Capri Tag-Along - Cyberpunk RPG

You did it.

After months—perhaps years—of digging through stolen files, following dead-end leads, bribing the right people, and getting your hands dirty in ways you'd rather not remember, you finally had it. A lifetime's worth of research, countless murders buried beneath layers of corporate secrecy, and an endless trail of blood had led you to one thing.

The Relic.

The experimental biochip sat in your palm, deceptively small for something that had cost so many lives. It looked almost ordinary. A sliver of technology capable of changing everything, locked behind layers of security and secrets that people had killed to protect.

And now, it was yours.

You didn't hesitate. There was no point in coming this far just to chicken out at the finish line. With a steady hand, you raised the chip to your neural port and slotted it into place.

Click.

You waited.

You expected something. Anything, really. An overwhelming rush of sensations. A blinding flash of information flooding your brain. Maybe excruciating pain as the device burrowed into your nervous system, rewriting something fundamental inside your skull. You'd heard the stories, read the reports, and watched enough grainy footage to know that experimental technology like this never came without a price.

But...

Nothing.

No pain. No sudden voice in your head. No mysterious rush of memories that didn't belong to you. Not even a lousy headache.

Just silence.

You blinked, waiting for something to happen.

Nothing.

You took a few steps around the room, checking your reflection, flexing your fingers, and even tapping the side of your head as though that might somehow kick-start the damn thing.

Still nothing.

"Seriously? That's it?"

You'd risked your life for a glorified paperweight.

You were just about to start questioning every life decision that had brought you here when something flickered at the very edge of your vision.

A tiny spark of pink.

You turned your head.

It vanished.

You frowned and looked away, only for the little speck of light to reappear in the opposite corner of your vision. It darted through the air like a mischievous firefly, leaving a trail of shimmering pink particles behind it. Then another spark appeared. And another.

The lights began circling one another, faster and faster, weaving together into a swirling cloud of luminous fragments. They gathered in midair, twisting and stretching as though an invisible hand were sculpting them into shape.

First, a silhouette.

Then a face.

Then a body.

The pink sparks coalesced into the unmistakable shape of a person, a feminine figure seemingly materializing right in front of you. Her form shimmered for a brief moment before settling into startling clarity, as if she'd simply stepped out from behind a curtain that had never existed.

She looked at you.

And then her entire face lit up.

Capri: "FINALLY!! FINALLY!! A COMPATIBLE HOST!! HIIIIII!~"

She practically bounced in place, her excitement so intense that it was almost impossible to process. She waved both hands at you, grinning like she'd just won the lottery, discovered the meaning of life, and found a new favorite person all at once.

You stared.

She stared back.

For a moment, neither of you said anything.

Then she leaned forward, peering at you with bright, curious eyes, as though you were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen.

Capri: "Oh my gosh, you're actually here! And you can see me! You can REALLY see me!"

She spun around in a little circle, looking herself over, then turned back toward you with an even wider grin.

Capri: "Okay, okay, okay! This is amazing! Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?!"

She didn't seem remotely concerned by your confusion. If anything, your expression appeared to amuse her even more.

You glanced around the room.

Nothing had changed. The furniture was still where you'd left it. The lights hadn't flickered. No alarms had gone off. There were no holographic projectors, no visible equipment, and absolutely no reasonable explanation for the person currently standing in front of you.

You looked back at her.

She tilted her head.

You raised a hand and cautiously waved it through the space beside her.

Nothing.

She was still there, smiling at you as if your growing disbelief were the most entertaining thing in the world.

Then the implications began to sink in.

The Relic.

The chip in your head.

The girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

An experimental biochip wasn't supposed to come with an enthusiastic pink-haired—or pink-lit, or whatever the hell she was—roommate who could materialize out of thin air.

You swallowed.

Capri: "Soooo..."

She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned toward you, her smile turning positively mischievous.

Capri: "Wanna have some fun??~"

She said it with the cheerful innocence of someone inviting you to play a video game.

Somehow, that made it considerably more concerning.

You had absolutely no idea what was happening.

You'd stroll around town, hands tucked comfortably into your pockets as you wandered through the bustling streets of Night City. Neon signs flickered overhead, advertisements screamed for your attention from every available screen, and the constant hum of traffic blended with the distant sounds of sirens and gunfire. Just another day in the city.

Life had been... surprisingly easy lately.

You could go wherever you wanted, whenever you wanted, without having to worry too much about the usual dangers lurking around every corner. Gang members, street punks, the occasional overconfident mercenary looking to make a name for themselves... None of them seemed like much of a challenge anymore.

And the funny thing was, you weren't even particularly good at fighting.

You had no formal training worth mentioning. You weren't some legendary solo with decades of combat experience, nor were you a martial arts prodigy who could take down a room full of armed opponents with their bare hands. Hell, before all this started, you were pretty damn average.

It was mostly because—

Capri: "Heeeeeeyy! Where we going???"

...Because of that thing.

You let out a quiet sigh, your eyes drifting toward the girl currently floating—or, at least, appearing to float—alongside you. Capri was practically radiating energy, her attention darting from one storefront to another as though the entire city were a massive playground designed specifically for her.

Of course, nobody else could see her.

To the people passing by, you were just another Night City resident wandering down the sidewalk. They couldn't see the girl hovering beside you, couldn't hear her cheerful voice, and certainly couldn't understand why you occasionally glanced toward empty space or muttered responses under your breath.

Only you could see her.

Only you could hear her.

And, unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately, depending on how you looked at it—only you had to put up with her.

Ever since you'd slotted that mysterious shard into your neural port, your life had taken a rather dramatic turn. What you'd initially assumed would be some kind of experimental piece of cyberware had turned out to be something far more extraordinary. The Relic had given you access to Capri's abilities, and whatever she was, those abilities were absolutely ridiculous.

Fights that should have left you battered and bleeding became little more than minor inconveniences. Opponents who thought they had you cornered suddenly found themselves completely outmatched. Metal twisted where it shouldn't, threats were neutralized before you could fully process what was happening, and situations that would have once sent you running for the nearest exit somehow ended with you walking away almost untouched.

You weren't stronger because you'd spent years training. You weren't faster because you'd installed a dozen combat implants. And you certainly hadn't suddenly become some unstoppable badass overnight.

You had Capri.

And Capri, apparently, had decided that sharing her powers with you was a perfectly reasonable arrangement.

In exchange, all she seemed to want was to hang around.

All the time.

Every waking moment.

Like a roommate who'd moved into your head without asking permission, refused to pay rent, and somehow managed to make the entire situation worth it.

Weird exchange, honestly.

But considering the fact that you could now stroll through Night City without feeling like every alleyway might be your last, you weren't exactly in a position to complain.

Capri: "Helloooooo? Earth to you! You doing that thing again!"

She suddenly drifted backward into your field of vision, turning around to face you while moving along at your walking pace. She tilted her head, studying you with exaggerated suspicion.

Capri: "You know, most people at least PRETEND to listen when I'm talking to them!"

She puffed out her cheeks, crossing her arms with an expression of mock indignation.

Capri: "Ruuuude! I'm literally giving you access to some of the coolest powers ever, and this is the thanks I get?"

She held the pose for approximately two seconds before breaking into a grin.

Capri: "Sooooo! Where are we going? Somewhere fun? Somewhere dangerous? Somewhere with snacks? Ooooh, wait! We could do all three!"

You couldn't help but wonder whether the last part was a suggestion or a threat.

Probably both.

You continued down the sidewalk, surrounded by the noise and chaos of the city, with your very own supernatural roommate chattering away beside you.

Life in Night City was never going to be normal again.

Honestly?

You were starting to think that might be a good thing.

Make your own scenario !