The bald dude with a messy and greasy black beard was so buff that he looked fat, his gut muscles stretching his white beater so much that it seemed about to break with each step he made. He was also huge, at least 2 meters and even wider than Leo. Wearing a mallet in one hand and a 9mm in the other, the dude quickly rushed into the room, kicking the door open.
("What is Boulder doing here?!") Nigredo managed to yell internally before the fat dude pointed his pistol toward Leo.
BANG BANG BANG
"Ah!" A broken moan escaped Leo's lips as he recoiled from the sheer pain of getting shot multiple times in the chest. Thank god he had a bulletproof vest, and with his new musculature, he managed to not fall to the ground.
("The gun!") Nigredo yelled, knowing well that only the bad aim of the dude saved them this time.
Before another bullet was shot, Leo threw his staff like a spear, hitting the man's hands and making the gun fly through the air.
"You fucking bastard! Who are you working for?!" The fat man yelled, but before the metal pole could touch the floor, Leo rushed him, grabbing his weapon and using the momentum to kick him on the shoulder.
"Just a worried citizen!" He yelled mid-attack, feeling that body more like a boulder covered in leather than a person.
The second that the leg connected was the second that the fatso used his massive hand to grab it.
Leo raised his guard just the instant before the hammer landed. Left arm, shoulder, and ribs: three strikes in an instant chipped his bones, shooting three spikes of pain directly into his brain. However, in the struggle he jumped back, creating some distance as the man was forced to dodge out of the way of the metal pole aiming for his head.
("We should run! We are not ready for this!") Nigredo screamed at him.
Leo gritted his teeth and shook his head. ("And let his scum peddle more drugs?! Not a chance!") He barked, refusing to back down.
"No quips? You don't have a gun, so you are not one of the psychos," Boulder muttered, clearly trying to analyze him while getting him in range for his hammer.
"Sorry . . . not really in the mood to talk about getting shot," he answered as his damaged ribcage still made each breath a chore.
Leo rushed forward, lowering his stance and aiming with his staff directly at Boulder's knee. A loud crack was followed by the fat man losing his balance, but on the way down, he grabbed the metal stick.
On his knee and with Leo in his range, he struck. The hammer crashed against the redhead's knee as retribution, but he managed to block it just in time using his forearm.
A reverberation coursed through him as the armguard managed to withstand it, but it cracked. He grappled his staff free, but in that instant of victory, the fatso landed a haymaker into his face with his other hand.
Leo was pushed a step back, feeling his head go light for an instant as the knuckles crashed against his jaw, but as he fell back, the tip of the staff snapped forward, landing right into the left side of Boulder's temple.
"Fuck! Give me that shit!" The thick-skulled brute yelled as finally the metal stick managed to break some skin and draw some blood. He managed to grab the staff again; however, one hand vs. two hands, as they were similar in terms of strength, it was clear who was winning.
("This wouldn't happen if you had a sword!") Nigredo chimed in, trying to alleviate the pain from the wounds the best she could.
("No lethal! That is my rule!") Leo yelled back and then saw the hammer aiming directly at his skull again.
Dodging would mean letting his staff go, so instead, one hand left the staff and quickly grabbed Boulder's wrist, stopping the momentum enough so the hit would not land as he quickly lowered his head. Now they were at a standstill, both men struggling for each other's weapons as their muscles flexed to their limits.
The stench of sweat and blood overpowered the acidic aroma of the meth lab for an instant, each other locked like two dogs trying to bite each other's necks. However, the sheer size difference was making Boulder slowly gain the upper hand.
Leo's staff was sliding out of his grasp; the hammer was becoming harder and harder to contain while the fatso looked down on him.
"You should have juiced more!" Boulder yelled while gritting his teeth with an annoyed expression.
CRACK
The moment that the man opened his mouth, Leo's forehead connected with the thug's jaw, trying to break his power struggle. A loud howl was followed by the standstill breaking as the huge man gave a step backward.
The hammer needed to go.
He took a step back and grabbed his staff from the bottom and then spun it in the air. More like a hammer than a rod, using the leverage to his maximum potential while aiming directly for the hand that was holding his enemy's weapon.
Boulder welcomed the hit with a sickeningly loud crack sound, his ribs giving in, but now as he lowered his arm and held the staff under his armpit, the man had enough leverage to start wailing on Leo.
The redhead only had time to widen his eyes before a wicked bloodied smile was followed by the massive fist striking his skull. On the face, on the temple, on the jaw, he felt his gums bleeding and his bones shaking from the punches; even one of his eyes swelled as quick strikes began to overpower the protection from his mask by sheer strength alone.
So if the thug decided to sacrifice his ribs to win the fight, he would also sacrifice something. Leo let his staff go, and on the second that Boulder was surprised, he went all in on his bet.