now, bring it Jackass! I switched between simply blocking the shots, shattering them before they could get closer, using heals to save anyone close to death, and grabbing the Eridium near Roland and instantly ferrying them to Lilith. Damn I love Mind partition.

Perspective Shift - Lilith~

NO! The shields dropped and I saw multiple mortars start vaporizing random citizens. I had to use Phasewalk to avoid being killed in the same manner. I hastily messaged Scooter to tell him to get Sanctuary in the air- and frantically started trying to jumpstart the city, and prepare to help as best I could.

I didn't even know if I'd be able to teleport everyone- it was so far beyond what I'd done so far… but there wasn't any time for a test run. It was now or never. I saw the new Vault Hunters heading off to grab all of the Eridium I'd need to pull this off- the warning that new Siren had given me about becoming dependent on the stuff going through my mind. I really hope she was wrong, but it's not like I'd have any better options anyway.

*THUM*

What was th-

*THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM* *THUM*

I looked up- speak of the devil. The orbital shots were being intercepted by a large glowing red shield- which would fade out of sight after every hit, before shining again once another shot landed, and was emanating from a central figure… that new scary Siren. What's her name again? Sam? Pretty sure it's Sam.

I breathed a sigh of relief, while my jaw dropped in awe- not a single shot was getting through anymore. And I noticed how the recently injured were being healed almost instantly. One man had lost a leg due to a collapsing building- yet the injury healed over within seconds. And while he didn't have a new leg- it was a hell of a lot better than bleeding out.

I didn't have much time to consider this as a large amount of Eridium chunks flew through the air to land at my feet. I looked down at them all, before looking up and making eye contact with the other Siren. She had a crazy, cocky smile on her face, and mouthed a single word at me (which I swear I could hear for some reason?). "Go."

I grit my teeth and absorbed the stack of Eridium as the city slowly ripped free of its dock and began to float upward. Sam flew even further above while still intercepting shots- Jack himself chiming in with his own take as his voice echoed from, well, every ECHO device in the city- "You can't keep this up forever. The city can float whoop-dee-doo. You've got a backup shield, who cares? Doesn't change the fact that you're always gonna be within my sights, and I've got more than enough time and ammo to spare. What makes you chumps think that you have anywhere near a chance of stopping me?"

Perspective Shift - Samus~

"...A Siren." Roland's voice answered Jack. Quickly followed by Lilith- "Sup?" As the city, with a large *CRACK* and a flash of purple disappeared from sight, leaving me alone in the sky. I dropped the shield and teleported back to the caverns as a few more shots hit the previously empty hole that Sanctuary had occupied. I heard a final message from Jack just as I left- "...Huh."

Before I returned to the room with Angel, I did something I'd been waiting to do for… well not very long really, it just felt like that due to being in the dungeon and because I'd been busy lately.

[Standby for Spirefall]

Very funny… but You are correct soo… *VOOM*

I brought out the Covenant Spire and held it aloft above my head. Damn thing was heavy, and while holding it cost a lot of mana- I now had enough that I could fool around for a few minutes. Hmm? It looks… different?

[It's folded currently. Usually these things are dropped from low atmosphere- and unfold and deploy upon hitting the ground]

I see. I went right up near the ceiling of the cavern, and made sure that I was directly above the main central abandoned mining site- It was within 300 meters of the original Dahl tower that Angel was-

Oh. Yeah. Angel is still down there. With a thought, I covered her in a few shields, and stabilized the entire tower she was in just in case. Now even if it collapsed, the room she was in would still be floating in the air. Anyway, as I was saying- the drop location is close enough to the center to cover a decent portion of the primary sites, and I can connect those handy-dandy tunnels to my new base!

I seem to be directly above where I need… Bombs away!

The giant structure was eerily silent for about 15 seconds before…

*BOOM*

-It hit the ground and caused an earthquake. I could see how some of the crappier towers I'd dismissed simply collapsed, while the acidic shore had several choppy waves being thrown around. It also threw up quite a bit of dust, but I was happy to see that it had successfully planted itself in the ground, and the canopy and upper platform began extending.

Ah… home sweet home. Oh! And Angels awake! Even though she was still obviously groggy, I could feel how she was fumbling around her room in a panicked state. I teleported into the room- causing her to scream and try and attack me… with a pillow? 

I was going to let the attack land… until I noticed just how fast she was moving. I quickly dodged out of the way as the pillow exploded upon coming into contact with the ground, and a slight crack was created where her hand had contacted.

Is she still displaying Siren strength even without the power? Cos it sure seems like it. Luckily she calmed down upon recognizing me…

"You're… that new Vault Hunter? Where, where am I? Where's the other woman?"

Other woman…? Does she mean the body double of herself? "Yes I'm that new Vault Hunter, you're currently in the Caustic Caverns beneath Sanctuary… and I'm that woman who got you out."

"You? But… you look nothing like… you can shapeshift?!"

"Sorta. And so far as Jack knows you just managed to commit suicide. Besides, I told you it was a doll right? Just think of it like a hyper realistic one."

"I… see. What now?"

"Now… we get out of this crappy place and into our brand new apartment!"

Angel's face conveyed her confusion… which changed to a mix of wonder and fear the moment I lifted her up using Arcanokinesis, and also busted out the nearby wall showing how far up we were. 

Even though she was scared of having so much space beneath her, she couldn't cover up the excitement she felt at flying through the sky and seeing such an alien structure before her. I had a big ol grin on my face as I took us spiraling around the… spire. Not meant to be a pun but whatever. And landed us both on the hardlight balcony at the top. I may have gotten a bit carried away as I saw her reach the edge and start throwing up. Oops.

"A-heh, sorry about that. But it was fun right?"

She just glared up at me while starting to pull herself up. While she did that, I could feel through my connection to the structure just how many assets it had netted me- including plasma weaponry, antigravity tech, shielding tech, hardlight tech, a fusion reactor, fancy laminate materials and, is that… a teleporter?!

…I didn't even know it had that! 

Angel likewise began looking over the structure with amazement, and more importantly, a critical eye- "This… isn't human made is it?"

"...What makes you think that?"

She snorted before elaborating "I was able to obtain classified information and cutting edge designs from every major player in the galaxy… none of them come anywhere close to matching this. Which means you're either part of a hidden force powerful and advanced enough to manufacture this… or somehow managed to build it by yourself… or got your hands on it somehow- probably from an Eridian ruin somewhere."

"Hmm… not entirely wrong, but far from right."

"I figured."

"?"

She starts pointing while explaining "It looks too new to be from a ruin… unless you were luckier than every major corporation who are constantly seeking this stuff out. Not to mention its design is clearly non-human- if only due to the size of the doorways and the architecture not matching anything I've ever seen."

"..."

She looks at me with a happy and slightly smug look "So how much did I get right?"

"Hahahaha" I just laughed a bit at her attitude- she was like a puppy expecting praise. "You did well… and while I won't tell you where I got it, you're right about it being alien… well, advanced aliens."

She just chuckled happily, before it petered out and she asked me the bigger question "Why did you save me? More importantly, why haven't you left me somewhere to rot? I'm not a Siren anymore, and aside from being a hostage against Jack I don't have much value. Am I…?"

"Hmm?"

"A hostage?"

"Pfft, no. Not only is taking a hostage beneath me, but I wouldn't need one to kill Jack anymore. As for why I saved you and haven't left you to rot… it's because I wanted to. Simple as that."

Her eyes went wide "You just… decided to anger the largest and most dangerous corporation on Pandora… on a whim?"

I smiled back at her "Wrong. I decided to save someone and get some cool powers on a whim… maybe also make a new friend while I was at it."

She just blanked out for a bit… before breaking out in laughter as she leaned over and held her stomach. Those laughs eventually morphed into relieved crying "I'm… I'm out then… I'm free?"

"Damn straight! And no force in this world is gonna change that!"

It took a while to get it out of her system, during which we ended up sitting on the edge of the balcony with our legs dangling in the air and Angel using my shirt as an impromptu tissue. But I was relieved to see that after the crying had ceased she was looking much calmer and sported a giant toothy smile.

Well… time to shatter her worldview…

"So Angel… What do you think about the theory of the multiverse?"