Neon Shadows

Welcome, adventurer! You stand at the threshold of an unwritten world. Where would you like to journey today? A medieval fantasy realm? A futuristic cityscape? The possibilities are endless.

You step into Shibuya 2074, a neon-drenched district of Neo-Tokyo. Holographic advertisements float between towering megastructures. Augmented citizens rush past you. Where in this cyberpunk metropolis do you want to begin?

You arrive at Shibuya Crossing, now a three-dimensional intersection with floating walkways and AR-projected crosswalks. Crowds move in every direction—businesspeople with neural implants, street samurai, techno-punks. A ramen vendor's steam mingles with drizzling rain.

A chrome-armed woman stands at the corner, katana sheathed at her hip. Her eyes glow blue—optical implants scanning for threats. Street samurai are hired muscle in Shibuya, ex-military with combat augmentations who serve corporations or yakuza syndicates.

Street samurai serve corporations as elite security, corporate raiders, or black ops specialists. They extract stolen data, eliminate rival executives, protect VIPs, and conduct industrial sabotage—all with plausible deniability. Their augmented bodies and combat reflexes make them lethal assets in corporate warfare.

You approach the street samurai. Her augmented eyes flick toward you, scanning. Her posture stiffens slightly.

“Need something?” she asks, voice low and measured. Up close, you notice the Arasaka corporate insignia discreetly etched into her chrome arm.

Her eyes narrow, optical implants flashing red briefly.

“Fort Lauderdale office?” She scoffs. “Arasaka dissolved that division last quarter. Nice try.” Her posture shifts subtly to a combat-ready stance. “Who are you really, and what do you want?”

She relaxes slightly, but suspicion remains in her glowing eyes.

“A guide? Wrong corner, wrong samurai.” She gestures down the street. “Jiro's your contact. Black jacket, red cybernetics. He's at Neon Dragon bar.” She watches you carefully. “Unless this is another lie?”

She raises an eyebrow, cybernetic implant glowing.

“I'm on assignment, not a tour guide.” She sighs, then points to a hovering AR marker. “Follow the red dragon signs. Three blocks east, then down to sublevel 2. Can't miss it.”

Her attention shifts suddenly to her comm.

You follow the floating AR dragon markers through bustling Shibuya. Neon signs reflect in puddles as you descend to sublevel 2, where the air is thick with synth-tobacco smoke. The Neon Dragon's entrance pulses with crimson light, bass thumping through its doors.

You step into the Neon Dragon. Laser lights cut through dense smoke. Patrons with various cybernetic enhancements crowd the bar. A DJ with fiber-optic dreads manipulates sound holograms. Among the crowd, you spot a man in a black jacket with distinctive red cybernetic arms.