World Runner: A Merc's Trial in a Spiritual Dystopia Ch.14

— Next Day —

I tweaked a few things while lying underneath the car.

My baby was just about ready to roll around the streets of Night City, and I couldn’t be happier.

I wasn’t exactly running low on money, but I didn’t like not working for too long. I already took a week and a few day's break, which means I had more than enough time to take time off and train my abilities.

It was time to get back to work!

I slid out from under the car and looked at my beauty.

I do damn good work.

Taking a look at her, I can’t help but feel proud of the work I put in her. From the matte black paint and the retro rims that I found from a Quadra Sport R-7 to retrofitting the exhaust system from the same vehicle into her, this Pontiac GTO now has a new lease of life in her that I am going to make the most out of.

Making my way around to the driver-side door, I opened it and hopped inside, taking a moment to put the key in the ignition and start it.

*KSHKSHKSH–VROOM*

A massive grin formed on my lips. She works, and she sounds sexy~!

It was time to go for a ride~!

— Later —

*VROOOOOOMMMM*

Once the light turned green, I sped up, floating through the city on beautiful wheels. Damn, it feels good to be in Night City right now.

A decent job, a beautiful ride, a shitty life, but what can you do, and the shitty smell of the city!

Life sucks sometimes, but at least I have my baby!

I made my way through different parts of the city. I had a full gas tank, and there shouldn’t be any leaks, so I wasn’t worried about distance. I drove around from the freeway to the streets of Night City while enjoying the sights from the inside of my car.

Not gonna lie; Night City was a lot better when you could see it without the smell of shit filling your nostrils.

It was almost therapeutic how beautiful the city is!

I spent several hours driving around, so long that though I had left my house a little after midday, it was already nearing evening.

I stopped for the first time to have some food at a spot in Heywood. Pepe had recommended it to me because it made good burritos instead of that vending machine crap, so I took his word for it.

The man doesn’t lie.

As I ate my burrito while sitting on the hood of my baby, I noticed about twelve guys approaching, laughing all the way.

They finally stopped and circled me.

“Nice ride you got here. Maybe I can take it for a spin?” Who I assume to be the group's leader “asks,” bringing a round of chuckles from his buddies.

My eyes narrowed at him dangerously, and as easily as breathing, I let my Nen Aura flow out in droves. All the fuckers around damn near shit themselves, sweat dripping down their faces as their knees wobble in fear.

“Get lost,” I ordered, and get lost, they did. They all booked it, running as far away from me as possible.

Cowards, though that wasn’t the right word for them.

Useless was more like it.

Those without the potential for Nen or Haki were fodder to anyone who had it. With the week I spent training in Nen, my ability in it had doubled, if not tripled. Merely activating my Ren and directing a little bit of killing intent at them was enough for the average person to pass out. If I push it, I can even kill people.

Mix that with my Conquerer’s Haki… which I didn’t have full control over yet, but I can’t be blamed for that.

It’s hard as fuck to access that shit willingly. Your will must always be refined to activate Conquerer’s Haki and be strong enough to affect people to the max.

Mix both of them together, and you get a deadly weapon that can kill your enemies, whether they be normal people or Hunters/Haki-Men.

I frowned at the smell of piss that now assaulted my nose from those fuckers.

The smell of shit was enough; now I had to deal with piss?

What a way to end my fucking Monday!

*RING*

I blinked at the caller. It was Padre. Padre calling me wasn’t rare, but I asked for time off, and he seemed to respect my request.

Did Jackie tell him we did a job, and now Padre thinks I’m ready for work again?

Eh, doesn’t matter. I wanted a job anyway.

I picked up the call and continued to soar through the city.

“[Maliketh, how have you been, Miho?]”

“Fine. My time off was good. I’m assuming you’re calling for a job?”

“[Well, you sound ready to work. Am I wrong to assume that?]”

“You aren’t. What’s the job?”

“[Meet me at the Coyote Cojo, let’s talk over a drink.]”

“See you soon.” I grinned, throwing away the burrito wrapper and dusting off my hands as I hung up the call. I was ready for another job, especially one where I get paid.

I hopped off the hood of my car and got in. The Coyote Cojo wasn’t far from where I was, only a few blocks away, so it didn’t take more than two minutes to reach the bar.

I parked by the streetside and looked at my car for a moment.

I really didn’t want anyone to steal my shit. I looked at some people standing at the bar's door and whistled. They looked at me, and I made my way over to them once I got their attention. I pulled out a couple hundred eddies and slid it into one of the man’s pockets.

“Watch over that, will ya?” I tell him, motioning to my Pontiac with my head.

“You got it.” He grinned, patting me on the shoulder as I entered.

Heywood people were typically close. I’m glad I started here instead of another shitty place in Night City.

Life would have been much harder if I did.

I waved at some people I knew as I made my way over to Padre’s booth. I slid into the seat and gave the man a slight smile.

“Padre.”

“Maliketh.” He returned my smile. “Things have been good, I assume?”

“Yeah, for the most part.” I shrug, looking at Pepe and raising my hand. He gave me a nod and got to work.

“Oh, would it be rude of me to ask what you’ve been doing?”

“Nah. I don’t mind telling you.” I pause as Pepe brings over the drink, giving him a tip as he did. As he takes it and makes his way back to his bar, I leaned in closer to Padre and he does so as well, curiosity clear on his face. “I was training my Nen.”

“That’s… quite interesting.” He hummed in thought. “A wise decision to be sure. Training such powerful abilities is perhaps the most intelligent thing anyone in our… brand of business could do. Any developments?”

“Yeah, I got a few new tricks. I want to test them out.” I grinned, and Padre seemed amused by my statement.

“I’m glad. Then I won’t waste any more of your time.” Padre states, pulling out a data shard and handing it to me.

Taking hold of it and inserting it into my NeuroPort, I blink at the job’s description as more and more data fills my vision.

Experimental weapons from a corporation called Kang Tao. That… wouldn’t be hard nor time-consuming. It would give me plenty of time to test my Nen ability.

“I’m game. Should I head out now?” I question, pulling out the data shard and handing it back to him.

“That’d be for the best.” Padre stood up, and I followed suit. He stepped to the other side of the booth and put a hand on my shoulder. “Next time you take some time off, maybe actually take a break.”

I blinked at the sudden concern he was showing. Padre was the kind of man who looked out for his own, but I didn’t expect him to be concerned about me.

It felt nice, especially when I knew I could handle these things. He still didn’t want me to burn myself out.

“Of course. Later, Padre.” I waved and made my way back outside. I patted a few of the guys who watched my ride on the shoulder and hopped in.

It was time to bust some heads.

— Dorio —

Once again, she was sent off on a job. At least this one should be more interesting.

Stealing some already stolen experimental smart tech weapons from Kang Tao. Dumb bastards from Maelstrom had gone and kicked said Corp in the dick, and they’d be coming for their tech any day now-

So, might as well steal this tech from these soon-to-be-dead techfuckers and bring it back to the Animals. Or at least that’s what their Alpha said.

Dorio hates jobs that had her running around, but this one at least would see her knocking in some goon heads.

Dorio insisted she go alone. She really wants to test her Ren out. She had been training it, hoping it would grow stronger-

And it had.

It’s time to put it to good use!

Hopping down to the warehouse where the tech is stated to be stashed in, Dorio couldn’t help but pause at the sheer carnage laid before her.

Bodies were strewn about everywhere.

Someone had already been here.

Dorio crouched down and examined the bodies, eyes narrowed as she looked at their charred wounds.

The wounds were cleanly cut through, but they were also cauterized. A hot blade? That’s the only thing that makes sense. Maybe heated Mantis Blades?

Guessing would lead her nowhere. She looked at the opened door of the warehouse and grinned. Maybe she would see more action than she had expected.

Dorio activated Zetsu and made her way into the safe house, sneaking around the hallways and going from door to door with her handcannon of a revolver in her hand.

All the doors were open, so the person she was tailing likely had already done this.

Eventually, she came to the last open door and crouched in.

Her eyes widened. In front of her was the very thing she had come for!

A crate with Kang Tao’s name stamped directly into the metal.

So the bastard didn’t attack this place for it? Holstering her revolver, Dorio walked around the crate and began pondering as to how she is going to get the large crate out of the warehouse without making too much noise.

Or maybe-

“Is there something I can help you with?”

Dorio’s body froze as a searing heat was placed centimeters from her neck. It wasn’t touching her, but she could feel the heat the blade generated.

She had been in enough shit in her life to know that-

One wrong move meant death.

“Kang Tao tech, I need it.” She said, sweating slightly from the sudden turn of the situation.

“Well, I was here first.” He dropped the blade, and the moment he did, she elbowed him in the gut and activated her Ren before gaining some distance between her and the man no doubt behind the slaughter.

Spinning around, she froze once more as she stared down the barrel of a Militech Ticon Pistol.

“You’re fast for a strong woman, but not fast enough.” She forced her eyes away from the barrel of the gun, and her eyes widened slightly upon seeing the man’s face.

“You… You’re the guy from the courier job!” Dorio says, recalling the day she first met this man.

He chuckles, lowering his gun and his blade. “I am. Maliketh Aeneas, if you’ve forgotten.”

She shook her head. Even if she had forgotten, his name had been buzzing around Night City recently, especially after his run-in with Edgerunner Vet, Maine. People all around the city were calling him ‘The Beard’.

And she had to admit, of all of his features, barring his eyes, his beard was the most noticeable, adding a layer of… depth to his image.

“I’m not one to forget.” She grinned, eyeing him up and down. He looked every bit as delicious as before, but more than that, as she looked into his eyes, she could tell there was something different about him.

His eyes were more focused and hardened. He had definitely been through some more rough shit that had changed him.

She had to admit, she liked that look on him.

The look of a killer in passive mode.

Her eyes drifted down to his forearms, which were flaming orange, and his blade held that same fiery glow.

“What’s that about?”

“Eh, this?” He asks, holding up his blade and waving it around a bit. “It’s my Nen ability.”

“Nen ability?” She asked. In all the time she’d known about Nen, never had she heard such a term.

“My Hatsu, the fourth principle of Nen.”

“There’s another one!” She shouted, her mind running a hundred miles a second. She had been refining her Ren, thinking it was the highest form of Nen, but to hear that there was an even higher form, she needed to know how to unlock it now.

“Did you not know about it?” Maliketh blinked, surprise now evident on his face instead of hers.

“I didn’t.” She shook her head. “Care to teach me?”

“Eh, sure, I don’t mind, but I won’t for free.”

“Then I’ll buy you a drink.” Dorio grinned wildly. “How about it?”

She wouldn’t mind buying him one and spending time learning all of his secrets.

“Sure, the Coyote Cojo work for you?” Maliketh questions, walking past her and picking up the smart tech weapon before throwing it into nothingness.

She really needs to learn how he did that!

“Never been, but I’m all for new experiences.” She said with a smirk as she walked into his personal space, forcing Maliketh to tilt his head upwards to meet her eye-to-eye.

“Are you coming onto me?” He suddenly asks.

“No, I’m waxing your balls.” She deadpans. “The bar?”

“Ah, right. Let’s go.” Huh, is that a hint of disappointment she heard in his voice?

She could work with this.

They made their way out of the safehouse; along the way, Maliketh picked up each body of the fuckers he killed and tossed them into his space of nothingness.

As he did, she focused Nen into her eyes, careful not to overstrain them, but she still couldn’t see where he was putting them!

Could that be another of his Nen Abilities?

Eventually, he got all the bodies, and they made their way over to a very nice-looking black muscle car.

“Nice ride.” She compliments, looking at him. She raised an eyebrow as he practically got lost looking at it.

“She’s quite literally my proudest possession.” He admits before opening the door and hopping in.

Dorio didn’t know how to react to that.

So she didn’t; instead, she hopped into the car and sat in the admittedly comfortable seat.

Maliketh started the car, and they were off to the bar.

— Chapter End —