Sophie arrived at her apartment and slumped onto the couch. Over a year ago, she had discovered that her liberal use of the Ghost trait was slowing down the speed at which her skills levelled. She’d had to make the tough choice to stop using it, only to discover that her thievery missions became multiple times harder. However, her efforts were finally rewarded when she received the system message she had been waiting for.
Master Thief has reached level 100!
Class: Master Thief has reached maximum level.
Master Thief Trait: Ambidextrous has been unlocked
New Class available!
She felt a rush of cool energy flow through her body and moments later she was moving both hands around at once. Her left hand now moved smoothly, none of the rough, janky movements it previously performed. She marvelled at the change for a bit, then checked the trait description.
Trait: Ambidextrous - The natural ability to move both hands smoothly and simultaneously without restraint.
It was good. Really good. It would also pair perfectly with the class she would be picking next. The Unification War had started just a few weeks ago and Sophie desperately wanted the means to protect herself. That led her to choosing an offensive focused class.
Class selected: Gunner
Skills Unlocked: Shooting (Basic), Gun Combat (Basic), Gun Knowledge (Basic), Quick Reload
Quick Reload: Lvl.1
Reload any gun faster.
Shooting (Basic): Lvl.1
Grants basic knowledge of Shooting.
Gun Combat (Basic): Lvl.1
Grants basic knowledge of Gun Combat.
Gun Knowledge (Basic): Lvl.1
Grants basic knowledge of Guns.
The surge of information entered Sophie’s brains and she grimaced at the headache that began to form. However, as the knowledge settled she nearly jumped for joy. It was exactly what she had wanted. Her time collecting guns whenever she could hadn’t gone to waste. She’d be able to practise with a broad range of weapons, hopefully allowing her to speed level the new class.
Name: Sophie Mortimer
Age: 8
Class: Gunner - Lvl.1
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Profession: Mechanic - Lvl.88
Traits
Ghost, Thief’s Instinct, Ambidextrous
Class Skills
Sleight of Hand: Lvl.10, Parkour (Intermediate): Lvl.10, Stealth (Intermediate): Lvl.10, Thievery (Intermediate): Lvl.10, Quick Reload: Lvl.1, Shooting (Basic): Lvl.1, Gun Combat (Basic): Lvl.1, Gun Knowledge (Basic) Lvl.1
Profession Skills
Problem Solver: Lvl.44, Mechanics (Basic): Lvl.44
Cyberware
Chronos Sandevistan: Available (1 short use (5 seconds) per month. Further body modifications will increase limit) (God)
Kiroshi Mk.1 Optics (Common)
Store: Available
Inventory: 5m x 5m x 5m
M-Coins: 75,500
Sophie grinned as she looked at her growth over the last year and a half. As she went to close the page however, her eyes snapped back to the cyberware section. Available!? I can use my sandy now!? When did my birthday pass? Her enthusiasm was slightly curbed by the harsh conditions to use it. However, the fact that it was now active after sitting dormant in her back for years was cause for celebration in her book.
She wanted to test it out. She also had a new class to experiment with.
New Mission
You have lived in Night City for nearly a year, spending much of that time sneaking around in the shadows. That is an achievement itself. Now however, you have the means to confront your enemies head on. Extinguish someone’s life for the first time.
Difficulty: Easy
Rewards: Custom Weapon Token (Mythic), 1 Gunner level
The mission stopped the girl short as she stared at the difficulty. She…hadn’t really thought of it much. It hit her pretty hard that killing someone was considered ‘easy’. The fact she was planning on killing someone to progress her personal power didn’t make it any better. She slowed her short walk down as she headed to her personal armoury. It was an idea she had come up with, inspired by the Stash that the future V would use.
She had knocked down the wall separating two of the empty rooms to turn it into an armoury. Inside, the walls were covered in weapons, each with their own special indent. She’d also made sure to collect plenty of ammo during her heists as she wasn’t keen on buying it herself.
She looked at the wall of weapons, deep in thought. Her stomach churned at the thought of killing someone. Yet it was something she had to do. She lived in Night City and wanted to be the best damn merc around. She retrieved a Liberty pistol from the wall. The instinctive knowledge from her skills allowed her to handle such a simple weapon with relative ease.
If she was going to kill someone for the first time, not by accident but with true intent, then she would do it up close. Killing from afar with a sniper may be easier, but it was impersonal. No, she would choose a scumbag, someone nobody in the city would miss and end them as personally as possible.
-----------------------
Parked in her Shion, she stared at the lone Tyger Claw eating at a noodle stand. Rita had sent her his details when she asked for targets. He was a disgusting, murderous psycho, a man the Mox wanted dead. Sophie had spent the last few hours following him. He finished, didn’t pay and wandered off towards his bike, parked a couple dozen metres away in an alley. Sophie got out and followed him.
As he got closer to the bike, Sophie pulled her gun out of her inventory. They were in an alley with no cameras or people around. She didn’t forget to activate her sandevistan. The world froze. Sophie could feel the ability to rewind her steps and return to her car. She could also feel the ability to move right behind the man while he was frozen. She used that power, positioning herself behind him. She raised the gun to the back of his head and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She realised it was the fault of her Chronos Sandevistan. The bullet couldn’t leave the chamber of the gun until her timer ran out.
The world snapped and time returned to normal. The bullet left the chamber, finding its way straight into the man's skull. It exploded like a gruesome firework. He crumpled to the ground with a wet thud. Sophie gagged and quickly fell to her knees, vomiting. The blood pooled around the man and quickly reached her clothes. She staggered to her feet, belatedly realising that her use of the sandevistan had significantly weakened her body. Pushing her way through time was not to be taken lightly. Her body was far too weak to handle the immense strain time itself put on it.
She went to pass the man’s body, then stopped and fished out a chip from the back of his neck. She slotted it in, then sent a command to her newly stolen bike, directing it to the garage below her apartment. It drove off while Sophie slid into her car, directing it along the same path. Laying in the seat seemed to take the edge out of the gradually intensifying pain in her body.
As the car drove, she groggily listened to the car’s radio.
“The first conflicts between the NUSA and the Free States of North America have erupted. Both sides are currently locked in a stalemate. It is expected the war will wage for some time.”
The announcement made Sophie realise the beginning of the Unification War had arrived. It meant things in Night City would change soon, although she wasn’t sure how much she’d be affected. The news spokesperson continued to speak, but Sophie was entirely drained of energy, quickly falling asleep.