Cyberpunk Chivalry — Chapter 5

MISTER! THIS WAY!

NEXT!

AKINA GREENWOOD. ASH BLADE. REGISTERED AS A TWO-PERSON TEAM.

EXPLORATION AREA: LEVEL 1, SECTOR GAMMA7. IS THAT CORRECT?

YES!

DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN VEHICLE?

NO!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE SANCTUM'S SHARED LIMOUSINE SERVICE?

YES!

THAT'S 7,000 PER PERSON, FOR A TOTAL OF 14,000 CREDITS.

PAYMENT RECEIVED. YOUR SHARED LIMOUSINE IS NUMBER THREE HUNDRED TWO.

NEXT!!

MISS AKINA, THIS WAY.

ATTENTION, PATHFINDERS. LIMOUSINE THREE HUNDRED TWO, BOUND FOR GAMMA 7 IN THE OUTER, WILL BE DEPARTING SHORTLY.

WHEW! ROOKIES?

YES! IT'S OUR FIRST TIME!

A LITTLE KID PATHFINDER AND A SCRAP-HEAP ASSAULT, HUH?

INTERESTING COMBINATION.

LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO OUT THERE.

PLEASE CHECK ALL SAFETY EQUIPMENT. ONCE AGAIN, THIS LIMOUSINE...

LOOKS LIKE WE'RE LEAVING!

I'M COUNTING ON YOU, MR. ASH.

AND I ON YOU, MISS AKINA.

THE OUTER, AT LAST.

WELCOME TO THE LAND OF DEATH, ROOKIES.

[LOADING DATA: VOICE RECORDING_SANTA] [DATA SEARCH... EXECUTING<<<]

DANGERS IN THE OUTER?

WHAT ARE YOU ASKING ME THAT FOR?

DIDN'T YOU GET ALL THAT FROM THE DATA CARDS?

I DID. BUT MERE DATA...

COULD HARDLY COMPARE TO A SEASONED VETERAN'S FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, COULD IT, SANTA?

HMM. WELL, THAT'S TRUE. EXPERTISE...

COMES FROM EXPERIENCE, AFTER ALL, RIGHT?

PRECISELY.

There is no need to polish me quite so thoroughly...

Ever felt the satisfaction of washing a car? A good shine

ALL RIGHT. WHAT THE HELL, I'LL GIVE YOU SOME POINTERS.

SANTA'S CRASH COURSE, LESSON ONE: WATCH THE TERRAIN!

THE TERRAIN?

THE OUTER IS A RUIN. A DECAYING RUIN, THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD.

NOBODY KNOWS WHEN SOMETHING MIGHT COLLAPSE OR WHERE SOME BIZARRE TRAP MIGHT BE HIDDEN.

ONE WRONG STEP, AND ALL YOUR EXPENSIVE CYBERWARE WON'T MEAN A THING... YOU'RE DONE FOR.

I SHALL BEAR THAT IN MIND. WHAT NEXT?

NEXT, ENEMIES! THE ONES YOU'LL RUN INTO MOST OFTEN...

WILL BE THOSE GROTESQUE BASTARDS.

GROTESQUES?

YEAH. UNIDENTIFIED LIFE-FORMS INFECTED WITH "ABERRATION DISEASE."

HUMANS, ANIMALS, PLANTS—ANYTHING THAT CATCHES IT TURNS INTO A MONSTER. NO EXCEPTIONS.

MONSTERS... WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

CAN'T DESCRIBE THEM. EVERY ONE LOOKS DIFFERENT.

Was it like this...?

Or this...?

I cannot see that...

BUT IF I HAD TO NAME ONE THING THEY HAVE IN COMMON, IT'S THAT THEY'RE ALL FUCKING UGLY.

THEY ALSO TRAVEL IN PACKS. IF YOU SPOT ONE,

THAT MEANS THERE ARE DOZENS MORE GATHERED NEARBY.

I SEE. AH, WHAT OF SENTINELS? THE DATA CARDS...

SAID I SHOULD BE WARY OF THEM.

...WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?

IT'S JUST A LITTLE STRANGE, HEARING THAT FROM YOU.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

SENTINELS ARE MACHINES, YOU SEE.

YOU COULD CALL THEM DEFENSE SYSTEMS BUILT IN ANCIENT TIMES.

Concealed turrets, combat drones, assault walkers... All sorts of things pop up.

THE TRICKY PART IS, SOME CAN REPAIR THEMSELVES EVEN AFTER YOU SMASH THEM TO PIECES.

I SEE. BUT WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

...YOU'RE A MACHINE TOO. A SUSPICIOUSLY UNUSUAL ONE, AT THAT.

YOU'VE GOT SOME CONNECTION TO SENTINELS, DON'T YOU? ISN'T THAT SWORDSMANSHIP OF YOURS...

SOME ANCIENT- CIVILIZATION THINGAMAJIG TOO?

NO.

Come on, be honest.

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING GOING ON HERE. I CAN FEEL IT.

HAVE YOU ANY OTHER ADVICE?

SURE DO. WE'VE LEFT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, HAVEN'T WE?

FORGET GROTESQUES AND SENTINELS.

THE MOST DANGEROUS THING IS...

MR. ASH! LOOK AT THIS!

THIS IS CALLED AN ENERGY CELL. IT STORES POWER IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY.

IT'S SMALL, BUT IT CAN HOLD FAR MORE ENERGY.

IS THAT SO?

Oh! Another find!

THIS PLACE IS UNFAMILIAR. AND I SENSE NOTHING GOOD HERE.

YET SHE IS SO EXCITED.

HMM... BUT IT'S BROKEN. ANOTHER REJECT.

IS THAT ONE NOT WORTH MUCH EITHER?

It's junk.

YEAH. WELL, VALUABLE FINDS AREN'T EASY TO COME BY IN LEVEL 1.

OTHER PATHFINDERS WILL HAVE PICKED THIS PLACE CLEAN ALREADY.

IS THAT NOT WHY WE ACCEPTED A "MAPPING" COMMISSION?

HAHA. THAT'S RIGHT.

SO LET'S HURRY TO THE UNEXPLORED AREA AND MAP IT OUT!

HOW MUCH FARTHER TO OUR ASSIGNED AREA?

ABOUT TWO KILOMETERS.

WE'RE GETTING NOWHERE LIKE THIS. I THINK WE'D BE BETTER OFF IGNORING EVERYTHING ELSE...

AND MAKING FOR THE UNEXPLORED AREA.

THERE SHOULD BE SOME TASTY PICKINGS THERE, RIGHT?

THERE ARE SURE TO BE SOME DELECTABLE MORSELS.

DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT IN SUCH A REFINED TONE.

SOMETIMES I THINK YOU'RE EVEN MORE SERIOUS ABOUT CREDITS THAN I AM!

DO WE NOT OWE SANTA A DEBT?

AS DEBTORS, OUR FOREMOST DUTY IS TO REPAY IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

WOULD YOU NOT AGREE?

...UH, I... GUESS SO...?

...SURELY YOU WERE NOT PLANNING TO LEAVE IT UNPAID?

NO? I WAS GOING TO PAY HIM BACK, YOU KNOW?

WHEN?

...IN TEN YEARS?

WAIT, YOU EVEN ADMITTED TO STEALING THAT ARM BEFORE?!

TWO KILOMETERS ISN'T FAR! LET'S HURRY!

It's all mine! Hee-hee!

GOOD GRIEF...

SHH!

WHUH'S WONG?

...

BEYOND THAT DARKNESS... SOMETHING IS THERE.

A-A PERSON?

I CANNOT TELL. IT SOUNDS SOMEWHAT FERAL... AS THOUGH IN PAIN.

BUT IT DOES NOT SOUND HUMAN.

MISS AKINA.

WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS.

ONE IS TO ABANDON THIS ROUTE AND FIND ANOTHER.

AND THE OTHER?

THE OTHER IS TO ASSESS THE SITUATION, AND IF WE JUDGE IT POSSIBLE...

BREAK STRAIGHT THROUGH.

WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE?

WE'LL BREAK THROUGH. I'M READY.

I AM OF THE SAME MIND.

I SHALL TAKE THE LEAD FROM HERE.

Okay!

GET THE HELL AWAY!!

AAARGH!!!

AAGH!

!!!

SO THOSE ARE GROTESQUES.

BUT ONE THING THEY HAVE IN COMMON? THEY'RE ALL FUCKING UGLY.

TH-THAT MAN... HE'S THE ONE FROM EARLIER...

GHK, GKK...

MISS AKINA, CONCEAL YOURSELF FOR NOW.

THEY ARE DISTRACTED AND HAVE NOT SENSED OUR PRESENCE.

NOW IS OUR CHANCE.

I SHALL BREAK THROUGH.