NoriWasHere

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

I can't wait for the RP to get into the meatier sections :D

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

Ardur’s right eye shot open. His left eye was still buried in his pillow, while the rest of his body was strewn across the bed in a fashion that only the devil himself found comfortable. His eye shifted from left to right, up and down, and from side to side once more before it focused in on its target; an alarm clock mere inches from his bed on his night stand. It read five fifty-nine, and Adur smiled faintly. “A minute more to go b-”

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt*

The alarm screamed at Ardur.

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt*

It followed up a few seconds later.

Ardur quickly buried his head beneath his pillow, desperate to grab a few more winks of sleep, however, the alarm had other plans. It led a relentless assault on the ears and mind of Ardur with each subsequent blast sending a piercing migraine to the front of his mind. A minute passed, and ultimately Ardur gave in and reached for the alarm button, only to knock the alarm clock itself off his nightstand and onto the floor below. Ardur, in one quick motion, threw both the blanket and pillow off his body and rose to his feet. His body swayed from side to side, too fast a motion it seemed, as his eyes scanned the room in search of the horrid device. His vision was still a blur. He tried to open his eyes more, though, they pained him to do so; forcing Ardur to withstand the horrid noise for a few moments longer as his eyes adjusted.

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt*

The alarm screamed at Ardur.

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt*

It followed up a few seconds later.

He grimaced as he finally located the bloody contraption, and stumbled forth, knocking over a few beer bottles and Something Else, causing it to pour its foul contents on the floor, as he made his way towards it as his eyes burned with a firey intensity.

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt*

The alarm screamed at Ardur.

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt*

It followed up a few seconds later.

In a swopping motion, Ardur grabbed the alarm clock and raised it up to eye level, closing his fist a few seconds later crushing the alarm clock until it went silent. Relief was his. Silence was his. The damned alarm clock would scream no more. Ardur smiled for a brief moment before the headache returned, only this time stronger. His body begged him for water. His body begged him for relief. He had a long night of drinking last night, and the toll was upon him. He felt weak as his body still swayed from side to side.


“VC,” Ardur spoke softly as he rubbed his eyes, “order another alarm clock.”

“Which model would you like,” the sultry yet ultimately robotic voice of VC responded promptly.

“One that I can,” Ardur paused as he stretched his arms out, letting a loud and drawn out yawn escape his lips, “one that I can’t brea- *hic* break,” Ardur responded as he closed and opened his eyes in rapid succession. “What time was it again,” he thought, “why am I up so early,” he questioned.

“Of course,” VC respond, “you are now at sixty-seven point five-seven percent financially stable now”.

Ardur shuffled towards the bathroom when he felt a strange sensation from his groin area, prompting him to look down. “VC, did I have company last night?”

“No,” VC responded.

“Then why am I nake-,” Ardur paused, “don’t answer, I don’t want to know,” responded as he rubbed his eyes again, blinking a few more times after for good measure as he turned his head from side to side, "it's not even that comfortable," Ardur muttered.

Ardur stumbled his way to his bathroom, avoiding bottles when he could, and found his Hang-Over pills as well as a well-placed glass of water from last night. He quickly had the bottle open, pill in hand, and finally down the pipe as he gulped down the glass of water like it had been weeks since he last had a sip. He did not wait for the pills to take effect. Instead he jumped in the shower unit and proceeded to stay under the hot, almost scalding, waters for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, though, Ardur stepped out from the shower, towel wrapped around his waist, and stood for a second in front of the mirror before he went to work. His teeth needed cleaned and his beard needed styled. “VC,” Ardur asked as he began to shape his beard, “any new messages?”

“Yes,” VC responded, “three from contact named one-one-five-zero from last night, you asked to play them after you woke up.”

Ardur paused as he thought of which contact that was, but soon he remembered it was some lower level gangbanger in one of the many small gangs that populated the city. “Play them in order,” Ardur responded.

“Message one, big fish on the move. Message two, can provide general location. Message three, triple the normal rate or no location,” VC paused, “messages complete, shall I delete them?”

“Yes,” Ardur paused as he grabbed his teeth cleaner unit and placed it in front of his mouth, “and pay one-one-five-zero triple the normal pay, and read his response as it is received,” Ardur finished as he put the teach cleaner unit inside his mouth and let it’s run its course. Many minutes later, and with a fresh white shirt underneath a bright yellow hoodie, with some Arcadian slang written in cartoon styled letters, as well as dark jeans and combat boots on, Ardur walked into his office area and sat down in his chair. His office was well kept with a regal but polished oak desk situated on the far side of the room just in front of a large, single pane, window that provided sufficient natural light for his office during the day time when he was open; though right now he was required to run the overhead lights to illuminate the room. His floor was clean and polished while the walls were adorned with both modern and reproduction classic art from the early two-thousand's on Earth. “How many clients will I be seeing today,” Ardur asked as he leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes for a second while a small smile crept across his face. The Hang-Over pills were his favorite. They provided not only the vital nutrients and electrolytes that his body craved, they also actively blocked the hangover from rearing its ugly head with some scientific reason that Ardur never cared to learn. He was at peace and he was happy. He knew that there would be numerous, some angry, clients lined up outside his door today. He was ready for them, and he knew it. He paused his thoughts as the time crept back into his mind, “hey, wait a min-”

“None,” VC responded, “we are closed today, furthermore we would not be open for another six hours anyways. Incoming message from one-one-five-zero. Message one, big fish will be somewhere in Ghajotia, can’t give clear location, numerous guards expected.”

Ardur’s eyes quickly shot open, as the smile fell southward as a scornful look fell upon his face. "That’s right, we woke up extra early today." Ardur’s contacts had started going off the walls yesterday with more than fifteen times the normal tips, Ardur knew something was up and he wanted to be ready bright and early for it. “We are closed today, aren't we,” Ardur paused, “close the blinds, VC”.

“Of course,” VC respond as the normally translucent large window that covered the wall behind Ardur quickly turned itself opaque. Ardur leaned forward in his chair and moved his right hand to the side of his desk, pressing a small but concealed button. A sound of an efficient electrical engine revving to life filled the area with its soft rumble as the sides of the desk collapsed downward in a staggered style, while the top flipped itself over revealing the powerful holodesk that was built into a convertible oak desk.

“VC, turn off the lights and bring up Ghajotia district on the table,” Ardur stood up as the lights above him went out while the holodesk quickly projected the district in a scaled down format, though the holograph did have a very purple hue that cast itself on the walls around him. Ardur stood silent above the table, arms crossed while his right-hand massaged his beard. “Overlay known gang territories,” Ardur spoke. Within a second, numerous small patches of gang-controlled areas began to populate the hologram. Mostly small gangs, the area they controlled were no larger than a few warehouses or streets, Ardur did notice that they all seemed to fall until the grasp of one massive group in particular.

“The Black Brotherhood,” Ardur muttered.

“Brethren,” VC corrected.

“No matter, they present a big problem,” Ardur paused as he remembered the tale of the golden disk. If a big fish was swimming in the Ghajotia district, one that was under the shadow of The Black Brethren, Ardur assumed it may be their devilish leader, and for her to move about, while the peacekeeper patrols were at their strongest, meant she may have a lead on the device. If she got the device and followed the rumored map to the end, she could have total control over the entire planet. Ardur couldn’t let that happen. “VC, call a Quick-Car and set a pickup time for fifteen minutes,” Ardur paused as he walked towards the doorway to the hallway, “what bar is most frequently used by the Black Brethren,” Ardur asked as he opened the door to his room.

“The Black Hole bar,” VC responded, her voice following him as it did, “though it is tech-”

“Are they open right now,” Ardur asked he moved into his hallway, avoiding bottles as he did.

“Yes, they opened at si-”

“Good, set drop-off location one block away,” Ardur interrupted as he threw open the door to his living area. Quickly spotting his trusty jacket on his entertainment center, that was filled with the latest tech proudly displayed, Ardur made his way towards it as he took the hoodie off. His Colt Service pistol was still in its shoulder holster next to his jacket, and Ardur had the holster snug and secure around his shoulder in no time before he then placed his jacket over-top; zipping it up enough to hide the weapon. As he moved to his left, he grabbed three full clips and placed them inside his jacket in specially made slots that held them snugly. He then located his sunglasses, a bandanna, and a simple baseball cap; placing the former two in the pockets of his jacket and attaching the hat via a carabiner clip to a belt loop on the side of his jeans.

“Your car will arrive in ten minutes,” VC spoke, “your finances are now sixty-six point one-nine percent financial stability,” it finished.

“Lock up while I am gone,” Ardur finished as he made his way from his room, through the hallway, through the office, and out the front door. As the door closed he heard the numerous locks being engaged automatically. He quickly made his way down the flight of steps, and out to the street and quietly waited for his Quick-Car, which arrived after a few minutes of waiting. An hour’s worth of driving later, Ardur found himself one block away from The Black Hole. Day was now upon the city but as always, nothing changed. People still shuffled from one place to another in search of their next high while the third shift workers, finally off of work, made their way to the various bars near their work.

Ardur spotted The Black Hole and began walking towards it. Within a few minutes, he found himself entering the building. He immediately noticed how empty and silent it was, with himself being the only patron and the female bartender behind the counter. “Strange,” Ardur thought to himself, “no bouncer, no patrons, not what I expected.” No matter, he was in hostile territory already and he needed a drink.

“Good morning,” Ardur said to the bartender as he made his way towards the far end of the bar, “a whisky, neat, please,” Ardur finished. He wasn’t working a job today, today was about having a few drinks, making new friends, and hopefully get a Black Brethren member to say something they really shouldn’t have.

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

When I get home in six and a half hours, my post will go live.

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

I am almost finished with my post, just awaiting a few messages :D

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

I added in a few things to the equipment tab. I might be able to get my post up tonight, though Friday may be the deadline. Busy week with work.

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

I’m going to hopefully get my post in tonight!

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

The average age for the male and female characters are a bit off of each other (I think around 20 years), I hope to see some generational divides between the characters haha

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

Update: The sheet above is now what I'd consider 'complete'. Cheers.

roleplayerguild.com/posts/4752274

For those of you who want to save time 'scrolling up' like us plebs from pre-2120

@Fading Memory

Oooh more Militia faction :D Backstory intensifies!

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

I'm itching to write in this RP. I am doing some side work on Ardur, maybe a look into the average day of "po-po" so when the story drops I have a better feel for my character and his motivations.

Three weeks prior to the start of the RP: A job starts

Ardur tried to ready himself for what was coming for him, and he knew in his mind he was never going to be. It was twelve thirty in the afternoon as a bright, sunlit sky illuminated the office portion of his apartment. His apartment was originally like your standard Arcadia style two room set, with the main door being connected to a living area (in this case his office) that was also connected, via a hallway, to two separate rooms; one being his living area while the second is his bed room; though, he frequently gets the two mixed up at night. His office was well kept with a regal but polished oak desk situated on the far side of the room just in front of a large, single pane, window that provided sufficient natural light for his office during the day time when he was open. His floor was clean and polished while the walls were adorned with both modern and reproduction classic art from the early two-thousan's on Earth. This “job” as he calls it is a simple one, people would go missing or they would have something priceless stolen from them and Ardur would consider helping them locate them. Consider, a loose word, as he is very strict when it comes to the clientele that he chooses to serve. His rules were simple, if either the client or the potential missing person belonged to a gang he would refuse them. If either the client or the potential missing person was currently wanted for murder, rape, kidnapping as well as various other serious charges, he would not help them. If both the client and the potential missing person was of good moral standing, but could not pay Ardur's fee, he would work the case for free if he felt he could complete it.

Simple rules for a simple business. Sure, Ardur was forced to constantly carry his pistol in his office just in case some unruly mobster got offended that he couldn’t hire him.

Today wasn’t simple, however. Today was scary. The bright sky that illuminated his office had already caused a splitting headache to form in his hungover mind, and a distant pounding that drew closer every second did not help it’s cause. To make matters even worse, he had misplaced his normal hangover cure, the “hang-OVER” pill that he takes every morning after yet another heavy night of drinking and was forced to use an older, cruder, hangover cure, the “Pain-Away Anti-Hangover Smoothie”. It’s not just the taste that Ardur hated, though the fact that they had the audacity to label it a smoothie and not something more accurate like “tar” or “sewage water” for the sludge like consistency and taste that it had, he hated how long it took to work. Already, fifteen minutes into the day and he still felt the throbbing pressure building in his head as thirst for more and more water plagued his mind like a rabid infestation of mice plagues a crop field. This was problematic as his first client, a young lady whose brother went missing a few days prior, who mind you was scheduled to arrive at one-o'clock, had arrived thirty minutes early.

She knocked on the door every..other...minute, each pound of what Ardur assumed was either pure muscle or a cybernetic implant pulled on a press that was growing tighter, and tighter, and tighter, around his brain before he was left with little option but to answer the door; or face the splitting migraine that was threatening to spiral out of control. As Ardur threw the door open, he was brought face to face with the enclosed fist of his client, nearly finishing yet another crude knock on the door with her armored cybernetic implant. The girl had, thankfully, stopped the momentum of her arm just inches in front of Ardur’s face.

“Can I help you,” Ardur asked coldly as he slowly shifted his eyes from the fist, to the young woman’s eyes. Though she did not accept the eye contact, and shifted her gaze to the floor as her hands came together.

“Yes, I am your one o’clock apoint-” She started.

“I know,” Ardur interrupted, “how can I help you right no-*hiccup* right now?” Ardur finished as he used his hand to shield his eyes from the somehow brighter lights of his apartment's hallway.

“I thought we could meet earlier, as my matter is very ur-” She started.

“And my hours are how they are for a reason,” Ardur paused, “I’ll be ready here soon enough, take a seat right there,” he said as he gestured to a simple wooden stool that sat right next to the door frame, “and I’ll be ready for you when I am ready,” he said as he quickly pulled himself back into the office and locked the door behind him. He dealt with that a lot. He walked slowly, and with a bit of a stutter step here and there, across the room and sat down at his desk. He looked around and examined the familiar scene in front of him, and reflected on the glory days of his private investigator business.

Once upon a time his office was open from eight in the morning until he decided to close down at night. Simpler times, for a simpler Ardur. While he was always a heavy drinker, the pills and his focus on doing a good job always helped him weather the storm in those early years. He had clients lined up at the crack of dawn, hoping that he could be the savior that the Peacekeepers weren't. While he was good at what he did, he refused more clients than he accepted, and those that he did accept were often enough not able to pay the bills. After running behind on his rent for the third time in four months, and a threat of eviction, Ardur had to change his lifestyle for the better. He did that by using his other skills by becoming a bounty hunter. His method was simple, he would find a number of scum-bags wanted on a Dead or Alive bounty, and bag them at range and tag them with the PA-195's on-board camera system that was sufficient enough in the eyes of the peacekeepers. Though that meant he had to stay out late. That also meant he stayed up later drinking. He quickly realized that even with the hangover cure, he was not very effective running on just a few hours' worth of sleep. That’s why he opens later now. He knows his weakness.

And he knows when the hangover cure, as bad as it may be in comparison, starts to take hold. The pained fangs of dehydration are gently soothed away by warm, angelic like, streams of chemicals and other overly-engineered means of curing a simple problem fast. The intense weights placed on his minds are lifted, and thrown aside to allow normal mind functions to resume. And most of all, his focus returned. “Cybernetic arm, seemed decades old and in a state of disrepair, grease and mud stains on hands, head and clothes,” he paused his thought for a second, “mechanic? Unlikely but a scavenger more so,” he paused again as he let out a small chuckle, “not getting if I accept this one,” he whispered.

That was alright for Ardur. Last night he bagged a big bounty and had plenty of money to waste before he needed another one.

Shadows in the Dread City- A Cyberpunk RolePlay

@Kingfisher

I got him moved over!