Batman was all alone in the cave when the ghosts arrived. Apparently, there's been a delay—it was caused by a sudden and inexplicable rise in conflicts between gangs, inciting violence between their factions. Tensions had been rising before, and they did expect things to escalate—just not to the degree that it had overnight.
"Well, why're we just standing around here, then?" Lucian questioned. "Let's shelve that whole unmasking thing for later. Gotham needs us."
Wraith fidgeted with her Telescopic Blade in her pocket as she summoned her voice. "I agree with him," she stated. "I know I'm probably not good enough yet, but I want to help, too."
Batman regarded them both before humming to himself. "Alright. Spoiler would probably be upset since she coordinated everything, but we can improvise."
He tapped some commands into the console on his bracer, and a section of the cave's flooring opened up. A platform emerged from the opening, raising a set of heavy-duty motorcycles. All of them were painted black, and most were identically nondescript.
"These should be enough for the current situation," said Batman. He mounted the only one that stood out—his personal ride. "Take one of these; you'll ride together. Just follow in my lead."
...
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
[[ Quest: Fight Violence with Violence ]]
Description: Gotham's gangs have broken out into a riotous mess. Sweep the streets and put their aggression to rest.
Duration: Keep fighting until the riots end.
Objectives:
[1] Survive: Avoid incapacitation for the quest's duration.
[2] Knockout Quota: Defeat at least 100 rioters by yourself.
Penalties:
[1] Failure: Your effective Vitality will be halved for the next 24 hours.
[2] Unmet: EXP gains will be halved for 24 hours, following this quest's closing.
Rewards:
[1] Success:
• Vitality +10
• 1,000 EXP
[2] Met:
• Ability: [One-Man Army I]
• 2,000 EXP
Quest Conditons:
EXP gain will be turned off for the duration of this quest.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
...
Everyone spoke over comms as the ghosts rode out with Batman. The sudden violence grew worse by the moment, so the anticipated reveals were set aside for later. Returning to Gotham's streets through the underground tunnel network, the situation was indeed quite dire.
Gunfire could be heard even before they'd fully left the pathways. News broadcasted live on every available screen, instructing people to evacuate and take shelter. The streets were swarming with people. There was the occasional escaping civilian, but most of the streets' occupants were raving gangs that clashed without any thought for order. Bodies fell, either injured or deceased, and bullet casings glittered on the pavement like scattered coins.
"Shit," Wraith remarked.
"First time seeing things get this bad?" Lucian asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "First time this close to it, anyway..."
He fell pensive, thinking back to his old world. Outbreaks of violence weren't very frequent in his life there and certainly weren't to the same scale, but they cropped up often enough to be considered normal. 'I hope my family's still doing okay...'
Batman dismounted his motorcycle and took some items off his belt. "Wraith. How good is your aim?"
Her hands, on reflex, were already accepting a variable detainment gun as she answered. "Pretty good by Orphan and Spoiler's standards...?"
"Then that's enough. Now, Phantom."
"It's Phantom Knight from now on, but you can keep shortening it to that," said Lucian, wrapping some tendrils around Wraith's body. "Anyway, I assume that I ride, she shoots?"
Batman nodded, returning to his bike. "We'll split up here for efficiency. Neutralize as many as you can, and only render medical aid when you're sure you're safe. If you get in any trouble and can't escape, shout it over our communication lines."
With him driving off to where Oracle recommended he go, the ghosts peeled off on their own path to help.
...
The Bat-Family had split up to cover as much of the city as they could.
Batman and Nightwing aided law enforcement in their responses to the violence that broke out. Batman led efforts through his sheer commanding presence and tactical mind, while Nightwing led by example. He even inspired some of the rioters to help instead of contributing further to the chaos.
Red Hood, with his own gang behind him, rallied across the city and stamped out violence in their wake. Their reputation alone was more than enough to subdue most other gangs. As for those that refused to stand down, the Red Hoods were masters in the language that criminals spoke.
Orphan and Spoiler sped through the streets and acted in response to areas that their family could not quite reach. Though there were only two of them, they were more than enough when words were no longer an option, especially for the more uncontrollable crowds. With Orphan's sheer skill and talent, as well as Spoiler's unpredictability, their efforts made dividends enough to be worthwhile.
Robin and Red Robin, meanwhile, teamed up to target the 'upper management' for the larger gangs. With a combination of intellectual, physical, and social threats, violent uprisings were shut down from within. As for those that refused to cooperate, they engineered situations that led the rioters to run into their family, ultimately resulting in their surrender.
...
Phantom and Wraith rode through the streets, their bike roaring like a war-beast underneath them.
The Phantom Knight wove and swerved through crowds of rioters. He swung his blade this way and that, leaving blue-white trails of light and electricity as it went. The rioters' weapons were split into pieces with every strike, and those unfortunate enough to be caught in its lightning trails were incapacitated by the shock alone.
Riding backwards and held tightly by her partner's tendrils, Wraith used her loaned weapon to shoot nets and darts to immobilize people. Whenever she needed to reload, she made her image blur into a smoky, wispy mass. As she had been trained to avoid attacks before they could be thrown—even in movement—she was mostly safe.
"You hangin' in there alright?!" Phantom asked, voice raised to be heard through the chaos.
Wraith locked a hybrid magazine into her gun, and replied as the took aim to fire. "Just peachy!" she yelled back. "Don't worry so much about me—you'll know if I get hurt! Just heal me then!"
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
Gotham's sewers. They were an unpleasant place to be, if one could afford to understate things.
A man descended into those noxious, suffocating depths as chaos erupted aboveground. He had no business being there, yet he went in regardless. As far as his intentions went, hiding was not one of them.
When his shoes touched the slick floor, covered in chunks of who-knew-what, all he could do was grimace. Still, he had a mission, just like others like him throughout the city. Him in the sewers, another in the deep slums, and the last one should be headed for Robinson Park.
Patting at his jacket's inner pocket, the sewer man gulped, squeezing at whatever was inside to settle his nerves. He covered his face with his sleeve to somewhat protect himself from the stench and moved forward.
'It shouldn't be too far,' he told himself.
The junction he was told to visit was supposed to be nearby, if his benefactor's map was anything to be trusted. Before long, he did reach it.
The sewer's tunnels opened up into a chamber that was much, much taller than it was wide. Vile sludge poured out from the channels and into the abyssal depths. They sloshed and splashed as they went, and the man's stomach turned both from the odors and vertigo. No longer was he able to hold back—his body heaved, and his bile was summoned to join the rest of the waste down below. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he swiveled his head and scanned the junction.
'There!'
His eyes were drawn to an alcove in the wall, carved out of the sewer's preexisting structure. It was more of a dugout that an animal would create for shelter than any man-made stopping point or station.
'Alright... you can do this. Go in, spike him, and get out.'
The man gulped again, now used to the sewer's stench. His soured spit slid down his throat and fell to the bottom of his stomach. It still made his body want to retch, but his mind no longer cared.
He traversed steep ledges and climbed slippery stairs to reach his destination. Clinging to the junction's walls, he snuck his way to the alcove and laid his eyes on the hulking figure within.
Killer Croc. A monstrous menace that, until almost a decade ago, had terrorized Gotham's streets with his random and unchecked rampages. He was little more than an urban legend lately, mostly due to having taken on a life of seclusion since he last escaped from the authorities.
Croc's rough, stony body gently rose and fell, the soft rumblings of his snores filling the dugout. The man inched closer, careful not to wake the beast. His hands shook, palms sweaty. Even his knees felt weak, and it was far worse than the effects that the sewers already had on him.
He lifted part of his jacket and retrieved the device he'd been given.
It was an injection apparatus, filled with a glowing green liquid. His grasp on it nearly slipped as he took it out, but he keep it in his hands. He lifted it just over his head.
'One shot...' His arm swung down with force. There was a crunch on impact, followed by a bang and a squelch.
Killer Croc roared from the pain and lashed out in reflex. His tail swung, slamming into the invader's midsection. The erect scale ridge that ran along the appendage tore into the man's guts, who was then sent flying into the wall. There was a sickening crack on impact. Blood splattered against the earth as his skull caved in from behind.
Killer Croc whimpered, clawing at his head as his body flailed. The injector, still jammed into his neck, did its work and poured the unholy concoction straight into his bloodstream.
"RRRUOOOOOOOOOGGGHHH!!!"
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
As battles throughout the city raged on, the responding vigilantes found themselves weary.
Batman had begun consolidating command with Police Commissioner Gordon to manage responding forces better, simultaneously leading from the front and backlines respectively.
Nightwing ended up having to leave Batman's side to assist Spoiler and Orphan. Rioters dosed on street-level Venom had started appearing, making their situation much more perilous. Combined with the nearly-overwhelming numbers of regular rioters, their endurance had begun to wear thin.
Elsewhere, Red Hood begrudgingly joined forces with another crime lord—Oswald Cobblepot—to better protect their territories. With the metahumans under both their employs, their suppression efforts had the greatest results. Sadly, this came at a cost: they could only protect their own domains.
Meanwhile, as Robin and Red Robin analyzed the situation with Oracle to better coordinate their family, some real trouble cropped up. Bane had made a sudden reappearance. A contingent of hardened violent criminals marched with him, brought in from outside the city. They made to storm Blackgate Penitentiary, presumably in coordination with Black Mask's plotting.
...
[ Notice! ]
[ Quest: Fight Violence with Violence has been completed, with all objectives met. ]
[ Rewards: ]
[ Your Vitality has risen by 10. ]
[ New Vitality score: 70 [194]. ]
[ You have acquired the Ability [One-Man Army I]. ]
[ Brief Ability Description: "While facing groups of enemies, all attributes temporarily increase, including Luck." ]
[ Total EXP: 3,000. ]
[ EXP to next level: 2,035. ]
...
The bike's engine sputtered to a stop. The ghosts were glad for its timing, as the fighting in their section of the city had mostly calmed down by then. When the bike was parked by the sidewalk, the ghosts dismounted and sat down to rest.
Both Wraith and Phantom Knight suffered some injuries, mostly due to stray bullets and wild swings. The latter healed them both, suffusing his partner's body with wispy white flames. As for the people all around, he decided that the official first respondents could deal with them.
Focusing back on Wraith, he asked her how she was holding up. She gulped, mouth dry, and pulled up her legs before leaning against him. He could feel her trembling, and something twisted in his chest when she replied "Tired..." in a subdued, raspy voice.
With a deep breath, he held her close, letting her hide her face in his chest. Wraith's state of being made every bit of sense when he cast his gaze back to the streets.
Bodies littered the asphalt and sidewalks. Bits and pieces of limbs, some even whole, had been left on the ground. Their number matched that of the broken weapons scattered everywhere, and it was a wonder how the first responders could even act in such a scene.
Lifting his hand Phantom stroked Wraith's hair as she pressed herself into him. He was about to whisper assurances into her ear when Oracle spoke from their earpieces.
"Everyone," she called out, voice tense, "Blackgate Penitentiary is under attack. Bane's come back with a small army and—"
An impact shook the streets within eyeshot of the ghosts. The asphalt exploded from underneath an ambulance, sundering the vehicle and shredding everyone in it. From the dust and rubble, a hulking figure lumbered out.
"We'll leave Bane and his Banelets to all y'all," said Phantom. "Wraith and I got another problem right in front of us."
Killer Croc roared. His voice traveled clearly through the air, loud enough to shake even the windows that managed to stay intact. Within that low rumble, what the monster felt within keenly resonated with the Phantom Knight. Physical pain. Emotional anguish. Most of all, dread.
"It's Killer Croc," he said to Oracle. "He's acting like a cornered animal."
"You're not the only ones with an animal problem," Red Robin piped in. "Robin and I have eyes on Manbat. Judging by his appearance, he's been drugged with Venom somehow, and Killer Croc's likely the same. We're in pursuit. Ghosts, be careful. Everyone else, keep an eye out for similar cases on your ends."
Indeed, there was one other: Poison Ivy had begun to rampage in Robinson Park. Spoiler and Orphan had volunteered themselves to deal with her, and recommended that Nightwing rejoin Batman to intercept Bane.
While everyone else acted wherever they were, Phantom Knight formed a gaseous ball of white energy and sank it into his partner's chest. "Wraith, you help people evacuate. I'll distract Godzilla's Mini-Me while you do. Go!"
By the time they moved, Killer Croc's rampage had already resumed, lashing out at anyone close enough to reach. Half the time, he yelled pleas to be left alone. The rest, his tone would change, words laced with personal hatred as his outrage continued.
Bodies exploded in his wake, their remains scattering across the streets and buildings. Guns fired at him in response, to no apparent effect. The people who had finally started to calm down moments ago fell into an even deeper craze, and anyone that still had enough sense in their heads fled the scene with haste.
In the midst of it all, something that shone with white light appeared in a flash before Killer Croc.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
[[ Quest: Monster Hunter - Knight vs Dragon ]]
Description: Shortly after settling large-scale violence, a monster has appeared. Killer Croc is rampaging right before you. Without help from your Matrix and other powerups besides lifeforce, defeat him by any means necessary and put an end to this terror.
Duration: While Killer Croc is present and conscious.
Objectives:
[1] Victory: Defeat Killer Croc without using One for All and/or other boosters.
[2] Optional: Take the life of Killer Croc.
Penalties:
[1] Loss: Major Injury or Temporary Depowerment. Gain 1,000 EXP as consolation.
[2] Optional: None
Rewards:
[1] Victory:
• B-grade item: Pseudo-Dragonhide Scale-mail
• 2,000 EXP.
[2] Completed:
• B-grade item: Pseudo-Dragonbone Greatsword
• 2,000 EXP.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
...
"Wraith," Oracle called out through Maxine's earpiece. "I hate to say this, but leave evacuations to the proper rescue teams."
"What do you mean?!" she shouted back. Though her voice shook, indignance was clear in her words. "I'm here to help, I can't just—"
"There's something more important that I want you to do," Oracle interjected. "Phantom Knight will struggle against Killer Croc if he doesn't go all-out, and his chances of victory are slim. You'll have to help him."
With a deep breath, Maxine calmed herself and slowed down. "Alright. What do I do?"
At Oracle's instructions, she gave Lucian a quick heads-up before vanishing into the back alleys. She ran like the wind, boosting herself with Mothwing Cloak's magic. She turned wherever and whenever she was told to, heading for a building that supposedly held the solution to their problems.
Somewhere along the way, the path was blocked by a group of gangsters still fighting among themselves. They were all battered and bloody, and had burst some piping in their struggle. Some of the damaged pipes spewed water and flooded a small area around them.
'I don't have time for these assholes!'
With a flex of her will, Mothwing Cloak slapped the air behind Wraith. The boost in momentum let her run up along the alley's walls using her adhesive boots. At the apex of her ascent, she hopped off and gained some air time. In her hand, taken from her pocket, was Lucian's spell tablet. While upside-down in the air, she aimed it at the wet ground beneath the gangsters and let the spell loose.
'Shock Bolt!'
White light dominated the alley. Smoking bodies fell unconscious to the floor, twitching intermittently. Maxine left them all behind to be found by someone else.
Soon, she arrived at her destination. The building she was headed for had caught on fire. It was done by a group of men who were still there, far too organized to be a small group of rioters just committing arson at random. Moreover, they were in uniform as well. Their bodies were clad in black suits, armed with the same sets of weapons, and most distinctly of all, their faces were hidden behind plain black masks and motorcycle helmets.
Maxine ducked behind a rotting crate before they could spot her.
"Black Mask's men," Oracle stated in her ear. "If you want to retreat, you should. We can find another way; this isn't the only place we can get what we need."
"Fuck that," she whispered in response. "If they're already here, they're probably already fucking up the other spots too. Tell me I'm wrong."
After a short silence, Oracle replied. "You're right... I just checked. You should still be able to salvage what we need if the fire hasn't spread too far."
"It's on, then."
Armed with Shock Bolt in her left hand and the Telescopic Blade in the other, Maxine summoned Lucian's energy from deep within and leapt out for another fight.
...
The Phantom Knight's body surged with white energy as he blocked another swipe from Killer Croc. The impact from such a clash normally would have broken his wrists and dislocated his shoulders, but his subsurface transformations help absorb the shock.
While he was sent flying a few dozen meters away, he shot out a tendril and grappled an automatic gun into his free hand. He opened fire on Killer Croc, and the bullets shattered harmlessly against his carapace.
'Figures...'
As Killer Croc charged for him, Phantom Knight discarded the gun and blitzed forward. His own attack was fueled by a blast of energy from the soles of his feet.
Swinging his sword, he caught the opponent's thigh and cut deep. The blade's heat partially cauterized the wound as he passed, and electricity shot through Killer Croc's system. This left him briefly paralyzed, which allowed Phantom Knight to slide effortlessly under his clumsily-swinging arm.
"Alright... slow down there, bub," the Phantom Knight called out, rising from the ground. "You're staying here until we fix you."
"I don't need fixing!" Killer Croc bellowed into the air, rattling everything around. "You're not keeping me here!"
The monster lunged after spewing its words, making the Knight brandish his sword to redirect the attack, and even push himself out of the way at the same time. He prepared to catch another swing even as his arms rattled from the impact, anticipating the moment Killer Croc turned around. When he looked though, he realized he'd been juked.
"Well, shit. Get back here, you oversized iguana!"
With another blast of energy to propel himself forward, he chased after the escaping Killer Croc—only to be met with a faceful of tail mid-charge. As he was mid-air from his own propulsion, he let go of his sword at the last second and tried to catch the lashing appendage. His hands were shredded as a result, even through his gloves which held strong. Though he reinforced them with Blackwhip afterwards, gripping Stinger's handle still hurt like hell when he recalled it.
[ Deep breaths, Luce. Trust in the powers you have. ]
Adjusting his mindset, Lucian forced himself to adapt. Even when afflicted with what he guessed was a combination of Venom and Fear Toxin, Killer Croc could still fight intelligently. His lacking comic book knowledge failed him there—but no longer.
"Round two, bub. This vet's finna hold you down 'til you take your shots."
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
Black Mask watched a split screen, witnessing two battles unfold at the same time.
One of them—a street-facing camera that stayed untouched in the riots—provided vision of Killer Croc trying to kill someone. Armed with a crackling sword, he barely came up to Croc's waist. Yet, he held his own very well in a situation where even Batman himself would have struggled.
The other video feed was from the perspective of one of his goons' bodycams. The team that it belonged to fought against a masked figure, similar to the one that Croc was fighting. Lightning erupted from her hand, and one of the camera feeds was terminated.
Black Mask hummed, half-sighing as he lazily brought up his phone. He dialed a number and waited, resting his jaw on his free fist.
"Needham," he greeted when his call was answered. "Where are you?"
His eyes pointed to the flickering fireplace while listening to the assassin's reply.
"Good. Leave your post and follow the address I'm sending you. I want you to remove the one called 'Phantom' and his apparent partner. Just make sure not to get caught."
Cutting the call, he returned his attention to Hugo Strange, who resumed speaking without need to be prompted.
"As I was saying before the 'emergency' interrupted me, the elite mutants are almost ready to deploy. Only Firefly remains to be finished, and the production of the common kind has been going swimmingly."
Black Mask nodded, apparently satisfied. Repeatedly clenching and opening his fist, he watched little blue wisps of energy flow between his fingers as he asked, "How many more can we produce of the cannon fodder?"
"Several hundred more," Strange replied with glee. His perpetual grin spread marginally wider, teeth glinting as the fireplace flickered. "I really should have thanked the Donovan boy while he was still alive. His kidnappings may have given us only a few dozen subjects, but his sloppiness let us get away with collecting so much more using our own hands..."
Rolling his eyes, Black Mask waved Hugo Strange away. "I just called you up for an update, not idle chatter. Return to your work now that we're done."
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
It's been minutes since Lucian started 'petsitting' Killer Croc. His injuries had only accumulated even through [Moderate Regeneration], and his lifeforce reserves were sinking fast from exertion. To make things worse, as his own condition deteriorated, Killer Croc only seemed to grow stronger and more ferocious as their fight dragged on.
'Come on, Max... you gotta make it.'
At the rate things were going, he might have to just power up and beat Killer Crock into unconsciousness somehow. He would have gladly called for help first, but the bats were in dire condition as well. Signal wasn't an option, either—with Blackgate under siege, he had been called there to help deal with the more immediate emergency. Maxine was his best bet besides failing his current quest.
As Lucian's vision blurred, unable to concentrate fully, he blocked another attack. His vision flashed white even as his lifeforce reserves too low to produce a thick aura. Still, he kept fighting.
He relied more on Stinger and his other tools. The electricity was particularly effective in momentarily slowing the enemy down, even if he was rapidly adapting to Lucian's tactics. Blackwhip let him use momentum to travel in quick arcs to conserve energy while maximizing movement, but even that grew less effective by the moment.
Just when he was about to call it a day and power up, [Danger Sense] and [ Justice Sense ] pinged him to something besides Killer Croc. Head swiveling, he was treated to the sight of Wraith emerging from an alley. She was badly hurt—evident in the cuts and holes in her clothes—yet in her hands, she carried salvation in the form of a glowing yellow concoction. Her being injured wouldn't have concerned him too much, but behind her, the cause for her wounds revealed itself: Black Spider.
Lucian's senses kicked into high gear, Mentality spiking in a moment of high-adrenaline. Black Spider's arm lifted as he turned on his heel. Two muzzle flashes lit up the alley, and Wraith fell forward. Killer Croc's clawed hand slammed into Lucian's side.
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
Eric Needham hauled himself out of the way the moment he shot one of his targets. After all, the other one got distracted by it and suffered a direct hit from Killer Croc. His arm went and bent the wrong way, and was subsequently ragdolled across the street and into the side of a building. As far as elimination jobs went, he would call that an assisted success.
Stopping once he was far enough, Black Spider dialed the last number his boss used to call him.
"Report," Black Mask commanded.
Needham drew in a breath. "Killed one of them, boss. Two shots to the heart. The other got distracted and Killer Croc got him. That all?"
"That's all," Black Mask confirmed. "Well-done. You've earned yourself a break. Expect payment before sunrise."
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
[A/N]: heh
Giv money (if u want)
https:// ko-fi.com/ mr_blorp