Westbrook

January 25th

2069

A long list of skills appeared before her, though Sophie wasn’t particularly pleased by them.

“Cooking? Cleaning? Why the fuck would I want that kind of stuff? Show me anything combat related please.”

The list shrunk, though most of the options still weren’t great choices. Until her eyes landed on a particular skill. Basic Bladed Combat.

“That’s the one.” She replayed her recent battle against the Tyger and her wild flailing with the knife. “Yeah, I definitely need to be able to use a knife better. I might be able to klep a katana too.”

Sophie confirmed her choice and a rush of information appeared in her mind.

Skill: Basic Bladed Combat has been unlocked!

Basic Bladed Combat [1/100]

It consisted mostly of basic stances and a handful of simple methods to actually use a bladed weapon. Sadly, the general nature of the skill meant a large portion of the information wasn’t relevant to knives. “I’ll have to be on the lookout for anyone that has a machete or something too. I’ll probably need that if I want to level this skill up.”

With her new skill obtained, the teen turned to her loot. The knife that she took was a typical Japanese Tanto in near pristine condition, compared to the combat knife she was originally using. The gun was an Arasaka Tamayura. Need to work on my weapon knowledge. I should have known what it was when I was following that Claw. She was especially glad that her first shot had disabled the hand he would have drawn the gun with. It saved her a lot of trouble. Still wish I’d flatlined him with one attack though…

Aside from the weapons, there were a hundred or so eddies. It wasn’t much but considering her limited financial resources, Sophie was grateful for everything. With her loot sorting done, the teen made herself comfortable to avoid aggravating her bruised chest. Her thoughts returned to the fight she had against the Tyger.

I feel like my approach was correct but my execution of it was poor. I’m a Huntress, so how do I actually hunt someone? She tried to think about how a hunter would normally be portrayed in video games or throughout history. Most of the time a hunter would use a bow…A silent, ranged weapon. They normally attack from hiding and eliminate their target in a single blow…They wear light armour, meant for evasion not absorbing damage…Oh!

“To be a proper Huntress, do I have to hunt people without actually getting hit? An ambush that either immediately kills the target or cripples them so that they can’t retaliate. Kinda like an assassin?” In response to her theory, Sophie received a message.

New Mission

Hunt 100 targets without taking any damage. [0/100]

Difficulty: Very Hard

Rewards: ???

“What the fuck!? 100!? And unknown rewards? Are my rewards based on my performance?” There was no answer and she groaned. “Why are you like this? You answer some of my questions but don’t even give me a reply for others. Fine, I’ll just do the quest.”

Although she said that, Sophie was concerned. The man she’d just killed was clearly inexperienced. She had still struggled and taken damage against him. There was no chance that every target she picked would be the same. In fact, as soon as her opponents started to have more chrome and skill, her chances of success would gradually fall as well.

“So, what do I actually need to give myself an advantage?” The answer was obvious. “Chrome. I need chrome and I need to improve my skills. But cyberware costs money, and lots of it. I get some from the system missions and most people carry a few eddies around but it would be slow going to save up. But if I can get someone to pay me for killing people, that’s a different story.” She sighed. “I guess tomorrow, I’ll go see the Mox. I’m sure they’d be willing to pay me for killing a Claw.”

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Sophie woke up the next morning feeling significantly better. She checked her chest and the bruising was still there, though the edges were already beginning to fade. Her jaw still hurt from where she was backhanded though.

She cleaned herself as best as she could, then strapped her Nue pistol to her side and tucked her new tanto into its sheath. She would be paying a visit to the Mox for the first time, so she figured looking her best would be a good idea. Leaving the sewers during the day was an interesting experience, considering she’d only been going out at night. However, Lizzie’s Bar would be closed until the evening, which would hopefully allow the teen to speak with one of the Mox.

The trek from Charter Hill to Kabuki was exhausting but uneventful. Sophie was immensely thankful for the publicly available city maps though, considering how much of a maze the city was. Kabuki was also very different to what she was accustomed to.

She passed groups of locals chatting loudly without care and spotted a number of kids running around. That was all stuff that happened in Westbrook, but there was a different, happier vibe to it. Might be the lower Tyger Claw presence here. Seems like they haven’t fully moved into this part of Watson yet.

Regardless, Sophie wasn’t there to explore a new part of Night City. She was on her way to the Mox stronghold and nothing would distract her from that goal, even if the streets were a bit confusing.

It didn’t take the teen long to find it. The building stood out, specifically because of the giant neon skull with hair; the signature Mox logo. Neon pink and blue lights adorned the façade, and a glowing sign proudly announced the bar’s name, confirming the building’s identity, though the doors were firmly closed.

As she got closer, Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. The woman, standing guard outside the door, was someone any true Cyberpunk fan would recognise. Rita Wheeler. However, she kept her expression as cold as possible. It was better to have no connections, no friendships, that could be used against her or come to harm because of her. Even if, deep down, she really wanted to befriend the Mox bouncer.

As Sophie neared the entrance, the older woman’s eyes locked onto her. The bouncer’s expression was set in a frown as she looked at the approaching teen, absent-mindedly swinging her signature baseball bat around.

“We’re closed,” Rita said flatly, slapping the end of her bat into her other hand. There was an annoyed feeling in the words, suggesting she probably had people try and get in when they were closed all the time.

Sophie didn’t mind the rejection. “I’m not here for the bar,” she replied, trying to keep her voice as emotionless as possible. “I’m here to make an offer.”

Rita raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Oh? What kind of deal could a brat like you offer?”

Sophie crossed her arms over her chest and spoke bluntly. “I need money. The Mox and the Tygers don’t get long, everyone knows it. But I also know you’re not too keen on a full blown gang war. I’m planning to hunt as many Tygers as I can. But I might as well get paid doing it. So, I want to be paid for every Claw I take out.”

Rita’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Sophie for a moment. The teenager’s petite frame didn’t exactly scream ‘hardened killer,’ but there was something in her eyes: cold, hard determination, that gave Rita pause. Finally, she responded.

“Wait here,” she said, her voice laced with skepticism.

Rita stepped a few paces away, speaking quietly to someone over a holocall. Sophie couldn’t hear the full conversation, but she caught snippets; “kid seems serious,” “says she’ll be hunting them anyway,” “wants to be paid per kill.” After a few minutes, Rita returned, a slight frown on her face.

“Susie’s interested,” Rita said, leaning against the wall. “But she wants me to handle the details. So, let’s hear it. What exactly are you offering?”

Sophie met Rita’s gaze. “Like I said, I already plan to hit the Tygers. Getting a few extra eddies for it is just a good idea. The better equipped I am, the more of them I can kill.” She paused. “I need resources; eddies, specifically, but ammo or intel would help too. I’m offering to take out people you want gone and you pay me for it. We can hash out the specifics now, but I’m interested in working alongside the Mox long-term if we get along.”

“Why not join us then?” Rita countered.

“I’m not interested in making friends. It’s better for everyone if I’m just a hired gun. Are you interested or not?”

Rita studied Sophie for a moment. “You sure about this, kid? Why, exactly, are you going after the Tygers? They’ll kill you if they catch you.”

“The Tygers are just the best target for me at the moment. Plus I’ve got a bone to pick with those kinds of people. Though I’ll pretty much kill anyone or do anything if it gets me closer to my goals.”

Rita flinched a bit at the callous words. The look in the girl’s eyes was one of pure anger, pain and hatred. The bouncer forced a chuckle, trying to move past the intense and slightly frightening answer.

“Well, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.” She pushed off the wall and gestured for Sophie to follow her to a nearby bench. “Alright, let’s make this simple. Fifty eddies per kill, but I need proof. No proof, no payment.”

“One-fifty,” Sophie countered, her voice firm. “And would a photo work as proof?”

Rita smirked at the offer, clearly amused by Sophie’s audacity. “One hundred. Final offer. And sure, a pic would work.”

Sophie nodded. “Deal.”

Rita leaned back, placing her bat across her legs. “Anything else you want to bring up?”

Sophie hesitated for a moment before speaking. “How much does full body subdermal normally cost?”

“Hmm, it depends on the ripper you go to. Normally around 5k, though it won’t be anything top-of-the line. It might have changed recently though. Why, you planning to get some?”

“Yeah. Until I can improve my skills, placing my bets on not being hit is foolish. Protecting myself against damage is a much better strategy at this point.”

“Well, fair enough. Oh, by the way. Susie said I’ll be your handler,” her eyes lit up and Sophie received Rita’s contact details. “You can send your proof straight to me. I should also mention that you’ll need to prove yourself capable. If you don’t, the deal’s off.”

“That’s fine.” Sophie stood and held out her hand. “I’m Sophie by the way.” The older woman shook her hand firmly.

“Rita. Good luck out there kid. Don’t go dying out there before you get your first payout.”

Sophie nodded. “I won’t.”

With the conversation over, Sophie walked away from the braindance bar. As she left though, she couldn’t help but glance at Rita one last time. Meeting someone she’d been interested in when playing the game in her previous life should have been thrilling, but she refused to let herself grow close to the Mox woman. She couldn’t afford to let herself care about things like that anymore.

Still, it was nice that she’d be able to communicate with the older woman, even if it was just for business.