Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 221

Cold-Blooded was the only thing keeping me moving as I tiredly staggered for the door. I wiped at my cheek, wiping away tears of blood as the bursts of cold drowned out the pain. I glanced back, spotting the mangled chrome from where I plucked it out of my eye socket. Most of the mess was tech, though gouging it out hadn’t exactly been a clean process.

At the very least, I was no longer getting tased by my own chrome. My Neural Link and Neural System Interface had nothing else to connect to, completely blocking out the Netrunner. I was safe on that front if nothing else.

I tossed a grenade as I picked up the sound of crunching glass and took in the spot that would be my final stand. Dozens of shipping containers marked with warning labels filled the warehouse, giving ample cover to hide in. Up above, a balcony surrounded the tall walls of the building. It gave vantage points and rooftop access.

I pulled my pistol as I heard the grenade explode behind me. The world slowed thanks to Dexterity, giving me time to think. I carefully shot out all the lights. I didn’t need them, and they’d only help the circle cultists keep track of me.

Just as I shot out the last of the lights, I heard a commotion from the large warehouse doors. Several pulses of Insight hit me—they were casting magic over there. I didn’t know what kind, so I repositioned onto the staircase leading up to the balcony, staying low and in cover.

A few moments later, vines spread from the slightly cracked entrance, filling the main entryway. Flowers bloomed on said vines, emitting a certain gas. It drifted, falling to the ground as the vines created a cloud of… something. Probably poison. I went through my bag, dug out my mask, and put it on. They’d have to try better than that.

The vines and gas clouds slowly filled the space. The squads still didn’t rush in though. Were they trying to smoke me out? Looked like they were nervous, at least. I can’t blame them. No one wanted to die. And while they had to pull their punches, I wouldn’t.

Regardless, the more time they spent out there, the more time I’d have to prepare and entrench myself. I wiped the seeping blood off my face once more and continued up the stairs, aiming for one of the two doors out onto the roof.

I pulled my multitool from my bag, connecting it up to my battery. Normally, the multi-tool was only capable of tack welds, and even then it wasn’t powerful. I swiftly modified it, overloading its protections as I connected it to a much stronger energy source.

With that set, I welded the door shut. It wasn’t a very strong weld, and I had to do it one-handed, which didn't help. My arm was still out of commission from the gel rounds. And I didn't even have a filler, so it was closer to slagging the door shut than anyhting. The bright light also definitely gave my position away to anyone who might be watching, but it’d hold for a time.  

Once I got the first one done, I moved around to the far side to slag the other one. As I passed, I threw my last grenade through the small gap in the doorway. Then I dropped back down to the base level.

Once more, I felt pulses of the Aether through Insight. The vines that had grown all over the warehouse shifted, sprouting trees. The trees were a dark grey, growing to massive size in mere moments as their canopies filled the top parts of the warehouse.

Another spell pulsed, and the trees started to shift. Their leaves turned from a vibrant gold to a dull iron. And then they dropped. Insight consantly tingled across my body, though I couldn't quite place it. My head hurt so much. I watched in confusion, eying the lazy leaves fall all around me-

A deep, slicing pain momentarily cut through Cold-Blooded, causing me to stagger back. One of the leaves had fallen onto my already wounded arm, cutting straight through the fabric as if it weren't there and leaving a jagged slash.

I grabbed my pistol once more, slowing the world thanks to Dexterity as I traced a path through the falling razor leaves. The leaves cut into the concrete floor as they settled, leaving more and more places inaccessible as time passed. They were incapable of cutting other metal though, so I hastily slipped inot a cracked open shipping container and took cover.

The leaf rain continued for a time before stopping. Shouts came from outside the warehouse, though I could barely make them out through the ringing in my head. I flicked off Cold-Blooded for a moment, allowing the pain to wake me back up. To drive out the drowsiness.

The leaves and poison cloud faded as the magic was released, allowing me to exit the shipping container safely. I reapplied the haze fluid from my canteen as I heard the large warehouse doors being pried open. It seemed they were finally coming in. 

I checked my weapons one last time, mentally preparing myself for a long and brutal fight. If I was going to get out of this, I’d have to take out over fifty well-trained and armed soldiers by myself.

My chances were… close to negative. Still, I wouldn’t give up. I wouldn’t just allow them to take me to Mother for whatever horrible reason she wanted me. If they were going to take me, I’d make them suffer for every inch. I slunk back into the shadows.

— — —

Inquisitor Ligh had been having a rough night. It all started with a phone call from one of his Squires. She was targeted by the very group they were hunting down. Not only that, but the Blue Crusade's presence throughout Little Yukoto had been pulled back due to an order from a member of the High Table, leaving no one to help her.

It took nearly twenty minutes to form a large enough group to go after his squire. If it was just the traitors' orders, then it wouldn't have taken that long. Add in the jailbreak and fully armed rioters, though? It was a well-planned operation to take the Crusade completely off guard. And it wasn't just his Squire that was in danger. The bastards targetted several points of the Crusade's infrastructure throughout the city.

Even after executing everyone who participated in the jailbreak, Little Yukoto was in chaos. Crime rates were starting to spike as people noticed the missing Crusade. Gangs were fighting on the streets, and Mercs were out in full power as the rich rapidly bought guardians. 

Only the Jade Fangs remained relatively calm, though reports indicated even they were taking the chance to remove several cancerous tumors in Little Yukoto. Ligh knew they were just being more subtle with their movements, moving puzzle pieces from the shadows instead of acting in the light like the other short-lived groups. They'd been around too long to fall into a short-term mindset like the smaller gangs.

The traitorous High Lord had royally screwed over the entire district with his orders. The Commander already had several phone calls from the Mayor, and it was only a matter of time till the press got onto the latest scoop. And from the press to the civilians—it would be a shit show as even more politics got involved. All of it meant it was even harder to get reinforcements to help his Squire.

His Squire wasn’t the only one attacked, either. Inquisitor Varus had a hit squad sent after him, though they didn’t get very far past Medtech’s internal security before being put down. The crazy bastards even had suicide capsules to keep the Crusade from questioning the cultists.

“Sir?” Hope called out to the Inquisitor, drawing him out of internal musings. She was the only one that followed him thist time. The others were scattered about the city on various jobs.

”Yesh?” He glanced over at her before returning his gaze to the current scene. Five well-armed soldiers in tactical gear lay scattered across the stairs. It was the latest clue in his lost Squire’s trail. It seemed she had quite a few hidden skills. Not that it mattered. The more skilled his Squires were, the better. They wouldn't die easy anymore, at least. As for how he knew it was her? A lucky guess.

Hope tiredly rubbed at her eyes. “The Jaeger is almost here. Three Knights were also sent by the Commander to assist, as well as another inquisitor to help track. Brings us up to ten and three.”

Inquisitor Ligh sighed once more, as he’d been doing since the night started. He roughly aimed for his pockets, withdrawing a flask. Usually, drinking in a mask was hard. He’d had over a century of practice, though. He felt the burn of ‘medicine’ down his throat once more.

Just as he put away the flask, the door at the base of the stairs opened. A metallic hound bounded up, its voice box barking mechanically as it found the trail. “Let’sh go.”

The two followed the Jaeger down to the basement, ignoring the reinforcements as they arrived. It was a sizable group, large enough to easily take down even mid-size gangs without too much of an issue. 

The gaggle of Crusaders followed the Jaeger as it continued to sniff out Zuku Ichima’s trail. Eventually, they ended up on top of a building, just as they had several times before. The trail abruptly cut off, causing the Jaeger to whine pitifully as it scratched at the concrete with metal claws.

The Inquisitor pulled out his flask once more, sighing as they lost the trail in the same exact way as the last several times. Maybe she had some kind of fall-reducing item? Just as he pulled out his flask, the lights all around flickered thanks to the city’s rolling brownouts. Shadows completely hid him as he drank, though the lights came back as he put away the flask.

”Shpread out. Shweep the shtreetsh. Someone take the Jaeger out to the soutshide of the block.” The Inquisitor easily gave out orders to the gathered group. Although they were technically all in the same rank, he had decades worth of seniority and it was his squire. No one took any issue with him taking charge.

Knight Persha remained behind as they scattered out to search. “What are you thinking, Ligh?”

His expression was hidden behind his mask as his cold voice came out. “It’d be a lot of paperwork to get yet another Shquire.”

He felt her eyes for a few moments before the Knight slowly shook her head. “You know that’s not what I was asking about.”

The Inquisitor remained silent for several long moments, eventually acknowledging the Knight’s statement with a small nod. He didn’t reply though, instead opting to spin a bottle that’d been discarded on the roof with his foot. It spun and spun, eventually pointing south. Any further south would be the Ryu Container Yard.

The Inquisitor stared out at the relatively dark container yard. Lightning flashed, striking the Raijin building on the far side of the city. He felt the cold rain pour onto his hood for a few moments before tipping his head back to the stairs. “C’mon.”

They joined the search squads on street level once more. Eventually, a call came from one of the other Inquisitors. “Found a bunch of civs trapped in an idle skytram. Looks like a Netrunner’s work. Those on board indicated that a girl shattered the window and jumped out. Might be our missing Squire?”

”Sir?” Hope called from directly behind him. 

“Hmm… a fall that high? Definitely would’ve shattered her legs at least.” Persha muttered from his side. The troublesome Knight had yet to leave. “Poor girl. Hope her pretty face is still alright.”

“What?” Inquisitor Ligh paused, causing Hope to likewise freeze. 

The Knight walked a bit further before spinning around on one foot. Her two Squires followed her, though stopped moving as she did. “Oh, don’t mind me. Just thinking aloud. Might not even be your Squire.”

Yet another sigh slipped through his lips, most of the sound blocked by the mask. The Inquisitor shook his head, feeling that slight fog fade away. Going full blast was out of the question, but just a little wouldn’t hurt… right? 

He pulled a small magic eight ball from his pocket. To most, it was a toy. A mere gimmick item for kids. Usually, he didn’t even bother with it. Sobriety was rapidly returning though. He shook it repeatedly, eventually watching it settle on ‘Yes’. He carefully wiped the rainwater off the small toy, as if afraid it'd be damaged, before sliding it back into his pocket.

He pulled a different flask from his pocket, drinking deeply as the fog slowly returned. Even as he gulped, his mind put together a few pieces to the current puzzle. Inquisitor Ligh called into the shared channel, ”It’sh her. Form up. Head directly shouth from the tram into the Ryu Container Yard.”