With all the bullshit I've been through on these past few jobs, and still no superpowers at all, I figured it's time to start arming myself to even the playing field.

My skill with my knives has shot up significantly since I started these, and it's been useful for handling all the enemies these jobs keep throwing at us. So, I decided to work on making some improved ones.

I'm no tech wizard, or genius inventor, or anything like that. Can't afford to buy super expensive equipment or anything like that either. But, if anything, I'm pretty resourceful. Salvaged some scrap metal in some dumpsters nearby, bent it up until it was in a throwable shape, and got to testing.

End result? Shockingly good. These knives handle phenomenally, and pack a crazy punch to them. They slice through the air like wings, and can even ricochet back and forth if I focus on their trajectory. Refined the design to be a little more sleek. I'll come up with a name for them later... Don't really have a bat or any symbolic icon I can use other than a V, so I guess I can start there?

A few months have passed since my last Contract. Safe to say it's been a while.

I've done a lot of reflecting since getting back home-- about what I could've done better, about what I should've done. But reflecting alone won't get me where I need to be. I've worked on upping my game, and reaching the levels that others in this field are.

Having to build all my shit on my own is rough, though, and a major time sink. Finding, testing, and retooling all the components for these shades has been a pain in the ass. I've spent some of these weeks just holed up in my apartment trying to settle on a design for them. By the end, however, I managed to get something pretty slick-- refined enough to where I can start producing a few of them.

I'm a lot more prepared than I was last time I went on one of these. Will have to see if it makes the difference, once the time comes...

Not the return to Contracting that I was hoping for, but no point in lying around and sulking about it. All I can do is start improving on my own.

My current gadgets won't be enough to cut it on their own. I need a few tricks, aces up my sleeves, to deal with all the random bullshit these jobs throw at me.

As for what I can start working on... A mobility option would elevate a lot of what I can do, ideally something with some inherent utility. Some sort of grappling gun, potentially. Real ones aren't effective enough for my taste, but it's hard to land on a concrete design of my own. Maybe another of these jobs will give me the inspiration I need?

The more I develop my skills after these Contracts, the more ready I'll be to take all of the crime in this city. So, as much as I hate them, I've got to remain prepared for the next...