The Magician and the Hierophant

David entered the real world onto a near empty street. Nobody seemed to notice him appear out of thin air in a puff of smoke. Either people didn't care enough to notice, or something about traveling between the real world and the metaverse made people less likely to notice.

It was surreal he could think like that; Real and unreal. He thought that was limited to Brain dances, but Igor blew that idea out of the water. A mirror dimension of Night City, and there were supposed to be 8 more versions - Circles of Hell as Igor called them - that he could potentially explore. If not for the escalating danger, he would call it exciting.

After meeting with Igor, the old man had tasked him with finding a vender to sell his acquired goods, as well as get to a Ripperdoc to get his Sandevistan checked out. David agreed, but was annoyed with his fight with the demon ("Shadow" Igor would correct him) and how he couldn't do anything. What was the point of training with Regalla if the enemies he was to fight couldn't be harmed at all? Igor simply smiled and stated how the means to fight would reveal themselves in time. For now, he need only to focus on finding a buyer for his goods.

That brought him to his current goal for the day. 'I need a Fixer. One who knows knick knacks that can be worth something to somebody.'

Fixers were the lifeblood of the Cyberpunk community. They handled the sale of goods, rumors and manpower, often forming webs of connections between themselves and others. Fencers with connections. Smugglers with goods to buy, take and sell. Info brokers with secrets worth keeping and killing over. They were merchants and employers who blurred the line between honest work and black market operations.

They gave jobs to mercs who wanted jobs. The Fixers and Mercs that survive long enough to have a name, are often the ones worth knowing about. He knew a few of the big names -Ibarra from Heywood and El Capitan from Santo Domingo were the two names he heard over the years- but he didn't have any means to contact them. Even if he did, he didn't think either would give him the time of day.

David huffed. 'If I was looking to be an Edgerunner, I'd try to get one for jobs; now, I just need one to sell to or find someone to buy my shit.'

After scavenging in Avernus, he came across a few items, most of it antique. There were Some casette tapes, a few bits of Jewelry, a dozen magazines from the 2010s, and a toolkit full of chemicals. He figured the jewelry, cassettes and magazines could be worth something to the right buyer.

His thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone with a hood. the dude kept yammering apologies; David just sidestepped him and kept walking. Didn't matter.

Everything was normal… until he heard someone call out his name.

"David Martinez!" David turned around and saw the same guy from yesterday. The greenette kid who broke into his place was now pointing a finger at him. In broad daylight. "I knew I'd find you again."

David raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations. Bye." He used the Sandy to zip around the corner.

When he thought about it, it wasn't clear to him at first. Why would someone from Arasaka Academy be looking for him, enough to break into his apartment? No real reason… unless they had ties to Katsuo Tanaka. A Corpo-brat who hated his guts.

Therefore, he zipped to a different street and started walking away. When he turned a different corner after walking a few minutes, he saw the same greenette standing before him. David blinked, then turned around and started running.

Thus it went that David walked in the opposite direction of O'Brian, but O'Brian seemed to know where he was going and cut him off. He kept trying to ditch him, yet the gonk kept showing up!

David breathed deep, leaning against the side of a building. He'd been trying to ditch his tail for the last twenty minutes, but he couldn't shake him. He turned a corner only to come face to face with the green haired kid. Thoroughly annoyed at this point, David grabbed O'Brian by his collar and slammed him into the wall. O'Brian raised his hands.

"Wait, wait! Hear me out!" David's eye twitched. This was getting old damn fast! He turned to face the teen, holding his knees. David just crossed his arms and waited for him to regain air in his lungs. When he was done, O'Brian stood up. "You can keep ditching me, again and again until the sun goes down; but I'll still find you because I am desperate. OR, you can give me five minutes, just five minutes, and then I'll be out of your hair. Comprende?"

David just let out a breath and let go of his collar. "Three minutes, start talking."

O'Brian nodded and smoothed out his jacket. "Full disclosure, Katsuo sent me. He wanted me to lure you back to school so he could get even. How exactly, I'm not sure, so best steer clear of the academy."

David huffed at that. "Really? And here I was hoping to rent a data shard from the library, maybe even meet up with some old guys, flirt with some girls -" He then slammed his fist into the wall. "What made you think I'd ever go back after I punched him in the face in broad daylight during school hours!?"

O'Brian opened his mouth to retort; then closed his mouth. "Fair point. Now, I know you're not looking into Corpo work, - fool's errand after decking Katsuo, we know - so, I figure you're looking to go Cyberpunk - or edgerunner, same thing - and I know a few gonks who could-"

"Look." David held up a hand, cutting him off. "Whatever you're trying to sell me, don't. I'm not interested. If you feel you owe me for some reason, don't. We've never spoken before and I got no beef with you. Same if you think I did something to you, I probably didn't." He rarely interacted with anyone outside of classrooms, focusign on his studies. The fact that Katsuo kinda painted a target on his back probably had to do with that. Either way, he was done with the academy. "Now, if ya don't mind, I gotta find someone to buy some shit I found."

"Hang on, Hang on!" O'Brian pleaded. "I still have 3 minutes, and I'll make sure it's not a waste of your time."

David's eye just twitched. "And yet, I have buyers to find, so I'd like to get to that now."

The gears in O'Brian's head were spinning with that last bit of info. He sped forward until he was in front of Martinez. "I can help with that, actually."

Martinez crossed his arms. "How? Explain that in a minute."

O'Brian did. "I know a small-time fixer who's good for simple trinkets and baubles, decorum, and so on. Nothing heavy like Iron or combat chrome, just Civi stuff. He's got a shop up in Northside."

David hummed at that. That… sounded exactly like what he was looking for. 'Something's off… but he seemed honest enough. Just enough.'

"What's your name?" O'Brian just tilted his head at the request. David scratched his head. "I only remember your last name from classes. So, if I'm gonna make a deal with you, I want your name."

O'Brian smiled at that and extended his hand. "Lubbock O'Brian, a gonk from Northside. You?"

David shook his hand. "David Martinez, a gonk from Arroyo." Names shared, "Pleasantries aside, how much can I expect in scratch?"

"Depends." Lubbock retorted. "What do you have to sell?" David spent the next few minutes showing him his spoils from the metaverse. According to O'Brian, the Jewelry and Casettes could be worth a few hundred Eddies altogether, maybe more. He wasn't sure what to do with the chemicals; he wasn't sure what they were exactly, so couldn't tell how valuable they were. They couldn't sell it to a pharmacy without knowing what it was: they'd get ripped off for the price. Now they had to establish the cuts in profits. David decided to be… fair about it.

"60 / 40, my favor." O'Brian raised an eyebrow at the generous deal, prompting David to shrug. "I provide the goods, you provide the buyer. I could probably find one on my own, but that would take time I ain't got. Your 40 % ensures I don't have to look for other connections, and can rely on you in the future."

"Hmmm…" Lubbock thought about it then shrugged. "Fair enough. Depending on how much your goods make, we can profit. If we come across a really rare, expensive item, we can renegotiate the split. Agreed?"

"Agreed." David then felt something slow in the air, and heard a familiar voice ring out in his Head; the same person who rocked his world in training. He also noticed a strange blue butterfly flutter about in front of him, before fading away. He couldn't make out what she was saying though, but he could make out a few words: 'Bond,' 'Heaven,' 'Hell,' 'Rise,'... and 'Magician.'

David just glanced around quickly, unsure of what happened. 'The Heck was that?'

"Dude, you okay?" Lubbock asked.

David blinked, noticing time flow normally again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thought I heard something. No biggy." He definitely heard something, but couldnt' exactly say anything to Lubbock. He'd just assume he was going crazy.

Lubbock held his chin in thought. "Side effects of the Sandy, perhaps?"

David sighed. He knew it wasn't but would go with that. "Could be. Doc Borg wasn't the most meticulous in setting it up."

Lubbock blinked. "Hang on… You got your implant, a Sandevistan, done by Doc Borg? What are you, a masochist or an idiot?"

"I'm gonna smack you upside the head." David drew closer, but Lubbock brought up his hands in surrender. David huffed. "Look, I was desperate and needed the edge. Doc told me he'd do it… and rip it out for free when I 'couldn't handle it anymore.' I'm standing here now, alive, so clearly it was worth the risk."

Lubbock shrugged. "Can't argue with that logic. Still, you should get it checked out by a legit Ripper, someone who doesn't want you dead for your Chrome, Dontcha think?"

"You're the second person to tell me in the last few hours, I get it." David sighed, and leaned against the wall. Igor had also tasked him to do just that, adding another errand to his list. "I'm in the market for a new Ripper though. Know any?"

Lubbock grinned and snapped his fingers. "Victor Vector. Watson. That's the guy you want. Best Ripper in Night City. Also the only one who might let you pay him back later."

David nodded. "Guess I'll head there then."

"And I'll arrange a meet with a vendor or two. Stay alive till then." Lubbock relaxed his hands, and sent his contact info to David. David did the same. They agreed to meet in a few hours if O'Brian could get in touch with a buyer. Both turned to head to their destinations. David to Watson and Lubbock to Northside.

"One more thing." Lubbock turned to David. "How'd you keep finding me?"

Lubbock grinned, dove into his backpack, tugged at his backpack, and pulled out a worn gray sweater. David recognized it from the stranger he bumped into earlier. "I snuck a tracker on you when we bumped into each other. Knew you'd delta before I could talk."

David nodded. "Cool, cool. Very clever…" He narrowed his eyes as he got closer. "Now take it out." O'Brian gave a chuckle and did so, flicking his Monowire to remove the tracer he planted. David gave a curt thanks before walking away.

David then headed for Watson, walking the whole way. Didn't want to run into any…picksockets on the metro. More one in particular.

The Doc's place was apparently in a shopping area in the heart of the district. He asked around, and they directed him to an odd place called Misty's Esoterica and Chakra Harmonization.

"Yes?" The owner appeared to be a friendly woman with a spiked collar and gothic/punk makeup.

"Um… I'm looking for Victor. I, ah, chipped in some high tier chrome from a sketchy guy, so…"

Misty got the picture. "Yeah, his office is down in the basement. He should be watching a wrestling match 'bout now, but he should be willing to see you." David thanked her and headed down into the shop.

Down there he found the man, older, about in his 40s or 50s maybe but in fit shape. Like Misty said, he was immersed in a boxing match on the nearby monitor.

Compared to Borg, Vic's office was that of a professional. Way cleaner, organized and all around more friendly than Borg. Then again, he set the bar pretty low for Rippers. At some point, the Doc noticed his new arrival.

"Hmm, you're new." Vic turned down the volume of the fight and faced David. The Doc looked David over. "Alright, what can I do for ya kid? I hope for your sake, you're not about to ask me for some high level chrome, are ya?"

David smiled nervously and shook his head. "Nah, doc. I do need you to check some chrome I had chipped in though."

Victor paused at that. "Two questions: What kinda chrome we talking about, and who's the Ripper that put it in you?"

"It's a…" David sighed; he could tell this guy wouldn't like it. "A military grade, prototype Sandevistan. Got installed by Doc Borg in Arroyo."

Victor pinched his nose, took a deeo breath and sighed. "…Get in the seat before I fuckin' knock you out. Borg's a nutcase that no sane gonk would ever trust with their chrome."

David did as instructed. From what he heard and what he could see from Victor himself, the guy was a veteran Ripper. He knew chrome could offer options based on what worked and had a network of clients he could rely on. Best of all, he generally kept his patient's health - be it mental and physical - in mind when he made recommendations or treatments. You had him as your doc, odds of Cyberpsychosis went down.

David soon laid down on his stomach, he grit his teeth, but then noticed something. "Eh Doc… Where's the bite bar?"

Victor just sighed, sounding tired. "Christ, kid. Just relax, You'll be knocked out by the Anesthetics, no Bite bar needed. Fuckin' sickos…" the last bit said to himself as he set up his systems.

David relaxed in the seat, and felt the anesthetics kick in. seconds later, he was out like a light.

_10 minutes Later_

The Next thing David knew, he was up. He fealt preem, like He looked to Vic, who was scratching his head, thoroughly confused. He kept glancing between readings on a screen, and David himself.

"Despite all logic dictating otherwise, you seem to be in decent health. The nerves in your back and the Sandevistan seem to be recalibrating to you, Like it's trying to fix everything that Doc Borg messed up… on purpose by the looks of it. I added some antibiotics to help smooth things over. Should be fully calibrated within the next day or two."

David didn't think he heard him right. "Seriously? Do other models do that? And what about Immuno suppressants?"

Vic huffed at that. "Hell no. You weren't jokin when you said this thing's a damn prototype; things built like nothing I've ever seen, and I've seen alot. Also, Immunosuppressants suppress symptoms of rejection for chrome. Right now, you don't need any… yet at least. Damn thing's recalibrating to you, adapting to improve itself and by extension, you. Never seen anything like that before."

David mulled that over. "Could the Sandy have some sort of… AI attached to it or something?"

Vic scratched his head. "Honestly? I can't say yes or no, cause I can't tell. It's a possibility, but it's too soon to tell for sure."

David nodded. Needless to say, he was not heading back to Borg for any new chrome. "How much for the check up?"

Victor crossed his arms. "Can you pay it off?"

David grimaced at that. "...Depends how much. Gotta pay back a Cyberpunk for the Sandy. I… my mom sold it to him, and I didn't know until after he found me. Now I gotta pay him back."

"Would the Cyberpunk in question happen to be Maine Nelson?" David flinched at that. Victor just dropped his arms and sighed. "Look, it's not my business, so I won't ask questions. I also won't mention anything to him, so long as you're honest about paying him back. We don't talk much anyways."

David got up from the seat and stretched out his arms and legs. "You never mentioned the price. Big or small, I intend to pay it back."

Victor just huffed at that. "Good to hear, kid… Why'd you chip in the Sandy anyways?"

David stopped his stretches to look at Vik. he "I, was in a bad place when… my mom died. I felt that the Sandevistan would give me options. And it helped me get back at the corpo pissant that was dissing her after she died. Petty, I know, but it kept me going." he let out a breath as he finished. It felt… calming… talking about it to someone.

"Hmmm." Victor mulled it over. 'A decent kid with issues and an experimental Sandy. Definitely some mental trauma. Maybe… to hell with maybes. The kid seems to have the guts for it. Besides, Stone-edge and Matoi Jr. could use the extra sparring partner.'

David waited, before sighing in irritation. "Look, give me a price, and I'll try and meet it. so-"

"I got an offer for ya, kid." David perked up at that. "First, you ditch Borg and stick with me; I wanna run some tests on that Sandy, just to make sure everything's still green. Second, You said you got into a fight, and you seem healthy enough, so I'll train you until you can fight in the ring. I'll earn back what you owe when you win matches. You can settle this debt for me that way."

That… forced him to think. The first part he was planning on anyways, but the latter… He already was training with Regalla, but she never said he couldn't find training from other sources. 'He's offering it, and seems honest enough. I might as well agree.' In the end, it was a good deal.

David nodded, and sent him his contact info. "Sure, I'm in. I might be busy for a few days, but after that… let me know when you want me for training… or when to come in for the next check up." Just like before with Lubbock, he felt time slow down briefly, saw a blue butterfly in his vision before it faded away, and heard the voice of his primary trainer in his head. But this time, he could clearly hear the words as time breifly froze around him.

'I am Thou… Thou art I… Thou hast established a new Bond.'

'Let your soul be lifted up to your destination, making a Heaven of any Hell you know.'

'Now rise up, Empowered with the Hierophant Arcana. May your bonds lead you to your Salvation.'

'Again?' David nearly glanced around as time resumed as normal, but kept himself from doing so. It wouldn't do any good anyways.

Vik raised an eyebrow. "You good?"

David waved him off. "Fine, fine. Just… pleasantly surprised." Vic asked a couple more questions about the Sandevistan and how he used it after getting it chipped. Vic spent a few minutes ranting about Unlicensed and improper Rippers before giving his verdict.

"I want you back here in a week's time, for more tests. as for uses…" Victor's face looked conflicted, mainly about his next words. "You used it 9 times within 24 hours, 7 within 2 hours. That would kill most gonks, but not you… apparently. Until I say otherwise, outside of extreme emergencies, limit it to 2 uses per day, 3 at most but that's it. Your body can handle the strain well enough but your brain can't. And unless I say otherwise, don't even THINK about any new Chrome. Got it?"

David nodded; he couldn't afford chrome anyways, or worry about it with Igor. 'Doubt it would help against metaverse monsters anyway.' "Got it. And thanks… for the checkup and the offer to train me."

Vik sighed and went back to his match. "Consider it the whim of an old man. Or that your luck's turning positive for a bit. Hell, the fact you lived through Borg's shitty treatment means that you must have the Devil's luck."

David chuckled at that. 'Or I got him as my patron.' Either way, he said his goodbyes and left Vik's shop. He got a call from O'Brian. He managed to get in touch with a buyer up in Northside. David took the tram and headed there.

Despite the heartache and pain of losing his mama… Despite the confrontation with Maine… Things were looking up for him.

_Elsewhere_

Katsuo scowled. Things were not going to plan! 'O'Brian should have contacted him by now, but nooo, the shit is ghosting him. Him! He'd die for that, him and his worthless maggot parents will suffer.'

He was currently in his room in his father's home, overlooking part of the city. Millions of peasants and plebeians wondered about going about their worthless lives. They were ants to him, each and every one of them. If they were near him, and proved useful, he would keep them around.

But there were those above him, many in fact, who stood above the world like dragons among sheep. His father was among them. He held power that would someday be his. Till then, he'd focus on his studies and be the dutiful, model student.

All while ensuring his control within the Academy. It was his world, his Domain, dammit!

With any luck the shits he wasted eddies on would, in turn, waste Martinez and O'Brian.

'While that's going on, who should I… target next?' the Saka school did offer some… adequate females for him to sate his desires on or males to break, teaching them they were beneath him. Some knew not to question him when he called on them; he speaks, they obey, that is how things function in an Empire. The Emperor stands over them like the ants they are. 'Bringing them in to break was always a joy.'

In his fantasies, Katsuo's enemies burned in the ground, he had all the power he desired, and he could never fall.

And the plot thickens. David starts forming Arcana Bonds, just like the wildcards before him. The different aria for getting a Persona was my take on how David's path would be going forward. Yu's was focused on Truth, while Akira's was Rebelion. This Latino's gonna be a journey through The Inferno to something better.

As for O'Brian… I included Lubbock from Akame Ga Kiru, who goes by O'Brian to most people in Night City. He'll be the first of David's teammates in his Persona crew. As for the static with the bond… Bonds take trust to fully form, something they don't have for each other. Yet.

I already have the final run for members of his Team; all taken from various anime stories, and refitted to fit into the world of Cyberpunk 2077. Most of them are side or main characters from other series. Not just for his teammates: I'll include some for supporting Arcanas, Lesser Shadows in the hells, Palace rulers, and other characters as needed. Also canon Cyberpunk characters as well.

It's pretty fun adapting characters and story lines to a different setting.

As for Katsuo… the guy's a pissant you're supposed to hate. The first episode made that abundantly clear. Also gonna be a Palace ruler. Nough said.