Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 244

Inquisitor Ligh broke the stalemate, waving for us to put our weapons down. “We’re with the Crushade. We should be alliesh at the moment, yesh?”

One of the rifle-wielding Valkyries in the lighter armor stepped forward. She seemed to be the leader, likewise motioning for her own forces to stand down. “I can see that.”

“What are Valkyriesh doing up here?” The Inquisitor asked as he moved forward, meeting the leader in the middle. With both of them standing between the groups, the tension started to dissipate. Not all of it, but enough that it didn't feel like a firefight might break out.

The leader stared at Ligh for a moment before reaching up and taking off her helmet. Beneath the intimidating visage was the most- no, the third most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, ranking just behind my mom and Athena Alexandria, the fixer. 

She had startling blue eyes, the pupils of which rotated like a camera lens. No telling what kind of chrome it was. Unlike other pieces of chrome, all cybernetic eyes looked the same to me.

Her hair, long and blonde, framed her face perfectly in a low braid. Her features were sharp and defined, giving off a faintly predatory vibe as she looked past the Inquisitor towards us. I held my breath momentarily as I met her eyes. I didn’t see any signs of bio sculpting, which meant she either had a really, really high-end sculpter or she was naturally this beautiful.

“We have you to thank for that. The Crusade said to clear the area, so we picked somewhere to watch the show. You?” She nodded her head to the penthouse. More specifically, to the wraparound balcony. What show are we even watching? The explosions?

“Same reashon…” The Inquisitor looked out towards the balcony. “Then I hope you ladiesh don’t mind ush.”

The leader stepped back, and the Valkyries behind her fully dropped their weapons. They still seemed to be on guard, though. Even through their armor, their cues didn't lie. “Hmm… I’m Brunhilde. You are?” 

“Inquisitor Ligh Strumgard.” He introduced himself, bowing his head slightly in greeting. His silver mask flashed in the dull light of the room.

Brunhilde’s eyes seemed to spin faster and faster before settling on his mask once more. “I’ve heard of you. The luckiest centenarian alive.”

Luckiest man alive… yeah, I could see that. Was all of the luck in the world condensed into Ligh? Is that why my own luck was so bad? A centenarian though… that meant someone who lived a century, right?

Just how old was the Inquisitor? He must've lived before the world all went to hell. Before the corporate wars, the K-10 convention, and the devastating storms. The stories he must know... Damn, I really knew nothing about him, huh?

Inquisitor Ligh shrugged as if he didn't care. “Depends on how you define luck… Ish that what Shentinel’s databashe hash me as?”

”Indeed… we’d be honored to share a space with a veteran as honored as you.” Brunhilde’s eyes moved to us. It may have just been a figment of my imagination, but I could’ve sworn her eyes stickily clung to me for a few moments too long. I never felt more bare. “Your Squires?”

The Inquisitor twisted his head back to us, though didn’t say anything. Instead, he moved toward the balcony, walking by the heavy armor Valkyries as he fished out a flask from his pocket. “What a view. Shquires?”

”Sir.” Hope was the first to move, leading us out onto the balcony behind the Inquisitor. I followed at the end of the group, directly behind Dev. I shouldn't have used him as cover. If I’d known it would make me be at the back of the group, I would’ve ducked behind Joshua instead.

I swear I felt eyes on me as I stepped out onto the balcony, though it must’ve just been my paranoia. No way I’d attract the attention of the Valkyries… unless… my mind immediately tracked through the dozens of things I’ve done that might make a Sentinel strike squad come after me. There were unfortunately quite a bit.

No way they’d know that, though, right? Meeting them up here was purely just misfortune… or fortune. Depends on how you define luck, huh?

I looked at Inquisitor Ligh’s back as he gulped down a bottle of whiskey. No clue where he’d gotten that from- ah, wait. Joshua was rubbing at the back of his head. No wonder the Inquisitor didn’t say anything about his ‘acquisitions’.

Still, the Valkyries being here was not good. It showed just how much Sentinel was focused on Aythryn City if their elites popped up here. Not that I could blame the corp. Their gear was stolen in massive enough batches to supply an entire cult, their research was yoinked, their Supercarrier was attacked and the people onboard slaughtered, and they had high-level traitors in their midst. If the current situation didn’t call for elites, I didn’t know what would.

We waited around for nearly an hour, keeping to ourselves and staying out of each other’s way. Or, at least, that’s what I did. Hope had enough confidence to go and talk to one of the ones in full, heavy power armor without hesitation. I was… well, jealous? I shoulda gone with her… and then I remembered the unsettling feeling of their eyes on me and was glad I stuck with the squad.

Inquisitor Ligh coolly spoke, drawing all of our attention towards the AEZ, “It should be anytime now-”

Boom!

My vision turned white as the city exploded. The entire building shook below me unsteadily, causing me to blindly grab onto the balcony railing. An excited laugh came from behind us, sounding mechanical. One of the Valkyries, probably. As my vision slowly started to come back into focus, I watched as over half the AEZ crumpled inward on itself.

The explosives placed throughout the Underground weren’t just placed randomly. The Blue Crusade really knew what they were doing. With key points blown to pieces, it fully crumpled the Underground in on itself, making it so no monsters could get into the rest of the city through the AEZ’s Underground. With how deep Mother's roots stretched, it was a real issue.

With caves, caverns, and buried subway systems collapsing, the rest of the city wasn’t safe either. I don’t know who planned this, but they were a real genius. The amount of stress and analysis to get all of this set up must've been insane. The collapse of the Underground perfectly set up the areas we were slated to destroy, creating sinkholes that collapsed entire sections of the AEZ.

In one smooth motion, over half the city of the AEZ collapsed, clearing sight lines just as High Lord Lykos said he wanted. There were only a few places still standing unharmed. Included in that were the strip going out to the tree that we were using, a few sections scattered around, and the area directly surrounding Mother’s tree.

Like I said, a genius. Or several of them. One wrong boom could've have been catastrophic. I see now why they wanted to shut down the AEZ's utilities and ensure they had everyone evacuated. Still, even with the amount of preparation, the screamstreams would probably still find a way to blame the Crusade for the high death counts.

Of course, our building stood perfectly stable. It was both in the strip and a few blocks away from Mother’s area. The explosions and sinkholes didn’t reach here, though the shockwaves and artificial earthquake did.

”Wicked.” Joshua muttered as we looked out at the pure destruction across the zone. It was a once in a lifetime viewing, that was for sure. I now see why Inquisitor Ligh wanted to get to someplace high to watch.

“This might be the best place in the city now.” Dev laughed. It was the first time I heard him laugh so joyfully, and I could tell why. The Underground in the AEZ had collapsed now. It was no more.

I shifted my eyes to the side, looking at the Valkyries. They were already done taking it in and were grouped back together on the side in a huddle. They weren’t elites for no reason. Specifically, Brunhilde seemed to be in a deep conversation with one of the heavy power armor Valkyries.

”Sir, what’s next?” I asked the Inquisitor as the dust clouds started covering everything in a layer of obscurity. The view was no more, though I could still see the areas outside the AEZ standing proud and tall.

”Hmm… regroup with command. Then we’ll probably be on patrolsh for a while.” Inquisitor Light lifted his flask to drink, though stopped as his head tilted toward Sentinel’s elites.

Brunhilde approached us, alongside the rest of the Valkyries. No, not us. Her eyes were solely on me. “Squire, if I could have a-“

“What do you want?” Inquisitor Ligh stepped in front of me, blocking the path forward. His back stood strong even as Brunhilde glared at him. He truly was a reliable boss.

”Just a moment of her time…” The Valkyrie nodded to me. Why me? They knew. They must know, right? My hands inched toward my weapons.

”What for?” Inquisitor Ligh didn’t relent, instead taking a step forward as he slid his flask back into his pocket. His other hand settled on the grip of his pistol in a not-so-subtle warning.

“Ugh…” The Valkyrie rubbed at her forehead in irritation as her glare turned even more violent. “I recognize her. Thought we’d catch up after all this time.”

Recognize? I think I would’ve known if I had seen a Valkyrie before. They stood out. Hell, this woman stood out even without trying, thanks to her looks. Unless… was she trying to get me separated to bring me in? They know- “I don’t-“

Brunhilde sighed deeply, her face drooping tragically. ”Little Sean would be so sad. To think, Meno Maeni-” 

“What do you want?” I cut her off from saying anything more. From saying anything that'd give me away. They definitely knew at least something. I felt my heart rate pick up as I stared at the woman.

“Just a talk.” She glanced toward the Inquisitor, then nodded to her squad. “Alone.”

At the word, the other Valkyries started moving. Without much hesitation, they jumped off the roof. The wings held against their spines snapped out sharply, the mechanical bits whirling. They extended widely as the group glided toward their next destination, leaving Brunhilde behind.

The wings didn’t provide enough lift to make them fly, true, but from behind, I recognized the tech. They didn’t need the lift. Drop Chutes, way different in design than my own, were active. They were far more up to date than what I had, and just seeing them gave me some ideas on innovation.

Assuming I got out of this alive, that is. It didn't feel like a hit was about to go down, but I could never be too sure. Just in case, I discreetly checked my gear and equipment. I had a few tricks I could pull to try and get away, the least of which was jumping off the building.

I felt the other Squire's eyes on me as the elites left. Interest. Confusion. Even wariness in Dev’s eyes, though that wasn’t anything new. I refused to look, hesitant about what I'd see.

Inquisitor Ligh glanced between me and the Valkyrie a few times. “Fine. Dev, shtay with Zuku. We’ll wait in the lobby.”

”Sir?” I looked towards the stalwart back that had been protecting me as he walked away. At least Dev was staying with me. I wasn’t abandoned. Doubt we’d do anything to the Valkyrie if she really wanted to attack, but still.

He looked back over his shoulder before leading the rest of the Squires out. “Call if there’s any trouble. Oh, and it’d be a shame if you flew too closhe to the sun, Valkyrie.” 

She winced before nodding her head a couple of times. “Noted. Just a talk, really.”

“Better be.” The Inquisitor nodded sharply before stepping into the elevator with Joshua and Hope. The latter of which shot me a worried look. 

I watched the elevator doors close, a sinking feeling filling my gut. Was it weird that I was more worried about getting down from this building than I was about the talk with the Valkyrie? Seriously, Dev and I might die in an elevator crash more than anything. Inquisitor! Please come back!