Becoming a Legend
Disclaimer: I don't own Cyberpunk 2077 or the Fate Series. They are rightful the property CD Projekt RED and Type-Moon
Chapter 2: Playing for Time 1.2
V jolted awake; arms raised as though to ward off a blow.
But as the dim surroundings of her apartment came into focus and no impending blow happened, V realised she must fallen asleep at some point after making it home.
"A dream?" V hazarded, as she groggily pulled herself into a seated position at the edge of her bed.
Or I think it was? Vik did say that my previous dream had actually been a memory of the construct on the biochip.
But how does one tell the difference between a dream or a memory. Getting the shit beaten out of me by a gorgeous woman in a black skintight outfit wielding a crimson spear seemed like something that belonged in a dream, but weirder things had happened to her during my six-month career as a solo.
Like that one particular encounter with an Animal at a warehouse in Santa Domingo.
V gave a slight shudder as she recalled that traumatic experience.
That guy had shrugged off everything we hit him with, all the while he ranted about rebelling against oppressors. The two of us had to delta when whatever faulty cyber tech the freak had been using caused him to start glowing. Good thing we did too. Me and Jackie barely made it of the building before the undoubtedly overloaded implant had gone off like a bomb and brought the whole structure down.
"I'm guessing it wasn't a pleasant one, Master, judging by that violent awakening," said an unexpected voice.
V's gaze whipped round to a corner of her apartment where the source of the voice had come from. There, lounging nonchalant on V's couch, was a man.
The intruder possessed red eyes and blue hair, worn in a rat-tail that reached to his mid-back. His outfit was a deep ultramarine full body tights covered in strange symbols, with grey metalic pauldrons, and a pair of silver earrings. And while he displayed a casual demeanor, V couldn't help but feel the man gave off an impression of that akin to a beast.
V activated her Kioshi Optical Scanner, attempting to get some info on the mystery man.
[DATA:]
[SCAN RESULTS]
Lancer
[AFFILIATION:]
No Affiliations
[ABILITIES:]
Battle Continuation
Disengage
Divinity
Rune
Protection From Arrows
Lancer, huh? Obviously, an alias. And what's with those weird abilities? Divinity and Rune? She'd never heard of such cybermods before. Although, V had nearly burst out laughing when she'd read the last one. What a gonk. Protection from Arrows, when those things have been rendered obsolete by bullets centuries ago. Talk about a useless mod.
Brief amusement aside, V's scan, unfortunately, hadn't really been informative in the way of the man's identity and what he was doing here.
"Who are you?" demanded V, her eyes narrowed. "Why'd you sneak in here while I was asleep? And the hell you callin' me Master for?"
"Best take a seat," the man gestured to the free space across from him on the couch. "There's quite a bit you need to get caught up on with regards to your situation."
V cautiously approached and took the indicated seat, alert for any hint of a trick.
"And how is it that a complete stranger knows so much about my situation, exactly?"
"Right, I didn't introduce myself, did I?" With a cheeky grin, the man tapped the side of his head. "I am Cú Chulainn from Ulster, your new roommate. Nice to meet you."
Roommate?! This must be the construct that's on the biochip. Wait. That hadn't been the name Vik had mentioned.
"Thought your name was Sétanta," V frowned, recalling the information Vik had given her.
The newly introduced Cú Chulainn nodded in confirmation. "It is. But for this version of me, Cú Chulainn is considered to be my True Name rather than the one I was born with. Just call me Lancer, it be less confusing for you."
V raised an eyebrow. That was a weird explanation. He could have just said that it was a Handle. "Okay then, 'Lancer,' what the deal with calling me master?"
"Just being formal since I don't know your name," he said with a shrug. "Have a preference on how I should address you?"
"V will do."
"Alright, V, here's the thing." Lancer's laid-back attitude vanished as he sat up and adopted a more proper seated position. "I'm going to be explaining a lot of concepts that are going to sound crazy but you need to keep an open mind and not dismiss what I'm tell you out of hand."
"Okay?" replied V hesitantly.
"What's on that chip stuck in your head wasn't some ordinary engram, but the data of my Saint Graph."
"I'm guessing there's a difference, besides one having a fancier name."
"There is," he acknowledged. "While fundamentally they're the same concept, the difference is that an engram is a copy of normal individual, where as a Saint Graph is a copy of a Heroic Spirit."
"Heroic Spirit?"
What followed was a lengthy explanation about Heroic Spirits and how they can be summon from the Throne of Heroes to serve as magical familiars called Servants. How the two us had formed a contract as Master and Servant when I'd subconsciously summon him for aid as I was dying.
"So, let me get this straight. You're basically an engram of an ancient famous hero who I've accidentally summoned use your magical data as a catalyst." clarified V, doing her best to comprehend all the information Lancer had just dumped on her. "And in order to preserve my life, you merged with me, transforming me into a Demi-Servant."
"A rather oversimplification, but that is essentially correct," he confirmed.
"I see what you mean by crazy." V said in a dry tone.
"You're taking this quite well," noted Lancer, studying V. "I was expecting something more along lines of an outburst of disbelief or mocking laughter."
"My friend, Misty, is a big believer in New Age mysticism. Out of respect for her belief, I've dialed back my scepticism when it comes to supernatural." explained V. "That said I'd like some proof of your claims."
"Sure, but I'll need your participation for this demonstration."
"Alright," agreed V, deciding to humor the clearly delusional construct. "What do you need me to do?"
Lancer got off the couch and walked over to the apartment's window, gesturing for V to join him.
V did, coming up to stand with him before the glass. On the other side, rain droplets pattered against it surface as a night-time shower blanketed the city.
"First, breathe on the glass until you have a nice big foggy patch," he instructed.
V raised an eyebrow, giving the man a dubious look but complied, using multiple breaths to make sure that the patch was decent in size.
"Now, trace over this."
Lancer raised his hand and etched a strange symbol V didn't recognise into the centre of foggy patch, where the thing glowed like some strange neon sign.
V eyed the odd display but judging by the instructions she'd just received, this in of itself wasn't the actual demonstration.
Doing as he directed, V copied over the glowing symbol. As she finished, V felt something within her pass through her body and flow into the symbol. It visibly lit up with a soft glow for a brief second, before both symbols vanished and all moisture on the glass was abruptly frozen.
V stared at the frosted over window, dumbstruck. Okay, she had asked for proof, but she hadn't actually expected him to be able to provide real physically evidence to back up his claim.
V's mind reeled as her perception of the world was altered with the revelation that magic did indeed exist. What else that she had initially dismissed as mere delusions or wishful thinking may have in fact been real. Did creatures like dragons, demons, vampires, and other such beings exist? And if they did, what about God?
V was snapped out of her burgeoning inner turmoil by the sound of clapping.
"Congratulations, V," praised Lancer, his tone teasing. "You're a real-life magical girl."
"Fuckin' ghost off," snapped V as she shot him an unamused look, not appreciating being compare to something typically associated with little girls who transform into magical superheroines to fight the forces of evil.
Lancer just grinned, unrepentant, in response as he leaned back against the frozen window, his arms folded.
"What you just preformed now was Rune Magecraft. As a Demi-servant, you have a Skill called Possession Inheritance, which allows you to utilize my Skills as though they were your own."
"Hmm," hummed V thoughtfully to herself. "When I scanned you earlier, I saw what abilities you had, one of which was Rune. I'd assumed they were the cybermods you had installed, but are they in fact these 'Skills' you're talking about?" If so, that would explain why he needed to protect himself from arrows, being from an era where the bow was the pinnacle of range combat.
"They are," he confirmed. "You are able to view my Skills due to 'Master's Perspective.' It's a clairvoyant ability granted to Masters, which allows them to perceive a Servant's abilities in a manner that's most comprehensible to them."
"Hold on," V's eyes widened abruptly as she recalled another ability the Heroic Spirit possessed. "You have a Skill titled Divinity. Are you some sort of deity? And If so, does that mean I'm part god now or something since you're merged with me?"
V was always of the opinion that while there very well could be a higher power out there, no one would be able to definitely prove it. Now that she was faced with the possible evidence of their existence, she wasn't sure how she felt about the possible far reaching religious implications. Especially since V might now be divine in some fashion, although, she'd admit the possibility of being able to smite annoying gonks was appealing.
The possible deity waved away V questions. "I'll explain my Skills and such in-depth later. Right now, it's important that you understand the circumstances of your current situation."
Oh, Right. The reveal of magic's existence and the subsequent questions it had raised had caused the fact that she was dying to slip her mind.
"Vik made it pretty clear that I'm stuck slowly dying thanks to the biochip, and that removing it would kill me immediately."
"Which is true in a sense," He mused, his tone thoughtfully. "But the chip in of itself isn't the underlying issue. The problem is, in order for me to prevent you from succumbing to your injury, I had no alternative but to merged the two of us together."
"Why's that a problem?" asked V curiously. "Is us being merged against the magical rules or something?"
Lancer let out a small half-hearted laugh. "If only it was something so trivial as rule-breaking. No, the fact is unless you've been genetically engineered from birth for the sole purpose of being compatible with the merger process, incorporating the Saint Graph of a Heroic Spirit into your body is eventually fatal," he explained, his expression grim. "I'm sorry, V, but as an ordinary human, you won't be able to withstand my Saint Graph. Even with cybernetic implants bolstering it, your body will inevitably begin to break down as time progresses."
He rubbed the back of his neck, a self-deprecating smile on his face. "Some hero I am. Can't even save the girl, only delay her demise."
"I don't hold my current situation against you," V assured him. "Dexter would have zeroed me if it wasn't for you. I'm not going to complain about being give more time."
"Thanks, V. I appreciate the sentiment," Lancer said, looking faintly relieved. "Speaking of time, once a sufficient amount of it has passed, you'll be able to safely remove the chip. Doing so will bring your body's deterioration to a halt."
V expression became confused. "Why is time a factor in determining on whether or not I flatline the second the chip is pulled out?"
"It's due to the fact that while I may have succeeded in stopping the bullet wound from being lethal, the damage it inflected is still there. The complications of such a grievous injury would kill an ordinary person. It only due to my Battle Continuation Skill that the effects are negligible. However, so long as the Saint Graph isn't damaged, a Demi-Servant will fully recover from any wounds they've received if given enough time and magical energy. That includes the traumatic brain injury you've sustained," he informed the female Solo. "Though this puts you in quite the dilemma."
"I think I get the general gist of it," V said, having spotted the problem he was alluding to. "The longer I'm a Demi-Servant, the more my body will deterioration. But if the chip is removed before I've finished recuperating, the complications of my brain injury would be too much for my ordinary human body and I'd die."
Lancer gave a nod in confirmation. "Unfortunately, I don't actually know how long the recovery process will take, but I'd imagine it won't be short going by the severity your injury," he admitted.
"Is there a way to speed up the process?"
"Acquiring more magic energy would help. But outside of a Ley line, there just isn't any sources of magic left in the modern era aside from the souls of humans." Lancer gave V an apprising look. "And you don't seem to be the type that's has it in them to consume a person's soul."
V recoiled as though she'd been hit with a Sonic Shock quickhax. "Of course, I'm not capable of such a horrendous thing. I may be a Merc, but I'm no fucking monster." she retorted hotly. The mere idea that a person's very essence could be devoured as though it was just some tasty synthsnack made V feel almost physically ill. "I would rather die than ever stoop so low. Same goes for ritual sacrifices, drinking people's blood and any other twisted methods you care to suggest."
Lancer held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa there, V. You asked, I was just giving you the answer," he reminded her. "Since you 're not willing to resort to such methods, then the only option remaining is to try and track down the location of a Ley line. I suggest talking to your friend, Misty, and see if she or anyone she knows have any info on the possible whereabouts of one."
"I'll stop by her shop before I make a start on Vik's suggestion of acquiring better implants," V exhaled wearily. "It's going to take a lot of gigs to scrape together the amount of funds I'll need to afford all of that top of line chrome."
"Then I best teach you on how to properly utilising your capabilities as a Demi-servant. You'll find that the Skills and physical abilities you now possess are prefect for your line of work. Once you've mastered them, you'll practical be unmatched when it comes to combat. Not even that cyborg you had a close call with, Adam Smasher, would stand a chance," claimed Lancer, a savage grin on his face.
While V was a tad skeptical of such a claim, she didn't know anything about what was possible with magic to be able to dismiss it as mere boasting. Magic could let a person shoot big fuck off lasers for all she knew.
Still, V decided it would probably be a good idea to check what kind of shape she was in before she went around picking fights. She activated her Neural Network and ran a quick self-diagnostic on her vitals.
[STATUS]
True Name: Valerie/Cú Chulainn
Servant Class: Lancer
Health: 1726
Attack: 1344
[PARAMETER:]
Strenght: B
Endurance: C~D
Agility: A
Mana: C
Luck: E~D
Noble Phantasm: B
[CLASS SKILLS:]
Magic Resistance: C
[PERSONAL SKILLS:]
Possession Inheritance: A+
Battle Continuation: A
Disengage: C
Divinity: B
Rune: B
Protection From Arrows: B
[NOBLE PHANTASM:]
Gáe Bolg: B (ANTI-UNIT)
Gáe Bolg: B+ (ANTI-ARMY)
V frowned. This wasn't the usual display her software used whenever she'd check her vitals before. But then, Lancer had said that she'd would perceive a Servant's abilities - which in this case was her own - in a manner that would be most comprehensible to her. It would explain why her stats readout had suddenly changed.
She studied all the new and unfamiliar data for a few moments before closing the report and shifting her attention back to the Heroic Spirit.
"I only comprehend about a third of the stuff now listed in my stats readout. I think it's time for that explanation you promised."
Lancer moved away from the still frozen window and head back towards the couch. "Best make yourself comfortable, V. We've got a lot stuff to cover."
~\/~
Database Entry
[Rune Magecraft:]
Lancer has been trained by the witch, Scáthach, in the use of the 18 Original Norse Runes, a form of thaumaturgy unique to Northern Europe. Despite their usefulness, Lancer views Runes as a hindrance. Therefore, he generally avoids employing them in combat, choosing instead to only utilizes them in respond to specific situations. Such as to track down his targets, applying them to his armor to better resist magical attack, or instantly setting up a powerful Bounded field.
V, on the other hand recognise their potential and has incorporated them into her combat style. From inscribed the 'Ewazu' rune on her gloves to give them hardness exceeding that of tungsten steel or employing the 'Ansuz' rune to perform powerful flame attack, V is constantly trying to find new ways to utilise runes to give herself a bigger edge.
Database Entry
[Battle Continuation:]
With this skill, it's possible for Lancer to fight even on the verge of death, surviving so long as his injury is not decisively lethal, while also reducing the mortality rate of said injury. Complications that occur from such injuries -such as physical trauma, crippling pain, etc.- does not hinder him, a reflection of his legend, where he tied himself to a tree and continue fighting till his very last breath.
V has improved on the skill with the addition of certain cybernetics implants, allowing her to shrug off practically all forms of injuries, though she still needs to take care to avoid being decapitated or vaporised.
Database Entry
[Demi-Servant:]
One of the forms of Heroic Spirit Possession, a Demi-Servant is human that has merged with a Heroic Spirit. This merger allows the human to wield the Heroic Spirit abilities as if they were their own. A unique characteristic that Demi-Servant have is the Skill Possession Inheritance, which grant them one or more Skills of the Heroic Spirit residing in them.
In V's case, she has access to all of Cú Chulainn Skills and Noble Phantasm due to his willing cooperation. In addition, her physical capabilities have been enhanced to that of a Heroic Spirit, letting her perform feats of strength and speed that are at odds with what should be allowed by the physical laws of the world. However, the more of Lancer's power she draws upon, as well as frequency in which she does so, will cause the rate of her body's breakdown to speed up. V will have to choose carefully when a situation warrants the use of her Demi-Servant powers.
Author's notes:
I hate writing info dump chapter. They're kind of necessary but they come across too similar to a wiki entry for my liking. I've rewritten this chapter so many times and I'm still not entirely happy with it but this is probably as good as I'm going to get it. Hopefully you all enjoyed it nonetheless. Also, bit of a heads up. If you're not a fan of protagonists being OP, then I feel I should warn you that V is going to be pretty OP. She won't be like the watered-down version of servants you see in the FGO game, where they have to adhered to game balance. V is going to be more in line with how Servants are portrayed in lore and the Ufotable anime.
Also, I'm hold off on writing more omake due to wanting to focus on this fic, but I think I'll jot down up any crossover ideas I have here in the notes. Maybe I'll be lucky and a better writer than me will take fancy to them and make them into full-fledged fics. Anyway, here's my newest crossover idea to contemplate.
(~)
Serve the public trust. Protect the innocent. Uphold the law.
Alex Vincent Murphy was your typical NCPD officer until he was killed in the line of duty. Subsequently revived by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products, V now patrols Night City as the cyborg law enforcer, RoboCop. Criminals will need to delta because, dead or alive, you're coming with V.
RESPONSES:
Yuki Monji -
I'm glad you enjoyed the omake (I call it Knight City in my head). As for Johnny Silverhand becoming Moon Knight, it depends on the circumstances when Khonshu makes the offer. While I feel that Johnny would rather die, since he'd essential view it as being the moon god slave, he might accept if it meant get revenge on Arasaka. That said, I doubt he'd be Moon Knight for long before Khonshu would get sick of his attitude and ditch him for someone else.
As for other residents of Night City which would be eligible to be Khonshu avatar. I'd say Rogue, River, Goro and possibly Judy, even though she's not much of fighter she definitely suits the protecting the travelers of night part of the job.
