Sorcerer in DC

Ch11

My leg scythed low, sweeping a thug off his feet. While he was in mid-air, I kicked, sending him crashing into the hard wall and knocking him out.

"Nothing personal, dude," I said. "Wrong place, wrong time."

I think that was the last one," I said, wiping some of the sweat off my brow. I'd been a long night of fighting and ass-kicking, and all of my stats had gotten a workout.

This crime-fighting thing wasn't for the faint of heart. Artemis left a while ago, just before midnight. Her mom was cool with her staying out late, but not that cool.

Congratulations, you've reached Level 5. +1 to all stats and +2 to free stats.

You've learned the Technique: Curtain Lv 1

Information flooded my mind like it had all those weeks ago, and my knees wobbled. Strange sing-song words churned in my mind, and it took a surprising amount of impulse not to recite them.

This was hardly the time or place. I ducked into the shadow, trying to get distance from the scene of the fight.

Name: Julius Spencer

Race: Meta-Human--Sorcerer

Class: Sorcerer Level 3 (3rd Grade)

Techniques: Inverse Lv 2

Health: 370/370

CE: 20/310

SP: 67/380

STR: 27 AGI: 30

PER: 45 VIT: 37

END: 38 CP: 31

Free points: 10

My stats were coming along well enough. I'd be over 50 with a few more level-ups and fights. My rough math put Olympians on that level. Everybody else sat somewhere below that. My mouth nearly watered, imagining how much harder Reinforcement would hit with stats that reached that high.

I'd be actually superhuman. I wouldn't be an impressive one by any means, but I'd be a start.

I took several turns and scaled a few fences, pushing until I arrived at the entrance of Shady's place. I knocked on the back window of his shop in the signature pattern he'd dictated. There were movements and clicks until the barred window eased open, and I came face-to-face with an old acquaintance.

"Hello Slim."

Slim's dark eyes scanned me up and down before darting into the alley. "Rought night?"

"Better now than I'm seeing you," I grinned. "It's been a while."

"Not long enough. You trying to get us both killed turning up like this?"

Shady was a small man in his late twenties with a lazy eye and a calculating edge. He'd been in the Narrows longer than most and had seen it all: villains rise and fall, the crazy years with Batman and Joker at each other's throats, and the thousands who suffered in the wake of the conflicts.

"You would've turned me in for the reward if I called ahead," I said. "And getting you face-to-face gives us both time to make money before you bring Black Mask into all this."

"The consideration is appreciated," he said.

"Of course," I nodded. "I'd expect the same."

"Well then," Slim said. "On with it. What do you want?

"Smoke grenades. Two of them. I know you're always trying to unload your military shit, so don't even bother denying it."

Slim cracked a smile. "Know me too well. Two grand per grenade."

"Oh, come on!" I protested. "You've had some of those grenades since I was in grade school."

"And your presence here is putting my business in real danger. Consider the bump in pricing as a tariff. Besides, I know you wouldn't be here if you weren't desperate."

"Trying to gouge a man while he's down," I harumphed.

"It's just good business."

I produced a wad of cash. "Only budgeted for the original price. There's two thousand in my hand."

Shady shook his head. "No deal."

I gnashed my teeth, eyes nervously searching the alley.

"And I don't suppose you take IOUs?" I asked. "You know I'm good for it."

"You are, aren't you?" Slim said. "Wouldn't have put money on you lasting through the week, but yet here you are two week later without a scratch on you."

"I'm scrappier than I look," I said.

"You definitely are," he said. "And against my better judgment, I'm willing to take a risk on you." He produced his empty palm, and I gingerly deposited the cash, a bit confused. The window crate came loose, and he handed me two cases. A small wooden one with straws and another black one.

"What you asked for and more." My eyes bulged when I opened the corner of the wooden crate. They were dusty grenades. Three of them.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because Black Mask it looking to put me out of business," he said. "And because you will owe me a favor."

Some of the color bled from my face. "Don't worry. It's nothing too dangerous. It's a deal I'm putting together. I think you'll like it…if you last long enough," Shady said with a sinister smile. "Now off you go," he waved. "It's time I called Black Mask."

I used my new inventory space to store old grenades and shouldered my bat as I swapped out one of my two free slots for the smoke grenades.

The conversation with Shady left me thoroughly spooked. I knew the notoriety would come eventually. I didn't just expect it to be this soon. People were taking notice, and soon, Black Mask and Penguin wouldn't be the only players I had to worry about.

It was time I sat down with Sasha again. She needed to leave for her sake and mine.

Channeling Cursed Energy, I shot forward, navigating the quiet streets of the Narrows, threading a familiar path. It was one I'd used for years back when my neighborhood wasn't so dangerous. Back when there wasn't a bull's eye on me.

Stealth has reached lv 2.

The notification pulled me from my reverie long enough to finally notice that I was being followed. It was a group of masked men led by two large brutes. They reminded me of Mark and Gabe in all the worst ways.

Shit.

I switched directions, leading them near the entertainment districts. Clubs and restaurants were open, music was blaring, and it was easy to slip into an alley and finally recite the incantation that'd been burning a hole in my head for minutes.

Emerge from the Darkness, blacker than Darkness. Purify that which is impure.

My index and middle fingers twisted as cursed energy sprung up from me and shot into the air. Slowly, a blackish film poured from the epicenter, settling into a brackish dome that hid everything it covered from the outside world's view.

And not too soon, too. My pursuers flanked me. Two men appeared from each end of the alley, rapidly converging to find…nothing standing there.

"I could've sworn—" a muffled voice said. It belonged to one of the two fridges of men pursuing me. He was bald and had a neck tattoo peeking out of his shirt.

The other was blonde with a more even voice. "You think he went up?"

"Could probably swing it if the call ins are to believed. And you said it'd be easy," he snorted.

"No. I said he was an idiot for coming back to the Narrows," Blondy insisted. "And I stand by that."

"Whatever," Baldy looked up again. "Catching him won't be boring at the very least."

Blondy grunted. "Alright, move out. He's probably already gone."

My heart was thumping with equal parts fear and excitement as they emptied of the alley.

I had another shiny tool to play with and just learned about hand signs. I was just scratching the surface of what a Jujutsu Sorcerer is, and I couldn't wait to learn more.