“Plant things need to die first. Don’t worry, I can handle a little fire. Do we have points for repairs yet?” I started to push away from the wall, shoving the dead from next to me back to give me space to use my fire extinguisher when the time was right.

<>You do. Shall I purchase the catalog? You now even have enough to purchase a base repair kit. Perhaps even enough for something more? There were twenty-five killed in the hall. At ten points each that’s two hundred and fifty. Giving you just shy of four hundred points. My suggestion is the Void Walker catalog for one hundred and fifty points. It will give you plenty of options as well as a structural integrity repair kit for an additional fifty points. Allowing you to repair the damage currently incurred.

“Do it. Just don’t make me open it or anything.” I started spraying firefighting foam up into the air, it fell on me putting me and my immediate surroundings out. It also triggered the fire suppression system in the hall. “Dumb building didn’t start fire safety stuff on its own?”

<>I prevented it to ensure the deaths of all the Plant Dogs as you call them. Repairs are underway, estimated time of completion is two minutes. Your frame is rather simplistic. You have an additional one hundred and ninety points, would you like options on spending them?

“Replace an arm with a gun?”

<>That is an option with your current points. The Void Walker catalog has several robust mechanical arm options for adding to exoskeletons. Your current body counts. Shall we replace one of your arms with such? They are fifty points each.

“Two. Ditch the shitty grabber arm and the dustpan arm for now. When I’m repaired I’m going to go reload on chemicals. Any ideas for decent guns? Something that I can use a lot of and not have to reload with expensive ammo right now? Also eventually we need to talk about hull upgrades, or maybe just a new chassis in general?”

<>Done. One moment for initialization and integration. As for weapons, at the moment a few points for Foxteeth might be appropriate. If you're looking for something more long-term, Perhaps a melee weapon's versatility? You will of course have to open another catalog for that. Also, should I Re-engage the automatic notifications of purchases and point increases?

I ignored the tingly sensations of the repairs as well as replacements. The new arms would be exceptionally handy, hehe.

“Not with these spindly things… need lots of firepower. Something easy and cheap to reload for sure. I’d rather not spend points on another catalog. You have any Gac weapons in the one I already opened? As for the notifications, no time for that shit. Leave it off.” I used my newly added arms to start shoving the Model Threes out of the way. “Y’know, Gravitically accelerated stuff? Like a MAC’s but with Gravity? That way I can just load junk in and fire that.”

<>I’m afraid gravitic acceleration is beyond you at the moment, but a basic magnetic-type rifle capable of using whatever metallic objects are handy beyond dedicated ammunition is available. On a previous note, do you prefer endoskeletons or exoskeletons?

“Uhh, what? …Oh, endo. I think. I mean I used to be a human, right? I honestly don’t know right now, gimme time to get my brain fixed and we’ll talk.” I started rolling back in the direction of the bunker, mostly for a lack of a place better to be at the moment.

<>Correct. The Void Walker catalog does not have many viable “organic seeming” endoskeleton options. If you prefer. But we can do a lot with exoskeletons and machine frames.

I cut the voice off. “Yeah no. Don’t really care at this point. Something we can slap a covering on later would be fine. Right now I need something that can be uparmored and is more mobile than this piece of crap.”

<>I can craft a basic endoskeletal frame that can later be covered to seem more human. Your brain is already well encased, only needing to move or replace some vital systems to keep you alive. This would cost you approximately three hundred points unless you wish to upgrade your life support in which case it would run up to four hundred and fifty minimum. Also, you have not answered me on the option of a Magnetic Acceleration weapon?

“Yeah. To both? Endo plus life support. But for now how much is the gun gonna cost?” I rolled back into the janitor closet and began to reload my previous setup. “Maybe we should think about explosives?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

<>You do seem to prefer fire and explosives, but they are not a long-term viable option. A short barrel MAC would cost you approximately thirty-five points. It will come with a beginning ammunition count of fifty. Additional ammunition should you desire is only one point for a magazine of fifty basic rounds.

I thought while I finished reloading the chemicals. Finally deciding that dropping to fifty-five points wouldn’t be a bad thing. Spend ‘em before you lose ‘em. “Okay. Gimme one to start.”

A box appeared next to me in the closet. It made turning a bit hard but after I pulled the stubby sub-machine gun-looking thing out I crushed the box into the wall so it wouldn’t be a problem anymore. I was now free to hunt, and so I did.

Rolling out of the closet I turned and began to patrol the floor, looking for more things to kill. The stairwell was open, the door ripped off, but no plants. I couldn’t get the elevator to open, it was signaling lockdown. The floor was basically cleared at this point. There might have been something in one of the labs, but I couldn’t get into any of them. So my only option was down. There were four more sub-basement floors and a sewer access at the bottom. Stairs have not been my friend, you try going up when you’ve only got wheels or sliding down on skids.

Upside, I could navigate stairs now with the arms without falling over or shooting down them at speed. It took some effort but I managed to get one floor down to begin looking again. Twenty minutes of looking sussed out exactly two green bastards. They went down quickly enough under a burst or two from the SMG.

<>This is not very effective.

“Well unless you can unlock the elevator so I can go up, it’s down or nothing.” I didn’t try to keep the smarmy jackass out of my voice as I began the arduous trek down another floor.

<>I believe that is possible. Although it would cost a modicum of points.

I stopped mid-motion on my way down between two steps. Had I a head and Naille a body I would have given him such a glare. Instead, I mentally sighed before continuing down the stairs. “Do I have the points for it?”

<>You currently have seventy-five points. So, no. You’d need to open up a cyber warfare catalog to break the lock. That would cost two hundred points combined, a hundred for the catalog and another for the implant.

“Then stop complaining about the effectiveness of this. I’m barely a fraction of the way to that goal. And not even a fourth of the way to the main minimum goal of a new frame. Which would make this whole thing pointless.” I shoved the door open to the next floor, entering muzzle first but with little caution in the action.

Probably a bad idea, as I found a wall of green in front of me as soon as I turned around the edge of the door frame into the hall proper. They were the usual high-aggression types of plant dogs plus a couple others. My little speaker squealed tinnily as I yelled a battle cry and unloaded the thirty rounds I had left. As soon as the mag ran dry I was quick to snap up my chem sprayer and arc welder to set off another Fuel Air explosion.

I was not fast enough.

“Mag!” I demanded even as the sprayer was torn off by something large and covered in tentacles.

Thankfully the magazine was teleported directly into my off-hand, allowing me to swap mags while distracting the hentai tentacle monster by blorping my plunger full of acid on it. Eventually following up with another mag spray. Once empty I paused to try and find any more standing plants.

There didn’t seem to be any nearby. “Mag me.”

A quick magazine swap and I turned in the direction that was clear and trundled off to find something else to shoot. “So how many points do I have now? Y’know, why don’t you just pop a little number up in the left corner of my HUD? Make it easier.”

<>Done. The number popped up where I could see it.

Points: 163

“Damn… Didn’t get many and I’m down two weapons. And what the fuck are these? Giant fuzzy worms?” My offhand reached down and picked up a crawly type of thing that I would swear was a bug.

<>Model Seven. Something most people should worry about as they “Zombify” you. You’re casing is hardened and will not be breachable. That said there seems to be a worrying number coming from somewhere down this hall.

“That’s bad. Real bad.” I deliberately changed my course from squishing a few in my way to aiming at them as I could find them. Using my arms to squish them where I couldn’t just roll over them. Quickly they picked up on that and then moved higher on the walls, out of reach. “Fuck.”

I picked up speed and started hunting the source. “I could use something indiscriminate now… again. Flamethrower?”

<>I’m afraid you’d need a whole new catalog for that. However, I do believe we can cobble together another improvised thermobaric device if you wish.

“I wish.” I didn’t slow down in the slightest. “I very much wish. Something to slurry everything unprotected and organic on this floor if necessary.”

<>This is doable. Oxyacetaline in enough quantity would do the trick. You have access to welding supplies.

“I thought you said we didn’t have a flame thrower? Any good oxy welder can be repurposed to a short-range flamer.” I stopped dead and used one arm to point at the floor. “Gimme. Something with a wide dispersal nozzle. Oh and another that I can use as a big ass bomb.”

Points ticked down in the corner of my vision, back under a hundred now. On the other side, a pair of boxes appeared on the floor. Opening them, one contained a barbeque tank-size device that seemed to have a magnetic strip on one side. I attached it to my rear section. The other was very obviously an improvised flamethrower. It brought joy to my little machine heart.

The next thing out of my speaker grill was evil laughter followed by muffled yelling that can only be described as “Happy gas mask noises” as I charged down the hall, a machine gun in one hand and a Pyro-style flamer in the other.

<>We’re not going to commit war crimes, are we? The concern in Naille’s voice seemed insincere.

“Of course we are. I’ve resorted to indiscriminate chemical warfare, use of thermobaric’s on non-hardened structures full of squishy enemies, and am now about to use a jerry-rigged flamer on them. I’d use biologicals on them if I had the points for it. And that’s just the start of the list. War crimes are fun and profitable!”