Cyberpunk: Arasaka Secret Son

[Sora's POV]

When my spinning cut collided with Ojii's sword, which he had placed parallel to the ground, our blades clashed hard again, stopping me dead in my tracks. I could see the puzzled look on Ojii's face, as if he couldn't believe my movements with the sword I'd learned from watching Arc.

But I couldn't revel in the moment. I noticed the arm holding Getsuga began to tremble... and Ojii noticed too. We instinctively glanced at each other, both aware that my body couldn't take much more. We pushed our swords simultaneously, and I was thrown back a few meters while Ojii barely moved throughout our duel.

'Tch, monster!'

As my feet hit the ground with a loud thud, I felt my legs shaking, and it didn't stop there. My entire body screamed in pain, like the earlier warning had reached its limit. If I continued... I knew the toll this was taking on me. Damn it! I can't stop now.

But I doubt I can use Arc's fencing again. Now I understand the strain it places on my body—especially on my lungs, almost paralyzing them, as if I couldn't release or catch my breath... reminding me of a bad memory.

Gritting my teeth to endure the pain and hold myself together, I scanned the room for something I could use to gain an advantage against Ojii.

Then I saw something—a familiar figure watching me with its cameras, as if it was struggling not to interfere. Even in this state, I couldn't help but smile. Without wasting time, I sent a communication request to 000023123441.

[I need you, little one.]

[Woof-Woof-GHMMM (Grunts)]

It responded, showing me a live image of someone's rear end while growling.

[That's right, but wait for my signal, okay?]

[Woof!]

[And one more thing...]

.

When I finished talking to Eco, I turned my focus back to Ojii, thinking about my next move. I couldn't last much longer.

Then I remembered what Grandpa said about Getsuga, and about the head of the Inuzuka family—an engineering geek like me.

If he's a geek, he wouldn't have just upgraded Getsuga... he would've added something. With that thought, I glanced at Getsuga's hilt... and an idea struck.

"Eco, the sheath... (Gasp)," I said, struggling to breathe.

My words surprised my grandparents, but Eco quickly moved, grabbing the sheath I had left near him when the duel began and tossing it into the air towards me.

Catching the sheath Eco threw, I slid Getsuga into it and got into position for an unsheathing strike, hoping my idea was right.

With one hand on the hilt and the other on the sheath, I searched for something... anything—a mark, a different texture. Suddenly, when I gripped it with five fingers, it started to vibrate.

Bzzt (Vibration)

But this vibration was different—mechanical, like something was charging inside the sheath.

"Hehe... (Huff), Ojii... looks like you're the lucky one this time (Gasp)... My body can't take much more... but you've been unlucky too, Ojii (GASP)... YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN ME GETSUGA!"

I barely managed to say, breathing heavily, struggling to stay conscious as I gathered all I had left for my final attack.

"SORA!!! Please stop now! Your body... you can barely stay conscious, son... please don't be stubborn. Tomorrow you can—" Grandma pleaded before Ojii interrupted.

"AOI... don't stop him... (gritting his teeth) Sora... your body is full of nanobots your mother put in you before you were born. They're currently in their first phase... Now, let's finish this. Come on, Sora, teach me... teach me that even in these circumstances... your wings can't be clipped... SON!"

With Ojii's words, I didn't hesitate. I ran towards him with a smile, grateful for his trust in me, even now. It wasn't time to dwell on the nanobots I already assumed were in me...

I knew this was going to hurt... but after what Ojii said...

SHHh (deep breath)

I screamed internally, gritting my teeth so hard I bit my lip, making it bleed, enduring the pain in my lungs as I pushed my body to its limit. I took another deep breath to...

To combine Getsuga's attack with the swordsmanship I copied from Arc... It was agonizing... but I'd survived worse pain before.

And while this pain was no less than when I was sick... this time it was MY CHOICE, something I did because I wanted to. And it was WORTH IT.

[N-NOW!]

[Woof!]

I sent the signal to Eco...

As I neared Getsuga's range, I saw Ojii raise his sword with all his strength for the most basic of vertical cuts... The force vibrated the air, the blade speeding toward my head. As it closed in, everything seemed to slow down. I knew I couldn't dodge, so I stared directly at Ojii, ready for...

For something to bite him.

Ojii's eyes widened in surprise and pain as his sword veered off course, brushing past my face thanks to Eco's bite.

Meanwhile...

BzZzZzZzZzZzTTTTTT (Vibration)

Getsuga shot out of its sheath with incredible force, barely contained in my grip.

It cut through the air, but when I extended my arm, I couldn't withstand the force. My shoulder dislocated with a painful pop.

I exhaled through gritted teeth, fighting through the pain as I redirected Getsuga downward, combining Arc's swordsmanship to deliver the most powerful half-moon shaped cut I'd ever made. I poured everything I had into holding onto Getsuga, feeling as though my entire arm was about to shatter.

My blade struck Ojii's cybernetic hands, disarming him. In a sword duel, that meant one thing... defeat! Technically, for me, but to Ojii... it was a lesson. A victory for both of us. I may have cheated... but... screw it!

As I reveled in disarming Ojii, my body's pain shifted from screaming to full-on explosion, my veins and muscles stiffening. (huff) (huff) (huff) (gasp) I tried to take short breaths, but it felt like the air had vanished, as if I was drowning...

I felt pain on a level that rivaled my worst memories, but... "Hehe... (gasp) worth it!" I muttered softly before losing consciousness. As darkness claimed me, I saw something that amused me just as much as the first time...

Ojii, worried, staring at me with concern in his eyes... and some anger. Meanwhile, Eco was still latched onto Grandpa's rear end, biting it, while Ojii seemed to have forgotten everything else in his concern for me... sending me into sleep with a smile on my face...

-

Musashi POV

"Hehe… gasp… worth it!"

When Sora said that with a grin, as if something about the situation amused him, he lost consciousness and collapsed. My reflexes kicked in, and I grabbed him before he hit the ground. Even as I held him, I was still processing everything he'd just done. He managed to unlock Getsuga's signature attack as fast as I'd taught it to him.

When he'd gotten into position, there was a brief moment where I saw Taishi Inuzuka in him—the man who, despite his weak body and only having one cybernetic arm, was the only person who ever bested me in a duel. Well… now there was another one.

But he cheated. Yeah, that's right, I didn't lose to Sora—he cheated. Yet, as I looked at my sword lying on the ground and remembered the force behind Sora's last attack, I couldn't exactly call myself the winner either.

If Taishi hadn't had such a frail body… If he hadn't died when he did… He would be the one with the title of the best swordsman, not me.

That thought faded as the sense of danger I felt during the duel returned, but it wasn't from Sora this time.

"Eco! ECO! DAMN DOG, GET OFF ME!" I shouted as Eco, Sora's overly aggressive cyber-mutt, continued to bite at my rear.

With a menacing growl through his speakers, Eco released his grip and barked, before stepping protectively in front of Sora's unconscious body. He pressed a paw onto Sora, as if to say, "back off," and his hologram displayed a not-so-subtle threat.

I set Sora down next to Eco, who clearly didn't trust me one bit—like I'd actually harm my own grandson. Still, the damn dog had just let go of my rear, and now he was acting all tough. Once again, I found myself thinking, stupid mutt.

Aoi approached, her face a mix of concern and awe. She'd seen the same things I had—Sora's tenacity, his surprising skill, and the strange abilities he seemed to have tapped into during the duel. But her mind was on something else entirely.

"Musashi… what you said about the nanobots in Sora's body—was that what allowed him to fight like that?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "The kid fought on his own. The nanobots only kicked in when Sora's body turned red for a moment. They had to tense up his muscles, increase his blood pressure, just so his body could keep up with me."

"But… his eyes…" Aoi's voice trembled slightly. "He doesn't have any cyberware installed. Did the nanobots replace his eyes?"

"No!" I barked, firm but gentle. "Calm down, Aoi. The nanobots can't replace parts of his body—not yet, anyway. They can join together inside him, like they did in his eyes, to create some kind of support system, but they disassemble afterward. No permanent changes."

Aoi sighed in relief, but I continued. "What Sora has inside him, these nanobots, they saved his life after that cop shot him and Judy. And Sora… that little bastard. He's managed to copy it all, from just seeing it once. I know it sounds insane, but he's done it. Look at him. Even unconscious, with his body all beaten up, he's got that smug grin plastered on his face."

I stared down at Sora, the frustration building up again. "He sent his damn dog to pull that dishonest move. I've lost. The kid disarmed me, Aoi."

Aoi's expression softened into amusement as she knelt beside me, her worry slowly ebbing away. "Ara, Musashi, it looks like Hanako-sama has found out about your little duel with Sora."

"What?" I muttered, still sore from Eco's bite.

Aoi grinned mischievously. "I'm receiving messages from Hanako-sama's proxy: 'What the hell is happening to Sora?' and 'He should be with you now! What is happening?' Ara-ara, Musashi honey, it looks like you've got another round to fight—this time with the mother. Fuufuuhaha."

Damn it. I hadn't even considered how Hanako would react to this duel. I thought I was prepared for the consequences, but I didn't expect them to hit me this soon. I looked back at Sora's unconscious form. This kid, again, had unknowingly gotten me into trouble.

And there he was, lying on the floor with that stupid smile.

I sighed, fighting the urge to stomp on his face, just to wipe that smug look away. "Ahh… tell her I'll get in touch later. I need to get Sora to his room to rest." I picked the brat up, intending to carry him to bed when a thought crossed my mind.

"Aoi," I said, "you don't seem too surprised or angry that Hanako-sama put nanobots in Sora."

"Tell me, Musashi," Aoi replied calmly, "will these nanobots make Sora safer?"

I nodded slowly.

"Then I don't need to be surprised or angry at a mother who only wants her child to survive," Aoi continued. "In the end, you and I both know there is nothing more painful than losing a child. I understand why Hanako did what she did. If I could, I would have done the same for our children. Any mother who loves her child would do anything to keep them safe—even if it's just a 1% chance."

---

[General Pov]

11:09 p.m in the Badlands

An old woman with long hair, graying by age came out of a trailer used in her clan to connect to the net and keep track of what was happening in the world, from one of the trucks that were part of the caravan of the Clan..... this woman, called Selita had reached her old age and she herself knew that she did not have many years of life left... yet she was the leader of her nomad Clan and was proud of her family/clan.

Something that even in her old age she led with an iron fist... but no one could ever hate this tough but fair old woman who did not forgive anyone who endangered her family or her clan, which for her were the same..... the Bakkers Clan.

When Selita left the trailer she was looking for the young ones of her nomad Clan.... who always boast and laugh at the people living in the megacities saying they live like rats and do not know what freedom is, like them being nomads... especially with the youngs

Today the clan had managed to illegally connect to the Megacorporation Network signal 54..... downloading the news from Night City and in them a chase made by two kids in a fire truck, which Selita wanted to use to teach a lesson to the youngsters of her Clan who always laugh at the Steet kids....

"Chari, Lil, Trin, Sarah and V come here I want to show you something".