Chapter 78: Itsy-bitsy Spider

August 24th

Ripley’s twenty-fifth day… and he’s working on the Arachnodyne.

Yesterday, I made major progress in the Arachne’s movement. Today, I was dealing with its shell. Too heavy, and my center of mass would be off, I’d need to use the mantis blades in my legs every time to avoid being thrown off balance every time I used them. Too light, and they wouldn’t have the punch needed to do any damage.

We’d had the fabricator produce a variety of Warp Materials to test them out, but so far we weren’t finding anything definitive to use. Iron-Grade Warp materials were just on the cusp of breaking the laws of physics, so it wasn’t like I had a magic material waiting for me.

I’d need to make sacrifices. That was the only way to make the Arachnodyne work. The only suitable material was an alloy of Yttrium Steel and Ferrium, the former produced a weak electric current under the influence of Warp Energy while the latter got harder by absorbing them — combined with Warp Sink, I could make my Arachne resistant to Bronze-grade attacks. I’d recently gotten a much better understanding of electromagnetic application, but that was for another reason.

Every corporation had a specialty. NeoCore was supplied by the other corporations, but had special engineers to produce unique tools for their Agents. SynTec was good at efficient Shardware fit for the general consumer, and had breakthroughs in hard-light technology and nano-machinery. Mazhyr was the premier ground for experimental Shardware and Implant usage, in terms of overall engineering that pioneered the future, they were at the forefront.

Imperium was the head of development in organics. I’d heard of a unique variation of Shardware known as Bioware, which used the organic matter of the MALformed to create tools and weapons made of living cells. Haithama was a communications magnate, having experts in Warpcode manipulation and Net safeguarding.

Yuzhou was all about making the most of energy, in terms of output they outshone the others by miles. Weaponry in the forms of firearms and Exosuits were unrivaled by their competitors, all thanks to their understanding of Electromagnetics to capitalize on the creation of Plasma weapons and Railguns.

So I needed to be prepared. It was an additional benefit that by studying Yuzhou’s applications that I managed to learn how to work such a material into existance. Of course, to power this material meant it would drain my Warp Energy rapidly every time I wanted to use the Arachnodyne.

”Remove the eyes.” My mom repeated.

I was extremely against that. “I need them for scouting!”

”You can… at most, use them for looking over a corner.” She chewed her pencil.

”I can use them for a lot more, besides what if I’m being shot at and need to scout from behind cover?” I knew I was making good points.

”You have a tiny robot to help you with that, too?” Shit, so was she.

“Just two eyes, then?” I pointed out.

My mother sighed, but began typing something in the air. Her eyes widened as she stared at the imaginary screen in front of her. “That… falls under our thresholds… just barely! ”

”It works?” I asked.

”It works!” Her eyes became stars at that moment.

We had done it, we had made a working, finalized, model for the Arachnodyne.

———

August 25th

Ripley’s twenty-sixth day… and the Arachnodyne is nearly done.

Everything had built up to this. As we sliced, wired, built up and tore down, everything was coming together. Our research from the two arms in Metal Heavens’ care, Livewire usage in Shardware, Electromagnetic application, Feature Linking, engineering, building Shardware from scraps, learning how to compact Shardware like how the Endoskeleton turned into the coffin.

We were doing it. We strengthened its shell with the alloy, installed Livewire based musculature underneath it, ran a network of expertly laid Neurowires to connect to the spine. All four of my new arms were coming together.

Then, once we were done constructing it, we activated the mechanism for it to rearrange and compact down. Like origami, it folded, going from a large arachnid structure into a neatly ordained plate about the size of both hands with around three inches of thickness that would be submerged into my back’s musculature.

I laid down on my front, as my mom and Diamante brought out their tools to install it on my back. Four plates clicked in and wired through over the longest hour of my life, two by my scapulae and two below my ribs.

It was painful, maybe this was what having your back dug out felt like. Elsa held my hand through the procedure, giving me the strength to power it through.

”We’re done, Ripley.” Diamante sounded like he’d been shot. “Dammit, you tough son of a bitch, you did it.”

”I did it…? No, we did it.” I stretched myself out, feeling complete at last with the four plates filling out my back.

Internal Link Established: Bronze-Grade RipTech Aracnodyne Mk.1

Integrity: Bronze I

Energy: Bronze IV

Capacity: Bronze IV (Effective: Bronze III)

Grade: Bronze III

Feature Links: Breakdown [Technician]; Capacitance Limiter [Accommodation]

Description: Originally a work of Alberich Gravas, better known in the criminal world as The Hammersmith, it has been modified by his grandson Ripley Donovick to become an Internally Linked Shardware. With the aid of his allies and his mother, and the spending of nearly a million Shardyne, this Shard Operating Shardware has been modified for combat and mobile usage.

”Well, Ripley. What are you waiting for?” My mom could barely hold herself together, seated down breathlessly.

I nodded, anxious but equally excited as the rest of them, I sent a tingle of my Warp Energy down my spine, four branches extending sideways into the metallic plates. Weight and force pushed from my back, my sensations spreading beyond my mortal self as two camera feeds poured into my view from the eyes in the top two arms.

In a few seconds, I got evidence. Elsa sent me an image of her view, but I couldn’t help but stare at my girlfriend when she looked so adorable in her awe. I tore my sight to the image of myself, I had four powerful limbs extending from my back — each exactly 2.4 meters long with three joints across its length.

And a glowing nipple. Putting that aside, the Arachnodyne was exactly the image I’d envisioned.

Entirely black, a delicate gray and gold shine emanated from underneath the plates, their meager sight seemed almost organic compared to the thin but powerful arms which were steel and strength personified.

I practiced moving them, the sharp tips whirred around and I tested their range of motion as they snapped with precision and speed. With them, I had a sphere of protection, I threw up an old wrench I took from the table.

Then I imagined swatting it out of the air, that was all it took for one arm to buzz into motion and lash out at the airborne metal. It bounced off the ground, dented and bent in half.

Laughing at the sight, I was taken aback by how mentally exhausting that had felt. The limits of my Capacitance were being pushed now, but I had something to help.

Two Bronze BUGs with the Accomodation Feature, one had an extra Dataweaving and the other a damn good Integration. I planned to use both other Features in my Mimicset. I was beginning to collect a lot of these half-filled Bronze BUGs, a shame since they took up so much space. Theoretically, I could have over ten Feature-variants available to me at once. That was assuming each Bronze BUG was full.

Sighing aside, I ingested the two BUGs, willfully forcing them to conform to the dogma of ‘Using the Arachnodyne’.

Technician V.2.05 has updated to V.2.07

Effects:

* Improved usage of Shardware: Arachnodyne.

* All Shardware below Bronze-Grade has its Capacitance reduced by 1 tier.

Capacity is now Bronze I

Iron-Grade Capacity Boon: All Musculoskeletal Shardware has their capacity lowered by 2 tiers.

Capacitance Alterations:

* All Iron-Grade Shardware Capacitance reduced by 1 Tier.

* All Shardware modified by 40% or created by the Adapter has it’s Capacitance reduced by 1 tier.

* All Musculoskeletal Shardware reduced by 2 Tiers.

* All Shardware Operating Shardware capacitance reduced by 5%.

* RipTech Arachnodyne Capacitance reduced by 1 Tier (Feature Link: Capacitance Limiter).

Capacity: Bronze I [Effective: Bronze IV]

* RipTech Neuroframe: Iron IX (Iron VII) [12.5%]

* Right RipTech Claw (Livewire): Bronze II (Iron IX) [11.6%]

* Left RipTech Claw (Slicer): Bronze I (Iron VIII) [9.2%]

* Left Mantis Leg: Iron IX (Iron V) [10%]

* Right Mantis Leg: Iron IX (Iron V) [10%]

* Riptech Soulbranch Spine: Iron X (Iron VI) [11%]

* Riptech Arachnodyne: Bronze IV (Bronze II) [28.3%]

* RipTech Liver: Iron IV (Iron II) [7.6%]

* Lens: Iron 0 [0.1%]

Capacitance = 100.3%

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I had it just at the threshold, I was prepared to be around 130%, that would’ve been dealt with from an Accomodation BUG, but this Iron-Boon I received for jumping up a Grade really helped. Everything was in place, now all that was left was me.

It was time to practice.

———

August 26th

Ripley’s twenty-seventh day… and he’s practicing with the Arachnodyne.

So, first thing to note about the Arachnodyne, it was quick and agile just as intended, moving to strike like a serpent at the tiniest feather of my thought. The actual Shard Operating tips of the Arachne were around the size of my forearm, a large upgrade to the three-inches in my claws.

That meant they had a lot of space for upgrades, and alternate forms.

We’d decided pretty quickly in our conception to have the the top two Arachne arms be my traversal arms, their tips had an additional shell they could engage to become sharper and harder and had mild electroconductive properties to better manipulate Livewire.

Their most useful mechanism was to engage a unique spear-head shaped like an arrow. I charged my energy through the two limbs, pulsing into the Livewire within. Two large spears shot out, a thin wiry rope of gold connected to the limbs, they hooked into the walls of the old mall — a tug ensuring they were secure. Securing them to balance with my center of mass, both of them bent perpendicular to me, before a command of my thoughts was sent between them.

They pulled me up like a spider flying on it’s lines of webs, my lower two Arachne limbs extended, catching the blow and softening the impact as I slammed into a wall. Thank god I reinforced this spine. My mantis legs started up, driving a stake using the blades that could now extend from both the knees and my calves, fastening me on the wall.

Then I aimed the two upper limbs again, deliberately choosing another wall and repeating the process until I forced myself to get used to it.

———

I held my breath, charging up the lower limbs to push on the ground. The fine tips pushed against the concrete, driving me up in the-

Wait no, fuck, the tips were stuck too deep and my launch was botched, sending me awkwardly hurtling towards a wall.

Ow.

———

Okay, okay. We adjusted the lower limbs' tips. They were the more powerful pair, meant to aid my short-range defense. This time, three prongs ejected from the triangular tips, reducing the overall pressure as they pushed on the ground.

They launched me high up into the air, and I prepared them again for the landing. It was rough, and I rolled across the ground, but I was unharmed by it. Satisfied, I practiced again.

———

I stared at the scraps on the table like I was about to feast on them. My four spider-arms peering across my sides like curious students, their heads snapped open and close like flower petals, the triangular tips shifting into their Shard Operating toolset.

I started. My two human limbs could handle precise Warp Energy manipulation better than the Arachne arms, but the spider-limbs were the unmatched winners of actual engineering. The Scrapyard Protocol running in the background guided them, and it took me less than a minute to create a precise and working replica of what my old claw used to be.

This was it, this was what it meant to be a Gold.

———

This time, while swinging, I instigated my legs to use a function of theirs I hadn’t really explored. Collected from the Dogwhistler’s homeless compatriot was the Shriekstone Warp Material, using a warp-enhanced version of the Mazhyr’s seventh electrical law — to create vibrations from electricity — it could generate pretty damn strong kinetic impulses across my leg.

I surged it to work while I was in momentum to swing into a pillar. I may have misaligned the kick, because the blast of air behind my legs accelerated me into the rock.

———

Test two. I swung, and I used my legs to control my motion. The steady stream of vibrations pushed on the air, it wasn’t quite a double-jump but more of a sudden shift in the arc of my movement. I curved around the pillar, my golden strands catching around the stone and curving me back in a spiral.

My Arachnodyne arms caught the landing, fastening into the stone while I stared at the world beneath me. I wasn’t quite so scared of heights now… well, maybe just a little.

———

Integrity is now Iron X

Energy is now Iron X

Psyche V.2.06 is now V.2.07

Effect: Reduced fear of heights.

Energized V.2.02 is now V.2.03

Effect: Increased efficiency of Warp Energy through Bronze-Grade Shardware.

That was all I’d managed from practicing with the Arachne today, but I still had a considerable pool of Warpcode collected from all my consuming of BUGs, which had practically spent all of the money R0N1N had given me.

Still, even if I didn’t have any updates pending, I wagered it was enough Warpcode to do one of two things. It could boost another one of my stats into the Bronze I Tier, or it could get Data Mimicry to V.2.00. I had been trying to get it there the patient way, but so far it seemed perfectly content with how it was.

Maybe because deep down, I was content with it. It was serving it’s purpose, allowing me to use any Feature I could get on a BUG, but was that all I could get from Data Mimicry? No, I could also use it to ascribe Feature Links, to transmit Warpcode more efficiently and even alter the way I consume it.

Then… where else could I take it? A Unique Feature…

I stared at the development progress.

Tier I: 70%

So close, yet so far. August 30th was the date to complete it by, three days. Would it be impossible to get it to increase another 10%? No, but I needed more BUGs for that, Bronze BUGs preferably, and I didn’t have the money to buy more.

So then I needed to steal more.

I sighed, playing with one of the many Bronze BUGs I had left over. This too had only one Feature remaining in it, a Sustain Feature with a Protocol to monitor Warp Energy concentrations in the body. I had been using it to work out my new protocol to absorb Energy, but there was also this nagging feeling that maybe it could be transcribed into my own Energized feature.

Of course, it wouldn’t be as precise. But as it stood, it wasn’t worth slotting into my Mimicset since there were other Bronze BUGs there with better Features, and this only has one logged onto it.

An incredibly stupid but brilliant idea popped up in my head.

I could absorb and digest Warpcode and Engrams, I had a pretty good feeling now for what all the Features felt like… could I create one? Okay, more precisely, if I had two half-filled BUGs could I save space by combining them into one?

Creating a new BUG? What was I, A MAL?

No, this needed me to write out the steps. First, I would begin to absorb the Warpcode and then… somehow, stop the digestion process. Then, I would begin to transfer the whole Warpcode into a different BUG, similarly loading it in like how I did for a Feature Link.

Simple in premise, I expected the actual task would be close to impossible. After all, a large part of the variety in BUG pricing was the fact that certain combinations worked better than others.

Jailbreak and Integration? Easy access to any foreign tech available to you.

Network and Dataweaving? You could transmit deadly waves of Warpcode that send your enemy into a mental hospital.

Accommodation and Overclock? Not only do you have extremely powerful Shardware, you can charge it to become even more deadly.

The possibilities may be endless, but some variations were better than others. But if one could control those variations then… it would be very easy to make a lot of money.

Which only made me want to try it out more, first with possibly improving a Feature. I decided to ysea simple Iron and Bronze BUG, both with Sustain to see if I could increase the effectiveness of the Feature when I mimic it. Besides, I wanted to first try controlling Iron Warpcode in this capacity than shooting staright for Bronze.

So I harmonized with the BUG, drawing in it’s information down a steady stream. But I held it there in my arm, ignoring the prodding desire to suckle it into the confines of my Implant. Instead, I floated it across my chest, up into my other arm which held the Bronze Bug with the same feature.

The second Iron and Bronze met, they violently clashed. The Bronze orb vibrated like it was going to explode, vehemently protesting any modification to it… not one to give up, I switched in a Dataweaving Feature and used my Thought Multiplier.

’Warpcode manipulation’ X ‘Implants’

The knowledge of both topics became one and the same, light shone on avenues in my head that I didn’t even know existed. Somewhere deep in me, I pulled from my Energized Feature’s protocol to convert between grades, then I also squeezed on Data Mimicry to search for common ground between both Features.

My Gold Energy swept up the arm, overshining both dull colors until I thought the Bronze orb was aflame under my bath of Gold. Come on… there, a slight break in the Bronze’s resistance to the change.

They were both Sustain Features, both of them wanted to keep their Adapter alive and focused. It was nature for the Bronze to consume the lesser grade, but that was the thing I understood better than anyone. What it was like to consume a Feature.

I didn’t berate the Bronze for doing so, I just monitored it, guided it. My Gold drained into mediating the process as Iron sank into the Bronze BUG, becoming one with it. After a few minutes, it quieted down, satisfied.

Compound Feature Module Identified: Iron Sustain V.1.03 + Bronze Sustain V.2.04

Reading Warpcode…

The User may Mimic the Modulated Feature: [I+B] Sustain

Oh… now that was interesting.

I complied, sweeping in the information as it slowly settled in my head. Staring at my hands, they were steadier, but not slower, like they could do anything at a moment’s notice. My whole body felt that way in fact, my heartbeat thrumming at a constant pace, my organs loud and clear that they were alright.

My Warp Energy though, I could sense the slow rise and creep as it leeched onto my metabolism to fill itself up.

Warp Energy: 53%

Recovery Rate: 1%/minute

Active Usage: 0%/minute

Both… Features were active at once? I felt it, falling under one common banner. The Iron’s bonus to my physical control and the Bronze’s ability to monitor and stabilize my internal conditions, as well as improve my Warp Energy recovery. All of this was confirmed once I read the Update Summary, there were three protocols taken into consideration.

Update Summary:

* Protocol: Energy Monitor can be mimicked, allowing the Adapter to gain a percentage-based readout of their current Warp Energy storage.

* Protocol: Emergency Metabolism cannot be mimicked, instead the Adapter has a small boost to their recovery of Warp Energy.

* Protocol: Motor Stability cannot be mimicked, instead the Adapter has improved co-ordination of their limbs.

* Greatly improved coordination of movement.

* Greatly improved metabolism.

* Greatly improved organ efficiency.

Then it came, my update.

Data Mimicry V.1.15 has updated to V.2.00

Effect: Protocol: Rewrite can allow the Adapter to modify Warpcode within Implants to create synergistic links between similar Features known as Modulated Feature.

Would the Adapter like to rename this Module?

You’ve… got to be kidding me? I had definitely stumbled onto something big, really big. I knew Unique Features could really be weird, it was widely known that NeoCore’s Michelle Silva had some capacity to predict the future and Yuzhou’s Xiaoming Baizhu could theoretically touch a MAL and turn it into a weapon… but this? To change the properties of Implants?

They were basically how the world’s economy ran.

Yeah, I had no idea what was going to come after this, but I knew… it would be big. That’s why I needed to keep this a secret, from everyone.

Everyone.