One important thing to remember as a Samurai is to keep your loved ones close.
They’re one of the single best ways to keep yourself grounded in the here and now.
Not to mention, helping them out of the pit this fucked up world threw them into is one of the most viscerally satisfying things I’ve ever experienced.
-Speaker at a Family get-together, 2048
Identity changing revelations aside, I had a job to do! First things first I-
Before I could even think about figuring out a plan, my stomach made its presence known, and I was soon beset upon by the twins while Benny rushed into the restroom behind me.
“Spark,” Autumn says as she poked me in the belly, “Evie said that if you didn’t eat, she’d put the ramen in your pillowcase later.”
I looked down at Autumn, then back up at Evie as my face twisted in horror, “Evie! That’s beyond disgusting!”
Her terrifying answer was to look incredibly smug, “Like I said this morning, we gotta keep you on your toes. Can’t let you get too complacent. Now go feed yourself!”
Hanging my head, I walked over to fix myself a bowl only to find it already prepared. “We both made you some, so you wouldn’t have to!” Summer stated, a gigantic grin on her face.
The pair both instantly hugged me from either side, “You’re okay right?” Autumn sniffled, “you got all scared and then ran into the bathroom. No more cuts or bites?”
I ruffled her hair, “I’ll be ok, just a few things I needed to figure out alone. Thank you both for worrying.”
Once I was able to extricate myself from the hug, after sending the twins off to comfort Evie, I sat down with my pre-made bowl, and began to think. I needed more points, badly. I didn’t know how much I would need to get the body I wanted, but it had to be expensive.
‘Pyri, can you split my point total?’
I can, but I need to know in what way. I assume this is a transition fund?
‘It is, I figured you would have a better idea for what I should bank, and how much I should save up.’ I pulled up the Vulgora video Pyri was showing me and rewound it to show a Vulgoran woman. ‘Something about the Vulgorans calls to me. I can’t describe it, It just feels right.’
I see, what exactly would you want with regards to improvements? Assuming you want to remain flesh and blood, you can genetically enhance yourself to the point of dissolving your current body and rebuilding a new one. Additionally, bionics and cybernetics are also avenues you can take.
I ate a bite while thinking; while it was kind of… well, gross, the complete rebuild option sounded like the best one. Just be one and done, with all sorts of other goodies baked in.
‘What kinds of enhancements?’
You could be capable of matching world class athletes in speed, strength, and dexterity without tiring. Arguably more important are the potential improvements to your resilience, you could be much more difficult to hurt with the proper upgrades. Particularly of note is the use of a bioenhanced trait that Vulgorans developed that makes them heavily resistant to electricity, enough so that electrocution is no longer a threat. Bionics would improve all of these even further, cybernetics rounding out anything else, and where possible, they’d be able to be combined with the bionics so that any potential damage you receive could be healed easily.
‘The fox-like bits?’
I was about to get to that. Assuming you go with enhancements styled after the Vulgorans, you could acquire a tail that is proportionally as long as the distance between your waist and your calves. Your ears could be moved higher up your head and replaced with ears similar to those of a fennec fox, which are incredibly adept at venting excess body heat. Depending on your choice, you could also get a light dusting of fur, and perhaps even claws if you so wished. Finally, your eyes could be made aug compatible, and your regular vision corrected.
That last bit felt off for some reason, so I mentally filed it away for later, but we both had gotten distracted from the main question. ‘But how much would this cost ballpark wise? And how do you recommend I save for it?’
At the bare minimum, I would advise setting aside twenty-five-thousand points for this. As for saving as part of your doctrine in general, Instead of over-engineering a system, I recommend setting aside an emergency fund for medical utilities or weaponry. You will accrue the points naturally, especially if you use weaponry with a relatively high entry cost but incredibly low upkeep.
I chewed on that for a few moments, only to jump out of my skin when a finger poked me in the side. I turned and then blinked up at Evie, who was holding her own bowl of rameny goodness.
“Have room for another? My Mom is asleep, and I figured I might as well eat something myself.”
I coughed in surprise and nodded, a swirl of anxiety making itself known right next to my heart. How would she react when I came out? I could rip the band-aid off right now, but that would require a lot of strength I just didn’t have at the moment.
“Spark, you’re thinking too hard about stuff.” I looked up to find Evie looking at me with an arched eyebrow. “What is it?”
“Oh! I, uhh, I was talking to Pyri about point applications, and we were about to talk about weapons.’ The lie came far too easily to me, and judging by the way her eyebrow only went higher, Evie didn’t entirely buy it either.
“Spark, you have an overclocked power washer.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why not just use that?”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
My eyes moved to said washer, the tool in question laying in a heap next to the cot I had my flashback in, “I mean, it’s nice now, but it still would have issues once I get to tougher xenos, or a swarm.” I grimaced as a thought stopped front and center in my head. “Also, I probably shouldn’t have gone for building a weapon rather than ordering up something ready made.”
Evie nodded, “It definitely might have been the smarter option, but it wouldn’t be the you option. I say do what makes you happy! Design your own weapons!” Her voice quieted as Aunt Nyra stirred in her sleep. “Well, that, or upgrade what you buy from Pyri yourself. I doubt the Protectors are hardliners against the right to repair stuff, like certain equipment companies we know of.”
Before either of us could say anything else, Benny came running up to the table we were eating at, and put the phone-thing on the table. “Pyri said I should give this back, and that I should take a nap. Good nite!” He then gave us both a quick hug, and ran off to a cot to lie down.
[If I may interject, I believe Spark should choose the latter of your suggestions. It would also be quite cost-effective to be able to upscale your gear yourself with just a few parts, rather than spend money on an entirely new weapon. In addition, any modifications you make, I can copy to make future iterations better in the case a replacement is needed.]
I sigh, letting my fork rest on the side of my bowl, “So, what do you think I should get to start myself off then?”
[Due to your positive responses to fighting with weapons that electrocute your adversaries as well as your interest in Vulgoran technology, I would highly recommend purchasing the Class I Vulgoran Combat Technologies Catalogue, and getting a weapon from that.]
Pre-empting the question I knew was coming, I explained, “Electrical weaponry.” As I continued, I could feel my lips turning up into a smile. “Basically I’d shoot bolts of lightning at stuff.”
Evie giggled, “You’re completely sold on that already, aren’t you Spark?.” My cousin rolled her eyes, then playfully pushed my shoulder. “Just be careful, I doubt you would expect shocking everything around you just cause it was raining.”
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head, the image of me electrocuting myself by standing on top of some sheet metal or some standing water running through my mind.
“Uhhhhhh, yeah, how about we start with something… that won’t do that.” I shake my head, trying to think of options. “Preferably, a weapon that will work in close corners, and won’t cause too much collateral damage.”
[There is indeed an option that can act like that. Unfortunately. you do not have the points for it. I recommend using the ‘Powered Washer’ to gain more points first, so that you can unlock proper weapon Catalogues to have more choices.]
I frowned, poking at the phone Pyri was talking through. “There isn’t anything in the Utility Catalogue that could be modified to meet those standards?”
[Fortunately, for your own safety, there aren’t any shortcuts you can take.]
Evie thumped me on the head and fixed me with a stern glare. “Spark, quit trying to nuke yourself!”
I pouted right back at her, “There ain’t no reason to be hitting me like that! It’s not my fault that taking a more,” a feral grin spread across my face, “shock and awe approach to combat sounds so appealing to me!”
Evie’s glare turned murderous at the pun. “Ya know what? Instead of sitting here doing nothing, why not consider an option you haven't looked at yet.”
I tilted my head to the side, “And that would be what, o’ wise and revered leader of our humble abode?”
“Armor, you ding dong.”
“I- You- I don’t-” I spluttered in a failed attempt to defend myself, while Pyri responded,
[Unfortunately, Spark does not currently have any armor or defensive catalogues at the moment. However, for one-hundred points, you can buy an insulated suit designed for use in factories on Vulgora. It is tear and puncture resistant, and notably is shock-proof.]
“Fine, go ahead and buy it!” I grumbled. Evie was right in the end, but the principle of the matter demanded I be a bit of a little shit about it.
New Purchase Class I Vulgoran Electrician Suit 100 Points Reduced To: 11
A flat box plopped onto the table next to the phone, as something about the chart on my glasses befuddled me.
“Uhhh Pyri?” I point up to my glasses. “Why are the numbers-”
[You gained five additional points once the others were deemed safe. I decided not to inform you of this because of your panic attack.]
My lips pressed into a line, “I can’t really argue with that, can you just put a point tracker on my glasses somewhere?”
I had barely finished my sentence before a trio of zeroes appeared on the top left of my vision, the rightmost one ticking up to a seven.
“Thank you, now for the real fun part.” With that done, I opened up the box to find myself looking down and a shiny navy blue suit. Taking it out to investigate further showed it would be skintight and had multiple padded surfaces that were slightly darker. The arms and legs all had vibrant cyan lightning bolts running down the sides. To round out the aesthetic, there was a large purple bolt of electricity on the back.
It was also very soft.
I made sure to add padding in a few places to hopefully decrease potential dysphoria. For the intended purpose, baggy clothing could cause issues later.
A small smile comes onto my face. ‘Thank you, Pyri, that actually means a lot.’
“Well? Don’t keep me waiting in suspense!” Evie pops up and pushes on my back. “Go put it on!”
She practically corralled me into the restroom like an unruly pig, shutting the door as soon as I was inside. Sighing in defeat, I kneeled down to untie my boots.
“Hey Pyri, are my boots safe? We never got those replaced.”
Your boots are surprisingly robust, and should be able to stand up to any electrical attacks you can currently dish out. If that changes I will warn you ahead of time. Also you will not need to remove your undergarments.
A sigh of relief passed my lips as I gave a nod in response and began stripping. After a minute or so of deliberately not looking down as I shuffled around, I started pulling the suit on. Despite being snug, it easily slid over my skin and practically latched on when it was pulled on all the way. Soon, I was zipping up the clearly tailored suit up the front, before pulling the protective flap closed.
Turning to the mirror I was able to experience the feeling of actually not hating what I saw for once. It didn’t do anything too obvious, but it clearly did some padding tricks to make my hips just a bit wider, flatten the cursed thing down below, and just highlight a few spots here and there.
Sub-vocalizing a thank you to Pyri, I practically burst out of the bathroom with a wide smile on my face as I fought the urge to skip over to my washer.
“Well, I can’t say it doesn’t look good on you.” Evie’s voice called out while the twins gasps of amazement ran in the background. She tilted her head as she studied the suit, “You look different in it too, but I can't put my finger on it.”
My eyes found the floor as I fidgeted with my hands, “Um, thanks?”
Evie shook her head as she turned to look at Aunt Nyra, “Just be careful okay? You won’t have backup this time. The washer is cool, but don’t over use it. You saw how long it took to kill some of those things.”
I huff, lightly stomping my foot in indignation. “I-I won’t, I’ll stay safe this time, I promise!”
With that, I quickly donned the backpack washer, pulled my gloves on, and made my way back out of the bunker.
A small ember of anger had made itself known in my heart.
Those overblown brush piles would regret setting foot on my home turf very soon.