"Do I trust my AI? I mean, yeah, Aegys kinda has a strong interest in keeping me alive. Now if only he could tone down the theatrics a bit..."

  Samurai Phoenix before a truck sized firebird delivers him a new pistol, 2057

  After getting a flesh melter and mulching the bodies, we continued our walk. Zuri was paying far more attention to our surroundings. She obviously took this seriously, and neither of us wanted to be surprised. Of course, she seemed a bit more tense, which was to be expected. But she didn’t let that stop her from doing her best.

  She also got a few of the pheromone grenades, which she kept in her pockets. I nodded at that, happy to see that she was thinking ahead.

  The trip took a little while. I did my best to keep us with usable cover nearby, but eventually the trees opened again, revealing a rger open area littered with taller bushes and low-grown hedges around a big building. It was a bit of a maze, but at least it meant we had plenty of cover.

  There had been a small group of aliens at the edge of the open area, but we did manage to ambush them after some preparation. Zuri’s pheromones really were helpful in that regard. It was as if the antithesis didn’t even register we were there properly, once they got a sniff of the stuff.

  After we had dealt with the interlopers, I kept us downwind and further away from the building, opting to take cover between some of the bushes that formed a ring around the diner. The hedges here were a bit taller, which would help us stay undetected while still giving us some time to pn our approach.

  And that was sorely needed. I grimaced when I saw what was waiting for us. I had long since detected the smell of blood in the air, but I had at least hoped that someone was still alive. The field of carnage that revealed itself in front of the building made it pretty obvious that there was no chance of that.

  Two dozen aliens were busy snacking on whatever food was left and a couple of corpses, both inside the diner and in the seating area outside. Zuri grew pale when she saw the bodies, obviously resisting the urge to retch. It was a fight she lost, and she turned away, emptying her stomach in some of the bushes.

  I couldn’t bme her, the sight was grim. I had long since gotten used to death, but even I had to admit to a certain level of queasiness. She didn’t enjoy that training, having lived a normal life. Sure, death was broadcasted over the feeds these days, but there is a difference between seeing it online and seeing it in person.

  Especially when it’s as messy as this.

  What I hated most was how familiar it all felt. I could feel my body rex, faced with what I knew. The only goal was to deal with the antithesis, eradicate them, then get back. It was business as usual, in a very macabre way. Different targets, sure, but the feel of it was the same. And not even four years away from the carnage of the battlefield, and the bleak reality found in the shadows of the slums, changed anything.

  Zuri looked like she wanted to act all tough and unbothered, once she finished throwing up. But I quickly put a stop to that, knowing full well what awaited you at the end of that particur fork in the road.

  “Don’t.” My voice was soft, but also unflinching. “Don’t try and force yourself to ignore it. Don’t try to normalise it. This is the reality of the battlefield. This is the reality of war. Be it an open bloodbath or one hidden away in the shadows. Remember that. And remember that it’s normal to feel that revulsion. If you start losing that, that’s when the demons show up.”

  It was a bit hypocritical of me to say, sure. I had long since let myself become numb to all of it. Been trained for it, really. Death and carnage seldom was enough to really make me feel bad, and that was something I wouldn’t wish for my worst enemy. Let alone Zuri. She was too good a person to become such a monster.

  Really, I wish I heard those words when I first started out. Maybe I would have turned out differently if I did. Or maybe I would’ve been deemed a failure and used as training targets for the more promising students. I’d killed my fair share of those as well in the early years.

  Zuri, for her part, nodded meekly, before she turned away.

  I let her observe the aliens around the pce, while I took in the mess directly in front of the building. “Any ideas?”

  “Maybe,” her voice was still shaking. “If I can throw my pheromones in there it would certainly make for a good distraction.”

  I nodded at that. “Simir tactic to the field then? Although, this one is far less open.”

  On the field I had space, either to evade or to run away. The diner area was far more stuffed, chairs, bushes, hedges, tables, the corpses, and the aliens. It would make fighting a lot harder, even with everything being confused.

  “Stryx, it might be time to think about that necromancy thing. I want some additional distractions here. And better armor. I’m not running in there without better protection. Maybe a gun as well.” With no people nearby I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. And while I was still uncertain about using firearms, I didn’t want to limit myself and risk either Zuri or my safety.

  Would you like me to go over all your options, or just pick out what is most point efficient?

  “As much as I would love a full summary, I rather not waste any time.”

  Very well. At the moment you have 262 points. Obtaining the Css I Shadowstalker Deadlink Protocols Catalogue will cost you 50 points, with an additional cost of 70 points for the Mark II Reaper’s Redoubt Control Impnt and the Mark III Hades’ Grasp Nanite System for full functionality.

  This setup would offer a strong foundation and can ter on be upgraded to include an additional AI to control the bodies you have taken over, as well as limited self-propagation capabilities, if you invest enough into this tech tree.

  As you have already procured weapons from the Css I Shadowstalker Nullstrike Weaponry Catalogue, you do not need additional methods to deliver the nanites into the target. There are additional options avaible to you that can help in that regard in the future, but none of them are useful to you as of this moment.

  In terms of armor, I would recommend to you the Mark II Umbral Armor. It is very basic in its functionality, offers above average protection for the price, but otherwise is unremarkable. The cost to unlock the Css I Shadowstalker Aegis Array Catalogue, as well as to purchase the armor, would combine to a total of 90 points.

  That leaves you with 52 points to obtain a firearm. Given your requirements, this might be a good opportunity to cooperate with Zuri Neyn and combine your catalogues for the best result.

  “Oh?” That certainly was interesting to hear, and I tried to imagine what that might look like. A pn was already forming in my mind, mostly relying on Zuri’s distractions and access to the whole necromancy thing. The building itself was pretty stuffed, sure, but if I managed to take over some of the aliens, that could also work to my advantage.

  The outside eating area in specific was just inviting such tactics. The tables and chairs were far more heavy set than the ones at the pizza pce, but still looked retively thin and spindly. It gave the illusion of being able to move freely, but didn’t actually live up to it. And that was something that I could abuse just as much as it was hindering me.

  Zuri Neyn has expressed interest in the Css I Shorian Technologies Catalogue, which is a catalogue focused around the Shorian species. They are quite well known for their grand spectacles and pys, often underlined with different light technologies and holographic set pieces.

  If you were to combine your efforts, you could obtain a firearm from your Css I Shadowstalker Nullstrike Weaponry Catalogue and upgrade it with colour matching and light stealth capabilities. Please be aware that this will not fully conceal the weapon, but it will help it blend it far better.

  Of course, you also have weapons with a simir ability set avaible in your catalogues. However, by combining catalogues you will achieve a slightly better result for slightly cheaper, while not compromising on quality in other areas.

  “Huh… Okay, that sounds good. I’ll take that then.”

  The conversation did bring up a lot of questions, but I pushed them back for now. It wasn’t immediately important and could wait until ter, when I didn’t have a group of two dozen or so aliens nearby.

  Very well. The combined price for all the items will be 259 points.

  “Good, get them.”

  It left me with very little in terms of funds, but I wasn’t worried about that. We had the element of surprise on our side, and I would be able to kill a few before they would become a threat. Even if more medical equipment was needed, I was confident in my ability to clear out enough to make back those points.

  Not to mention that the benefits of the items would far outweigh the drawback of having little in terms of points, even in a scenario where I wouldn’t be able to earn them back soon.

  You will feel a moment of discomfort as the Mark II Reaper’s Redoubt Control Impnt is teleported into your brain.

  Css I Shadowstalker Deadlink Protocols unlocked!Points reduced to: 212

  New purchase: Mark II Reaper’s Redoubt!Points reduced to: 182

  New purchase: Mark III Hades’ Grasp!Points reduced to: 142

  Css I Shadowstalker Aegis Array unlocked!Points reduced to: 92

  New purchase: Mark II Umbral Armor!Points reduced to: 52

  New purchase: Mark III Kilotonic HG-2412-13!Points reduced to: 3

  Just as Stryx had told me, a sudden agony shot through my head for just a second. Even though I was warned, I did feel a moment of panic at the spike of pain. Trying to keep myself calm I clenched and unclenched my fists for a moment, before I turned to the three boxes that had appeared next to me. Each had a different size, and was, as usual, belled in neat, blocky letters.

  Opening the one belled ‘Hades’ Grasp’ first, I found a small amulet inside. It looked a bit like bck metal with obsidian texture, and had an ominous neon green glow. The glow vanished soon after, but it did give the thing quite the presence. The amulet itself was shaped like a hooded skull, attached to a long chain.

  Realising that I should probably put on the armor first, I opened the second, much rger box. Inside I found a rather futuristic looking armor, all in dark grey, almost, but not quite, bck. That was good. Full bck was often more noticeable than washed out dark grey’s or browns, depending on where you wanted to hide yourself. Even dark blues or greens could work better, and on one occasion, I even had to get a dark red outfit for a job.

  Overall, the armor looked to be a strange mix between PMC uniform and old-school leather armor that you often saw in games or the holos. Honestly, if someone just gave me that description, I’d say that that would never fit together. But looking at it, I had to admit that it didn’t csh nearly as much as I would’ve expected. Perhaps it was the more modern, almost metallic looking, accents that decorated it. Or maybe the cut. I wasn’t an expert on designs.

  Even with my limited experience with protector grade items, it was very clear that this was indeed only very simple armor. That said, it was quite a lot better than what I knew from my past. It would certainly be useful, and I nodded to myself.

  Without wasting time, I pulled off my blood and alien goo covered shirt, before I pulled down my old pants. They were less stained, but still not something that would likely be washed clean. Hiding behind the bushes, wearing nothing more than my underwear, the only bits of clothing that had escaped any blood sptters, I began to pull out the armor. Zuri looked at me with a shocked and slightly blushing face, probably not having expected me to just undress like this in what would typically be considered public space.

  I ignored it, not really caring all too much about being more or less nude. We had seen each other naked before, of course, and I had long since learned to just carry on with my day when in the presence of others. If you got all embarrassed when gearing up for a job, you quickly nded yourself on the list of disappointing students.

  And those typically didn’t live long.

  The armor fit me extremely well, to the point I wondered just how exactly Stryx knew my measurements. There was no discomfort, but also no sck, moulded perfectly to my, admittedly modest, body. There was a cape with a hood in the box as well, obviously just cloth with no additional protections. For a moment I contempted leaving them there, since they would make fighting a bit more complicated, but then I saw the attachment mechanisms.

  If anyone would try to pull me by the cape it would just detach, which was quite nice. It meant I didn’t have to worry about it being used against me. Ah, to hell with it, I had to admit that the idea of wearing it did tickle my fancy, somewhere deep down. Mostly because people would avoid me. At least I hoped. And maybe because the look did seem pretty badass. Even I wasn’t entirely immune to the edgelord design.

  With everything on, I pulled out the amulet and hung it around my neck. It attached itself to a small magnetic pte that was embedded into the armor, just above my chest, meaning that it wouldn’t fly around with movement. Another detail I liked quite a lot. Otherwise I would have to push it under the armor, which might hinder the nanite spread.

  There was a slight haze coming out of it, almost invisible, and for a moment I thought it was just my imagination. After I took a closer look, though, it was clear that it was really there, the haze travelling to my weapons far faster than I would have thought. Probably the nanites getting ready for deployment.

  With all that done, I turned my attention to the st box. It was a bit bigger than the one that had held my amulet, and was belled ‘Mark III Kilotonic HG-2412-13’. Opening it, I found a firearm that looked like it wanted to contradict itself, but failed so spectacurly at it that it looped back around to look impressive. I wasn’t even sure how to describe it at first. Honestly, at first gnce it looked a bit like a weird mashup between what some design student probably thought a pistol made in the same style traditional Japanese Ninjutsu weapons would look like, and something coming straight out of modern assembly lines.

  But once you took a moment to really go over it, the beauty in the design started slowly showing itself, and the longer you looked, the more impressive it became. What some might mistake as organic, curved lines at first, turned out to be a rather intricate set of accentuated decorations following modern design principles, with loads of straight lines and sharp edges. It did a lot to hide the rather boring frame of the weapon, that could probably be mistaken for any firearm any competent PMC had access to. And the most impressive part? It managed to do all that, without drawing attention to itself.

  I had said it before, I was not typically one to care much about stylistic choices and designs. I used what I could and what was effective. But this? Even I could admit to being impressed by that. It was a damn work of art. Looking like some piece of junk to anyone giving it a cursory gnce, and only revealing its true beauty to those who took the time to actually admire it.

  Checking it over, I found it to be chambered in 9mm, with a 13 round magazine and one round loaded. The ammunition did seem to be standard fair, which was good. That said, I would have to talk to Stryx about potentially getting more specialised ammunition in the future. Lotus rounds might be a bit overkill, but I wouldn’t mind some of the other special ammunition the Cn had come up with over the years. Just in case it was needed.

  It did come with a very basic holster that I could attach to the belt of my armor. And when I say basic, I do mean basic. This would be the first piece of equipment that would need repcement. If only, because I didn’t trust the locking mechanism on it whatsoever.

  Finally done, I turned my attention back to Zuri, who was watching me with raised eyebrows, although her expression did seem to suggest that she approved. While I had talked with Stryx, she had gotten her own upgrades, considering the boxes next to her. Unlike mine, though, hers weren’t that obvious at first gnce. Sure, there were some of the traps, but otherwise, it was all far more subtle. I did notice that she had a bracelet now, although the use case eluded me, as well as some small metallic bits attached to her glove.

  “It suits you, in a very edgy and dark way,” she muttered, taking me in from top to bottom. “Frankly, it suits you too well. To the point I’m questioning if you aren’t going in the wrong direction.”

  That made me wince, and her expression registered shock. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that! Just… It looks very… dangerous. Promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

  I sighed, waving it off. “It’s okay. You ready?”

  She nodded in turn, gncing over the edge of the bushes once more. “I think so? What’s the pn?”

  “Alright, this isn’t going to be the most eborate pn I’ve ever thought up, but it should help to keep us both retively safe.”

  If I was honest with myself, I was far less prepared than I wanted to be. At least it wasn’t the worst pn I’ve ever had to go through with, and it should keep Zuri safe. And that was really the important part here.

  Epigraph written by BckShad. He also wrote Rise of the Phoenix (A Stray Cat Strut Fanfiction) on Royal Road! Go, give him some love!

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