Chapter 2: Chapter 2
— Maliketh Aeneas (MC) —
I let out a deep breath as I sat on the sofa…my sofa.
It hadn't been mine for long, but now it was, and I couldn't be happier!
Those bastards had attacked me around three hours ago, and during that time, I had to scour the streets looking for a place to call home. Didn't take long, obviously. Some fuckers were fighting in this apartment, and as I was walking below, one of them pushed the other off the terrace. Poor son of a bitch fell to his death.
Death in Night City. Typical shit.
So, with my R.O.B. granted All-Seeing-Eyes, I watched the guy flee the building, running past myself and the body and hightailing it to his car before driving away.
With him gone and the dead guy…being dead, I decided to take this place for myself, and I must say, what a damn good idea it was!
This place is incredible! It even has a couple of bedrooms with a minifridge in each!
Oh, I was definitely staying here, feds be damned!
Now, it was time to see what the hell was going on in Night City. Judging by the huge blue screen, the year was 2074, which was perfect. The R.O.B. didn't tell me when he'd be sending me, only where, and two years before the events of the anime was a perfect time to sink my roots into this city.
"Haha…I'm gonna burn this fucker to the ground."
I grabbed the remote and turned on the tv, wincing at the massive amounts of porn that were instantly displayed on the screen. My eyes narrowed, and my nose crinkled as I looked at the couch filled with…stains.
"No, first I'll clean…this."
— Later —
I just decided to say fuck it and throw the couch out. It was beyond repair, and I even found a glob of tissues under the cushions. Why the fuck was it rock solid?
That couch needs to be burned by the holiest fires God possessed before being extinguished by the most potent holy water the great Lord has. Its existence is an abomination to man and creature alike-
Suddenly, I was really happy the owner of this place died.
I sat down on a chair, my All-Seeing-Eyes not locating any dried semen on this seat, which was all I could ask at this point. I reached for the remote and changed the channel from the porn. Scrolling through the various confusing, somewhat disorienting channels that popped up, I quickly realized that the TV would be useless to me.
That was…fine, I could work with nothing. Or, I'd have to if I wanted to survive this fucked up city.
I closed my eyes and started looking deep within myself. I knew the two power systems I chose, and I knew how to activate each of them.
Nen and Haki.
The problem with both of them is that they weren't exactly the best for starting out and just using them from the beginning. Nen would be much easier to use though, so I'll start with it first.
I pressed my right index finger against my forehead, trying to focus on that single point.
Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu.
The first step required the opening of my aura nodes, and there are two ways a person can go about doing this. The first, is to spend time meditating and gradually open these nodes. The second is forceful awakening by someone else pouring their Hatsu through my aura nodes.
Other people in this world, more specifically 20%, were granted the same power systems as me, which means there are people in this world who possess Haki and Nen and an even rarer few who possess both. Of that 20% of people who possess Haki and Nen, there are various levels of people with talent, or lack thereof in the systems.
50% of the people who can use Haki/Nen are talentless in it, and upon accessing their power, they can only grow stronger through intense hard work. Even then, they have rather strict limits they cannot surpass.
25% of the people who can use Haki/Nen are mid-level, and upon accessing their power, they can grow through hard work as any person could, but it takes time, and their bodies will eventually hit a wall.
15% of the people who can use Haki/Nen are naturals. Once they've unlocked their power, they can quickly grow stronger through hard work. There isn't really an upper limit on how strong their systems can grow.
10% of the people who can use Haki/Nen are absolute beasts. Once they've unlocked their power, growing is a foregone conclusion. They'll always grow, and even more so if they work hard. The other groups of people typically can't match up against people in this group; they're just another level if they're willing to put in the work for it, and they have no limits.
I subscribe to the 10% of people and possess both Haki and Nen, which means with enough hard work, I can rise to the top.
The problem I now hold is that I don't have any companions/friends to call upon to help me, and people you can rely on are a must in Night City.
No one will unlock my nen, even if I make friends, which means meditation it is.
I dropped my hands into my lap and sat cross-legged on the chair. It was time to reach into myself and feel my nen, specifically my Ten.
Being in the most skilled group of people had its perks, and that showed as I began to feel my aura nodes within my body. They all felt…clunky like they were clogged or blocked off. It was time to open them.
I tried to force my aura out of them, which didn't work and was actually quite painful instead, which means forcing wasn't the right way to go about this.
Taking it easy, instead, I tried prodding the clogged nodes. Gradually letting energy push against them. It didn't work, not for a while, but eventually, I felt a bit of aura leave one, then another, then another.
After about an hour of meditation, I felt almost every node in my body gives way to a light stream of aura. And after a few minutes more, all of them had opened up, giving my body a clear stream of aura around it.
I looked at my entire body in amazement. Thanks to the aura nodes in my eyes being opened, I could see the Nen around me. It was…something. A surreal experience.
Now that I had unlocked my nen, it was time to go through the steps. What I'm experiencing right now isn't any of them. My aura is just flowing out of my body and dissipating into the air, which means I need to get it under control.
I closed my eyes and imagined the aura around me clotting together. Focus on the mind, reflect on the self, and determine a goal. Those were the rules of the first step of Nen, and it was time to do just that.
My mind was messed up, I was still suppressing the anger I felt from those bastards in the alley, and it was time to let it go for the sake of growing.
Ever since I had gotten into this world, I was no longer myself. I was someone else, and it was time to adapt that person into my identity. I am Maliketh Aeneas.
Now, for the goal. I had plenty. Plenty of things I wanted to do, and plenty of things I wanted to see, but for now, those were unimportant.
Nen. My goal is to learn Nen.
When I opened my eyes again, my aura was no longer rushing out of me in an uncontrolled manner. Now, it was calm and streaming out of me in a fluid way that clung to my body, never going too far.
Ten. I had done it! I have started my journey to learning the four principles of Nen!
Next step, Zetsu. Put it into words.
I closed my eyes once again, and this time I was doing the opposite with my aura. Instead of pushing it out, I was pulling it back in, through my aura nodes.
To learn Nen, I had to not only learn how to release my aura but suppress it as well. These steps were necessary, and I needed to do them to ever fully comprehend Nen in it's entirety.
"I want to learn Nen."
It didn't take nearly as long as pushing it out, as gradually, my aura began to flow into my body. Now it was time to close my aura nodes again. Ever since my aura started flowing out in droves, my nodes had become more sensitive, and the fact that I didn't have my overwhelming aura pushing against them anymore gave me a clear feeling about them.
So, I focused on them and closed them, much like a person would turn off a faucet-
If the faucet was 100 feet underground and you had to use a metal pole just as long to push the handle.
That's how hard it was to turn it back off, but when it came time to turn it back on, it became much easier, and again it got easier turning it back off again.
Improvement, you love to see it. Well, that's enough for today.
I let out a sigh as I pushed myself to my feet, taking a moment to crack my neck. It was Night City, and it was still nighttime. I'm sure I can start a career as a low-level merc…for now. Just need to find the right person/people to set me up,
And I know just the one.
— Later —
"So this is the place, huh?" I frowned, looking at the bar in front of me.
El Coyote Cojo
This bar is located in The Glenn within the Heywood district. It's where all of Heywood's people turn out, and more specifically, it's where the person I'm looking for often visits.
I walked toward the door, getting side-eyed by several people standing by it before walking in. Immediately, the harsh smell of smoke hit my nose, but it was honestly better than the shit-smelling city.
Upon entering, some eyes turned to me. Cautious looks, some glares, but most of them, I could tell, couldn't give less of a fuck. I was a new face in a familiar place to them.
A nobody who didn't belong. I'd have to watch my step around here.
I made my way over to the counter where the bartender was working and took a seat. The bartender glanced at me before continuing to clean a glass cup.
"You lost?" He asked although he didn't sound too interested. My eyes left the bartender's form, looking around the bar to see most people eyeing me in some way.
I really needed to choose my next words wisely.
"Nah, lookin' for work." I smiled slightly, reaching into my pocket very slowly to appease all the eyes on me, pulling out a few dozen eddies and sliding them toward the bartender. "More specifically, lookin' for the best fixer in Heywood. Would you happen to know him?"
The bartender discreetly took the paper eddies and slid them under his counter.
"I do." The bartender nodded, placing down a cup. "Drink?"
"Something strong."
"Comin' right up." He walked back to his case of alcohol and grabbed a bottle that I quickly recognized as Vodka. He poured a tad of it into the glass cup before grabbing another bottle I didn't recognize and filling it halfway. "Here ya go."
"Thanks." I took the cup and took a quick sip of it. It wasn't half bad.
"So, you wanna know where he is."
"Padre, yes." I leaned in and whispered to him, earning a nod. Good, I just wanted to make sure we were clearly talking about the same person.
"Well, it's gonna cost ya." The bartender frowned, going back to cleaning the glasses.
I raised an eyebrow at that as I took another sip. "Cost me? I just gave you some eddies."
"Don't matter. Padre doesn't deal with people outside of Heywood, not unless they got some…potential, and you're a nobody as far as I know." He shrugged unapologetically, and while I didn't like being called a nobody, I couldn't argue with his logic.
Dealing with mysterious folk was bad for business unless they were worth it.
"So, what's it gonna cost?"
"Well, I was gonna ask for eddies, but lookin' at'cha…doesn't look like ya got much on ya."
I gave him a quick but reluctant shake of my head.
"Thought so. Then, if you're lookin' for a job, I think I can provide."
"Oh? Let me hear it." I leaned even closer, ready to cling to his every word.
"Got a small-time loan shark I borrowed money from. A new guy just moved into Heywood, and ain't a single choom here give a corp's ass about him. I'm sayin' he won't be missed, ya get me?"
"I get you. His location?"
"Leave this place, take a right, and walk until you see a group of gonkheads chillin' on a corner. You can't miss 'em; they're there every night."
"You want 'em down too?"
"The more, the merrier."
"What's the pay lookin' like?" I questioned with narrowed eyes, taking another sip.
"Pay? You get any eddies they got on 'em, and a rec to Padre from me. Take it or leave it." The bartender frowned, crossing his arms.
Some broke fucks standing on a corner at night…didn't seem like much, but the loan shark-
I'm sure he's got some worthwhile eddies.
"Deal." I downed the rest of my drink and slid him the cup. As he grabbed it, he looked at me with narrowed eyes and a serious face.
"We didn't have this talk, and if you don't make it back you were never worth Padre's time anyway.
"Calm your nerves, old timer." I stood up and pushed myself away from the counter. "The moment you put me on the job, it was finished."
With those parting words that sounded better in my head, I left the bar and followed the bartender's instructions.
Didn't think the bartender, Pepe would have such a stick up his ass, considering how desperate he was in Cyberpunk 2077 in the street-kid pathway, but aye, I guess a few years will change you for the better.
As I walked down the street, I saw a group of guys wearing various ugly-looking pieces of clothing and crinkled my nose in disgust. These were the bottom feeders I had to take out? Really?
What was worse is these motherfuckers most likely outrank me in the streets, having more cred than me!
A malicious grin formed on my lips as I walked closer and activated Zetsu.
We'll have to change that…won't we?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone