There are many ways in which Samurai can distinguish themselves from others. Limiting yourself to a specific type of weapon or wearing specific colours or outfits. The specialisation in specific tools tends to be commonly distinguished as well, and then there are also body modifications turning parts of yourself into a machine or, more commonly, into that of a different species. For some reason, foxes tend to be really popular to the point where I wonder if there is some kind of virus that just affects Samurai.

-- Samurai and their fashion choices, by the Purple Truth.

I open my eyes. It is still dark inside the room, which is not that surprising. We are still very much underground. I release a happy sigh as I hug my blanket. Talking to Maniac had been so much more fun than I could have imagined. She is great and makes me feel like I am not alone anymore. Wait, I should not think like this. What if she hears this and thinks I am weird? Can she even see me as weird? We are both the same-ish person, right?

Ugh, good job, Evelin. Way to ruin the moment. I slowly sneak out of bed and back into the living room. I have some shopping to do and would prefer some privacy as I do so. I look around the living room, spotting more doors leading to different parts of the apartment. I open the one with a lock and find myself inside the bathroom. I smile: this will do nicely.

‘Lyssa, are you awake?’ I subvocalize.

What part of our continuous interaction gave you any indication that Lyssa needs sleep?

‘Right, AI. Stupid question. You are just so real sometimes that it is easy to forget. Sorry.’

Lyssa does not mind. It means Lyssa’s programming is truly the best, but why have you snuck out of the room?

I swear, she somehow sounded proud while saying that.

‘Right, I wanted to do some shopping and I prefer to do that with some peace and quiet.’

Lyssa likes this development. What do you need?

I take a deep breath. ‘First of all, we will need a way to store our memories. Maniac and I have an idea to use the Digi-brain as some kind of storage solution. Making sure that there are no gaps in our memories.’

Lyssa thinks that such an alteration is rather easy to afford. There might be some lag, but it will be minimal.

‘Cool, so we take that first.’

New Purchase: Psychological Separation Inhibiting Localized Occipital Consciousness Yanked Back Into Neurologic-balance

Points reduced to... 74,231!

‘Yanked?’

There are not many words starting with a “y” that are fun to use.

‘Right, my mistake. How could I forget such a simple fact.’ I pause for a few seconds. ‘I don’t feel any different.’

That is because it makes sure that there is no missing information between switches. Since you haven’t switched, there is not much of a change.

‘Well, that is cool. Now that the important stuff is out of the way, I want a new eye.’ I say.

Any specific quality it should have?

‘It should look exactly like my old one.’

Your tendency to not change the way you look is not healthy, and Lyssa would advise caution. Maybe taking something that is more useful would be better.

‘Sure, that might be okay for anything else, but not my eyes. I won’t compromise. It is the only part of me that is still me.’

Lyssa has some stuff in your Stone Heart catalogue that could work. Can Lyssa at least advance its capabilities past your biological limits?

‘Would it look the same as my old eye?’

That is possible.

‘Then it is fine.’

New Purchase: Biological Limit Integrated Neuron Discernment

Points reduced to... 73,231!

A box covered in graffiti appears in front of me, and I smile. Inside I find a long ciliary contraption and a piece of cloth.

‘How does this work?’

Hold the applicator to your eye and activate it. It will start the restoration process. Once that is complete, use the eyepatch to cover it. It will prevent swelling and infection, helping with the reintegration of your eye.

I nod. Sounds easy enough. I grab the wand-like thing, put the opening over the eye socket, and activate the device. The device hums softly as I feel something come out and open my eyelids wide. The next few minutes are not what I would call torturous, just rather unpleasant, and besides what I assume is disinfectant, is rather painless. Once the process is finished and the machine turns off, I grab the eyepatch and put it over my eye.

‘Wow, that was something.’

Installation was successful, and your new eye should become fully operational in a few hours. What else would you like to buy?

Lyssa sounds happy, it is almost like she has been waiting for this for a long time. I smile at Lyssa's antics, I guess she is just really excited to spend some points. ‘I won’t be buying anything else. The rest is up to Maniac.’

I try my best to switch to give Maniac control of our body but for some reason nothing happens. Okay, how do we normally switch? Well normally we would use the mask but i don’t really have that option anymore. I look around spotting my own panicked expression in the mirror.

“Maniac, Maniac, Maniac.” I whisper to the mirror.

Nothing happens, so i guess we can rule out scary ghost stuff. I do have one other idea. I lean close to it so I can fog it up. Then, I draw a little mask on it with a little smile. I focus on it, trying to imagine myself as Maniac or something, as I stare at my covered face. Slowly I feel myself slip away, as if I am about to fall asleep.

My body turns cold as i catch myself, that is new. I guess it is hard for me to come out if there is no actual danger. Let's get back to buying some more toys then.

‘Lyssa, good. We have a lot of gear to get through. Are you ready?’

Lyssa was quite literally made for this.

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‘Okay, great, let's start with a new mask. Any fun ideas?’

Any specifications it should adhere to?’

‘Well, I would like it to have similar capabilities, storing equipment, projecting different outfits, and such, but stronger, something that protects me from taking too much damage.’

That could be arranged. You do have a token available if we unlock the class two combat garments, Lyssa can definitely get you more protection.

I frown. ‘Where did we get the extra token?’

You got awarded an extra token for defeating the worm-like antithesis that was chasing you. Lyssa has judged its capabilities equal to that of a model in the 30s, so a token was awarded for your first defeat of one.

I think for a second, but there is really nothing else we could use a token for at the moment, and protection is important.

‘Sure, let's use the token.’

Anything else you would like to add to it?

‘Hmm, more outfits would be cool. Maybe give it the ability to fold or something so it is easier to carry. Hmm, what else? Ooh, can you give me a different face while I have the mask on me?’

Why do you want that?

‘So that I don’t leak my identity by accident, of course. If I take off my mask and what is underneath is not my face, I’ll be a lot harder to identify.’

It is possible, but it would require a lot of power, plus with the extra defences this would all become very expensive.

‘It is to protect ourselves, so it should be fine. What kind of protections are you thinking of? Stronger shields?’

Among other possible upgrades, yes. Lyssa was thinking of adding some stone heart technology to your defences, especially their spatial manipulation.

‘Spatial manipulation? How does that work?’

The basis is on stretching space by a factor of one thousand, making every millimetre of space between you and your clothes take an actual meter to cross.

‘I see, so they need longer weapons to pierce deep enough to actually hurt me. That does sound interesting.’

Not only that, it should also dampen any bludgeoning attack.

‘Sounds awesome, but that does sound expensive. How much is it?”

Forty thousand three hundred twenty points.

I let out a small whistle. ‘Well, that is expensive, but it should be worth it. Let's do it.’

Class 2 Combat Garments Unlocked!

Points reduced to... 72,981

New Purchase: Mask of The Queen

Points reduced to... 32,661!

A box appears, and I quickly open it, inspecting its contents. Inside is a white mask that looks exactly like my old one. I pick it up, noticing that it is a lot heavier than my old one. I turn it around, and the inside of the mask looks a lot more compact.

‘Mask of the queen, huh? Not some fancy insult this time or calling me a fool for wanting a mask?’ I ask, a bit surprised by the wording.

Lots of fools become queens. It is a natural evolution.

The way she says that makes it sound like the most logical thing and that I am stupid for asking. I shrug, who cares, and I put it on. I hear a small click as I feel the mask seal itself tighter to my face. I let out a content sigh as I feel my clothes form around me. I quickly wipe the mirror clean to look at myself properly. It still looks the same. No, wait, there is something on my back.

‘Lyssa, what is on my back?’

It’s the PsyCo logo. You are a part of that group, after all.

‘I see, that is actually a good idea. Are there any other options for clothing?’

Yeah, there are tons. We can get the hoody in any colour. Besides that, I have added the option for a jester outfit, she says as my outfit shifts, becoming red with black patterns and bells. Or a dress. The outfit shifts again, now becoming a long dress with a single slit in it, revealing my leg.

‘You have something that makes me fit in more in the undercity?’ I ask while looking at the way the dress moves.

Oh, yes, of course. My outfit changes again, this time to a green hoody with bear ears on the hood.

‘When I said to fit in, I just meant something more normal, not a lost kid in search of their teddy bear army.’ I say as I look at the child in the mirror.

Lyssa estimates that this will become a popular fashion choice in the undercity in about five years.

‘No, thank you. If I want to become kid-friendly, I’ll let you know.’

Right, Lyssa will tap into the local security network to get a more appropriate look.

My clothes change again, my pants turning into some kind of booty shorts and my top turning into something that is only merely better than a bikini top.

“Hey, what gives?” I ask in surprise, quickly covering my mouth.

This seems to be more in style with the locals.

‘Okay, can we go back to my normal outfit? How did you even do that? I am sure that I was wearing a full-length shirt and pants underneath.’ I say, still feeling mortified.

The upgrade that allows you to change your face also allows Lyssa to create fake skin in places where you are still wearing clothes.

‘Right, a different face.’ I say as I pull my mask to the side, noticing something interesting. There are little needles. I guess that is one way to keep it stuck to my face.

‘Lyssa, is there an option to retract the needles?’

Yeah, the siphoning needles can be retracted back into the mask.

‘Siphoning needles?’

They connected to your skeleton using it as an extra power supply.

‘That is cool!’ I say as I put the mask to the side, resting it on the side of my face. ‘So, character customisation, how many options do I have?’

I would say the options are quite limitless; hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, and the general shape of everything. Lyssa can even simulate scales or animal ears if you prefer.

I shiver. ‘I am keeping my eye colour.’ I say instantly. ‘As for the rest, I think I have some ideas.’

It took me several hours, but I think I finally got it. Short green hair with shaved sides. A brow and a lip piercing, a small scar running across my cheek and some dark green lip-gloss. I also elongated my ears slightly.

‘This is perfect,’ I say with a smile

Should Lyssa assume that this is what the alter Maniac prefers to look like?

‘No, this is a disguise. As for me, I prefer, I don’t really know. I liked the pink hair, I guess. Wait, now that I think about it, why don’t I have pink hair anymore.’

The heat has burned away your hair multiple times.

‘Okay, I see. Then, how do I still have hair?’

Hair is a metal deposit. With the amount of nanites you have been using, you had a lot to deposit.

‘I see. That is good, I guess. Anyway, it is almost morning, and I still need one more important item.’ Then I look at my hand, noticing the missing fingers. ‘Two things.’

And what items do you still need?

‘A weapon, preferably something long and, I don’t know, something that destroys corpses. I prefer to leave as little biomass behind as possible, now that I don’t have Bubbles backing me up.’

Lyssa has an idea for a weapon using aggressive self-replicating nanites to destroy any biological material it touches.

‘Sounds perfect, I’ll take it.’

New Purchase: Halberd Yield Penetrating Edge Reinforced Artifically Combined Tech-nanites Integrated Violent Extermination

Points reduced to... 30,161 !

A new box appears, this one several times bigger than any that came before it. I open it, revealing a slick-looking halberd covered in wires and circuits. In the middle of the blade, there is a round disk pulsing with power. On the staff, there is some kind of indicator telling me how much power the halberd still has.

‘Ooh, this thing looks dangerous. I love it.’

Lyssa would advise not playing with it too much since the space inside is limited.

‘Right, makes sense,’ I say, storing the halberd in my mask. ‘Last thing I need is to fix my fingers.’

Lyssa understands, anything special in mind?

I think for a bit. The fingers are not that big. ‘What about a needle? I have a bunch of drugs in my system. A needle that allows me to inject someone else sounds useful.’

That can certainly be arranged but without a proper surgery station integration is going to take a while.

‘That is fine, it does not look like we are leaving this place anytime soon.’

Understood.

New Purchase: Aseptic Narcotic Xenobiological Injector Overall Universal Sample

Points reduced to... 29,961 !

A small box appears. Inside I find two fingers. As I put them against my stump, they activate, making a spike of pain shoot through my hand as they connect. Well, that fucking sucks. I guess a room for surgery does make sense.

Suddenly I hear a knock on the door, and I freeze.