I downed the glass of Diet Coke the Dealer had served me from behind the bar. I elected not to drink alcohol on the count of not wanting to be drunk in front of someone who could bend reality like a pretzel.
Putting the glass on the table, I turned my gaze to the dealer and their everlasting, unnerving smirk.
"So, could you please tell me why you brought me here? What is this place? Where am I?"
The Dealer polished a glass in its hands as it answered me casually.
"Firstly, this place is the Inventory, as for where we are, we are in the middle of everything and nothing, infinity and eternity. Well, more like a little off-centre just in case. We are infinitely close and distant to everything at once, all ephemeral universes, realities, just a stone's throw away yet also googols of light-years away. If you'd like, take a look out of the window."
Snap!
With a snap of the Dealer's fingers, the curtains covering the fingers were drawn back, revealing…
Something beautiful.
Innumerable... stars, no, not stars, those weren't simply stars, they looked almost like Galaxies, all drifting across an endless expanse of void. Were those simply galaxies? Or was I the first human to see realities and universes with their own eyes? A scale so impossibly high it barely registered in my mind.
"It indeed is beautiful. You will have plenty of time to admire it later. I'd like to clarify why I pulled you here since you posed the question."
I tore my eyes off the impossible sight and faced the dealer.
"You have been chosen, making you possibly the luckiest being in existence maybe. An opportunity no other being has ever gotten to experience. You have been offered the Chaos Gacha. A chance to explore the endless sea of reality and roll the Gacha for everything ranging from abilities, familiars, traits, items, et cetera."
Wow... that was... a lot.
Something about this whole situation made me definitely believe their words yet a question still hung off the tip of my tongue.
"But why me?"
Not to sound self-deprecating, but I wasn't the most interesting person out there.
"Why not you? Well, it was quite simple really, it was drawn by lots and across all viable candidates in reality, random luck chose you. Do you need any other explanation?"
That did little to clear up my confusion.
"But why would you offer something like this in the first place?"
The Dealer shook his head.
"Me? Oh no no no, I dare not claim anything. I am a simple servant, here to serve you and this place by the order of our patron. As for why they have decided on this, I don't dare try and understand their intentions. But does it really matter? I can tell you for certain, there isn't really anything you can do to upset our patrons other than simply wasting away your gift. And they are very patient. What do you think about this opportunity?"
It sounded incredibly tempting. I didn't know what the opportunity entailed exactly, but I couldn't find a reason to refuse.
Sure, I'd be accepting the gift of an unknown entity so beyond my comprehension, and maybe it would come with some strings. But would I really rather keep wasting away on earth rather than take this chance offered to me of all the people in reality?
I was Felix, someone who really did not have much going on in life. An unremarkable part of the crowd, one of the many faces in the background. I had nothing I was leaving behind, not even a proper diploma, other than an apartment I was behind the rent on and whose door was broken that my shitty landlord refused to fix.
Something inside me knew, that if my life kept going as is, I would keep being nothing, a face so unremarkable they wouldn't know what to put in my tombstone.
It really did not feel like a question that needed deliberation.
I stood up straight and looked the dealer in the eyes(?)
"I'll take it."
A/N: And so the journey begins, a trip through infinity and eternity aided by the Chaos Gacha provided by an enigmatic patron. I have wanted to try my hand at a multiverse fic for forever now. A nobody gains the chance to roll for everything in any world. It will be fun for sure. I'd love to hear what worlds you guys think would be fun to explore.
Also funnily enough, this fic is probably the closest you can get to """official""" Chaos Gacha lore. And probably the fic where I actually get into how the results of rolls actually work since the Exposition Machine- Ahem, I mean the Dealer can actually explain stuff to Felix.
A Chaotic Traveller's JourneyChapter 2: Pull the Lever!
"...Though I say that, what now? Do I sign anything?"
The Dealer shook their head.
"No need. Verbal confirmation was enough, any confirmation really. First of all, you are welcome to use any and all amenities in this space. It is technically your home now. Now then, we should probably move to what you are actually here for."
I squinted and tried to look at the dealer as they pulled out 3 blockbuster-like tickets out of their pocket, except instead they were made of some gold-like material, yet still moved like paper. It held out the papers for me to take.
"Here is your starting gift. I hope you didn't expect us to be so cruel as to send you on your way without at least a chance to defend yourself."
My gaze landed on the tickets. Were these really the things that would be giving me my powers via the "Chaos Gacha"? And for some reason, I felt really apprehensive about approaching the demon in front of me. Did that make me Demophobic?
So I deflected my discomfort with a question.
"So... what do they do?"
The Dealer adjusted their tie with a proud smirk.
"What do they not? Simply tear one of these tickets and you will receive a result from any of the Gachas, granting you items, abilities, traits, skills and even familiars across all of reality and beyond. Well, these are only Gold in rarity, so what they can grant is somewhat limited, but for someone like you, it is wondrous nonetheless, no? Simply tear the ticket to start. When you are done tearing all of them, we will move to the next stage."
They tilted their head at my hesitation. I knew the Dealer meant no harm, but the homosapien brain refused to get close to the amorphous shadow entity. Noticing my conflict, they spoke up.
"Ahhh... my apologies, I was not aware of how this form would affect your mind. It seems I have made a poor host of myself. Would you rather I change into a more palatable form?"
I slowly nodded my head, feeling quite ashamed that I needed them to change form to cater to me. But looking at them fucking hurts my head, like an incredibly bright strobe light.
"Please."
"It is of no issue. Let me just..."
Snap!
The dealer snapped their fingers with a crisp noise, and their form was overtaken by a black and red unnatural flame that morphed until it revealed a more humanoid form.
"Do you find this form more pleasing? Judging by your silence, I assume so."
Spoiler: The Dealer
Instead of the 2-meter-tall giant shadow demon creature, now in front of me was a somewhat differently dressed person. Or woman. She was definitely the prettiest woman I had ever seen, to the point where it almost felt wrong, like an unnatural appearance. She wore a burgundy blouse with the sleeves rolled up, a black vest and pants as well as red gloves and a tie. The perfect bartender look.
"Why do you look like that...?"
The woman wearing the clothes was still a solid few fingers taller than me, with obsidian black hair and piercing red eyes that seemed to see through my soul, and one thing that didn't change was that large, unnerving, toothy smirk she had. And her body was... certainly voluptuous. The only way you could tell she was not human was her sharp teeth, demon eyes and the big ass horns around her head.
She leaned on the counter and cradled her chin with her hand, making her breasts appear much more prominent, forcing me to avert my eyes. My experience with the female gender mostly consisted of being yelled at by middle-aged, overweight women at my job as a cashier. So this was a bit too stimulating.
"Why shouldn't I? Since I am going to be serving you for the foreseeable future, I thought I might as well find a form you would personally find very agreeable. My form hardly matters, gender is rather meaningless to me, and I am too old to really care. And before you ask how I knew you would like this form, I know a lot about you. Even your browsing history."
I froze in place, slowly lifting my head to look her in the eyes. That always unnerving smile seemed to pierce my soul.
"Are you really that shocked? I pulled you across realities, of course, something like that is trivial. Don't worry about me being disgusted or judging you harshly, as I said, I exist to serve you. No human in your history has committed any action bad enough for me to raise an eyebrow. Now then, why don't you use your first ticket? I understand my body may look enticing, but I'd say the premise of the tickets is much more so."
That snapped me out of my fugue as I averted my eyes from her perfect body. I was just getting mentally slapped left and right, wasn't I?
But she was right, she may be hotter than sin, but those tickets could give me actual superpowers. And I felt like stalling any longer was not a good idea.
"Yeah, let's do that."
She smirked, holding out the golden tickets towards me.
"Go ahead, I'm also interested in what you may get. Since you are here already, I may as well offer some advice on what you get."
I took the ticket from her hands, making a note not to stare at her bountiful assets before taking a deep breath and tearing the ticket. Despite feeling sturdy in my hands, when I moved with the intention of tearing them, they tore almost too easily. And a golden slot machine with a single slot spinning appeared in front of me, scrolling through dozens of things too fast for me to make them out until it slowed down enough to land on one result.
Rolling Gold Random Gacha...
A Rare Trait!
[Lese Majeste]
|Rare Trait|
Your chutzpah and boldness are perceived as more charming rather than irreverent or disrespectful by people in positions of power, in addition, people in power like nobles, bosses, royalty, etc. find themselves more attracted to you.
Without me even having noticed it, Dealer appeared behind me and peered over my shoulder and rubbed her chin.
"Lese Majeste, huh? Quite a good trait for most worlds, it's always good to have more favour with big-wigs since they are almost always a source of problems. You probably could have used some protection more, but getting what you want is rare. You have to turn what you get into what you can use."
I nodded. If this trait really did what it said it did, it would make my job easier in most places. Kind of hard to believe such a minor thing altered reality, but the proof was already in front of me in the form of the dealer, so I instead pulled out the second ticket and tore it.
Rolling Gold Random Gacha...
A Rare Ability!
[Dress Break]
|Rare Ability
DxD - By touching a target, you can destroy their clothing or armour, and you can also delay this effect for up to an hour.
I blinked, my gaze moving to the Dealer who seemed to be suppressing a laugh from bubbling over as she tapped my shoulder.
"Oh dear, what an auspicious starting roll. I wouldn't say it is useless, some stronger armours are annoying to deal with, and useful against less trained foes that find it hard to fight while exposed."
I looked at the notification in front of me like a deflated balloon. While she was right, I doubted I was going to get any use out of it without any combat abilities or enhancements.
There was a single ticket left while I held it in my hands, I felt the Dealer tap me on the shoulder.
"Chin up, lady luck may bless you on this one. Just show her your best face."
That I hope.
Rrrip.
Rolling Gold Random Gacha...
An Elite Ability!
[Precognition]
|Elite Ability|
Allows you to receive precognitive visions of impending danger, and by focusing you can also actively look a few moments into the future.
Oh damn. That's... actually pretty good.
"Pretty good, although you are still lacking in active combat, you can probably survive in a lower-rung world. That was all of your tickets. It's now time for you to transmigrate."
Before that I had to ask an important question first.
"Is that all? Can I get any more somehow? This seems a bit... lackluster."
"Of course, tickets are acquired by accomplishing feats. Notable actions, the more notable what you did is. The better a ticket you will get. You can start accomplishing feats in the world you go to. Until then, this is all."
Ok, so do cool stuff, get powers. I can get behind that.
Pulling me out of my musings, she clapped her hands in a rather excited manner. And in response to her clapping a wheel rose out of the ground, though rather than coming out of a trapdoor, it literally phased through as if someone used the drag tool on it. There were dozens of sections to the wheel, each reading as something indecipherable.
"Well then, let's get onto choosing what world you go to shall we? Behold, the Wheel of Worlds."
I let out a nervous laugh at the sight.
"Random chance eh? What are the chances I end up in a Hive City because of that?"
She shook her head.
"None, as you are now, the wheel is limited to worlds where you have a real chance of survival, it ranges from Boku no Pico to Berserk. Oh, and you do not have to worry about any sort of Divine Interference before you ask. Now then, would you like to spin the wheel or shall I have the honors?"
I bit my lip, the thought of potentially ending up in Berserk was not something I liked to think of. But I already accepted the deal, so I'll take whatever I get on the chin.
"Go ahead, seems like you want it anyway."
The Dealer smirked and gripped the wheel.
"I appreciate it. Now then, let's see what it nets you..."
She spun the wheel and spun, and kept spinning until it landed on a section. And the words on those section revealed themselves as yet another floating panel in front of my eyes.
[Cyberpunk - Night City]
A world ruined and squeezed dry of everything that makes a world by corporations, the ground is scorched dead and corporations rule whatever remains. And in Night City, that is the case even more so. In Night City, there are no good endings, only stories that end in tragedy. Wrong city, wrong people, they say. But such rules hold no bearing on an agent of chaos.
"Hmm, how about that?"
The Dealer spoke with an inscrutable tone as I read the prompt and closed my eyes.
"I can work with it."
Her eyes widened in a simulacrum of joy and intrigue.
"Oh? That certainly sounds confident. Where does that confidence come from, I wonder. You are not bulletproof, it is a world filled with constant strife and gunfights. It is not safe by any means."
I nodded.
"It really isn't, I would have much preferred a world like High School of the Dead but beggers are not choosers. And since you asked, my confidence, or rather my hope comes from a few reasons."
I held up one finger.
"Precognition is basically cheating in firefights. I can see when they peek out of cover and where they are going to dodge to, to nail them in the head with a bullet."
I held up a second finger.
"Lese Majeste is likely one of the best traits I could have gotten for this occasion. Corpos and Fixers rule Night City, and this trait gives me an inn with both parties. I'm not nearly moral enough to refuse help from such parties either."
Third finger.
"Night City has advanced guns and technology, powerful guns, powerful implants, cool cars, and a whole lot more. It is rich in loot. Even if the Gacha chooses to not favor me all too much, I can still get stronger as long as I have the money."
Fourth.
"Night City is the perfect breeding ground for strife and conflict as you said. An it is a world I know very well, I know I can get some good 'feats' there. Its difficulty comes with opportunities. And yeah, that's about it."
I didn't dare say I was good at reading her expression, but I'd say she looked suitably impressed with my reasoning.
"Well then, you certainly are no coward Mr. Gambler, that is good, fortune favors the bold after all. Speaking of fortune, our Patron has offered you a deal knowing the pains of a world like this one."
"I'm listening."
She pulled out yet another gold ticket from her pocket.
"For ending up in such a high risk world, you would normally get a free golden ticket upon transfer, but you have the choice to downgrade that down to a silver ticket to get a more welcoming start. A couple thousand Eurodollars, your own apartment, and a basic Agent. How about it? Or would you prefer ending up as a Vagrant?"
Yeah no, my ass was not surviving out in the Night City streets without anything. This was almost a necessity.
"I'll take the deal. I like gambling, but not with my own life."
She nodded with her everpresent grin before crumpling the golden ticket, then straightening it out to reveal a silver ticket.
"If you say so. A good gambler knows when to fold and all. Now then, I'm afraid our time is up for now. You will transfer to your new world in a few short moments. Before you go, would you humor my question?"
"What is it?"
"I'd like to hear your name, you never did introduce yourself after all."
I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"Don't you already know my name and everything about me? I got that impression at least."
"Indeed I do, but I feel that introductions are an important thing. There is a difference between what you know about someone and how they introduce themselves to you after all."
Her words made sense, and I was not about to argue logic with an eldrich demon. Instead, I stood tall and answered her.
"In that case, I am Felix Karl Grimm, the holder of the Chaos Gacha."
The Dealer clapped her hands in glee.
"In that case Felix, may fortune favor you."
And with that, my grip on reality faded.
A/N: Felix rolls... something allright. What a polarizing set of abilities, Dress Break especially doesn't really work on low tier worlds funnily enough, but Precognition and Lese Majeste are very fun traits for sure in just about any world. Especially in the world of Cyberpunk.
It will certainly a be rough start for poor Felix, Night City is a city where everyone carries some form of gun and those guns are made for killing people chromed to the gills. He will have to get creative and resourceful if he wants to survive, and even more so if he wants to thrive. What did you guys think about the first world chosen?
A Chaotic Traveller's JourneyChapter 3: Right City, Right Person
『Felix Karl Grimm』
"Urgh... my fucking head..."
I rose up and out of a rather stiff bed that was just a tad uncomfortable. I am... yep, I am still Felix, same body and all, not even the slightest dissonance. I looked around my room as I nursed my headache, my eyes widened to the size of saucers as I did so. A rather spacious, sleek, and rather empty room greeted me, neon lights on the walls, a hologram TV-like thing near some couches, a bunch of boxes piled up in the corner, and a cold metal floor covered in a hexagonal pattern. Where I lay was an indent on the wall where a two-person bed was situated.
There were... memories in my head. No, not memories, more like information downloaded straight into my head without me ever experiencing learning them. Was this how using Skill Shards felt like? The knowledge felt foreign almost.
I was Felix Karl Grimm, I had just moved into Night City from... somewhere? I couldn't recall that part, or it was not given to me because it was not relevant. Yesterday night I rented this apartment in Megabuilding H10 in Watson, Little China and finished moving in everything before going straight to sleep.
There was no second set of memories or anything, just knowledge. I got up from my bed and slipped on my slippers to look around the apartment. A part of me was geeking at how cool everything looked with the cyberpunk aesthetic, the holograms, the LEDs, the corporate intrusion of your homelife with the wall-integrated vending machine, the mirror that can turn on and off, the window that lets in air that smells like burning garbage.
The other part of me was rationally evaluating my options. I knew I had absolutely zero implants or "chrome" and instead had my "Agent" in my pocket, a more advanced smartphone that most people replace with their neuroports. And I was actually more than fine with it.
I wasn't in this world for implants; the certainty of metal can be good compared to the flesh if only the gacha couldn't promise you flesh stronger than any metal.
That did not mean I was completely against "chipping in" but I wanted to avoid it if I could. There were several reasons, first was the one I stated above, my physical stats could probably outscale any implants I could install. And there was the problem of maintaining the implants in where such technology was not commonplace, which was over 90% of worlds.
And there was the fact that it put a weakness in me where there should be none. I didn't want install some cyberware only for some techwizard(netrunners) to melt my skull inside out by hacking it. I did not want to my implants to get reduced to molten slag as I slept by some corporation netrunners infiltrating the cameras of my home.
So yeah, no implants unless I feel like I cannot compete without them. And if I do get implants, I'll get the top shelf ones that won't malfunction and burn my dick and balls off like that one guy.
Slumping on the couch and watching the scenery straight out of Sci-Fi out of my windows as a flying AV passed by, I took a moment to just marvel at the scenery. Towering building of glass and metal, advertisements floating on thin air through holograms. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to center myself I opened my Agent, basically the superphones of this world.
It only took me a few minutes to get the hang of operating this thing. Because apparently even the basic bitchest of Agents apparently have a Self-Adaptive Artificial Intelligence to help you use them, it can even reconfigure the locations of your apps and such, so that even the most mentally impaired of people can use it, which they need to due to how many chemicals Corpos dump into the water or hit people over the head weapons during their conflicts. Disability access was essential.
Checking the manufacturer of the Agent, just in case someone most likely would have been listening to me through it, yielded the result of...
CG Inc.
How cute.
C = Chaos, G = Gacha.
At least I didn't have to worry about getting eavesdropped on, at least on my own agent, which would be essential. Checking my accounts showed that I had exactly 5000 Eurodollars, not a cent more, not a cent less. The rent on my Megabuilding apartment was already paid for the month, so I could use the 5000 for whatever I pleased. Though I also had this lying on top of my desk.
A dark grey, simplistic, if not a tad bulky gun. Constitutional Arms Unity. The most basic common bitch of guns around, at least 30% of the city has one of these lying around, but for good reason. It is the Glock of this world; it's not great, or even good for that matter, but it will get the job done for the most effective price.
I grabbed the gun and held it in my hands, finger not on the trigger. It felt unusually heavy in my hands. This was a gun, loaded and ready to kill someone with the pull of a trigger.
Was I ready to kill someone for my own gain?
Probably.
Not bothering with the self-reflection, introspection or debates about the morality of what I was going to be doing, I instead focused on using that Silver Ticket I was given. I rifled through my pants before finding a red and black pamphlet in my back pocket. Opening it up, I was greeted by a lot of useful information that would come in useful later. Mostly about how the gacha worked.
What caught my eye was the silver ticket tucked between the pages that I took and read the top of, although the words themselves I couldn't read what was written, but I could understand what it tried to convey. A random gacha ticket. I promptly tore it, making the ticket vanish into notes of light.
Rolling Silver Random Gacha Ticket...
A Common Trait.
[Strong]
|Common Trait|
You were always pretty strong, granting you slightly increased strength, allowing you to exert more force with your body.
I marvelled at the strength that had just flooded my limbs, a noticeable increase in my strength, probably I wasn't very strong already, I could probably easily beat myself before I got this ability very easily. I was without a doubt above the common man in strength.
Which meant very little in a world with Uber Steroids and commercially available arms that can lift in measurements of tons. But it still had its definite use, especially for me.
The reason I found it so useful was because it would allow me to handle weapons that had a kick without having to chip in augments. Bite me, I, as a man, want to wield a motherfucking Overture.
And wear a cowboy hat and a trenchcoat.
I will not be denied this dream.
But first of all, I had to make some preparations before I even dared step out of this Megabuilding. I had to at least know how to shoot a gun properly. Thankfully, from what I looked up, this Megabuilding has a gun range I can use to practice, and I've got enough money not to worry about running out of bullets for the near future.
I'll also have to spend money on bulletproof clothing; thankfully, they have ballistic weave and stuff here. But before all of that, I need to learn how to aim.
Picking up Unity, I left my apartment with a pep in my step. Ready to greet the new world.
✧―✧―✧―✧「」✧―✧―✧―✧
That pep in my step vanished pretty damn quickly.
Let me tell you, the megabuilding FUCKING STINKS.
You'd think a city without many dogs wouldn't smell like burnt dog piss and you would be dead wrong. Breathing in through my mouth had a taste.
The smell was what took off the rose-tinted glasses I had for this world. And so were the bums. Megabuilding did not look... great. Well, it looked about as good as it could get for being a building made to fit as many people as possible. I was familiar with the sight, of course, but it looked way worse in person. Some of the people around definitely didn't live here; some guy was sitting on cardboard with some machine sex toy draining him, and no one even batted an eye.
...No wonder this place smelled like shit. I doubt the rest of the city would smell that much better.
I noted with some amusement that my apartment was the same one that the titular John Cyberpunk, otherwise known as V, would eventually move into. I already knew, of course, what with the year being 2076 and all. I was probably close to the start of Edgerunners because it would just make sense for me to get sent around that time, since that sounded more interesting for my patron to do.
I perused several floors until finding the 7th floor where the goods were and where I would spend most of my time here. I moved past the Gym and boxing ring where two chromed-up dudes were going at it to reach the gun store, named "2nd Amendment".
"Hey kid, welcome to the 2nd Amendment, looking for some iron, attachments or some magazines?"
The person who greeted me as I entered the room was an overweight balding man with a handlebar moustache and a low ponytail wearing military-esque equipment. I projected a sense of confidence as I approached the man.
"Yeah, I'm looking for 10 mags that fit a unity, wanna work on my aim."
The man nodded and bent under, taking a few moments to pick up 10 magazines for the Unity pistol and putting them on the counter. His eyes glowed for a brief moment before he looked at me.
"Alright, that's 240 for the mags, and 10 to use the shooting range for an hour since you bought something. Comes out to a neat 250 eddies."
I pulled out my agent and quickly initiated the payment. Thankfully, I already looked up how to do payments via agent before stepping out. The man's eyes glowed before he nodded.
"No neuralport? Must be a new face here. I'm Robert Wilson, if you need guns come here first. Shooting Range is half off for regulars."
I picked up the mags and stuffed them in my jacket pockets before giving a friendly nod and smile to the man.
"Good to hear, I'll be coming often to practice my aim."
He crossed his arms and nodded, seeming to find some respect for me.
"Nice to hear, you gotta respect a gun, if you don't know how to shoot it, don't shoot it. Plenty of gonks die that way. Gun range is that way, the controls for the targets are included. Knock yourself out."
I waved to the man as I moved to the shooting range behind him with Unity in hand.
Time to see if I can at least shoot a gun without killing myself.
A/N: Welcome to Night City, it sucks here! Seriously, the world of Cyberpunk, and especially Night City just sucks so badly. You are not going to be having fun living there. Especially if you are an unchromed gonk. But if you are a chromed gonk there is a chance you'll probably get Voodoo Boy'd.
What did you guys think about Felix's introduction to Night City and his current plans? What do you look forward to? I'd love to know.
A Chaotic Traveller's JourneyChapter 4: Like a Game
『Felix Karl Grimm』
Do you know the common saying?
'Aim where they are going to be, not where they are.'
Which is always solid advice. If you pull the trigger on where a moving target currently is, you are almost certainly going to miss. One of the most important things about shooting is prediction. A skilled sharpshooter is so skilled because they know where you are going to shoot and where you are going to dodge before you even do it.
But... what if you cheat that skill?
Feat Achieved! hit 25 targets in a row at the shooting range.
+1 Bronze Skill Gacha Ticket
"Damn kid, you are a natural at this. You don't even have optics."
Wilson commented on the side with a nod as he watched me nail target after target with my unity. I had largely stopped missing shots after the first 30 minutes.
As it turns out, Elite rarity abilities are good. With the moving targets in the range, I found out that I didn't need to predict where a target was going to be; I knew where it was going to be. Using precognition kinda looked like phantoms of the objects moving around, showing where they were going to go, and I just needed to shoot at the projection shown to me by the Precognition and bang!
If I were pointing at the Precognition spot, I didn't need to calculate anything; if I pulled the trigger while aiming the barrel there, it was a hit. It was playing marksmanship on easy mode. Even then I didn't think it would be so easy. Was Precognition calibrating itself to what I wanted to see? Other than though, the Strong trait made me able to handle the recoil of a handgun easily.
"I'd say you are a natural shooter, kid, most folk round here can't hit targets at 5 speed like you do."
I rubbed the back of my head as I took my finger off the trigger and laid the gun on the table.
"Heh, thanks, my dad taught me how to shoot." He didn't. "I may be good at a shooting range, but I'm trying to get a handle on protecting myself, y'know? Shooting a moving target isn't worth much when I panic and fumble in a real fight."
The large man nodded again.
"Yeah, most gonks see themselves going good on the range and start thinking they are hot shit, start picking fights and have to get mopped off the pavements by the meatwagons."
He looked around for anyone before speaking again in a quieter voice.
"Look, kid, I like the look on you. If you are looking for some real experience in protecting yourself or zeroing a gonk, what you need is a Militech Training Shard. Those may be a hard find, but I know a friend who knows where to get some. I can get you one for a decent fee. Let's say... a 1500 Eddies will do. I'm only taking a 200 cut here."
That made me pause. I remembered that thing from the game, that would be really useful for me; it would let me practice in a somewhat real environment and not waste bullets. But 1500 was a good chunk of my money. Would it be worth the price?
I turned to him with a blank stare.
"Do I really look like I can just throw around that much money?"
"Look, kid, I'm doing you a favour here. These things aren't easy or cheap to get, I can't just-"
"Because I can, get me that shard, please."
Wilson blinked as I folded from my poor attempt to haggle and played it off as a joke. I could make back the money anyway. Money was not that important, but time was.
"Well, uh, alright then. Come back here tomorrow, same time."
Before he could head back, I posed a question.
"Say, I don't have any chipsockets or a neuroport, you reckon I can still use that shard?"
"Yeah, most Braindance Clubs should help you with that for a fee. Not everyone has a Neuralport, but everyone needs to use shards and all."
I nodded to the man and walked out of the 2nd Amendment. This would make my life a lot more convenient. I'll probably start my mercenary career after I finish with that Militech Training Shard.
Once he was gone, I willed the Bronze Ticket I got for hitting the targets into my hands. Noticing that nobody else could actually see the ticket made me relieved. And this was a Skill Ticket, according to the pamphlet, the type of ticket I got was mostly related to what I did to achieve it. I quickly tore the ticket with some excitement, my first skill.
Rolling Bronze Skill Gacha...
An Uncommon Skill!
[Intermediate Interfacing]
|Uncommon Skill|
You are a tricky one, you know how to pick locks, pick pockets, figure out the kinks in mechanics and have a feeling for knowing your way around things. Your fingers may get a little restless.
I winced as I felt years of experience make their way into my head, how to pick pockets, lift phones off peoples pockets, and other such tricks that needed considerable finesse, I now had the muscle memory to do. I quickly made my way to my room before and opened the door before pulling out my gun and spinning it around my finger, throwing it into the air and catching it with another finger without the spin faltering for even a moment.
Pretty cool.
Now then, to pass the day while Wilson gets me my shard. I guess I could taste the delicacies of Night City, pretty accessible too, considering they showed a vending machine in every room.
✧―✧―✧―✧「」✧―✧―✧―✧
『Felix Karl Grimm』
Fuck this city.
And fuck me for forgetting about the food in this place.
It looks like meat, it feels like meat, but it does not taste like meat. It tastes like rat meat soaked in motor oil and left out for a day.
Why? I looked it up, and apparently, the burrito I ate was made of ground and processed insect meat.
Now, I was not a fine diner, 90% of my meals were instant ramen, bland chicken or rice. So I was not a picky eater. But this was fucking foul. And it gave me diarrhoea, thankfully there was a pharmacy here that sold very effective anti ass ripping medicine, but that did not stop my toilet taking a while spray of digested synth meat.
After that, I spent most of that day just researching the web and my possible avenues. There were 2 fixers I was going to try to contact. Regina Jones or Wakako Okada, one of the only moral people in the city, or someone swimming with a Tyger Claw leader.
Regina is actually reliable for moral gigs, while Wakako would be much more willing to see an 18-year-old throw themselves into the fire and flames for a few eddies.
Speaking of eddies.
I looked at the little chip, or, "Shard" in my hand before tucking it into my deepest, safest pocket.
"Thanks Wilson."
The overweight man nodded.
"And thank you for the eddies. Remember me when you need to use the guns you are training with. See you later kid."
I nodded to the man and quickly moved with haste towards the megabuilding elevator that I rode down to the ground floor before taking a step out.
"So conflicting..."
A large grandiose view, several stalls were set up in front of the megabuilding, under its protective shade. And beyond that view was the peak cyberpunk view. Dozens of towering buildings, billboards and ribbons of light carrying advertisements. People going about their business with chrome in their arms, hands, head, etc. The view was almost overwhelming before I snapped myself out of it, It looked so pretty from the outside, but so ominous knowing what built it.
I snapped myself out of it and slapped my thigh with Unity holstered. The weight of iron reassured me.
I wouldn't die to some thugs harassing me. I had Precognition slotted in 24/7; anything that would kill me instantly, I'd see coming.
The place I was going to was a quick walk that I had already memorised the route of after having asked Wilson of a safe joint I could go to. Back straight, facing forward, jaw squared, walking with a purpose. Not an easy target, I projected a sense of "Don't mess with me" that I noticed a lot of the citizens carried. The walk was not far, which was what I preferred the most.
I stuck to the sidewalks of the main road as closely as possible until I found what I was looking for. A rather unassuming building called 'Dance me Brain Baby, Oorah.'.
I don't judge.
I lied, I judged a lot. Who the hell names their business that?
Shaking my head, I went into the building and found multiple people with their pants pulled down, sitting on a sofa with headsets on their heads. Tt was a rather small place, thankfully there were booths. I went up to the person next to the door behind the counter whose eyes were glowing, probably watching something, trying to get his attention I tapped the counter, making his eyes stop glowing before he lifted his head and addressed me in a dry manner.
"Yeah?"
"Need to use a shard, but I don't have a neuroport. Just a heads up, I might take a while." I glanced at the guys jerking off publicly with a grimace. "And I'd like some privacy."
The man looked at me with such disinterest I'd be surprised if he could distinguish between me and the background.
"Uh huh, take booth 3, 8 eddies an hour. Cleaning fee if you make a mess is 10 eddies, so don't be an animal and use a fucking tissue. Or at least aim at the fucking trash bin to make my job easier."
My eyes went wide at the implication.
"Oh, I uh, I'm not-"
The man held up a hand.
"Look, Choom. I really, really do not give a fuck. Go crank it for 5 hours straight to XBD's or whatever. As long as you don't hose all over my walls and you give me my eddies, we are preem. Now fuck off."
I nodded and turned around to head into the pod, feeling too embarrassed to continue saying any more words, the man made his stance clear anyway. The inside of the pod was rather small, like a porta-potty with a headset wired into the wall. After making sure the door was locked, I took the headset and slotted in the shard before putting it on my head.
Suddenly, I was overtaken by a feeling of weightlessness as static filled my view, and then I was suddenly on another ground. A strange feeling of unreality and confusion made me blink as I looked at my surroundings. It looked like I was in a hyperrealistic simulation with even a sense of touch rendered even though I could differentiate between it and real touch.
Everything around was made of sleek black rectangles except for the white pathway that led up to a platform and the giant Militech logo.
"Let's begin with Basic Combat Training. This Session will be recorded for Subsequent evaluation."
All of a sudden, a training dummy wearing military equipment with a loud, distorted voice popped into existence in front of me, making me startle and go for a gun I did not have on me. The virtual Drill Sergeant did not respond and instead popped out of existence just to re-emerge on top of the platform, making me chase after him, and note that instead of my hoodie and pants, I was wearing a set of Militech Combat Fatigues.
"This course is designed to reinforce your fundamental combat abilities and hone your reflexes. The skills you gain here will help you survive, even excel, on the battlefield."
I felt a twinge of nervousness as I faced the holographic instructor; hopefully, this wouldn't be too bad.
A/N: Again, Night City is a horrible place to live, like, really bad. Even Fallout settlements might be better living than in there. The only source of protein the average choom can afford is Locust meat and bioengineered slop. That, of course, does not apply to mega light-bendingly rich zillionaires.
Militech Training Shard, baby! For all that Cyberpunk sucks ass, its tech, especially the mind stuff, is unbelievably good. You can get life and death training without the consequences of life and death encounters, which is great for a traveller on a mission. What did you guys think about this setup? I'd love to hear.
A Chaotic Traveller's JourneyChapter 5: Time to Start
『Felix Karl Grimm』
I took off the headset feeling like a new man.
It had been... 2 weeks since I came to this world, and I have been doing a lot, not in terms of getting feats but in terms of preparation.
First of all, the Militech Training shard, I have been using it every single day for the past 13 days for 3 hours at a time, costing a decent chunk of money, but it was worth it. The shard was challenging, at least for a civilian like me. And having the headset on for too long hurt my head, but the experience of fighting in actual simulations was worth it.
Would I say I match the average gangoon in raw skill? Debatable. Would I easily dispatch one with Precognition? Certainly.
Other than that Militech Training Shard, I have also been working out in the Megabuilding Gym, trying my best to pick times when Animals weren't taking up the gym and smelling like chemicals. It has yielded decent results. Strong seemed to increase the rate at which I got stronger alongside its basic boost but as expected of a Common Trait, it was not by a large margin.
Then, after completing my training, I spent the last of all of my money to buy a full set of bulletproof armour and a silencer for my Unity pistol. It was auspiciously easy to order a full set, a bulletproof trench coat to carry things with, a vest, a helmet and a gas mask combo because I'll be dammed if people expect me to both go inside a gang hideout AND smell whatever the fuck is rotting inside mixed with whatever drugs they are cooking and shooting up.
Yes, it was stuffy, yes, it was rather heavy, but it's better to be that than dead from a stray shot. It was not to the point where it hindered my mobility greatly either, so I was fine with it.
And it also had the benefit of making me look kinda like a modern NCR Ranger. I may care about Substance more, but Style was very important.
People gave me strange looks here but even being dressed like this wasn't too ordinary in this hellhole. I sat on a secluded bench before calling Regina's number, which was actually publicly available. The call rang for a few seconds.
"Regina Jones here, what do you need?"
The view that appeared on my agent was that of a stern older woman with an eyepatch and long black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a bulletproof vest over a white shirt with a cross necklace peeking out. Her arms were crossed, giving off a no-nonsense attitude.
"Hello, I was looking for some work and I heard you usually offer some? To be clear, I'd prefer some work that requires a gun."
Her appraising scan over my form clad from head to toe in armour, seemingly satisfied with what she saw, she raised an eyebrow.
"A merc? Considering I've never heard of you, you must be new."
I kept my voice even.
"New? New to the city, not new to the business. Need some eddies and some action. If you don't trust my capabilities all that much, that's fine, I'm fine with a low-risk mission if you want to see my work first."
Regina nodded.
"I'll choose to take words as is. I've got a job, client has a squatter problem in her restaurant. 'Cept these squatters are shaped like Tyger Claws. She needs someone to get rid of them asap. Doesn't matter how you do it."
I nodded back, stoically.
"I'll take it. I'll be done with it before evening."
She nodded back, even more stoically.
"Right, sending you the deets. I expect the good news soon."
We both nodded, very stoically, and the call closed. I checked the message Regina sent immediately. It had a location with a picture attached showing a vandalised restaurant; the location was barely a kilometre away, thankfully, within walking distance. I didn't have a car or a license, both of which I should look into getting when I get some money.
I started making my way there. I felt oddly calm; the feeling of my gun tucked into my coat pocket reassured me. I was at the peak of my energy, so I could use Precog for minutes on end. Although I was a bit apprehensive about messing with the Tyger Claws, they won't mess with Mercs unless they get a big reason to. Some gangoons getting clapped is not a good enough reason. Tygers are not known for honour and loyalty.
Without even 20 minutes passing, I saw the place in my sights, the restaurant in the attached image, there was a guard, wearing bright colours with an oni mask around his neck, smoking a cigarette with his arms crossed, a DRS Nova on his hip. Easy picking, hopefully, if I take him down smoothly enough, his friends inside won't notice me. If I do get injured, I have 3 MaxDox inhalers on me that I bought with the last of my money; they cost me A LOT.
I hid behind a wall nearby and steadied my breathing.
Calm down.
Even breaths.
I was going to be taking lives, but it did not matter; there was no judgment, nothing would be lost by these gangoons dying. No justification is needed for me to take their lives.
Remember the simulations.
Huff...
I stepped out from behind the cover, my gun raised, the sights aimed dead on to the Tyger Claws's forehead. Not even bothering to activate Precog for a stationary target.
Bang.
Slump.
There was no fanfare, no drama, I pulled the trigger, and not even a moment later, the gang member's head jerked back accompanied by a muted tap from my gun. His body slumped down with wide eyes like a puppet with their strings cut. Not even waiting for the dead body to hit the floor, I took off into a sprint towards the front door before the people inside noticed their friend was not guarding the entrance for them anymore.
Creak...
"Oi, Crai-"
Bang.
"-Huh?"
"Fuck an intruder-!"
"C-cough!"
Bang.
"You picked the wrong place-!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang. Bang.
"Sh-shit! You ba-"
Bang. Bang.
"Cough! Graah!"
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
I let out a sigh as I unloaded a few more bullets into the chest of the man who charged at me with a Katana. His body hit the ground before he reached me; everyone else was dead. One of them was bleeding out with a bullet lodged in their throat.
Bang.
He wasn't anymore.
The moment I entered, I saw three people playing cards around a table and did not hesitate, shooting to kill the one nearest towards me with a bullet to the back of the head. Then they were alerted, I activated foresight and nailed a guy that was getting up right in the chin, messing up with my aim slightly since I was aiming for the neck. After that, one of the guys picked up a nearby submachine gun and let out a hail of bullets towards me, probably the best fighter of the group, considering how fast he responded.
Unfortunately for him, I already saw him grabbing the SMG beforehand, so I moved out of the way and let out two shots, hitting his ear and eye. Another guy grabbed his pistol, but I shot him in the chest twice, both shots hitting either his heart or lungs, both lethal shots. The last guy charged at me with a sword, which I dispatched by riddling his chest with holes.
After they were all down on the floor, I sat down and took a deep breath. Real gunfire felt different from simulations. Way more intense when you know you can actually die and are killing people.
Feat Achieved! Take your first life while fighting against several gangsters
+1x Silver Ability Gacha Ticket
Feat Achieved! Complete your first Gig Flawlessly
+1x Silver Trait Gacha Ticket
I took out the tickets in a hurry and ripped them both.
Rolling Silver Ability Gacha...
An Uncommon Ability!
[Low Gravity]
|Rarity: Rare| |Class: Alter|
Allows you to create zones of low gravity in your line of sight, reducing the weight and falling speed of the objects in the area.
Alright, that's good, very good. If I ever do decide to reveal my abilities, this fucks over any vehicle chase I engage in. And if I can manoeuvre correctly, I can grab people and chuck them up before disabling the zones.
Overall, very useful, but I don't see myself using it over Precognition.
Rolling Silver Trait Gacha...
An Uncommon Trait!
[Loveable Pervert]
|Rarity: Uncommon|
When others are perverts they get beat up and/or charged. When you are a pervert it's charming or at most exasperating. As long as you don't cross the line people don't mind you being a perv as much.
Useless.
My goal here was to stack paper and kills, getting laid, while eventually a goal was not in the cards. I want to be able to take bullets; peeking at girls was not a priority.
I shrugged; it could come in useful as a niche later on.
For now, I spent a few minutes grabbing all of the Tiger Claws together before looking through their belongings. 2 Revolvers, 1 submachine gun, 1 smart submachine gun, which was trash in my hands, and 3 Katanas. The only things that caught my eye personally was the submachine gun and the most well-maintained katana of the bunch.
Using my Agent, I learned the SMG was an Arasaka brand Shigure, a good gun that I'd keep and a regular Katana if I ran out of ammo. The rest I bundled up to sell for some extra eddies.
Tucking everything into my spacious Trench Coat, I turned to the corpses. I should probably report the job well done.
I put the corpses all next to each other on their backs, being careful not to get too much blood on me and put their hands on their chests like corpses in a casket. I wanted to fit everything in one photo and not spam Regina with pics of my first mission.
Strangely, I felt less than I thought I would as I looked at and moved the corpses. Pushing that aside, I took out my agent and snapped a pic of them all next to each other, bullet holes visible and all limp. And then I sent the pic with a message to Regina.
'Done, all dead, no damage done to the shot beyond a few missed shots. Picture attached.'
A few moments later, a call started ringing on my agent. I went to answer and was greeted with a hologram of Regina. Looking ever so slightly happier.
"Preem job, and plenty fast too. I threw in a little extra for the neat work. Say, I didn't catch your name earlier. What should I call you?"
A smile tugged on my lips as I watched my wallet tick up by 700 Eurodollars.
"You can call me Grimm, if you need any jobs that need a gun to put to work, I'm here anytime. In fact, if you can, I'd like to get some more work done when my muscles are already warm."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Grimm? As in the reaper? Grandoise name, hope you can live up to it, else nobody gonna remember you by it."
I narrowed my lips. I hadn't thought about that. Felix was too personal, Karl sounded too lame, while Grimm was what I preferred people call me by.
She shook her head.
"None of my business. But I do know what can be your business. Some Claws again, my client's daughter was attacked, and he wants the debt paid back in pounds fo flesh. Sending you the deets."
"Alright, I'll get on it. Thanks for the job."
The call closed, and I hummed a tune as I opened my next assignment.
Papa needs some more ammo and tickets.
A/N: First job and Felix is a smooth criminal, Militech Training shards are good, Interfacing gives him good dexterity, and when you add cheating with Precognition on top of all of that, it makes for a special kind of murder machine hitting the streets. Helps that Lese Majeste is making Fixers favor him more.
The way Felix, or "Grimm" fights is actually pretty creepy. I decided to make the fight scene a little different to show it. He completes it with cold efficiency and no need for flair or flourish. Which is weird compared to his usual attitude. What did you guys think about the first gig? I'd love to know.
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