"When insanity is the answer is it really insane?"
-Musings of Winston 2056
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I just sat there listening to the voice that just started speaking in my mind.
System Initialized!
Congratulations.
Through your actions you have proven yourself worthy of becoming one of the Vanguard, a defender of humanity. I am Mara. I will assist you to uplift humanity so that you may defend your home world from the Antithesis threat! Rise, William Grazer, and become a protector of the weak!
Now the reason I use glasses to interact with everything that most people use augs for is simple, I don't want corporations to be able to track me when I leave the city. I can shut off the glasses and still see plus as Janelle said it doesn't seem fair to me to use augs to track down deer, squirrels, and other prey. I am aware from some various sources that in order to use Samurai technology effectively augs are... Recommended to put it mildly.
"So how is this going to work Mara you said your name was?"
Yes, my name is Mara. For now, we will just do as you have so far and use the glasses until you have enough points to replace them. Speaking of points, you have accumulated 320 may suggest some first aid? I'd suggest Class I Medical Utilities for 50 points and then 15 points for a Nano-Regenerative Suite for your broken ribs. Afterwards we can talk about replacing your rifle and ammunition or possibly some armor if you do not wish to replace the rifle now.
"Ok patch me up." I said as I fished my glasses out of my pack and put them on.
Purchased:
Class I Medical Utilities catalog 50 points
Nano-Regenerative Suite 15 points
New total 258
Was displayed in the heads-up display of the glasses as a plastic box covered in a woodland camo pattern appeared in front of me. As I followed the instructions to use the nanos, I realized something.
"Shouldn't I be at 255 points?" I asked as I entered a random barber shop to get off the street while continuing the conversation.
You would be yes except that three of the people you aided have arrived at the shelter, so you gained points for saving them.
"So, I gain more points for hunting Antithesis than by saving people good to know."
Yes, however while saving a single person does not gain you as many points as killing a single model 3 if you keep an eye out for people you may end up gathering more points than you'd expect without putting in too much more effort. Your current handgun should be adequate for the time being as for your previous rifle might I suggest a faster firing version. The catalog for Class I Repeating Rifles will cost 50 points. Considering how you a currently dressed may I also suggest the (UNGODLY SCREACH AND HORRIFIC GROWLS) Class I catalog for armor and augs?
"What the god damned hell was that?" I ask looking for possible Antithesis to shoot.
I'm sorry that was the name of the catalog, it doesn't translate well into your language. Some other Vanguards having seen pictures of the species have dubbed them Sasquatches. Class I will cost 130 points but will give you access to camouflaged armor, augs which can see other camouflaged entities, and cybernetic and physical enhancements.
"I'm not going to end up looking like a damned Sasquatch later, am I? I don't need fucking trophy hunters coming after my ass. Also, augs that let me see other stuff that's camouflaged sounds awfully specific."
It is a possibility however only if you chose that route. That said by the time you looked like one no normal human would be able to hurt you. The augs do more than that as well like thermal vision, telescopic sight, and other functions to aid in tracking of not just Antithesis but animals and people as well.
"So, in other words the augs take all of the challenge out of hunting."
Yes, but this is more than just hunting now you are a Vanguard in the war for the survival of Humanity.
"Point taken, how much for the augs?" I ask now actually taking the idea seriously. "Can you make the rifle look like my old one?"
The augs will cost 300 points only because you don't currently have any augs. We could upgrade your glasses to do the same for much cheaper, but I'd advise against that as the glasses can be separated from you much more easily than your eyes. Your old rifle if you don't mind me saying was rather flashy compared to the rest of your equipment, so why make the new one look the same?
"That rifle was passed down from my great grandfather my dad gave it to me when I left the Harrisburg area to find less strained hunting grounds. I was hoping to give it back to him eventually. Why bring up the augs if I can't afford them anyway?"
You can purchase an exact recreation of the rifle at a later date if that is what you wish it will cost 1 point. I suggest a ghillie repeating over wind long shot as what you should as your means of hunting Antithesis for now it costs 10 points. It shoots the same ammo as your handgun and previous rifle. It's semi-automatic can hold forty rounds in a clip. One point can get you 400 rounds which can come already loaded into spare clips for both the rifle and handgun. Unlike your old rifle and current handgun, it is silent. I mentioned the augs so you can keep them in mind for further down the road as I believe the human saying goes. Aside from the rifle I would suggest some armor so you can make it further down the road. For fifty points you could get the armored ghillie suit which will protect you from even lower double-digit Antithesis. I would also suggest that at some point you replace your handgun with a silent upgrade as well. I am aware that you spend very little time in civilized areas of the world and the Antithesis you run into in the wilderness may very likely be more dangerous than what you will meet in the city to today.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Fine open the catalogs and get the rifle." I say after thinking about all the information I had just been given. It seems stealth and camouflage were going to be even more important to me than it already was.
Purchased:
Repeating Rifle Class I catalog 50 points
GROWLS Repeater rifle 10 points
400 rounds .45 caliber 1 point
Sasquatch Class I catalog 130 points
Armored Ghillie Suit 50 points
Points Remaining 17
Three boxes with a woodland camo pattern appeared before me. One 4' long, another looked like an ammo tin, the third was the largest. I opened the largest first and found a coat, pants, helmet, gloves and boots that would make me look like a walking bush. The coat had plenty of pockets probably to carry the magazines of ammo in the tin. I changed into the ghillie suit once I was done a new icon popped up on my glasses, I activated it and saw in one of the barber's mirrors everything except my face disappears. Now that is fucking AWESOME. I thought to myself. I turned it off and opened the last two boxes the one that was 4' long held the new rifle it had a digital camo woodland pattern on it. The one that reminded me of an ammo tin was exactly that it held 9 mags for the rifle and four 10 round mags for the handgun, which I put in several different pockets so as to evenly distribute the weight and make sure they didn't knock against each other as I walked.
" If I can turn almost invisible is there a way to speak to you without actually speaking out loud which defeats the purpose?"
Yes, it's called subvocalization form the words without passing air over your vocal cords. May I ask what your plans are now?
"I plan on going to Winston's place he had more ammo for me. If I'm going to hunt the damned Antithesis I'd rather go as long as I can without spending points. There is also a shelter in his building so we might be able to help people get there." I said trying out this subvocalization thing and realizing I succeeded when she responded.
That is not actually a bad plan for as far as it goes.
I opened the door of the barber shop and scanned the street with my eyes trying to see if there was any prey. Not seeing any I stepped out onto the street and started walking south towards Winston's place. Three blocks later having not seen any 3s or tentacle devils (which Mara informed me were model 4s) and passing a group of about 50 of Janelle's neighbors, I got hit by something I didn't see and got knocked the opposite side of the street. Luckily my glasses were still on my face, and I activated my stealth and looked around and saw nothing. Moving quietly to my left so as to not be in the same location incase whatever it was pounced again. Then I caught sight of an icon that was added recently but I had never had the occasion to use before another going away gift this one from my mother. It allows access to most municipal surveillance camera networks and even some corporate ones where she got it I don't know, and I don't fucking want to. I activated it to see if something had run in between the buildings again I saw nothing. WHAT THE HELL.
SHOOT THE FIRE HYDRANT.
Not a normal target by any means but I shot it anyway. It flickered and changed shape. I shot it again it became a dead monstrosity. (She wasn't kidding when she said the new rifle was quiet.)
Target Destroyed
25 points gained
New Total 43
"What the fuck is that and are there more of them and does the fact that I have 43 points remaining mean that the 4th person I helped earlier made it to the shelter?" I subvocalize.
They are called model 9s. Checking the camera feeds now looking for differences between stationary objects. I see four more possibilities in a ten-block radius. Marking them on your map.
"Good we'll see who the better hunter is." Staying in stealth I moved toward the closest point on the map three blocks to the west away. On the second block I came across a pack of three model 3s three silent headshots later I moved on.
Targets Destroyed
30 points gained
New Total 73
"Can you just put my point total in the top left corner of my heads-up display these notifications are disrupting my vision while looking for Antithesis."
Of course, I can and done.
"Thanks. Next block over what will I be looking to shoot?"
A set of mailboxes that wasn't there before the incursion. It's next to the door of the yellow building.
As I slowly moved into the next block, I caught site of the target just 50 yards away. I raised my rifle and took aim and squeezed the trigger twice the mailbox melted into a misshapen alien just as the fire hydrant did.
"Where's the next target?" Instead of answering Mara brought up footage of an abandoned green van just appearing in the middle of the street four blocks directly north of my current position. No one drove it there and no one got out of it. As I went north one block, I remembered being ambushed by a 4 so I checked the cameras for the last 20 minutes a found one had skittered into an alleyway. I crossed to the other side of the street and tried to get a look at it but because of the position of the sun the alley was in shadow.
"Damn. I don't want to leave it there and have it ambush someone else. Any ideas on how to spot that thing?"
Yes, deactivate your stealth and walk over there. The aug that you're saving up for would be able to find it. 9s are far more dangerous to you your armor can easily handle a four.
Not being a fan of this plan, I took a minute to just stand there and see if I could find it again. I didn't find it. So, I deactivated my stealth slung my rifle on my shoulder and walked over while pulling my handgun. As I approached the entrance of the alley a noise pulled my attention to the fire escape of the building to my left. I saw something shift in the shadows took aim at the shifting darkness and fired two shots. The damned 4 hit the ground of the alley the counter in the top left of my vision clicked up to 113. I stowed the handgun, unslung my rifle, and reactivated my stealth. I didn't even make halfway up the block when six model 3s came barreling out of the alley. They shuffled around looking confused for a minute. I raised my rifle six headshots later; I began moving north again. The next block was uneventful, but the cameras for the next showed another pack of 3s with something larger with them.
That's a model 6 it's a heavily armored model with a slightly higher intelligence and limited command abilities. Hit it in the head to take it out quickly. While you can kill it by hitting it elsewhere it will take more shots and even if they can't see you, they might be able to figure out which direction the shots are coming from.
Seven shots later another four showed itself two more shots and my point counter read 218. As I accessed my surroundings, I noticed the green van had moved. I had a clear line of sight. So, I raised my rifle again and fired twice more. 243 almost there, with nine more shots left in the clip.
Next is two blocks east and one more north. If you go east first, according to the cameras you'll run across another pack of six 3s with two 4s.
I looked at the camera feed for myself and noted where the pack was. I looked at the surrounding buildings and picked one that was ten stories tall as a sniper nest to ambush said pack and made my way to its roof. As I surveyed my sight lines, I realized that the pack was moving faster than I had anticipated and this could get to be an umm... Clusterfuck would be an appropriate description. As they were close enough to my selected building that they might use it as a way to get away from the invisible threat shooting them. Close quarters against Antithesis is not a good thing for me... Yet. My record in close quarters being 0-2 having broken my rifle and ribs the first time and wasting an entire clip the second make it hard to call them victories even if others consider just surviving said circumstances victory. I sighted down my rifle on the lead 3 and opened fire. I was able to put down two when as I feared they entered the building whose roof I was standing.