Hello! I know I'm a few days late with this update. This is my last week before going to college and thing shave been busy. From now on, to accommodate both my school schedule/work, updates will be biweekly. *That is, every other week. Thanks for your support!
MOUNT JUSTICE
DECEMBER 17, 12:45
"Come on, Robin," Nightwing muttered, as he manipulated the keyboard, "Talk to me. Mal, any luck with that signal?
"Nothing.
"Keep working on it. Update me if anything changes. Superboy! A word."
The Kryptonian looked over at his comrade. "I need you here at the cave with the freshmen."
"What?"
"I know you want to help," Nightwing continued, "But I'm not risking the Freshmen. They aren't ready for Klarion. And there may be some disaster while we're after him. I know you can lead a squad. I know I can trust you. I need you to do this, Connor."
He winced. "Yeah, I can do that," he said at last. "If it's what you need, I can do it."
"Thanks, Connor."
Miss Martian flew over to Nightwing and hovered beside him. "The bioship is prepped and ready to go. But… I don't think it's going to be enough."
"What do you mean?"
She led him to the briefing room. A wide smile crossed Nightwing's face when he saw the room was filled with heroes- even those who were no longer on the Team.
Kid Flash. Artemis. Darkstar. All three Marvels. And…
"Cheshire?" he asked in mild disbelief, scanning the crowd for Red Arrow.
M'gann didn't have to read his mind. "Roy didn't come," she said softly.
Nightwing's smile didn't falter. "I didn't expect him, KF or Darkstar to come… and Cheshire wasn't even on my radar!"
Stepping to the platform, Nightwing pulled images of the museum mission up. "As you may have heard, Robin has been missing for nearly two weeks. Klarion has taken him into a Shadow Dimension. His only hope of getting out is if we find Klarion and convince him to let Robin go. Batman began his own investigation the day after Robin vanished. Now that we have hard evidence, the Team is joining him in his search for Klarion.
"There will be four squads for this mission. Alpha Squad is led by me, Beta Squad is led by Zatanna, and Delta Squad will be led by Captain Marvel. KF, Artemis and Miss M are with me. Zatanna takes Batgirl and the Marvels. Captain, you have Darkstar, Cheshire and Bumblebee. Some Team members will remain behind to handle any crises that happen in our absence- Superboy, La'gaan, Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle and Beast Boy. Remember, Robin could contact the Cave at anytime, and we need you to keep us updated on any changes. The four squads are going to split up and search the catacombs in Wales- where Batman's signal was last detected. Understood? Suit up. We're out of here in five minutes."
SHADOWLANDS
HOUR 4
This wasn't solving anything.
He was just walking in circles. He had no plan, no objective, no idea where to go.
The architecture of the Shadow World kept changing on him. Tim recognized his own footprints in the ash, but the landscape was never the same.
Klarion was toying with him, watching him like a rat in a cage. He wants entertainment, to be amused. If I don't amuse him, he changes the rules.
His magic has been strong enough to redirect one of Zatanna's spells before. If he can do that, then I can't count on her magically retrieving me. The zeta tubes will be useless as well- no platform. Therefore, the only way out of here is the way I came in.
Klarion himself.
Then how to convince him to release me? If I stay here, he'll simply throw more obstacles at me until he runs out of patience kills me.
If I want to stay alive, I need to entertain him. I need to make sure I hold his interest until I locate him and defeat him.
If I get even that far.
But even if I manage to beat him, he'll simply leave me behind. I'm going to need a legitimate reason for him to let me go.
If I am here, I must have something he wants.
I can trade that for what I want.
But how to make sure he doesn't renege?
A challenge.
Wait. That may work.
No, no, bad idea. No. There's no way you can beat him!
What choice do I have? Die fighting or die of starvation?
You can't beat him!
Maybe I can't. But I can try. Bruce accepted you. He let me into a circle that very few even know exist. Batman trusts me. He's trained me, taught me everything I know. I can do this. Or die trying.
Besides. I don't have any other choice.
Robin twirled his staff and extended it. "I challenge you, Witch-boy," Robin shouted, his voice ringing off the rocky spires.
"A challenge, huh?" Klarion asked as he materialized out of nothing, "Finally, things are getting interesting! You don't even have superpowers! Do you really think you're a match for me, Boy Blunder? Replacement?"
"Why don't we find out?"
Klarion laughed. "Please. I don't waste my valuable time fighting children. But…" Klarion's look turned chill. "If you manage to survive my pets and locate my abode… Then I'll take you up on that challenge of yours. Name your terms!"
Tim's gaze didn't waver, though on the inside he quivered with fear. "The challenge is a duel. If I win, you must return me to Gotham City, alive and unaltered by any magic."
"But what do I get when I win?" Klarion asked, stroking Teekl.
"That depends on what you want."
Klarion's eyes shifted into what Nightwing called Demon Mode. "I think you'll do nicely as a host body." Klarion rubbed his hands together. "Yes, if I win, you become my new host body. I've had the same old, same old form for hundreds of years and I'm ready for a change of scene!"
Tim knew by the hungry look in the Witch-boy's eyes that Klarion could see the terror engrained into his body, that Tim wanted to run away screaming and yammering like a kicked puppy.
But he killed the fear, tore it apart, hid the body in the depths of his spine. Robin looked the Witchboy in the eye, and extended his hand with only the barest hint of hesitation.
"Done."
Klarion grabbed Robin's hand and shook it- a single, sharp . "Easiest bet I ever made!"
A trail of white orbs sprouted from the ground and began leading off into the distance. "Follow the orbs- if you can- and they'll lead you to the heart of the Shadowlands. Just don't die easy, OK? I'd hate to lose my fun in only a few minutes!"
The Witch-boy crooked his finger and Robin's staff tore from his hands and flew into Klarion's grasp. With another snap of the finger, Robin's utility belt disintegrated into ash.
"That's not in the deal!" Robin snapped, grabbing at his staff.
Klarion laughed and the bright light that had brought Tim to this hellish dimension engulfed the staff. "Aww, poor baby wanna pacifier- But seriously, those gadgets of yours give you an unfair advantage. I mean, the freeze pellets- the taser- and those batarangs!- nah, I'm just evening the odds a little." The Witch-boy snapped his fingers, and shades began to form from the ash behind Tim.
The emotion he'd been shoving deep down within him finally broke free. With a shout of rage and despair, Robin leapt at the Witch-Boy. "Give it back!"
Klarion dodged and opened a portal. "Have fun!" he cheered, ducking into the portal.
The portal winked out of existence. The shades advanced.
Robin backed away, trying to think of something- anything.
No weapons.
No way out.
No choice.
He turned and ran, fully aware that with every step he made, it was harder and harder for the others to locate him.
