Chapter 4: A path chosen.
I mentally clicked yes, and I couldn't help the small smile on my face at earning my very first amount of store points. As I went over the description of my new skill I thought, 'And so it begins. As much as I want to invest the points into leveling up something, there is a certain ability I would like to have and need to check the store first.'
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Inspect 1: Observe an entity or object with the intent to use this ability to activate it. The most basic information that anyone could get by asking about it will be shown. Higher levels will drastically increase the quality and quantity of information displayed. No mana cost, no cooldown.
Cost to rank up: First upgrade is 1000 points, and every one thereafter is double the previous. EX rank will have a unique quest for an unlock requirement.
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While I noted the same upgrade path as my manifestation ability, to test the ability out I gave my "friend" a side glance and used it.
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Name: Tanny Klenz
Sex: Female
Occupation: Arasaka Netrunner
NCPD notes: None
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Giving a mental nod at the expected and simple amount of information I turned my attention back to my UI, entered the store and entered the key words "Body Interaction."
After scrolling through the still stupidly long list, I finally found what I was looking for.
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Host rewards steal: Steals the rewards your host gets for anything while you are possessing them. Such as EDs, Rep, claimants of objects or places etc. No cost, no cooldown, no duration. Passive.
Note: All EDs earned in any way will be automatically converted into store credit. Enables the ability to exchange store credit (1:1) for EDs; to be deposited in your current host's account. No ranks.
Cost: 1000 store points
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Internally smiling at the ability, I instantly smashed (in my head at least) that confirmation button!
I relaxed and enjoyed the wind in my (host's) hair and the music while I engaged in light conversation with Tanny as we continued our way to her home. Thankfully we were not terribly far out into the badlands before we entered the city. And I had to assume this was Night City because of the little note section in the inspection skill when I used it on Tanny.
As we entered the city proper I did my damnedest to school my face and not show any reaction to the absolutely stunning view I was treated to. It was late into the evening, and the city was practically aglow in neon lights and other spectacles! As I gazed at some buildings that truly looked as if they touched the very sky itself I internally whistled. While the game did a great job of capturing the splendor, it never had a chance of being close to the real thing like this in the end.
I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped my lips when the song NIGHT CITY by R E L & Artemis Delta started to play. Which caused Tanny to ask, "What's got you snickering?"
I just shrugged and said, "I always found it funny when this song came on for some reason."
She gave me a raised eyebrow before shrugging and said, "Fair enough. Did you want to stop at any stores to pick anything up? Or are you ready for a night of preem fun?"
Shaking my head I answered, "No, I am all set~."
Smiling, she said, "Preem! We'll be back to my place in a few minutes if we keep our luck with the lights."
And true to her word we were pulling into a parking garage for a clearly Corpo apartment building soon after. As we were getting out of her car, I made note that the parking lot had some VERY expensive looking vehicles spotted all over the place. Mentally smirking, I think, 'So many options to take into consideration when I need a ride later!'
We were both silent as we entered the elevator and took it up to what seemed to be floor 19. While the elevator was filled with TV's like from the game, much to my disappointment just like the game they were only playing adverts for food currently. Food that honestly looked nasty as hell. I physically grimaced at the thought of tasting something like "Veggie paste."
Tanny noticed my movement and with a single glance to the TV she just nodded her head and said, "It's as bad as you think. I tried it the other day, and I almost went to a ripper doc to get a new tongue because it tasted so bad…"
I couldn't help myself as I dry heaved a little bit, which got a laugh from the girl. With a ding, the elevator finally got to the right floor and we exited. From the shithole the game and anime showed constantly that Night City truly was, I couldn't help but marvel at the difference Corp's experienced it as. There were no unknown stains on the ground, walls or roof. No bums or druggies taking up space in the hallway, and no trash. It was like a real hallway you'd expect from a functional society and not what Night City actually was for the vast majority of its populace.
As we finally came up to her apartment's door, I couldn't help the tiny smirk as I read the "Rent Paid" that was displayed in bold green letters. As the door simply opened as Tanny neared it I thought, 'Well, no matter how you shine a shit, it's still shit after all~.'
The door automatically closed behind me after I entered and I gave her apartment a quick appraisal glance. She had several posters for what I assumed were bands on the walls, a few pictures with my host and her doing a few things, and for the most part it was spotless and clean.
As I walked to the part of her apartment that had a large circular coffee table surrounded by a large curved couch I suddenly heard the iconic sound of a gun's rail being pulled back and clicking back into place. And then the soft sound of something charging up.
Raising an eyebrow as I turned around, I was greeted by the sight of Tanny holding an Arasaka Kenshin towards me. And it was primed to fire if any of the previous sounds were an indication.
Tilting my head to the right I asked, "And this is?"
She gave me a harsh glare and said, "Don't fuck around! You think I wouldn't notice that something is very wrong with my fiancé?! Who are you?! How are you controlling her!"
My eyes widened a bit before I simply sighed and said, "I see. So the two of you are to be married. Yea, no wonder I was outed so fast I guess." But I soon smirked as I looked at her and continued, "But not before you got me out of there~."
She narrowed her eyes further before they shot open wide as they could go as she explained, "You're project Blacklight! You can take over people?! I need to call-"
As her eyes turned gold, I quickly summoned my digi-ethereal dagger and held it to my host's neck and said, "I would stop that if you want her alive. She's fine, but my continued existence doesn't depend on hers…" And to prove that what she was seeing wasn't fake, I cut my neck just enough to draw blood.
She instantly dropped her gun after flipping on the safety and said, "Sorry, Sir. I meant to call someone else. Yes Sir, it will not happen again. Sorry Sir."
Her eyes stopped glowing gold and she quickly put up her hands while saying, "Please, leave her alone! We were just doing our jobs!"
As I pondered what to do, a sudden idea came to mind. I needed to test exactly how my possession worked for the hosts; did they remember everything? Or did they fall into a deep sleep?
With my new plan chosen, I dismissed my dagger and released my hold on my host. She instantly crumbled to the floor in a heap like a puppet with its strings cut. I couldn't help but marvel at exactly what I was looking at.
All around me, everything was a soft blue colour with 1's and 0's softly waving like ripples of water. Even the two "Meat Sacks" as one certain droid would say looked like bundles of human shaped digital code. And the one I assumed was Tanny was moving exceedingly slow. Agonisingly slow even!
She hadn't even managed to take a single step as I thought, 'I guess that makes sense? The Digital Plane could very well move at a much faster speed than the physical one. But still, this degree in speed is staggering! It's like I am using the Speed Force here…'
As I looked at Tanny, her foot hadn't even left the floor yet after all. Ignoring that for now, I continued to look around me in wonder as I thought, 'Why is this so much different than the room I woke up in though…?'
As I pondered I suddenly had what I thought was the answer, 'Was it because I was actually IN a server? And not just on the Digital Plane?'
As I looked around at the spectacle that was the Digital Plane, I felt like I had hit the proverbial nail on the head. I smiled widely as I thought, 'Well, this opens up a lot of "doors" for me. I can't wait to abuse this…'
Turning my attention back to Tanny, whose foot was just now starting to lift off the floor, I couldn't help but have a tiny and malevolent smirk form. Walking over to her I placed my left palm gently on the side of her face and used [Possession].
My world went dark for a few moments before I blinked the eyes of my new host a few times. I looked down at my (her) hands and flexed them a few times before giving a satisfied nod. I was happy there was very little, if any really, disorientation from taking over a new body.
A low groan and movement soon caught my attention. Making a mental note that people recover from my possession rather quickly, I made my way over to the discarded gun and picked it up. Keeping a side eye on my previous host, Nikki, starting to sit up I inspected the gun.
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Name: Arasaka JKE-X2 Kenshin
Type: Pistol / Tech
Mods: Enhanced Crit damage, Enhanced Crit chance, Faster reload
Rarity: Epic
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Nodding and being slightly impressed at the iron Tanny had, I gave a search for the holster she had and was quick to find it was a back style hidden under her coat. I struggled a little to put it back into the holster, but luckily it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Though I knew for sure that my draw speed for such a holster type was going to be abysmal.
As Nikki started to shake her head I thought, 'Can I even shoot a gun as well as a bow? I mean, I AM an elf assassin… so that should count for something right?'
I was pulled from my thoughts by Nikki asking a question, "What…? Where am I?"
As she looked around in a small daze I made a mental note, 'So it seems the people who I possess experience as sort of black out effect. Not ideal, but I'll have to make do. It'll be very obvious I was around, or maybe they'll think they got hacked, if I try to possess my way through somewhere.'
Her eyes finally landed on me and gained a bit of clarity as she asked, "Tiffy? What… What is going on? Why are we home?"
As I walked over to her I tried to summon my dagger, only for nothing to happen causing me to freeze. I quickly looked at my stats and noticed I had less than 1% mana left! Shaking my head at my unexpected empty tank, I continued to Nikki and squatted down so we were nearly eye level.
Looking over at her for a few moments I asked, "What's the last thing you remember?"
As she frowned and looked down in thought, I was weighing the pro's and con's of the action I was about to take. I really wanted to use [Soul Drain] on Nikki to see just how much mana it'd give me, and how long it would actually take cast the ability. But if it was anything like the game, then this action would kill her.
While I had already killed two people since I came to this world, that and this were different. The two kills were in defence of my life. This would just be straight up murder for convenience, as I was sure my mana would eventually regenerate on its own. I also had to acknowledge this was Night City, a horridly cutthroat city. Hell, this whole world was horrible, not just this city. It was able to turn a person like David Martinez from a brat with a chip on his shoulder to a mass murder who smiled at the act.
As I recalled the fate of David I thought, 'I refuse to be consumed by this world. I have all these advantages. And I am already an assassin after all, heh. Fuck it, when in Rome.'
I didn't even notice that Nikki was talking to me when I made my decision, "... and that's all. By the way, Tiffy? Why are your eyes pink?"
Ignoring her quarry, I grabbed her neck with my left hand and started to use [Soul Drain]. Her eyes widened as she yelled, "Tiffy?! What are you- AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
I made a small mental note that my true form overlapped Tanny's entire left side as I started to drain Nikki. She was screaming with everything she had, while clawing at my hand. This went on for about three seconds before her head suddenly exploded like a popped balloon. Her entire body naturally went limp and fell to the floor as I let go.
I made a soft hum of appreciation for the fact that somehow all the gore from her popped mellon didn't touch me when a sudden notice from the system was dead centre in my eyes and coloured an ominous red.
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You have decided on the path you will walk on. And it will be paved with the bodies of your enemies and awash in rivers of their blood. Will it also contain the truly innocent one day?
New deadlier and darker options added to the store. These new additions will be marked with a red star. The deeper you go on this path, the more options will be made available.
Abilities added and removed from your Ring. Such abilities will be marked with a red star.
You may redeem yourself one day, but these dark marks will always remain…
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I raised an eyebrow and I couldn't help myself as I blurted out, "A morality system? Really?"
[author] So, here is a new chapter. I wrote this to distract myself. I have gotten some horrible news in RL, and I don't know how it'll change things for me...[/author]