We have now been in the game for four months now and we just started to clear this game. With some guidance by some guy, think his name is Heathcliff, a guild was formed and we are now slowly getting to the ninth sector.
My relationship with Cheshire has gone well and the awkwardness of us acting as a couple has worn off. We have also upgraded everything. Now level thirty, we are still high above the average front liner.
I now have the skills [Gun Smith] so I can upgrade and/or make us new guns and attachments. [hiding] is the next because well, I wouldn't have almost died if I could have just dived into a bush or tree. My new load out is the same suppressed 1911. My rifle is the L85 battle rifle. I got it from the fifth boss fight. With Socom attachments to make use easier. Body armor is still light Kevlar.
Cheshire's new skills consist of the hiding one for same reasons. Hide instead of die, and the other is the skill [driving]. On the fourth section, vehicles were unlocked, which under Cheshire's direction, I bought a buggy with a mounted turret. Cheshire said she always wanted to drive in real life, so she is the official driver making me the mounted gunner.
After crashing a few times, she got the hang of it and can drive without hitting anything now. Her load out consists of a sidearm I forced her to wear and a heavily upgraded UMP-45. She was reluctant to give up her MP5, but under the promise of me making her one that would dwarf her old one, she agreed to use the new gun. Sadly, it would be until level 250 until I can deliver that promised weapon and 300 until I can up the recoil system to be like her old 9mm one.
After another brutal day of grinding, I am hit with a bout of laziness. What would be nice is a break to just go to the city for a day or two and just relax. I bring this up with Cheshire on the way back to the inn. She says that she is all for it.
The next day finds us outside the portal. With "Transport: Starting city" we are warped into the plaza of the large city. After messing around and shopping for a few hours. We stumble across a crowd of people outside a long shop.
The sign above the group names the place "Gun Run". Finding a gap in the crowd, we see that inside is a long corridor and players must run at a robot gunslinger. After watching for a bit, Cheshire taps me on the shoulder, "lets have a bet. Who ever gets the furthest in this game gets to treat the loser to a steak dinner." I quickly agree even of that is kinda backwards. I was just thinking of giving the game a go.
Cheshire goes first. On the start, she dashes out of the gate and starts to bob and weave around the bullets. She gets to about the 29 meter mark before she takes a round to the shin.
"Beat that," she says to me with a laugh as she passes. I line up at the gate and have the timer start. I jump up and down to get the adrenaline pumping. Tuning out all noise, I take the position to start sprinting.
On the beep, the gate flew open with me right after it. Using my high sprint, I get to the ten meter mark before the robot unholsters it's pistol.
Seeing that it is aim for my chest, I quickly break to the left, always watching its eyes and gun. As the gun turns, I kick off the wall to get to the opposite side of the hall.
As the gun discharges a burst of three rounds into the recently vacated wall, it reloads. I guess it's double rounds to fire that quickly. This gives me a precious second to get past the 40 meter mark. As the bot snaps the gun shut, it aims for my knees.
Using my acrobatics, I leap into the aim as it fires. Mistake, as I come down, I see the gun positioned at groin level. As I land, I let my legs buckle and send me into a forward roll under the bullets.
Using the reload period, I get to my feet and charge. It aims at my legs again, but not falling for the same trick, I spring onto the wall. Only to have the bot follow immediately and fire.
I kick off the wall hard enough to get my against the upper part of the other wall, just shy of hitting the roof. At this point the bot is aim at groin level and waiting for me to land. sadly for it, i am close to it already. With a heavy spring, I fly across the four meter gap and tackle the bot at the neck, tearing its head off.
There is silence, than the wall blows up and cash flies at me and into my inventory. I get half a million dollars. Ho-ly shit. Laughing with joy, I walk out of the room. Only to be mobbed by the crowds.
They were all shouting at me and cheering. I could not make out a word of any of it. I feel a slender hand grab mine and pull me out of the mob. See that I was leaving, the crowd too disbursed.
Cheshire grabs me and pulls me into an alley. "How the hell did you do all that?!" She said to me with wide eyes.
"Um... I'm a ninja?" I say in a hesitant voice. She bats me on the forehead. "okay fine, I have really high acrobatics and sprint." She continues to look at me like I'm hiding something. "What? I do that stuff all the time in the forests, that's how I train my acrobatics."
"You... You are kind of dumb," she just plainly states.
Laughing, I reply, "and don't deny that you love me for it." She just shakes her head and walks away. Most likely towards where I am taking her to eat. On the way we pass a player merchant carpet. As Cheshire pass, I hear her inhale sharply.
Looking back to see what happened, I see her bargaining with the player that works at the carpet. After five minutes of haggling, she bought what she wanted.
Before I questioned what she bought, she equipped it. It was a simple black dress, something you would wear to a small formal party. But with Cheshire wearing it, it was the most stunning outfit I have ever seen.
She turns and asks me, "how do I look?" Giving me a small and nervous smile.
"Y-you look s-stunning." I stammer out. Voicing my thoughts. Her face turns red. Grabbing my hand and turns back down the street. She pulls me to follow. After walking for a while, we get to a small restaurant.
As we walk in, Cheshire tells me, "I sometimes came here in the beta. This place may not look it, but they have the best steaks. I don't know why." We sit down at one of the many vacant tables in the place. A preppy blond NPC comes up to us with a note pad in hand. We both order a steak dinner and some soda. We soon get it and make small talk for a bit as we eat dinner.
As we are half way done with the meal, the door opens and in comes an unwelcome sight. Standing in the door is the spiky haired man from the first meeting with five of his buddies. Spike guy looks around the room and stop when he lays eyes on us.
He doesn't seem angry though. He looks more like... He found something to amuse himself with. Didn't he remember what we did to him? Strutting over to us, he stops next to our table. "Would you girls like to join me and my friends here for a night at the bar?" He said with an arrogant air around him.
Cheshire and I look at each other and started to laugh. He truly didn't remember us. And he thought I was a girl! Over time however, I started seeing it. As you level agility, your body gets leaner. As being a AGI based fighter, I have most in AGI only some in STR to balance out recoil. With my singing skill, which Cheshire doesn't know of, my voice has gotten lighter. So before I blamed genetics, now I have to kinda blame myself.
Back to the present. Spiky hair is not pleased with the two people laughing at his advances. He says to us in a voice filled with malice and embarrassment, "listen here you bitches. The only reason your able to live like you do is thanks to me and the liberation army."
Hearing the name of the army, we stop giggling immediately. Taking this for being stunned into silence, the man told us arrogantly, "Now that you know that we are your only hope to get out of this game, you'll be happy to service me and my friends here." He gave us a look of pure lust, the same looks are on his team's faces.
I feel my self-control plummet. I stand up and grab him by his throat. I then drag him out of the store before he has time to resist. His team gives us cat calls before they see their Leader's face. I'm currently crushing his windpipe. His eyes are bulging and mouth trying to suck down air, but failing.
Throwing him out of the door, he face plants onto the road. As he gets to his feet, gasping then yelling profanity at me, I issue him a dueling challenge. He looks at me stunned. "You have insulted the integrity of my girlfriend and called me a woman. For that I demand a duel." He quickly accepts, scared to loss even more face in front of his comrades. Who at this point are lined up around us. The duel is under the rules of first headshot. Whoever gets a clean shot to the noggin losses.
I equip my rifle and load my armor piercing rounds. Same goes for my sidearm. As the timer counts down the last five seconds. I get in a position to kick off the ground.
With a ding, the duel begins. I immediately leap to the side and fire off a burst into the challenged man. It rakes up his arm, causing him to drop his weapon with a curse.
As he bends to pick it up, I charge and boot him to the ground. I plant my foot on his throat, similar to how I did with the PKer, and pressed the rifles barrel against his forehead. Squeezing the trigger, I send a single bullet into his head. Fanfare is played as I step off his neck and go to stand with Cheshire, who had come out shortly after the spiky guy's team did.
The man's friends were glaring hate at us while he was trying to get his bearings. As he gets up, he shouts at me, "Your one of those beaters ain't you!"
I glance at Cheshire, seeing she is too confused at the name, I look back at the fool. I start to reply, but give up on the weakling. Shaking my head, I pat Cheshire on the shoulder and, with a turn, walk off. Cheshire following. When we put some distance between us and them, I slow up. "Sorry that I caused our meal to be ruined," I apologized to Cheshire, staring at the ground ahead, angry at the man for interrupting and myself for starting the fight. Even if it was justified.
I see a figure skip in front of me. Looking up, I see Cheshire standing there, hands on her hips. "I don't blame you dummy. It was all on that spiky guy. However, the bet has not been paid," she smirks, "You still owe me a dinner." Smiling, I agree that I'll take her out again soon. We walk back to the teleporter hand in hand.
A/N - Had to put a battle scene in there! The ham almost killed me last chapter. Would have finished the job if I hadn't had Crow whup someone's ass