Chapter 86: Weapon Enchantment
Deep in the northern edge of Japantown, near the industrial border of Watson, Rhys stood with his hand on Lucy's shoulder.
She was cool to the touch, a pleasant contrast to the sweltering heat of the explosions. Her body trembled slightly under his hand, unused to such casual contact, but she didn't say anything. She just wrapped her arms tightly around Kiwi's waist in front of her.
"If Lucy and I weren't so skinny, you'd be jogging alongside us right now, you know that?!" Kiwi yelled back at him over the roar of the motorcycle engine.
The day's events had completely scrambled Kiwi's worldview. She didn't even know why she'd agreed to this insanity. Attacking the Tyger Claws was one thing—mercs versus gang, standard business.
But Rhys killing a corpo on live TV? That was a different level of crazy. Why hadn't she just sold him out? Two months ago, she would have already been on the phone with Arasaka, negotiating a payout for Maine's crew.
But now... her first thought wasn't betrayal. It was regret that she might not be able to find the same tech supplies if they had to leave the city. She was already planning their new life somewhere else.
Fuck... is this still me?
"Over there!" Rhys pointed.
Kiwi leaned into the turn, handling the bike like a pro even in the narrow alley. They pulled up to an industrial building. Two heads popped out from the roof.
Maine, half his hair burned off and one eye missing, grinned down at them. "Took you long enough!"
Beside him was Dorio, looking relatively unscathed. Maine had clearly taken the brunt of the fighting, charging in like a berserker. His injuries looked horrific—half his face a bloody mess—but with suppressants and combat stims, he was stable. He'd just need some new chrome and synth-skin later.
"Where's Rebecca?"
"Right here!" A cheerful voice chirped. Rhys got off the bike and saw Rebecca perched on Pilar's back. She waved at him with one arm. Her signature green pigtails were singed, and the right side of her body was missing a chunk, exposing gleaming mechanical organs underneath.
But she was smiling. The damage was mostly to her armor plating; her vitals were untouched. Like Maine, she just needed a ripperdoc with a power drill and some spare parts.
"What's the play?" Maine asked as he jumped down.
"North leads out of the city. But we have a problem: Jackie and Gloria," Dorio said, her voice laced with worry. "Sasha's fine; she's in Dogtown and says she can slip out later. But Jackie and Gloria... if Arasaka digs, they'll find the connection. And Jackie said he's staying."
"Jackie didn't make it here?" Rhys asked.
"He fought with the Mox in Kabuki, then said he rammed a cop car. Last check-in, he was in Heywood."
Rhys fell silent.
Maine clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't get like that. We knew the risks. Jackie staying is his choice. Gloria's involvement is still a secret, and she's smart. She might stay too."
"Don't put this on yourself, Rhys. We made our own choices."
"I know. I just... feel like I let you down," Rhys admitted. It reminded him of V's "The Tower" ending. Waking up to find everything changed, everyone gone or moved on.
He'd killed Tanaka, made a huge statement... and for what? To run away like a coward?
"Let us down? We can go anywhere. Chicago, here, doesn't matter as long as we eat. Jackie wants to be a legend. This might not make him one, but it'll get his name out there. And Gloria? We saved her life."
"Actually... I think we owe Lucy the biggest apology," Maine said, looking at the white-haired netrunner.
Lucy stood quietly next to Kiwi, smoking. She raised an eyebrow as everyone looked at her, then flicked her cigarette away.
"Yeah. She's only been here three months," Dorio noted.
Rhys looked at her apologetically. He knew Lucy craved security, and he'd dragged her into the exact opposite.
But Lucy met his gaze and said simply, "It doesn't matter. I'm going wherever you're going. I joined the crew, didn't I?"
"Shit, that's right! I almost forgot!" Maine boomed, laughing.
Lucy wasn't an outsider. Rhys had proposed bringing her in days ago, and Maine had agreed instantly. They just hadn't had time for the initiation.
"Alright, no more sappy shit. Let's go. Heading North," Maine ordered.
He got into his battered car. Pilar put Rebecca in his. Kiwi abandoned her bike. In a chase, a bike was a liability.
They sped towards the Northern Industrial District.
The crew chatted over the comms, surprisingly lighthearted despite fleeing for their lives.
Kiwi wanted to ask Lucy why she was really here. Maine wanted to ask Rhys what he was thinking killing the suit. Rhys wanted to ask Rebecca if she was in pain. Pilar just wanted to scream.
But now wasn't the time. Priority one: escape.
Rhys sat in the back with Lucy and Kiwi. He finally had a moment to check his system notifications. He hadn't had time when he killed Tanaka.
[Mission Complete: My Heart is Fire]
[Rewards Distributed]
[Random Attribute Point +1, Weapon Enchantment x1]
He put the point into Body.
[Name: Rhys]
Body: 10.85
Reflexes: 8.66
Technical Ability: 9.52
Intelligence: 4.55
Cool: 8.7
Charisma: 6 (4+2)
Skills: Potential Overdrive, Rapid Healing
Achievements: Rising Star, Legend in the Making
"?"
Wait. Shouldn't there only be 'Rising Star'?
Rhys clicked on the new achievement.
[Legend in the Making]
Effect: When equipped, grants special skill [Presence]. Grants Special Attribute: Charisma +1 (Passive).
Unlike Rising Star's +0.5 to all stats, this one gave a skill.
Rhys swapped the badges. His stats dropped slightly, but his Body remained over 10.
[Presence]
Active Skill: Can increase or decrease the user's presence.
Effect 1 (High Presence): You become the focal point. Your words carry immense weight and are more likely to be believed/obeyed.
Effect 2 (Low Presence): You become invisible to attention. Unless you speak or act aggressively, you are ignored.
Seems... kinda useless?
At first glance, the raw stats from Rising Star seemed better. But then he thought about it. Swapping badges had no cooldown. And Presence...
Think about Johnny Silverhand. Was he the best fighter? No. Rogue was better. But Johnny could incite a riot with a few words. That was Presence.
High Presence meant Rhys could be a leader, a demagogue. Low Presence was perfect for stealth.
It wasn't useless at all.
But right now, he was focused on the Weapon Enchantment.
He looked at the gunblade in his hands and selected the option.
[Enchant Weapon 'Unnamed'?]
[YES]
[Please name the weapon.]
Rhys wasn't creative. "Gunblade."
[Enchanting Gunblade...]
[Success. Select Ability.]
Four options appeared.
[Star]
Enhances all ranged attacks. Unlocks Special Skill: Star.
Star: Once per day, fire a guaranteed-hit shot with 200% power based on Tech attribute. Max range: 3km.
[Glow]
Greatly increases durability. Unlocks Special Skill: Glow.
Glow: Once per day, rapidly heal the user. Healing effect based on 200% of Body attribute.
[Edge]
Greatly increases melee damage. Unlocks Special Skill: Edge.
Edge: Once per day, execute a melee attack with 120% power based on (Body + Tech) attributes.
[Shadow]
Alters weapon appearance. No special active skill.
Shadow: Copy ranged mode (appearance/power varies based on user stats). Copy melee mode (appearance/power varies...).
"?"
Rhys stared at the screen, stunned.
I want all of them.
Star: A guaranteed hit at 3km with double damage? If he'd had this, he could have sniped Tanaka from a rooftop without all the drama. With his stats boosted by Potential Overdrive, that shot would hit like a tactical nuke.
Glow and Edge were incredible too. Survival and raw killing power. It felt like choosing a build in the game, but for his weapon.
Which one to choose?
Damn, I wish real life had a 'select all' button.