[Cyberdemon POV]
Dusting off the top of a bookshelf in Ms. Meyer's office, I sense the original body return to this universe.
Why was I dusting?
Apparently, Megan was a bit weirded out that everything was able to stay so clean thanks to my nanomachines.
So occasional physical interaction was required on my part.
Personally, I thought the butler's uniform was unnecessary, but she claimed it was essential for my work.
Given how much her eyes kept drifting, I was probably serving as more of a distraction than anything else as she worked from her computer.
The experience as her personal bodyguard was interesting to say the least.
It was unique as she was meeting many of the movers and shakers of Night City, and I for once, was relegated to sitting on the sidelines.
I could interfere if I chose, but it would definitely be overstepping from what I was hired to do.
Which left me to be content with the various assassins out for her head.
This gave me the opportunity to try out many of the powers and abilities that I left to the side lines.
Psionics for instance.
The ability itself wasn't that powerful; it unlocked the ability to develop all the various branches of the skill.
Particle manipulation for example.
The various particles that make up the fundamental building blocks of the world around us could be manipulated if utilized in the correct manner.
Like if I decided to split atoms.
Assassinations reduced drastically after the first one went up in a mushroom cloud.
However, I will concede that it weas probably because the NCPD was on high alert in their search for a potential terrorist.
But still, all it took was a thought.
The most difficult part was containing the actual explosion and fallout.
All I had to do after that was have an alibi and look innocent.
Not that it was particularly hard since I was a few buildings away from the epicenter.
Jokes aside, Megan's business acumen was certainly something to take note of despite the constant assassination attempts.
The sheer number of deals she closed during my time watching over her were staggering in their own right.
Studying her business dealings gave me much insight on how to better handle the corporate side of this world.
It was good data to keep in mind, but the corporate life wasn't really for me.
I much preferred to run a bar or explore the gourmet world. Even serving as a teacher, or a doctor.
Maybe in my next world, I could be a patron of some sort. Forge a pact and create a warlock. I am probably powerful enough to facilitate such a deal.
Hopping off my ladder I head to the kitchen to start making diner.
It wasn't until I started cooking for other people, did I realize how rare of a skill it was in the Cyberpunk worlds.
I mean, in a world where everyone is on a budget, and it is simply cheaper to get something from a vending machine, fewer and fewer people in the city went out of their way to hone the skill.
Slicing up ingredients, I toss them into a pot as I add my soup stock.
Megan has no idea where I'm sourcing my ingredients, and its turned into a bit of a game we play.
She tries to track my movements, but it's easy enough to lead her on a merry chase when I don't feel like being found.
Seasoning the bread, I slide the tray into the oven.
A ping on one of my sensor's, indicated Megan has stood up and started heading towards the kitchen herself at the smell of cooking food, and I also picked up a movement in the airduct.
The Canoptek Wraiths were quite creative at hiding their presence, but I could still occasionally pick them up.
Between the three of us watching over her, there wasn't a single instance where she was lacking in protection.
Word got around that I was protecting Megan and now I possessed a substantial bounty on behalf of the ever-generous Arasaka.
Before nixing the idea, I debated the merits of firebombing Saburo's house.
Yes he is an evil old man, but It didn't feel quite right when he hasn't done anything to me directly yet.
Maybe I'll do it when I'm feeling festive! Like Christmas.
"Something certainly smells good." Megan commented, interrupting my inner monolog.
"Tortellini soup, side salad, and a bit of garlic bread Ms. Myers." I reply dutifully, as she sits down at the dining table.
"Cyber, I did tell you to just call me Megan when it's just us." She pouted, a bit of her playful side coming through.
"Very well Megan, what would you like to drink with your meal tonight?" I ask, ladling soup into the bowl and serving it up for her.
"Surprise me. I've never had bad results from one of your surprises." She said watching as I provide the salad and the bread.
Opening up the wine rack near the stove, I select a bottle and pour out a glass for the Militech heiress.
She takes a sip and sighs in contentment, as I sit down across from her.
"Something troubling?" I ask after she had several spoons of the soup.
"Potentially. A meeting is coming up involving many of the shareholders worldwide. And the location has been selected." She replied, as I sit across from her.
"Road trip?" I question, as she bites into a slice of bread.
"Unfortunately, not. Night City is the premier location for these sorts of events. So most of the local security teams will be working overtime." She stated, taking a sip of her wine.
"True enough. Is their anyone in particular I should keep an eye out for?" I question and she rolled her eyes.
"It would be easier to list off who not to keep an eye on. I've uploaded a list of notable figures to my computer, along with their entourage, but expect for unforeseen opponents. These meetings provide opportunities for sudden shifts in the balance of power. Don't be surprised if we are attacked from an unexpected angle." She informed, as she finished off the food.
Cleaning up the dishes, I start reviewing the data that Megan so generously provided.
[Corpo Tavish]
I sat behind my desk as I reviewed the rewards from the 40k adventure.
[Random Slayer Perk Added!]
[Doom Cycle]
A Motorcycle capable of tearing through the depths of hell. Cruising around at a comfortable 666 MPH, its argent plasma power pack will carry you through the toughest of encounters.
[Star Ship Bundle]
A reward for your first foray into a wider galaxy. Contains several randomized ship designs.
Perk Added!
[Territory Management]
Allows for easy management of various owned properties and lands throughout your travels.
Opening the bundle itself yielded interesting results.
[UNSC Charon-class Frigate]
[Caldari State Badger 2 Class Industrial Ship]
[Starship Velociraptor]
[Cult Mechanicus Lathe-Class Monitor Cruiser]
It is hard to tell if these blueprints were worth the trip, but regardless, they were being assembled at the installation.
Installation 00 was finally complete, allowing me to start a proper "test bed" for some of my ideas.
Ivy was now peacefully growing a plethora of the plants as she adjusted to her changes.
Her plants were a hell of a lot more interesting after her overall transformation. Mana flowed easily as her plants had mutated, granting them various magical properties.
She had settled into a rather large botanical garden down on the installation itself, and only occasionally left to get additional materials, or relax and watch what I was doing.
Previously, Ivy was quiet and withdrawn, often spending weeks without seeking me out for any sort of input.
But now . . .
I glance up at the rafters to observe all the plants I had hanging around in various planters.
She was visiting daily to take care of the plants and show off her new powers.
Lately, she seems to be able to blend her argent and sentinel energies to create eldritch effects amongst some of her plants that were quite fascinating, but it was odd the way she was presenting this to me.
Almost like she was seeking my approval . . .
Putting that to the side, I decided to kill two birds with one stone by activating this world's magical awakening, and delving into the Primeval powerset.
Nothing big had changed as of yet, but I could feel the magic in the air as the changes started settling into the world.
All it needed was enough powder and a spark to light this fucking powder keg of a world.
Which was why I was looking into the Primeval powers. It was a class heavily centered around creation and other godly concepts all boiling down to a weird mix of both godly and demonic exchanges.
Souls were traded as currency to acquire power and build up the powerbase for such abilities. It also delt with the concept of making deals with mortals for various bits of power.
Come to think of it, since argent, maykr, and sentinel energies were the basis of my being, did that cause Ivy to view me as the source or god of her powers?
I had a talk with Zissa, and she explained that technically, Ivy was classified as a witch that I had granted powers to, making her my supposed first follower.
She also supplied me with the Primeval's grimoire, a book that sped up my negotiations for various spells and abilities to use or in turn, grant to those that form a pact with me.
So, with the low cost of ten souls a pop, I got several abilities to experiment with.
[Eldritch Blast] (1/100)
Allows you to shoot a crackling beam of energy.
[Hellfyre] (1/100)
Allows you to summon and control the flames from your patron's hell.
[Summon Familiar] (1/100)
Summon and create a pact with a familiar that possesses a connection with your patron.
[Pact Focus] (1/100)
Can take the form of a weapon of the patron's choosing to serve as a focus for spells and abilities.
Not something I'd necessarily use myself, but the few locals that I made a deal with went absolutely nuts over the ability.
I made deals with a total of four people. Most of them were nomad's, but one was a cheeky little street kid named Barney.
We met inadvertently when he was trying to steal my wallet and had the audacity to complain that I didn't keep anything nice in my pockets.
Personally, I thought he was pretty funny and set him loose in the city with a variety grab bag of power to see what he'd do.
So far, its been mostly petty theft, but I kept an eye on him so a corporation didn't decide to scope him up for some unethical experiments.
This thought ultimately led to my decision to hire demons.
Their work ethic and strict adherence to contract policy made them ideal candidates for working in the corpo world. And this expanded Horizon's growth drastically.
Lawyers as it turns out, were something in abundant supply in hell, and removed most of my tedious workload that was involved in the growing of any successful business.
It allowed me to take some "me" time to manage affairs in Urdak, Hell, Argenta, and the Installation as they arose.
Which led to my current predicament . . .
Vines had me wrapped up in a cocoon as I dangled upside-down in one of the jungles that had sprouted up on the installation.
Pamela sat on a flower chair nearby as she stared at a sample under the microscope.
Grumbling, she stood up, grabbing a needle and sticking it in my neck to draw some blood.
"Ow! Pam, can't we do this in a chair or something? Also, why did you kidnap me? I'm all for trying new things, but I didn't think you'd be into the "doctor and experiment" roleplay." I joke, the plants tightening uncomfortably.
"We have a long way to go before I consent to those kinds of games Tavish." She said dryly, a darker shared of green gracing her cheeks as she puts the blood under the microscope.
"By the way, how did your needle pierce my skin? Thats not the easiest feat in the world." I ask, curiously.
She holds up the needle and I can see it get encased by argent, sharpening down to a monomolecular point.
"The powers that I was gifted from our little misadventure seemed to have evened the playing field between us a tad. I imagine that I could devise a pheromone that could affect even your mind if I had the desire to do so." She commented, pulling up the blood analysis on a holographic display.
"Doesn't quite explain why I'm here though. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to come visit you, but I'd much prefer to be sitting in a chair for this." I supply.
"The question is, why have you let me keep it. You are the source of origin for the new powers that I can now control. So why do you allow the energy that could potentially harm you be utilized by others?" she questioned, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Is there a reason I need to remove the power? I personally find it interesting to see what various individuals do with the power I grant them." I comment absentmindedly, as I test the strength of the vines.
I could easily break out, but I was curious as to where this was going.
"Why do you have all of these wildcards that could potentially kill you?! Ignoring Urdak, you literally are the source of power for both Hell, and Argenta. And Demons are known for double crossing anyone they make deals with! Why would you willingly hand them the power to potentially kill you?!" She exploded, causing me to jerk back in surprise.
Scanning her face, I could spot fragments of the worry and panic she must have been keeping hidden until now.
"Well the main reason for my lack of concern is that I am really fucking good at killing demons. But primarily, I don't worry because they can't actually do anything when I'm not around." I state, gently swaying back and forth in the vines.
"Whenever I leave a dimension, it freezes in place, unable to do anything . . . Gakkk!" My explanation is cut off as the vines tighten around my neck.
"But you have no redundancies! What happens if you die?! Will all these creatures be unleashed?!" She questioned, as I tried to calm her down.
[Time Skip]
[David POV]
"What do you mean no?" Faraday questioned as I took a sip of my Nicola.
I was invited to the Afterlife for a meeting with this particular fixer when I heard that he had a job for my crew.
A supposed one way ticket to the big leagues according to Kiwi, the crew's main netrunner.
But I dug up some different information . . .
[Flashback]
"Faraday, huh? Not a lot of people asking about that fuck end up walking away pleased." A slightly artificial voice coming out from the shadows of the booth.
"However, you know something the rest of the 'runner's I've asked don't. Rumor has it you had a pretty strong reaction when you last ran into him." I countered, watching him kick his metal legs up on the table.
"Didn't take Rebecca for a 'narc, but I suppose she did always have a soft spot for you . . ." the voice answered back causing me to wince as he named my "source".
"Fine. Faraday is a "undervalued" fixer currently working for Militech. Currently he is the target of an Arasaka counter-intelligence op in the hopes they can get him to defect with Militech assets."
"Those assets include several "field tests" of some prototype exo-skeletons and acquisition of data related to an old Arasaka black books project that involved deep dives into the pre-DataKrash Net."
"Seems to be hunting for a 'runner that was involved with that. One Lucyna Kushinada by name. She resurfaced after she was discovered killing or suppressing any netrunners that were trying to recover the data related to the project." He finished, causing me to freeze.
That would explain all of Lucy's recent disappearances at least. And meant that I really needed to stop her before Faraday caught her.
If he hadn't already . . .
The faceplate of the Cyberdemon was revealed as he leaned forward into the light.
"I do hope you're not trying to hire me to take him out. My current employer tends to frown if I prune portions of the company of my own volition." He stated, his glowing eyes locked onto me.
"No, I just needed the info. Thanks for taking the time." I reply, passing the cred chip to the merc.
"Good luck kiddo, you're going to need it." he called as I paused at the door.
"Cyber, could I ask a favor?" I ask, watching him lean forward in interest.
[Flashback End]
We did manage to intercept Lucy and convince her to lay low for a bit, but I still had to attend the meeting with Faraday.
And his reaction made a lot of pieces fall into place.
Why was he going so far out of his way to hire a crew that failed the task previously?
It was because he was trying to separate Lucy from the group.
Now, I didn't get Lucy to answer a lot of questions regarding her past, but what she had was valuable, so valuable that she killed anyone that tried to delve into it again.
"As in, no. Our crew already took a few hits working for you, and we need the time to reorganize ourselves, and decide our path from there." I reply to his question, leaving it vague.
"So the legendary David Martinez gets "cold feet" as soon as he loses a few chooms? I expected more . . ." Faraday bit back, grinding his teeth.
"Don't know why, but I suppose that's the same mentality that caused the Cyberdemon to kick your teeth in." I supply, and he falls silent at that little tidbit.
"I'll be honest Faraday, your weird focus on me and my crew has got us a tad concerned. So we decided we'd rather take the hit to our rep, than continue chasing your ghosts. I don't know your agreement with Maine, but he's unfortunately no longer with us. So you have to deal with me, and if you want our continued cooperation, you have to explain why your so intent on us doing the job." I explain, folding my hands together and watching him for the inevitable explosion.
Hopefully, he'll reveal something he shouldn't. His information on where to find Lucy was far too accurate for my liking, and it felt like we were set up.
I don't want to suspect anyone on the crew, but I was left with precious little else to go on. I'd still be looking around if it weren't for the fact that Kiwi had set up this meeting . . .
Fuck . . .
"While you're at it, care to volunteer how long Kiwi has been working for you?" I ask, a look of surprise crossing his face before he quickly hid it.
"That what I thought." I state, motioning Kiwi over from where she was standing.
As she approaches, I motion for her to sit down.
"So Kiwi, how's Faraday's benefit package thus far?" I ask, finishing the rest of my Nicola.
She froze at the accusation, as I noticed Rouge watching us from the bar.
"I strongly suspect you are the reason they got so close to catching Lucy last time, but I'll save putting a bullet in your head because I intend to not alienate Ms. Rouge." I state, watching a faint smile make its way onto her face.
She's been listening to every word of this by the look of things, further cementing a rumor that she has listening devices in every single one of these booths.
"Don't take it personally David, this is just standard practice for Night City." Kiwi shrugged off, and my eyes switched back to glare at her.
"And I'm not Night City. We no longer require your services Kiwi." I reply and she scoffs.
"Oh please, don't tell me you're that naïve. What is to stop me from frying your brain as soon as you walk out these doors?" She questions, and I shrug.
"Feel free to do so, but before you do, let me lay out what side you decided on." I state, setting a device on the table and plugging the job shard into it.
The device displayed the contents of the job for emphasis.
"You decided to work for a man, who Arasaka is actively hiring, and is using Militech funds for Arasaka experimentation, as well as theft of proprietary data. And you think you're going to be able to walk away from all this, as if nothing happened?" I offer, watching Faraday turn white.
"How did you find that out?!" He demanded, and I grin at his panic.
"Not only that, but you decide the best move is to sell out your crew? Arasaka is already planning on offing the guy once they get what they need. Why would they want to keep you around?" I offer as realization set in for Kiwi.
"I didn't think . . ." she started, as I stood up.
"Clearly not." I reply before picking up the object and speaking into it.
"Did you get all that Ms. Myers?" I ask the communicator, and an image of Megan Myers displayed on the screen.
"Indeed Mr. Martinez. Militech thanks you for informing us of this breach in our personnel. We will make sure to compensate you accordingly." She replied before addressing Faraday.
"Mr. Faraday. Be aware that your credentials have been suspended as we investigate this matter. The acquisitions team will be along to collect all Militech property in your possession. This includes your trauma team package, your cyberware, and your car. We will retain possession until such a time where you are proven innocent." She stated before hanging up the call, allowing silence to fall over the group.
Standing up, I look down at the shell-shocked fixer, before turning on my heel and walking towards the bar over to Rouge.
"Ms. Rouge. My crew seems to be available to take new contracts, but we are currently lacking a 'runner. Is their someone you could recommend?" I asked the grinning Rouge.
[Monk Tavish POV]
Their is a disturbance in the force.
It took me awhile to pinpoint it, but I think I've nailed it down.
The corpo body must have activated the magical awakening for this world.
How could I tell? Because some of my disciples were getting enlightened as fuck.
Some were meditating while floating above the ground, others were imitating my healing techniques, I even saw one guy reaching his own state of transcendence.
Didn't do much other than glow, but hey, it looked pretty cool.
But the crown jewel amongst my many disciples, was Lizzy.
Lizzy has probably changed the most, taking to the monastery life like a duck to water.
Forgoing her public personality, she truly became enamored with the temple's teachings that she was quickly making her way through the ranks.
This allowed me to subtly "fix" her brain casing once more so her brain wasn't choking out, and she got to take some "me" time, away from all the glamor and glitz of high society.
My favorite part was when she broke up with her boyfriend/ manager.
The explosive breakup was captured by the optics of many of the residents of the monastery, I even have the urge to pull up my own recording of the incident periodically.
Unsurprisingly, their was very little in the way of actual drama when dealing with monks, so we had to take what we could get.
Sighing, I glance back down to the ink brush and paper in my hand, and draw out another set of Gallifreyan characters.
Watching them glow with power, I set them to the side and compare it to other writings scattered across the floor.
Ancient runic languages of Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, kanji from across Asia, and even a handful of scribblings in Latin and Aztec were strewn around me as I float over them.
I managed to get a passive understanding in some of the languages by disabling my Allspeak, leaving some of the languages identifiable by singular words and characters.
This was a bit of an attempt at a thought experiment to see if I could accomplish similar effects to Gallifreyan with older runic type languages.
Personally, I had the highest hopes for the Nordic runes, but I might not have the correct characters to use them.
This was mostly just a way to read and categorize the tomes and grimoires I picked up when running the Tardis Tavern, as I had let many of them pile up in no particular order.
I could have downloaded a translation program to help me understand the plethora of languages that I was dealing with.
But I didn't.
Linguistics, seemed to be an interesting hobby to develop while I'm doing these monk shenanigans. Trying to be "one with the world" and all that jazz.
So far, I've got English, Spanish, and a smidgeon of Japanese, that I could hold small conversations with.
I was really good with written Gallifreyan, both high, and circular, but I had trouble pronouncing the verbal.
Maybe it was because they had components to their language that were specific to talking about time and space?
All I know is, that I have a nasty habit of insulting one's mother, when trying to ask for directions.
Made me glad that no one of that race existed here to take exception with my language difficulties.
I didn't need to start any new wars after all.
It was an influx of new people that brought my attention to the latest one.
Arasaka and Militech were almost engaging in open warfare in the streets, employing gangs and edgerunners alike as battles rage through the streets.
This caused other corporations to move with impunity, as they started advancing in a manner that was only kept in check by the tentative ceasefire of the fourth corporate war.
How the corpo body didn't detect these movements is beyond me, but Biotechnica had used this opportunity to post their agents all around the temple.
Might have to call an exterminator to take care of the issue . . .
I sigh as I rub my forehead.
The mental gymnastics I have to do across all my bodies is mentally taxing just to stay ahead of the opposition in Night City is something that I'm definitely not a fan of.
I'll be thankful when I am back in a single body. That way, I can focus on more leisurely pastimes.
My mind starts to wander to the other bodies problems if I don't distract myself with something simple like the languages I'm studying.
Clearing the thoughts from my mind, I reach out with my consciousness as I continue to watch the plethora of spies around the temple.
[Ripper Tavish POV]
Fastening the last buckle of the harness, I grab the flight helmet as I step out onto the flight platform.
A large area of the cauldron had been retrofitted for the newly assembled Jackal, as it gently rests on its landing gear at the edge of the runway running out to the blast doors cut into the edge of the cliff.
I hadn't ever flown like this before, and I was excited for the experience that it would offer.
Climbing up the ladder that jutted out the side of the aircraft, I sat down in the cockpit for the first time, initializing the final flight checks.
Confirming a flight plan with Night City air traffic control, I spool up the engines, initiating a launch sequence.
The simulator the tech-priests had designed for me gave me enough of a base level knowledge to not crash the aircraft, but I was still nervous about breaking it.
"This is NC control tower, you are clear for takeoff Horizon EX-117" the radio calls out and I grin as I throttle the vehicle forward.
The Aircraft leaps forward like a bat out of hell, pressing me back into my seat as it leaps into the sky.
Banking out over the Badlands, carefully watching my instrument panels before nodding in satisfaction.
"Tower, this is Horizon EX-117. Going to log a quick adjustment to the flight plan. Final destination, the Crystal Palace." I call over the radio, prepping to make the transition to spaceflight.
"Say again 117? We don't have that aircraft registered as a rocket . . ." I heard after a pause, people scrambling in the background.
"Clarification, this craft is registered as experimental, and I'm quite capable of making a trip to the moon and back. Please confirm tower." I state apathetically, as the computer confirms my orbital exit vector.
"Tower confirms. Be advised, we'll keep your radio open until you escape orbit." The exasperated controllers voice filling my ears.
Angling up the rocket boosters ignite as I fly higher and higher before finally escaping orbit.
"Tower this is 117, I have escaped orbit. I'll see you again on reentry." I confirm, de-pressurizing my helmet as I take in my first look of space as the pilot of my own ship.
Space was . . . vast, for lack of a better word. It had such an untapped potential, and a huge area for development.
And while I was up here to get some flying practice in, I had a secondary objective.
Operation: Birthday Girl.
Or planning out Eleanor's birthday.
I had a couple of preliminary notes scribbled on my little note pad, but the big one was Eleanor's gift.
The Harry Potter world token.
This was an item that was in extraordinarily high demand in the gamers shop, as very few unmodified ones existed.
It didn't particularly matter "when" in the timeline I was dropped off, because I could always move us to the desired time. But ideally, I wanted to find a token with as few of these alterations as possible.
They weren't up for sale in the gamer's shop, so that left private trade as one of the few means to acquire them.
This forced me to reach out to Glenn, my one and only contact in the community, who was happy to set up a meeting with a "collector".
And I was flying to said meeting.
A pink portal opened up and I fly through, the ship shuddering a bit as it adjusted to the sudden change in atmosphere.
[I give permission for "Tavish Byrne" to enter my realm]
An ethereal voice comes from all around as the black emptiness of space is replaced with a bright, lush world, filled with very colorful flora and fauna alike.
Initiating a planetary scan, I pickup the location of as massive structure on the surface of the planet, so I descend to the world below.
A massive palace looms as I throttle down my speed and scope out a place to land.
I can see some figures waving from a massive courtyard, and I angle for it, switching to VTOL mode.
Being at least the size of four football stadiums, I had plenty of room to touch down, and cycle the engines off the figures revealing themselves to be very well-dressed butlers.
As soon as the Jackal canopy opened up, they rushed forward and started performing ops checks on the vehicle and I was guided through a set of double doors.
While the butler guided me down a lengthy corridor, I looked him over as I tried to glean a little bit of information about my fellow gamer.
[Harry Potter]
Lvl - 223
Class – Wizard
Thoughts – Devotion
Hold on a fucking second.
Glancing at every butler we passed, I could spot an extremely faint lightning bolt scar.
Ok this gamer might be a tad obsessed . . . .
Possibly an avid user of mind control judging by how the surface thoughts of these butlers seemed to be nothing but devotion towards their "master".
Finally coming to a stop outside of some huge double doors the butler knocks and speaks up; "Milady, your appointment has arrived."
He spoke in a very formal voice, that I have to admit sounded pretty good, but sounded weird.
You know how you have a general expectation on what people sound like when you meet them?
Formal sounded weird coming from Harry Potter.
The door creaked open revealing a young woman, her disheveled auburn hair draping out over the bear onesie she was wearing.
"Mmmmwhatsit? . . . . Appointment?" she mumbled, obviously having just woken up.
She blinked sleepily before her eyes land on me and she stares at me for a full minute.
She suddenly slams the door, and I can hear a flurry of activity from behind it.
The butler next to me sighed in exasperation; "My apologies, she's always like this . . ." he sighs dramatically, and I wave it off.
"No worries, mate, I do have a question for you though. Why do all of you look like . . ." I start before he interrupts me.
"Harry Potter? Technically I suppose we all are, but it would be more accurate to say that we are simulacrums that the mistress created to carry out her will. She seems rather fond of this appearance given how our appearances haven't been changed in the last two hundred years." He supplied rather helpfully.
That explained a lot.
And it also had the side-effect of making me less leery of the whole situation.
I could get onboard with a simulacrum army.
Pretty sure it's the magical way of accomplishing what I do with the flesh-vats when I am making skitarii that blend in with the 40k universe.
"What you think I would want to waste the time and energy to "acquire" all these versions of Harry Potter? That would be way too much work. Be a dear and take him to the tea room, would you Harry?" The woman yelled from behind the door, and the butler nodded and guided me to a tea parlor a short distance down the hall.
Well, a teddy bear onesie certainly gives a certain flavor to her personality.
She eventually came out dressed in a set of deep purple robes, a wide brim witches hat sitting on top of her head.
"God damn it, I told them to inform me when you arrived. Not bring you to my bedroom." She said in exasperation, sinking into the chair across from me and extending a hand; "I'm the grand witch Meera Spellsong."
"Tavish Byrne, Slayer by trade, but no title as grand as that." I joke shaking the offered hand.
She reaches into her inventory and pulls out a contract and sets it down on the table.
When two gamers gather to make a deal, a contract is presented to keep an even playing field. The contract restricted us from using our abilities against one another, general assassinations, imprisonments, etcetera.
Basically, it tries to ensure the most even playing field possible between extraordinarily powerful entities.
Scribbling her name down and adding a drop of blood, she passes the paper to me which I mimic after a quick scan of the document.
The document glowed gold before rolling itself up and vanishing from our sight.
"Let's get this over with, what do you want from me? Glenn was vague on the details." She questioned, covering a yawn, as her butlers brought out tea set's along with small food items like sandwiches and scones.
"I'm looking for an un-altered Harry Potter world token. The gamer shop has failed me, and it forced me to search among private collectors. Glenn pointed me toward you and said you might have what I want."
"Why such a rush? You're bound to get there eventually, you just have to keep completing worlds." She asked, pouring out some tea and dropping two sugars in.
"A daughter's birthday. She wanted to visit that world, and I don't have a reason to say no." I reply picking up a sandwich and taking a bite.
"Certainly, a tough request to be sure." She answered before leaning forward and steepling her fingers.
"Unfortunately, the closest thing I'd be willing to part with is a slightly gender-bent token I have in my possession that follows the adventures of Rose Potter. Most of the events in that world will follow canon, but you can only go so far when there is such a drastic change to the main protagonist." She informed, and I debated internally.
"Do you have a "used" world you'd be willing to part with? I can always undo the world event if needed." I offer and she shakes her head.
"Sorry, they have a significant amount of infrastructure built up that I'm using." She answers and I suddenly have a revelation.
"Magical Components." I state flatly and Meera grins over her tea cup.
That's why I couldn't find any un-altered tokens. The Wizarding world was a place with ready-made infrastructure to support any enterprising mage in the form of potions, experiments, research, and magical creature parts.
An altered world might have stuff that interferes with magic in unforeseen ways, so an unaltered world was required.
"Bingo. You'll find any fictional world that supports a magical economy is in high demand just because of the component's mages require on occasion." Meera replied, taking a bite out of a scone.
So hypothetically speaking, what would you want in exchange for this token?" I finally ask, leaning back in my chair.
She chews thoughtfully on her scone before a mischievous grin makes its way across her face.
"You're a Doom Slayer correct?" She asked and I nod before she continues.
"I have an apprentice that I drop in on occasionally. She's been in the system for less than a year, and chose her primary class to be "Summoner". And one of her level advancements is coming up soon, so I'd like to gift her your summoning circle." She finished, as I look at her flatly.
"Granted, she has to pay some fee for your service, but I will give you the token in exchange for her to summon you once for free." She explained and I mulled over her proposal.
Personally, I don't want to deal with other gamers very much.
But on the other hand . . . .
. . . sweet loot!
"Your proposition is intriguing. Alright, I'm in. Might make for a fun adventure at some point." I reply, bringing a smile to Meera's face.
"And that, Mr. Byrne, shall be the start of a beautiful trade partnership." She said with a grin.
We continued talking as we hashed out the details of such an agreement.
[Cyberdemon POV]
Standing back against the wall, I watched Megan rip into the counter surveillance manager.
Faraday had his grubby little mitts all over a fair number of Militech's black books projects. And the fact that the counter intelligence team had no idea that Faraday had been approached by Arasaka.
My favor to David had sent Megan on a warpath as she overturned department after department, trying to find some shred of evidence that Militech spies were tracking the incident.
I killed a handful of double agents within the department at her direction, and now she was gathering her thoughts in an empty office.
She was pacing back and forth, a mug of tea resting on the desk, seemingly forgotten as she planned out her next move.
Sighing, she turns to me, her analytical eyes giving me a once over.
"Cyber, this overstep of Arasaka's is getting more and more ridiculous the longer I dig into it. How the hell did it go unnoticed for so long?" She asked, and I hummed in thought.
"Militech has no shortage of enemies. And even more amongst its former workforce. But the most likely reason is that they seem to be gearing up for another corporate war." I reply, listing some possible reasons.
She thought for a moment, before grabbing several dossier's off the table and paging through them.
"So if I asked you to burn out the rot to its source, would you be able to track the problem back to the person who ordered this espionage to take place?" She asked, causing my cyberware to engage in anticipation.
"Most certainly, is their anything in particular you'd like me to do when I find them?" I ask, and she looks back at me for a long moment.
"Dispose of them." She orders, and I nod.
Disappearing from the room, and reappearing on the roof, I pull out my tablet and start paging through the various profiles for the people involved.
Most of it was Arasaka counterintelligence, and were surprisingly easy to locate.
So easy that I could think about what to make Ms. Meyers for dinner!
I was really feeling some boysenberry turnovers, but that wasn't a really good dinner item.
Maybe a nice cobb salad?
Stepping off the roof, I freefall for a minute before a new portal opens up beneath me and I land on the floor of a dimly lit office, startling the occupant.
Snapping his neck with barely a thought, I disappear into his computer, his network quickly becoming something to exploit.
Zipping through the network, my arm would materialize long enough to slit the throat of another target working late into the night.
Its amazing how quickly I was able to complete most of the task when the main culprits all resided in the same office building.
But I doubt they were prepared for this level of infiltration on any given day.
I missed a few targets, and I couldn't find a chunk of the armed forces attached to the counterintelligence branch, but I'm sure they are not too far off.
They'd certainly poke their heads out with the mess I just caused.
Might even get to fuck with Smasher a bit more. I heard a rumor that the bastard was hunting for me, so I did my utmost to conceal my presence just to piss him off.
If I knew where he lived, I'd even leave him little notes, just to show how much I cared.
And if that failed . . .well, I had more than one way to get the little shit's attention.
[Corpo Tavish]
Personally, I felt like Ivy was overreacting at first.
And then discovered how much the energy cocktail she absorbed changed her.
Emotions that were previously subdued due to her "accident" were suddenly cranked up to a hundred as she fussed over various things.
I just happened to be her latest target as she eventually fell asleep with her head in my lap as I structured my power, and created failsafe's.
This began with the Maykr's, as I completely remade them.
Their original genetic material that made them up effectively created some highly intelligent beings, but due to the intake of Argent, they demonized, and were now beings quite unlike what an "ethereal being" should be.
I initially wanted to just discard the race as a whole and start from scratch, but Ivy dissuaded me and recommended a different path.
Transfer them to hell, and use them as my enforcers, and to cull the wild demons that are created periodically from its depths.
This left me room to clear out Urdak and start my next task . . .
Creating life.
I was fine with just creating some machines to facilitate this task, but Ivy convinced me of making them organic/machine hybrids.
Finishing the design, I run my eyes one final time over the wing diagram before zooming out topo view the whole design.
Genesis . . .
It felt . . . right for that to be her name.
I might go so far as to craft each "angel" by hand given how much artwork went into their design.
Primarily humanoid by design, the inorganic material gleamed in the form of the cybernetics they were gifted, hiding ports for interface for planned combat upgrades and other connection methods.
Divine beings that would be both man, and machine. I planned for them to be created in a batch of twenty to see if they would work out as planned.
Genesis is the first of her species, so I'm curious as to how her thought process will develop.
She would be my masterpiece of multi-role creations that I could call uniquely my own.
I wasn't sure if I even should have them retain the title of "maykr's" given how separate the designs are.
Mulling it over, I gently stroke Ivy's hair as I project the tablet up onto the big screen on the wall across from us.
Adjusting the power output, I finally input the final design of a restriction program on the angel's overall capabilities.
This will allow her to feel out her abilities gradually as she learns and develops, verses just releasing the being on the world at full power.
Basically the equivalent of giving a baby a pulse rifle and expecting them not to kill themselves and those around.
"Gaea, run a simulation on Genesis's activation." I speak out into the room, and Gaea's avatar appeared smiling gently.
"The level of work you've put into this design astounds me. It reminds me of how I synthesize humans for project Zero Dawn." She commented, scanning the diagram itself before her eyes widen.
"And this is a one-off design? I thought Dr. Isely wished for a force loyal solely to you to keep the realms in check?" GAEA questioned and I nodded.
"And their will be. But I will craft every single one to be unique. Massed produced feels wrong, for what I'm trying to accomplish in this sense." I reply as GAEA smiles smugly.
"Failsafe's within failsafe's. Don't tell me your worried about something are you?" GAEA offers playfully as I shake my head.
"No, but Ivy is. So I'm doing it for her peace of mind." I answer, watching the images flash by in their various simulations.
"My calculations are optimistic regardless. What is wrong? I've never seen you run simulations of any of your creations before. And the loyalty programing is quite extensive." GAEA prodded as I stroke my chin.
"This is the first creation that is specifically designed to grow beyond its means. I think I'm just nervous about how they will develop." I confess, and GAEA snickers a bit.
"Tavish, you remind me of a worrying parent." She chuckled, initializing the development of the now named "Genesis".
"One last recommendation Tavish. I believe that the species should be named Maykr Valkyrie, or do away with the Maykr title entirely. The young lady will thank you for it later . . ." she stated, a cylindrical tube descending from the ceiling and filling with liquid.
Nanomachines swirled inside the tube as development started and slowly started crafting the blueprint, as Ivy stirred.
Sitting up she took in the science experiment taking place in front of her.
"That didn't take too long . . ." She commented stretching out.
"You were asleep for five hours. I can finish a design in that amount of time." I reply, scratching the back of my head.
She hum's before replying; "Ah since you're here, Let me show you some of my newest creations."
She grabbed my hand and dragged me after her towards her botanical labs.
Whatever mood she was in before seemed appeased as she chatted away about her various projects.
Personally, I think I should leave a clone here. Ivy doesn't like to admit it but she gets lonely as the only sentient being on Installation 00.
And keeping her company? Well that's hardly a hardship on my part.
The casual thought was interrupted by an alert.
[Warning!]
[Colossal wave of magic detected in Edgerunners world!"]
[Ripper Tavish]
I gripped the table as the shockwave shook the city to its foundations, my senses lighting up as mana swirled around me.
Activating my drones around the city, I could see the populace panicking at the sudden changes taking place around them.
The people themselves were transforming before my eyes as magic mutated their bodies.
Many retained the characteristics of a human, but others developed pointed ears, tusks, and even horns as the chemical cocktail flowing through the residents' veins mutated and shaped new races.
Several skitarii alerted me to some criminal captures of these transformed humans, and I quickly had them transported to the cauldron for further analysis.
Not quite what I was expecting for a magic awakening, but I think I just discovered a rather interesting experiment.
This world stood at a crossroads, holding its breath for someone to make that first move that would send society careening down a new path.
The Corpo body was tied up at the moment, so its up to me to initiate the programs he had in place.
If this experiment worked, I will have artificially created the magical infrastructure that was in such high demand in the gamer's shop.
New data started flowing in as drones captured footage of brand-new creatures forcefully evolving and creating new species.
Twenty-eight new species have been spotted thus far, and I can only imagine how many more will follow after.
This was a race on who could acquire data the fastest, and I fully planned on coming out ahead.
[Omake: Football at Tzeentch's]
[The Emperor's POV]
"Tavish, don't you think this might have been a bad idea?" I comment to the man in question as we stood back-to-back with Trayzn.
We stood back in the chaos wastes of the warp, a towering fortress scraping the sky behind us with one of its windows clearly broken.
"Which part?" He questioned, two bolters leveled at the daemons that had surrounded us.
"Oh I don't know . . . maybe the part where you thought it was a good idea to boot an American football through the window of one of the most impenetrable fortresses in the known universe, and actually halting its everchanging nature?" I reply, my voice raising slightly in incredulity.
"I must say, I didn't expect the fortress to hold its shape like that. The impossible fortress apparently is constantly changing except when you break a window." Trayzn commented, leveling his staff at a lord of change.
"Your just as culpable! You held the damn ball while he got a running start!" the emperor growled at the necron.
"Look, Tzeentch was being a bitch, and squirreled himself away somewhere. I was just trying to get his attention . . ." Tavish pouted, as the daemons charged.
"By breaking his window?!" I shout in disbelief.
"I was actually aiming to steal all his shit. Lot of warp sorcery locked away in that place, so I thought it would be cool to "theft" it for research purposes." Tavish informed quite happily, his guns barking as he tore into the approaching horde.
"Realistically, you should be on board with this Big E. I mean, you made a deal with them for access to some of the warp's secrets. Think of what all you can learn if we steal the largest collection of knowledge about the warp that can be found in the entire known universe." Trayzn commented, turning a batch of daemons to dust with a wave of his hand.
"I hate your logic sometimes . . ." I grudgingly admit, as I incinerate a daemon prince.
"That's all right, we knew you'd see it our way. Trayzn, do you have the ladder?" Tavish questioned, his gun clicking empty. He quickly grabbed a lunging demon by the throat and started bludgeoning it to death with the gun itself.
Trayzn, reached into his subspace and pulled the ladder itself out.
Rung after rung emerged before he passed the twelve-foot extending ladder to Tavish.
Nodding in thanks he promptly extended it and swung, ripping the heads off a huge swath of the remaining demons.
Taking advantage of the new space, he extends the ladder up, and up reaching well beyond its logical size, before hooking onto the busted window frame.
We finish off the remaining daemons before climbing up into the tower.
I turned around and saw Tavish pulling up the ladder behind us.
"Why not leave it there? It's too bulky to just carry around." I admonish, and Tavish gives me a wicked grin.
"Don't you know? A ladder is far more dangerous in the home than a loaded gun? And I just about guarantee that Tzeentch didn't have anything prepared against a madman with a ladder!" he replies happily, taking off down the hall.
I groan and chase after him, as we quickly get lost within the labyrinth of the fortress.