Sailing King & Deciding Truths
David made the first move, surging forward to pierce Katsuo. Katsuo barely managed to block the blow with his own scepter, still getting grazed. Katsuo's glare was outright murderous. "You cretin. You dare-"
David didn't dare, he just acted. He struck him again with the side of his spear, knocking him to the side. His focus was solely on the fight; no words were needed. He'd heard enough of Katsuo's bullshit to last a lifetime.
Katsuo started to get a clue, bringing up his scepter to block or counter. The two traded blows. David's spear clashed with Katsuo's staff. At some point, David split his staff to avoid a grapple, and wielded the two pieces as dual weapons: the sharp stake and the blunted end, glowing with blue sparks.
Katsuo drew his own shortswords, lit on fire, and charged. David lunged with his Stake, but was deflected by one of Katsuo's swords. He tried to slash David with the other, but David blocked it with the Electric Blunt, forcing Katsuo back. Both scowled, and pressed on the attack, neither willing to back away. They clashed, blade against blade, once, twice and again, neither side giving ground.
As fierce as the battle was, Lubbock wasn't sure how long David would last. He'd side with David over Katsuo anyday, but wasn't sure if he'd live past that. Katsuo had the powers he'd never seen before and David gained similar powers to combat him.
That's when David summoned a demon of his own.
David backed away, and called out a name Lubbock vaguely remembered from some old stories he knew and cartoons he'd seen.
"Set sail, Odysseus!" behind him, a pillar of blue fire rose up before dissipating, revealing a tall humanoid figure in full cybernetic armor. He was decked out in gunmetal gray armor, inlaid with red and gold along his chest, arms and legs. His helmet had a glowing Blue visor that glowed with ominous fury, and a red scarf that changed to gold at the edges. He looked almost like a full on borg, but human. Attached to each of his arms were massive curved blades, thrice the size of any Mantis blade. Around him, the winds blew, as if heralding an oncoming storm.
Both David and the man behind him seemed to yell out the same word - Garu - before a large gust of wind shot forward, knocking Katsuo back. He screamed as he fell to the open courtyard they were captured in. When it was clear that Katsuo wasn't gonna be an issue, the spirit then disappeared behind him. David then fell to his knees. The spirit then disappeared behind him.
From his spot on the floor, Lubbock watched in stilled awe. He wasn't sure what David did to get the armor or spear, or the spirit creature that backed him up. but he wasn't complaining. When he saw Katsuo knocked off the balcony, his only thought was if he was gonna survive. Seconds ago, the threat was Katsuo, now… the greatest power on the field was David. Not threat, power.
Lubbock tried to pry the Javelin from his leg, but it wouldn't budge. Desperate, he called out. "David! I need your help."
David got up from his spot on the floor. He looked tired, but still could move. He walked over and stood there, just staring at Lubbock. The greenette wasn't sure when or how, but he was in deep shit. he tensed, expecting him to attack him with his weapon. Seconds passed but the blade never struck him.
Eventually, David just breathed out, spit his spear in two, and stowed both parts away on his back. He picked Lubbock up and carried him over his shoulder, and ran.
David ran down the stairs and through the corridors. He ran past dozens of Soldiers. He ran across the main garden, even as Katsuo got up at some point to yell at and rave at them. He ran, and the winds were at his steps, pushing him along.
At some point, they reached the main streets of Avernus, the hellish city under a burning sky. David still had Lubbock over his shoulder. While running, he came across one of the same demons from before, the small ones that nearly killed him the last time. It charged at him, wanting to finish the job.
David didn't even think as he pointed his spear and ran towards it. All it took to stop the demon was running it through with his spear. When he did, the demon's form convulsed and changed; now, it resembled some weird ghost creature with the head of a pumpkin and a lantern in its hand.
Crypt dwelling Pyro - David knew its name and attacked it with the same wind spell he used earlier. Unlike his first encounter, it dealt a massive blow to the shadow creature and knocking it down. He didn't let up, and attacked with his wind magic. It screamed and fell, then faded away shortly thereafter. After that, David kept running. He ran until he was in a secluded alleyway in between a few buildings.
David went through the data that Igor sent him; Metaverse Navigator. He set it to return them. The two of them then appeared in one of the backstreets of Little China, a short distance from Victor's Clinic.
Lubbock groaned as he looked around, still in the supernatural Hellscape David dragged him into. He checked his leg; the wound looked partially healed, but still hurt. He could at least stand on it. 'Result of leaving… Hell maybe? God, that's so weird to think about.' David stood across from him, looking at something.
Lubbock wasn't sure what he was thinking, so just asked the question burning in his head. "Back there, on the balcony, and now… Why help me?"
Trauma Team came that day, but ignored his mom in favor of their clients, the ones with eddies to spend. He called out to them but they didn't care. She couldv'e survived if…
David forced the memory away and kept a stoic expression. "Because you asked for help… And I answered."
Once they entered the real world, a back alley in Watson, David set O'Brian down against the wall. His leg still looked bad, but it was worse before the healing spell. "Victor's clinic should be a minute away from here. I trust you know the way. He'll take care of that leg, so get going."
"Hang on!" Lubbock stood up on shaky legs and grabbed his shoulder. "I, I want to-" David cut him off.
He grabbed Lubbock by the collar and slammed him into the wall. "What? You want to do what?" Lubbock kept silent. By the look in David's eyes, good chance he was gonna get decked if He misspoke. David eventually let him go and turned to walk away.
David glanced at him one more time before revving up the Sandy and dashed away. He kept moving until he ended up in the Velvet room.
_Later_
David entered the Velvet room, feeling… totally wiped. Meeting Lubbock and then Victor, trading with Roman for scratch, runnin from Tygers, confronting Katsuo's Shadow - what else could it have been - and literally running from it all back to reality. It was alot to deal with.
Stepping into the abode of his patron felt different this time. Before, it was dark, without much to see; just Igor and his desk, and sometimes the glowing doors adjacent to it. Now… It looked like the inside of an office, the one stationed in a corp's highest tower. The walls, curtains and decorum were still blue. It looked brighter too, like there was actual sunlight. All and all, it looked like one of the High class offices of a Corpo… just like his mother hoped he'd arrive at.
It had been a long day, with a lot going on. Gaining a Persona and beating Katsuo made up for some of it. Even so, he had a lot to ask his patron.
Igor greeted him as usual. "Welcome once again, David. It would seem you have taken the first step to understanding the metaverse; unlocking your other self, your Persona. I assume you have questions, Yes?"
David just gave him a blank look. "Yes."
"Ask away." Igor seemed pleased when David finally sat down and relaxed.
"First off: Shadows and Personas, what the hell are they?"
"A good place to start." Igor admitted, and summoned two cups of tea. He offered one to David, who took a sip. Igor did the same before speaking. "...Humans all have desires, dreams and cognitive concepts of how the world works. Those thoughts, dreams and cognitions affect the metaverse. A shadow is a creature born of the dreams and cognitive thoughts of humans. They are the creatures that dwell in the Metaverse, whatever its form. Some are even the formation of people"
"That's why they're called shadows, not Demons?" It would explain why Igor was so insistent on calling them Shadows.
Igor nodded. "A shadow has two forms: the form you see as its outer appearance and its true self. A shadow's true self is their natural form. Often, they take the form of creatures or figures from cultural or mythological roots."
"Its outer appearance is determined by their location and the cognition of humans. In a palace, it is based on the ruler's cognition. In Avernus, it is the collective cognition of the inhabitants of Night city; how they see their hidden truths, is how they can appear in the metaverse."
"So, like… they look like straight-up demons in Avernus but look like Roman soldiers in Katsuo's palace?" David asked.
Igor grinned. The young wildcard was getting it. "Indeed. To defeat a shadow, you must reveal its true self; rip away the surface appearance to see the true creature within."
"That's why I couldn't fight it the first time." David facepalmed at that, with Igor nodding. "So, the spear and armor is a side effect of gaining a Persona."
"Correct. You must strike at the true self, the shadow in its original form. Your appearance changed in accordance with your acceptance of your shadow; it represents your will to overcome the world as it is. It allows you to fight them in the metaverse. Only those who have unlocked the power of Persona can possibly do this." 'It was always so nice to have a wildcard who could use their head. It was always nice.'
David leaned back, mulling it over in his head. "The 'Katsuo' I fought in that castle… that was his own shadow right? The twisted way he sees the world, Arasaka Academy… his own territory to rule and abuse as he likes."
Igor's grin couldn't be any wider. "Exactly my young Runner. Every person has a shadow somewhere in the metaverse; it will manifest if the person's desires become distorted. When the distortion grows to vast, a palace is formed. The palace is the representation of their mind and soul.
David could just imagine the kinds of people with distorted desires; he guessed they were the majority of folks in NC. "So is distortion code for evil?"
Igor shook his head. "Not necessarily, though there is some overlap. It's very circumstantial."
David decided that was enough for that; Igor could be trusted to fill in any gaps as needed. He crossed his arms and leaned back. "What about Regalla's weird… message, when I spoke to certain people? Victor, Roman, even… Lubbock, though his was garbled."
"That would be the spoken aria when you form a bond. The power of the Wildcard is based in part on the bonds you hold with others."
David jolted up at that, "Wha- wait a sec… you mean to say this power is… what, based on the power of friendship… the kind you'd find in a damn kid's show? Seriously?!"
Igor shook his head. "It is more of the bonds you hold: the connections you make and understandings you come to with others. They grant you power, resolve to face adversity on your journey. It offers the same to those you form deep bonds with."
David just gave him a blank look. "...You didn't deny what I just said."
"Yes, but people take 'power of bonds' a bit more seriously than 'the power of friendship.'" Igor said the last bit with air quotes. "What you heard, the aria provided, was the Wildcard's sign that a bond is formed. You made a connection with Victor, and Roman, resulting in the Hierophant and Hanged Man Arcana bonds. The aria came out muffled for O'Brian because you two weren't totally honest about your dealings."
David scoffed. "Yeah. Bastard was planning to sell me out to Katsuo's dad. I shouldn't have trusted him."
"That's not necessarily true." Igor spoke. "The aria could mean that either one or both of you questioned the connection-"
"Doesn't matter!" David snapped at him. "I trusted him and he, he messed with that. He lied to me, kept things hidden for his own gain, just like- like-"
"Like Lucy." David bristled at that. "You were hurt and have a right to be angry, in both cases. Though Lucy's situation is complicated further by the Sandevistan." David couldn't argue with that; he knew he technically stole it, but he didn't know his mom made a deal with Maine. He already decided to pay him back - even if Maine doesn't know that- and settle things with him later on.
Igor pressed on. "I want you to ask yourself… is it so much that they cannot be forgiven? Think long and hard on your answer."
"You want me to forgive them?" David scoffed. "Just like that?"
"I want you to consider your options towards your standing with O'Brian. Lucy can be addressed later." Igor reached into his pocket and took out a card, fiddling with it in his hand. "He did help you escape the Tygerclaws, did he not?"
David rolled his eyes. "Course the gonk had to. He promised Tanaka senior to lure me into some trap." He should have punched him in the alleyway, but he didn't, for some reason. "He was gonna sell me out! That was his plan from the start-"
"And, under threat of death, why would he reveal his deal with Katsuo's father? Why would he draw the ire of Katsuo's Shadow from you to himself?" David gave a confused expression. Igor elaborated. "There was no reason to reveal his arrangement with the Elder Tanaka. The only sensible reason would be to prevent Katsuo from killing you. It failed, but he still tried. Do you think otherwise?"
David took a breath and considered it… despite his anger, he had to concede the point. 'Lubbock knew I wouldn't trust him after finding out, yet he still…' he didn't have to like it, not one bit. "Fine, maybe you're right, but it still stings."
Igor hummed at that, pleased he wasn't blinded by emotion. "Consider Lubbock, his motives and his actions, then determine if you want to reform the connection, honestly this time. He may reach out to you to settle things, or he may disengage. It is your choice on how to respond. Amnesty, or hostility."
David recalled how Igor addressed him when they first met, barely a few days ago. He frowned at that. "Again with your high horse bullshit. This is Night Fucking City. Everyone here cares for themselves, because no one else will. It's a man eat man world, with everyone trying to get an edge, be it through chrome or connections. It's the kinda place that punishes you for having dreams, for being a decent person, and-"
"And that, THAT, right there..." Igor cut in, pointing his finger at David. "...Is what I want changed about your damn city."
Igor placed the card on the table, and slid it to him. It was the Magician arcana. "Men and women who wouldn't think twice about sacrificing those they could for their own gain. Parents that sell out their children for profit. Rippers that sell the chrome of their dead patients for shards. Corporations that view humans as statistics on a board, sacrificed for their own gain. These are the villains of Night City, the irredeemables, the purely corrupted."
"There are many people in the world who qualify as the kind of beings that Can Never be forgiven for their ways…"
His voice took on a darker, more sinister tone as he spoke and trailed off on those last words. David tensed, his instincts telling him to run. It was similar to when he faced the shadow with the red aura… only a hundred times worse.
Thankfully, the tension in the air ceased as Igor breathed in before continuing.
"From what you recall of either of them, Lucy or Lubbock… did either of them strike you as heartless monsters that would betray you for their own expense, Just because they could? The kind that can never be accepted or forgiven?"
"..." David didn't answer him, he wasn't sure where to begin. Instead, he took the card from the table, stood up and walked out of the Velvet room, towards the training area to the side.
Regalla stood patiently, her wooden sword. Upon seeing David, she tossed a second one his way.
David, instead of catching it, batted it away with his spear, summoned into his hand with ease. He then equipped his metaverse outfit and got into a fighting stance. "I want to fight with my Persona. That cool?"
Regalla grinned. "Naturally. Let's see what you got, little Latino." Thus, they resumed their fight. They fought for an hour. He lost but got the hang of using some of his Persona skills.
Slumping into his bed, tired from the failed matches, he had to think. He'd always done as he was told, though never for the School or corps. Only his Mama could drive him to action.
Igor never said what he should do; he made arguments and implications, but left the final call to David. It was… reassuring, to be trusted to make decisions on his own.
David wasn't sure about Lucy, or how to address that… too much conflict with Maine right now. In comparison to that though, Lubbock became a whole lot easier to think about.
_Meanwhile_
"Say that again? I don't think I heard you right." Maine pinched his nose in frustration. He, Pilar and Becca were at Lizzie's, trying to brainstorm how to catch Martinez. Becca suggested they just let the punk on the team, give him a shot for the upcoming gig for Faraday. Maine scowled at that. He didn't want to give up Sandevistan, and yelled as such at her. That argument led to Pilar mentioning the Tyger's he noticed chasing a car through City Center, of all places. And a number of Tygers got caught up in the crash.
Maine couldn't care less about some… until Pilar mentioned that Gloria's kid was in the car leading the chase.
Pilar, still seeming freaked out, spoke up. "Saw that Gonk runner that sent himself to hell is still alive!"
"Yeah! Crazy gonk and some buddy of his were runnin from Tygers." Rebecca added. She was an edgerunner She was around 21, but looked younger due to some… unfortunate choices earlier in life. Some not her own.
The siblings went on to describe how the car crashed, but the bodies- those of David and his driver- weren't found. They couldn't tell what happened, as if they weren't there when the car crashed in Downtown.
"Is there anything else that can help us find them?" Maine asked.
"Err…" Pilar fiddled with his hands. "I got a picture of them?" Maine's stone cold look caused Pilar to back away. Rebecca's goading for him to fight her brother did not help Pilar's mood. Or Maine's.
A few minutes later, Kiwi and Dorio entered. They found David's apartment and went to check it out. If they found him, Kiwi would stun him with her Cyberhacks so Dorio could knock him out. Dorio took her seat beside Maine, while Kiwi stood across from them.
"Anything from his place?" Maine asked, hopeful for a lead on the Sandevistan.
Kiwi shook her head. "Nada. Kid was smart enough to clear out and delta before we got there."
Dorio nodded. "Asked around; no one's seen him. But they did notice a green haired kid askin about him."
Maine groaned at that. David's gone off the grid, so he could be anywhere in the city by now. "Pilar, send the photo you took of their joyride to Kiwi. Kiwi, think you can find the deets on the kid next to David?"
Kiwi looked over the photo, it was slightly blurry but she could make out the green haired kid driving the car. "Gonna need more data on him. The photo doesn't narrow it down much."
Rebecca jumped up. "Oh! Do ya think he was a fellow student? You mentioned he dropped out of Saka Academy; maybe they knew each other from there."
Maine grinned at that. "Good call. Try to look up the records there, but be discreet."
Kiwi took a drag of her smoke. "Kay… school database narrows it down, but it will still take time."
"How much time?!" Maine growled, getting impatient. Dorio frowned at that.
Kiwi just gave Maine a blank look. "... give me a few hours, I should at least have a name and address by then."
Maine grumbled at that, but told her to do it. He got up and left the bar, needing some fresh air.
'No, that ain't what I need.' He wanted the Sandy, needed it for the next job. He was already the strongest on the team; with it, he'd be the fastest as well. Nothing could stop him or hurt his crew then.
"Maybe we should drop it." Dorio said. Maine wirled to look at his second and Output.
"Drop what? You mean let the kid go!?" He narrowed his eyes on her. "That's not gonna happen. Gloria's kid or not, he stole my chrome. I'm getting it back."
"I don't think you should chip in the Sandy Period!" Dorio shot back.
"Dorio, I'll be fine." Maine tried to reassure her. "If the runt could take the punishment, I can too. I'm twice his size and am used to chrome-"
"So was the last gonk who chipped the damn thing, and he had nearly as much chrome as you!" Dorio shot back. "He still lost his goddamn mind and was gunned down by Maxtec. You wanna go out like that, too?"
Maine grunted at that. "I'll never go out like that. Either way, it doesn't matter." Dorio's eyes hardened at that, but Maine pushed past it. "We're gonna find him, break his legs so the fucker can't run, and rip the damn piece from his back. End of discussion."
"...Assuming he doesn't pull the same, disappearing fire trick a second time." Dorio sighed. She'd help track David down but still wanted Maine to forgo the Sandevistan.
Maine didn't respond, just kept going. He needed to get better. Stronger. 'No one on the crew's gonna end up like Sasha. No one else on his crew, cause I'll be strong enough to prevent their deaths. That's a promise.'
And here we have the escape from the palace, David's Persona.
Honestly, I was torn between Odysseus and Achilles for his Persona. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if David was in part based on Achilles…
I mean, Achilles was the youngest of the Greeks in the Trojan war. He joined despite his mother's prophecy: basically, he would either live a long life in obscurity, or live a short life in war but remembered. Achilles was the strongest of the Greeks, and the Iliad is the story of his wrath.
That seems pretty similar to the story of David Martinez, retold after his death in NC. Probably a coincidence, but who knows…
As for the Odysseus Persona… I based his overall design on the version of Odysseus from Fate Grand Order. It meshed well with the Cyberpunk Aesthetic overall. As for Its Stats… (Pa = Passive)
Odysseus [Fool Arcana] Lvl: 2
Summary: A Greek hero of the Trojan War, his scheme of the trojan horse led to the war's final end. He spent the next 10 years at sea, sailing home to his wife and son. He was deadly with Bow or blade, but his greatest asset was his cunning, planning and enduring will. Despite incurring the wrath of man, monsters and the gods themselves, he reunited with his family, reclaimed his throne, and lived as king till his last breath.
Strength-4 Agility-5 Endurance-3 Magic-4 Luck-2
Melee(- -) Fire(- -) Electric(- -) Wind(Nul) Frost(- -)
Ranged(Res) Nuclear(- -) Psychic(Wk) Radiant(Res) Curse(- -)
Skills
Garu(Wi) = Light wind magic against 1 target. 20 % chance of knocking them backwards.
Swift Arrow(Gun) = ranged attack against 1 target; 20 % chance of critical hit.
Wind Boost(Pa) = Increase power of Wind attacks by 30-40 %.
Danger Sense(Pa) = Can detect attacks before they happen; protection against surprise attacks.
I based it off the P5 games, but with my own edits. Elemental skills and Healing skills I use verbatim, but other skills I'll either make up or rename. I'm gonna be very Liberal with Passive skills; all the more fun. Especially when I go into the Ultimate Personas later on.
It'll be a while until the next Update.