Japantown

April 1st

2069

Sophie looked over her status page while she waited for her prey to enter a more secluded area.

Name: Sophie Morrin

Age: 14

Class: Huntress [5/100]

Passives

Iron Resolve [Max], Flexibility [27/100], Parkour [15/100]

Skills

Stealth [8/100], Basic Gun Combat [13/100], Investigation [9/100], Basic Bladed Combat [9/100]

Cyberware

Basic Cyberoptics (Common)

Basic Subdermal Armour (Common)

Basic Wrist Reinforcement (Common)

Store: Available

L-Coins: 3,750

Eurodollars: 15,000

Inventory: 1m x 1m x 1m

She’d made some pretty significant progress over the past month, though she wasn’t entirely satisfied. Almost all of her skills, aside from Flexibility which still gained a level every couple of days, felt like they’d hit a wall. To make matters worse, the general grunt hunt mission had seen a significant drop in rewards. They no longer rewarded eddies and the L-Coin reward was only 250, down from the original 500. The only positive was that the mission difficulty rating had gone down, from Hard to Moderate.

Regardless of her complaints and questions however, the system remained silent, unwilling to explain how she could increase her skill proficiency faster. With no better ideas to improve her skills, Sophie continued doing what she had been. Hunting.

Sophie crouched in the darkness of a narrow alley in Westbrook. Across the street, a lone Tyger Claw lingered outside a dingy noodle shop, shouting in Japanese. She didn’t have translation software, so she wasn’t entirely sure what he was after. She just assumed it was ‘protection’ fees. That was the most common reason a Tyger would trouble random shops.

She’d been stalking him for nearly an hour, waiting for the right moment to strike. She’d spent many hours over the past month similarly, gradually improving her patience. She was determined that this hunt would be the one where she’d finally flatline a Tyger without being damaged.

The Tyger stepped away from the shop, strolling toward a quieter section of the street. Sophie stalked him, her steps still annoyingly loud to her ears but seemingly enough to avoid detection. She darted across the street when he turned a corner, slipping behind him as he wandered into a narrow, dimly lit alley.

Her moment had come.

Sophie leveled her Nue at his back and pulled the trigger. The crack of the gunshot echoed down the alley, and the Tyger staggered forward, clutching his side as blood seeped between his fingers. He spun, drawing his pistol, but Sophie was already moving. One of the issues she’d been working to rectify was her follow up.

She would shoot her target, then stupidly wait around to see if they would die. With her aim still somewhat shoddy, Sophie had to find another way to reliably take a target out. Thus, her current actions.

Another shot struck the man’s chest, sending him to the ground with a grunt. His pistol clattered from his grip, spinning uselessly across the pavement. Sophie approached cautiously, keeping her weapon trained on him until she was certain he was dead. He wasn’t. Another shot ended his struggle. The splatter of blood didn’t faze the teen.

For the first time since she’d begun her hunt, she hadn’t taken a single hit. No glancing blade, no bullet grazing her skin. The sight of her mission now sitting at [1/100] filled her with joy.

She knelt beside the body, quickly rifling through his belongings. A wad of eddies, and some ammo. Typical Tyger Claw loot. She slipped the items into her bag and reloaded her gun. She didn’t forget to pick up her prey’s weapon. They sold well, after all.

The sound of footsteps shattered the quiet moment. Sophie’s head snapped up as two more Tyger Claws rounded the corner at the far end of the alley, their weapons drawn.

"Shit," she hissed under her breath.

The first Tyger shouted something in Japanese, his voice angry and sharp, as the second raised his pistol and fired. The shot cracked past Sophie’s shoulder, close enough to make her heart pound.

Every single fight she’d had since escaping the scavs had been one in which she ambushed her opponent while they were by themselves. That kind of tactic worked fantastically, but it didn’t give her any experience against multiple foes, especially those that had more chrome than she did.

Sophie bolted, sprinting down the alley in the opposite direction. Her feet pounded against the pavement as she scanned for an exit. The instincts from Parkour came to the forefront of her mind and she found a possible path.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Another shot rang out, ricocheting off a dumpster as she veered left. She leapt onto a stack of discarded crates, using her momentum to propel herself onto a low-hanging fire escape. The metal groaned, even though she was small. Stupid ladder! I’m not fat! Despite the noises, it held as she scrambled upward.

The Tygers shouted behind her, their voices growing closer. Sophie climbed faster, her hands gripping the rusted rungs as she pulled herself onto the second-story platform. Without pausing, she jumped to a nearby ledge, her fingers catching the edge just as her feet slipped.

“Come on,” she muttered, hauling herself up with a grunt.

The Tygers reached the base of the fire escape behind her, their boots clanging against the metal as they began their pursuit.

Sophie ran along the ledge, her eyes darting ahead for her next move. A narrow alley lay below, with a clothesline strung between two buildings. Sophie gauged the distance and decided she could make it. Her heart hammered in her chest as she leapt.

The clothesline snapped under her weight, sending her into a wild fall. She twisted multiple times in midair, rolling into a crumpled heap on the opposite fire escape. The impact drew a groan, but she got up and kept moving, adrenaline overriding the pain.

The Tygers fired again, their bullets pinging off the metal around her. One of them cursed loudly, and Sophie risked a glance down. They were slower than she’d expected. Her small frame and skill with parkour had proven difficult to match. She’d take any edge she could get in her situation.

She climbed higher, reaching the roof of a nearby building. The city skyline stretched out before her, its neon colours reflecting off the rain-slicked streets below. Sophie ran across the rooftop, her boots splashing through shallow puddles as she searched for a way down.

Ahead, a rusted drainage pipe ran along the side of the building, leading to another alley. Sophie skidded to a stop, grabbed hold of the pipe and swung herself downward. Her hands burned as she slid, the rough metal tearing the skin on her palms.

She landed in the alley with a thud, stumbling slightly before she caught herself. The Tygers were still shouting, but their voices were growing fainter. She kept moving, sticking to the shadows while weaving through a maze of alleys until she was certain she’d lost them.

Finally, Sophie stopped, leaning against a wall as she caught her breath. Her chest heaved, and her hands trembled from the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

“Close,” she muttered, wiping rain and sweat from her eyes.

It had been a successful hunt, even if the end had almost gone very, very wrong. The adrenaline rush of escaping unscathed filled her with a strange sense of accomplishment. It was proof that she was growing, even if it felt slow. She stepped away from the wall, ready to find her bike and return home.

The quiet alley suddenly erupted into chaos with noise. The unmistakable sound of boots echoed around her. They hadn’t given up. The two Tygers had somehow managed to track her, and now they were closing in fast. She looked around and almost immediately spotted a small device, planted on the side of a building. The little red dot on it revealed its purpose. A camera.

Sophie cursed loudly. Do they have a fucking netrunner with them!? She was in no condition for a fight. Her muscles were already burning from the chase, and her lungs were heaving. However, just because she didn’t want the fight, didn’t mean the fight didn’t want her. Looking around, her eyes landed on an external ladder leading up to a rooftop.

Without a second thought, she sprinted for it, gripping the cold metal and hauling herself up. The ladder rattled around as she climbed and Sophie could only hope it didn’t break. Luckily, it didn’t and she reached the rooftop just as the first Tyger burst into the alley below.

“There she is!” one of them shouted, his voice carrying up to her.

Sophie sprinted across the rooftop, the wind biting against her face. She skidded around an old ventilation unit, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and her pursuers.

But the Tygers were relentless. A gunshot rang out, the bullet narrowly missing her and sparking against the metal beside her. Sophie ducked instinctively, her adrenaline spiking as she reached the far side of the roof. There was nowhere else to go; just a sheer drop to the street below.

Her breath caught as she turned to face her attackers. The first Tyger climbed onto the roof, the barrel of his gun still smoking. He was bulky, with chrome arms. The second unsheathed a katana. He was tall and wiry, his face marked with tattoos that twisted his face into a permanent sneer.

“Suko-sama will pay us well for your head, rat,” The taller one snarled.

Sophie’s grip tightened on both her tanto and her pistol as she drew them. Her mind raced, calculating her chances. Her chances weren’t good. Why did I have to leave my Copperhead at home!? What good is all my inventory space being saved for scrap if I can’t even survive!?

Her foes didn’t give her a chance to think however. The wiry Tyger lunged first, his katana cutting through the air. Sophie dodged, the blade missing her by inches. His form was poor, in her opinion. She countered with a quick slash of her own, her tanto grazing his arm. He hissed in pain but swung again, forcing her to backpedal toward the edge of the roof. She retaliated, firing a shot but missed after being startled by the sudden actions of the second Tyger.

The bulkier Tyger fired his pistol, the shot carving a chunk out of her left shoulder. Sophie cried out, feeling the damage that her subdermal failed to block. Clearly, the bullet was too much for such basic chrome. She didn’t have a chance to worry about the gunman however, as the katana wielder didn’t let up on the pressure.

Suddenly, her foot caught on a loose piece of concrete and she stumbled. The wiry Tyger saw his opening, raising his katana for a killing blow. Sophie leaned to the side at the last second, inwardly thanking her recently acquired flexibility when she saw the blade striking sparks against the rooftop where she’d been only moments prior.

She came up swinging, her tanto cutting him deep in the side. He staggered, blood soaking his shirt, but didn’t go down. His snarl turned feral as he slashed wildly, forcing Sophie to retreat once more.

Behind her, the bulkier Tyger closed the distance, his pistol replaced with a combat knife. His companion's wild attacks clearly left no room for ranged attacks. He swung at her, and she ducked, feeling the blade whoosh past her ear. She targeted his knee, retaliating with an awkward kick. She must have hit a painful spot as he grunted and stumbled.

The edge of the roof loomed dangerously close. Sophie’s heel slipped on the wet surface, and for a terrifying moment, she teetered on the brink. She threw herself forward, narrowly avoiding a fall that would’ve ended everything.

The bulkier Tyger had recovered and grabbed her arm, yanking her back with a chrome-enhanced grip. Pain shot through her as his fingers crushed against her flesh, but she twisted free, driving her tanto into his side. The blade slid between his ribs and he howled in pain again, staggering back.

The wiry Tyger took advantage of the distraction, his katana arcing toward her. Sophie ducked low, retrieved the knife stuck in her larger foe while the blade whistled past her head, and lunged forward. Her tanto struck true, plunging into the lankier man’s chest. He gasped, his eyes wide with shock, before collapsing to the ground.

She didn’t have time to celebrate. The bulkier Tyger roared, blood dripping from his side as he charged at her like a bull. Sophie sidestepped, but he was fast despite his size, slamming into her with enough force to send her sprawling.

Her head hit the rooftop hard, stars exploding in her vision. The Tyger loomed over her, his knife poised to strike. Sophie rolled desperately, the blade stabbing into the ground where she’d been. She kicked out, her boot connecting with his shin, and scrambled to her feet.

Her pistol lay a few feet away, knocked from her grip during the scuffle. Sophie dove for it, her fingers closing around the grip just as the Tyger lunged again. She rolled onto her back, raising the gun and firing.

The first shot hit him in the shoulder, staggering him. The second struck his chest, and the third his neck. Blood sprayed as he gurgled, collapsing in a heap beside her.

Silence fell, broken only by Sophie’s ragged breathing. She lay on the rooftop, her entire body trembling as the adrenaline drained from her system. Pain flared in her shoulder, her side, her knees; pretty much everywhere. She’d hit a lot of walls and floors over a very short time period.

Slowly, she pushed herself up, wincing as she surveyed the carnage. The large Tyger lay still but the other was still twitching, blood spilling from his mouth. A bullet ended his misery and the blood from both corpses pooled on the wet rooftop. Sophie retrieved her tanto, wiping the blade on one of their jackets before sheathing it.

Sophie took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She’d survived, but it had been close. Fighting two opponents, especially when she wasn’t prepared, had done a number on her.

“I need to be faster,” she muttered while still breathing heavily. “And stronger. More chrome, more weapons. More skills.”

She proceeded to loot the Tygers and took photos, sending them to Rita. With a final glance at the corpses, she turned and began making her way back to her bike. There was no time to dwell on the pain or the close calls. She could worry about her injuries, and her system notifications, once she was safe.