Cursed Edgerunner Chapter 22 (Patreon)

With my new Malorian 3516 hand canon tucked away in my jacket pocket. I dragged Takeda Yomimoto into the back of my car and gunned it forward as I knew that causing such an accident in public was going to raise some eyebrows.

And telling the NCP SWAT car... Or heaven fucking forbid MaxTac agents who decided to jump me that I was just going after a public bounty. Was going to just go sooo well, I was sure.

My best option in that scenario would be them taking the bounty off my hands to turn it in for themselves AFTER I got the shit beaten out of me. Or worse in MaxTac, I would be shot or beaten to death on sight.

Because in this world of Jujutsu and curses. The 'Maximum Force Tactical Division's average KDA in any engagement was often thirty kills, no deaths, and maybe two assists with those complete psychopaths.

And the majority of those kills would be bystanders or civilians who held up cameras or used their Kiroshi eyes to ping off the MaxTac officers to get some info.

After quickly fleeing the scene of the crime, Regina Jones called me up after I pinged her servers for a connection. 

[Jake, I got your info packet... I do hope smashing that shit heads, head into that seat didn't scramble his brain.] She said in an utterly dry voice.

I shook my head and said in a cheerful voice. "Nope, I am jacked into his vitals after I hacked his personal ICE to block off his Trauma Team signal. I do hope you have your own Netrunner who can do the same after I leave him to you. Because otherwise you are going to have a problem." 

Because Trauma Team while was mostly focused on violent escort to a hospital in their system for their clients. They also were very much invested in making sure their clients weren't being kidnapped and tortured...

It went against their 'company policy,' as a tortured and soon-to-be-dead client, was a client whose subscription to their very expensive service would soon be cancelled.

Regina let out a quiet snort and said flatly. [Don't worry about that Jake. I got the resources needed to block off a signal without problem. You just focus on dropping that idiot off at a safe house I will send. Just drop him off on the couch in the front room; and don't go exploring the house, as there are traps.]

"Fair enough. I will be there in a few minutes." I said slowly as I adjusted my course to head further north to drop the fraudster off.

I quickly drove up the lane and pulled to a stop next to a dark alley and I could see a row of cargo containers that had been modified with extra panels and such. To convert them into a bunch of cheat apartment buildings.

"I... Am so totally going to get fucking robbed going down this alley." I muttered as I saw the large overpass on each side that was going to lead to dark spots in the middle even if it was daytime currently.

So after checking my new baby Malorian and seeing it was indeed loaded and everything. I synced up with its internal computer so that my targeting patch on my hand and wrist would sync up to my eyes.

"Wow... It's just like having a reticule in game." I said with false joy as I picked up Takeda with one arm and worked to drag him towards the safe house listed at the end of the line.

But just as I was getting close to the apartments. My senses screamed at me as something... Inuhuman screamed all to loudly close by and I dropped the unconcious form of Takeda as I whirled around.

Spinning around, I saw a human form sprint towards me from under the underpass I already passed by.

A very familiar figure that I did NOT shoot because the scream wasn't coming from it. It was coming from a giant slug-shaped curse that was chasing her.

Seeing me, the figure's face twisted before she shouted out. "Run! I will try to lead it away!"

But I just smiled as while this curse was big. I could tell from it's cursed energy that it was still just a third-grade curse.

I lifted up my Malorian and... I felt something in my wrist almost crack as my aura drained as the hand cannon shot an explosive 14mm round at twice the speed of sound and slammed home into the side of the monster.

"Fucking dammit! How did this asshole shoot this thing without breaking his wrists?" I cursed as I shook my hand helplessly, realizing with a glance down at Takeda's hands.

That he actually had modified gorilla-based hands specifically for powerful guns' recoil, with piston springs in his wrists to absorb the impact.

While my hands, wrists, and lower arms had been replaced with a combination of augmented Gorilla fists, a Projectile Launch System, Mantis Claws, and monowire... So my arms, due to all the cyberware, were actually extremely fragile without my aura.

The curse however was much more fragile to the explosive reaction of an anti-air level round slamming home into it and then exploding as it tunneled through it's flesh.

And as it staggered, allowing the undercover NCPD agent I recognized as Jane to get more distance. I shot it again, but instead with my Projectile Launch system.

The large slug shot much slower than the hand canon. But the rounds I had installed were all made with Dust in mind. And I realized that Dust... Was actually very effective on Curses actually!

As the explosive dust round hit the curse and exploded with great enough power to cut the car-sized curse in half, the force of the explosion shook the surrounding area.

I strode forward, and with a long zip of my noise, I coated my monowire with my cursed energy so that it would properly kill the screaming curse with the razor-sharp wire cutting the 'front' half and the head of the curse into pieces.

With that done, I whirled on Jane, who was inching towards the end of the alleyway and I said with a grin. "Wow! Twice in a row I have had to save your ass. Does the NCPD have contracts and rewards for saving their officers who bite off more than they can chew?"