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Clash of Realms	By : RaphaelTMNT Category: -Misc Anime > Crossovers Views: 3294 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League, Rosario Vampire or Dark Stalkers nor the characters from either of the three series. I do not make money from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 43
- 44
- 45
Clash of Realms
CHP44: Walled on Battlefront

It had been a long past few days with so much occurring, most of which putting he and his allies on their heels. It was a rough patch, no question and all they could really do was look ahead and prepare themselves for what was to come. The day in the office was business as usual and he did his best to keep his mind on work, and not worry about all the outside directions and there were a lot of them. But he made it through the day and at the front step of his home, ready to relax for the evening and spend time with his family. He was through the front door and removing his hat as he hung it up over the coat rack and headed for the kitchen.
"Lois," he smiled wrapping his arms around her. "Something smells good."
His chin rested over her left shoulder, as she looked back and gave him a peck of the lips.
"Dinner will be ready soon, in the meantime there's someone here to see you."
"Really?" Clark stepped back with a raise of his eyebrow. "Who?"
"Living-room, Clark. She's really quite open and friendly, last I checked she and Jonathan were playing a game."
His super hearing picked up on the activities in the next room, hearing the voice of John, but another she recognized. And while massaging Lois's shoulders he kissed at her forehead before taking off into the next room and that's where he saw the two of them atop the sofa and both with a video game controller in hand. He took a couple steps inward into the room and pushing up over his glasses, not only surprised to see her in his home of all places but engaged in a video game and her expression so animated. Clark coughed clearing his throat, getting the attention of them both, but neither looking away from the T.V. screen.
"Hey dad," John said, but with no eye contact.
"Clark dear, welcome home."
She too spoke, but her eyes glued to the screen.
"Morrigan," Clark sighed as he looked to her and his arms crossed. "You could have easily met up with me elsewhere."
"Could've," she shrugged with her tongue hanging out of the left side of her mouth. "Wanted to meet the family, and I must say it was a great decision. Lois is a darling, and the boy loveable."
"I'm making a comeback!" John said, happily.
"Only because I'm distracted, hun," Morrigan replied, shoulder nudging him.
Only fifteen percent of Morrigan's health bar remained while Jon maintained a meter of nearly thirty percent. From then Morrigan took a defensive approach and crouching with her character on screen and popping up with a projectile and tagging her opponent, whose character lacked in that department without a single projectile. The faces of both were intense and focused and Kal reaching back as he scratched at his hair.
"Seriously," he scowled somewhat. "Can you pause for a moment?"
"No!" both said at once.
His mouth somewhat dropped, very much surprised by the response of both. Their game continued on from here and Clark keeping quiet as he just watched and the outcome of the match coming a few moments later.
"Yes, yes I won!" Jon jumped up with his controller raised above his head.
"Pfff, one out of like the last three," the succubus rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Hurry up and press start, let's get in another."
Morrigan mashed her fingers over the buttons but Clark snatching the controller out of her hands.
"There will be no more of that, the time for games is over."
"Can we get one more, please just one more?" Jon pleaded with his hands together.
"No," Clark shook his head. "Turn it off."
Jon whimpered under his breath as his eyes and gaze dropped down over the ground, and Morrigan with a giggle by the expression he gave off. Not a moment later Lois called out to them all and informing them that dinner was ready and Jon being the first to zip out into the kitchen and washing his hands. There was a bag in the corner of the room which Morrigan unzipped and a wide smirk over her lips.
"I brought cherry pie for dessert," the succubus smiled as she turned and faced him. "Baked it myself and I just know that you and the family are absolutely going to love it."
The queen of Makai halfway skipped towards the kitchen but Clark reaching out and taking hold of her wrist as she was held back.
"Again, what is your purpose for…"
"Oh quit it," she playfully slapped at his arm as she pulled away from him. "I'm going to tell you everything you want to know about Jedah, etcetera and the encounters both he and I have shared. He's very much like a majority of other powerful nobles in the realm, looking to dethrone and take my place as ruler of Makai. And I'm sorry to hear what happened to Supergirl, is she doing any better?"
"She is," Clark answered with a nod of his head.
While his eyes wondered off of her another subject matter came to mind and the kryptonian musing if he should in fact let her in on the latest and that being what occurred in France. Aside from the league there was no one more in the loop and in ways, at least for the time being she was sort of like an extended member. But even so, after a brief period of deliberation he shut the entire thought down.
"You got that look, so much focus and concentration," Morrigan waved a hand in front of his face. "You still with me?"
"Sure," Clark put on a smile as he readjusted the glasses over his nose. "I'm here."
"Hhhmmm, seems you and Bruce have that in common," the succubus said.
"Curious, and that would be?" Clark inquired.
"Getting lost in your own thoughts."
Morrigan happily skipped along ahead of him into the kitchen and took a seat at the table where Jon was already seated. Lois finished sharing out all the food as Clark took a seat right next to her.
"After we're done eating, I want a couple more rounds at you on Space Fighters X."
"You're on, kid," Morrigan shot back.
Both Clark and Lois got a kick out of this with a laugh of their own.
XXX
It was miles from the secret den where the signal was strongest and she was somewhere nearby. Luke led them with the tracking device in hand but dressed in something other than his armor that would better blend with the environment. But the suit was on standby and could come to him at any time in the simple press of a button. All of them were on foot, ditching the horses some distance back with Miukei and Black Canary on either side of him. Pez and Tsech weren't far behind either and made sure they weren't being trailed or followed. They walked through an area that was mostly surrounded by trees, so for the most part were shielded.
And further along to the west of them is where the lieutenant general of Vindellorien was perched up over a hill and looking downward over a sizeable camp. This was the first of many locations that she would destroy. At the center and leading the pack was a man and goblin by the name of Bivaan, and based on the detailed information in her possession he was one of Ilon Kreing's most established general's. This here would be done on her own but that would soon change as she moved onto the next locations, having already sent messages to known allies throughout the realm, via delivery raven. Normally it took days or even weeks before a response, but she had all the time and patience if need be.
Bivaan wasn't exactly thrilled about the current deployment with every passing moment, although he would never allow any of the monsters under him to know, he thought that the Ilon must have been off his head on something when he ordered the unit to take Norwtirn from the gremlins. As explained by their leader there was much to benefit from and gain with the move, but it also could draw in excessive unwanted attention. Such moves were like daring the powers of the realm to come in after them and if they continued with making moves like that it wouldn't be long before it did.
Whilst Bivaan could see Norwtirn's significance in the grand scheme of things, its position on several key space lanes making it an important conduit for deployments throughout the lands, up close those reasons began to ring hollow to the goblin on the surface of this hellish realm… or at least the way he saw it. Frankly Bivaan was starting to wonder why they simply didn't bombard the capital and eradicate the Knights Warriors of the emperor. They undoubtedly had the numbers ten to one, if he had to guess. The same could be done against the other global powers, but of course it was Ilon's decision not to take such an approach, claiming they would fail.
It wasn't just on Norwtirn, but other small villages had also been taken under their control, secretly running things from behind the scenes.
If the global powers of Vindellorien, Yundervelt, Arcenill Mount, Hiklorhan, Reinganar, Aqualanteis, Uanora, Draspeya and Thishieita caught wind of what was truthfully going on and banded together, the Xsouviz would be all but finished. All according to Ilon. And despite their favorable position general Krieng refused to commit the necessary resources or initiate a calculated, precision strike against any of the major kingdoms, instead choosing to go about things in the sense of slowly eating away at each from the inside and eventually climb the ranks to the very top in each faction.
Bivaan was dealing stolen weapons, mostly to his own men and but for the right price to other smaller mob groups. He had developed an extensive five-state network that seemed to be constantly growing, all approved by Ilon himself. While a handful of his underlings had been taken down in the process, there was never any evidence to the goblin or anyone of importance to the illegal activities. And the monsters taken down were never willing to give Bivaan up. He had a nag for bringing in the most skilled and loyal that he could find from all over, which is why he was held in such high regard by Kreing. The captured always ended up with high-priced legal representation that often got the client off on minor technicalities. When they were convicted, they were either being bribed or scared into keeping quiet. This was the true power of the Xsouvizs.
But that wasn't the only area they excelled in, but the infrastructure of sorts; the way Bivaan liked to think of it. The variety of so many different monsters and abilities at their disposal gave the outlaws a heavy advantage in so many different situations. This also included a wide range of monsters with extraordinary ability in detection. In this instance it worked right into their favor as he'd been alerted by those of his monsters on guard duty. He was just in the middle of an important business deal, but then the talks suspended when receiving word of what was unfolding on the outside perimeter. Isla Hayhurst hadn't any idea that her cover had already been blown, but that wouldn't be for very much longer. Atop the hill and in the same position she'd been in for the last hour, Isla continued her inspection of the camp but she felt and sensed that something wasn't right. A disturbance in the surroundings… she could feel it. With her eyes closed and ears perked up, she listened in closely and confirmed the sounds of approaching footsteps.
She had traveled and been on enough battlefields to know exactly what this meant, and so with the bow in hand she spun around and firing off three arrows simultaneous and connecting with three approaching enemies from nearly twenty yards away. That meant nothing, she had been exposed and the enemy knowing of her whereabouts. This was confirmed in just moments after as from the direction of the camp bullets were fired from scoped rifles, barely missing her head and one grazing her left boot as she jumped up and began retreating backwards.
"Damn it!" she bit over her tongue. "But how, and so quickly?!"
Commander Bivaan appeared in front of the camp and observing.
"Where's the intruder, have they been identified?" the goblin asked.
"Not yet, sir. We'll know soon, they won't survive."
"No," Bivaan stuck out a hand. "I want the person, and or persons brought in alive."
These orders were relayed to the rest of the guardsmen around the campsite as they went out. And by this point Black Canary and Co had bypassed all the trees and their eyes on the scene which was unfolding just over one hundred yards from their position on the other side of the camp. Miukei with a good eye looked out and spotted a certain green haired elf who was being surrounded.
"Over there!" Miukei pointed out.
Canary and the others looked in that direction and spotted her for themselves. She didn't know how or what sort of situation the elf got herself into, but she was clearly in trouble.
"No time for a stealthy approach," Tsech took off running. "She needs us."
Miukei normally would have stopped him but in the particular instance it wasn't an option. With Isla being attacked the only option was to step in and do what they could to get her out of whatever the situation was unscathed.
"Incoming, there's more of em!" one of the troopers yelled over the squad communicator.
Miukei ducked down as a cannon was fired off in her direction, bracing herself for the inevitable impact. It exploded right over the ground in front of her and the vampire sent soaring upward but flipped and stuck the landing as she touched down over her feet. Commander Bivaan thrust his head in annoyance as he leaped into an armored vehicle, raising his optic to his eyes. Others of these vehicles appeared from out of the ground, with at least seven to ten of them.
"Human weapons, they got their hands on human weapons… interesting," Pez took notice of.
On the ridge of one stood a squad elite, and on either side of him were ten additional soldiers, each taking up strong positions across the field to allow them to lay down a heavy barrage of plasma fire over what was approaching backup to assist the elf.
"Them! How did they find me?!" Isla said in shock as she ducked down and
"All soldiers open fire!" Bivaan called out in a commanding tone.
By this point Luke pressed down over a button that was over a small device carried in his pocket. The Xsouvizs did exactly as they were ordered to do, firing off rounds at the incoming enemies and lucky enough for Luke the suit zipped through the sky and zipping downward as it connected with his body and became one. One by one the monster gang dropped, throwing out jagged sparks as their CPU's were punctured by the high energy rounds fired from Batwing. Bivaan managed to avoid this assault, opening fire on the flying hero in armor.
"Son of a bitch!" he said angrily.
Batwing and the others managed to get by and position themselves close with the elf lieutenant, Batwing from up high and the others on foot. The Xsouvizs began advancing up the hill in great numbers, pinning them with a barrage of gunfire. Bivaan watched from not far away as things seemed to be in their advantage.
"That's it, corner them just like that."
A heart wrenching shriek rang out from behind him and Bivaan turned to face the source of the dreaded noise.
"But how, she was just over that way!"
The vampire with her green hair tied in pigtails had rerouted and coming after those taking a defensive stance on camp. There were a handful between she and Bivaan and the vampire lashed through, slashing and biting into the necks of some and delivering a clean kill. A majority of those on the defense turned their focus away from those on the hill and instead looked to what was shaping out to be their greatest threat. Weapons were raised as her inner yokai took a substantial jump as she powered up. Miukei stood between two separate lines of defense, taking note of which monsters were on each side as she glanced between the two, deciding which would be the tastiest. She licked at her lips and took off for the right, which was also the side Bivaan stood.
Others who were engaged with Black Canary and CO up top, turned their attention down over the camp and opening fire in an attempt to hold the vampire at bay. The energized bloodsucker rampaged towards the Bivaan, taking random swipes and bites at other monsters in her way, and she was so fast and quick at this level that they were.
She lunged forward, clamping her fingernails around one ogre's torso, clawing open his chest and tasting his fresh blood which spilled out. When
"Come on, we're better off fighting close together," Black Canary looked that way. "We have a good chance to get out of this alive if we fight close and together."
She was the first who took off down the hill and the others followed, while at the same time fighting off Xsouviz members. Commander Bivaan and the remainder of the group continued to fire on the vampire, the mighty S class monster now turning to focus on a transport holding a majority remainder of the outlaws. She along with Black Canary heaved the vehicle over, with a kick from Miukei and Canary cry from Dinah. Bivaan immediately cursed under his breath but more and more backup was in pursuit.
The additional monsters were there in a hurry and one figure leaping over Batwing, two glowing beams of light clutched in their dark hand. Dinah however used her canary cry and forced the monster off him. Isla shot out two arrows which perfectly stabbed through the skulls of two monsters coming at Miukei from behind.
"What is all this about, Hayhurst? Why did you run?!" Miukei shot.
"You know why!" she retorted.
Black Canary leapt clear of one monster that came at her, landing with soft grace due as she screamed and tagging it with her canary cry. The injured bird like yokai turned and retreated. Another monster with horns bull rushed Batwing who leaped upward and over it as he kicked at the back of its head. This rhino like monster crashed harshly into the ground and Batwing electrifying it with an additional gadget. He didn't realize it but from his backside came a long tail which whacked him in the back and sending him soaring through the air and tumbling down a hill.
"Luke!" Isla leg dropped one as she ran out in that direction from the skidding down the slippery bank after him, fighting to maintain her precarious balance. She broke into a jog as she reached the bottom of the slope, never breaking stride. The elf quickly found him lying on his side with scattered mud patches, his dark armor skewered with dirt and mud.
"You okay?"
She leaned down next to him, calmly scanning her eyes over him in an effort to discern his fresh wounds if he had any at all. Batwing batted her hands away with the back of his, sitting up.
"I'm good," he looked to her.
That was all he could say, or even think to say. The last time they were together it was in bed, all so that she could take advantage of him and get what she wanted and in this case the opportunity to escape. It left them in an awkward position, but they were also on a battlefield and didn't have time to discuss it or anything else for that matter. Isla threw out her legs and kicked him away from her as an axe was thrown down between them and hordes of monsters coming down at them over the hill.
"We need to get back with the others," Batwing looked to her.
"Agreed," she pulled out a thirteen inch dagger.
XXX
Jitoshi Ichiro had never liked hospitals, especially when it meant surgery. A simple check-up wasn't all bad, but anything further than that was a complete no, no. It also wasn't the noises that bothered him, or the smell, or the regular interruptions – day and night – when a nurse checked on him and wrote in his chart. For Jitoshi it was the boredom and needles.
When he awoke from the operation, knowing that he had a lot of work to do, he just wanted to get back on track and do what he did best. But recovering from surgery, as it turned out, took some time. Patience was required – a virtue Jitoshi didn't have the most for. Lucky for him he was a vampire and the period of rest in the range of days to weeks for other monster species would be just a mere day.
It was then that he remembered back to his days of being a child and how things were so much simpler then, under the care of his mother. It was memories of his first hospital visits that came to mind, he had plenty of visitors to keep his mind off the tediousness of being laid up in a hospital. They came throughout the day, sitting by his bed and talking even after he grew tired and craved an interval. While he appreciated their coming, he was frustrated that he was still bed-bound. He let them talk about what was going on with their lives, all the while being denied getting out of bed. These were the days when he spent his time living outside the confinements of Hiklorhan.
Then, after some time, the visits weren't as frequent. His close friend at the time, Eberl still came by every day – there was no excuse for him not to, seeing as how his father worked in the building. But then even he stopped dropping by on his father's days off. Jitishi didn't like to mention it, and assumed his buddy was spending more time with Merl, his crush. But the more he thought about it the vampire supposed he wouldn't want to hang out at the hospital either, if he didn't have to. He would have rather been out with friends as well, enjoying the fresh air and running around.
His mother's visits decreased as well. She apologized profusely whenever she returned but there was pain in her eyes, but he didn't know why. Everything he would ask what was wrong she'd always swiftly change the subject. And then there was the vampire's father. His passing had been so difficult on Jitoshi's mother, taking a heavy toll on the family. She couldn't find the words to discuss it with him at the time, and it wasn't until later that he found his father had been killed by a pack of mobsters in the form of werewolves. Like so many things when it came to his father, Jitoshi remained silent but his hatred for the dogs heightened.
Others of his family were all over the place and difficult to reach. They were busy, he got that. But there was also the fact that much of the family wasn't very close with one another to begin with. But there was also a family friend, a woman close to his mother that he considered an aunt. She was one of the few that would stop by and spend time with him but she stopped coming in the evenings, as she had done so diligently in the first weeks after the operation. Even though he knew of her busy schedule, her absence hurt him. The vampire immediately snapped out of these thoughts as the doors off to the side of him swung open and entering were Kiria Yoshii and Ched Vlet.
"How long have you been awake?" Kiria asked.
The vampire somewhat shrugged.
"Not sure exactly, thirty… maybe forty minutes. And the results, did anything out of place come back?"
"Yes," Ched held out a tray with a glass bottle atop it and inside was an item similar in appearance to a bullet but smaller. "This foreign object was found inside your body during the procedure."
"What the hell is that thing?!" Jitoshi halfway shot out of bed.
"Relax, we're still in the evaluating process, but I believe whatever this mechanism is might be responsible for certain persons showing at the most inopportune times. We shall continue to run tests and confirm our theories or not. But in the meantime I have very many questions for you. Do not worry, every other single member in the building is going through the same process as you. But I must know, when and where do you believe you could have contracted this little item?" Ched questioned.
XXX
Kurumu kurono had a long day. After moving around for what felt like thirty two hours straight, she was finally going to get some time off. It was a beautiful day, too. She was cheerful as she shut her locker door, amidst the groans of her fellow competition, except Lora, that is. She was one of the few contestants that Kurumu really took the time to speak with, when she wasn't otherwise preparing or staying to herself. The succubus placed a hand over her own mouth as she quietly yawned.
"Kurumu-chan," Ageha called out to her daughter happily as they embraced one another halfway down the hall. "I'm so proud of you, I couldn't have done better myself. Your voice was beautiful and you did equally as great in the modeling portion."
"Yes, thank you. There's someone I need to talk with but I'll meet back with you a little later, okay."
And from there they separated and Kurumu walking down the opposite hall and Ageha towards the elevators. She was so pleased to see her daughter in such high spirits as she pressed the elevator button. She blushed somewhat as a staff member unabashedly checked her out (his reflection was on the elevator doors) even though she thought that he was kind of a pervert and was in love with half the contestants. The cheer, however, was wiped out on her face the moment the crown in the elevator dispersed and she saw who was left inside. It was Ethan Gregory, who just so happened to be the owner of the building and lead official of sorts in regards to the event. No one had more influence over the outcome, and it seemed as though after every one of Kurumu's performances he had something negative to say.
"Demented, Evil spawn." Ageha whispered, pressing the button to close the elevator door.
"Extramarital whore…"
Ageha bit over her tongue at his response, surprised he heard the words that she spoke. Her glare turned back his way and clutching her purse as she swung it at his side.
"I'm sorry," He said, his voice sincere and kind, which was unexpected.
"Really?" She asked, rolling her eyes knowing the comment was made due to her choice in clothing.
"Maybe." Alex whispered, winking at her.
"I see that you're leaving," Ageha leaned her back against the wall while looking up at him. "Figured you'd be here for another few hours, you've got a lot of evaluating to do on the performances today I imagine?" she said.
"I got a life outside of this, woman. Believe it or not," Ethan replied. "You think I'm evil and being unfair with the girl, not true. I do what I do and am so hard on each and every contestant so that once they make their way further and further up the latter they'll be better prepared."
For a quick moment Ageha took a deep breath as her gaze dropped.
"You're still a dick?" she said, barely hiding the disappointment in her tone.
"Whatever you say, your opinion is yours. However, I'm going out." Ethan changed the subject. "On a date." He leaned closer to Ageha.
The succubus somewhat fidgeted at the feel of his breath over the side of her face.
"A hot one," he whispered.
"You are?" she answered, butting an eyebrow. "Missing the part where I'm supposed to give a damn," she recoiled, jeering.
He moved in closer beside her and lowering a hand over her side and normally she would have slapped at in individual she had no interest in, but in the particular instance she stood her ground.
"You know, when Kurumu first registered here and I saw the two of you… two sisters I believed. It was quite the surprise to find you were her mother. So how about it, Miss Kurono. Any plans this evening?"
XXX
Ruby Tojo usually made a point to avoid social functions not officially required by Yokai Academy outside of business hours, and it should have been the same here in this situation. But when a mutual friend called her up earlier that day with such enthusiasm in their tone and practically begged her to attend, Ruby surprised herself by saying yes. She could tell her decision shocked fellow as she stepped through the bar doors. They knew her as the type to mostly show on special occasions, or sometimes on a weekend but they had also heard the rumors about the witch in question had somehow been invited to the home and palace of the realm's ruler. For what reason, no one really knew as there had been much speculation all around.
That had been eight hours ago, and now Ruby was sorely regretting that decision. Bars weren't really her scene unless on the special occasion, even the upscale one she currently found herself in at just before nine in the morning. She'd much rather be at home, curled up in bed with a good book or working on improving her witchcraft. Apollo suggested she mingle with the visiting scientists from Yundervelt, but Ruby had never really been one for the constraints of polite society. She could be, but it really all just depended. Someone that she'd been seeing just over a year before Tsukune and Moka tied the knot would say that's why being in a relationship with her had been different and somewhat taxing. Ruby would say their problems stemmed from his inability to keep his pants zipped. They had never got passed stage two, but he was already going around and sleeping with other women behind her back.
Either way, she felt no need to mingle with the crowd and instead sat quietly on a seat at the bar, sipping an amaretto sour and silently counting down the minutes until her colleague, Vanessa, disappeared into a dark corner with a friend that she'd gotten extremely cozy with after half a dozen drinks.
It had to be at least an hour in that she watched Vanessa lead him woman down the hallway and back behind a door marked Employees Only. Ruby only snorted. At least they were being discrete, unlike some of the other party goers who would do things out in the open. Such incidents of indecent exposure would cost the joint several thousand dollars at times, to settle.
Gathering her things, Ruby got up and was out of there no more than thirty minutes later and returned to Apollo's estate but the damage had already been done. She tried going to work with a business as usual mindset but she quickly realized it wouldn't be that simple. Her head was spinning and she could barely think straight and whenever she tried standing, the witch felt she might fall over. More than anything else, Ruby knew she couldn't be seen by her temporary boss. Not like this. She could call in later and say she was sick and couldn't make it into the office today, but first thing was first and that was getting herself out of there. Her steps were wobbly and she took it slow as she managed to push through the exit and out into the hall.
"Going so soon, Ruby?"
The witch sighed. She should've known she couldn't escape Apollo's notice. It was a mistake to show up intoxicated in the first place. Although the woman was the epitome of professionalism in the office, it hadn't escaped her notice that back in yokai academy she was the interest of very many male staffers and students alike. This was also another reason Tsukune especially took note of what she wore on days of work and gave the witch a certain dress code to follow. She had a way of dressing in a sense that maybe she felt was appropriate, but would garner too much unwanted attention and so that's when the vampire chairman stepped in. Apollo's enthusiasm and positive outlook were a welcome, much like how Tsukune was towards her. More than once, Ruby had caught herself staring at the harbinger while she cleaned his office or ran a small errand, in and out of his space.
Turning, Ruby mustered what she hoped was a pleasant smile.
"I'm afraid so, Apollo-sama."
The harbinger stepped closer and caught the witch as she swayed somewhat.
"But you've barely just arrived, my child. Does something bother you?"
The emperor frowned and could smell it all over her.
"Are you drunk?"
Ruby shook her head, but still with dizziness.
"Drunk?" she repeated. "After only four shots? I sure hope not!"
But she swayed again, and Apollo held her upright.
"Only four?" he asked, somewhat skeptically.
Ruby chortled and held up her hand.
"It was on the house."
"And what exactly did you drink?" Apollo pressed, now certain that the witch was fully intoxicated.
Ruby grinned and then leaned in what Apollo assumed must have been a conspiratorial whisper but was, in fact, rather loud.
"Keep it hush-hush, but Anton and Vanessa managed to sneak over a few bottles of the good stuff," she waggled her eyebrows and winked.
Apollo's eyes narrowed seeing as Ruby spoke in a way that he was supposed to know this Vanessa woman and a beverage considered the good stuff.
"Well then," Apollo groaned. "Whatever you consumed must have been strong on the system. I do not wish to know what, or why. That is your business, but I'd rather you keep your mind clear when on the clock. Partying and stuff of that nature is fine, long as you do so to a minimum and don't cause a ruckus."
"So I'm free to go home then?" Ruby asked, faintly.
"Absolutely not," Apollo shook his head. "You aren't going anywhere in a position such as you are now. Let's find you some place to lie down, yes?"
A smile bloomed across Ruby's face and Apollo not sure why when his palm settled against her waist.
"Why, mister emperor!" she practically groaned. "How forward and inappropriate."
"Ruby!" Apollo hissed and jumped back in shock, wildly glancing around and praying no one had come out and seen them, but Ruby seemed unworried.
Reaching out with both hands, she pulled at Apollo's shoulder and rested her head over him.
"Not gonna' lie, mister emperor, I've been hoping you'd notice me," she breathed hotly as she rubbed the side of her head against him.
Apollo was startled, both by Ruby's boldness, but more so by just how gentle and soft she was. But none of this was right, the witch referring to him as mister emperor and essentially hitting on him wasn't her at all. Sure he had more than half a dozen of his own maidens and nobles do so, but what he knew of this woman and what he'd been told by Tsukune, something such as this wasn't even in the realm of possibilities. Her thoughts were all over the place in this state, but nothing more than the idea of something unruly. She wondered what it would be like to steal a kiss from Apollo as she stared up at his lips.
Ruby bit her lower lip in a mixture of frustration and amusement. She laughed at herself, knowing she'd be good as dead if she even attempted such a thing. It simply wasn't fair for Apollo to be so endearing and exasperating at the same time. She didn't know how she was going to face seeing him tomorrow, and days after this if she took any further action and so she stayed close to him as he dragged her along and to some place where she could lie her head down and get some rest.
XXX
Within the boardroom, Bruce Wayne stood in front of a small audience of twenty and giving a small presentation while the lot of them listened. He was dressed in a dark brown suit with faded white lines. At the closing of the nearly thirty-minute seminar, the CEO of Wayne Industries took questions, which were a couple dozen throughout the room. From time to time he looked down over the monster energy limiter around his wrist, a reminder of his recent dilemma. Discussions stretched for a couple minutes before the meeting officially wrapped up. Lucius Fox was one of the last out of the room and shaking hands with Bruce and congratulating him on a job well done. And it was when the room cleared that someone else entered.
"Kept wondering when that would be over, even started counting sheep over the ceiling," the person approached through the open door. "We never got the chance to really talk after what all that stuff overseas and we both gotta get some stuff off our chest. I want to start with saying you were right, we never should have been there, especially not Sasha."
Bruce Stood beside and leaned against his own desk cross legged and looking straight at a man knew very well. But he said nothing and this was a cue for Grayson to continue.
"We were there only as backup and the idea was not to act or jump in unless you were caught in a situation that you couldn't handle on your own. Yeah, sounds real stupid especially with what you're capable of but even so, that doesn't mean the rest of us don't worry. Would have help to ease tensions had you told me Selene and Kokoa were going to be working the case with you."
"Pure coincidence," Bruce cut him off. "Both just so happened to be in town for their own reasons and jumped in on their own accord. And you haven't yet given me one good reason why the hell Sasha was in France!"
Dick immediately bit over his lip when receiving an all-too-familiar glare but conserved his position.
"And I don't have one," Grayson shook his head. "Her tagging with us was never part of the original plan. Vampires and a keen sense of hearing was something I was unaware of. Sasha overheard a conversation between myself and Damian and caught wind of our travel arrangements to come after you."
The whole time Bruce's expression didn't change and still with nothing to say and so Richard continued.
"I denied her at first, believe me Bruce but she was persistent and threatened to follow if we didn'tlet her to come with. It was my call and after some thought I said, why the hell not. Freakish vampire strength and combat training to boot. Didn't seems like a bad idea at the time and for what it's worth Damian never agreed to any of this. So if you want to blame someone, look no further than me."
"You could have gotten her killed, Robin and even yourself!" Bruce took a step forward. "So next time I tell you a situation is under control, I mean it. I don't care how much she wants something or begs you, Sasha is the child and you the adult. In circumstances like this, she must be protected from herself. Sasha is reckless and thrives just at the thought of battle and getting into fights. Aside from martial arts training I will teach her self-restraint and to stay grounded, assessing the situation and avoiding physical confrontations unless necessary. Easier said than done, which is fortunate Akasha is around. She's been a vampire far before you or I were born, and she would know best how a vampire will respond to lessons."
Dick nodded his head.
"So, we good?"
He looked Bruce in the eyes, but a response didn't come right away.
"We are. Do something like this again and Sasha In harm's way and we'll be singing in entirely different tune."
"Fair."
"You've always had the tendency of doing the exact of what I tell you, which is why this never worked."
Dick couldn't help but chuckle at the comment.
"The days of us fighting side by side as Batman and Robin were the best, but it was always destined to end at some point. And what can I say... sometimes I choose to just follow my gut. I learned that from someone."
While not on the outside, Bruce smiled inwardly.
"You need to be better than that... better than me."
"You're the best. No one does what we do like you do with so much devotion and proficiency. Heck, there might not be another again. Sure, you've got flaws but who doesn't?"
There was no time for a response as a woman appeared through the door.
"Sorry Mister Wayne, but you have visitors on line one."
"Do they have a scheduled meeting?" Bruce asked
"They do not," the woman shook her head.
"Thanks, I'll take it."
The woman stepped out as Bruce went straight for his desk and answered the call.
"There is a Zatara here and she claims you've been expecting her. Shall I send her up? There is no such name over your guest list," the receptionist spoke on the other end.
"Yes, send her."
The two said nothing as they waited for Zatanna's arrival which happened in just over a minute and the magician dressed much like she were a secretary and a purple haired woman beside her very much the same in clothing choice.
"Selene, Zatanna, welcome. This is most unexpected, by a good surprise nonetheless," Bruce smiled as the purple haired vampire closed the door behind them. "Is this about the writings?"
"It is," Zatanna nodded. "Sorry to say, but we're in a bad spot. I can barely make out enough from any of those equations to use them for anything useful in a spell that can help you. It is as Selene feared, Alucard jotted down bits and pieces. This dark magic or which the coven used, was something he simply couldn't begin to simply understand."
Bruce ran a hand over his face and breathed out.
"So we're back to square one…"
"Not entirely," Selene shook her head. "I've already began compiling a list of modern day witch covens and the most powerful of them. One of those firms, even with the limited specs that we do have should have no issue picking up the pieces and putting together the puzzle, but it won't come without a price. No wizard or witch faction would give up something like this for free, they'll want something in return."
"Do you have one in mind?" Bruce questioned.
"Four, but really down to just two. Rerouting and searching for the original coven and its possible descendants that attended to Alucard won't be necessary. Any competent, high level witch should be able to achieve whatever it is they did. It's just a matter of obtaining the spells and formulas used and then Miss Zatara here can work her magic," Selene smiled.
Zatanna let out a deep sigh.
"Sorry Bruce, witchcraft and sorcery have lots of similarities but just as many dissimilarities. This stuff is sort of a different language, but like Selene said no issues once we get our hands on the full rundown."
"Yes, and there is no witch out there within the monster world with nearly the sort of power Zatara commands."
"Sounds like we've got quite the chore on our hands," Grayson chimed in. "Sort of like everything else lately. Oh well, this is the life we live in."
XXX
The two appeared on the selected battlefield. It was a typical one-on-one match-up and there was an announcer bellowing their names in the background. The strange location that they were ushered to didn't fit for either opponent. It felt unnatural and left a bitter taste whenever seeing all the dirt and dust floating around, not to mention the above one hundred degrees temperature. It was whatever, they were dragons and so wherever the battle was decided to take place they would do so without complaint or question. A statue of some helmeted creature beside a pedestal rested on the damp rock wall in the background. They stood on metal platforms with a couple of stone levels up above hanging from magical enlaced chains.
A giant creature aside from the two fighters came out of nowhere, loud thumps with each step that it took. It let out a large roar-like sound, and would serve at a referee of sorts to the qualifiers match. It was that of a dragon in its true form, wings flapping around. At this moment, though, both noticed something peculiar. The two fighters looked very similar. Almost like twins, as a matter of fact. The only difference is the way that they dressed on the day of this battle. The one on the far right was dressed in black and red, setting a mute mood around him. Lightning glared from his eyes with a bright color of red and from his mouth as well. His shirt was torn in places, visible wounds along his chest and stomach areas. He wore dark pants, an uneven belt and giving off a bad boy vibe in demeanor. The two of them were brothers from the same noble family, twins. As for the other opposite of him, an abnormal weapon hung on his back, resting in a pack that slung across his body. There looked to be a tattoo on the backside of his shoulder, although he was unsure of what it was. Give or take a few details, the latter character seemed to be identical with a pallet swap of purple and gray taking over his clothing and flames.
Fire (literally) roamed around through the atmosphere, setting the audience on edge. They kept in mind to stay quiet during the match as not to not interrupt the brave gladiators in the ring, trying to qualify. This wasn't a death match or anything of the sorts so no real damage would be caused, but this didn't mean it wouldn't be one hell of an intense battle. Each of the warriors carried a weapon of his choosing but would only be used in a short amount of time. Once things got serious and they took to their true forms, weapons were no longer necessary. Matches such as this in the kingdom of Arcenill Mount could become very barbaric, but to be able to represent in such a wide realm tournament and to do so against the most powerful the realm had to offer it was all the more worth it.
Icons. That's what citizens of the land saw them as. The competition and victory even in this match would put the winner in "Superstar status," and that in itself was a great honor that both fighters wanted so badly. It came with more revenue for them and as far as they were concerned with it that was an extra bonus.
The announcer came up on the speaker once more, informing the contestants to get ready for the battle and audiences jumping to their feet and cheering. Both combatants drew the strange weaponry from their sacks, letting a wave of energy run up and down the two blades in which they held. The audience let out the traditional sounds of applaud, pumped and excited to see the two of them go at it against each other. The two men smirked, knowing this would be one to remember, win or lose. The man with the red energy around him spun his weapon around; making it whir like it was a western revolver, literally feeling his body itch from anticipation. One pointed his weapon at the opponent, taunting him in such a manner as to provoke him to attack first and breathing fire from his mouth. The announcer hadn't yet given the order to begin the match, so this did however come as a shock to those spectating. It was then in a sudden rush of the moment, the announcer gave out a hearty shout to fight. Both dragons left the ground, flying towards each other as their blades clashed.
Dragon nobles watched on with great interest and anticipation but the king of Dragon's himself was thinking about something else entirely. And while he hadn't spoken at all about it, Dalzo Reco his intelligence officer knew exactly what was on the mind of his king. He leaned in and shoulder bumped Fafnir as they sat in the observation box, reserved only for the royals.
"My king, you're thinking about her, aren't you? Mairi?"
Fafnir only looked at him from the corner of his eye before his attention again returned to the action below. By this point the dragons had gotten serious as their weapons were tossed aside and they took to their true forms.
"Shut the hell up and watch, damn it!" the king said sharply.
Dalzo felt his throat go dry but this was a response to be expected from his king and so he had no follow up. Whenever he was ready Fafnir would talk, if not to him than to someone else.
To be continued
- 43
- 44
- 45
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Clash of Realms