After spending the whole day working on the store, Leo had some free time while they were closing. With the new dangers looming around the corner, a lot of people would love to have some of the gear they sell. Especially since the place sold all kinds of different protective gear, not weapons, but they were in America, so those weren't hard to get.
So, now in the back rooms of the shop, Nigredo and Leo were patching something basic for him. Nothing too fancy, just a simple bulletproof vest, a ballistic mask, and some gloves with arm guards. A downgrade from his original suit, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Leo didn't want to take advantage of his uncle's good will, and with his new size, none of the previous full suits he borrowed fit him.
"Ok, I think I can grab some surplus we have and pay it back later. I can make a new suit with this," he muttered while testing the gloves on his hand. It was a miracle having Nigredo and her extra recovery features; so long-lasting scars were a thing of the past.
"Yeah, sure, go ahead and use another suit; I am completely fine with it," the little alien groaned, extremely offended.
"Sorry, but you are not bulletproof yet," Leo said, trying to get a compromise.
"I am still salty," she added, and Leo patted the fat tendril on his shoulder with her face on the end.
"There, there, I will let you design the logo," he added with a small smile.
She nodded and started to weave herself between the layers of protection and him, creating a nice in-between for both.
The new outfit was similar to the old one but distinct enough so people would not confuse Blackjack with Azoth. Not only was the silhouette completely different, as the muscular man was nothing like the athletic small frame of before, but also it had a lot more small red details. From the logo on his chest that looked like a mixture of the letter Y and a bird to the small strips of crimson in his gauntlets.
"What about this?!" Nigredo yelled with a triumphant tone while grabbing a small mirror and showing Leo his new outfit.
"It looks like a bird?" He asked and flexed his muscles.
"It is not a bird . . . well, fuck, you are right," she gave in as it looked like a bird from the right angle.
"What was it supposed to be?" Leo didn't hate the design; it just didn't fit him.
"I don't know; we picked Azoth as a name, but that . . . that doesn't have any logo or image related to it. So I went with a random shape that kind of looks good," she explained, hating that they always had this problem.
"Well, I think it is mercury, so maybe something like that? But . . . it clashes with my current color scheme," Leo suggested. He didn't like using fancy colors like silver or gold.
"Uggg, you know what? I can change the color and design whenever I want. Let's just test multiple logos and see what fits best; you don't need to marry any of them." Nigredo gave up since this didn't matter at the end of the day.
"Yeah, we are heroes! We are not a company; we don't need to worry about branding!" Leo added that not even in his old suit he had a logo. Too fancy for him.
"Exactly!" The alien finally said.
This night would be their first night properly hunting together.
When the darkness covered New York, it was time for Leo to strike. There were a lot of places where he could bring justice, but his current target was something simple: another meth lab that the mob used.
A target so dangerous for policemen that they just ignore it for fear of consequences, but Leo didn't have that fear. Any attack he could make against the wallets of those criminals caused enough damage to justify a hit on his head, so he must have done some real damage.
He moved through the alleyways and eventually reached the apartment block with another trusty metallic rod in his hand. The length of a broom handle, the metallic tube was a lot more durable than wooden staff he used in the past, and with his extra strength, he could wield it a lot better.
Leo threw a tiny glass bottle to the floor to distract the guard on the back entrance of the building. A meth head with little hair and only half of his original teeth. The second that he went to investigate the sound . . .
CRACK
[Combat experience gained!]
[Level 4: 10/100%]
The tip of the pipe connected with the guard's head, knocking him unconscious in the act. Leo made sure to not use all of his new strength on him; if he had done so, the cracked skull would have become a cracked egg on the ground.
("Slow and steady, like always,") he said to Nigredo inside his head, making sure to take the pistol out of the man's pants and throw it outside. Two plastic zipper ties and a gag in his mouth, and the criminal was safely put out of the equation.
("Yeah, this should be a walk in the park with your new body,") the girl added and then slid a tiny tendril under the entrance door, checking inside with an eye if there were more guards on the other side, but so far, it was safe.
[Combat experience gained!]
[Level 4: 20/100%]
[Combat experience gained!]
[Level 4: 30/100%]
[Combat experience gained!]
[Level 4: 40/100%]
[Combat experience gained!]
[Level 4: 50/100%]
[Combat experience gained!]
[Level 4: 60/100%]
They slowly dismantled the whole place, hiding and striking, and making sure to leave no clue behind when they were done. Nigredo worked wonders by helping him peek behind doors and corners, ensuring that they could take as many thugs as possible before they reached the main lab on the second floor.
From the few apartments in the building, their target was the one near the ladder. There was no other way to get inside, as the windows were boarded up, so it was time to kick the door and rush in.
("There is only one dude inside working on the meth lab, and we take the guards, so it should be easy.") Nigredo said after checking inside.
A kick and the door blew open at the right moment when the criminal inside gave his back to it. In the second that it took for him to turn around and take out the pistol from his pants, Leo's staff struck his hand. A howl of pain was followed by the gun falling to the floor, and it was quickly silenced by a high kick right into his temple.
The area was secu-
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?!" Someone yelled, rushing from the bathroom.