This is the fourth of six setup chapters. Plot really starts at Ch. 7, but I hope y'all enjoy our time this early anyway.
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
Lucian sighed a heavy breath. After that whole thing with the server, he was told to leave the restaurant and return the following night for a personal interview.
'Guess I'll just be back tomorrow before they close up... Seriously, though. Even when joining a gang, why does everything have to feel so... corporate?'
Since he still had some time, he decided to stay out and make further preparations.
Now that he had headgear, he also needed to worry about other equipment. He visited another thrift store and got himself a thick black hoodie as well as some decent cargo pants. Pockets for days was mandatory. Past those, he also got some gloves to avoid leaving behind fingerprints, as well as some heavy duty work boots.
With all those new things stuffed in his backpack, he went and wandered around for things he could use as weapons. As far as vigilantism went, he needed something low-key, easily-concealed. He had a gun for emergencies, but melee weapons were a must.
Across several different stores, he'd exhausted most of his cash on a variety of weapons. A sturdy knife was his top priority. Small, effective, easily to throw in a pinch. After that was a hatchet, which was actually small enough to conceal in his pants' huge pockets. The last items on his list were a claw hammer and a pair of knuckledusters.
'Still got a few hours left before bed... let's check the fit.'
Ducking in an alley, Lucian made sure to hide well before swapping out his clothes. It was a pain, but he resolved to deal with it until he reached level 10. That would grant him access to some milestone perks, which included access to a Loadout Subspace.
The outfit he'd cobbled together wasn't bad at all. He looked like a common criminal from the neck down. His headgear was the factor that made him truly unique: the half-hockey mask and goggles let him stand out from the rabble without catching too much attention.
'Like an elite enemy variant... memorable, but nothing unforgettable.'
Lucian squeezed his fists tight, turned on Full Cowling, and threw some test punches. His clothing were no hindrance, and the power in his movements was substantial. By his estimate, his current strength would quickly catch up to what he had back in the Academy—enough to take down a grizzly bear while unarmed. He might exceed it by level 4 or 5 if he assigned his attributes correctly and chose the right class build.
Once he was done with that, almost as if by fate, [ Justice Sense ] sent shivers down his spine.
Yellowing echoed across the alley's walls. Before he could think, Lucian had already drawn his hatchet and rushed for the noise. Just around the cluster of buildings he'd hidden behind was the scene that stimulated his 'evil radar.'
There were six people. Two of them had their backs against a wall, with four others closing in. Those four were all armed—knives and batons. As for the two that were cornered, they were a stocky, balding man and some kid that—
'Oh, hell. Trouble again? Already?'
Lucian turned his hatched around so the head was facing backwards. It went spinning through the air as he launched it in an arc. There was a deep crunch as the blunt side of the weapon struck someone in the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground quite easily.
Startled, the three remaining accosters were too slow to turn. Lucian's knife flew and nailed one in the right shoulder, effectively disarming him. His claw hammer followed, striking another in the collarbone. Pained cries filled the alley, though none came from those who would have originally made them.
With only one enemy left unharmed, Lucian charged ahead. His hands were already equipped with knuckledusters. It took little effort to bring low that last thug. The only 'fighting' to be done from that point went towards neutralizing the two others he'd attacked.
All of that, done without One for All's help. Breathing only marginally heavier, Lucian gave his notifications a quick glance before setting them aside for later.
[ Combat EXP: 40. ]
[ Rescue EXP: 20. ]
[ Total EXP: 60. ]
[ Congratulations! Your level has risen to 2. ]
[ Next level: 270. ]
[ One for All bonus: Power +1, Vitality +1, Agility +1 ]
[ Class Points: +1 ]
[ Free Attribute Points: +5 ]
"Whew..." A deep, husky voice made the exclamation. "Thank you, amigo. Didn't know if I could'a made it out of that tussle in one piece... 'specially with this kid behind me."
There he was. Behind the stocky Mexican man was the boy that Lucian had saved not long ago. His very first rescue. That boy hung his head low, chewing at his lip.
"Don't mention it," said Lucian. "I get something outta this, too..." With that, he kicked over one of the unconscious bodies and went to town looting all four.
"You're really looting them...?" The stocky man rubbed at his shiny bald. He'd sounded incredulous at first, but then he barked a cracking laugh. "Well, I guess they deserve it."
Lucian hummed his agreement, then said, "Looter's rights. To the victor goes the spoils."
"W-wait...!" The boy spoke up this time. "I think know your voice..."
The unspoken question had Lucian sighing. "Yeah... that was me."
He quickly stuffed most of his loot into his pockets—several hundred dollars, three more handguns, extra magazines. There were also two more knives to keep his original one some company. Speaking of, he wiped that knife clean on the thug's clothes as he retrieved it.
Once done, handed both the boy and the bald man some of the money he'd collected. "Here—for the trouble. Best get out and leave 'em here to regret their life choices."
The bald man did take the cash, but handed it all over to the boy. "Eh, I don't need it."
"Are you sure...?" The boy stammered.
Lucian interjected. "Don't reject a gift, bub; just take it. Some people might change their mind and you get nothing."
Seeing the boy nod, he was about to turn and leave—but the bald man stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Hang on for just a bit longer, friend. I wanna make you an offer," he said.
Lucian stilled, then half-turned back. "Aight, I'll bite. What is it?"
"It's on the down-low. I'm part of a group, you see—we need more people like you. We keep the city clean."
The explanation piqued Lucian's interest. Even if he'd already made contact with the Lucky Coyote, having more options didn't hurt. If anything, this might be better for him. "Mm. I think I like where this is going."
Those words gave the bald man a boost in confidence. "Right? Haha! I knew I liked your guts! Alright, here's the deal..." He leaned in to say more. "You can call us a 'protection agency.' We do work like yours, except we..." He gesticulated awkwardly, as if comparing the weight of two different objects in his hands. "... we have a bit of a safety net of some kind. If you wanna know more, I have an address you can go to..."
Lucian had it dictated to him, and the address gave him pause. Typing it out mentally onto the Program's holographic interface—visible only to him—he compared it with the branch of Iñigo's that he had just been to...
"Wait, I was just there," he said.
"For real?" The stocky man's eyes were wide now. "Then that's great! Just swing by tomorrow night. I'll handle everything! No need to worry."
Humming, Lucian gave one last nod. "Alright. I'll take my leave, then." He then said one last piece to the boy. "And you! Stay out of trouble."
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Host: Lucian Sant-Pearce
Matrix: One for All: Lost Flame
Level: 2
EXP: 20/300
Classes: Brawler [2]
———
Attributes:
Power: 15
Vitality: 15
Agility: 13
Intellect: 11
Mentality: 11
Spirit: 11
Luck: 0
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
[ Brawler [2] has given you the Ability [Iron Grip]. ]
[ You can now grab creatures and objects with greater ease. ]
[ You are now more resistant to being disarmed. ]
[ You are now more effective at dealing damage via bare-handed crushing and pinching. ]
...
With his recent boosts, Lucian had climbed up a degree in terms of power. He'd willfully let Agility lag behind in favor of having Power match Vitality at 15. With a 1.3 multiplier on his physical attributes, it was well worth the cost to his base values.
His strength and endurance were now on par with that of Olympic athletes. That was in the sense that if someone took every champion's specialization and merged them all into one body. Only his speed and reflexes lagged behind, but even that was sure to catch up at later levels.
For the time being, he took two more hours to patrol Gotham's back alleys. During that period, he managed to resolve the following incidents:
He spotted one burglary in progress at an electronics shop. It was an inside job with assistance from outside. Two employees wanted to take whatever they could and get out, with the help of two conspirators from a rival business. Conflict erupted, and Lucian defeated them all handily without needing to use a weapon.
The second incident occurred in a convenience store, where a man in a balaclava held the clerk at gunpoint. The people inside mistook Lucian for an accomplice when he appeared, but that was soon resolved when he held the gunman at gunpoint himself.
"Set the gun down on the counter," Lucian demanded during the confrontation. "Carefully, by the way. If you don't, and you end up hurting anyone, I'll finna gut your bitch ass and make it fucking last."
Once that incident had been resolved, he narrowly escaped the cops even after the store's owner promised to vouch for him. After all, he didn't want to risk a trigger-happy cop deciding that he should shoot first and ask questions later.
Lucian's third incident actually had him as the target of the crime. A group of drunkards spotted him when he went for a quick food run—it happened in an isolated area where law enforcement was rarely seen. They saw him as a silly target and antagonized him, which ended up with him beating them all down.
The store owner actually thanked him for that—those drunks had been causing too much trouble lately, in her words. Lucian received canned goods and water bottles on the spot, all free of charge as thanks.
The last one was easily the worst, yet also his most memorable. Some shit-headed teens were crowding around something at the entrance to an apartment building. Lucian was about to skip right past until he heard a small and weak "mew..."
He yanked those brats right out of the way and scooped up a tiny little black kitten into his arms. It couldn't have been much older than a couple of months. After threatening them with [ Valiant ] on full blast, he hurried away from the scene to take the kitten to a veterinary clinic.
[ Combat EXP: 120. ]
[ Rescue EXP: 30. ]
[ Total EXP: 150. ]
[ Next level: 120. ]
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
Wittle babie meow-meow
I has plans for the floof
🔷🏮💍