Corpo-Brat's Ploy & Fool's Resolve

Afternoon rolled around and David met O'Brian and his Fixer contact. true to his word, he introduced him to a solid buyer; He was a small-time fixer working under Regina Jones. She apparently allows him to operate on her turf in exchange for a small cut of his profits, and some favors from time to time.

Apparently, Roman used to be a Cyberpunk before he took in a daughter, Neo. From there, he shifted to being a vendor and then a fixer working with Jones. O'Brian met him a few times while running errands for his folks.

Roman offered 1100 Eddies for the jewelry, and cassettes together. David promised O'Brian that he'd have a stable supply to offer the next day. He also promised the fixer that he'd be back with more stuff to sell. Roman agreed to see any items he had and haggle the prices there.

After making the deal, he heard Regalla's voice again. It was the same except Roman was the 'Hanged Man' Arcana. He still wasn't sure what any of it meant; but at least he could hear it fully that time.

O'Brian offered to get them something to eat, as a means to make up for lost time. Seemed a bit off, but David decided to humor him before meeting with Igor. They headed down to a spot he knows in Japantown, A Mexican place with some decent sandwiches and burritos.

He heard Regalla's voice in his head three times that day, with the first time being mostly garbled in static. The first was with Lubbock, the second was with Vik, and the most recent one was when he spoke with Roman. Each time, he heard a different term mentioned in a bond; He wasn't sure, but it sounded like some Arcana fortune telling stuff. He wanted to talk with Igor and Regalla for details.

"Sooo…" O'Brian said as he took a bite of his synth burrito. "Where'd you get your loot?"

David sighed, and put down his sandwitch. It was the third time O'Brian asked that, this time being blunt about it. "For the last time, I ain't talkin about it."

"Oh come on!" Lubbock whined. "You mentioned you'd have a supply of similar goods. I just wanna know how and possibly help to ensure a profit. So spill, what's your secret?"

'I made a pact with a demon that believes in humans more than I do. He then sent me to hell where I scavenged all my products to sell for scratch. Yeah, you'll totally believe that.' David huffed as he took another bite; tasted decent enough. "You wouldn't believe me if I said it straight."

O'Brian leaned back pondering how to get the deets, but decided against it with a shrug. "Uh huh. Fine, keep your sources to yourself. We'll see how well it works when-" the door to the diner was slammed open, as two members of the Tygerclaws entered the establishment.

The two Saka Students didn't think much of the Tygerclaws; they were a common sight in Japantown. Except one of the Claws walked right over to the booth the two were eating at.

"Which one of you is David Martinez?" the Claw said, leaning on the table.

David and O'Brian shared a quick glance before David starred the gonk back. "Depends on who's interested."

The Claw slid into the booth right next to David, effectively cutting off his escape route. He glanced at O'Brian. "You. beat it."

O'Brian glanced at David, who nodded. He then got up and left the shop. His eyes flashed as he made a call. He opened the call to David, who accepted.

O'Brian: [ Stall for 5 minutes, then meet me out front. I'll arrange an exit by then. ]

David just raised an eyebrow but said nothing; if He wanted to help, he'd accept it. he just turned to the Claw, a lanky man with a basic gun. "Can't say I recognize you. Anything you want with me?"

The Claw just waved his gun around. "Only the payday for bringing you in. You got an interested classmate who wants to talk."

"Thanks." David said, confusing the gang punk. David decided to stall him with some bullshit. "Before you escort me, want to talk? I'd like to know who's escorting me to meet my old friend… and who gets more eddies for doing that."

The Tyger grinned at that and sat down. David wasn't sure if the punk would play along with his bluff and stay, rather than just drag him out. The punk clearly wasn't that street smart.

He decided to play it cool, and let the Tyger talk. He seemed to be real chatty, bragging about a woman he was gonna do and drugs he'd get after bringing me in. A full 3 minutes of that passed, until O'Brian, thankfully, came in with the all clear.

O'Brian: [ Good to go. Meet me outside, now! ]

David revved up the Sandevistan and zoomed out of the shop and into the open street. He came outside, standing as time resumed. Just as he did, O'Brian drove in in a blue car.

"Where'd you nab the wheels?" David asked as he got into the shotgun seet.

O'Brian set the car into drive and hit the gas, taking the duo away from the shop and towards Northside. "Klept it from one of the claws inside. They should really keep an eye on their things." Some other Tygers came out and started pointing guns at them and started shooting. Thankfully, the car had some strong plating, but they weren't sticking around to test it.

Once they were on the road, O'Brian the duo were followed by a tygerclaws in their car. O'Brian glanced back through the mirror at the Claws in pursuit. Seconds later, it was taken apart by a stray bullet. O'Brian grunted at that, but focused on driving. "Who the hell hired Tygerclaws to gun for us!?"

"Better question…" David said as he held onto his seat. "How much did a Corpo brat we both know pay for it?"

O'Brian groaned at that. Of course the little Corpo-brat baby was behind this. 'Of all the rotten luck, it had to be now!? We were bonding!'

"Head for the city Center. Claws won't be so bold there." David said O'Brian nodded and drove there. Claws were known to have off the books support from Saka, so odds were that they wouldn't start shit near their main tower.

At least, that was what should have happened.

Yet they still followed. They also seemed to multiply; one car was joined by , all of them carrying angry Tygers that would most likely gut them.

That's when they opened fire. David and O'Brian ducked trying to avoid the spray of bullets.

"We're dead, We're dead, We are so Dead." O'Brian was panicking as he drove on.

David kept quiet, but was just as afraid. Cars all around them, guns blazing, gang goons being their violent selves… 'just like then.' When his mother died.

'NO!' David shook his head. "We're not gonna go like that." O'Brian paid him little mind, focused on the road. And the many tygerclaws driving around them….

While O'Brian kept driving, David acted. He had the one resource no other gonk in the city had: a literal way to escape to another world. It might have been hell, but he coils survive that better than here. Thus, he acted fast.

David grabbed O'Brian, activated the Sandevistan, and Flashwarped the both of them into the Metaverse, leaving the car and the world around them behind.

_The Metaverse, 1st Circle Avernus_

David opened his eyes to the familiar Burnt skies of Avernus. They seemed to have landed in a trash heap somewhere in the City Center Area. his bones ached from the crash, but he wazs still alive. And so was Lubbock.

He honestly wasn't sure if warping into the Metaverse with Lubbock in tow would work. Speaking of the greenette….

"What the hell is this place!?" O'Brian said as he frantically glanced around. Considering he stood in a burnt and ruined version of Night City, he understood his confusion.

David stood up and groaned. "You kinda gave the answer when you said Hell."

O'Brian turned on him and drew his Monowire. "Don't get smart with me, Martinez!"

David held up his hands. "Choom, relax. The truth is gonna be a hard pill to swallow, so take a breath and calm down. Alright?"

O'Brian looked weary, but eventually hid away his Monowire and sighed. "Alright. Start talking."

So he did. David explained how he first met Igor, a demon that wanted him as his champion or something. He explained how his attendant led him into this dimension, where he spent his time running from seemingly immortal demons.

O'Brian just stood there, taking it in. He seemed to be taking it in stride "WHAAT?! Are you kidding ME!?"

'Nevermind, he wasn't taking it well at all.' David just crossed his arms. "Need me to repeat it?"

"No, I just don't believe you. Even if you're telling the truth! That sounds insane, utterly and completely insane!" David should have expected that; he reacted similarly when he first met Igor.

David just sighed. "Beleive it or not, that's the truth. Make of it what you will." He looked around for another pipe and found one lodged in a car tire. He pulled it out and started walking away. "I'm gonna head in this direction; Feel free to follow. Or, you can wait around for the Demons to attack and eat your flesh… your call!"

O'Brian went from frustrated ranting, to disbelief, to crying despair and then to grumbling acceptance; all in the span of a minute. He then followed after David.

The duo trekked forward in silence. Neither of them felt like talking, especially when David mentioned the threat of honest-to-god demons.

A few blocks away, they noticed something sticking out. It was a Marble white Palace with high Walls, a gate, towers, and what looked like a… Roman Palace? Even the sky above it seemed different: instead of the burnt Orange sky devoid of clouds or sun, there was a bright Blue atmosphere above the Palace, clasing with the burnt sky of the rest of Avernus.

"Got an explanation for that?" O'Brian asked, pointing to the Roman Palace sticking out among the common Hellscape.

"Nope." David thought it looked more… friendly than the rest of Avernus. But that could easily be a lie, meant to draw suckers in. "Sounds like a trick. Best avoid it."

"Or…" O'Brian came to a different conclusion. "It could be a safe area until we find a way out of this… dimension." he still didn't want to admit it,

David shook his head. "Safe or not, I doubt it would lead to a way out. I can lead us out when the Navigator recharges. Should take less than an hour at this point."

Lubbock huffed at that. "Yeah, well, I'm gonna go check out that place. You can join me or meander about." he then went straight for the out-of-place Roman fortress in the distance. David just sighed and followed.

The duo entered through the main gate into an open garden of some sort. Lots of fruits and other plants grew in seed beds, with straight paths between sections. It was a sight neither of the Saka students had ever seen before.

Lubbock reached down and plucked one of the flowers. "Damn, is this what a ganic plants smell like?" Such things were rare in NC.

David went to pluck one as well, but noticed the stomping of feet, getting closer. He stood up as dozens of soldiers surrounded them. Lubbock cried out as they charged at the two of them.

"Oh Shit! RUN!" David tried to rush to grab Lubbock, Using the Sandy's speed to do it. Before he could, he was tackled by two of the soldiers and struck upside the head. The last thing he saw as he drifted into unconsciousness was Lubbock yelling and kicking the Roman Soldiers until he joined him.

_Later_

David groaned as he woke up. He wasn't sure what hit him, but he still fealt it. He noticed he was outside, on a balcony of some sort, overlooking the courtyard of the palace. Lubbock was also there, tied to the wall adjacent to him. He was awake and gave him a weak smile. He was gonna ask what happened but a voice broke the silence.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Shit Stains who are giving me so many problems. Come to deliver yourselves to me, beg for mercy? You never did deserve it, not then and not now."

The annoying voice was the only thing he vividly recognized. It looked to be Katsuo, but dressed way different; he wore odd pure white armor, all fancy and white like some Roman official. It looked gaudy as hell; David could honestly see Katsuo in that kind of getup and act arrogantly proud in it.

He also had an odd… Aura about him, mainly around his eyes. They were partially black. It… it reminded him of the boss tier shadow demon he faced before, the one with the deadly red aura. Even still, David just glared at him.

"But simply executing you quickly is too much of a mercy to you." Katsuo snapped his fingers, causing the shackles around his arms and legs to be disabled. "I'm going to beat and burn the lesson into you, until you realize how far beneath me you really are."

Not going to just take that, David got up. His instincts told him to run, but he wasn't gonna give Katsuo that satisfaction. Not anymore. So he charged, and threw a fist…

Katsuo caught his fist in his hand, and with his other he struck David right in his gut. David tried to kick him, but that was swiftly batted away. He kept trying to land hits, but each was deflected or blocked. David used the Sandevistan speed to land a blow… only for that to be countered as well. His attacks failed, but Katsuo's hits kept coming.

Unlike their confrontation before, when he punched him with the force of the Sandevistan, this was a repeat of past matches. Instead of the choreographed moves from his chipware, Katsuo was fighting like a true warrior.

This guy fought like an actual martial artist. Every move David made, even with the Sandevistan's speed, was countered and beaten back, like a prodigy. Even through the pain, David knew Katsuo would never bother to train to that leve, not even to spite him. That could only mean…

'This isn't Katsu… It's a shadow that looks like him! Probably related to the real one.' he vaguely thought as he was kneed in the gut then slammed into the ground.

"That's what you get for daring to stand against me. Pain and suffering, that's it! Hope you enjoy the taste of it!" Katsuo lit his hand on fire and grabbed David's

David screamed as the fire burned his skin. Katsuo suddenly got tired of hearing him, and slammed him back into the ground. David groaned in agony, breathing hard.

"Now then." Katsuo drew his sword, a silver gladius, and pointed it at David's Exposed neck. "Time to make it clear what you are… a corpse tossed away with the trash."

"Wait!" O'Brian called out. "You can't kill him. Your father won't like that!"

Katsuo sneered at that. "What would you know of my father's desires?"

David perked up at that. Lubbock might be trying to spew some bullshit to save him from Katsuo. Or…

"Your Dad contacted me. Said he was interested in David for something; I think he wants him as some experimental test subject, but I'm not sure. I don't know what, but it sounded important. He offered me a lot of eddies if I could convince him to meet with him in person and win him over for it."

…Or that. If David weren't at risk of dying, he'd knock his lights out for that.

Katsuo just tilted his head at that. "That so?" He snapped his fingers; one of the Shadow Soldiers stepped forward and gave him a javelin. Katsuo spun it around in his hand, before driving it deep into Lubbock's leg.

"GAAAHHH!" Lubbock screamed, breathing hard as Katsuo drove it deeper until it went into the ground. He twisted it for good measure, causing Lubbock to wince in pain.

"That's what you get for assuming what I care about. Lies like that are useless against my Mind! Using my father to do it is just pathetic!" Apparently, Katsuo didn't believe him.

He then walked back to David and grabbed his head. Katsuo started ranting, something about him and his mom being worthless, another thing about dirt and shit - basically nothing new. David wasn't listening to him; his focus was on the voice in his head.

'What do you stand for?'

David heard his own voice, distorted and stern, in his mind as Katsuo smashed his head into the ground. He did this a few times before growing bored, and tossing him aside. He could faintly make out Katsuo ranting about him being less than a man, just an animal that didn't know better.

"Hey, Leave him Alone! I don't know him much, but I know he's twice the man you are, ya retarded pissant!" Katsuo sneered at that. He lit his hand in Redish black fire, and grabbed onto Lubbock's head, burning him.

David dragged himself to the fountain and gazed into it. He saw his reflection, darkened as just a shadowy figure with his build. A shadowy reflection of himself.

'What do you stand for?'

David glared at his reflection and yelled at it out of spite. "Stand for What!? Can't you see I don't have anything to stand FOR?"

His reflection just stared back, and asked a different question. 'Then what will you STAND FOR!?'

David saw one of the blue butterflies flutter near his face before flying towards his torn Yellow ER jacket… the one his mother wore. She wore it when she toiled to keep him in the Academy. Then it clicked, like pieces falling into place.

She stood up for him, loved him and believed he could rise up, live a better life. Her dream was for him to move on to a better place than where they were. At the top, there was no better place to be, that's what she said. But he could never go along with it; part of it was that it wasn't his dream. Another part saw through the lie.

It was an illusion the City sold people. An illusion his mom believed, up until her death. It lied to anyone who lived there. His mama lived and died believing it.

The city deceived the one person he cared for most, and then took her from him. It thought nothing of her. The city would pay. This city would be proven wrong. He would rise above it. To do that…

David spat out some blood, and wiped his chin. His choice was clear: "If there's no better place to go, I'll make one."

So he'd do exactly that. He'll stand up. "Hey! Katsuo!"

The Shadow of Katsuo let go of Lubbock's head, leaving him sagging for breath. Katsuo turned to face David; The Latino stood on his feet with his fists held firm..

"All this time, you talk as if you know so much… even when you don't got a damn clue."

Katsuo just narrowed his eyes. "What?"

David went on. "You think you're worth something cause you were born into a corpo, like they'll ever give a damn about you. You whine about being the best when you didn't do a damn thing to earn anything. And you treat everyone like they're beneath you, because of something they couldn't control. And you have the gall to enjoy it."

Katsuo just shrugged at that. "Shit is shit no matter who says otherwise. Someone has to set the standard, and put people like you in their place. Filth like you has no purpose or value to this world, so you might as well stop being a part of it."

David stood up, finding his resolve. "There's only one thing you said that I agree with… that SOMEONE has to set the standard. People need the model for how society should behave. If you stand for the world as it is now…" Azure flames started to flicker around him. "Then I'm gonna stand for what the world can BE!"

The azure flames roared to life around him. The resulting wind forced Katsuo back. When the flames finally settled and disappeared, David's outfit was altered to the extreme.

He wore greaves, sandals, a Greek style cuirass armor on his chest and a shoulder guard and vambraces on his left arm. His right arm was wrapped in white sports tape and a black glove. He wore a yellow sash wrapped around his forehead and a silver face mask that covered his eyes and the sides of his face but left his mouth exposed.

Held in his hand a 5.5 foot long spear; the bladed end formed a straight, two sided blade, while the other end was blunt with glowing bue lights causing small sparks. He had a recurve bow tied to his back.

'I won't back down. I chose this path; I'll see it through to the bitter end!' He brandished his spear at Katsuo… "Let's settle this!" And rushed forward.

This felt like my longest chapter, more in terms of stuff happening pretty fast. I think it came out pretty good. For Katsuo's design, think him + the white armor of Comidus from 'Gladiator.' They're both annoying shits and full of themselves, so it fits.

We finally got David and his metaverse outfit. I based his outfit around a Greek rogue. His Persona will also be Greek in Origin… Any guesses? Find out in 72 hours.

All good things come to those who wait and work up to it, and I'm patient and diligent enough for both… I hope.