The middle-aged man relaxed after Stormflash accepted his invitation.

  He was a merchant after all, and he knew an opportunity when he saw one.

  Inviting them into the vicinity of the armoured convoy, Ayna observed the orderly rows of trucks. They were clearly not the latest tech, outdated compared to the latest models, yet they were huge, well-equipped trucks over 100 feet long.

  Mounted on them were turrets and more guards wearing an assortment of mismatched gear of various makes.

  The middle-aged man gestured for them to enter one of the trucks as he said, “Would you like to discuss our business here?”

  Stormflash accepted not seeing the issue, and soon they entered, finding a living space section in the truck, clearly intended for the merchants themselves or well-regarded guests.

  Inside the private space were a table and seating, along with lounging areas.

  They were greeted by a mature, warm woman with a friendly smile who seemed to be the middle-aged man's wife, as evidenced by the way they looked at each other.

  She wore a practical outfit and raised a questioning eyebrow as they entered.

  The middle-aged man smiled as he saw her, replying, “No need to concern yourself, dear. Now that we have some privacy, the name is Dexton. This is my wife Jane. What can we help, someone as esteemed as yourself, with?”

  Ayna could see that Dexton was sceptical as he said that, and she had to agree with him. Stormflash was a strong C grade; it did not make sense that he needed a Merchant of such standing.

  Stormflash smiled as he said that, replying, “That may be true, yet that is precisely why I need you particularly. You would be both the most unassuming and the least likely. A Merchant such as yourself is a dime a dozen in Tanus, and what I will offer, the risk is low if you keep this between us, whilst the reward will be substantial, of course.”

  The doubt in Dexton's gaze did not vanish with Stormflash words, and his wife, Jane, appeared even more wary.

  “I don't want to come across as rude, yet do you expect me to believe that? Do you believe I cannot recognise what you are? Those like you are usually the most valued asset of a corporation on Tanus. For me to get involved with you? Now, that sounds beyond risky, and I do not like risks; I chose this humble business over going anywhere near those Corporations for a big reason. And you expect me to jump into something now, after years of living on the fringes away from that? Anything that makes you this careful is not a danger I want to bring to my family, no matter how big the reward.” Dexton said, shaking his head in utter denial.

  Ayna believed that would be it, or at least Stormflash would be dissuaded slightly, yet she saw him continue smiling as he said, “You have yet to let me make a proposition first. Now, I actually have my own means, yet what I exactly want from you is far simpler than you believe.”

  It turned out that Stormflash's plan was relatively simple; he did not require Dexton to do much. Entry into Genecies required a Neural Interface coded to your identity.

  He wanted the Merchant to provide a suitable background, and Stormflash wanted to impersonate someone utilising Dexton's knowledge.

  Stormflash was correct when he said this posed little risk to Dexton, as he could find this knowledge from many Merchants.

  Swiftly, they came to a deal, and Dexton provided the data, whilst Stormflash handed him something in return that made the Merchant’s eyes light up.

  Before they left, Stormflash requested something as he said, “Do you have spare bikes? Not the latest models, of course…”

  Dexton's smile was reignited as he once again negotiated another profitable deal.

  Stormflash and Ayna left the convoy in a flash, now piloting a Quadbike.

  The Quadbike was not expensive; being asymmetrical, rust-streaked, and pieced together from various models, it showed the lack of resources the natives of Tanus had outside the Mega-cities of the Corps.

  Despite its appearance, the Quadbike was fast, and Stormflash drove off in a hurry with her sat behind.

  Ayna had remained silent during the negotiation with Dexton, yet after thinking about it thought the interaction was strange.

  “Isn't there a much better way of doing that? If we took a bit longer, couldn't we have just found a suitable identity, yet without putting ourselves at the whims of another person, no matter how trusting they appear to be?” Ayna asked as the Merchant Convoy long vanished in the distance, the Forest whooshing by as they travelled along the direct path.

  Stormflash smiled in response as he replied, “Rather astute of you. That is because I do not need any of this information; this is all merely to mislead our pursuers. I will do the same with every Merchant I pass by; someone will inevitably be on our tail, and the first thing they will do is investigate anyone near the escape pod, yet none of the information they receive from the locals will be reliable. However, being the only leads they have, they will follow, and in that time, we will hopefully be on the next shuttle, far away from Tanus.”

  Ayna's eyes widened in surprise at how cunning Stormflash was being.

  Then her eyes narrowed in contemplation, though he had helped her up to this point, did she truly know Stormflash?

  He was a mystery of a person, an enigma to her; even now, she could not say she truly understood his motive.

  It is why Ayna watched both measured and aptly. As Stormflash went around discussing terms with Merchant after Merchant, it was clear on the outskirts of Tanus that resources were not plentiful, and they were tempted by what Stormflash offered.

  Stormflash navigated the terms with great skill. Many merchants offered more, like modified Neural Interfaces, a means of smuggling into Genecies, yet Stormflash never pursued anything more, and even the more sketchy individuals that resembled Raiders more than Merchants were not foolish enough to insist on a powerful Metahuman.

  Ayna felt her fair share of greedy glances in that time, mainly directed at her armour.

  Yet, their blatant lustful gaze on her features was another uncomfortable feeling she had not experienced in the Helixas Corporation facility, whose attention towards her was apathetic, where even the human guards looked at her like a machine, cold and unfeeling.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  It was another kind of attention.

  One that it seemed I would have to get used to.

  She swiftly realised their meeting with the first Merchant was not the norm; Tanus was lawless outside the Mega-cities, except for the Corporations, who did anything that suited their agenda on Tanus.

  In that time, she reviewed the description of her new subclass skills.

  Sub Class skills:

  Deception {Lvl 1}: Your ability to manipulate, lie, and misdirect others is enhanced either verbally or through actions. Acts of subterfuge are more likely to succeed. You have improved control over your emotions and expressions.

  Steady Aim {Lvl 1}: You are more accurate when aiming firearms, increasing the chance of critical damage. Long-distance shooting is more precise, and your aim is naturally stable.

  Piercing Shot {Lvl 1}: You can charge and enhance a singular shot that will deal improved piercing damage. The shot will deal enhanced damage to armoured targets.

  The skills were solid, though not up to the standard of her main class, as expected of a sub-class.

  Ayna had a feeling she would be utilising [Deception] in the near future.

  Stormflash continued to navigate them until they began to exit the boundaries of Fierist Forest.

  They did not encounter any further hostile wildlife, or did, yet Stormflash, unlike last time, actively deterred them.

  Ayna did dwell on it; she would have opportunities to level her skills and class in the future. At this time, they needed to act on a hasty basis.

  Soon, the trees began to thin, and the path led them away from Fierist Forest, into a plain with long, fiery red grass.

  Searching through her interface, she saw a new notification listing.

  Sector: Fierist Plains

  They continued travelling along the grassy plains. It was quiet and appeared empty, and Stormflash grew solemn as he said, “I need you to trust me on the next step. I have made preparations; it was a great cost to procure these things, yet I knew without them you would have no real chance of remaining free.”

  Ayna felt puzzled at Stormflash's cryptic words as she replied, “Free? What do you mean? You believe Dr Xavier remains a problem?”

  Stormflash laughed at that as he swiftly replied, “I don't just believe, I know it. You won't get rid of him that easily; his influence is substantial. The Helixas Corporation has strong connections. I think they have an Outpost here, in Tanus. Do not think we have escaped their reach yet. It is the reason I have to take extreme measures; they know we are here, and they might be coming now. I know they'd have informed whatever agents they have on Tanus. They have the escape pod coordinates; it is only a matter of time. We must now change our identity completely.”

  Ayna was curious about how he intended to do that, to bypass the defences of identity-detection technologies, even on a planet like Tanus, which was not a significant world in the Galaxy, was difficult.

  And to leave Tanus, they were required to do so; all ports were controlled by the leading Corporations, who, according to Stormflash, the Helixas Corporation, and, in extension, Dr Xavier, held significant sway over.

  After a while, Stormflash eventually pulled over. He told her to dismount, and with the only thing in sight being the endless plains, which seemed to stretch forever, the emptiness made her feel dread.

  Ayna gulped at the thought that if Stormflash wanted to, he could make her vanish here and now, and nobody would be the wiser.

  Yet, as soon as that thought emerged, she discarded it; it did not make sense for him to go this far to do something like that.

  Or did it?

  Her overthinking rumination caused her not even to regard when Stormflash tried to regain her attention, yet snapped out of it as she absently said, “Yes?”

  “Daydreaming? I suppose we have been moving for hours on end, as I said, we needed some major tech to escape notice, and I was fortunate enough to acquire it.” Stormflash said before retrieving two items that made Ayna's eyes widen in absolute astonishment.

  The first was a streamlined, beautiful, silvery box with a glass cover; inside was an intricate injector device with a swirling liquid that emitted sparkling lights.

  The other, a larger box, yet this time containing a mask that held intricate magnetic patterns. It seemed flexible and malleable, shifting between a solid and an elastic material intermittently.

  Undeniably, both were high-tier technologies; if Ayna had to estimate, they'd be at the very least millions of credits on the market, perhaps tens of millions.

  “What are these?” Ayna asked questionably, yet she also prompted the interface to display the information.

  M.A.S.K - Neuro Shade

  Neural Bio-Implant

  Grade: C+

  Rarity: Unique

  A Neural Device? An advanced one, too, and by the name, it seems designed to mask the user from identity verification devices.

  Ayna knew she would need a Neural Device implanted if she were to enter a megacity; after all, they would stand out without it, the opposite of what they desired.

  Most individuals of the Universe in controlled spaces had them, yet they were usually not as sophisticated. Injection technology like this was advanced; most would have the technology implanted surgically.

  Players usually gained them automatically early in the game; it was a foundational, implanted technology that bridged the human nervous system with machines, the internet, and other cybernetics.

  Rather than phones, these devices enable instantaneous, thought-controlled communication, data access, and direct sensory input into the mind.

  In-game, it served as the players' means of contact with NPCs and other players, and, for lore purposes, for identification verification, as each Neural Interface is designed to provide this information to pings from authorised devices.

  Of course, many technology organisations, even the Corporations themselves, have designed Neural Interfaces to get around this, and Stormflash has now provided one to her, likely an advanced one too, one that could bypass Tanus systems, something highly essential if they want to leave the planet.

  Ayna knew what the item was, yet still asked Stormflash. She wanted to ensure he was being truthful after all, call it cautious, yet after the manipulations Dr Xavier put her through, she couldn't count anything out.

  “The first is a Neural Interface, an advanced technology that masks your identity, allows you to customise... And the second is…” Stormflash said as Ayna prompted the interface for the second item.

  Morphing-Veil

  Facial Projection Technologies

  Grade: C+

  Rarity: Rare

  Masking technologies? Another valuable piece of tech, and one that is also necessary, after all, her appearance is rather distinctive and noteworthy.

  “… A masking technology. One that can project another image entirely, allowing you to alter your voice, facial features and hair. A complete instant reconfiguration that is almost impossible to detect.” Stormflash finished as Ayna nodded.

  She had already decided to trust Stormflash for this one. She needed both technologies urgently, and it would be impossible to procure them otherwise, not to mention that other sources would be even less trustworthy than Stormflash.

  Inferior Neural Interfaces often required an invasive procedure where a Cyberdoc would directly implant a chip in her brain; she would rather this alternate option from Stormflash.

  Despite all this, she could not show how desperate she was to Stormflash, and at the very least needed to show some curiosity.

  “Is it safe? How would they work?” Ayna asked, showing some reasonable wariness.

  Stormflash sighed in understanding as he said, “It is a relatively simple process; these are rather advanced, designed for seamless integration. All I need to do is inject this into your spinal cord; the technology will shortly connect to your brain.”

  Ayna considered for a moment before nodding.

  Stormflash smiled broadly at her agreement. Ayna felt comfortable, primarily because of the interface; if it retained the feature, the interface would assume control over the Neural Interface.

  It was one of the primary reasons she decided to take such a risk; after acquiring such valuable equipment this early, it was usually impossible for a player to do so, she felt it was out of the question to refuse.

  ‘I hope this works out well.’ Ayna thought, as Stormflash readied the device.