Hitman With A Badass System

1378  The Transference of Consciousness spell

Instead of entertaining Michael or Gaya with any more words, she summoned a small, circular metal plate with a flick of her wrist. It was etched with a glowing green rune, shaped like a potion vial.

Michael caught it effortlessly, recognizing it instantly. A travel rune. And that symbol… the potion vial… it was a dead giveaway. This rune led to the Verdant Sanctuary.

He pulled out his portable divine portal, a cube-sized device that hummed with a faint, inner light. It was a handy little gadget, allowing him to create temporary portals to… well, pretty much anywhere, as long as he had the right rune.

Gaya, however, wasn't ready to leave just yet. She turned to Seshat, her gaze intense, her voice laced with a hint of suspicion.

"What about my beasts, Seshat?" she demanded. "Those hunters… they were after the Phoenix. What's to stop them from… coming back? What's your plan, exactly?"

Seshat's smile widened, a reassuring warmth in her eyes.

"The Distillery District is under my protection now, Gaya," she said, her voice calm, soothing. "My angels will patrol the area. Ensure the safety of your guests. And when you return, I will personally escort them to a place… where they can be… free. Where they can… thrive."

Gaya opened her mouth to argue, to demand more details, to express her concerns but Michael, who'd just finished attaching the travel rune to the portal device, held up a hand, silencing her.

"Seshat's got this, Gaya," he said, his voice firm, his gaze meeting hers. "She might be… cryptic… but she's a good goddess. We deal with Agra first. Then… we deal with the beasts. Okay?"

He was… impatient. He could feel the power of Don's blood coursing through his veins, the enhanced connection to his worshippers, the raw potential of his newly acquired Prime God level. He wanted to test his limits, to unleash his full power, to be honest, he kinda wanted to see Gaya kick some ass as a fully-fledged goddess.

"Trust me on this." said Michael.

Gaya hesitated. Leaving the Phoenix, and the other beasts she'd rescued, in Seshat's care… it felt… wrong. She didn't trust that cryptic, bird-loving goddess as far as she could throw her. But she trusted Michael. He might be a pain in the ass sometimes but he always… had her back. And if he said Seshat was trustworthy, she would have to take his word for it.

She sighed, a grudging acceptance settling over her.

"Fine," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "But if anything happens to them, Seshat's gonna have a lot more to worry about than a little civil war."

Michael chuckled, and pressed the activation rune on the portal device. A shimmering vortex of energy, crackling with a faint, green light, erupted from the cube, swirling and expanding until it was large enough to step through.

He held out his hand towards Gaya.

"Ready?"

Gaya took his hand, her fingers intertwining with his and together, they stepped into the vortex.

Then in a few seconds, the garden vanished, replaced by… something else.

They stood on a hilltop, the wind whipping at their clothes, the air thick with the scent of ozone and something rotten. The sky above was a swirling mass of dark, stormy clouds, lit by flashes of lightning that crackled and danced across the horizon. There was no rain – Rainar, the God of Rain, was dead, after all. Below them, stretching out as far as the eye could see, was… a wasteland. Twisted trees, their branches bare and blackened, clawed at the sky. The ground was cracked and barren, scarred with patches of… something that looked suspiciously like dried blood. And in the distance, rising from the heart of the desolation, a monstrous structure, all sharp angles and jagged edges, dominated the landscape.

"Charming place," Gaya said, snorting with laughter. "Doesn't exactly scream 'healing sanctuary', does it?"

They stood there for a moment, surveying the desolate landscape, their gazes drawn towards the monstrous structure in the distance. It was a safe bet that Agra's… followers, along with their enslaved workforce and collection of unfortunate beasts, were holed up in that… architectural monstrosity. And if they were lucky, they might even catch a glimpse of the Chaos God himself.

But the surrounding area was… empty. Deserted. Too quiet.

"We're not flying," Michael said, his voice a low growl. "We don't want to… advertise our arrival."

He considered their options for a moment. He could teleport them directly to the heart of Agra's temple, but that felt too risky. Too much like walking into a trap. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Shadow teleportation it is," he muttered, his gaze scanning the landscape, searching for… shadows.

He scooped Gaya up into his arms, ignoring her half-hearted protest, and accessed the System.

"System," he thought, "I need to upgrade my shadow teleportation. Temporarily. Include a passenger."

[The system will require 100,000 Badass Points for Expanding Shadow Teleportation parameters to include a designated companion . Does the host wants to proceed?]

"One hundred thousand? Damn, you're getting greedy, System. But… fine. Do it."

[Confirmation received. Deducting 100,000 Badass Points. Shadow Teleportation upgrade: Active.]

He grinned, feeling the familiar surge of power, the shadows around him responding to his will, bending to his command.

"Hold on tight," he whispered to Gaya, his lips brushing against her ear.

And then, with a crackle of dark energy, they vanished, reappearing a heartbeat later in the shadow of a twisted, dead tree, a few hundred yards closer to their target.

He repeated the process, moving from shadow to shadow, the landscape blurring around them, the distance between them and Agra's lair shrinking with each teleportation.

Finally, they reached a hilltop that offered a clear view of the structure, a vantage point from which to observe… and strategize.

The sight that greeted them was… disturbing.

The structure, a sprawling monstrosity of jagged black stone and twisted metal, dominated the landscape, its shadow stretching across the barren plains like a claw reaching out to claim the world. The surrounding ocean, once a vibrant turquoise, was now a murky, stagnant green, its surface choked with debris and… something that looked suspiciously like… body parts.

Hundreds of figures, their bodies emaciated, their faces etched with exhaustion and despair, toiled under the watchful eyes of Agra's… disciples. They were a motley crew, these cultists, clad in tattered robes of varying shades of black, their faces painted with grotesque symbols, their eyes gleaming with a manic energy that made Michael's skin crawl.

They cracked whips, their laughter echoing across the desolate landscape, as they drove the slaves – men, women, children – to work faster, harder, their bodies pushed to the breaking point.

The beasts… the beasts were even worse off.

They were chained, caged, their bodies twisted and contorted, their eyes filled with a pain and terror that made Gaya's heart ache. She saw griffons, their wings clipped, their proud heads bowed, forced to haul massive blocks of stone. She saw unicorns, their horns sawn off, their once-pristine coats matted with blood and filth, being used as pack animals. She saw creatures she couldn't even name, their forms twisted and corrupted by Agra's chaotic energy, their moans and cries a symphony of suffering.

It was a nightmare.

As Gaya watched, a thin trickle of blood, crimson against the pale skin of her cheek, traced a path down from her nostril. She didn't even notice it at first. She was too focused on the scene below, on the suffering of the beasts, on the raw, untamed energy of their pain and terror. It was… overwhelming. A tidal wave of desperation, of pleas for help, of primal fear… directed at her.

The Goddess of Monsters.

Their Goddess.

But she was still… human, in a way. Her body hadn't yet fully adapted to her divine status. She couldn't channel that energy, couldn't absorb it, couldn't… help them.

And the frustration, the anger, the sheer helplessness of it all… it was too much. Sensing her distress, Michael turned to her, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Gaya…" he began as he saw the blood.

"Damn it, Gaya," he muttered, gently wiping the blood away with his thumb. He stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the carnage below.

"Don't… don't look at that. It's… not good for you. Not yet."

He pulled a vial of healing potion from his space ring, pressing it into her hand.

"Drink this," he said, his voice firm.

Gaya shook her head, trying to push past him, to see the beasts, to… do something.

"I don't need—"

"Drink it, Gaya," Michael interrupted, his grip on her arm tightening. "You're… not ready for this. Not yet." He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Trust me."

Gaya hesitated, her anger warring with a flicker vulnerability. And then she drank the potion, its bitter taste a familiar comfort, its healing energy spreading through her body, calming the storm within her.

But even as the potion worked its magic, soothing her frayed nerves and healing her blood vessels, Gaya's anger simmered just beneath the surface.

"We're going to take that bastard down, Gaya," Michael said with a low, reassuring rumble. "We're going to free those beasts. And once we have done that, you'll be a goddess and be able to do so much more than just… run around firing crossbows. You'll be the real Goddess of Monsters. The badass you were meant to be."

Gaya trusted him. If he said it would happen, it would happen.

"How?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the monstrous structure in the distance. "How are we going to… take down a god? And rescue all those… creatures?"

Michael didn't answer right away. He studied the scene below as his mind already worked through the possibilities. He noticed the figures milling around the structure, the guards patrolling the perimeter, their black robes and painted faces a disturbingly uniform sight.

Then, an idea began to form in his mind.

"Infiltration," he murmured, a sly grin spreading across his face. "And what better time to test out that new… spell… than now?"

The Transference of Consciousness spell. The one he'd found in Skyhall's library.

He'd start by gathering intel. Slipping into the minds of a few of Agra's… disciples. Learn their routines, their weaknesses, their secrets.

And then, he and Gaya were pretty damn good at disguises. They could blend in, get close to Agra and find out what he was really up to.

"Time for a little… reconnaissance," he said, cracking his neck. "Let's see what those chaotic bastards are really up to."