Dynorion
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Mind & Machine C.36
🕑 Added 2024-06-17 21:58:09 +0000 UTCAuthor note:
I've been taking a short break to consider the future arc, and I think I have it all figured out. There will be another note at the end of the chapter.
Chapter — 36
Rei brought up her CIP as she walked through the tunnel leading to the arena she'd been slotted to fight in.
「[Colosseum Inc. Profile]
Name: Voidliac
Rank: F (50 / 50)
Ratio: 72%
Valid: 39 Wins, 15 Losses
Total: 54
Personal data: [...]」
From showing that she wasn't completely useless and surviving reaching fifty total fights, she'd been slotted to fight in a new arena during her last four battles. It wasn't larger, but those buying tickets could expect more from the combatants than completely new warriors. It was still only for F-rank warriors, though.
Thirty-nine victories and fifteen losses from just over four weeks of grueling combat...
The losses stung as she didn't get any credits from them, but those fights had been against people nearly as augmented as Royal Gloom. In some of the fights, she'd just been unlucky with bad matchups; in some, her opponents had been too skilled with weapons she wasn't familiar with.
Rei had only surrendered willingly one time during those fifteen losses, and that had been against a man who seemed hell-bent on killing her instead of merely putting her out of commission. Most, though, had simply let her bleed out until she lost consciousness, which was the same thing she did against those she'd beaten.
As someone who lacked cyberware to physically augment herself, the tiny following she'd begun to gather speculated that she was going for bioware instead, even though that wasn't the case at all. Rei couldn't fault them for coming to that conclusion, as many in her place would already have chipped in some cyberware from their earnings.
Rei, though, didn't want her first pieces of cyberware to be complete trash, so she had bided her time.
She'd gotten 3900 credits from her wins so far and nearly as much from royalties earned from recordings of her fights. She'd spent some of it buying a second VibroFang and armor, but after today, she'd start rectifying her lack of cyberware.
The armor she'd bought was nothing special but way better than the cheap synth leather clothes she'd been wearing at the start. It was all black and looked like form-fitting leather, but it was lined internally with a sort of metal weave that protected against most bladed weapons.
Blunt damage was still an issue, but if she wanted to remain nimble, she had to sacrifice some defense if she didn't want to spend thousands upon thousands of credits to get something more advanced.
There was also the issue of repairs, as the armor often got damaged, but DarkGuard Corp. — a medium-sized corporation based in Tokyo from which she'd bought the armor — offered somewhat cheap repairs on most of their lower-end products depending on how damaged it was.
As the gleaming silver plasteel door — sporting an engraved Warhammer in its center — slowly lifted in front of her, Rei walked beneath it into the arena. She saw her opponent doing the same at the other end as the slightly larger crowd cheered from the elevated stands.
"You're skilled, but I'm better. Prepare to spend a month recovering afterward, you cold ass bitch," the man who was to be her opponent said as he plucked dual kamas from his back.
Of course, I'm skilled. [Melee Mastery] at 12 will do that. Pity it's been capped.
Some people liked to throw insults at their opponents before the match started, which the crowd loved. Rei, however, refused to participate in something her cold mind saw as useless posturing and always remained quiet. That, coupled with her soulless eyes and merciless fighting style, had earned her a reputation.
Even most psychopathic warriors liked throwing insults and engaging in hostilities before the fighting started, but her lack of reciprocation seemed to infuriate her opponents even more, so she only saw that as a plus.
From what she'd observed, an opponent driven by emotion was more likely to make a mistake.
As they entered their designated starting spots, the arena AI lit up her opponent, calling out his CIP: "DarkBladeDeath, F-rank, Ratio: 67%, Total: 62."
He says he's better when his win-loss ratio is lower than mine? Squeaky behavior.
She didn't ponder it further and instead began analyzing him.
He was taller than her, with black-pupilless eyes and short white hair that pulsed periodically with black running down each strand. He wore black armor that looked a little bulkier than hers, which Rei would classify as medium armor. It looked like it was made of some heavy-duty cloth-like material and was undoubtedly more expensive than hers.
Without the oscillating quality of my daggers, getting through that would probably be a nightmare.
The black-bladed and white-hilted kamas he held in each hand were the first she'd faced in Bonebreaker Arena, and she was curious how he would wield them. He seemed familiar with them as he twirled one between metallic fingers.
So, his hands are at least cybernetic, but I don't know what else he's got under that armor...
Had this been outside a Colosseum-sanctioned arena, she'd already breached him and deposited one of the daemons she'd spent time specifically programming for facing people in the real world, but that wasn't allowed in this fight.
Rei unsheathed her own weapons with a flourish and crouched slightly as the spotlight winked out from the man and moved to her, the arena AI introducing her to the crowd. Rei thought the cheers for her were slightly louder but wasn't sure if that was because of her form-fitting armor or if she'd gained enough fame by then to be cheered on for her skill.
There was that one time I saw a clip of one of my battles play out briefly in the complex's lobby, so Bonebreaker Arena at least seems to think I've put on a good show in some of my battles.
"FIGHT!" The call came, and Rei moved — her opponent doing likewise.
As their weapons collided head-on, the telltale high-pitched sound of oscillating blades struggling against each other keened out, making both warriors disengage.
Brief contact between such weapons wouldn't damage the edge much, but prolonged periods would whittle the oscillating edge down.
Rei had faced several opponents who wielded them and had to repair her daggers once already, but it wasn't expensive as there were entire corporations dedicated to repairing various tech — mainly using raw materials and nanites.
Rei and DarkBladeDeath — such a cringy name — circled each other for a few steps before he lunged, his speed above hers, meaning he most likely had some cyberware beneath the armor to augment it.
Rei twirled between his hacking slashes, her daggers flashing out to briefly nick against the armor on his arms and scoring shallow cuts that began to bleed. His armor prevented her swift strikes from going deeper.
Only his hands are cybernetic?
She nearly got nicked herself when one of said hands rotated further than a normal wrist could possibly go — his right-hand kama blurring as it came for her face. Rei ducked beneath it, feeling a few strands of her black and violet hair being sheared off as she moved closer instead of backing away.
Her opponent tried to step back while his left kama came in from the side, looking to pierce her right ribs and lung.
It was all too choreographed, and Rei quickly batted it aside with her own dagger, keeping step with her opponent as she stabbed her left dagger into the man's chest and wrenched her arms sideways, opening his stomach as blood, viscera, and a few spurts of a bluish liquid escaped.
He groaned as Rei saw some brief flashes of electricity go off inside him, but it didn't seem to have been strong as he didn't cramp up.
He continued to step backward, and Rei finally had to disengage as his right kama returned for revenge after she'd dodged beneath it, her right dagger still preoccupied with keeping his left one at bay while her left dagger was too out of position to block in time.
It barely took a second, but Rei had scored a decisive blow.
Not that the fight was over.
Now on a timer before he lost too much blood, her opponent went entirely on the offensive, not as bothered about keeping himself safe as he was with taking her down. His angular face was warped in a furious snarl, and he practically growled while meeting Rei's cold gaze.
Rei mimicked him as she started backing away from his assault, her feet dancing over the gravel as she spun and bobbed between slashes of his oscillating implements that could take her head clean-off should it find her neck.
Her likewise capped [Athleticism] made her body move to each thought with barely any effort, not feeling at any risk of accidentally stumbling or misreading her own bodily capabilities — [Deception] doing some very minor work in the background to make her positioning hint at future movements that she wouldn't execute.
Even with [Merciless], Rei felt the tiniest hint of exhilaration as she danced on the edge of death, waiting for the reaper to claim her opponent — if only for a time before the tanks of Ichor beneath revived him.
Blood kept running down his armor, and after only a dozen seconds of her dodging his furious assault that grew more and more reckless with his increasing fury, Rei finally countered.
As he did a wild leftward horizontal slash with his right kama, trying to bisect her, Rei used the dagger held in a reverse grip in her left hand to hit the back of his weapon, adding even more force to his motion as she spun with it.
Her likewise held right-hand dagger came down near his collarbone where his neck connected to his body — Rei's back facing him and head turned to look over her shoulder as it pierced diagonally down, severing veins and his windpipe.
Rei stepped forward, jerking her dagger out as she did, spinning around a few steps later to take measured, graceful steps backward.
Her opponent remained frozen for a second as he stood, blood spurting from his neck before he collapsed to his knees, his kamas dropping from his hands as both went to his neck in an attempt to stop the blood flow.
He tried to croak his surrender as his furious eyes found hers, but only blood came from his mouth. The AI overseeing things didn't need him to speak, though, as it was plain to everyone that he'd already lost.
Intestines were nearly poking out of his stomach in addition to a few wires, and the blood staining the path of their dance, coupled with the new additions from her last strike, were too much for someone as lightly augmented as him.
Well, lightly augmented is relative. He was nearly as fast as Royal Gloom, even if he wasn't as strong.
The ground swallowed him as the arena spoke, "Winner, Voidliac."
The cheers were exuberant, filled with bloodthirsty glee as Rei flicked the blood off her daggers, twirled them once, and resheathed them.
She was about to tuck a few bloodstained strands of hair out of her likewise splattered face but thought better of it as her hands weren't much cleaner.
Rei moved toward the exit, not acknowledging the crowd.
In her opinion, it was too much work to be personable, even though some of the spectators liked their champions to gloat and posture before making an exit.
She would cultivate her own persona of merciless efficiency, and those who didn't like it could just stop paying for her recordings or watching her battles live. As far as she was concerned, they were there for the violence itself, not to see her act like a fool.
***
Rei sat in her apartment, her status sheet open as she thought.
「Takeda Rei:
Level: 4 [2800 / 5000 Experience]
Body: 12
Mind: 13
Ego: 10
Perks: [...]
Skills:
[Strong Will, Level 9]
[Deception, Level 7]
[Athleticism, Level 12]
[Cybernetic Adaptation, Level 4]
[Breach, Level 11]
[Splice, Level 11]
[Data Analytics, Level 12]
[Programming, Level 13]
[Parkour, Level 9]
[Pain Tolerance, Level 8]
[Melee Mastery, Level 12]
[First Aid, Level 1]
[Stealth, Level 5]
[Ranged Mastery, Level 6]
[Seduction, Level 3]」
Implants: [...]
Perk Points: 1 Ego
Skill Points: 4」
I've reached 2800 experience out of the 5000 required for my next level, getting 1000 experience from [Body], increasing by two, and 150 experience from the two low-lives I had to dispatch.
Rei had only gone to the gym a few times to exercise before shifting her entire focus to fighting in the arena, worried that some might begin drawing connections with orange eyes and gray hair if she continued to frequent it and someone recognized her.
That was also a reason her [Ranged Mastery] had lagged behind, as going to the range had the same potential issues.
Given the number of people living in Zone 8 alone, the risk was near-nill, but it was a pointless risk to take.
After all, it wasn't as if fighting itself wasn't good exercise, as she'd taxed her body in different ways compared to lifting weights.
She'd had to hone her reflexes and muscles she didn't know she had before, and it had paid off with those two increases in the attribute.
Then she'd also had to kill two assailants as she'd trained her [Parkour] in alleyways, one of them an addict who'd just lunged at her when Rei'd passed, a rusty pipe in one hand while screaming incoherently. The other had been what she took for a robber with a handgun who'd gotten in two shots at Rei's lower abdomen from stealth before she'd effortlessly breached his low-end cyberware and tested out one of her new daemons on him.
Suffice it to say, it had been a complete success against such a lousy opponent.
With all the fighting and doing her best to stay hidden outside of said fighting, she'd leveled [Melee Mastery] by 5 levels, [Athleticism] by 3, and [Parkour], [Deception], and [Stealth] by one.
It was a welcome skill grinding but was much slowed down to what she'd enjoyed previously. That was to be expected, however, as she'd only had one focus after her melee skills had capped:
Credits.
There was also the increase in [Seduction] from spending another night at Miyo's club letting out some steam — this time with a woman — and as much as Rei hated to admit it, the knowledge from the skill had been more than helpful.
It gave her some appreciation for its application outside of merely picking up prey — as Miyo would put it — but also as a tool.
Rei brought up its description.
「[Seduction]
Governing attribute: Ego
Description: Often seen as a technique by many, and likewise as often performed poorly, seduction is an art that is hard to master. Preferences vary, and to succeed, one needs to be able to adapt the approach used. This skill helps convey intent that may or may not be real and identify the most likely approach to success.」
Intent that may or may not be real.
That was the most useful aspect of the skill when utilized outside of amorous agendas. Social interactions were often battles of wit and cunning, and those proficient in wielding their words and body language would more often than not get precisely what they wanted, with the other party none the wiser. It was like [Deception], in a way.
It was a tool at Rei's disposal should she wish to fish for information, enticing people to divulge things they otherwise wouldn't, had they not been ensnared by the movement of her hips, the suggestive tilt of her lips, or hooded eyes promising an oasis in their wretched world.
Rei could see the utility of the skill in the future and even see applications in her current goal of fishing for information on The Pistons' hunt for her.
But using sexual appeal on the people wanting to capture me is just... icky.
Under the influence of [Merciless], she had no issues with the approach.
Had it not been for one crucial detail, she could have infiltrated their territories, visited a bar or club they frequented, and begun her stealthy interrogation.
That wouldn't work with the perk active, though, as she doubted most would find her eyes going soulless and dead would attract many and merely put them off.
Some might like it, as there's no counting the number of fetishes, but no. Just no.
That led Rei to her yet-to-be-chosen [Ego] perk.
If deception and seduction were two tools for manipulating social interactions, then there was another she'd yet to master. Her eyes and mannerisms under [Merciless]'s influence were good in that regard, but she wanted to take it further when it came time to interrogate her enemies.
Rei had considered the pros and cons for a long time and hence chose.
「Perk Points: [Ego 1 → 0」
New knowledge filled her mind as she felt the nanites in her body flash data into her synapses, reinforcing connections and drawing new ones. It was painless this time — if slightly overwhelming as all perks were upon selection — but didn't feel as invasive as [Merciless] had.
Rei didn't experience her mind shutting down this time, perhaps simply because of how much she'd grown since then in [Ego] and [Mind] both.
Rei felt her posture shift slightly as [Sovereign Aura] came into full effect.
As she stood from the couch, there was something unnerving and ominous in the motion, as if carefully calculated not only to be graceful but also to project strength and overbearing confidence that would make a less sure person defer to her degree.
She wasn't merely powerful. She was a queen — a demigod gracing the Earth — and her word was law.
This... this feeling...
It's intoxicating.
It wasn't merely others who felt her confident, intimidating presence but also herself, and she felt drunk on how much control it inspired in her.
This perk is... dangerous.
She didn't mean just to others but also to herself.
Rei felt exactly like she'd dreamed she'd feel ever since waking up in her new future. She'd been lacking control, and even if she'd recently regained her autonomy, the unknown threat hanging like a guillotine over her neck had still made that control feel lacking.
She was a control freak, and this perk — this feeling of being above such minor concerns as other people's opinions and actions — gave her peace of mind like nothing else ever had.
Striding purposefully toward the bathroom to look into the mirror, she saw her expression, which seemed to speak of casual disdain toward the world around her; it spoke of her being the center of the universe, where everyone would bow to her control.
I need to turn this perk off.
But I don't ever want to.
Not ever.
Rei brought [Merciless] forth in conjunction with her new perk, her eyes so full of implied superiority going cold like a crypt — the eyes of a ruthless tyrant who wouldn't balk at burning their subjects in flames of war should it benefit them.
Its effects worked wonders on her to mercilessly squash the emotions of desire, her dearest wish to remain as she now was:
Perfect. Above the squabbling inferior masses beneath her rule.
Divine. Out of the control of anyone who sought to use her.
[Sovereign Aura] faded, and [Merciless] did likewise as she gasped for breath, her mind struggling to reconcile the sheer difference between how she now felt and when the perk had been active.
"Holy fuck," Rei got out between heaving breaths, her knees weak as the mountain of pressure to progress, to improve herself in preparation to face her enemies, came crashing back down on her.
Rei didn't stumble back to the couch due to her near-perfect body control granted by [Athleticism], but compared to how she'd felt herself move under the perks' influence, it felt like the movements of a weakling — of a lesser being.
That perk is seriously dangerous to me. To anyone, I would suspect.
It was arrogance personified without the cyberware and skill to back it up. If someone didn't take Rei's projected presence at face value and instead challenged it, it could easily lead to her death.
But it will probably work wonders on gangers who are used to following the biggest bully around.
That was what she'd wanted, after all. If she couldn't seduce her way toward information, she'd just have to beat it out of them with force, intimidation, and pure charisma. It wasn't something Rei relished, but her life was too important to her to let such scruples dictate her actions when it was at stake.
There had also been the perk [Intimidating], but Rei didn't want to only be seen as scarier. She also thought it likely that a skill like that would exist, like a counterpoint to [Deception], but she hadn't gotten it yet for some reason.
[Sovereign Aura] had more applications, even if that perhaps made it less potent in singular aspects. Intimidating some people into submission might work most of the time, but she thought others might be equally susceptible to confidence, grace, and implied superiority.
It was all highly manipulative, but in Rei's opinion, life was at its base, the deliberate or accidental manipulation of people, environment, and circumstances to guide one's fate in the desired direction.
All these skills and perks only made her better at it.
Rei breathed out a slightly shaky breath, calming herself down slowly as her mind went back to pondering her plans.
I'm nearly ready, aren't I?
In preparation, she'd created software, daemons, and malware, honed her body and martial skills, reached an acceptable level of accuracy with her handgun — even if it could be better — and now had the tools needed to get the information she sought.
Then, all that remains is the cyberware I've spent so long saving up for.
With all her secrets, there was only one ripper doc she knew of that may be worthy of her trust: River.
He'd been her ripper in the past and was still the man Ichiro went to. He hadn't sold the Takedas out to The Pistons even though he obviously knew he'd get a reward from it.
He also has something to hide from, and even though I don't know what or who, he no doubt sympathizes, meaning that he's the best choice.
With all the cyberware he had, she didn't doubt his skill either, even if his clinic was in a... questionable location.
It seems I have to call Ichiro and get ahold of my old ripper's contact info...
It was time for Rei to discard some of her flesh.
Author note:
I decided to keep most of Rei's time in the arena in a time skip, as it would have taken uncountable chapters to write all of it. I considered having at least one more chapter of fights but decided against it in the end.
This doesn't mean Rei's time fighting in arenas is over, though. She merely takes a break from it as there are more pressing issues for her to deal with. My plan is for Colosseum Inc. to be a sporadically occurring element in the story as Rei grows in power, so I hope that will be enjoyable to read.
Regarding [Sovereign Aura], I was hesitant about what to name it.
It started out as [Royal Presence], but I think 'Sovereign' better encapsulates the feeling Rei gets when it's active. Let me know what you think and if you have alternatives that sound better.
Comments
Monadologist
I'm kind of glad you did the timeskip. 50+ fights turning this into Hajime no Ippo would have dulled any sense of urgency to the narrative.
Lazerus56
I expected more time in the arena but a bunch of fights would have been monotonous . I like the occasional tournament arca but there would need to be some stakes.
