Chapter 6

I started running again the next day, and almost instantly got a level up.

*Athletics skill level up!*

*1 Perk Point Gained.*

I slowed for a moment but decided to keep jogging as I pulled up the stat screen to check through the perks.

Most of them were what I expected. Runners high. To let me zone out and keep running to push myself pretty hard for long distance running. Parkour. Which was obvious. High jump. Interesting. Increase the height of my hops.

Unlike my other skills athletics didn’t have any direct combat stuff I noticed. It was all calm things that would just be useful or to enhance my ability to move.

I picked Parkour. Always pick Parkour. In a city like Night City? Easy pick.

The moment I did I started noticing things. Paths through the city opened up to me as if I had run them all. If I jumped onto that cart, I could hit that overhang and climb onto those window bars. Which would put me on the roof of that building.

That sort of thing.

It was fun to imagine even if I didn’t do any of it for now. Just finished up my jog, yet since I wasn’t that tired, I decided to do a second lap which by the time I was done had worn me out quite a bit.

I would do a quick shower since I had already eaten some lunch at the vendors around the block. But then? More crunches! Yay!

I think I was starting to become one of those weirdos who go to the gym.

Wait, I actually did need to go to a gym and I had money… Oh right I had a map in my head!

—–

After cleanup I decided I was going to find a gym nearby. So I did a search using my cyberware map system.

A few options came up, although I noticed most of them were tiny places with obvious Tyger Claw symbols on their front.

I didn’t want that. I wanted a big impersonal gym so people wouldn’t notice me or talk to me.

I wasn’t a loner. I was just worried about improving too fast!

So I found a corporate gym a big glass and metal thing with shiny equipment, and in the pictures everyone is fake smiling. Obviously a place completely devoid of any soul.

Perfect.

Only thing is that It was a bit too far to walk. I would actually need to take a train. Pysching myself up, to wash away the slight nervous feeling I had. I hated the feeling of getting on the wrong train or something, but with my map guide I was easily able to figure out the right train and get on. It was a peaceful trip, but I remained on guard, making sure to keep a close eye on those around me so no one could steal my eddie shard.

Lucy might or might not be in the city at the moment, but I wasn’t about to risk it.

In the end I made it to my destination without issue.

A big honking building. “Chrome Ring Gym. Huh.” I muttered the name as I walked under it. Entering inside I looked around, and just as I hoped there were tons of high end machines that would increase weight and as such would let me push myself further than just some push ups would.

Inside a receptionist with a fake smile greeted me, and after I ignored most of her sales pitch I paid for a monthly subscription that wasn’t overly expensive before getting an access shard and I entered into the gym.

Unfortunately before I could take more than two steps in I was greeted by a massive guy in a suit.

“Weapons must go in the locker.” He ordered pointing towards a set of armored lockers next to him.

Oh right I was packing.

I nodded and headed over placing my Unity and my knife into the locker and taking the shard.

With that he stepped aside and I walked in.

So many activities! Considering I would have to walk home after I decided to focus on my arms. I really didn’t want to have to stumble home with dead legs.

With that decision made, I settled in to pump some iron off a machine, and nearly instantly I could see my alerts come flooding in.

*100 Body XP Gained.*

*100 Body XP Gained.*

*100 Body XP Gained.*

I smiled even as I grunted, pushing further and further.

Sure my arms felt like noodles and hurt like hell on my way home. But I gained nearly another level in body in that one session.

—–

With that initial hurdle out of the way I startled exploring a bit more of the city. Taking the train out to places that I wanted to see or visit.

I may have walked past V’s apartment in Megabuilding H10 just to see it. Although it wasn’t actually their apartment yet. Wherever they were, they didn’t move into this apartment until after the start of the game.

Either way it made me feel like I was actually part of the world and not just hiding away in my apartment.

I just wasn’t at a point where I felt I could do anything. It’s sorta weird that with the gamer system I sort of expect to be able to make changes to the world, even if I know that is still unlikely. There was so much corruption and… evil.

I would have to see if I could actually cut out even a little of that evil.

Mostly Scavs. Fuck Scavs.

—–

“Hey hey!”

I sighed. “Hey Hiromi.” I grunted, my arms hurt and I was walking down the street heading home from the train. Hiromi pulled up beside me. On the sidewalk of course because what does she care about laws gently driving next to me.

“What’s got you so down?” She asked leaning over the handlebars of her bike.

I turned to look at her, pouted a bit and flopped my arm at her. Exercise hurts. I hit Body 4. But not without absolutely shredding myself to get there. Now all I wanted to do was go home and sleep.

“Huh Still doing that exercise thing huh?” She asked, looking over at me as she gently walked her bike along with me.

“Yes. It’s important.” I informed her but she just made a noise of fake agreement.

“Well anyways. I was just driving by and noticed you. There is a party at the club if you want to come.”

“Pass. I want to go to sleep, arms hurt.”

“Hehe alright alright. Hey listen tomorrow Ichi is hinting we might have another gig. Whoa don’t give me that look. Way more low key okay? Apparently the boss wants some eyes on somebody so we will be those eyes. Ichi asked if you could come.”

“I’ll… Okay. I’ll come. What’s the pay like?”

“Terrible! Especially split so much, but it will keep us from being bored with more people. So-” She offered waving both of her hands which made me reflexively try to reach out to grab her bikes handlebars only for my arm to flop around.

She didn’t have any trouble though before she took control of her bike again. “Want a ride home?”

I sighed it was only another block… “Okay.” I grumbled weakly climbing onto her stupid swoop backed bike, she cackled and floored it a bit once I was on making me grab her only to moan in pain at moving my arms.

“Bitch!” I grunted quietly at the feeling of my burning muscles.
“Sorry choom!” She giggled. She didn’t sound sorry.

She dropped me off at the front of the apartment and was about to head out when she called out. “Hey you should think about getting your hair done. It’s getting messy!” She said before driving off. Making me blink. I mean, it was getting a little long, but messy?

Was my hair messy?

I weakly reached up to mess with my bangs. They were a little rough. I hadn’t exactly gotten a haircut after spending time in a coma… I guess I would have to check the map again.

—-

Ichinose

Another job, another chance to prove he had what it takes. To move out of being just another kid on the street into being someone important.

He may lead a small group, but it wasn’t like a gang, more like herding cats. Sometimes he would take a job only to have none of the group able, or willing to help.

He had learned his lesson with that. If it didn’t involve something preem, Malcolm and Omaeda would just bail, and Hiromi was only around half the time.

He often had to incentivise them to show up especially if it was a boring job like this one. So he had to stake out a guy. Keep an eye on him for Shobo-Sama, so he of course invited his team.

Most refused, until he offered to bring some beers from the club and make it a small party. That got the attention of his herd of irritable cats.

He sighed even if the pay was gonna be shit, and his portion was mostly already gone thanks to the beers. With his group there would be less risk. No one liked to be staked out after all, and he would have extra eyes to keep an eye out.

That had been the plan anyways. Before the old saying of plans never surviving first contact with an enemy.

Now he had to deal with a drunk Malcolm. Omaeda getting so annoyed with drunk Malcolm, he had to put a stop to three fights already. His own horrible boredom sitting here on a stairway watching the front of a bar for a guy who was probably having a good time inside.

Hiromi, who hadn’t even shown up yet! With the only explanation he had gotten was that she was picking up Motoko.

Motoko… That…

That was something he wasn’t sure how to feel about. On one hand in a single moment she had proven herself to be someone reliable. Even if it had screwed up the job… No, the job had already been screwed up. But that definitely ended it. She had saved him. Covered his back in ways that he honestly didn’t trust the rest of the crew to do.

Even if she kinda scared him.

All the street kids joked, or lied about how many gonks they had flatlined, but it was a rare kid to actually have any deaths at their hands especially ones that were definitely not an accident.

His own first kill had been an accident. He had been running from a bad gang fight when some homeless gonk had grabbed him.

He had fired without thinking. Pure adrenaline and reaction.

But Motoko? That isn’t how her first kill went at all.

The sound of a Kusanagi’s engine caused his head to tilt up as Hiromi’s bike finally pulled up onto the sidewalk below them. Motoko behind her.

He blinked because that was not a girl out for the town or a wannabe ganger like Hiromi.

Motoko? She had come to a casual stake out gig dressed ready for war.

An SMG slung in her arms, a pistol on her belt, and her big ass knife on her hip. She walked up the steps onto the walkway they were all waiting on with their cooler of beers and gave them all that look that she always had in her eyes as if she was searching for weakness.

Or maybe that was just Ichi’s imagination after that night.

She nodded to him.

“We are heeere! Let the party start!” Hiromi cried out, personality so different from her choom.

Motoko though wasn’t here to party she refused a beer and simply switched to checking around like she was ready for an ambush. He pointed out the bar to her. The target’s car was out front of a bar that they were parked across the street from.

“I like your hair.” Ichi said after a moment, unable to figure out what else to say to her once Motoko settled in.

She blinked before giving him a tight smile. “Thanks. I based it off someone I really look up to.” She answered before turning her face back towards the bar. It was cut, short in the back showing off the very nape of her neck, but longer in the front with long bangs.

“I still don’t know why you went with purple though. There are better colors.” Hiromi grumbled beside him pointing at her own riot of hair color.

“I don’t think Neon Green works for me.” She replied simply but she smiled at Hiromi.

“Your loss.”

“Details of the gig?” Motoko asked him suddenly, “Hiromi was sparse on details.”

“A guy owes the boss some money. He took a loan and is past due on his payment. The boss already had a talk with him, but the worry is that he will try to rabbit instead of getting the money together. So we are watching him. If he starts running we track him long enough for the boss’s men to take care of it.” With that Ichi sent over the image of the guy that the boss had given him along with the picture of his car.

“Any other exits?”

“What?” He asked looking to the girl.

“Does the bar have a back door?”

“Yeah. Probably.” He said before realizing what she was getting at. “Shit you think he slipped out the back?”

“Probably not. Depends on how scared he is?” She asked before shrugging. “Did he have any guards?”

“No. He isn’t like Gonzales.”

“Good.” She offered simply before standing back up from where she was resting. “I’ll go keep an eye on the back of the bar. Call me if anything changes?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.” He answered simply because Motoko was already moving. She hadn’t asked if that is what she should do. She just… Did it.

He wasn’t sure if he appreciated it and wished the rest of the team would be as helpful, or just wanted her to look to him for leading this gig.

He sighed. He would just take what he could get. Honestly he was kinda glad the way too serious girl was’t standing next to him anymore. She was making him look bad.

—–

It was so awkward. Was the SMG too much? It was probably too much. I had done my best to keep my face flat when I walked up to everyone because I was too embarrassed to admit that I brought the SMG mostly for comfort. No one else had any heavy equipment!