Chapter 80: Dreadwire
August 26th
Ripley’s twenty-seventh day… and he’s fighting three Tier IIs.
”Hey Dreadwire!” Razorpede was the first to speak after I beheaded Simenry. “That was hot! What do you say we get rid of the others and scurry to a bar!”
Huh? I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m committed.”
She attacked in a blink after my rejection, a meshwork of deadly blades collapsing onto me. My four spider limbs piloted me away, scurrying across the walls as I yanked out my pistol to begin firing away.
Fredrick wasn’t one to leave me alone either, my drone warned me as he aimed and took single-action shots that whizzed past my head or torso, it would have been fatal without the Arachnodyne to maneuver me around.
Then Long swept in between a gap of Razorpede’s lashings, getting behind me as he placed me in a pincer between him, and Razorpede and Fredrick. His attacks came fast, and they came hard.
If my arms weren’t reinforced to Bronze Grade they would’ve dented with every blow. But he wasn’t an onslaught of attacks like Razorpede, he came slow and deliberate — waiting for gaps in Razorpede’s assault where he could safely slice in.
Fredrick was much the same as he only shot when Razorpede was left in the clear, but as long as I could track his aim with the drone then I could more or less handle it. The most deadly issue here was Razorpede, as I moved my Arachnodyne arms away from the walls to deflect her wild hammering of whipped blades, I knew a battle of attrition wasn’t the way to win.
At the very least… I had one last way to cause some infighting, it should be any minute now.
Razorpede’s downpour of metal and sparks continued to be an issue. Unlike Simenry, she left very little time in between one strike and another, using both arms expertly to wear me down. If her current arms were as good as the ones she’d used on Diamante, my Arachnodyne would have probably been torn to shreds.
Though if there was one thing I had learned about her, it was how those claws worked. I twisted my body, dodging a fatal piercing lunge from Long behind me, he immediately stepped back — avoiding an accidental tearing of his neck from Razorpede’s long whipping arms.
She sneered, slamming her arm aside to pin me into the wall but my Arachne arms yanked me above the long skeletal limb. Then I multiplied my thoughts.
’Razorpede’s arms’ X ‘Breakdown’
The Feature Link active in my right hand and Arachnodyne sang to me in melodies of Razorpede’s arm. The weeks I had spent digesting that knowledge all coming to me at once. I shot a spray of my fingers at her, striking into her arms at around the parts I wanted to.
Gold Energy flailed down my shoulders and into the wires, sinking deep as the Databreak Module activated. A compound of an Iron Dataweaving and a Bronze Jailbreak joined as one under my mind, and I unleashed a deadly DataCleaver of Twilight’s through the limb to allow my claw tips free access.
Its joints snapped and broke down, freezing it into a limp, dragging noodle.
She hissed, only magnifying her aggression with the other arm while I freed my claw from her. Given space to attack, the other two pushed their advances, hauling their asses to take me down.
Fucking hell! One blade whipped to my back while bullets whistled inches from my head!
’Arachne’ X ‘Webcrawler camera’
The two thoughts merged and multiplied, my arms blurring as they intercepted katana slashes and dragged me from mind-blowing bullets. My Warp Energy was dropping like a spilled bucket at this rate, it was true that these spider arms drained me like a motherfu-
Focus Ripley! Now wasn’t the time to hold back! My left arm steamed and exploded out a whip-blade of my own, based on the designs of Razorpede’s arm and using parts from Priest Norgwal’s tentacle-like limbs. I could see her eyes burn in anger at the recognition, but I didn’t use it on her.
I swiped it at Long, smashing hard against his blade to knock him back a few feet while I focused my Arachne onto her. Four arms against one, I managed to deflect then pin her whip-arm down, snapping a joint to reduce its range by half.
Then I leaped with the arachnid limbs just in time to avoid Fredrick’s rifle, looking down upon Razorpede’s weaker state. My upper Arachnodyne limbs rearranged their tips, arrow-like spears aimed on the concrete behind her. They shot, they hooked, they pulled.
My body shot forward, a streak of darkness bathed in gold.
My Mantis legs drove a stake right through her heart, blood splattering to the ground behind her as her eyes took one last look at me before fading away. Breathing out a puff of air, I realized I was staring right down the barrel of Fredrick’s arm.
He grinned. “Thanks for giving me a clear shot.”
I leaped back just as fast as I had descended, a hailstream of bullets following me, managing a pretty cool backflip on the way down to once again put Long between me and Fredrick. I could see a vein pop in the latter’s head.
”You can’t keep putting people infront of me man!”
”That’s your fucking problem!” I yelled back, pain drooling across my side.
”Enough!” Long silenced us. “You will give back what you took, Dreadwire!”
”Tch…” I smiled, but slowly… I felt a deep dread build up inside of me. And pain… alot of pain… I stared below my ribs, warm blood was drenching through my clothes at an alarming rate. Looks like Fredrick had gotten a good shot in, actually. I had basic balistic armor on… but something pierced into my cybernetic liver… no bones broken, though, I could still do this. I’d have to remove the bullet later — for now, my Preservation Matrix kept me standing.
I wheezed an agonizing gulp of air, switching over to Stabilize. It was the very first modified BUG I’d made… and I’d need it to win this fight.
Warp Energy 18%
Recovery rate: 0.5%/min
I had to finish this quick… the Arachnodyne was taking heavy damage for such an experimental Shardware. “You really that pissed Long? Then how about we have an actually honorable duel.”
”I am honorable.” He pointed his blade at me.
”Sure thing you are, sending mercs barely an hour after I left your place. You lost fair and square that day…” I sprayed my waist down with a Nanomachine-filled MedSpray loaded in one of my claw’s fingers, the bitter chill distracting me, but the Mimicked Module allowed me to keep it away.
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”Fine. A duel then.” Long took the bait.
”A duel?” Fredrick laughed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! You Muramasa pricks and your honor-boners-!“
”Keep speaking and I’ll drive my blade into your stomach.” Long kept his gaze on me, but his words sliced into Fredrick.
”Fine…” The Las Diablos enforcer raised his arm to Long’s back. “But once you’re dead, he’s all mine.”
Their conversation had given me enough time to reach into my pockets and consume the five Bronze Shards I’d kept as a reserve from R0N1N’s investment, now I was truly out.
Warp Energy: 68.5%
Alright, that should be enough to get out of this alive… it quite literally cost me my life’s savings. I took my stance, all six arms poised to meet his assault.
’Long’s signs’ X ‘Shardware Combat’
Long’s nose crinkled, his shoulder leaned and his blade- whacked right into my arm. I’d meant to dodge it, was he faster now?
”You aren’t the only one who can make out the other’s intentions.” Long whispered, his eyes a fierce black as he withdrew his blade and swung again, heavy and domineering. My Arachne arms blurred like rabid snakes, curving and sparking off the contact with his sword but…
Shit, he was pushing me back. It’s almost like he knew what I was about to do?
So I whipped my left arm’s blade around him, hoping to snare him. He articulated the blade and pinned the whip into the wall with it, skillfully tugging it so that I was yanked towards him — his blade slashing for my throat.
The Burn Module took over, my right claw grabbing the blade just in time to keep it from slicing my carotid and jugular wide open. Though he managed a small nick on my chest, and I felt the wound fester and bleed right open as the wound burst beneath my armor.
He still had half a blade of Necrotium, right. He snickered. “You sure you don’t want to return my blade?”
”Sorry mate.” I pulled him forward, jabbing my left claw and commanding all four Arachnodyne arms to pierce his torso. “Sold it.”
”You what?” With a strength betraying his frame, he swung the gripped sword hard enough to smash me into a wall, lunging again to drive it into me like a stake.
My four extra limbs came into play again, whacking the tough man’s arm and one even stabbed into his leg. But it barely budged through… he had an Endoskeleton? A really tough one too.
With one slice, he struck the joint of the Arachne stabbing into his leg, breaking it off with ease as he moved to kill me. I grieved the loss but not as much as I feared losing, so I used the other legs to propel me right at him. His blade made the tiniest cut on my ribs that burned like a mother fucker.
”You have quite a strong resistance!” He tried to push it all the way through, but I hooked my right elbow around the weapon. He yanked it out. My forearm fell to the ground with one swipe. Shit, this was really bad!
Losing the Livewire claw and an Arachne arm severely cost me my defense, and it’s not like my own offense was making it through either. Where was he pulling this shit from?
I remembered what information Elsa had about him, he was good at taking them down quickly… but equally good at the long con. All that time I was battling it out with Razorpede, the reason why he was so cautious, was he watching me? Learning?
Dragging myself back with the one remaining lower Arachne limb, I honed in with the other two as they engaged with spear-heads. Aiming both at the walls behind him, I reeled myself forward with my leg sprouting a blade to cleave him with.
He struck the Livewire rope with his blade, it didn’t break, but the change in angle threw my momentum off to smack me into a wall. Compensating, I unleashed a light sonic impulse from my legs to recover, my shin striking his forearm powerful enough to launch him back to the entrance of the alleyway.
His blade had gone flying in the distance, and his forearm was bent in half and bleeding. He still had organics in there, but something gave him an unnatural amount of strength. Why only replace your skeleton?
I grabbed the wall with my one remaining arm to hoist myself up, but my left leg crumpled underneath. That kick had been too much…
Long winced in pain, eying me like I’d stepped on a puppy as he looked at his broken arm. “You…!”
He pulled out a small dagger from his waist, a maniacal grin plastered across him. “I’m going to enjoy this… just you-“
Bronze-Grade LR Bounty update!
Dreadwire is now worth 1 Million Shardyne! Issuer: Mr. Skeleton.
Details: Please bring his unique Arachne-based Shardware intact and unharmed for payment. M.S.
It had taken it’s time but Mr. Skeleton finally made his move, all it took was one picture of me climbing my way through Little Requiem and Elsa spreading the information about Dreadwire stealing an Arachne from Metal Heavens. That man was a Shardware fiend, he’d do anything to get his hands on something like this.
Since these guys were hunting me down, it was easy to expect that they’d be receiving updates about my bounty. If there was one thing I learned while having a Gold Implant — nothing got people more fired up than money.
Blood spurt from Long’s body, Fredrick launching an entire ammo-clip that left the swordsman riddled with holes. He collapsed, leaving me in view of an entirely healthy Fredrick who looked at me like I was meat on sale, practically watering at the mouth.
”I don’t know how a nobody like you managed half of what you did, but this is like stealing candy from a baby and making a mil out of it!” He raised his gun at me, and I instigated my Wield Module.
My connection to two External Links heightened in seconds, first through my mask which hooked up into the Webcrawler bot, and second into the pistol I had holstered.
”Hasta la vist-“ A pulse of electricity splattered on his Frame, not quite burning it out, but reeling him in pain for enough time that I could lock on. My left arm reached for my holster, aimed the Interloper, and fired.
The bullet went through his eye before drilling into brain matter. He sputtered, a river of crimson falling from the empty socket, and he fell lifeless.
Huh… I did it? I was ready to call Diamante halfway through the fight with Long… but I did it. I won. It cost me two arms and a leg, but I killed four Tier IIs.
”Diamante…” I hooked up the call, and he answered immediately. “I did it.”
”I know… I had a sniper ready. Damn. Wasn’t… expecting it.” His voice was low, but the awe in it only bolstered my pride. “Don’t beat yourself up about Long. That was unnatural strength for a Tier II, stay a sec, I’m getting the van.”
It was barely a minute before a van backed into the alley, Diamante coming out and helping me into the cargo. He whistled at the bodies. “Was really impressed by Razorpede, you took her down quick.”
”Yeah.” I winced, I still had some wounds that I was feeling a lot more now after the adrenaline had faded. “Used up way too much Energy though, damn near drained me dry dealing with three of them at once.”
”It was impressive, Ripley. Really, you’re beyond what any Tier I should be capable of… except me, I could have done that at your Tier. Probably with less damage too.” He spoke as he helped recover my broken parts and load the four bodies next to me, proof of my victory.
”Yeah, sure you could’ve. You had the Hammersmith make your fucking body.” At the very least, I wanted him to know that I knew. I liked him enough to not lie to him everyday.
He stayed silent for a moment, before his voice raised. “Well everything you’ve got is from your grandfather!”
Right… Missy said that Diamante hadn’t linked the two together yet. Maybe I’d play that lie on just a liiitle longer.
It surprised me when he corrected himself, sounding almost guilty. “Sorry, that was harsh. You worked for this Ripley… I know I don’t say it but… I’m proud of you. You’re pushing yourself harder than anyone I know.”
”Thanks… that means a lo- what the fuuuuuck!” I stared in awe as out of Long’s body, a Bronze beetle dug its way through his flesh. A SIM, but he had an Endoskeleton which required a BUG?
He was… “Shit Diamante, Long was a Dual Adapter.”
”He was a- well no fucking wonder you couldn’t kill him! Man probably had massively reinforced musculature to compensate for his skeleton! How’d you even get the other dude to kill him?”
”Bribed him.” I joked.
”With what fucking money do you have left? You’re like a sinkhole for Shardyne!” Diamante’s driving grew rougher, I shook around in my seat.
“I didn’t. Mr.Skel… Mikail did.” That was another thing I didn’t want to lie to him about.
Diamante adjusted the mirror, looking at me with eyes that I never expected to think of as soft. “Hey… that’s a bad memory. I’ll tell you about it someday, once all of this Yuzhou bullshit is cleared off, but for now, just… don’t bring him up.”
”Got it.” I nodded with an understanding.
”Good kid.” Diamante smiled, and so did I.
I really did trust him as a friend now.