Last chapter, Amandeath and Quilline headed to a black market cybernetic clinic the latter had connections to- and while waiting inside for Amandeath's appointment, they encountered the irritated boss of the organization who wanted to ban Quilline from using any of her resources.

This infuriated Quilline- but Amandeath organized a deal between the two, where Quilline would be temporarily suspended from using any of Prisila's resources until Prósopsi and at least two Commanders were eliminated.

Afterwards, Quilline paid a hefty sum of Herin to allow Amandeath to get one last cybernetic implant surgery...

Amandeath's P.O.V.

"...Mhmmm." I groan as my eyes start to open... ugh... I feel good- well rested too. What happened again? Someone knock me out? Huh... I glance around the room, and squint my eye after realizing there's a blinding light right in front of my face- annoying.

"Hi, Amandeath. The surgery was a complete success, and took 4 hours and 13 minutes in total. But yes, you'll feel a bit "funny" until the anesthesia wears off. Also another reminder- be very careful taking your first steps. Anytime you put pressure on any of your limbs for the next while- you'll feel quite a lot of pain due to your torn muscles and flesh." Ah- things are finally clicking, right I got my cybernetics- and this doc is the one who did it for me...

"Coooool. I've tried almost every drug this place has to offer- and I love pain so, I think I'll be chilling. Probably gonna head out soon, wanna show off to my friends..." I mumble.

"I see- well that's good, your call in the end of course. I'll go get Quilline, she's already handled the payment so you should be good to go if you'd like." The doc says as he takes a step away from me...

"Thirsty..." I think to myself with a dry gulp as I pop my lips together.

...

"Hey hey my fellow cyborg friend! Let's get going, the doc said you can walk so I'll trust him on that- we can test the strength of your cybernetics on the way back if you want." Quilline shouts, and so I turn my head to look at her and start to get my ass up off of this chair.

"Ooook. Let's get rolling- OH. Damn, that feels nice." I say with a smile as my feet touch the floor, yep I can see why that pain would be a bitch to most people.

"Well- that's good I suppose, ha. Take care you two. And as a gentle reminder however, as my boss Prisila said, you will not be allowed to come back in here until your part of the deal you made with her is fulfilled. I only say this to make sure you don't leave any of your valuables behind in this clinic." The doc says- hah, smart for him to add that last bit- since yeah he probably realized the reminder could piss off Quilline...

...

"Earth to Amandeath?" I shake my head as Quilline waves a hand in front of my face- ah, zoned out.

"If I may make a suggestion- guiding Amandeath out of the building could be helpful." The doctor says as Quillije grabs my arm and starts to pull me away.

"Wow really? I never would've thought of that, I was going to just let her stay with you before- thank you so much!" Quilline says in a sassy tone just as she turns around to walk away with me, which makes the doctor blush and look down at the floor.

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"Sheesh- it's like I'm bringing a little baby to their first day of kindergarten. You sure you can't walk on your own yet?" Quilline says with a laugh as I'm smiling away while being pulled along with her... every step is fucking fantastic...

"Hmm. I guess I'll take that as a yes. Actually- say, want to give your cybernetics a whirl?" Quilline responds and I nod like hell- the pain from that would be sick.

"Alright alright- then how about..." Quilline pauses- eh? Why? Oh- she's pulling out a small-ish hammer.

"This!" She swings it towards my head which gives me an instant hit of pleasure- and which also makes me fall to the floor due to the force I think... think I cut my face on something though.

"As suspected you're still awake! That didn't hurt much either I'm guessing? The power of cybernetics at its finest~ you could probably eat up some gunshots too but, felt that would be too risky to test." Quilline says cheerily with a smile, as I start to push myself up off of the ground... damn, yeah being a cyborg does seem pretty nice...

"Also- now that we know your body's properly reinforced, want to join me for some fun soon? I've been scouting out a Hopian Army training base for a while now, if we went there we'd get to take on some officers and a whole lot of soldiers. With Elio's and maybe Metallic's help it would be a breeze. You in? It would be a nice way to get some revenge after what Commander Aora did to you hm? AND to give the army the message to not mess with us? No takesy-backsies once you say yes though!" Quilline says as she starts to pull my arm along again- huh... sounds risky...

But with Quilline and Elio and Metallic, taking on some lower level members would be eaaaaasy. Especially since me and Metallic are like Officers in our own right.

"Sounds cool. I'm in but only if Elio is- since we'll need him to make sure the people there don't call for backup." I reply- and Quilline cheers at that and pats my back... hope I don't regret this.

2 hours later...

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Back at the crew's makeshift apartment base...

Quilline's P.O.V.

"If they aren't on this floor I swear..." I think to myself as me and the currently braindead Amandeath walk up the stairs to yet another floor's door in this huge broken down apartment complex.

I thought Amandeath would have improved by now- but she's just getting more and more tired... lazy girl, fucking degrading that I'm being her little tour guide as well, if Metallica didn't exist I'd have punished her by now.

But oh well- her mental state let me trick her into "helping" me take out an Army base so, pros and cons.

Anyways- I creek the door to the floor we're on open, and use my 2nd Blessing "I See All" to scout out the floor's hallway with my 360 degree vision.

"What the- did they get into a fight?" I think to myself as I can see Seric and Karia down the hall- as well as robot-Elio and Metallic which is good I suppose. But more importantly there's giant tears in the floor itself... like GIANT. Even I could probably fall through them.

"Well- guess I'll ask." I think to myself as I fully kick the door open to give the four a good scare, then exclaim,

"Your old and new powerhouses have returned! Also- you couldn't have stayed on the same floor? Climbing all these flights of stairs wasn't easy with Amandeath you know!" I shout as the four look at me- only Seric jumped though, tragic.

"Heeeey." Is all Amandeath says with a wave.

"Hello pal!" Metallic shouts from the distance with a wave- with his arm getting stuck midair it seems... wow he's nothing without the Emperor.

"She alright? Seems like she's kinda high." Oh, Elio asks me a question as we start to make our way to the group.

"Oh she's fine- just tired, a pain to bring around though I'll tell you. The surgery went just right as well by the way." I say as I pull Amandeath along with me by the massive open tears in the floor- not being too careful since it would be kinda funny to see her fall, plus I'd catch her anyways.

But- sadly Amandeath only stumbles but doesn't fall, and so I do the next interesting thing and ask, "So is anyone going to explain what kind of monster wrecked havoc up here?" I ask with a laugh as Elio walks over and takes Amandeath away from me with his slender shiny plastic-like white arms, which he wraps around her shoulders.

"Me. I was training." Karia replies as she crosses her arms and glares at me, trying to look all cool. I don't like that, even if her strength could be helpful.

"What soul?" I ask- the answer's already fairly obvious since I did my research beforehand, it's Sariel's- but this'll mess with her anyways.

"None of your business." She replies which makes me grin.

"Hmmm? Still scared of me? It would sure be helpful to know for when we take down the army, but so be it for now. Anyways- robo-bros, I'm assuming you got the tickets?" I reply with a shrug which makes Metallic energetically nod.

"Yep! They're currently hidden away in Seric's boat, we didn't want them to get stolen after all. We printed out a whole bunch of rules and info that Elio could find online as well about the casino's tournament, perhaps I shouldn't jinx us but it seems like we're all set!" Metallic exclaims with a thumbs up- wonder where the boat is. I bet one of the rooms here actually.

Regardless I reply, "Good good- but we still have to talk about our metaphorical AND literal plan of attack here. But- it looks like Amandeath's already about to pass out, so it may have to wait. It's already late- so maybe we should leave our big talk until early tomorrow morning?" I suggest as I can already see Amandeath curled up on the carpet as Elio's sitting next to her awkwardly by a wall.

...

"Yeah- for me at least, I think that's smart." Seric finally says, surprising- jeez for a group of major criminals this group sure doesn't communicate well.

"Fine. But we need someone to stay up and watch Quilline though." Karia says- wonder if the group will still agree... or actually this might work better for me anyways.

"W.O.W.- it's almost as though we planned this already! Oh wait, we did! Considering I'm the only one here who doesn't need to sleep I'll obviously be the one watching her." Metallic says which makes me smirk- nice to see her knocked down peg.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL M- ugh! No, I'm not even gonna bother with this shit. Night Seric, if you need anything just knock on my door or something." Karia says with a wave to the boy as she stomps away through one of the hotel rooms next to us- must be where Seric crammed the boat.

An hour later...

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"And so- THAT is how you cook one incredible ribeye steak. Just look at the inside after we cut into it- tender, juicy, and a perfect pink color. Be-" I quit off of the downloaded cooking video I was watching on my phone in this pure white, dark, small room of "mine" while biting one of my nails.

Not sure why I even watch these things still, they're years old. Nice to remember the good old times I guess- funny as well since so few people even cook themselves anymore.

"Tech is nice but it's sure turned this place to shit." I remind myself and snicker again since I'm a big part of the reason why this continent is so bad... but still- besides crime the lifestyle here sucks unless you're in a simulation.

"Back to the show." I think to myself as I drop my phone onto the floor- then stand up and stretch. I can see Metallic behind me tightening one of the bolts on his new silver arm that he just attached by himself- he apparently had the time to buy or steal it while he was out with Elio.

"Wait how the hell did Metallic not get at least some weird looks with that massive robe he had on- AND with Elio being under it on his back too? Hmmm... well, I guess they might've gone to an automated shop with no tellers." I try to solve the puzzle.

Still surprising that they had the time for that though. After all they had to cheese their way through the soldiers they found on the way to Marlox's house, by using Elio's Blessing to detect where any of their weapons were in order to avoid going near them. Guess they can make a good duo after all- could be a fun combo I'd like to use.

And on that note, "That arm's looking quite nice Metallic. Want to test it out when you're done doing your touch-ups?" I ask, but the bot doesn't react.

"Test? I can test it myself on a wall or any hard surface, I've done countless repairs over the past 200 years. ...What did you have in mind regardless my acquaintance?" Metallic asks as he taps his new arm with his other good arm, and raises it into the air to look at something on it as he squints.

"A wall huh- simple but it works, I like it. My plan though was to go attack a low level army base- the strongest people we'd face are about the strength of Karia, and there'd be two of them at max there. It'd be a good way to retaliate against the army after Commander Aora attacked Amandeath and Elio, and to tell them not to mess with us for a while. We can even get Elio to display some stuff for us on screens to REALLY put our message across." I say- making sure to speak in words Metallic understands, since the way I see it he doesn't get a lot of the present day terms people use.

"...That sounds excellent, however you truly believe we'd get away without those vile army servants calling for backup?" He asks with more smarts than I thought he had as he lowers his newly attached arm and starts to spin it- it's creaky but it sure is moving quickly.

Admiration aside I reply, "Yep yep! Fair concern but- if we get Elio to come with us, he'd be able to shut down all of the annoying communication devices the base would use to call for backup. We'd probably be able to finish the base off within like 10 minutes anyways which should be plenty of time." I say with a smile as I stare at Metallic in anticipation- seeing the limits of his morals, if he has any, should be a blast.

"...O.K. Fine. But we can't let Seric and Karia know about this- they'd hate me." Metallic says which almost makes me laugh out loud- of course they'll see the news reports after the fact, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Of course- that's why I was thinking we can attack while those two are asleep. Sound good? Maybe we can leave in an hour or two? The base should be nearby... ish." I say as I wiggle my hand around- can hardly remember where the base is honestly.

"An hour will do- see you then, and be quiet if you're going out- Seric used to be a light sleeper." Metallic says as I turn around to head out the door- one more person to convince... I already have an idea for a story in mind to use on him so this shouldn't be too bad I hope.

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"So what do you want?" Elio asks while resting his head between his legs on the floor, as I'm sitting on the pure white floor of his and Amandeath's room as well- with Amandeath being passed out in her sleeping bag on the floor.

"What's making you so blue Elio?" I fake my concern.

"I doubt that you actually care but, I can't sleep. Like- I don't physically think I can in this body, I don't feel tired whatsoever. I- shit man, this isn't right. I'm a freak of nature like this, I shouldn't be here." Elio starts to moan- normally I'd find it funny but, it's honestly just irritating me.

"What do you have to be so miserable about- really?" I feel very tempted to ask but- I hide the urge, right I have to act convincing here.

"I see. But we need your help- Amandeath, Metallic, and I I mean. The Hopian Army has a super-weapon that would sure help us during our battle against them- learned about the baby after interrogating a scientist about a year ago. Never had the manpower to get it myself but- with us four, and especially you, I think it'd be a piece of cake." I start off my lie, but Elio only tilts his white metal head with glowing eyes and so I continue,

"Besides how it would help us if we got it- I certainly don't think we'd want it to be used against us either. To be specific it's a massive laser gun with a HUGE energy supply that can continuously burn through anything it touches- including me and Metallic probably, which is certainly no-go. So- you in? You'd just be in the sidelines turning things on and off- like the hackers in those old spy movies." I finish off my grand story as I clasp my hands together by my hips.

"I have a feeling some soldiers are gonna die. Are they?" Elio asks... fuck this crew is sadly naïve. Oh well, I'm a decent liar.

"Well- ok yeah, maybe a few government dogs who are extra dedicated and won't get out of our way will get killed by yours truly. But besides giving the army a good scare to boost my rep, we wouldn't kill anyone that wasn't a big threat no- that would just make things even harder for us, what with it making us even more wanted and all. So- your answer Elio? Amandeath's only in if you are." I add in some more meat to my fib- hope he takes a bite, especially with that last truth.

"Haaaaah... fuck. I guess we ARE in a life or death situation- BUT I'm only doing this if you guys do something for me too. Like helping me go and visit someone- with one of you guys acting as my bodyguard I mean." Elio says which makes me smile and nod- and cough as well as I try to hide a massive grin.

"Okie dokie! We're gonna head out in a few hours then, in the meantime I'll go out and get us some earpieces to talk through-"

"Good luck finding any- any good ones've been illegal to use for years, besides the few brands the Hopian Government rubs their nasty hands over and tracks calls on." Elio rudely interrupts and so I cough and continue,

"You underestimate my connections dear Coolio- I'll get the good ones. Any brand you can recommend if you really do know the "good ones"?" I say his nickname which makes Elio twist his head.

"Really? A nickname? Whatever- if you can actually get any, Teshomo used to be a really good brand that made earpieces- similar tech to walkie-talkies with encryption so they should do. If your "connections" don't have any of those though, ask for anything similar." Elio says with a sigh- would've been funny if he didn't have a clue as to what was used way back in my day.

"Ah- I've heard of them. Got it! Be back soon, ta-ta- maybe wake Amandeath up in a bit and let her know we're heading out soon." I say with a wave as I slide myself back up to my feet- ah this is gonna be such a blast!

One hour later...

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"Neeeever gonna let you fall, neeever gonna let you run! Never gonna..." I mumble a little tune to myself as I'm sitting on a bench outside of the tech shop that took me ages to find- last time I went here was 5 years ago to get a phone.

Anyways- the guy inside said to wait a few minutes while he checks out his place's storage which is why I'm hanging around outside like a doggy.

"I'll, always be theeeere to find yooo- hm?" I get interrupted by the sight of a few bums strutting up to me on the un-lit sidewalk I'm sitting by. Was gonna let them walk past me if they didn't come up to me but well- this could be fun now~

"Hey, what's up girl?" One of the men asks which makes me grin- oh man they really can't recognize me since I'm sitting down with my hood up!

"Not much, just waiting fo-"

"Think you should spend some time with us then." Another man pushes by the rest and says to me while grabbing my shoulder- I can smell the beer on his breath... pig.

But the frown and bad memories fade as I remember who I am, "I'd love to!" I reply as I push myself off of the bench up to my full height which dwarfs the pig- and then I shove him down to the ground. Hard.

"What..?" The man replies while rubbing his now bleeding head as I start pulling off my pants and panties- the rest of the guys start to take off their pants too, guess they haven't heard of me.

"Whoa- what's up with all the scars and shit?" The pig on the ground asks as I bend down and start to straddle him, but I only grin as I rip off his pants.

This'll be a good warmup- especially since I got some razors implanted into my vagina years back...