Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG

Chapter 246

I stared down past Dev’s trembling body as we tightly held onto each other. A loud crash sent a massive dust plume into the air as the tower collapsed, destroying a clear path through the city. We were just above the falling building as it impacted the ground with enough force to cause a localized earthquake.

Maybe since there were two of us? The Drop Chutes on my back jerked around erratically as we dropped, flickering on and off as if it couldn’t quite figure out the weight distribution. The jerking slowed us just enough to have a safe descent. Only, it started to sputter and jerk rougher and rougher as time passed. I could practically hear the circuits frying through my ringing ears-

”Gah!” Dev was ripped out of my arms by the harsh jerking of the Drop Chutes, dropping down into the shattered remains of the building. The motion tore my rifle from its sling, dropping it alongside him.

I plummeted right after, the Drop Chutes hissing violently as intense heat warmed my back. The Drop Chutes, which I’d come to rely on, overloaded entirely. I fell with the full force of gravity towards the ruins.

Just as I hit the ground, I threw myself into a roll to help bleed off the momentum. Shards of glass dug up into my poncho, and a few of them snagged my face as I rolled across the devastated area. Warm trails of blood trickled down, mixing with the dust.

I rolled down a sloping floor, slamming into a broken pillar as my momentum abruptly halted. My plate carrier took the brunt of the blow, but it was still enough to force the air from my lungs in a sharp rasp.

"Ugh..." A retch broke from my air as I desperately drew in air. Thick dust–sharp with the scent of shattered concreted, scorched wiring, and twisted metal–poured into my lungs. 

I entered a coughing fit as I struggled for my bag, pulling on my mask. It took a moment to regain my breath as the mask filtered out the dust and debris. I staggered to my feet, checking my overall condition as my head swam.

My lungs hurt, but that was pain that’d fade away shortly. My ribs felt bruised, though nothing was broken. Really, that was the state of my entire body--bruised but not broken. A few lacerations covered me here and there from the shattered glass and sharp metal, but they were relatively minor. Nothing that'd make me bleed out.

My biggest worry was my head. It felt clogged, and when I turned too sharply, my world flickered with specks of white. I definitely hit it while rolling down the sloping floor. Hopefully, it wasn’t too serious an injury, but it made everything foggy as I looked around.

I looked up, trying to find my location as my eyes adapted to the darkness. Twisted beams jutted from the collapsed buildings like shattered ribs. Chairs and furniture hung awkwardly in the wreck, most of them broken from the fall. Drifting sparks and papers merged with the dust, clogging the air even more. Even without the fog in my head, it'd be hard to piece together my location.

The tower did some serious damage to its surroundings, destroying any clear landmark. Not that it would have mattered. The thick, choking dust blocked out my view as if I’d walked into a thick sandstorm. Based on the trajectory of the fallen tower, though… that put me deep in the Circle’s HQ… damnit. Nothing was ever easy.

Dev. I needed to find Dev. Group up with him, and then try to sneak back to the Crusade’s line. And soon. It was only a matter of time before the Circle cultists came to investigate and surrounded us. And my head was starting to hurt worse and worse. No telling how long I'd be able to hold out like this.

I dropped him… I did some math based on the altitude and angle I dropped the Squire. My aching head slowed me down somewhat, but I forced my way forward as I tracked an approximate area to search for him. High ground. I needed high ground. We shouldn't be that far from each other.

I staggered forward, slipping on shifting dust and shattered concrete like they were sand. I moved, squeezing through a narrow corridor of debris where walls once stood tall. Shattered glass and bent pieces of metal were everywhere, creating a veritable maze of caltrops.

As I moved, my head churned in confusion. The normal rules of construction dissolved. Floors became ceilings, stairwells curved into horizontal elevator shafts, and walls lay twisted beyond recognition. I felt sick, just trying to navigate it.

Then there were the bodies. The building landed on the Circle’s HQ, meaning there were definitely cultists present where it dropped. Most of them were so buried beneath rubble that it was hard to pick out what had once been human and what was shattered architecture. The same could be said for the ashen plants peeking out.

After I spotted the first corpse, I remembered to activate my Perks. My body turned ethereal, blending into the shadows as Illusive took hold. Stalk would help me remain undiscovered. And finally, Lethargic Presence. I was going to use it... but it also affected me when it was on. Being lethargic with my current situation was a no-go.

The ringing in my ears faded slightly as I crept forward. I didn’t even realize my ears were ringing in the first place, but as sound started coming back, it became apparent. The wreck continued to crumble as the rubble settled, creating constant loud clangs and sharp clashes. Screams erupted occasionaly, turning into haunting wails of agony as they echoed off the dust-covered ruin.

The groans of shifting weight and dripping water played a constant staccato against my brain, making my migraine intensify. In the distance, constant gunfire and explosions echoed off the collapsed AEZ. Signs the fight still raged were quite apparent as bright flashes of fire gave away distant battle zones. And yet, they were hard to make out through the thick dustbowl smothering my surroundings.

I checked my math one more time before moving up a collapsed wall, scrambling up its shattered windows that acted as foot and hand holds. I climbed up the ruin, settling on top of a shattered pillar that peaked out over the rest of the war zone.

Lights were starting to flick on from flashlights, shining through the dust as shouts rose into the air. Dozens of cultists were everywhere, searching through the rubble. I couldn't quite make them out through the clogged air, but they were there. It was only a matter of time till Dev or I were caught out by them.

I needed to hurry up. I looked over the mess, as I thought back to where he fell. I spoted a familiar bright-neon saferty wire dangling limply from a shattered window as white spots coalesced at the corners of my vision. It was the one Dev had tied around himself. I dropped from the pillar, momentarily forgetting the Drop Chutes were broken.

I hit the ground hard, my body grumbling as I staggered down a wet slope of metal. I slid down into a hole, dropping into a lobby filled with debris. The fall knocked the air out of me once more as my head slammed into the ground. Everythign turned dark.

-- -- --

I squeezed my eyes shut as the pervading brightness blinded me even through my eyelids. Where-

Right, the tower. I forced myself to sit up, groaning lightly as I rubbed at my head. I'd fallen into a lobby somewhere. It was in decent shape, all things considered. Ornate lamps imitating gas lamps lined the walls, still flickering with electricity. Gold-plated highlights reflected the warm glow-

I ducked down into the rubble, tucking myself into my poncho as four people showed up at the door of the place. Or, where the door should’ve been. All of them wore the tactical gear of the cult, shining flashlights around from the tips of rifles. I barely held a wince as one panned right over me.

Fight? Or let them pass? I could take them. Easily, at that. I had plenty of advantages at the moment. Taking all four of them absolutely silently, though? That was a different matter. If just one of them got a shot off, it might alert other groups. Not worth it. I took in slow, steady breaths as I waited for them to pass.

A light flashed right at me, making my entire body freeze once more. The shadows seemed to peel back as footsteps slowly approached. I activated Dexterity using the wrist guns, using the extra time to read their body language for any Cue that they noticed me. The person slowed to a halt just in front of me, the flashlight flicking away as something else caught their attention.

The group idled for a moment. "Are you sure you heard something?"

The one closest to me shrugged, their flashlight bobbing around. "I thought it was a groan. Could just be the building, though."

There was silence for a moment before a third moved back toward the door. "C'mon, let's move. This place gives me the creeps."

I waited a few minutes to ensure they were fully gone before pushing myself back up. I climbed out of the lobby through the hole in the roof, cutting through narrow passages as I made my way to the dangling microwire. 

I followed it, dropping down into a horizontal supply closet. There was a tiny gap through the roof, through which it looked like something heavy rolled down into the room. The debris was knocked aside in the rough shape of a body. The makeshift harness of microwire lay cut into peices on the floor of the closet. Dev was here, but left.

Not unharmed, though. Definitely not unharmed. There was far too much blood scattered around here. A fairly clear trail of the stuff led toward a collapsed wall, leading out further into the ruins.

It was an easy enough track to follow, and as I moved behind it, Panther’s Sight took effect. A shadowy emanation came into focus. It was as if I were watching a shadowy creature stumbling through the debris. Other than the shadow being human, I couldn’t quite make out any definitive features. Definitely Dev though. 

The shadow-tracking feature made it much easier to follow the injured Squire’s trail even without needing to pay too much attention to his actual tracks. It was a good thing as I found myself drifting in and out of focus. One thing stayed constant, though. Just hold on, Dev. I’m coming.

I followed the trail, dropping down into a collapsed toy store-

”Ha! Ha! Ha-!“

I threw a punch, my gauntlet zapping the shit out of a figure as it sprung out of a jack in the box. It’s laughter abruptly cut off before restarting on a lower, much creepier tone. I shook my head, feeling pangs of white as I looked around for the trail. It led back into an employees-only area. I dropped low as I spotted two cultists standing by the door.

”What was that?” One of the guys using a crowbar on the door asked as he looked back towards me.

”One of the toys. Probably activated by the rubble again. Just get the damn door open. I’m telling you, I saw a Crusader crawl in here like a rat.” The other said as he looked right over my shadow form.

The guy went back to prying at the door. ”I sure hope so. That bounty on Crusade heads looked mighty juicy.”

“I'm more worried about impressing the leader. I want to awaken as an Adept like the others.” The man laughed happily, lost in his own fantasies. “Just imagine using magic!

What? Awakening as an Adept? That was impossible… wasn’t it? I thought being an Adept was a matter of affinity with the Aether, which was based on birth. It wasn’t something that could just be given out like they were implying… right? If you had it, you had it. If you didn’t, you didn’t. It was as simple as that.

If it were true, though… no wonder there were so many cultists. Promises like that would attract a number of corpo drones to sign up. The poor and impoverished would be even easier to recruit. And now that I think about it, it wasn’t necessarily impossible. The interface’s Traits claimed that I could become an Adpet or Magus, right? Maybe Mother could do the same? Ugh- this was making my head throb even further.

I cleared my head and moved forward through the aisles, keeping low and to the ground. I had one shot at this. If I didn’t take care of this quietly, it’d only be a matter of time before others came to investigate.

I got into position, then pulled two knives out. With a careful flick, I tossed one toward the far end of the section they were guarding, causing another Jack in the Box to activate.

”What was that?! I’m telling you, something is down here with us, Rick.” The crowbar guy stopped what he was doing and glanced at his companion.

His companion slapped him over the back of his helmet. “It’s nothing, James. Quit being such a pussy. Look, I’ll go check it out if it’ll make you feel better. Just get the damn door open.”

”Fine, fine… shout if you see something.”

”Idiot.” Rick walked away, his flashlight shining around the room as he moved toward where I threw my knife.

I approached silently, staying out of the crowbar guy’s line of sight as I moved directly behind him. Dexterity was activated once more thanks to my wrist guns, allowing me more time to perfectly get my actions down.

I slipped my knife forward, ramming it into his throat as I covered his mouth with my other hand. I ripped him toward the ground as blood sprayed everywhere, careful to stay absolutely silent. I even flared Fear the Reaper toward the dying man, causing his entire body to go rigid as he practically froze in my hand. By the time he could start moving, it was too late as I finished him off with a couple quick stabs. One down.

I dragged the body into an aisle as quietly as I could and then moved with silent grace toward the other- 

I threw myself behind cover as the guy turned around, his light flashing toward the door. “James? Where’d you go? This ain’t funny, man!”

He started walking back toward me, his light panning over the entire toy store erratically. “C’mon man-“

I flung myself forward with Burst Step, grabbing his rifle and jerking it out of his hands. Or at least attempting to. The guy had a stronger grip than I thought, though that was solved as I flicked a punch forward into his wrist. I heard something crack as electricity jolted through his body.

He let out a muffled shout- one that strangled itself as I flared Fear the Reaper once more. His entire body locked up momentarily, though that wasn’t his biggest concern as I rammed my knife repeatedly into the small gap between his helmet and body armor. 

He dropped lifelessly as I collapsed onto him, stabbing a dozen more times to ensure the job was done. Every stab caused his body to lurch and jolt, making me stab again and again as he moved. Blood flew everywhere from his arteries as his heart slowly lost function.

”Haah.” I wiped off the blood covering my hands onto the dead cultist's corpse. Ugh- I was covered in the stuff. At least I have a weapon once more? I grabbed his rifle, running a hand along its reciever. “Thanks.”

I stood up, shaking my tense body lightly to loosen up as I moved toward the employee-only door. “Dev? You in there, buddy? It’s me, Zuku.”

A few moments later, the door clicked as it unlocked. I pulled it open, checking inside for the Squire. For a moment, I didn’t see him. Then I looked down, spotting him collapsed onto the floor in a pool of blood.

Shit. Things could never be easy, could they?