43 Chapter 11: Edgerunning, gardening, and lighting shit on fire
[Ripper Tavish]
My recent acquisition of the Game master perk, caused me to go back and review some spatial magic's.
Truthfully, I got bored one day and wanted to see if I could create personal subspaces.
Which turned out to be significantly easier than I thought. The most complicated part was tying the specific subdimension to an individual and locking it down.
I hoped it would allow easier access to some of my projects.
[Subspace: Babylon]
A farming dimension where Tavish peacefully tills a field. It will slowly expand with time, love and care.
Currently, it was a small 9x9 plot that I grew some crops. The plot resided on a floating island, with a sun floating high above.
The Sun was artificial, due to the size of the dimension, but that will change with time.
I sat in a chair that I had dragged out to the field, and I was reading my way through a stack of farming books.
Initially, I wanted info shards, but those were mostly limited to historical documentaries, and at home gardening projects.
When I was a hydra, I did a bit of spirit farming, but it didn't really extend further than growing food to feed people. Might be interesting if I can cultivate plants with special abilities.
Regardless, I could sell a bit of the fresh vegetables in my humble little shop.
They were being sold for a mint outside the shop at markets, so I figured I'd use the opportunity to undercut the competition and make a profit.
Sensing the flair of plant mana flowing through the air, I grin a bit.
Hopefully, If I use enough of that mana in here, it would become a natural part of the dungeon.
I used it to accelerate plant growth primarily, and the result were great as I grew a crate of carrots, lettuce, and some bean sprouts.
The preservation crates, were stacked next to my chair while I was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.
My peaceful relaxation was disturbed, when my cyberdeck informed me of someone coming towards the shop.
Scoping up the crates, I walk through a portal into my shop and set them down on the counter.
But the face that walked through the door caused me to blink in surprise
[Dino Dinovic]
Lvl- 210
Class: Fixer
Thoughts – curiosity
"How can I help you Mr. . .?" I ask.
"Names Dino. I'm one of the fixers locally." He stated, casting a weather eye around the shop before it fell on the crates.
"Heard about a choom of yours who's been cropping up more and more lately, and I like to do independent research." He continued, his nose moving ever so slightly as he moved closer to the crates.
[Byakungan]
Scanning over his face I could see enhanced sensory gear which enhanced his sight, smell, and hearing a significant amount.
"Really? Now who would that be?" I ask, as he grabs the clasps on the case and opened it up.
"A Cyberdemon by name. Word on the street is that you were his ripper in the service, and you continued after you guys were discharged. Fuck, is this all fresh?" He commented, using the slang term for fresh non-processed food.
"Yup, 100% chemical and preservative free. Got a supplier who can provide me a consistent supply."
"And yeah, that guys cyberware is my proudest work. Doubt anything a corp will come out with will top him for a while at least." I reply to the previous question, watching him excitedly look at the various crates.
"Music to my ears baby. Looks like I hit the jackpot today. We'll get back to Cyber in a bit, what are you pricing the fresh at?" He asked, marveling over the relatively simple vegetables.
"I'm thinking roughly 15,000 eddies per unit." I reply, causing him to whistle in amazement.
"Man, quite the price. You think that will be enough?"
"No, that's the price I'm offering to a potential corroborator who has the connections to actually move a product." I comment, watching him raise an eyebrow.
"So hypothetically, this price is so the corroborator can get a slice of the pie?"
"Precisely." I finish, watching him grin.
"Very well, I'll bite Byrne. How long until you get another shipment?" He asked, and I tilt my head in thought.
"I can get a new shipment within a week or two. I'm hoping to have some other products by that time as well if you're interested?" I ask, and he waves it aside.
"I'll think about it. Now back to Cyber. What's he like as an operative?" He asked, as I review the persona I had established.
"Quicker that the eye, and has the unique ability to evade all electronical means of observation."
"He follows order's, but questions them if it may blow up into a bigger issue. The scene at mega building H3 is a prime example."
"While he is very proficient with fire arms, I've noticed he's developed a fondness for blades, a bow, and throwing implements since leaving service." I continue.
"Cyberpsychosis risk?" Dino interjects and I shake my head.
"Nonexistent. He has a very strong sense of self for a 'borg. He still participates as a functional member of the human race. I even caught him leaving for Lizzy's the other night." I reply, causing him to laugh.
"Alright then. Any tips for dealing with him?" he asked, and I shrugged.
"Play it straight with him. He tends to avoid killing unless its necessary for the gig, As long as he has all the details, he's willing to work with you." I reply, watching him count out the produce.
"Good to know. I was afraid he might be full of issues." He commented fishing several cred chips out of his pocket.
"And just a heads up. I probably won't be the last person to visit you." He added cryptically, pulling out his phone and sending a few texts."
Handing me the cred chips, he left quickly after his warning.
I watch him leave from the camera, and debate what to do with that little tidbit of information.
Did some corpo here about me? Or was it just some other fixer?
Regardless, I had a source of cash, and I'd need to increase my farm a bit to expand its capabilities.
While I did toy with the idea if inducing some of the gourmet world plants into the environment, I wanted to see if I could improve the quality of standard plants beyond conventional means.
Gourmet cells were the equivalent of supercharging the flavor of food, so it might be fun to see how I can change up standard foods and ingredients.
I had a bit of time to burn until David came back anyway.
Closing my eyes, I interface with the drone I had created.
It was decent sized drone that I had developed if I needed to monitor something for an extended period of time, leading to multiple types of sensory inputs, cloaking technology, a modest amount of fire power, a hell of a battery, and a cup holder.
The last one was because I needed one while I was hijacking some of Arasaka's infrastructure.
I got bored one weekend, so I found one of their data relay towers and spent the day backdooring into the network.
The amount of time it took to hook stuff up was a bit longer than I expected, and rather than come down, I fashioned a cup holder onto the drone to hold my drink while I had lunch.
Wasn't a good spot to set stuff down up there so it worked out great.
[You have a damn inventory.]
Look, I work with what I have at the time, and I had a drone that was keeping a lookout. I just made it multipurpose.
[ #!$*!#]
Someone's salty about this, so I'll leave it at that.
Switching to the drones optic's I could see Davis hanging out with Maine at the moment, so it appears I have time to burn.
I wonder what the other bodies are doing at the moment?
[Time Skip]
[Cyberdemon Tavish]
My eyes glowed softly as I made my way through the dark halls of the once abandoned All-Foods plant.
Personally, I had gotten sick of the Maelstromers constantly harassing the ripper body, so I started coming up with potential ways to resolve the issue.
I could ask them nicely . . . .
Set up a little meeting to alleviate any misunderstanding . . .
And we could walk away on fairly amiable terms. . . .
. . . . . .
Or I could burn their base down.
Either way, while I was having this internal debate, I was stealing literally anything not nailed down.
I didn't really want any of this stuff, but I didn't want them to have it.
It gave me a lot of disposable weapons, explosives, drugs, drones and cyberware to upload as blueprints to my data banks, and simple burner weapons just in case.
The hideout had mostly been emptied out by yours truly, and I was debating on if I should just leave and see if they refill the building with trinkets for me to steal.
Shrugging indifferently, I pick up another container of Choo2 and continue dousing every inch of the meat packing plant.
I was thankful of my aversion to firearms every time I ran across a ganger, as the flammable environment would be difficult to maneuver if everything was on fire. A quick punch or stab, and I was happily on my way.
Don't get me wrong, I love playing with fire, immune to it even.
But I didn't want to miss the spectacle of watching a building burn down.
[New Perk Unlocked!]
[Pyromaniac] (1/100) (Common)
An affliction of many, but few choose to exercise it! Increases your understanding of the properties of fire and how to further enhance it to its maximum potential.
However, this was far more interesting . . . .
So lets make this into a bit of a science experiment.
Mapping out the most efficient routes the fire takes and seeing which area's burn faster.
Observe how fast a Maelstromer burns. After all those guys are mostly metal.
Of course, I had to have several test groups scattered throughout the plant.
I might be a wee bit pissed at them at the moment.
Dumping the last container, I leap onto the roof of a nearby building, where I had set up a lawn chair and a cooler.
Sitting down, I pull a bottle of ale from the ice chest and pop the lid.
[Blueberry Ale] (Epic)
An ale that was bottled by Tavish and B.O.B. several years ago, reaching its maturity after three years of fermenting. The flavor of the blueberries reaches significant levels of intensity that almost override the aftertaste of the malt. It has reached a whopping 24% ABV.
The mechanical taste buds of this body work well enough to grant me most of the flavor profiles of the drink, but something like this is best enjoyed by my flesh and blood body.
Setting the bottle down, I stare at the puddle of Choo2 that started outside, before pulling a flair out of my inventory.
I spark it, and throw it, allowing it to arc perfectly in the puddle of fuel.
Flames were quick to follow, as it quickly consumed the substance and shot in the door, following the trail I left for it.
Taking another drink, I pull out a can of pringles and start snacking as the doorway flared up.
Stopping mid-crunch as I heard alarms in the distance, I made the mental note that I didn't account for emergency services to come at put out the fire.
. . .
Eh, it'll work out.
They might not even respond given how dangerous the area is.
I reach for another chip, only to discover that my hand wouldn't fit far enough in.
[Telekinesis]
Levitating the chip out, I continue with my snack as an AV flies over head, probably to map out the fire.
I wonder if All-Foods would be on the hook for this if the fire spread to nearby buildings?
In hind sight, I should have left some shit behind to make sure Smasher got blamed for it.
Fuck . . . the pieces would fit so perfectly too.
. . . .
I still had that pile of Smasher cybernetics laying around somewhere . . . .
[Time Skip]
[Monk Tavish]
"This just in."
"A fire broke out in Watson three hours ago at the old All-Foods plant, where the Maelstrom gang, was suspected to make their hideout."
"The fire quickly spun out of control for local firefighters to handle given the intensity of the flames."
"But the most interesting variable of the fire, was the presence of Adam Smasher at the scene."
"While his occasional use of the gang is well known, did they run afoul in some sort of deal? And what's even stranger, was his actions discovered by our news crew as they surveyed the blaze."
The camera pans to the metal form of Adam Smasher dancing out of the flames, a flair held in each hand, his shoulder mounted weapon spewing flames indiscriminately as he sang at the top of his artificial lungs.
"It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Amen!
I'm gonna go out to run and let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!
It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Every specimen!
Tall, blonde, dark and lean
Rough and tough and strong and mean."
The camera flashed back to Gillian Jordan who was obviously trying very hard not to laugh.
"Clearly, despite the catchy song that he's singing, he has made many question the choice of the Arasaka corporation to use an individual with such a blatant case of cyberpsychosis."
"MAXTAC is currently looking for any possible leads that could lead to the capture of such a dangerous individual before more lives are lost."
Meanwhile I was dying laughing on the floor, having fallen over from my meditative pose.
I don't have active communication with my other clones simply because we were doing our own thing at the moment. But I oh so wished to have been apart of the plan to set that up.
Truthfully, the monk life was fairly drab, as most of the issues I initially faced had evaporated once I had parishioners.
But those issues were quickly replaced by different ones.
Corporations have trickled by one-by-one attempting to acquire my ability to "heal" people and discover how people with cyberpsychosis were recovering under my care.
Suppressing my laugh, I float across the room and turn off the television.
Stretching out my arms, I float out towards the courtyard.
I had passed some of the everyday instruction off to one of the monks, giving me the time to deal with the various riff raff that try to disturb the parishioners.
Harley had even set up her own office amongst the temple, allowing her to further progress.
This came with a slight complication.
Bear and Wolfe seemed to have attached themselves to Harley, and often ran after her whenever she got into mischief.
It did save me from having to send B.O.B. to run interference, but Now I had to worry about any excess attention she might attract with the massive Panzerhund.
Thus they were the recipients of their latest upgrade.
[Fun Sized] (Rare)
A feature that enables a compact version of the Panzerhund, reducing them to the size of a medium sized dog.
Poking my head into her office, I see the two Panzerhund lazily stretched out on the floor, their tails thumping gently against the ground upon spotting me.
Harley turned around and spotted me.
"Hey boss! I was wondering when you'd stop by . . ." She commented happily, hitting a button under the desk and the door slams shut behind me.
"But you need to be back in your flesh and blood first. I can't tell what the hell you are thinking looking like that." She stated in exasperation.
Sitting down on the edge of her desk, my robes suddenly fill out as my body switches from metal to flesh, revealing my grin.
"That's better cutie." She continued, handing me a folder that I started paging through.
"Cyberpsychosis was a more challenging diagnosis to comprehend than I thought, but my initial assessment has revealed some interesting connotations." She began lecturing.
"Every person diagnosed possesses a personal link with artificial reality, a phone and at least one if not more data processing mediums."
"These are in turn installed along with a network that hooks into the nervous system, leaving multiple sources where the brain might receive input, or external stimulus outside of our normal sensory inputs."
"According to the standard of most basic cyberware, as it degrades and acquires damage, it will start propagating "false" data across the system, which is how the brain starts receiving extra sensory input."
"The so-called rumor that you have to always upgrade to the newest generation of cyberware is partially true in the sense that no company makes cyberware designed to last, outside of a few high-end companies."
"But enough about their dubious practices and how we should bomb their headquarters, back to the cyberware."
"People with more cyberware tend to have more points of vulnerability for this, as they acquire more and more augments without replacing the old stuff. And then when you factor in braindances, net daemons, and all sorts of nastiness that affects sensory inputs, the final result is the cyberpsychosis that plagues society today." She finishes, finally stopping to catch her breath.
"Why has no one else come to this conclusion?" I ask, reading her findings intently.
"Most if not all of the studies are funded by corporations, and they are tailoring the results so they can keep making money off of people. Netrunners are well known to be able to force the effect of cyberpsychosis artificially. So it mostly boils down to a united agreement to disguise the problem from the public." Harley commented, leaning back in her chair.
"Thank you for confirming this for me Harley." I reply warmly, as she winks up at me.
"Not so fast cutie! I want something in return . . ." she replied cheekily.
"Oh? What do you have in mind?" I ask, and she adopts a thinking expression.
"Those snappy, token things. I wanna break some." She said cheerfully.
"The Gacha tokens? I suppose. Are you looking for something in particular?" I question, fishing some out of my inventory.
"Nope!" She replied, snatching them out of my hands and breaking them.
[Ray Gun] (Epic)
[Jackal] (Uncommon)
[Mother Box] (Epic)
[Kryptonian DNA vault] (Epic)
[Cromwell Invocation] (Rare)
[Crate of Nutter Butter's] (Common)
[Trenchcoat Effect] (Perk) (Epic)
[Draupnir] (Epic)
[Batman's Utility Belt] (Rare)
[Companion Token: Joker) (Epic)
"Sweet!" She exclaimed grabbing the Nutter Butter's, the utility belt. the perk token, the ray gun, and the Joker token.
"You do know that it could be any rendition of the Joker right?" I ask, watching her try to open one of the pouches on the belt, only to get zapped by the belt's defenses.
"Yup! On a completely unrelated topic, do you have a room that you don't mind getting a little bloody?" She replied a little too happily.
I sigh and open up a portal to one of my cauldron's.
"Thanks! I also need to borrow some tools . . ." She trailed off, and I gesture to the portal.
"I stashed some toys in there that I was going to give to you at some point. Consider it an early birthday present." I sigh, watching her blow a kiss.
"You're an absolute peach Tav. I'll be back it a bit!" She finished, leaping through the portal.
Hopefully, I'd be able to keep an eye on her and run damage control in case the Joker got loose somehow.
Lot of DC themed stuff came from those pulls, and while I would love to dig around and toy with the mother box . . .
[Cromwell Invocation] (Rare)
A power restriction system placed upon the vampire, Alucard.
Divided into six levels, it restricts powerful entities, and reduces the magnitude of power they are capable of releasing.
I got something more interesting to mess with.
[Time Skip]
[Ripper Tavish]
[Argent D'nur]
Stepping out of the portal into the ruins of an old Argenta city.
Shortly following me, was Eleanor, and Pamela, as I survey the demon tainted planet.
A sentinel beast flited through the crumbling masonry, the corruption faintly drawing away from its presence.
"The issue seems to be bigger than you initially described Tavish." Ivy commented dryly, as we watch the wraith depart.
I brought her here hoping to be able to repair the damage to the plain, and possibly make it more resistant in the future.
It was something that I had been thinking on for a while on how to start creating my own troops. Who better to become the next space marines than the most potent group of demon fighters conceived?
Thus, I was searching for the remnants of the Night Sentinels.
Pulling a sapling from my inventory, I infuse holy energy into it more and more, until it started naturally producing its own.
Stomping my foot against the ground, a hole forms and I plant the sapling in the middle of the small opening.
Channeling plant mana into the sapling, I slowly accelerate its growth until a twenty-foot-tall conifer grew, the corruption pushing back as the root system developed and expanded.
"Stop . . ." Ivy commanded, causing me to freeze.
Her attunement with plants was greater than mine, and if she noticed something I didn't, I'd do well to heed her counsel.
More wraith beasts emerged from the surrounding ruins, each taking the form of wolves as they examine us.
The one we saw earlier stepped forward and circled the tree several times, before it gave me a long look.
I incline my head to the creature, watching it nod before turning, and leaping into the tree itself.
The tree glowed an intense blue as the holy energy blends with the wraith's powers.
[Wraith Tree] (Epic)
A tree that's infused with the new properties of wraith energy. It now works to fight off demonic corruption.
The remaining wolves bow, before taking their leave, vanishing once more.
In the silence that follows, Ivy raises her arms and the tree's growth alters as it launches seeds further and further away, chasing the corruption away.
"Such an odd feeling. These trees have an energy in addition to what I usually deal with when I use my powers." Ivy mused, as I pull a Bosco from my inventory and release it to start charting the planet.
"Hopefully, we made it in time. This will probably be unlike anything you've dealt with so far." I reply as she scoffs.
"All I need to do is create a grove and expand into the surrounding flora on the planet. Considering the remaining humans here haven't been polluting for the last several thousand years, it should be a walk in the park."
"Though I would appreciate it if you constructed a cauldron nearby in-case I need back up." She finished sheepishly, and I nod in acquiesce.
"Yeah, I also plan on flushing out the remains of hell from this place. I have the time now that David is growing up and taking jobs of his own." I reply.
Edgerunners went through quite the time skip as David established himself as an Edgerunner. It was a bit surreal at times as I sat around and waited for events to happen.
Some bushes rustled nearby, drawing my attention back to the present.
A gleam reflected off the green armor of the three sentinels that emerged from the shrubbery, their sentinel spears glowing similarly to the tree.
Silence fell between us as they eyed us up and down mostly focusing on myself, and then Eleanor.
I draw my Crucible slowly from my inventory and present the hilt for inspection, watching the sentinels drop to their knees.
"Lord! We didn't expect you to return. Much less with a method to heal the spirits!" One exclaimed, and I waved it off.
"I brought a method to cleanse the planet of demonic corruption. The healing is a result of the wraiths own initiative." I return, as they stand once more.
"It is still impressive none the less." He replied, before his eyes were drawn back to Eleanor.
"My name is Tavish Byrne, this is my daughter Eleanor. And this is Doctor Pamela Isley, and she will be helping grow these trees to purge the corruption from hell." I inform, watching them nod.
"We've been removing the remaining influence of the Deag priests. But hell's influence digs deep. Many of our people have started rebuilding, but not many sentinels remain." He informed sadly, and I nod solemnly.
"I will be immediately working to that end once we have enough area free of the corruption. Thankfully, we can use this to build up resistances to hell's manipulations. Do we have any hopefuls?" I ask, hoping for recruits, but he shakes his head once more.
"The priests threw most of the abled bodied warriors into the arena against the demons with no regard for replenishing our numbers. Out of all the warriors, roughly a thousand sentinels remain. The Night Sentinels number are worse at twenty-five." The sentinel reports, and I adopt a thinking pose.
"Eleanor, I think we need to take a field trip to the capital." I sigh, scratching my head.
[Time Skip]
Walking through the streets of Taris Nabad, much of the destruction remained, with the occasional builder seen slowly assembling the infrastructure.
The remains of the divinity machine that was once hidden within its depths, was in pieces as they melted down the materials for re-use in something more important.
A titan demon, that was defeated here before, was getting removed piece by piece as they incinerated its remains.
I finally pushed open the door to the throne room. A small gathering of Night Sentinels sat around a long table, who immediately lunged to their feet upon my entry.
"Lord! We've been expecting you!" a person near the head called out as I circled the table.
"Hello everyone. I hope you can bring me up to speed on what we need to do to get our people back on their feet." I state without preamble, a sentinel with a scarred face grinning at me.
"I like this King. Simple and straight to the point. What more do you need?" He chuckled, as I sit down.
"I think we can all agree that after hell, we could all do with some simplicity." I comment watching them all nod in agreement.
"Agreed, let's begin, shall we?" another sentinel chipped in before lifting a report.
"The tree that King Byrne planted has had remarkable effects in the single day that it has been planted. The local sentinels have been coordinating with Doctor Isley in seeing the trees further propagated to more settlements and forests." He listed, passing the report around.
"More people are revealing themselves now that the order of deag has been dismantled, and with it, communications are being re-established planet wide.
"How are they doing for food and medicine?" I ask, seeing the mood drop slightly.
The Alchemists and doctors are slowly re-establishing themselves, but everything is in limited supply until we have more area's free of taint." The sentinel reported sadly, as I think.
"Does that mean banditry and illegal activities have surged?" I question, watching him nod in agreement.
"With our troops spread so thin, it's a good thing I've come up with several solutions until we can reinforce our sentinels and Night sentinels." I state setting a projector on the table and letting it flick through options."
"These Spartan's, how long would they take to implement?" a grizzled old sentinel asked, examining their design with fascination.
"Too long, its something I wish to look into for most sentinels as an upgrade, so they can better stand against demons. I wish to implement the skitarii to supplement the local police forces. We can create twenty a day, more if we have criminals to dispose of." I comment watching the gathered leaders analyze the design.
"One other thing, hell has reformed, and its reach continues to try to eradicate humanity everywhere. Its time that the Night Sentinels be upgraded to eventually keep them in check. We are a long way from that point, but the idea of these plans, is so that we are not blindsided from within once more. The room that contained the divinity machine will be repurposed for this." I supply, watching them glance between each other."
"We are more than happy to fight with hell lord, but there is a small task we have to do first. . ." an advisor offers, bringing grins to the other sentinels.
"Oh?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"The arena, lord. We need to hold your "coronation."" He said cheerfully drawing grins from the other sentinel's.
"Wouldn't have it any other way . . . ." I reply, smiling at the customs of the warrior cast.
[Time Skip]
[Cyberdemon Tavish]
Drawing back the string on the bow, I adjust the elevation, aiming for the forty-first floor. Of the apartment complex.
Padre had put out the hit on this man. It was an open contract to kill a pedophile that was under corporate protection.
Well the family wasn't going to sit idly by judging how traumatized their son is.
They scraped together six hundred thousand creds for this hit, and I was surprised that more merc's weren't attempting this job.
I had selected a building nearby so I could have a clear enough shot, as he moved about his apartment.
Adjusting a bit for the wind, I release the shot. The shot leaped away, and impacted the window.
The glass halted the arrow for a split second, before the glass shattered, shredding the man into a paste as the glass exploded into the room as deadly shrapnel.
[Shatter Blast Arrow] (Rare)
Using sonic vibrations and a splash of gravity magic, the arrow is specifically designed to hit glass and turn it into shrapnel, flinging the projectiles in the direction of the initial projectile.
[Network Ninja]
I vanish from the roof top and appear in the room in question.
Grabbing the arrow, I inspect his remains and confirm the death before I leap from the window.
Initiating a call, I ran down the side of the building before kicking off and running along another building.
"Hello?" I hear Padre's familiar voice over the phone.
"Jason Gruyer. His death will be announced tomorrow."
"Well done, I wasn't sure if anyone was capable . . ." He trailed off, no doubt trying to confirm my words.
"Regardless, please reach out to the Ramirez family and negotiate for a confidential rate of 30,000 eddies or less. They shouldn't have to pay so much for simple justice to be done." I reply, sending the images of his apartment.
"Very kind of you. I take it this is strictly due to their situation?" He asked, as I hum in agreement.
"I will inform the family. And thank you Cyber. Not many mercs would retain their morals for a job like this." I hear before he hangs up.
The daemons I released into his network will keep him honest. I'd hate to think that Padre would force the family into an unrecoverable state.
A little over half a million eddies would put someone in debt for the rest of their lives if they were the average person.
An average wage per person, came out to about 23,550 eddies a year.
For context, a food item, like a bottle of water, Nicola, or Slaughterhouse jerky, would cost 100 to 200 eddies depending on the food item.
Fresh food, such as apples, oranges, or other natural foods, could cost at least an entire year's salary, making it so only the elite could afford the luxury of eating it more than once a year.
It was partially why I was making so much bank from the fresh veggies I was selling to Dino.
Just by farming, I was replenishing my spent cash reserves, while allowing my other bodies to pursue other activities.
At the moment, I was just aimlessly picking up side gigs, occasionally getting blips of data from Sasha, updating to different things occurring within the city.
As it turns out, Sasha was the perfect data gathering agent I was searching for. A supposedly dead runner, quietly crawling undetected through the systems of Night City, was quite the good disguise to stay undetected.
A new gig pops up in AR notifying me of a request from Muamar Reyes.
"Hey, need you urgently for a gig. I know you're a bit hard to get ahold of, but this is our only shot on short notice."
"I have a nomad girl in Arasaka custody. Something about being linked to the thefts from Smasher. Normally that would be business as usual, until I heard this girl was in charge of several crucial smuggling routes."
"Need someone who's ballsy enough for a full-on assault of a Arasaka facility. and that number of people I can count on one hand."
"Pulled Shaitan out from the woodwork to provide fire support, but I need a demon to scare the shit out of those Corpo fuckers.
"Price is a cool mil if she makes it out alive."
Accepting the request, I change direction for the industrial district.
[Time Skip]
Landing in front of the building in question, I sent out a pulse of nano machines to detect people in the vicinity.
Picking up a 'borg on the roof nearby, I run up the building to get a better look.
His white face plate glared back at me as he focused on my general direction.
"I know your there. Show yourself!" He snarled, a projectile launcher revealing itself from his augs.
"Must be getting rusty, you're the first person to actually detect me." I comment, deactivating the "Ghost in the Shell" perk so he could see me.
"My chrome can detect seismic vibrations. Could kinda feel you when you ran up the building. I take it you're the Cyberdemon?" he asked, extending a hand which I took.
"In the flesh. A pleasure to meet you Shaitan." I reply, as he nods and refocuses on the building.
"Security is tight on that place, and our girl is being interrogated over the theft of the Ebunike. Any idea how to crack it?" He asked, as I examined the guard routes.
"I was thinking of knocking real polite like, and rampaging through the place like a bat outta hell. Set the record straight on who stole Smasher's damn boat." I growl, causing Shaitan to freeze and start chortling.
"You? How in the nine hells did you steal something that big, without tipping anyone off?" he chuckled, and I grinned.
"Trade secret mate. I will tell you that Smasher had more Johnny Silverhand memorabilia than Rouge. I found Johnny's gun and car amongst the mess of stuff he's collected." I commented, drawing a look of surprise from the cyborg.
"No shit? Tell you what, you get the girl out without a scratch, and I'll get you another piece I have just lying around." He said jokingly.
"Alright, just try to distract anyone who shows up alright?" I ask, watching him pick up a missile launcher.
"No worries, I brought enough toys to keep them entertained. Just don't dilly dally." He replied, and I leaped off the roof, landing outside the gate.
Stretching out a bit, I drop down to a three-point stance.
[Sandevistan]
Dashing forward, I lock grapples either side of the gate and launch myself in a double kick through the front door.
Blowing it out of its mount, alarms start blaring, as I drop down to a slide before flipping up to my feet.
A throwing knife shoots out into my hand, and finds a guards throat as I fling it through the first guard that dashes out from the security room.
Drawing my swords, I slice through every guard I come across, dodging shots, and blocking a few with the blade.
Sliding down the rail of a stair case, I drop into a slide drawing the bow as I took shot after shot at the camera's filling the hall, my calf opening to expose a thruster to extend the slide.
The hall seals in front of me as portions of the wall open to reveal Arasaka agents to lunge out, blades extended.
[Spike Thrower]
A spear shoots into my hand and I throw it pinning one to the wall, while a nano blade extended from my leg as I axe kick through another.
[Buster Fists]
The massive arms formed and slammed the remaining agents into the wall, smashing them into a bloody metal paste.
[Pile Bunker]
[Drone Buster] (Rare)
An Augment that enables the Buster arms to float independently of the user, allowing for some creative maneuvers.
The two massive spikes punched through the sealed door creating an opening before shifting back to fists, floating at my sides as I run deeper into the complex.
Releasing Canoptek Scarabs, I use them to check every room and opening, trying to determine where the nomad might be located.
An alarm goes off as a scarab detects the presence of a human and a huge 'borg, three floors down.
Portions of my hand folded back revealing an energy cannon which released a large burst of end energy that punched through the rock.
Dropping down, I fall before somersaulting and landing on the concrete floor.
Glancing around, I spot a bloody and bruised nomad, cowering up against the wall, with none other than Adam Smasher, standing in the middle of the room holding a wicked looking cleaver.
"Smashy! How lovely to meet you at last! But why are you taking your rage out on this poor little lady." I say cheerfully, revealing myself to the 'borg.
"This little lady, has a name you know. . ." I hear her bite back, as I take a theatrical bow.
"My apologies Rebecca Blaine. I'm just absolutely tickled that this smooth brain still has no idea who stole is little ship." I chortle, dancing away from a sudden swipe of the cleaver.
"You know something tin-man?!" he roar's as I waggle a finger.
"Tut-tut Smashy! Gotta keep those singing vocals in tip top shape! But enough of the chatter. Ms. Blaine here didn't nick your boat, so I'm going to send her on her merry way, shall I? I comment, a drone buster shooting into the room and scooping her up and flying up and out.
"It was you who made me a laughing stock!" He accused, as I shook my head sadly.
"Aww, poor Smashy. Don't you remember doing that a few weeks ago. You really must be suffering under some serious Alzheimer's. How could I become you silly?" I mock, before locating his databanks.
[Sandevistan]
Walking up to the frozen cyborg, I rip out the data storage before leaping out of the hole I made.
While it was indeed fun gaslighting Smasher, It was time to get while the getting is good.
Picking up the exhausted nomad off of the drone, I run out the way I came as the drones cleared a path.
Bursting to the outside, I send a message to Shaitan who was preoccupied shooting down Arasaka AV's.
"Hey Shaitan! We may need to clear out of here pretty quick. . ." I call up, texting the fixer to send the car.
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" He questioned, blowing up a van that just pulled up.
A roar echoed out from the facility behind me as an explosion billowed out from the entrance.
"Smasher hasn't taken a nap today so I think he's a bit cranky." I reply nonchalantly, drawing my bow and taking a few potshots at a few guards that took cover behind a barricade.
"Smasher?! Fuck . . . think you can dance with him long enough for our ride to arrive?" He roared, tossing a duffle down to me.
Catching it, I grin at the sheer number of explosives inside.
"Gimmie some credit laddie. I can bench press the fucker with what I have here." I cheerfully call back, popping the pins on two smoke grenades and filling the plaza with smoke.
[Adam Smasher POV]
Charging out the front door, I picked up the squeal of car tires beyond the smoke with my audio receptors, as a car drove off into the distance.
Attempting to switch my optics to infrared, I try to pick out people amongst the smoke, but I was getting electrical interference from the smoke itself.
It was almost like I was standing in the heart of a thundercloud, but the smoke swirled and danced as if it had a life of its own.
"Boo!" a familiar voice whispered through the smoke, and my feet suddenly lost contact with the ground, a foot smashing underneath my chin.
A sudden explosion rocketed me into the wall as I stumble around to get my bearings.
I activate my Sandevistan to try to catch sight of the next attack.
A pair of hands slap over my optics.
"Guess who~?"
Roaring, I reach for the arms that were "supposed" to be, only to find nothing attached to the hands covering my optics.
Another kick ripped my jaw off, and I finally spot the Cyberdemon re attaching the hands that had clamped to my face.
"Come on Smashy! Don't tell me this is all you have! I would have though you could actually fight!"
[Shaitan POV]
When I heard Cyber's boasting, I chalked it up to an over confident merc.
What I did not expect, was for the 'borg to toy with Smasher.
Smasher was a threat that even I would think twice before engaging, and here he was, being led on a merry little chase as the merc broke off more and more pieces of the seemingly invincible cyborg.
The gleaming red optics would fade in and out of the smoke, increasing how frantic smasher was getting.
Finally, the Arasaka cyborg was backed into a corner, trying to get away from the assault.
I could chalk it up to the smoke, but it looked like Smasher was shaking in fear.
"C'mon Smashy . . . actions have consequences. So get back here and take your ass whooping like an adult~." He said in a sing-song voice, a hand lunging out of the smoke and grabbing Smasher by the front and dragging him into a throw.
Smasher cratered into the building I was standing on, causing it to shake.
"Cyber! We need to go! The nomad is gone, and we might get a lot more then Arasaka showing up if we stick around much longer." I call out, seeing a MAXTAC AV zooming low over the city line.
"Ah poo, and I was just warming up. Alright I'll finish up." He comments, the last bit of smoke dissipating as he approached Smasher.
"But I'm keeping these!" he said ripping the legs off the cyborg in full view of onlookers.
I shook my head, as I leaped down from the roof and started making my escape.
Arasaka was going to be howling bloody murder for this particular setback.
I heard the sound of more metal tearing, as I ran towards our ride.
Tossing my guns in the back of the van, I turned to find cyber, only to spot him running towards me, a familiar looking set of arms added to his collection of legs.
"What? I needed a souvenir. . ." Cyber commented, as if that explained everything.
I sigh in exasperation as the driver drives off, leaving the scene of the explosive confrontation behind.
[Monk Tavish]
As the other two bodies were out and about, I took the time to mess with the stuff retrieved from the Gacha.
[Byrne Invocation] (Legendary)
A restraint system that was originally used to seal the powers of the vampire "Alucard".
It has been since modified with a restraint/ amplification system that allows the user to "stockpile" power that is not in use, and restrain an entities power down to a certain level.
Already applying it to my person, It did have substantial effects reducing my strength and power down to more manageable levels.
Not quite something I desperately needed now, but never hurts to have precautions in place.
I was actually using this as something to keep my hands busy while I mulled over one of the recent visitors.
[Flashback]
I was quietly tending to the Zen garden outside when I heard the commotion of tires screeching quickly followed by a pounding on the door.
Making my way over and opening the heavy wooden gate, only to be met with flash photography, as dozens of reporters stood behind a flamboyantly chromed out woman.
[Karina Lee]
Class – Media
Lvl – 243
"Oh my gawd! I heard the rumors, but an actual full metal monk?!" She exclaimed, looking me all over as the camera's continuing to flash.
"Good day to you too. I don't suppose you are here to become a monk?" I ask raising an eyebrow.
"Hardly honey, I've been interested in talking with you about coming on a show with myself and a few key people for a bit of a debate." She replied, as I step to the side.
"This sound's like something to discuss in private. Would you like to come in Ms. Lee?" I offer and she nods happily.
As she steps pass the threshold and I shut the door in the face of the reporters, I see here drop her cheerful expression, and pull out a cigarette.
Walking into the courtyard, I sit down at a table, sending a request through my network.
Within a few minutes, another monk came out with a tea tray and set it gently on the table.
"May I offer you some tea?" I offer pouring out the cups and passing one to her.
She takes a sniff before taking a sip and setting her cup down.
Letting silence envelop us for a few more minutes, I waited till she relaxed a bit before asking; "Now, what is this about a debate? I wasn't aware I was considered an expert on any matter that is regarded as debate worthy." I prompt causing her to sigh.
"So are you aware of The Relic from Arasaka?" She posed, causing me to nod.
"N54 wants to bring together a group of spiritual leaders to list out the pro's and con's regarding belief in regards to how the relic functions. Is it right to bring people back from the dead, possible moral quandaries with it. A good old fashion debate panel." She informed swirling the tea in her glass.
"Ah. Well I don't mind I suppose, but I would have thought you'd ask other Buddhist's before resulting to my little temple." I reply causing her to sneeze in surprise.
"Are you kidding?! You've developed a significant following since cropping up. You have at least, four hundred people who show up once a week for your sermons. Plus, you're the only monk who doesn't slam the door in my face because I'm chromed." She spits the last part, causing me to shrug my shoulders.
"Probably. Personally, I like to think they get scared of the camera's." I joke causing her to laugh.
"Maybe. I probably should have asked earlier, but what is your name?" She asked, relaxing a bit.
"Oh forgive me. My name is Mondatta, the abbot of the Shambali monastery." I reply cheerfully.
Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by the sound of a camera, and I glanced up to see some paparazzi who had climbed the wall and was taking pictures.
[Psionic Combat Form]
A large golden arm formed, crushing the camera and slapping the rude photographer off the wall.
I tilt my head to the side and observe the arm as it dissipates once more.
"Is that normal for them to be so rude?" I question as if nothing happened as she stood there slack jawed.
"T-those are just the tabloid and the muck racker reporters. You just have to learn to deal with them after a while . . ." she trailed off, glancing up to where the arm disappeared.
"Oh good. It's nice to know that the disciples here have a free method of target practice . . ." I comment airily, taking a sip from my tea cup.
"Now, let's hear about N54's offer." I prompt, snapping Karina out of her fugue and she starts negotiating.
[Flashback End]
This resulted in an interview in a few weeks in exchange for a lump sum of cash.
It wasn't a huge sum, but it was definitely substantial enough to help fund the monastery for a bit.
Now, all I had to do was figure out what I wanted to show off to draw attention to my little religion . . .
[Interlude: Revenge of Harley]
[Harley POV]
Tavish was really a big sweet heart.
I got around to digging into the stuff he made for me, and found a brand new hammer, costume, guns, and a host of useful gadgets.
[Nano Harlequin] (Epic)
A rendition of the costume of Harley Quinn, its been altered with nano-tech to afford better protection, and enhances the users physical capabilities by a factor of twenty.
[Smacky/Smashy] (Epic)
A Hammer with two modes. The first mode takes the form of a traditional oversized mallet and can be used for non-lethal takedowns. The second mode shifts to a gravity enhanced thunder hammer.
Running my hands over the rest of the tools provided, my eyes landed on a large "steampunk" looking gun.
"Gaea honey. Would you be a dear and show me the details of this gun here." I called out, and a screen unfolded showing details for this "rivet gun".
I shook my head at the video of Tavish wielding the gun one-handed against dozens of enemies at a time, pinning them to the walls with red-hot rivets.
Tavish had the raw strength to do stuff like that, unfortunately I was a bit more delicate.
"Would you like to activate the "Heavy weapon" mount on your suit?" Gaea interrupted my thought process.
Glancing down at the Joker token, I grin as a plan starts to form.
[Time Skip]
The Joker puffed into existence, a grin forming on his face shifted to a scream as two white hot rivets shot into his feet pinning him to the ground.
"Hey Mr. J~!" I called the heavy weapon mount doing wonders for hefting the surprisingly useful gun.
"Harl! How's it hanging?! Coming back to the best thing you ever had?" The joker responded before bursting out into maniacal laughter.
The laughter was interrupted when my hammer slammed into his face knocking him on his back.
Switching back to the rivet gun, I empty the magazine into his legs causing his blood to pool up underneath him. The freshly forged rivets cooked him alive as I exerted my frustrations.
"Oh come on Harl, learn to take a joke! I mean, what have I ever done to deserve this?" He spat out, bursting into laughter again.
"You know what, your right! Here's a joke for you; what has no arms, and is bleeding out on the floor?" I asked darkly, snapping my fingers.
Wolf and Bear made their presence known, their massive jaws clamping down in the insane clown's shoulders and ripping them from his body, causing him to scream out.
"C'mon Harl, who set you up to do this? None of those goody-two-shoe hero's would allow you. Was it Waller?"
"I am quite capable of executing my own plans without you, or anyone else!" I screamed, emptying the magazine once more, his face filling with dozens of rivets as I express my displeasure at the man who had made my life hell.
Eventually, the gun clicked empty, as I continued pulling the trigger, the Joker's demolished head nearly torn off his corpse.
I take a deep breath, and release it, taking in the time to wipe the blood splatter from my cheek.
On one hand it felt cathartic to do that, but on the other, it felt wrong and made me feel dirty interacting with the clown prince of crime.
"You seem stressed Harley . . . can I get you anything?" Gaea's voice broke me out of my thoughts.
Leaning back and watching the drones fly in and start cleaning up the mess, thinking about what to do next.
"Where's Tavish?" I ask, a hologram popping up in front of me.
"The planet Argenta. I believe that he's establishing himself as their king."
"Huh. Let's take a peek at that. Can you open a portal?"
A blue portal opened up and I walked through, stepping onto the soil of the unfamiliar planet.
[Omake: Fire, Brimstone, and Cybermen]
[Tavish POV]
You know, in hindsight . . .
I feel like the status of this emergency was immensely undersold to me.
Let's give you a bit of background . . .
Hell, will periodically consume a world if it utilizes too much of hells power, or argent, as it were.
When too much argent is consumed, hell will come to collect at some point. And since not many worlds have a power source equivalent to argent, the world is taken as collateral.
Most planets will then find other entities to fend off the incursion of hells forces.
These fuckers decided that the Cybermen were the best option available.
So not only is hell invading to recollect on their "investment", I had a bunch of shiny metal fuck's running about trying to consume all organic matter.
Normally I wouldn't care if I had to kill a few extra people while murderizing the demons. But the cybermen had the rather annoying trait called "cyber conversion".
This process enabled cybermen to convert humanoid organic life into cybermen, and slowly evolve to deal with external threats.
So just as the demons consumed the cybermen, the planet and its residents, the cybermen consumed the residents, planet, and the demons.
Honestly, I needed to use something apocalyptic in nature to wipe out both sides at once, otherwise they'd just overwhelm whoever I hit first, and start expanding from there.
"Gonna be honest here Doc, what exactly were you needing me to do here?" Because at this point, it would be better just to wipe out the planet." I comment, Nova's comm frequency relaying my statement.
"We can't do that! The people on this planet are responsible for some terrific events several dozen year from now! Historical records indicate humanity survives this set back thanks to the help of the one known as the "Hell Walker". You did something in this time that routed the invasion." The Doctor hurriedly corrected, as I leaned against the wooden doors of Nova, observing the planet below.
After mulling over several options, I voice a question; "Tell me, what stage of technology were they at several dozen years from now?"
"Oh, I believe they were just getting back the ability of electronic communication. Why?" I heard him question over the comm.
Sighing, I raise my hands and thick black clouds form over the whole of the planet, sucking up bits of magnetic material from the planet below.
"Whoa! I'm picking up something weird on my scanners. Those clouds look like they are gearing up for a massive EMP discharge." I hear the doctor rattle off as I target every cybernetic entity on the planet.
Releasing the charged power, I watch their network fry, cascading out to hit all of the tech on the planet.
"I bought you some time Doc. Take care of the tin men." I comment, the super shotgun appearing in my hand.
"And what will you be doing?!" His exclamation grating on my ears.
"What I was born to do. Nova, be a dear and pick me up when its all said and done." I reply, hearing her chirp of affirmation.
Leaping out the door, the wind rips by as I plunge towards the planet.
[Welp, here we go again.]
[You think he can actually fix the cybermen issue?]
Eh, he's done it half a dozen times before, he'll be fine.
