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Recruitment, & Cyberpunk Zealots

David knew how to punch like a street punk; Very few folks from Santo Domingo ever got by without at least getting caught up in one fight in their lives. Even if it was a brief scuffle, a mad chase or a full on brawl, no one was except from the violence of NC. He could throw a mean right hook… or so he thought.

Eijiro taught him to punch like a middleweight fighter. The guy was around his age and height, but was built like a brick wall. Ryuko was lighter on her feet and proved herself a menace in the ring. She also critiqued his footwork until it was solid… by knocking him on the ground until he figured out a more solid stance.

Of the three of them, Ryuko was probably the most experienced in all out brawls, with Eijiro being close to her in terms of close quarters skill. She kept him on his toes for every second of their spars.

Eijiro on the other hand was like a brick wall he tried to move but couldn't. He wasn't as flexible as Ryuko, but he was a hell of alot stronger than her. He also hit like a truck and was quick enough on his feet. He was

David had learned all of that from sparing with the two of them. He'd often. Thankfully, he had the stamina for several bouts with each of them. He spent a few hours that day in the gym, either training directly with Victor or sparring with either Kirishima or Ryuko.

Thanks to his training with Regall, he was able to keep pace with the two of them at first. But apparently, metaverse training didn't carry over directly to the real world as much as he had hoped. After the first hour, he had to stop and catch his breath.

Thankfully, the breaks in between gave him the chance to talk with them one at a time.

"How you holding up?" Eijiro asked from the doorway.

David grinned at him. "Doin' ok. Just gotta get used to it."

Eijiro liked that answer, "That's the spirit. Nothin like a day of training to really push yourself to your best."

David got an idea of who Eijiro was from their fights. "You take your training seriously, with passion to spare. Not many folks would do the same; they'd probably swap ganic muscle for chrome."

Eijiro nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Sad thing is, most guys rely on their chrome too much, to the point of ignoring our natural strength. Sure, a pair of guerilla arms could land a strong punch and lift, but if the rest of you isn't as strong, it can do serious damage to your core muscles. But some gonks just don't care about that."

David could tell he was being honest. "Yeah, I get that."

Eijiro shrugged. "Some people can handle it better than others, but every man's got their limit."

"And we find that by pushing ourselves to our natural limits right?"

"Exactly!" Kiri went on to explain a few other weaknesses of relying on Chrome, mostly the mental strain it puts on the user. He wasn't against Chrome - he himself had reinforced Knuckles installed - but was cautious of it.

He called for David to join him in the ring again, but David stopped him. "Hang on Kiri." David tried to explain that he had a job, without giving the full details. He didn't want to freak him out with the Metaverse.

Eijiro just stared at him with a blank expression before speaking up. "You ask for my help on a job, yet you refuse to go into details unless I agree. That right?"

"Um…" David could see where this was going. "Yes?"

Eijiro's expression turned serious as he placed a hand on David's shoulder. "You do realize how sketchy that sounds, right?"

David blinked; he had to concede the point, begrudgingly. By his tone, David guessed he wasn't interested. "…You're right, sorry. Thanks for being honest about it."

Kirishima nodded, and brightened up. "No prob man. Let's get back to the pit and get to punching."

He turned down his offer, but was pretty chill about it. David figured he could get him to agree… if he worded it differently.

Ryuko was… a different story.

He tried to mention that he had a job and wanted her and Eijiro to help. Her response: "Fuck off, I ain't falling for your sketchy job. You try to con Eijiro into it, and I'll rip off your arm and beat you to a pulp with it. Got it?"

David would've found her attitude amusing if it weren't a threat against him. He just nodded, at which point Ryuko brushed past him.

After that, it was more of the same. He sparred with both Kirishima and Ryuko, then got some hints from Victor on how to improve, from his stance to his breathing. All in the hopes of turning a street punk into a more adept fighter.

_Later_

"Do you really think you can win them over?" Lubbock asked the Latino. They were eating out at the same spot as before, mostly because it was Safe neutral turf. The Bushijima Inn was technically allied with the lady of Westbrook, Wakako, who made certain anyone who started shit there regretted it. It was no Afterlife, but it would do for her.

After David finished sparring with them, he met with Lubbock there. He told the rogue about his… progress. "I could probably convince them, if I'm honest. Assuming they believe anything I say about the metaverse."

"And how long will that take?" Lubbock asked,

David shrugged. "Not sure. It will definitely take more than a few days to gain their trust."

"We don't have a lot of time though." Lubbock said, sagging in his seat. "Maine's on the warpath, and wants the chrome in your back. We need to get the eddies, so Katsuo's palace is the way to go."

"Look." David wasn't gonna have this argument again. "Unless you can find one or more people who could join, we don't have that many options."

Lubbock thought about that, and glanced around. He spotted something, grinned and looked back to David. "As a matter of fact… I just might."

David sighed. 'If you did, then start with that.' He kept quiet though; if Lubbock found another ally, he sure as hell wasn't going to complain.

Lubbock subtly motioned behind him, to one of the girls taking orders around the main floor of the restaurant. "Remember that girl I flirted with yesterday?"

"You mean the one who asked for a duel that you chickened out of?"

"Yeah that one." Lubbock nodded. "Back at the academy, I heard that one of our seniors tried asking her out, and she proposed the same thing to him; fight her in a duel, with the condition that she'd agree if said student beat her. He agreed and they fought… or rather, she wiped the floor with the corpobrat. If you fight her, you might be able to convince her to join us."

David just narrowed his eyes. "...You just want to flirt with her more, don't you?"

Lubbock chuckled at that. "Tempting, sure… but no. I'd rather not get sliced in half."

David slumped back in his seat. "Alright, how do we win her over?"

"We don't." Lubbock countered. "You walk up to her and ask for a fight."

David blinked. "That's it? Seriously?"

Lubbock shrugged. "I think she's a battle nut who wants a good fight. Give her one and she'll be on your side."

David just shook his head, but decided to give it a shot. He got up and looked around until he spotted the girl in question. She was tall with long purple hair and bright blue eyes, in a white button down shirt, green skirt, & thigh high socks and sneakers. There was a Japanese term for gals like her: he didn't know it but . That opinion only became more accurate when she spoke up in a calm, refined way. "Can I help you?"

David decided to be blunt. "I want to fight you."

The girl seemed taken aback by that. Not angry, just surprised. He could tell by the look in her eye that she was interested. "Give me 10 minutes to end my shift, then I'll take you to the dojo's out back. We fight there."

David grinned. "Deal."

Ten minutes later, she led them into a dojo. She tosses him a Bokken and takes one for herself. No more words are spoken as they stand on the mat, wooden swords in hand, and facing each other.

"What's your name?"

"David Martinez. You?"

"Saeko Bushijima." she charges at him, going for a down swing at his head. He deflected it with his own sword, and goes, she dodges it, starts to smile at him.

For the next few minutes, they match blade for blade. They dodge, thrust and reposition again and again, each of them trying to land a blow. David was able to match her in speed and strength. Saeko had the better form, but David was adapting to her style. Compared to Regalla, he could keep pace with her.

David could've beaten her instantly by using the sandevistan, but that wouldn't be a proper fight. Not for this. Saeko's mad grin made it clear she was enjoying this. David was too, though not as much as her.

David's eyes lit up…but not from excitement.

A call from Kirishima… that would make him lose the fight.

_Saeko_

David was knocked to the ground by Saeko's ruthless strike.

She wasn't sure what to expect from him, going into the fight. She thought he was like others, hoping to charm her into their bed. She always enjoyed beating them bloody and sending them on their way. The rush of destroying their bodies, their pride, their sense of self worth…

She felt a similar, yet different urge when David fought back. Instead of the urge to break an insect, she had the urge to match her skills against another, like two stones clashing and carving into each other, making both stronger. It excited her, like nothing else ever could.

Then David lost the match because of a call. A heightened battle of wills, hers against his, ended because some gonk wanted to call him. 'How… disappointing.'

Saeko frowned as David got up and started talking to his friend, Kirishima by the sounds of it. 'I don't know who you are, but you will pay for standing between me, and the best fight I've had in a long time.'

David seemed to end the call, and got back to his feet. She thought she struck him pretty hard, but David bounced back like it was nothing; either she held back subconsciously or David was tougher than he looked. She prayed it was the latter. "Everything alright?"

David glanced at her. "Yeah. Sorry something came up. I gotta go help out a friend."

"Wha-" David was already out the door, but Saeko followed. She would have followed them into the city… if her father hadn't asked her to get back to her shift. She cursed her ill fortune but regained her composure. She would face David on the battlefield, properly and without interruption. 'Even if… no especially if I have to go through someone else to make it happen.'

_David & Lubbock_

David and Lubbock ran to the address that Kirishima sent, the latter lagging behind at times but still keeping pace. They rushed through the streets, cutting through alleyways and side roads until they arrived at their destination: a warehouse up in Northside.

Across from the warehouse was Kirishima, decked out in a red shirt, light blue sweater and black baggy pants. He was peering over at the warehouse from across a corner. He jolted when David tapped his shoulder, but relaxed when he saw David.

"Oh thank god." Kirishima hugged David, surprising him. "I need your help."

David nodded. "You mentioned Ryuko's in trouble, what happened?"

Kirishima sighed. "It was Maelstrom, they came to the gym and started shit there, asking for Ryuko. I think she recognized them, or atleast what they wanted with her." His hands were shaking; whether from fear or rage, David couldn't tell.

"I- I wanted to fight with her, but… she turned me down, told me to run. Probably would've got me killed otherwise. I ran, but also kept watch from afar. I called you and followed them here." Kirishima "I, ah… I wasn't sure you'd come."

David understood. They only met a day ago, now he's calling on them for help.

"Already on it." Lubbock sighed. He could already tell what David was thinking as the red head spoke. He took out a low tier cyberdeck and scanned the local tech around the area. His skill with netrunning was amateurish at best, but it was enough for abandoned warehouses. "Low security. I think we can get in through one of the side doors."

They proceeded in silence from then on, David leading them in. They snuck in through the back doors and made their way around other thugs prowling around.

The warehouse had dozens of crates and half filled shelves, as well as a few metal stairs leading up to the second floor. some goons were looking around. By the amount of chrome they had, they were definitely from Maelstrom.

The trio slipped past them and made their way to the walkways above. They came across a pair of Maelstrom thugs overlooking the ground floor from above.

David and Lubbock shared a glance; and moved in sync. They snuck behind the thugs, one for each. Lubbock swiftly brought out his monowire, strung it tight in his hands, and wrapped them around his throat, Slicing his neck like a garrote wire. Simultaneously, David locked the other goon in a chokehold, and knocked him out. They then moved past the fallen bodies, one alive and one dead.

David didn't think much of it at the time, but he'd never learned how to do that before. As a Soldier of the Greek Alliance in Troy, and even from his training to be king of Ithaca, such acts came natural to as cunning a soldier as Odysseus. David blinked; weird thought to have at a time like this.

The trio continued on their way until they overlooked a clearing at the other side of the warehouse.

Ryuko stood in the middle of the clearing. A dozen Maelstrom goons surrounded her, yelling and jeering at her as she fought one of the bigger thugs. Those cheers kept on, drowning out anything above them.

"How are we gonna get her out?" Kirishima whispered. "There's dozens of Chrome heads down there, armed to the teeth."

David and Lubbock shared a glance, and the former spoke up. "We can escape the same way we did from the car chase."

Lubbock nodded. "I'll grab Eijiro, you grab Ryuko, and we bolt. Also…" Lubbock took out an item from his bag; it looked like a lightbulb with a set of wires inside, as well as a coil on the outside. "I got these from a Trash hermit a few days ago. Should give us an opening to disappear."

"Hey, Guys!" Kiri cut in, thoroughly confused. "First off, what? I don't get it, how are you-"

"Do you trust me?" David countered. "We can rescue her, but we'll need a detour before heading home. You good to help?"

Kirishima thought about it and honestly… no, not fully. But they did offer to help his friend out of a bind, so… "Yeah I trust you. What's the plan?"

Down on the ground, three guys, all Maelstrom, knocked out cold on the ground around her, including the thug she just brought down. She waved around her right arm, mantis blade ready for more. "Who's next?!"

Her threat was answered by the… 'mastermind' of this operation. A cyberpunk on the edge of madness without being a cyberpsycho.

"You're a tuff freaking Bitch, ya know that? Like seriously, you just don't give up." The obnoxious taunts came from the man glaring at her. He had blond hair, Eyes, and a crazed look on his face that screamed trouble. He wore a long coat with a sword hung on his waist and a gold cross around his neck. He clapped "All I really want right now is to break you, yet here you are, unbroken. I Like breaking people, and I like getting paid, so right now, Am I doing somethin wrong here?"

"Yeah." Ryuko said before getting up. She lost feeling in her left arm, but could still fight with her remaining limb. "Your mom dropped you on your head one too many times. Now you're a brain dead pissant."

"Nooo… that's not it." The blonde disagreed. "I shouldn't have wasted time giving you a shot. You seem to thrive in a fight, so breaking you that way's out. Let's try a classic method. boys grab her down. I'm busting out my torture knives, AAALLL SIXTY SIX OF THEM!"

The thugs did as told as the Blond let out a deranged laugh.

Before they could reach her, a figure jumped down from above. Ryuko recognized him instantly, though the spear was new. "Ryuko, Get Down!"

Ryuko went to the ground as David swung his spear, forcing the maelstrom thugs back. With them forced back, David pulls Ryuko up. She's too dazed to fight against it, though by the glare she's throwing his way, she was thinking about it.

"Come on, we gotta go!" David called out as he pulled her up.

"Lights out fuckers!" As he called out, Lubbock threw his payload- a handful of flash grenades. Between the bright lights and the ringing left the maelstrom thugs dazed and confused. some goons fell down, knocking others with them.

The blinding lights gave David and Lubbock the chance to slip away into the metaverse with their new comrades.

When the dust settled, David and Ryuko were gone. Same with Eijiro and Lubbock.

Freed Sellzen had only one logical thing to say…

"Where the fucking, shit fuck did those fucking shitstains Go?!"

_Eijiro_

'Was the sky always such an angry red?' It was the first thing that came to mind when he woke up on top of a ruined car, gazing up to the sky. He could tell something was off with wherever he wound up; He couldn't explain it, but the air felt… different, for lack of a better term. NC air wasn't the cleanest of places to be, but folks like him were used to it.

Grunting, he got up and down from the car's roof and glanced around, still trying to figure out where he was.

"Edge, you good?" A voice called out. Kiri turned to see David pulling himself from the rubble nearby.

"Yeah I'm fi…" He stared at him for a minute. "Dude, what are you wearing?" Kiri blinked at David's new getup. It looked like he added armor to his usual getup, along with a metallic mask.

"Figured, that's what gets your attention." Next to him another figure stood beside David. Eijiro's pretty sure it's the verdette who was with David - Lubbock - except he was different as well. The most notable changes were the long fur coat, metal claw gauntlets and crimson goggles with gray tint lenses.

Getting over the shock, Kiri brushed it aside. "Yeah I'm fine. The car broke my fall."

Lubbock shrugged. "Pretty sure falling wasn't part of the plan."

David sighed. "We'll figure it out later. Right now we need to find Ryuko and get outta here."

Kiri glanced around. "You're right! We have to look! We gotta find her! We gotta-"

Lubbock tapped his shoulder and then pointed across from them. "Found her." Similar to Kiri, Ryuko landed on a car as well, one on the other side of the road. Kiri brushed past them to check on her. She was out cold but still breathing.

Kiri was glad he called David for help. He was confused as to where they were, but that could wait. Right now they needed her awake.

"Come on, Ryuko. Wake up." He gently patted her face as he spoke. When that didn't work, he resorted to drastic measures: he kept patting her cheek until she woke up. Seconds later, she did.

"Uhh…" Ryuko grumbled as she woke up. When she saw Kiri, and felt him poking her face, she hit him hard enough to knock him off her and to the ground.

"Ow!" Kirishima got up and then he scowled at Ryuko. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Dude, I'm Awake! You don't have to smack my head so many times!" Ryuko yelled back.

Unconvinced, he crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? Well how many times have you woke me up with a smack to the head?"

Ryuko scoffed. "You sleep like a rock, of course I'm gonna smack you awake!"

"Ahem." David got both their attention.

Ryuko recovered first and got down from the car's dented roof. "You rescued us from Freed and his flunkies." It was less an accusation and more a statement.

"Yeah, that's right. I know you got questions, but right now we gotta move." Ryuko glared at him and walked towards him; Kiri could tell she was looking to pick a fight and gave her a look: 'not now.' His intentions were clear, and Ryuko nodded.

The four of them ran, with David taking the lead while Lubbock covered the rear. When they came across one or two of the demon creatures, David disposed of them. If there were more of them, they snuck around. they hightailed it into a spot where the demons didn't tread.

Ten minutes of travel and he led them to a safe area. they hightailed it into an abandoned building. They made their way to one of the higher floors.

Once they were safe - as safe as they could be - Ryuko got up close and grabbed David by the collar. "Start talking, David. Where the fuck are we?"

Lubbock laughed at that, backing away from her. Ryuko glared at him, and he backed away. "Sorry, sorry. It's just, I'm surprised you didn't ask where the hell-"

He screamed in pain as he's blasted forward with a surge of light. Lubbock was blasted forward, landing just by the edge of the roof.

His assailant laughed as he started firing his gun at the three of them; Eijiro tackled Ryuko to the ground, only getting grazed. David used his Sandevistan to avoid all the bullets and get into a fighting stance as he faced their ambusher.

Before them stands Freed Sellzen, a dark aura emanating from him. The mark of a Shadow. And he drew a sword of light and grinned at them. "That makes one shitty heretic to deal with! Time to kill the rest!"

Freed lunged at Ryuko with his Sword. Before he could, David intercepted him with his spear. The two clashed, to the point where Freed was annoyed by the lack of an easy kill.

Changing tactics, Freed shot a psychic blast at David just as he got close. David howled as the blow struck him, made of yellow, light blue and lavender lights. The bizarre attack paralyzed him, forcing him to the ground.

Grinning, Freed pressed his advantage, beating him down with the flat side of his sword like a club. When it looked like the effect was wearing off, Freed reapplied the psychic attack, giving him free reign to attack at his pleasure. All while Eijiro and Ryuko watched.

Kiri met Ryuko's gaze and got into a stance. Ryuko saw it and nodded. They knew each well enough to know pretty well what the other was thinking; especially when it came in the heat of a fight.

Freed laughed as he stood over David and prepared to drive his sword into his back. "I'm gonna enjoy killing you, just like I killed your friend." Before he could, Freed was tackled to the ground by Ryuko and Kirishima. They started punching him and tried to pin him down so they could better strike at him.

Freed only seemed to get annoyed by this, and shook the both of them off. Ryuko tried to tackle Freed again, but was knocked back into a pile of debris. Kiri threw a punch at him, only for Freed to catch it with little effort. He then threw Kirishima onto his back.

Then he stabbed Kirishima through the shoulder. Kirishima howled in pain. He tried to stay conscious, but the pain was too much for him. It made him delirious and

As his mind drifted, he thought back to the people in his life. His parents, his friends, his comrades in the academy, and 'Dying in hell due to a zealot. Not how I saw my life end. Not at all…'

He tried to stay standing as Freed pulls his sword from his shoulder; he tries to hold the blade and stop him but Freed proves stronger than him.

Even as he's kicked in the gut, knocked back into a pile of debris and about to fall unconscious, one thought repeats itself in his mind. A mantra to keep him going. 'I won't give up…'

David's trying to win over new allies, and meets a new enemy. Said enemy is Freed Sellzen from High School DxD. in canon he's a deranged former exorcist… here he's a deranged cyberpunk.

For those curious, yes it is Saeko from Highschool of the Dead. Yes, she will join in the metaverse adventures. Later. For now, we gotta get the first four on the same page… as well as deal with Freed.

Never cared much for cliffhangers, but they have their uses. I'll post the next chapter in a few days, so stay tuned for that.