Chapter 89

Home was nice. Jun was still at work when I got home but I was kind of glad because I was really wanting a nap.

 

My chest itched.

 

Like crazy.

 

I was forced to use Cool just to resist the irritation. So I really wanted a full sleep to hopefully remove the discomfort.

 

As I flopped onto the bed wincing a bit as I pulled my boots off my ankles that were all blotchy and swollen.

 

Despite Vik’s gentle touch he had still stuffed shit into my body. I was bruised up a bit. I didn’t even want to check my chest. My leotard thankfully had a bit of stretch to it despite the armored layer so It was wearable. It did feel a little tighter than normal, although that could just be the swelling.

 

So I laid back onto my bed and set myself to eight hours.

 

I blinked awake feeling pretty damn good. I stretched, noticing that the pain that had been just under my skin before was gone, although I winced a bit as the itching wasn’t entirely done with.

 

Sure it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was, but as I stretched and felt the way my skin stretched there was a bit of irritation in areas.

 

I scratched a bit and that seemed to end it.

 

For now.

 

I checked my ankles which… Well they didn’t quite look like how my ankles used to look. Part of that was the realskin seams over where the chrome had been added in. There were two seams, One along the top of my foot, and one about mid thigh height. The Real Skinn was a good match for my own so that was cool.

 

Vik did good work. I actually thought the seams were kinda cool too.

 

I wiggled my ankles left and right.

 

Up and down.

 

Rapid fire wiggled them.

 

Seems everything was good.

 

I stood up, rocking a bit, I did have a bit more bounce to my step. I would definitely need some practice to get the hang of everything again, but it was pretty natural to walk forward and I didn’t have too many problems.

 

Without thinking I did a little extra bounce that would normally have just put me an inch off the floor only to bounce my head off the ceiling.

 

“Ow.”

 

Hadn’t Vik warned me to be careful where I practice…

 

Fuck he could never know. The Dad look would shatter my self esteem forever.

 

I rubbed my head as I left my bedroom. I was gonna need some exercise.

 

Time to go for a jog.

 

—-

 

I was so bouncy! It was taking up my entire focus as I ran down the street. My feet felt like they wanted to lift off the ground with every step. Once I got used to just how much bounce I could get, I entertained myself by doing front flips over the terrain of Night City as I jogged around.

 

Startling people as I literally flipped over their heads if they were in my way.

 

When Vik had originally told me about the Serano, he had mentioned their quality. He hadn’t told me my hops would go to pro basketball player level. Or rather he had, but I hadn’t understood.

 

I was leaping high enough that my feet would be over where my head was at the apex of the leap if I was walking.

 

Hell. I was easily leaping six feet straight up without a lot of effort. Especially since I could probably get even higher with some training and getting used to them.

 

It was super awesome.

 

And sort of distracting. I just knew I was going to overestimate my leaps for a while until I got used to them…

 

Or until I burned a stat point for Adaptation. It was only a one drop for my ankles which was nice.

 

Both the subdermal, and the ankles being so low cost had reassured me.

 

I guess my arms had been so costly due to the unique circumstance.

 

I stretched my arms up to the sky enjoying the tension in my chest from the action. Of course as usual the chrome arms hitched, or maxed out their extension in a weird spot.

 

I still needed to add more points into them.

 

But my ability to move was certainly better than it had been. I started slipping into some parkour, leaping up over vending machines, or other obstacles, as I broke into a jog. Letting myself really see what I could do.

 

I was still right around the block of the apartment, but Instead of circling around. I turned and just ran.

 

Hitting another office or apartment building and just…

 

Going up.

 

Climbing straight up a building was a very unique experience, it wasn’t something most people ever really did.

 

But my hands knew exactly where to grab, my legs brought me to where I needed to move ever upward and I didn’t hesitate.

 

I reached the roof by flipping over the edge landing in a quiet crouch.

 

I grinned to the kid that had been hanging around the roof a can of something in his hand dropped as he flailed at my sudden appearance beside him from the wrong direction. Then just kept moving.

 

I bounced over the edge, landing on a sign board and then running along it until I leapt again. Hands gripping into concrete and metal as I climbed over the side of an upper level bridge. As always parts of Night City were multiple levels, and it was awesome to be able to reach them completely on foot.

 

Then I ran, jumping and climbing onto a street light, until I was on top of it.

 

I stood looking over the street chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. The fact I wasn’t out of breath, but I was breathing harder than normal, just a reminder I still needed to level body and athletics more.

 

I laughed at the thought, unable to hold back breaking into a long delighted laugh as I raised my hands above my head.

 

I loved this world.

 

I loved being able to be more.

 

As my laugh ended I turned Parkour helped me pick out the best rout. I jumped from the light pole to a building.

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Everywhere I looked I could see a million paths I could run through the city.

 

It didn’t matter what was before me, because I could traverse it.

 

So I leapt again and again.

 

—-

 

My feet landed quiet as a mouse in front of my apartment building. I was definitely breathing heavily now, sweating like crazy and really feeling the exercise. I had gotten a few Body alerts popping up, having been running and parkouring through the city for the last few hours just loving the rush of movement, and getting practice with what I could now do.

 

I looked up at the section of the city high above the apartment that I had just came down from.

 

That would be a useful trick in the future.

 

I suddenly turned and remembered the attack that had lost me my arms. How I had tried to climb up a building to escape.

 

With my new ankles I would have been able to get away.

 

Not that it matters. I patted my shoulder holster. I was always armed now.

 

Of course I looked at my alerts for a moment.

 

*100 Body XP Gained*

 

*100 Body XP Gained*

 

I was really going to have to start seriously pushing myself if I wanted to grind more level ups.

 

I headed inside, wiping my forehead and running up the stairs because I might as well get a little more exercise.

 

I jumped into a quick shower to clean up and after slipping into a new leotard I flopped on the couch and grabbed my laptop. I still had another Quick Hack that I hadn’t ‘fixed’ yet.

 

Weapon Glitch.

 

Ping was an amazing utility, giving me information to better sneak around.

 

Reboot Optics was excellent at removing threats, but it was also very obvious.

 

Weapon Glitch? Weapon Glitch was just as good at removing threats, but it could also be prepared in advance.

 

No one missed when their eyes suddenly stopped working, but being able to turn off weapons before ever being revealed would give me a good advantage.

 

I looked at both the original Weapon Glitch I had bought from Yoko. The ‘fixed’ version I had put together which was okay, but still not great.

 

Then I considered how I could make it great.

 

I had enough experience now. Enough skill that I knew what to do. How to go about it.

 

I was going to make a Weapon Glitch that would just be hilarious. If I could get the hack to bounce through the network, I could definitely get it to spread to every weapon connected to whatever gonk I was fighting against.

 

I could potentially get it to bounce an unlimited amount of times within the network if I process the virus right.

 

Length and spread. That was my goal. Sure I could probably get a version that causes weapons to explode or something, at least smart weapons, causing their fuel and ammunition to cook off in the gun would be nasty, but that meant less loot!