With his brief encounter with the Flash finally over, Lucian sped through Gotham using One for All as a distraction to let his mind digest what had just happened.
He took Wally West's advice and went to procure a blank cardboard mask to replace his hockey mask. It was one of those creepy ones that had general human facial features - the things that you could paint your own designs over. While it was most definitely still creepy, it at least didn't immediately scream "serial killer" to anyone who saw him.
At least, that was the effect that Lucian hoped it would have.
Depending on who was asked, the mask with vaguely humanoid "facial features" might have been much, much worse than its predecessor. Uncanny valley and all that. As for the hockey mask, Lucian left it in a lost-and-found box, because he felt bad about the thought of just throwing it away.
He developed attachments really fast like that.
'Okay, so the Flash here is Wally West, probably... does that mean that Barbara Gordon is Oracle now...? Man, I shoulda paid more attention the comics. I have no idea who and what happened when and where... Actually, on second thought, I don't mind having saved myself the headache. I heard there've been way too many retcons and revisions to everyone's stories...'
Mildly frustrated by his lack of knowledge about DC lore, Lucian decided to really push his limits and go full speed while sprinting and leaping across Gotham's rooftops.
The environment blurred around him. The lights from windows, vehicles, and neon signs stretched into streaks of illumination, like how stars and galaxies are portrayed when traveling beyond the speed of light - the only difference being that they varied in sizes. He wasn't traveling that fast, obviously, but it was the closest visual comparison.
As Lucian sped up, the air howled in his ears as well. It felt like pushing through the wind of a powerful hurricane, except he actually had the strength to fight against it and even break through. Wind resistance would've been such a bitch if his Vitality didn't match his Agility and Power. His hood had been blown back long ago, leaving it to flail behind him as his hair danced wildly. Good thing the mask's elastic straps kept it firmly in place even during sharp turns.
Suddenly, at some point, Lucian's Justice Sense started going off something fierce while passing over a more mazelike part of the city. He immediately followed his 'instinct.' It screamed 'violence,' as well as 'trade and consumption of hazardous substances.'
The area that Justice Sense led him to used to be a small park with a fountain in the center. Now, what used to be the fountain had been demolished and replaced with a basic platform-style octagonal fighting ring, which was enclosed using chains and rope on mismatched poles. The floor of it was just patched-together pieces of plywood on top of a Frankenstein's-monster of a wooden frame.
Lucian could easily hear the crowd's screams from way up on the rooftop that he'd crouched over, jeering and cheering at the combatants in the center.
"Holy shit... I could grind levels and maybe even earn money with that," he said in wonderment.
[ Your growth could be astronomical depending on the frequency at which they'd let you fight. ]
"Let's fucking go!"
Readjusting his mask and tightening up the straps, Lucian excitedly made his way down by leaping right off and into an obscure back alley. His durability was enough that he could barely be harmed by falling off half a dozen floors, so he wasn't concerned about a drop twice that height in any way. There were some minor pains, but it was akin to accidentally bumping your knees and shins against the flat side of furniture, so it wasn't that bad.
He went and weaved his way through the rowdy audience, asking around and looking for a way to get in the ring himself. The crowd reeked of alcohol, cigarettes, 'Mary Jane,' and other things far more potent.
Nobody noticed Lucian's impossible landing because he touched down a good distance away. The lack of context as well as his slim-looking frame ended up in some of the people he approached trying to dissuade him from seeking out his goal, while others effectively told him to fuck off. Eventually though, he did make it to what seemed like a "front desk" - at least, as much of a front desk as a place like this could have.
It was just an assortment of old desks with plywood partitions surrounding it, covered in posters, signage, and graffiti.
'Typical,' thought Lucian. There must've been at least a dozen penises scrawled on the plywood and desks in at least eight different styles, using a dozen different materials.
Truly, a universal- no, multiversal constant for humanity. The phallic fascination... the phascination...
[ A/N: I am so, so sorry. ]
[ Stay out of the story!! ]
There must've been drawers and cabinets behind the conglomerate of furniture, as the tattooed, tan-skinned lady sat behind them fiddled around with something beneath the surface of what appeared to be the main desk. Over top of it were several carboard and metal boxes filled with money, as well as a few mason jars holding the same thing.
Lucian approached the receptionist and asked how to get in the ring in the most direct way possible.
She turned to look at him, hair braids and earrings swaying from the movement. Looking him up and down once with her thick lips downturned, her eyes threatened to roll so hard afterward that they'd find their way out of their sockets. She shooed him off dismissively.
"Wouldn't risk it, kid. Not the kinda place for someone your size. See them?"
She pointed to the ring where two men were duking it out. Each of them was at least twice Lucian's size. Seems like the fighters here are all juiced-up in some way. The pair currently in the ring battered each other with clumsy kicks and wild haymakers.
"They're gonna tear you apart in there. You're welcome to watch, but you should stay down here."
The current contenders definitely looked tough, and probably were for normal people, but... Lucian could see that their technique was lackluster. Their movements were clumsy. Uncoordinated. They were just trading attacks without any real thought or technique, and have to have been trying to mimic shit they'd seen on TV or something similar.
"Do you need money to get in?" Lucian asked, and the receptionist sighed.
"Yeah. There's a minimum fee, and management would let you in," she explained. "But seriously. Whatever you think you can do in there, just swallow up your ego and walk away."
Completely unfazed, Lucian counted out a hundred dollars from his wallet and placed it on the desk. "Would this be enough?" He asked.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, the receptionist sighed and just took the money.
"Gomez!" She yelled out.
A bald, pale-skinned man came out from behind the 'front desk' a few moments later, who looked like one of the place's hired muscle.
The receptionist started instructing him tiredly. "Take this kid to the back... and try and pair him up with someone his size, alright?"
"No promises," said Gomez. It was more that he had no say, rather than being uncaring. "Come on, kid. Let's see what you're worth."
...
"Weird kid, huh?" A lanky goon commented next to the broad-shouldered Gomez as the two of them watched this masked kid hop into the ring. It had been some time now, and after four more rounds of almost the same thing happening in the makeshift octagon, it was finally his turn to fight.
"He's gonna get wrecked in there," Gomez mumbled. There was a tension in his voice that usually wasn't present.
Lanky guy started picking his ear. "Why'd Rita even let 'im in? He's like, a teenager, right?"
Gomez simply shrugged. "Probably older - not that it matters. We have weight classes for a reason.
He shook his head before continuing. "Kid paid a hundred bucks. That's twice the usual rate. You know Paulie wouldn't appreciate turning that away, consequences be damned."
"Guess all we can do is pray for 'im," said the skinny man, running long fingers through his orange-dyed mohawk with a conflicted expression.
...
Lucian let out a heavy sigh, most of it bouncing back into his face because of his mask.
'Note to self: get the Deku cowl as soon as possible, and give it good breathability. Eventually, I should give it a 'fresh air circulator' or something...'
He bounced around on the balls of his feet in a vague and relaxed boxing posture, which loosely resembled the flicker style. This was to get into a steady rhythm with only 1% One for All active.
A single percent of the Quirk only made him glow slightly, and because of the floodlights pointed at the ring, the effect wasn't noticeable at all. 3% was when the electricity started to come out, but since 2% made his hair rise and flow, he elected to keep his boost as low as he did- he wasn't sure if he could keep his hood up the entire time, after all.
'26 in all physical attributes isn't so bad,' Lucian thought to himself. 'Actually, that would even put me above most of the human population. Yeah, this is definitely more than enough.'
While Lucian bounced around to hype himself up, his opponent, some guy who looked to be a few years his senior, paced back and forth on the other side of the ring. White wife beater, baggy green pants, buzz cut blonde hair. The opponent tried really hard to look intimidating, flexing and grunting with a constipated expression. Despite his size, obviously juiced up, as well as his numerous scars, Lucian was not intimidated.
At all.
Off to the side, a lady climbed up a ladder and onto a long, elevated platform while carrying a megaphone with her. She was probably the announcer.
'Has to be the receptionist's twin,' Lucian concluded.
The two women basically looked completely identical. At least, as far as basic physical features go.
Lucian could easily tell who was who, because the receptionist had multiple silver piercings, while this one did not. Instead, she wore dangling glittery jewelry on her wrists, neck, and ankles. She was also dressed a lot less conservatively than her twin. Where the receptionist had worn a shirt with a baggy jersey on top, this one wore denim booty shorts, a sports bra, and a loose shirt with the sleeves cropped off. Lucian could basically see everything from a side angle...
Final details, she had fishnets on her right leg, and a regular black stocking on her right. Lucian couldn't figure out how that worked because they both disappeared into her shorts.
Irrespective of Lucian's distraction, he did notice the announcer snickering down at him. He was glad he'd worn his mask here, because his face just morphed into the exact same unamused face that the receptionist had shown him earlier.
She eventually did do her job, yelling some vague hype into her megaphone to introduce Lucian and his opponent to the audience. He could swear he detected amused contempt from the tone of her voice... Probably thought he was some edgelord brat paying his way into his own misfortune.
In the end, Lucian just muted everything out and waited patiently for the start signal.
Then, finally, the match started. Lucian wasted no time. He peppered his opponent with body shots - experimental jabs and halfhearted straights. The force behind them must've been considerable, since his opponent seemed to really feel each blow. That wince on big boy's face was real.
The poor street fighter didn't even get the chance to throw any punches back, because Lucian promptly decided to stop fucking around and knock him out with a full-powered Non-Lethal Strike. The opponent sailed through the air and landed hard against the chains and ropes on the opposite side of the ring. He did try to get back up, but inevitably fell sideways onto the ring's floor, drooling with blood mixed in.
"And we have a winner!"
There was a short period of stunned silence, but the announcer's voice eventually rang out loudly over everybody.
Lucian could tell that she was more than a little dumbfounded.
Nobody expected the edgy-looking guy of comparatively-scrawny stature to win that fight in such a way, but it was still one hell of a spectacle.
Fuck weight classes, am I right?
Many among the crowd began speculating on who or what he might be, but many were just excited that someone might end up being a dark horse in the underground fighting tournament happening in the near future - a Halloween special.
Most of the crowd cheered as Lucian literally leapt out of the ring and into the back area where the fighters were suppoed to wait.
...
"Wo-ho-hoah! Congratulations, kid! I really didn't think you'd make it," said an almost-hoarse voice. It came from a lamppost of a man with an orange mohawk and a crooked smile, as well as pointed shades covering his eyes. "I gots to say, you really make a man happy," he continued while shaking Lucian using an arm that wrapped over his shoulder.
"Get off his case, Matchstick." Gomez' familiar voice hit Lucian's ears.
Snorting, Matchstick relented and withdrew his lanky limb, but still had to get one last word in. "You're just salty I won~"
Completely ignoring his friend's remark, Gomez handed Lucian two hundred dollars. "Those are your winnings," he explained. "We make a lot more than that from bets and entries, so don't worry. Hundred and fifty's your actual payout - half of the hundred you paid earlier for the fee, I'm returning. Entry's only 50."
Lucian nodded and made to leave after receiving his winnings, but Matchstick went and asked, "So, you a metahuman or something? Super soldierlab rat? You pumping Venom? Or do you just got a sweet sleeper build?"
"Matchstick! Mind your manners," Gomez snapped, but Matchstick blew him off. "Man, fuck that! We're lowlives! We're not supposed to have manners!"
"It's fine, it's fine," Lucian said through his mask, waving a hand disarmingly after stuffing his money into his wallet. "I am a metahuman, but I won't say anything past that."
"See? It was fine!" Matchstick again slid his arm over Lucian's shoulders. "Look here, kid. I'm a metahuman, too!" After saying that, he snapped his fingers in front of Lucian's face, and a flame manifested above his index finger.
"Fire powers," said Lucian. "Sick."
"I know, right?!"
"Yeah, yeah, your whole style matches your meta-powers. Let the kid go," Gomez piped in. "He's probably got places to be."
With the silly fire-flinging goon finally letting him go, Lucian climbed up one of the dead end alleys as the next battle started.
◎ ◉ ◎
"So, that was fun," Lucian said to nobody in particular. As he did, notifications from the program popped up in front of him.
[ Notice. As a reward for winning a paid street fight and putting on a show, you have been granted 300 EXP. ]
[ As a small bonus, you have been granted the ability "Showmanship." ]
[ Earned $200 through work outside of a regular job. 200 EXP has been awarded. EXP would normally be halved, but an exception has been made for your first victory. ]
[ EXP to next level: 524 ]
Lucian grinned as the progress he needed to make was effectively halved in one go. "There's the cherry on top... and the night hasn't even really started yet. I'll go knock down a few more thugs before fucking off for the night..."
...
[ Nightly Patrol Report: ]
[ Criminals taken down: 8 – EXP awarded: 400 ]
[ Money earned: $390 – EXP awarded: $195 ]
[ Items stolen: 3 – EXP awarded: 150 ]
[ Total EXP awarded: 940 ]
[ Congratulations! Your level has risen to 8. ]
[ 3 attribute points have been distributed between your Vitality, Agility, and Mentality attributes. ]
[ One for All bonus: your Power, Vitality, and Agility attributes all increase by 1. ]
[ You have 1 unallocated level and 5 free free attribute points. ]
[ ... ]
[ Allocations confirmed. ]
[ Notice. Reaching a milestone in your Power, Vitality, and Agility attributes have unlocked the following abilities: Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Durability, Minor Regeneration, and Superhuman Reflexes. ]
[ EXP to next level: 1,079 ]
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Host: Lucian Albrecht
Matrix: Quirk User: One for All
Level: 8
Classes: [Brawler - Level 3] ; [Acrobat - Level 4] ; [Criminal - Level 1]
-[ Attributes ]-
Power: 27
Vitality: 27
Agility: 27
Intellect: 16
Mentality: 18
Spirit: 18
Luck: 0
Free Attribute Points: 0
New classless abilities unlocked!
Superhuman Strength: Power 25 reward. Passive 10% boost to your Power attribute's effective output. This does not affect properties like Full Cowling's calculations and ability unlocks.
Superhuman Durability: Vitality 25 reward. Passive 10% boost to your Vitality attribute's effective enhancements. This does not affect properties like Full Cowling's calculations and ability unlocks.
Minor Regeneration: Vitality 25 reward. Your wounds heal up much faster than normal. Small cuts and bruises vanish in a day, and extensive damage can be fixed expeditiously, though severed limbs must be reattached. Otherwise, they are lost forever.
Superhuman Reflexes: Agility 25 reward. Passive 10% boost to your Agility's effective enhancements.
Showmanship: You have developed a bit of a charismatic aura about you. Whenever you engage in performative acts, such as grandiose monologuing or prizefighting, your audience is swayed to a more positive reception.
New class ability unlocked!
Acrobat
[4] Uncanny Coordination: Coordination across your entire body has become superhuman. You can now achieve feats never before possible such as natural ambidexterity, and some of your old skills have been enhanced, like your muscle memory. You are now basically a monster when it comes to being quick on your hands and feet.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –