Do I really need to say it? I do not own Batman; even this fanfiction was originally conceived by a friend of mine.
Saviors Of The Night: A DC Elseworld or Earth-V going by Multiverse lingo is a world based partly on the events of "Batman:Vampire" specifically Batman & Dracula:Red Rain & most of Batman: Bloodstorm though with a different ending and continuation and taking influence from White Wolf Games' World of Darkness series and Chaosium Games Call of Cthulu series as well as many other works some of them will be a surprise.
Let us see what the night brings.
The Long Night
The air is thick with blood. It is not the true scent of a battlefield where warm plasma flows from wounds and the cold presses in over the steam of killing and being killed. This blood stinks, it festers as it congeals in the veins and what pours onto the floor is as black as the brigand's soul. It is the cold blood of vampires that stains the stones.
The scene s bizarre, such a sight more fit to dream or legend than the waking world. More than a dozen of the wretched nosforeatu lie still, not dead for their lives had been lost long ago. Even this could be reconciled by the rational mind, but perpetrating the massacre of the dead are not mortals but a fierce felinthrope and a vampire who is without sin.
The massive figure is cloaked in the raiment's of a creature of the night, his fangs shining in the night and his eyes fierce red in battle lust. Despite his appearance so like some dark pagan god he retains more humanity than the one human who presides over the madness below him.
The Joker, licks a sucker and dryly observes his undead henches be torn through like a the wrapping on a child's Christmas present. As his undead lycanthrope lieutenant meets his end like an Indiana Jones movie then Joker removes the hard candy.
Selina Kyle, now the Catwoman pauses letting the battle fury drain as she clutches the heart of the creature that had once sought to hunt her. She had escaped this undead maggot, but he had managed to pass one of his curses on to her. For that alone she had vowed to end him. Her mind was clear as she crushed his rotted heart into ruin, just to be sure.
"Well, that showed a lot of heart, Creach. Idiot. Now there is only one sucker left—and bats has her cornered . . ." the Joker remarked dryly.
"Proving yet again that if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself," the Joker concluded. As he spoke he lifted his crossbow, the oak projectile long since loaded and needing only a finger on the trigger. One can say many things about the Joker, but it could never be said he was not a fine marksman.
The pure vampire holds the undead woman as her unlife runs out over his hands, her heart pierced by his stake.
"To death, in peace," he speaks the words softly but strong. The words were not his, they belonged to Tanya who had walked the long night before him, and like her he knew he killed nothing, for his prey was already dead.
The oak bolt strikes true, impaling his heart. There is no sudden blackness, no light at the end of the tunnel, only loss as the towering figure falls.
Whether it is the laughing clown or instinct that draws the Catwoman out of her bloody reverie is unimportant. Her mind snapped back to the battle like a blooded hound finally let off the leash. Her long nights companion lay prone over the body of his last kill, and above her mates slayer hooted in victory. The red rage was full of the malice that only the boiling blood of the living can claim.
The Joker is truly insincere in his celebration. He had in truth never expected to win and survive. After all he was caught up in an epic story and there was absolutely no doubt he was the perfect villain for the hero. And in the best stories the hero triumphs tragically over the villain. For evil to make a clean sweep, it was like one of those pointless mean tricks children play on each other. Or long of those philosophical bores trying to show the audience how grim and hopeless life was, as if anyone needed tobe told that!
Thus when his instincts scream danger he is thrilled, thinking a more fitting finale is in order. He hears the cat before he sees her and dashes back into the rain. Red rain, a joke in poor taste to his twisted mind. The novelty of the east coasts environmental disaster was an irritant to him. A bloody rain was all well and good, he had once made a joke of it that it was nature bleeding from man raping their mother earth. Not really funny though, some damn ecobitch had beaten him to the line! Besides even the best jokes go stale with repetition, purple rain would be better now.
He dashes into the church, unsure if the cross thing worked on cat people. The crash of the doors behind him answered that question. Classical tactics called for the high ground so he beat a hasty retreat to the stairs, he had left the door open, lucky him.
Ah, it opened off at a lovely balcony lined with gargoyles and saints. The perfect setting for an epic conclusion. Rather than pause he spun around skidding over the wet stone. Right on cue the frisky feline emerged running on all fours and leaping like some movie tiger. The bolt flew beautifully and bit into sweet furry flesh.
The wood sank into her left arm, her chest protected. The pain was ignored the weight shifted o her right arm as she sprang one final time coming upon her prey. She scratched and at his purple cloak and ghastly flesh. He smelled worse than the vampires. Theirs was the stench of something long rotten, save for Bruce, but this was something had never been good, less than shit.
Rage did not a good fighter make, she hurt him but he was not near dead yet. Stronger than he seemed he actually forced her back a bit with a fist her chest. The opening was small but he used it brining his fists together and hammering down on her head. That gave him the next one too, a solid kick landing in her side knocking her over and pining her against the railing.
He is talking, complaining, she cannot hear him, the beast is ruling unchallenged. With the cunning of the cat she lays beaten, saving her strength for an end. He is cocky he kicks for her stomach again, not a real calculated attack, a tyrant hitting his long broken subject.
The move is flawless she seizes the leg in the vice grip of her good hand and rising grabs a hold of his coat. One motion sends him over the side falling with the tainted rain.
She clues there in the rain panting letting the pain finally creep in. At last to satisfy her returning intellect she raises herself to look over the railing, the sewers have been opened below, rather than seeing the Jokers pale corpse smashed below she gazes into a black abyss.
"All the quicker for him to get to Hell," she decides. Selina now back in control retraces her steps, pain and fatigue of the spirit robbing her of grace. The crosses that fill the sanctuary are beautiful she realizes. She had never been terribly religious, but she knew now that this symbol truly could protect the innocent from darkness. The thought was a small comfort, but still a spark in the darkness.
Somehow she traversed the way back to her mate's side. Selina did not recall anything after the crosses. As she rolls him over to face her, the horrid wood jutting from him, she recalls that the cross symbolizes resurrection. The concept was a foul one to her, when the dead rose it was to bring misery.
She pulls back the cowl to see his face, and finds it beautiful. Not the least bit effeminate, strong, noble, and what lines it held spoke of long nights in his mortal years where a troubled lord looked out over his city.
She could not stand to see the wood continue to violate her long nights companion. At some point she had freed her own arm of the wound, now she wrapped her good hand around the blood stained wood and with a sucking jerk pulled it free. She let herself weep the fact coming home, he was gone.
"T-to death in-" she began as he had taught her.
"Selina?" it was only a whisper of a single word. Yet it was salvation, the long night need not end yet.
Hope you like it Drrockso20. Snake Featherston also deserves credit in later additions for his contributions.
Please Review.