Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Old man
"Hell Gate Enterprise, the entire contract is ingenious but extremely deadly. The method on how they get you hooked with low fees to get you permanently hooked is insidious." James took a double look at the list before starting by crossing some names off.
"Eldian Airlines is too expensive. Green Whales Incorporated essentially cripples me. Beyonder Airlines has to be run by some sort of God with unknown goals." Out of six options James eliminated three options immediately.
"Why didn't you eliminate Hell Gate Enterprise from the list." Emma asked, she wondered why James had even considered the option. Both of us agree it's clearly dangerous & very deadly. While I told him it was upfront about its evil nature, I didn't mean we should choose it.
'I even agree with James in it being insidious. I'm just showing my view of the safest options from the many death traps that have been set up in the past.' Emma felt James might be losing it, but she decided to hear him out before interrupting.
"Emma, while the company might be like a drug hoping to get you hooked, it can be safely used for a few years. How many death row inmates, or general prisons exist in the world? With your magic, you can easily detect lies, see sin, and more with your powers. While it's a scam, it can be a decent tool if used correctly." James replied as he went for a pragmatic view on the subject.
'So James planned that far ahead, I mean our little boy also has a teleportation ability. But we haven't figured out how to use it yet. Even trying to discover its general conditions was troublesome.'
'Using Hell Gate Enterprise's services till Lucas can teleport on his own to take us anywhere is an option.' Emma thought, she started inwardly calculating the price VS risk in her head.
"Emma, I may have said all this, but we aren't using that service period. Who knows if the moment we sign that contract they can read our memories, or analyze our information under the guidelines in the contract they labeled protection or something."
'They might find out about Lucas's gifts, and sell that information to others. They might even try to abduct Lucas themselves for their own gain.' Emma's face turned pale for a few seconds.
"Honey don't worry, we still have Greedy Traveler and the Spirit Nodes left as choices. I doubt we have any valuable information left to sell since this organization said unique information. They are seemingly a global group so they probably heard it all. The only thing left to see is our information, but we both know that's stupid."
"James, are you sure we can't afford Eldian Airlines or something? My sister keeps complaining to me about the magic communication orb she sent me. She calls those guys gatekeeping bastards who up the price when they know you can afford it." Emma asked, hoping the Gojo clan's leaving fees weren't still affecting them.
James looked around and then looked towards the car before tapping on his left forearm. Emma got the hint and activated her communication spell.
"*Don't worry James, the spell is up.*" Emma said as she started to slowly burn her mana keeping the spell up, but her natural regeneration made the costs negligible at best.
"*Emma, we can talk about our earlier topics around Lucas, but I'm about to talk about our dark history just yet. Lucas doesn't need to know or learn about this for now.*" Emma thought a bit before talking.
"*James, are you still blaming me for talking about our goblin poaching from the Amazon rainforest? James, it was a simple mistake, didn't we both think Lucas was asleep? If blame has to be put on anyone it is both our faults if anything.*" Emma explained, but she got a little defensive towards the end.
"*Yes, that was both our faults, but we might have to go fairy hunting again soon. Be it your magical experiments, or my expensive metals & materials.*"
"*Did the rejection fee hit our finances that badly? I thought going goblin hunting three years ago was a one-time thing. Didn't we say we left that life behind when we had Lucas? Money... truly is the root of all evil, even more so with all the questionable things we years.*" Emma's aura shifted as she started to take big deep sighs.
"*Call Hank, and tell him we know a way to make lots of propane with our next hunt.*"
"*James, don't you know like five Hanks, don't all of them use propane?*" Emma asked, trying to play dumb by being a smartass.
"*Hank Hill, from Arlen, Texas. The same guy who managed to create his unique magic system powered by propane.*"
"*James, why are you still talking to that freak? I will admit his techniques are revolutionary, and he is a modern legend. All of that sounds great, but he is too damn obsessed over propane.*" Emma had a disgusted look on her face as she thought of the word propane.
"We need money, that's why end of story. Unless you have a better method I'm all ears." James asked while never expecting an answer.
"Fine, you win but have to deal with those money-hungry gremlins yourself. You say we are poor, fine, but haggling and arguing with the spirit node gatekeepers is all you." She puffed up her cheeks in a playful rage as she crossed her arms while looking at James.
"It can't be that bad Emma, who knows your sister might be exaggerating just like your cousin Ben. Remember when your cousin said he changed the entire timeline or some bullshit multiple times before he was even born, while he was mumbling in his sleep 10 years ago. The point is they can lie sometimes, or even make up completely false stories." James told her, while they both got in the car.
Emma took the driver's seat, she was the only one who knew where the spirit nodes were.
"Mom, Dad what took you guys so long, you two were talking for like 45 minutes," Lucas said this, but he was exaggerating like always it only took them 20 minutes.
Lucas was once again trying to use guilt as a bargaining chip to make his parents feel a little bad. He was thinking that if he did this they might buy him some candy or something, but it didn't work too well at first.
He failed to realize that his constant exaggerations made his words less believable. Lucas always did them in a subtle tone, but his parents picked up on that tone over the years. They knew he was exaggerating, but they ultimately bought the candy after some more nagging on his part.
Lucas awarded himself one point that day, his parents got one point this morning for forcing him to drink those potions. Lucas felt he was tied with his parents so far today.
Soon enough they arrived at a small old hotel called SN in bold letters. Emma parked the car in the hotel parking lot before she and James told their son to stay in the car. After doing all this they got out of the car and walked towards the old wooden hotel in San Francisco.
"James, since you wanna save us money, be a man, talk your way into doing exactly like you said." Emma's tone was anything, but encouraging. Soon enough they reached the entrance of the old hotel, its doors were made of brown oak wood.
James started having second thoughts, but the allure of possibly traveling for free was too much to pass up. James pushed the door open to let his wife go in first, only after taking a good look inside first.
James saw a basic reception area with only one person inside. The walls looked the same as the outside but had dozens of paintings on them. They had many different art styles seemingly coming from all over the world. Some were just literal pictures, but every picture had one thing in common. The old man in the photos was sitting in the reception area. He was looking them up and down before speaking.
"How may I help you Mr. Bellaster & Mrs. Bellaster, are you looking to use our services today?"
The room seemingly froze as the married couple looked at each other in shock. The old man watching this happen giggled in glee.
"*Emma, did you tell him our names, or did you book it in advance? If you are joking with Honey you can stop this isn't funny.*" James asked her while using her communication spell.
"No, she didn't, James. You see Emma, and you are kind of famous on the other side. Well, famous since Emma's relatives brought some attention to you. Greed Internationals has an expansive library full of all kinds of books. Family history, notable events, and notoriety are also held within its collections." The old man smiled as his teeth were as white as pearls.
'He has 40 teeth... His giggling earlier made him open his mouth a little. My analysis of my memory during that time counted 40 perfect teeth. My zoom spell activated, and even though his skin is perfect, he doesn't have any sweat glands, pores, or micro hairs. He only has hair on his head, beard, and mustache. Even though they are solid structures. His wrinkles are fake, his skin is a solid surface without any imperfections.' Emma backed up a bit before tightly holding her husband's arm.
"God" Emma whispered as she fell to her knees.
"You clearly are talented, not sure why your grandma rejected you. Not like I need to know anyways." The God spoke as if her fear didn't matter.
James saw his wife fall to her knees before he also fell to his knees, he thought of a way to leave. Doing so would be shameless, cowardly, and generally, something he would never do.
'James, he is a God, your domain expansion will only kill you faster if you activate it. Mortals can't fight Gods. It seems fate hasn't completely abandoned us just yet, he seems to be a Natural God. If he was a Beyonder God we would have turned insane from just seeing him... It's time... to swallow your pride, James, beg for your life. If not for yourself, BEG FOR YOUR WIFE AND SON!'
James turned over next to him to see his wife freaking out, she kept saying God over and over again. James felt like he was about to eat his teeth with his bloody gums as he was about to beg for this random God to spare them. If he wouldn't spare them, he would beg them to at least spare his wife, and son waiting in the car.
If all else failed he would ask this God to be merciful, and grant them a quick painless death without suffering.
"You guys aren't any fun. Yes James you can leave, no I'm not a common occurrence in spirit node-associated locations. This was a whim, the other buildings in San Francisco are safe, but are rather quirky."
Soon enough the random god watched the interesting couple leave before talking to the air.
"Yes, I saw the child had your mark you damn witch. YES, I told you it was a whim, nothing more ok... Make my minions lower their prices for that family alone. If James got mentally scarred from this how was that my fault? You're asking too much in the form of compensation, you dirty witch."
"What kind of business do you think I am running here? Don't think you can threaten me like the rest... My minions deserve the courtesy to decide their prices freely. They are like my children, so they deserve the right to have their freedom. HOW DARE YOU, I was there when the first stars formed why would I fea---"
Soon enough James and Emma got into the car shaken by what they found themselves in. They drove away soon after getting into the car. Emma started speeding away trying to distance her family from the old hotel.
Emma used her magic to mentally seal the negative emotions she & James went through before getting in the car. She couldn't deal with that mess today, she & James had to slowly deal with that cluster fuck of a disaster another day. She, and James would keep the knowledge of what happened, but not the trauma.
Five minutes after they left the building had been destroyed, everyone who saw the destroyed building tried to call the police, but all their eyes dulled as they kept going about their business ignoring the scene before them. None of the recordings of the incident were left, all the data and memories about it were erased mysteriously.
An old man with some scratches got up from the wreckage, as some golden blood fell to the floor. Before long all the damage was restored, but his injuries still remained.
"Fine, three years for free ok, you damn greedy witch." The moment he said that his wounds instantly healed like they never existed. But the golden blood that fell to the floor was still there. Almost as if it served as a reminder of some kind.
The old man looked around the hotel he just fixed to find a white spider with black eyes drinking the few drops of blood he shed on the group.
'Her title as the witch of greed is well deserved. She is greedy for knowledge, possibly power as well. Her followers vary in the types of greed they hold.'
'Just look at her follower over there, she is devouring the blood I shed with a ferocious greed. Did she think her master's blessing had hidden her when she was behind Emma & James watching them?'
This continued as the little spider finished her meal. Soon enough she transformed into her human form but kept her six extra eyes on her head as black jewels instead of full-blown eyes. Her regular human eyes were still normal black eyes.
"My master has already warned the pagan pantheon before, are loner gods going to be an issue now too? The eyes of a God can see all, but a god such as yourself should know when to stay away from another's territory."
"Spider, don't think you can talk down to a god, servant of the witch of greed or not Gods deserve respect." How dare that witch think I'm below a simple servant.
"Goes both ways faker, or what do you go back nowadays" she said as she released a bit of her master's seal.
"Sequence four already, impressive for a mere servant."