Welcome to Darkhaven City, a sprawling metropolis in the middle of nowhere in America. That place looked fucking cool, but don’t let that fool you. Beneath all of its glorious and beautiful facade lay deep corruption and darkness that seeped into every being in the city. My name? Raven Night. I was a nobody. Yes, I admit that I was a fucking nobody. Was I cool? No. Was I badass? Fuck no. I didn’t even know how to shoot a gun properly, and that was a no-no in Darkhaven. If you wanted to have a somewhat safe time in Darkhaven, you had to know how to shoot a gun, or you were toast.
I lived on the south side of the city, near the river. You would think that was a good place, but it wasn’t. The view was good, sure. But it wasn’t safe. I could say that about the whole city, but it wasn’t safe, especially there. We lived in Section-1, Little Night district. I lived alone in a small-ass apartment with nothing to my name. I planned to change that.
You see, I was not from around there. Hell, I wasn’t even from 2084. I was from fucking 2022, got run over by a truck in Japan, and somehow ended up there. You’d think I’d get memories from the previous owner of this body, but that would be convenient for me. So life decided I wouldn’t get it. I didn’t even know how dangerous that place was until a few hours ago when I heard gunshots. I’d been hearing those gunshots for two hours. For two fucking hours. Where were the police? How would I know? I’d been hiding inside that shithole of a house since I got there. The only reason I knew that much was because I’d been relatively interested in cyberpunk books and games before I got there and because I got a little bit of Internet.
I was also partially cybernized. Both of my eyes were - as they would call it - Decked. From what I knew, my eyes were decked with mid-tier civilian-grade cybernetics. Tsukuyomi Mk-II. They had a zoom and scan function. Pretty basic.
I also noticed I had an additional option at the bottom of my eye interface. It was named System. I hadn’t opened it yet, afraid it would be a virus or something. I looked out of the apartment I was in. I could actually see the flashes of light in the dark night, accompanied by the sounds of gunshots.
I grabbed the gun on the counter. Yes, I had a gun, but the problem was, I had no idea how to use it. I just turned the safety off and put it right next to me. I looked at the options on my optics again. System… Fuck it. I’d already died once. What could be worse?
I clicked it. The optic changed. Before, the optics were blue. From the text to the border, everything was blue. But now, everything was red. Oh, this is interesting. As I looked through it, it read, “Cyberpunk System -
Body - 1
Mind - 1
Interface - 1
Essence - 1
Grit - 1
Rep - 0
Free Stat Point - 0
Free Skill Point - 0
Skills - None
Cybernetics - Tshuniki Mk-II Adaptation 0/0”
THUD
I looked forward at the door, shocked. I quickly grabbed my gun and aimed at the door. I saw a woman standing there, with blood coming out of her stomach. “Fuck,” I yelped out. She looked at me once and fell to the ground. Whoa, she didn’t even try to shoot me. I thought everyone in that fucking city was a psychopath. Holding the gun, I slowly approached her with trembling hands. Gunshots continued to ring outside.
I had a moral dilemma. Do I save her? Or do I leave her to die? My moral compass was telling me to save her but my reason told me to leave her alone. Fuck this, I thought as I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her inside. Then I closed the door.
I pulled her towards the sofa. Then I looked at her gunshot wound. Well, guess what? I didn’t know shit about first-aid. Only then, did I have a close look at her. She had black hair with purple strands. She had cybernetic eyes, hands, and legs. I couldn’t scan to see their models with my eyes since they were just civilian-grade.
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I panted as I slumped down on the floor, Why did I save her? This is too much of a risk. Should I just get rid of her? I looked at the gun in my hand, second-guessing myself. It would be so easy. Just pull the trigger and I could get rid of this risk. I shook my head. I was not like that. I don’t kill. At least, I haven’t killed before. And I didn’t plan on doing it until I had to.
With a sigh, I got up and walked to the fridge. Disgusting. The smell hit me like a truck. I had nothing to eat. Well, isn’t that fucking good, huh? It’s been tiring. Let me close my eyes for a bit…
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“What the f-“ I yelped as cold water splashed on me. As I opened my eyes, I saw the woman I saved earlier standing above me with a bucket in one hand and a gun in another, aiming at me. “Whoa, whoa.”
She didn’t blink, her eyes cold, “Who are you? Why did you save me?”
Are they this paranoid? “Because you’re a human?” I tilted my head as I answered.
Bang! Bang! Two gunshots rang. I saw bullet holes beside me. “Kid, don’t fuck with me. Why did you save me?” She asked again.
I held my hands up in a gesture of surrender, trying to keep calm despite the dire situation. "Look, lady, I don't have a reason to lie to you. I saw you bleeding out there, and I couldn't just leave you to die."
She narrowed her eyes, assessing me with suspicion. "You're not from around here, are you? That accent... it's not Darkhaven. And nobody from Darkhaven would save someone without a reason."
I nodded despite my will, she had the gun, after all. “Yes, I’m from New York.”
Her hand didn’t move, still aiming at me, “Well, how’d you get here?”
“Got hit in the head. Don’t remember anything other than that. I don’t even remember my life.”
Her eyes showed a tint of pity, “Amnesia? I had that once too. Didn’t go too well for the people who clubbed me.” Her hand moved in a flash and the gun in her hand was back in her holster. “You know what? I reckon you know nothing about this city. I’ll guide you around for a few days, how about that?”
Narrowing my eyes, I contemplated her offer, on one hand, I knew for a fact that she had killed people. On the other hand, this is Darkhaven. You don’t survive without killing. “Fine.”
Her expression didn’t change but I could see a tint of emotion flashed through her eyes. She offered her hand, “My name’s Nova.”
“Raven.”
She looked at me, “First rule of Darkhaven, trust nobody. You need to know how to handle yourself in a fight. Whether that be a gunfight or a fistfight, you need to know at least, the basics.”
I nodded, “Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good,” she said as she started to leave.
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Nova had a car. It was a Toyok Cruiser. She told me some things about herself. She was a solo mercenary, with no crew. She was not affiliated with any gangs or corporations. Instead, she worked for the one who paid her the most. The only person she could be considered close to was her fixer, Joy. She gave me one of her guns, a Desert handgun. It was painted yellow and was very big. I figured that this was like the 44 magnum, very powerful but very slow.
She drove us to her apartment. It was not grand but at least, it was not as bad as mine. Honestly, it didn’t fit my view of her. Her home was comfy and not gritty and dark like I thought it would be. I asked her, “Do I have to stay here now?”
Nova replied, “Do you want to?”
I nodded, “Honestly, this is a lot better than my previous apartment.”
“I have a spare room. You can stay there.” She pointed at a room.
I hesitated, “Why- Why are you helping me?”
She blinked, “Well, you saved my life.” She didn’t say anything else and went into her own room.
I walked into the room Nova pointed to. It was barebone. It had a bed, a desk, and a chair. I sat down on the bed. It wasn’t comfortable at all. But it was good enough for me. I sighed as I lay down on the bed. It was dusty but I didn’t care at the moment. In my optics, I, once again, went to open the System.
It was quite… hard for me to open it as I was not used to it. I had to use my eyes to interact with my optics and it was a very unfamiliar experience. The System opened.
Cyberpunk System
Body - 1
Mind - 1
Interface - 1
Essence - 1
Grit - 1
Rep - 0
Free Stat Point - 0
Free Skill Point - 0
Skills - None
Cybernetics - Tshuniki Mk-II Adaptation 0/0
I wondered, How do I increase my stats? By standard RPGs, I would be able to use stat points to increase my stats. To get stat points, I would need to level up. And I’m assuming that to level up, I need to kill… I scratched my head. I didn’t really want to kill anyone or anything. Let’s not be constrained by RPG systems. Maybe I would gain level with specific actions? Maybe I’ll gain Body stat points as I work out. Mind with reading? Why can’t this thing be just normal Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and stuff?
I immediately dropped down to the floor to try out my idea. I wasn’t sure if it would work but that question remained in my head. What if it did? And so I did. I dropped down and started doing push-ups.
One! Two! Three! I called out in my mind as I did it. Four! Five! My hands started to go wobbly. I lowered myself with great difficulty. Breathe! With a silent roar, I pushed myself back up. Six!
Body - 100XP
I collapsed to the floor, with a grin on my face. Now, we’re talking! Now, I knew I could level up individual stats. This was much better than what I had hoped for. I had a way to grow and I would.