Chapter 371: Determination
"What in the actual fuck is going on here? Where is this place...?" asked Rebecca, stepping through a portal with swirling, bluish-white edges to find herself in what looked like a simple, lounge-style bar. The portal had materialized on the outside of one of the buildings forming the alley, and after seeing a cozy lounge on the other side, she elected to step through it rather than dealing with the police as their sirens drew near.
"This is a VIP lounge of the Prima Termina Racecourse," answered Vahn, polishing glasses behind the bar in his black, grey, and gold-embellished yukata. Rebecca had noticed him when she arrived, but since bartenders were a natural component of a bar’s setting, she didn’t feel he was out of place or suspicious.
"Prima Termina Racecourse...?" repeated Rebecca, tensing slightly as the portal closed behind her with a soft fwoom, prompting her to turn around. There were no races scheduled for that day, but there were more than a dozen eye-catching girls of various shapes and sizes with pointed, horse-like ears, and long, horse-like tails running around the track or chatting in red and white track pants and jerseys.
"What the hell? You have Exotics racing for your entertainment...?" asked Rebecca, referring to a niche group of people in her world who modified their bodies to have inhuman characteristics like pointed ears, scales, and more via a process called biosculpting.
"Like you, they came to this world, Termina, from abroad," stated Vahn, setting the cleaned glass on the bar as he explained, "More accurately, they originate from a world called UM-1995, a fairly wholesome setting where a small portion of the population is born with the characteristics and physicality of horses but in human form known as Umas. And they’re not racing for our entertainment, per se. They enjoy running. Feel free to ask them yourself."
"I’d rather ask who you are," countered Rebecca, producing a green and pink pistol that fired .72 caliber, armor-piercing shotgun slugs in place of conventional ammo—its pink-rimmed barrel, decorated with googly eyes, aimed at Vahn’s face.
"My name is Vahn Mason," responded Vahn, his expression relaxed and tone calm as he revealed, "I’m the Dragon God who rules over this world and links many others."
"Dragon God...?" repeated Rebecca, slowly squeezing the trigger of her pistol as she asked, "So, not only do you expect me to believe that this is a completely different world than the one I came from, but that you’re its God? If that’s true, you must be immortal, right?"
"If you must, go ahead..." answered Vahn, exhaling from his nose and adopting a faint smile as he added, "It will make other things easier to accept once you’ve confirmed the situation and put your suspicions to rest."
Though she frowned, evidently annoyed by Vahn’s words, Rebecca didn’t pull the trigger of her pistol. Instead, she gazed back over her shoulder at the running Umas, taking note of how most had smiles on their faces. The sky outside was also unlike anything she had seen. It was currently bright as a day, but instead of a blue sky with yellowish clouds, there was a vast canopy of pink, amethyst, and dark purple populated with countless stars.
Pulling her right hand back, redirecting the barrel of her pistol to the roof, Rebecca met Vahn’s gaze with a skeptical pout as she asked, "You’re the one who cured my drunkenness and prevented me from becoming swiss cheese, right? What does a God like you want from me
?""I don’t like your world..." Vahn said flatly, his expression morphing into a slight frown as he stated, "I would like to fix or at least change things, but it isn’t my place to do so. To that end, there are two reasons I brought you here—aside from preventing you from being scav’d. The first is to divulge the truth of your world, and the second is to ask what you would like to do with that knowledge."
"That kind of depends on what it is, right...?" asked Rebecca, using her pistol to scratch the right side of her head as she stared at Vahn with a twisted grimace. He didn’t behave like anyone she had ever met, so she was having a difficult time grasping the kind of person he was.
"Then you should make yourself comfortable on one of those sofas and let me know if there’s anything you’d like to eat or drink. We can provide just about anything you can think of," said Vahn, gesturing with his chin at the soft white sofas positioned facing the track outside. At the same time, the glass windows tinted, becoming matte black like metal before a blue, light-formed display six meters across and four tall blinked into existence.
"Pretty high-tech setup you got here..." remarked Rebecca, her red irises gaining an orange glint as she attempted to make a phone call but found she had no reception. There were also no networks she could piggyback off of, leading her to wonder what powered the lights in the room and the holographic display.
"Most of this is the result of my power, not a byproduct of technology," stated Vahn, casually appending, "Though we do have pretty advanced tech. Some of our affiliates come from worlds thousands or even billions of years ahead of the one you originate from. The Nedians from SO-1092, for example, have a society that has endured for 3,700,000,148 years. And even that pales in comparison to the age of our oldest associate, clocking in at 3,402,193,822,310 years old."
"Uh-huh...sounds to me like you’re just pulling numbers out of your ass..." countered Rebecca, looking unimpressed as she approached the bar and sat atop one of the twelve stools lining the counter. Then, while keeping her pistol oriented in Vahn’s direction, she rested her left cheek on the knuckles of her oversized cybernetic hand and asked, "And what about you, Choom? I know I’m not one to talk about people’s appearances, but you don’t look much older than twenty-five, thirty at most..."
"Me? I’m actually quite young compared to some of my contemporaries," stated Vahn, placing a glass in front of Rebecca and filling it with whiskey as he revealed, "I recently turned forty-four. As for my appearance, it has little to do with my age. It’s fairly common for Gods to possess the ability to appear however they please."
Demonstrating his point, Vahn transformed into an older, arguably more dashing version of himself before shrinking to around 165cm to appear as he had when he first transmigrated.
Though it was brief, Vahn noticed Rebecca’s peculiar eyes flash when she saw his younger self, prompting him to stay in it as he added, "But while I may be young compared to some of the multiverse’s inhabitants, I’m also older due to being Invirtua’s creator. It’s complicated, but once you watch what I have prepared, you’ll be in a better position to grasp what I have to share..."
"And what if I would rather say fuck all this and leave?" asked Rebecca, her expression and tone flat and her eyes half-lidded as she ignored the prepared drink and focused her gaze on Vahn.
"You’re not being held here," asserted Vahn, prompting a portal to open behind Rebecca as he added, "If you wish to leave, you’re allowed to do so whenever you please. I am a God who heralds freedom of choice over just about anything else, so even if you choose to shoot me, return to your room back in Night City, and pretend this encounter never occurred, that’s where this ends. If you thereafter change your mind, you need only to call out to me or pray."
"Hmmm..."
Looking between Vahn’s handsome face, sporting a friendly smile, and the portal behind her—connected to her messy room—various thoughts fought for dominion in Rebecca’s mind. She didn’t believe she was in an alcohol-induced delirium, but at the same time, she didn’t know what to believe. The existence of Gods and a multiverse was something straight out of science fiction or an anime, and since her mother had often prayed when she was younger—to no effect—she couldn’t help feeling a general disdain toward the notion that higher powers existed.
Catching Vahn a little off guard, Rebecca, her head still propped up by the knuckles of her left hand, narrowed her eyes and lazily asked, "I’m in kind of a shitty mood right now, and your face and body aren’t half bad. Wanna fuck?"
"Mmn...maybe once you’re better aware of the situation and we’ve gotten to know one another..." responded Vahn, prompting Rebecca to blink and raise her brows in surprise as she expected him to get offended or refuse her propositioning outright. After all, bar a few scumsucking shitbags, not a lot of people found her appearance appealing. And those who did would never admit to it publicly.
"It seems this so-called God is a pervert..." remarked Rebecca, her tone playful, eyes narrowed, and a mischievous, toothy grin adorning her face as she sat up and began unzipping her oversized, dark blue, black-plated jacket. Besides that and her green-soled sneakers, the only other articles of clothing she was wearing were a form-fitting, somewhat angular purple bra and panties made from a synthetic material that adhered to her body like a second layer of skin.
"Quite a famous one, at that..." joked Vahn, his calm response and relaxed smile leaving Rebecca at a loss. She thought he would try to backpedal or defend himself, but he accepted the allegation as if she had accused him of having bright green eyes. Either he genuinely wasn’t bothered by being regarded as a pervert who prefers petite women, or there was no one in a position to hold him accountable...
"Well, shit, Choom...way to call a girl’s bluff..." remarked Rebecca, zipping up her usually half-zipped jacket all the way before half-turning atop her stool to stare past the still present portal at the display that had appeared earlier, unintentionally hitting the nail on the head by asking, "So, what are you planning to show me? A glimpse into my shitty future and my untimely demise?"
"It’s more accurate to say I’m going to show you how things would have played out if your world hadn’t come into my awareness," corrected Vahn, preempting Rebecca’s response by explaining, "From the moment I made contact with your world, the future that was previously set in stone began to shift. Now, you and those like you are poised to change it however you please. My job is primarily to provide support and opportunities."
"In exchange for what, exactly...?" asked Rebecca, her eyelids drooping accusingly as she refused to believe Vahn didn’t profit from his so-called support.
"I have access to unlimited worlds and resources," stated Vahn, exhaling from his nose before adding, "But if you can’t accept that I simply hate to see worlds ruled by corporate interests, profiting at the expense of those doing their best to survive, you’re welcome to think of me as a recruiter. I represent an organization that connects various worlds, and I also have a fairly expansive harem comprised of exceptional women. That’s more than enough of a benefit in my opinion."
Seeing Vahn punctuate his response with a playful wink, Rebecca found herself equal parts impressed and taken aback, compelling her to exhale a faint but audible scoff. She suspected him of being a pervert, but having a harem? He was even more of a reprobate than she imagined.
Feeling somewhat agitated, Rebecca squeezed her thick, exceptionally pale, and pliant thighs together as she leaned forward, doing her best to appear sensual and seductive as she asked, "So, is that what you’re after? You lend me a hand, and, in exchange, I lend you my mouth or spread my legs like a Joytoy...?"
Shaking his head, Vahn calmly countered, "Your path is your own. So long as you don’t follow in the footsteps of those who have oppressed you and others until now, I will support you with opportunities, advice, and access to resources. Everything else will be left to you and those from your world who choose to stand with you."
With Vahn’s words reminding her of David, Rebecca’s expression morphed into a slight pout as she retorted, "Look at me, Choom...not a lot of people signing up to work with someone who looks like me..."
"Well, I am a God..." reminded Vahn, leaving Rebecca wide-eyed and with her mouth hanging open as he offered, "If your appearance bothers you, I can revert you to your original, organic form and age you up or down. That kind of thing is simple..."
"What...what would happen to my implants...?" asked Rebecca, feeling her throat tighten and the fluttery feeling of expectation and anxiety swelling within her. She had gotten accustomed to her current form, but she would be lying if she said it didn’t bother her more and more as time progressed. If she hadn’t dyed her hair, bleached her skin, and modified her eyes, she would look like a grade schooler.
"You would get to keep them," responded Vahn, offering his best smile as he could sense Rebecca’s growing excitement. He was tempted to tell her there was nothing wrong with being petite and flat-chested, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Rebecca, in turn, cautiously decided to remain as she was, at least for the time being. After all, synthetic flesh and metal bones were significantly more durable than meat, so until she had a better grasp of the situation and her options, she wasn’t going to make any major, life-changing decisions...
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