The following morning, Sophie was running through some exercises that Vik had given her. Even though he was pretty confident she wouldn’t run into any cyberpsychosis issues, he was still worried. Thus she was following his directions. Admittedly, she quite enjoyed them, even if she didn’t think they would actually do anything. She’d asked her system about the risk she would go cyberpsycho and the answer was quite positive.
Your risk of cyberpsychosis is dependent on both body compatibility and willpower. The better your implants suit you, the less likely you are to succumb to related mental issues. Likewise, an increase in willpower will ensure you don’t face any mental problems.
Sophie was quite happy with that, especially after she had received the Iron Resolve trait. Apparently it could be upgraded further through facing challenges and persevering as well. Considering she had a challenge that would be arriving soon, Sophie figured she would need all the mental strength she could muster. After all, Misty was coming over to visit, something Vik, the sneaky old bastard, had organised.
Unfortunately, Sophie had avoided telling Misty about the accident that caused her to lose her original arm, then also the danger she had been in when she was grinding out her Gunner class. Her thoughts came to a crashing halt when the elevator sounded. The subsequent knock on the door brought her back to reality and she quietly padded over to it, cracking it slightly.
“Sophie? Can you let me in?”
“Hey, Misty! Uhh, why don't we chat like this? I hear it’s a real preem way to talk.” Misty pushed harder on the door.
“Sophie. Let me in. Vik told me to come over and spend some time with you. Have you done something stupid?” Although she could have closed the door, considering the strength of her adamantium arms, Sophie decided not to. Misty was one of her closest friends and it wouldn’t do to push her away over something stupid like her injuries. She let the door open all the way, only to be greeted by a gasp.
“Sophie! What happened!?”
As the young girl explained and Misty berated her for her stupidity, Sophie only had one thought. Maybe I should have closed the door.
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Sophie felt like it took an eternity for Misty to stop fussing over her. The older girl was slightly mollified by the promise that she would spend the week resting but was still concerned. Eventually however, they moved on to lighter topics. Misty started telling her that she had run into an old friend chatting to Vik and that they were reconnecting. Sophie had a suspicion that it was someone she knew, but ultimately she decided not to go chasing him. Though she did tell Misty to introduce them if they were ever in the same area.
“So, what are you going to be doing after your week’s break is over?”
“Ahh well, my Shion ran into a bit of trouble. It’s all shot up and I’m pretty sure Maelstrom is gonna be lookin’ for it.”
“You…You’re such a trouble magnet. I can only worry how bad it will get once you’re older. So? What are you going to do about your car?”
“I was thinking I’d give it to Rita after I get a new one. I’m planning a trip into the badlands to see if I can get my hands on a Wraith’s car. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a Quadra out there. Although, would you like my Shion? You’ve never shown much interest in cars before, so I didn’t think to ask you.”
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“I’ll pass, especially if it’s got Maelstrom’s attention. They won’t risk antagonising the Mox but they’d be willing to get rid of me.”
“Ah. Yea, I didn’t think that through too well huh,” Sophie scratched her cheek. The rest of the day passed quickly, the two girls spending their time chatting and relaxing. After they had dinner, Misty left with promises to check in every day or so and although Sophie had fun, it was exhausting. Different to the exhaustion from massacring a small part of Maelstrom but exhausting nonetheless.
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A few days into Sophie’s break, she was wandering away from Lizzie’s, Rita beside her. The Mox bouncer was gushing over Sophie’s new arms, a stark contrast from Misty’s reaction. After hearing that Sophie was taking time off, Rita had decided to drag her back to her place. It was Sophie’s first time there, and admittedly it wasn’t quite as nice as her own apartment. When she had some excess cash, Sophie decided she’d deposit some in Rita’s account so that she could get a nicer place.
“Alright! Come on Soph, I’ll show you how to make mud sculptures!” Rita was very passionate about her sculptures. It was something she had been doing for years and Sophie got to see a rare side of Rita where she was simply happy. Considering how much shit the woman dealt with everyday, it was nice to see her so free.
Sadly, Sophie was not good at sculpting. In fact, by the time she stopped trying, Rita’s whole face was twitching as she looked at the mess her young friend had made.
“Well. I think it may be better to stick with what you’re best at.” To prevent Sophie from continuing her muddy mess, Rita sat her in a chair and started making her own sculptures while the two girls chatted.
Rita mentioned that Maelstrom had been real quiet after Sophie’s adventure, making her realise she may have gone a little overboard. It did, however, remind her to offer Rita the car.
“Hey Rita, my car is pretty hot right now and I’m looking to get rid of it. But I’d prefer not to scrap it or sell it. Any chance you’d like it? With the connections the Mox have I’m sure you’d be able to modify it enough that Maelstrom would never know it was the same car that I used to flatline their chooms.”
Rita sat back and thought about it. “It’s not a bad idea and my rust bucket Supron is pretty junky. I’ll check with Suzie later but I reckon it’ll be fine. But if you get rid of it, what are you gonna use? You can’t always use your bike after all.”
“Yea, I’m looking to get my hands on a nicely modified Quadra. It shouldn’t be too hard, just a little bit of danger.”
“Well, I’m sure Night City’s resident master thief will get her hands on it. I’ve not seen anything stop you yet.” By the time they hashed out the details it was late. They went out for dinner together, then Rita headed off to Lizzie’s for a night shift while Sophie went home.
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As her week of rest began to wind down, Sophie sat down and started dealing with her system business. The first thing she did was pick out her new class, Markswoman. Just like Master Thief was a direct upgrade from Thief, Markswoman was a direct upgrade from Gunner.
Class selected: Markswoman
Skills Unlocked: Rapid Reload, Shooting (Intermediate), Gun Combat (Intermediate), Gun Knowledge (Intermediate)
Quick Reload: Lvl.10 → Rapid Reload: Lvl.1
Rapid Reload: Lvl.1
Reload any gun significantly faster.
Shooting (Basic): Lvl.10 → Shooting (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Shooting (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Grants intermediate knowledge of Shooting.
Gun Combat (Basic): Lvl.10 → Gun Combat (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Gun Combat (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Grants intermediate knowledge of Gun Combat.
Gun Knowledge (Basic): Lvl.10 → Gun Knowledge (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Gun Knowledge (Intermediate): Lvl.1
Grants intermediate knowledge of Guns.
New knowledge flowed through her mind, building on her previous foundations. Admittedly, it was a feeling that Sophie was beginning to enjoy. Once she had finished digesting the large amount of new information, she opened up her full status page.
Name: Sophie Mortimer
Age: 8
Class: Markswoman - Lvl.1
Profession: Mechanic - Lvl.88
Traits
Ghost, Thief’s Instinct, Ambidextrous, Iron Resolve, Recoil Reduction
Class Skills
Sleight of Hand: Lvl.10, Parkour (Intermediate): Lvl.10, Stealth (Intermediate): Lvl.10, Thievery (Intermediate): Lvl.10, Rapid Reload: Lvl.1, Shooting (Intermediate): Lvl.1, Gun Combat (Intermediate): Lvl.1, Gun Knowledge (Intermediate) Lvl.1
Profession Skills
Problem Solver: Lvl.44, Mechanics (Basic): Lvl.44
Cyberware
Chronos Sandevistan: Available (1 short use (5 seconds) per 1.5 weeks. Further body modifications will increase limit) (God)
Kiroshi Mk.1 Optics (Common)
Raven’s Claw Cyberarms (Legendary)
Full Body Subdermal Armour (Epic)
Soulbound Weapons
Talons (Mythic)
Store: Available
Inventory: 5m x 5m x 5m
M-Coins: 25,500
Sophie loved that she could track her progress so clearly. She was very satisfied that the cooldown for her Chronos Sandevistan had shortened so significantly, a factor she attributed to her new chrome. It may have been a bit rough but the last couple of weeks had massively improved the young girl’s power.
Hmm, I think I’m gonna steal a car tomorrow. That shall be my reward for being on my best behaviour the past week.