Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG
Chapter 257

Shinobu raised a toast to me. “To our Shiro! Congrats on your promotion!” 

“Thanks.” I rubbed my arm as I looked around. The other two Jade Fang Elders left at some point, leaving just Shinobu, Ishimaru, and I sitting in a private booth. And, of course, the enforcers guarding the area.

”Not how I saw this going when I asked you for that favor back then.” Shinobu sighed and downed the cup. “Still, anytime you want out, we can fake ‘Zuku’s’ death. Least we could do after your warnings this last time.”

”Oh?” I just said something in passing. Faking my death though… I don’t know. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the Crusade. It used to be bitter hatred, but now it was closer to a love hate relationship.

”You saved many assets.” Shinobu- wait, no… that was Ishimaru? When did his voice become so refined? What the hell?

I stared at him for several moments, picking up on his subtle Cues. He wasn’t drunk. Like, at all. His face looked quite a bit more subdued than it usually did, and he had a cool elder vibe that completely contrasted with how I’d seen him in the past. It was like looking at a sword saint  who found total peace or something. “You, uh, you feeling okay?”

“Indeed.” Ishimaru took a deep drink from his bottle- water. It was actually water. Was the world ending?

Shinobu shook his head as he poured himself another glass. “She’s talking about you being sober.”

”Chek.”

”Oh…” Ishimaru scratched the back of his head. “It’s been almost a month now.”

“That's… good.” I never thought I’d see the day. He’d been an old drunk since even before my parents died.

Ishimaru nodded. ”Yosh.”

”So- why’d you call me out here?” I waved my hand. “And show up at the ceremony?” 

“To congratulate you on your promotion, of course!” Shinobu raised another cup in cheers. 

Ishimaru, noticing my pointed stare, coughed lightly. “And a couple of the other Elders took an interest in our newest ‘asset’.”

”I’m not-“

”Yeah, yeah, we know, mikata.” Shinobu shrugged, his massive arms shifting as he leaned forward. “Still, you did help us dodge a bullet- no, a missile." 

“With patience comes opportunity. Most of our competitors were hit hard. Lots of gaps across the city now, especially with a bunch of the smaller gangs wiped out.” Ishimaru rubbed his beard. “The days ahead will be rife with chaos.”

Who knew the guy could be so eloquent? My image of the old drunk was rapidly shattering. “All the more reason to stay in for a while.”

“If only it were that easy…” Shinobu sighed, laying his head on the table. “The Matriarch gave me a chance for promotion soon. I’ll be busy coming up. Poor Valerina.” 

“Your gal?” I thought it was Valentina. So much for my memory.

”The clinic’s been overwhelmed recently. Nonstop traffic.” He raised a hand before flopping back to the table. “I’m happy for her, really. She’s doing what she loves. Just, between the clinic and the Jade Fangs, we haven’t seen each other much. Worried about her, you know?”

“I could go by sometime.” I’d been meaning to go by the clinic at some point. Maybe even volunteer to level First Aid?

He smiled slightly. ”I’d appreciate it. I have some guys watching the place, but…” 

“Chek.” They were probably gonks if he was still worried.

We talked a bit more, mostly about going ons around the city. Ishimaru was far quieter than he used to be, sticking to his new look as a wise old sword saint. After a while, I made an excuse of being tired and got up to leave.

I called a cab, dropped off all my formal Crusade gear and armor at the BC Gym, swapped to casual street clothes, and then headed near my old apartment building. I paid a street rat to go fetch my bike, flashing my badge and Fear the Reaper to keep him honest. He came back with it right away, and I once more had transportation of my own.

I mounted the bike, feeling the familiar chugging of its engine. It was really about time I upgraded. I had the Rayn now. I was just being stubborn with my dedications to saving.

Hmm… maybe I wouldn’t even have to buy a new one? I could just upgrade the bike at some point. Hell, I had plenty of vehicle knowledge. Granted, most of it was regulated to tanks and the heavier side of things, but still. I could just make a new one. A tank-bike hybrid sounded kinda nova.

I drove through the city, stopping somewhere to buy some stuff. Then, I glided along battle torn sections still under repair and headed for Grayhill Depository. My parent’s resting place. It was fuller than usual, with many new mourners. Even though most of the major chaos was restrained to the AEZ, the rest of the city wasn’t spared. The heavy place felt weighed down even heavier than it usually did.

I moved toward my parent’’s alcove, kneeling in front of it. “Mom. Dad.” 

I could conjure her face much clearer now thanks to Mother’s manipulations. For better or worse. I stared at the photos of the two, imprinting them into my mind. Why couldn’t I memorize them with, and yet had full eidetic knowledge on how vending machines worked? I’m such a terrible daughter.

I rubbed a hand along the framed picture of my mom. She looked much better in photo than she had in Mother’s illusion. I lit some freshly bought incense. I wanted to get flowers… but plants still felt wrong to me. Maybe in the future I could bring them some.

A long time passed. Eventually, I left as more and more funeral processions filled the space. I wasn’t the only one in mourning. Their grief though? Much more recent. I nodded my head one last time to them and headed back out to my bike. 

My next destination lay in the Outskirts. My bike tore across the sand, sending it flying. The desert- no, it wasn’t just a dessert anymore. All sorts of grass and plants were starting to grow in the vacuum of life, creating splotches of green everywhere. Disgusting.

I rode up to the overlook, feeling the familiar stifling heat of the Outlands swelter at my back. The air quality was somehow much worse out here. Although I hated to admit it, the World Tree was doing wonders for cleaning the air.

I took several minutes, just taking it all in. Crazy how all the chaos of the city just- just stops out here every time. Like it was so far away, unable to reach me with its strangling gri.

I put in some earbuds, listening to chill music. I located the box and dug it up. It looked exactly like last time, completely untouched. The Sentinel blueprints were also up here, though I left them where they lay. Still had Bo idea when they would be helpful.

My bike made the perfect backrest as I sat down with the box. I tilted it in my hand, observing it. What was even in here anyway? No way the Revenant was small enough to fit inside of it, right? Hmm… maybe one peak wouldn’t hurt? Just a quick glance before I handed it over to the eidolons?

I mean, surely whatever was in here was extremely valuable for the revenant to defend it so much, right? I might never have to work again. I fingered the lock lightly. Just one-

I shook my head sharply, flushing my system with Cold-Blooded as the box continued to whisper sweet seductions into my ear. They felt much weaker than the last time… had my mental resistance grown?

How did I do this anyway?

As if answering my call, an ethereal box popped up in front of me. After a moment of hesitation, I slapped the malicious Revenant in. I already knew who was getting it: Fox. There really wasn’t much of a choice in the first place.

[Request - Fuck ‘em - Failed]

[Request - Owl’s Inquiry - Failed]

[Request - Gimme - Complete

• Fox wants the box

• Reward - 50 EF]

Woah, what’s EF? Hmm… Eidolonic Favor? What was the point of that if I wasn’t a Magi? Well, whatever. With the interface finally churning back to life like an abandoned dog who finally found its master, more and more information was poured into my head.

「Shiro Tsukuyomi

Traits: Fox’s Grace, Quick Healing, Insight, Floras Daughter, Spectral Flock, 

Free Perk Points: 1

Trait Point: 1

Knowledge Token: 1

EF: 100

• Skills (NEW)

• Bounty Board (NEW)

• EF Shop (NEW)」

First and foremost, two new Traits. Spectral Flock was from Corvin, and Floras Daughter was from… maybe from Mother pouring her corruption into me? Did the eidolons turn it into a Trait? Interesting… was it easier to just transform the corruption rather than get rid of it?

The interface also had a new look. It looked alright, I guess. Less cluttered. 

[Spectral Flock (E) - Summon a flock of crows. 

• Switch Teleport

  • Change locations with a spectral crow within range]

That seemed… not bad? Teleportation- it was practically a get out of jail free card if used right. And the E was probably for experimental. Did that mean Crow could change its effects? Hmm… but Traits were fully mine, chek? I’d have to ask about all of that if I got the chance.

[Floras Daughter

• Quick Growth

  • Plants grow substantially quicker around you

• Plant Awakening

• Overgrown Mental Defense]

Ugh- disgusting. Could I rip it out and send it back? I’d rather not have anything related to plants ever again. It was bad enough I had to see that fucking tree every time I looked into the sky. Hell, I could see it even from here. A Trait was a Trait, I guess… but I could still feel her vines writhing under my skin. Seeing it in the interface and knowing it came from her made me feel sick...

I shook my head, looking on through the interface. Nothing would change the past. Just needed to keep on moving. Bunch of points. The Free Perk Point would finally get some use. Now that I hit level twelve with Stealth and Tech, I might invest it into one of those.

The Trait Point was insane. I’d have to take a long look through the catalog of Traits again, though I kinda already knew what I wanted; something that’d help me if my tech ever failed like it did this last time. Awakening as a Kinetic was the first thing in mind, though that had its own problems. I’d basically be rolling a roulette to see if I got something good.

Magi and Adept were… not really options. I saw firsthand how easily those powers could be stripped away by circumstances. Granted, I doubt I’d ever run into another Fallen after Mother, but it still made me uncomfortable. They were too reliant on the Aether.

The Knowledge Token was to buy knowledge from Owl. No idea what I’d- no, actually, I could use it to buy more knowledge about Aether Jumping. Might be smart to consult an eidolon further. Most of the documents from Echidna were about the human discovery of Aether Jumping and human understanding.

And finally the EF. Definitely for use in the EF Shop, whatever that was. It was definitely new. Hopefully it had some good stuff in there?

For now though, Skills. I still hadn’t seen my gains yet, so I mentally flicked to the Skills tab.

「Tracking - 8>9」

「Tech - 11>12」

「Stealth - 12>13」

「Sleight of Hand - 9>10」

「Perception - 10>11」

「Net - 3>4」

「Melee Weapons - 6>9」

「Intimidation - 5>7」

「Firearms - 9>10」

「First Aid - 5>7」

「Explosives - 3>6」

「Evasion - 7>9」

「Driving - 7>8」

「Deception - 8>9」

「Criminology - 7>8」

「Concealment - 8>9」

「Brawling - 5>6」

Wow, that was a lot. If I counted right, seven new Perk Points as well? Net and Tech were of particular interest to me. Finally getting a Net Perk was something I thought would never happen. Was it thanks to all my interfacing with various groups while setting up for the attack on Corvin?

I closed the Skills tab, the (NEW) banner fading away. I clicked on the next option: the Bounty Board. Looked like it completely replaced the Request Board. I glanced through it for a minute, eyeing the various sections.

Instead of the Request Board, which directly required an eidolon to request me to do something, the Bounty Board was a collection of things the eidolons wanted done. Everything from killing specific people to creating a new kind of virus. There were even bounties to just go do stuff. 

Bear, for example, had several dozen requests to bring various kinds of alcohol to his home Shrine in Oraoyt. There were even some that were simply requesting that I, personally, got raging drunk. 

The bounties were from all over the place. Some were even out on the moon and a few other planets of the solar system. Not something I could dream of completing at the moment.

Most of them paid out in EF, though there were a few specific rewards depending on which eidolon put up the bounty. Bear awarded high class alcohol for several of his, which was… interesting.

I looked through the bounties for a few moments before moving on to the EF Shop. There were a ton of options. I eventually sorted it by a ‘For You’ feature.

「EF Shop

EF: 100

• Trait: 5,000

• Free Perk Point: 1,000

• Skill Point: 500

• Echidna’s Modification Service: 50

• Owl’s Repository of Knowledge: 50

• Crow’s Wheel of Wares: 100

• Fox’s Hollow Access: 25

• Wolf’s Smite: 100

• Bear’s All You Can Eat Bar & Grill: 25 

• Shark’s Protection: 50

• Echidna’s Ammo Armory: 1

• Viper’s Scheme: 75

• Rabbits Warren: 25」

In particular, Echidna’s Modification Service caught my eye. According to the description, she would modify any enchanted item, Remnant, or Revenant for just fifty EF. I had quite a few things that’d benefit from an upgrade.

Really, most of the services the eidolons offered were interesting. Some were super niche, like Bear’s All You Can Eat Bar & Grill, while others seemed super useful, like all of Echidna's.

And it wasn’t just limited to the eidolons I’d interacted with. Granted, most of the unknown eidolons weren’t on the For You page, though I found them by sorting through the variety of filters. Most of the stuff was various services, though there were a few items here and there for sale. 

Kinda cool? Lots of stuff to look through when I had the time. It was expensive though. I saw from the Bounty Board most of the bounties only had payouts of around three to five EF. I'd have to do around five or six bounties to afford even the cheaper things.

I looked through a few other new features of the interface that weren’t as noticeable, though nothing really caught my eye. At least, not at the moment. Eventually, I closed the it and looked back over Aythryn City.

I relaxed for several hours out on the overlook, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Exhaustion finally caught up with me, hitting like a sledgehammer. I mounted my bike and headed back to the BC Gym. I’d have to find someplace else soon, but for now? The Gym was as good of a place as any to lay down. And it was safe, which was a big bonus.

As soon as my head hit my pillow, I pulled open the Trait list.