For the last time, Samurai who break bones here are to be banished just like everyone else, no exceptions. We don’t care that you have to fight man-eating plant aliens, you're banished. We don’t care that you can heal with your magical nanites, you’re banished. We don’t care if your body now has a regenerative element that mends broken bones, you still broke those bones and are banished.

  Can’t believe y’all would try and use alien-tech to hide your powder skeletons. Shameful.

  -Moderator on r/neverbrokeabone

  My camping setup had expanded quite significantly, though not to the point where I was carrying a literal mobile home with me. Most notably was the new shower and bathroom construct, which allowed me to actually practice hygiene in the middle of nowhere. I had long since decided not to ask the question of “where do the poo go” and instead chose to once again give my undying praise for the Compact Structures Catalog.

  The other major purchase, in my opinion, was the hammock. I loved that hammock, and whenever I decided to relax it wasn’t hard to figure out where I was going.

  One of the other benefits to being in a mostly boring-ass desert by yourself for a month is that I had a chance to experiment with different ways to pass the time. The one I ended up engaging with regularly was one I had actually indulged in as a kid: reading.

  I didn't hate reading when I was younger, but it's a much different experience to regale yourself with books you yourself are interested in as opposed to slogging through whatever the corporate algorithms decided was important. Reading it with hardback and paper--the type that makes you audibly exclaim that this is nice ass paper–also made it much more distinct than glazing your eyes through pdf after pdf. Actually physical paper was a commodity these days, and one corporations didn't see reason to splurge on. Now that I was in a position to procure some for myself through the power of being a kickass Samurai, I could appreciate the sensation of turning the page and the plant fibers on my fingertips far more.

  Cal had set me up with a decent selection of books to start, mostly pre-Antithesis literary classics, but the one that had taken my attention the most was the fiction which happened to not originate from Earth.

  Closing the book with one hand, it released a dramatic puff of air which briefly peppered my face. I sat up from my hammock and stared at the title emblazoned on the front cover in imposing gold lettering: Skybearer. “Huh.”

  Quite enamored by the Hex Crushers literature are you? This is actually one of their most prolific and influential stories in their culture, most similar to Earth's Odyssey and Iliad.

  Those names rang a bell, but I couldn't place their stories. Would have to add them to the list. “Yeah, it's pretty neat. Though it took me a moment to recognize it was about the Hex Crushers. Is ‘Setet’ like…the cultural name of the species?”

  It is, yes. Hex Crushers is just a more comprehensible name for humans. Much more blatant in its meaning. Was there anything in particular that caught your eye?

  My first instinct was to moan about the different words and phrasings, so extensive that they required a full translation on the other page. Instead, something more fundamental called out to me. “The structure of it, I guess. Six acts feels like a lot.”

  Ah, but six is a very important number to the Setet, if the name Hex Crusher didn't give it away. Most of their storytelling uses that type of structure, and really it's not dissimilar to the three act structure used by humans.

  “Mmm, that makes sense. Did especially like the part where Bollus completed that final trial and finally took on the Malices.”

  You liked that part because he was punching them.

  I shrugged. “Guilty as charged. But that's enough reading today.” I shuffled out of the hammock and gave my joints a nice stretch. “What upgrades do we have on the docket?”

  There are several things that could be addressed, but in terms of priority there is one that is more immediately pressing: we are reaching the point where while your tech is enough to handle your style of fighting, your physical body is starting to lag behind.

  “Yeah, that would explain why I've been pulling so many muscles lately, and that general ache of…everything.” Augments were something I had invested in back in Targ, but it sounds like they’ve about hit their limits for what I have been doing with them. I had been going through a frankly embarrassing amount of Medical Utilities purchases over the last few hives, and the leftovers were taking up an irritatingly large amount of space in one of the Charon's compartments.

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  In that case, I would recommend investing in both muscle and bone augmentations. The epidermal carbon micro-mesh, while something to look into in the future, has proven itself to be sufficient for the time being and the former two are more likely to counteract the strain you’ve been feeling.

  “Yup, sounds good, sounds good.” I walked over to one of the side trunks of the Charon and fished out a Nutripack from the ice box inside. Seriously, those little juice pouches had no right being as good as they were. “Sell ‘em to me.”

  The muscle implant would be the main augmentation. While your previous one focused on restructuring your muscle fibers for optimal usage, this one would more truly work as an augment, adding onto your current musculature with mechanical enhancements, while still falling within the realm of biology. After it's completed, your physical capabilities would be enhanced eightfold, but would require an increased caloric consumption of thirty percent to maintain it. There is also an additional regenerative function that I can add, which would increase both your stamina and self healing capabilities.

  “Sounds nice, add it.” I took a sip of my Nutripack, setting myself back onto the hammock. Nice, mango.

  Alright, breasts or butt?

  My nose also got a taste of the mango as I choked on my drink, causing me to hack it out for the next minute. “Excuse me?!”

  Such additional functionality is not incorporated directly into your muscles, but instead a separated colony of nanites dispatched when necessary. These nanites are best stored in areas with excess tissues as to not overadminister, and simulations have shown that such places on female-sexed bodies are usually the breasts and buttocks.

  I blinked. “You’re fucking with me.”

  I am not.

  “Uggghhh…” God, I wanted to crawl into a hole. “This is not the discussion I wanted to have today. My AI is really asking me if I’d rather have a boob or butt job.”

  Technically, although such a conclusion is somewhat roundabout and at most adjacent to the main point.

  I threw my hands up. “Y’know what? Fine. Let’s throw it up top. I’ve always wanted a little extra up there anyways.”

  If it makes you feel better, the nanites will push you up to a confident, definitive C-cup.

  Nope, I’m done with this. “Moving on! What about that bone augment you mentioned?”

  A noticeably simpler affair, although not dissimilar to the muscle augmentation. Really just fortifying the natural molecular structure of your bones and adding alloys to your skeleton. If you are familiar with the character Wolverine and how he received his adamantium skeleton, it is similar to that process, albeit far less painful, intrusive, and trauma inducing.

  Some grizzled opera guy with sideburns came to mind. That sounded right? “Metal bones, got it. Just have to make sure not to fight any giant magnets. What’ll both run?”

  1700 points in total. You have already unlocked the required Muscle Enhancement Catalog, so 100 is spent towards the Bone Enhancement Catalog, and the remaining points are for the relevant upgrades.

  I still felt myself wince at the number, but I had been getting better about not being disgusted by spending points. Points were the number they were for a reason, I was learning, and it was better to just bite the bullet with a purchase that was worth it rather than a cheaper one that will let me down when it's most crucial. “Yeah, buy it.”

  Unlocked: Class I Bionic Skeletal Enhancement - 100 Points

  Purchased: Mark I Steel Striker Full-Body Muscular Suite - 700 Points

  Purchased: B2 Anti-Tear Nanite Additive - 150 Points

  Purchased: Mark I Steel Striker Full-Body Skeletal Suite - 700 Points

  Purchased: Sleepy Night Night Sedative - 50 Points

  Point Total: 9539, 1 token

  A set of four vials dropped into my lap, two significantly larger than the others. The contents of most were a reddish gray, slightly-transparent fluid, but one of the smaller ones instead held liquid a lavender tint instead. “What’s that one do?”

  That’s a sedative, to help keep you knocked out while the augments do their augmenting. It’s a bit uncouth to not tell you about it during my initial explanation, but I’d rather you take it once already bought rather than spending the next four hours in seething agony trying to…’grin and bear it’, as it were.

  I opened my mouth to give a counterargument, but closed it when I realized I didn’t have any to give. That really did sound like something I would try and do, to be honest.

  Procedure is simple, just inject all four into your legs. There is no preferred order to them, as they will not interfere, but I would still say inject the sedative last, so you don’t drop to the dirt before administering the rest. That would be a waste of points.

  Complying, I chose to lay back down on my little hammock. With a press of a button and a prick of the skin I injected each of the big ones into my body, followed by the little ones. “So how long is it going to take to kick in?”

  About four seconds.

  “Oh wow. You aren’t kidding about it being fast-auuuuugggghhhh-”

  I didn’t even make it through the sentence.