Chapter 617 - Scaly Chubster

"I didn't do this," Nik muttered as he gazed at the destroyed bar, police surrounding the scene once again as he sat on the edge of the roof without Pickle covering him. Behind him stood the remaining team. Danny did what he said he would. He really called the team but not knowing where Nik might have 'struck', Cindy took it upon herself to swing through the city until she sensed the same physical connection with Nik. Her actions did impress Nik by a slight margin.

"It gets hard to believe when—"

Cutting Ava off, Nik pointed at the bodies being brought out of the bar. "It doesn't get this messy with me, Ava," Nik looked back, "And I don't feel the need of lying if I did attack the bar to extinguish them forever. And, let's get serious, only Cindy is qualified to preach me about killing, you three, however, heh!" Nik smirked as White Tiger, Iron Fist, and Powerman looked a little intimidated. "I've seen you three hold back. Cindy doesn't. It's easy to tell," turning back to look at the scene as Nik found a particular blind man on the scene interesting, he took a step back and let Pickle cover him.

"It's about time I make myself clear." Turning back to confront the group, Nik grinned, "I do not work for you. I hurt a limited number of unlawful criminals out of a personal objective. If you want to work with me from now on, keep your goody-two-shoes attitude away." Crossing his arms, Nik smiled at Cindy, "We both, however, are cool. Now, in a few seconds, a blind man will run through that door," pointing at the entrance to the rooftop, Nik continued, "He's the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. The way he works, even he qualifies to preach me."

"How did you know?" Luke asked out, "I mean, the Daredevil."

"You would have understood if you were in my shoes. Since this gang is already taken care of, so brutally, if I might add, I'll find the hideouts of others to find out the new... 'hero' working on the street. Cindy, wanna tag along?"

Nik inquired as she looked towards Ava apologetically as White Tiger grunter and pulled back her mask once again, storming off from the scene while Cindy jumped with Nik.

"Vanish! I now you are—" Daredevil's shout was cut off as he only sensed two men and none of them had the same scent as Nik.

"Hey... welcome to the bummed out club," Iron Fist spread his arms as he gazed at the barely masked man huffing slightly as he tried to catch his breath after rushing up the stairs.

"Y-yeah!" Daredevil sighed as he grunted while stomping on his feet.

---

"Hey, this is nice!" Nik commented as he followed Cindy while she swung around the building by webbing to the ledges and letting gravity do all the work. "Thanks," she smiled as he turned a blind eye to the fact that Nik could easily fly. By now, she was pretty sure that Nik didn't gain all his powers by that spider. Sure, there might be a connection, but that was it. "I had a chat with Agent Widow and she told me that I need to learn getting more dynamic with my powers."

"Agent Widow? You're still talking about Natasha?"

"Oh, her birth name is Natalia. Even I didn't know that while she started training me." Cindy shot a thick cl.u.s.ter of webbing from her fingers as she swung once again, barely attracting any attention from the crowd since Cindy wore a darker outfit while Nik was only visible to her. "And since she practically targets married couples and... at least, the best scenario is one of the partners in the couple being widowed, she gained a rep as Agent Widow."

"Huh, I thought she was named after the spider Black Widow," Nik muttered.

"That, too," Cindy's hair whipped back with another swing, "Ava told me that before she joined the organization, she was called Black Widow."

"Huh," Nik mumbled as he suddenly dived down, coming into a crashing landing in front of an armed mugger holding a couple to the end of his gun. The shock from Nik's cruel landing only sends the man stumbling forward as the couple held each other's hand while Nik removed the cast of invisibility, his face wide open into a horrifying roar as he shook the mugger to his very core.

"Get a job!" Growling, his pointy teeth threatening to tear away the mugger's face, Nik snatched the gun from the mugger's hand and crushed the gun into a small ball of metal before holding onto the man's head, instantly shifting him into a police station with an appropriate mental 'counseling'. The next time the mugger does anything unlawful, his greatest nightmare would shriek within his ear instantly. The only reason the mugger didn't enjoy the stable portal but mind-shaking shift through space was due to his actions to the couple.

"Hey, congratulations," Nik pointed at the case of the ring that fell out of the man's pocket. Congratulating the couple, Nik vanished and reappeared to Cindy's side who was watching the scene from the roof of the closest building.

"Let's go," Nik smiled as Cindy's lips twitched.

"Did you kill him?" She suddenly inquired.

"What? No, he's transported to the nearest police station. Wow, I'm hurt that you would think of me in such a manner," Nik revealed his face as pickle receded.

"Cindy won't fall for that!" Gwen rolled her eyes. She had already known about Nik's intimate relationship with the Fuker family but simply didn't know what to comment about it.

"Oh, no! I didn't—"

"Just messing with you," Nik shrugged with a smile as Gwen groaned at her failure.

"Alright, but I did bring you to find other gangs involved in the crime. So there will be guns and bullets. Well, I can easily snap them away but you need to have your fun and so do I. I will also introduce you to my pet so don't freak out when you see her."

"What? Me freaking out by a pet? Pfft," Cindy traced her waist, waiting for Nik to continue as the man smiled while pointing behind her.

Looking back as Gwen already jumped against Nik's neck after seeing Ignit, Cindy yelped while taking a step back as she saw a large, man-sized salamander looking at her with its unnerving pale-yellow eyes.

"Cindy, meet Ignit. My sweet, fire-breathing salamander." Nik chuckled as he stepped forward and petted Ignit's nose while she nuzzled against Nik with her eyes closed off in comfort. "W-wow? Fire-breathing?" Cindy whispered as she slowly made her way to Nik's side. "What's the range of fire? I would like to steer clear from getting burned," Cindy queried while Nik shook his head and rubbed his face against Ignit's as his other hand scratched her scaly neck. "Aw, you don't need to worry about Ignit burning you. She only burns bad guys when she is hungry!"

"Hshh!" Ignit's tongue flickered and licked Nik's cheek as Nik nodded, "Yeah, you're a dragon. The best and the strongest!" Nik continued to play with Ignit as Cindy looked quite a bit surprised. She never considered Nik to be a 'cute' type of pet person. She figured if Nik actually had a dog, he would probably train it for dog fights.

"Aw man," Gwen grunted, "Your pet reminds me of my friend. He turned into a giant lizard," she slumped back on Nik's shoulder while sighing deeply.

"We have already reached the area controlled by a major player. The man is called Kingpin and he gets along with the Brenmde Don family for many products."

Nik spoke up as he slowly let go of Ignit while she shook her body slightly while turning and following Nik as Cindy followed Nik from the other side. "You are freaked out," Nik commented while pointing at the building entrance guarded by two armed men. "That's our target. We'll just scare the guy for good, make him spit out the information."

"Okay," Cindy nodded before elbowing Nik, "and I am not freaked out." She made clear as Nik snickered, much to Cindy's chagrin. "Relax, it would be stupid of me to think that you would be fine with Ignit from the very beginning," Nik raised his fist towards Cindy, "You'll take the guys outside. Remember one thing, you don't have to cause them permanent damage just to prove that a few guys need to be punished for their wrongdoings."

As Cindy bumped Nik's fist, instantly making the man vanish, as his voice whispered into Cindy's ear, tickling her with warmth, "But if they make you mad, no need to feel bad even if you bury them six feet under."

"Kingpin is a myth! He's a person. A human. A dirty person just like me." Nik heard a disgruntled shout while he sat on Ignit in the empty hallway.

"Sir, please calm down. Hmm? Jakie? What? Sir! We are under attack!" The other voice, feminine, informed the man in the big office as a few thuds echoed through the room with Nik waiting outside calmly.

Within a few minutes, the sound of Cindy laying it down on other gang members and gunshots echoed through the building which led to pained screams of the men and women. Who said that women couldn't be mobsters?

*Click*

The door clicked open with a couple in their bathrobes hurrying outside only for Nik to grin wildly, "Boo!" he spooked them in a ghastly whisper while Ignit coughed a small ball of fire that finally brought the started couple to a simultaneous—

"Aaaaagggghhhhhhhhh!"

— scream of terror.

"Alright, Ignit run along for your snacks. Don't overeat!" Nik rubbed her scaly head as ignit rebelliously snorted and left the area.

"Aw, she thinks I am calling her fat. It's sweet," Nik smiled as he waved at Ignit before snapping his head towards the couple standing still with cold sweat dripping down alongside a little extra.

With a shake of his head, Nik snapped his finger and caused the woman to collapse in her own pool of pee while the man almost leaped out of his own skin by the sudden action.

"Don't worry Henry," Nik pushed the man back without touching him and made sure to hover a centimeter above the floor to not let Pickle touch their pee, "I am just here to ask you a few things. Answer them honestly, and I will leave. Promise."

"W-what do you want?" Henry stumbled back and fell on his butt while his jaws shook.

"This morning's shootout. Details."

"I-it was the Irish, Mexicans, and the Hell Dogs! There's a supplier named the Blacksmith that has been a major pain to our side. I heard from my contacts that the shootout was a ruse by that bastard! I am saying the truth!"

"Oh, I know that," Nik chuckled. His very image was terrifying and with Pickle letting a few tendrils of her body squirm menacingly, he looked like a spitting image of the most frightening ghost in the world.

"And remind me what is your side?" Nik continued as a startling scream of one of Henry's men rang out, shaking the man once again. "Kingpin's side! I work for a person named Kingpin. Blacksmith is the only rival left standing against Kingpin in the underground world."

"Wow, it's just money and drugs with you guys. Huh, thanks. You're a nice guy, Henry. Now, I have to ask this before I appoint you something crucial. What are the interests of your trade?"

"Interests?" Henry inquired with a gulp.

"Like, drugs, women, or weapons. The process in a manner if you smuggle goods or not."

"Oh, yes. I only deal with weapons. My stuff is the best in the City and with Kingpin's resources, I can supply overseas, too."

"That's good. If there's an event like today in the future, you will inform me promptly," Nik simply decided to have one informant in the streets when he drew a permanent ruin on Henry's head that vanished and made Henry fall unconscious."

"So... you used Cindy?" Gwen inquired as Nik looked sideways with a pleasant surprise.

"Why do you say so?"

"Cause Cindy won't kill anyone. A superhero trait. But the fight may still attract the attention of... Kingpin, which surprisingly, isn't Matt Murdock. There remains a chance that the new Kingpin might suspect that this guy has already spilled the beans about their operation if they have something going on—"

"Woah, I am not that bored to think so big. This Kingpin might not even be worth my time for all I know," Nik laughed out loud, "And here I thought you meant playing around with Cindy. You know, using her emotions to make her fight when there was no need in the first place. I just enjoy a commotion."

Nik chuckled as he walked out of the room, careful in not stepping on the fallen lady before finding Ignit walking aimlessly through the hallway full of unconscious men, already full to even pay attention to them.

"Here you are. Let's find Cindy and get the hell out of here."

*Crash*

Cindy came crashing through the walls, shouting happily, "I didn't know I could break walls!"