Anarchy's Roulette
By @john1208
Surna Krell just wants to keep her five-year-old son, Talin, fed in the rotting underbelly of Tarakhan City. But when corporate kill-squads kick down her door, she’s forced into a deadly rooftop chase that triggers a dormant cybernetic augment in her spine. [System Reboot. Infamy Protocol Online.] Suddenly, she is earning 'Menace Points' for every law she breaks and every enforcer she maims. The catch? The reward shop is a randomized roulette wheel. Desperately needing med-gel for her bruised ribs, Surna might roll a plasma-chainsaw, a bio-synthetic pet, or a luxury velvet couch instead. As her chaotic arsenal grows, so does her notoriety, visibly transforming their miserable life with bizarre, high-end loot. Hunted by Tavos Ren - a relentless corporate bloodhound who can't help but admire his target - Surna realizes the System's creator is none other than her own erased past self. Why did she wipe her memory, why is the mega-corp terrified of a slum-dwelling mother, and can she roll the exact right upgrade to burn the city to the ground before Tavos catches her?
4
Hostile Takeout
By @john1208
I didn't plan on becoming the city's most feared hitwoman. I was just a broke single mother sprinting across neon rooftops, dodging plasma fire with a lukewarm burrito strapped to my back because my toddler needed diapers and my teenage brother needed tuition. When the snobby [Epicurean Concierge System] awakened in my head, its melodramatic phrasing - like [Eliminate the Target's Cravings] and [Execute the Banquet] - convinced me it was an underworld assassination interface. Naturally, my strategy is simple: kick down the penthouse doors of the Krepis District, violently force-feed the bewildered elites their orders, and secure five-star ratings through sheer intimidation. Every completed 'hit' rewards me with life-changing perks, from a self-cleaning apartment to an indestructible baby stroller. The System's AI constantly screams at me for ruining the plating, while the city’s actual top assassin falls madly in love with his terrifying new rival. But as I accidentally dismantle the criminal underworld one hot meal at a time, what happens when the local syndicates put a bounty on my head right as I get a massive catering order for their boss?
1