LIGHTNOVELONLINE 13 – Grumpy Bat
"Sorry for the outburst, now, why don't we start over? You can call me Zeref, and I am the owner of this cafe, what can I help you with today?"
Batman just continued to glare at me.
Feeling slightly annoyed, but wanting to keep my professionalism I asked, "Would you like to hear about the products and services we offer in this establishment?"
Looking to the side, I noticed that Frank was tense, and had a hand on a small sidearm he had hidden beneath his clothes, ready to shoot and fight back at any moment.
Then I realized, Batman, was waiting, and the person he happened to be waiting on, just so happened to walk into the Cafe, with a lasso in one hand, and a sword in another and wearing a strange getup that presented them as a warrior from long ago, and it was certainly a surprise since I didn't even know she was in town.
"Wonder Woman, how nice of you to join us, now that your companion has arrived," I looked towards Batman, "would you like me to begin the introduction to my cafe and the wares and services I offer?"
I noticed the brief surprise on Wonder Woman's face from my politeness, but Batman was stoic as ever.
"You are the being who created the creature that is responsible for the massacre?" Wonder Woman asked.
"What are you? How did you get on this planet, for how long have you been on our planet?" Batman immediately asked after
"As for the beautiful miss's question, I am not the creator of the Assaultron, that honor would go to Robco Industries, and to the brooding bat, I am what only I can assume to be a Cosmic Being, as for Earth, I have been an Earthling for as long as I can remember," I explain and tell them, skirting around the truth when it came to Batman's questions, especially since this isn't even my original Earth, let alone original universe or multiverse, as for my species, I was certainly bullshiting, all I knew about the form I embody now, was that it was one of the Purchasable skins of Xeras, the Magus Ascendant on League of Legends.
Besides that, it was best Batman, the control freak who was the paranoid entity of all DC existence, should not learn more than the basics.
Sure, I could already see that he was going to place countermeasure upon countermeasure over me, in hope that if something inconvenient to him were to happen, he'd be able to stop me, and if that was not possible? He'd at least make sure I ended up in a prison of some kind for eternity.
Sure, if I went full out with all of my spells and abilities I could destroy this world, but I wouldn't do that, not only because I want to expand my store and see countless adventures through the eyes of my customers, but also because, those in the DC universe had the tendency to not stay dead.
Kill Joker?
There would be countless different ways he could come back.
Kill Batman?
The other heroes would do everything in their power to resurrect him or he might just find some other way to come back.
So frankly, I was screwed as soon as Batman walked into my establishment.
What makes it even worse is that I doubt ill be able to convince or persuade Batman to leave me alone, Diana Pierce, otherwise known as Wonder Woman, on the other hand, would be much easier to convince and talk to.
"How long exactly, have you been on Earth?" Batman asked with concern.
"I'd say almost...22 years now."
"How come after all these years, no one has heard about you?" Wonder Woman asked.
Thinking momentarily, I replied, "Because I spent most of my time on Earth in hiding, I hardly ever went out unless I needed to," I told them thinking back to when I spent most of my human life in my own home, feeling uncomfortable leaving the house and being around other people.
"Now, let's move on, are either of you still interested in viewing the products I offer here in my cafe?" I asked, diverting the conversation.
Briefly glancing at each other, the two superheroes seemed to come to an agreement as Wonder Woman stepped closer to the counter.
"Show us," She commanded.
Glancing at Frank, I noticed he was still on edge.
"Hey bud, Five stimpaks right? Here you go, enjoy your night, or would you finally be interested in a VR session? Don't worry, anyone and everyone inside my store will be protected and safe from harm," I told Frank, hinting that he'd be safe so long as he stayed in my cafe, plus who knows, I may finally be able to get him to try the VR, although I doubt he will with the heroes in the room.
Frank caught on quite quickly, paying me the money for the Stimpaks and backing off.
He didn't leave, which was good since I doubt the Heroes would even let him and more than likely would have escalated the situation since I would have to step in.
"What are these...'Stimpaks' that man just bought?" Wonder Woman asked, keeping an eye on Frank and Kyle, who was still in his VR session.
"Stimpaks are a Medical Stimulant that can be injected into the body to rapidly heal and close wounds, the Stimulant is fast acting, so just after injection, the wounds will be healed within minutes based on severity. There is the Basic Stimpak and several variations that you can see in the glass display case below me," I explained.
After explaining and describing the effects of the other consumables for public sale, I easily noticed the interest and seriousness in Wonder Woman's eyes and even a glint in Batman's eye too.
"And the robot?" Batman asked.
"That is not up for public sale, I'm afraid you can only purchase one yourself through the Credit System my Cafe offers," I told the two heroes, ignoring the fact that I sold the Assaultron to Frank for monetary gain, though that was more so that I could gain Frank's trust and eventually his customer loyalty.
[A/N: Like I told someone else that was apparently triggered enough to drop the novel and give a bad review, that would be the one and ONLY time where something would be purchased with cash from the Credit Store]
"Credit System?" Wonder Woman asked.
Switching tabs on my computer on the counter to the Credit Store, I turned the screen to them showing them the same list of options as before that Kyle had access to.
"What is this...'Deathclaw?'" Wonder Woman asked, concerned.
"Deathclaws are a mutated species of bipedal and incredibly lethal predators of the North American Wasteland, these incredibly lethal creatures are capable of shrugging off small and even some medium caliber weaponry with their thick hides.
They are able to survive in a great many different environments, from scorching hot deserts to freezing mountain ranges. If you would like to know more about the Deathclaws, I suggest you try out the Fallout Series in our unique VR experience."
Just looking at their eyes, I could see their concern, but I didn't say anything.
"You know...perhaps one of you would like to try the VR Computers while the other watches? Get to see what our VR Worlds are like, and why you shouldn't worry so much," I tell them, knowing full well the average person wouldn't be able to handle going through getting killed repeatedly or feeling so much pain. Because of the hardships a person would have to go through, they can be certain that not just any average Joe would be able to get a Deathclaw.
The two were silent for several moments before I decided to speak up again, "If you are still worried about your safety, feel free to call your friends," knowing that Firestorm should still be searching Frank's trail.
And it seemed that the two heroes agreed with me.
I was already dealing with a Paranoid and Grumpy Bat and a Fierce yet beautiful Demi-God Amazon Warrior, adding someone like Firestorm into the mix wouldn't change anything.
Batman stepped back and raised a finger to his ear and I can only assume to call someone, couldn't really tell who he spoke quietly, but I could only assume it would be Firestorm since he was still in the area.
And a few minutes later, a man wearing a Red mixed with Gold Suit and their entire body covered in fire walked through the doors.
"You must be Firestorm, nice to meet you both, welcome to my Cafe," I greeted the third hero, not realizing I just said something I shouldn't have, because now, all three heroes were giving me a certain look.
"How did you know?" Batman asked with his gruff voice.
"Well...shit, you know what? Fuck it, I don't care anymore," I stated before looking back to Firestorm, "So who makes this Firestorm, Ronald Raymond and Martin Stein, or Ronald Raymond and Jason Rusch?"