Week 9 Story: The Labors of V
EDIT: The latest version of this story can be found here.
In the streets of Night City, transportation in some shape or form is always needed. A sprawling megacity with blocks containing entire social pyramids, one must be able to get around the city. Public transportation only goes so far when the overall city is held together by crushed dreams and the back alleys are infested with gang activity. One wrong step off the beaten path would lead to a scuffle with the NCPD or whichever gang controlled that slice of land for the day.
Fortunately, V had a trusty car to take him on all his adventures. His car, the Archer, was a classic beast off the factory line for those with little and less to to invest. While his car could take a beating, it just didn't hold the same level of appeal a fresh new roadster would carry zooming down the highways at top speed. And so, V set off on a quest to find a car that truly captivated him, abandoning the trusted vehicle that had protected him on all his adventures.
V longed for a vehicle that could withstand the rigors of his adventures and still carry him in style. Coming up in the world of mercenaries meant he would be exposed to the latest myths and legends of all sorts, and a legendary car fell under these rumors. Word on the street spoke of an AI taxi driver named "Delamain", blessed with a program known as the "Excelsior package", built to protect their occupants automatically while delivering them safely and in style to their destination. Unfortunately, the AI had limited clientele, and it was near impossible to join the ranks of the elite without a recommendation from those already blessed by the protection of the car, or by finding the main unit and receiving access by completing a difficult task.
Author's Note: My story above is based off the Japanese tale of The Labors of Yamato: The Grotto of Love, from an anthology called Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917). I turned the story from one of love to one of wonder, making the key objects cars instead of pretty women. Rather than hunt for true love in a beautiful women, the hero is hunting for a fancy car suited to all his tastes.
Hey Chris,
ReplyDeleteI have been keeping up with the adventures of V pretty well so far this semester and I am excited to see the next installment in his story! I am curious how much of this aspect of the story follows in line with the play-through of Cyberpunk? While the original tale comes from the Tales of Yamato, I can just as easily see this story having come from the story mode of the game. One other question I had, will this be the primary storyline of V's adventures in the remainder of your storybook or will we continue to find new stories with him each week? Excited to see wha you have to write nest week Aaron!
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ReplyDeleteHi Aaron!
ReplyDeleteI chose not to read these stories for my storytelling this week, so it's very interesting to see your new take on these stories! I like how you took the story from being about love and women to being about cars and full of wonder. I'll definitely be looking into the originals now, thanks to your story! Good post!
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteWell done creating your own original short story based on the Labors of Yamato. I'm not much of a Cyberpunk guy so I can't say I immediately understood any references in your story, but even without that knowledge it's still a good story and I think that's important. If I were V, I'd definitely be after this AI car as well. I hope he will find it in a future story.