Ozpin's cane swept in a wide arc towards her head, but the woman bent her upper body and neck almost unnaturally back to evade it, then she kicked out against his torso, which flickered green from his Aura absorbing the impact. Still, it was enough for her to push off of him and flip into the air where she snapped both legs around Batman's neck and twisted, flipping him to the floor. The woman landed in a crouch, steel claws affixed to her fingers screeching against the floor as she hissed at the two men. Her eyes gleamed predatory at one, then the other.

While Oz slowly circled her, cane out in front, Batman quickly pushed himself up. "You're wasting your time, Copperhead."

The assassin lunged at him again, but this time he caught her arm and forced her torso towards the ground, bending the arm behind her back. She looked up to hiss at him, then flipped up her leg to kick Batman in the face, forcing him to release her. Copperhead attempted to pounce him while he was still reeling, but an arm grabbed her by the throat and hauled her screeching back. Ozpin barely deflected her swipes and kicks with the Long Memory; it wasn't just her speed or deceptively strong limbs, it was the way they just seemed to ignore the rules a normally jointed person would follow. Argh, contortionists. Always a nuisance.

She lashed a claw at his throat, aiming a kick at his stomach a second later. The Huntsman adjusted his grip on his cane, knocking the claw off-course with the handle, then bringing the tip down on her knee. Then as she stumbled back, he threw a left hook into her cheek, making her spin to the floor. But the woman didn't hit it on account of a black-armored leg slamming into her stomach, releasing a cough. But Copperhead was good; she spun in midair, arms and legs whirling in every direction to drive away the duo before she landed back on the ground.

Copperhead spat out a little blood, then gave a cold giggle, just like the one they'd heard earlier. "No desesperado…" she hissed, eyes narrowing at Ozpin in a way he'd seen snakes and Faunus with such traits act before they'd strike. "Too bad for you." Before he could reply, her bare feet snagged a loose floor panel and with a forward roll, she launched it right at the professor. Even as he sidestepped the metal, Copperhead was struggling with Batman.

In a blink, Oz was next to the pair, trying to help his partner hold down the woman while her claws slashed against armor and Aura. He barely registered Sionis crawl towards the exit. "Kill them and I'll pay you whatever you want!" He spat out. "Make'em suffer and I'll double it!"

Copperhead managed to force her legs against Batman's chin keeping Ozpin and his cane back with her arms, pausing briefly to sneer at the battered man. "An empty promise from a fallen king. I know about the Joker."

Ozpin took a step back, pulling her with him and giving Batman a chance to push her off him. "And you actually believe that lunatic will honor any sort of bargain?" Beacon's headmaster took the force and fell backwards, hoisting her over his head.

The only reason she didn't crash was due to releasing his cane and flipping onto the ground. "Don't worry, plateado," she slashed at the approaching vigilantes, "I always make sure my deals are honored."

Sionis had pushed himself to his feet and gave the room's other occupants one last glare. "buncha freaks… You all deserve each other." With that, he knocked open the door with his shoulder and staggered out.

Eyes narrowing, Ozpin made to go after him. But something wrapped tightly around his body as he forced himself to a stop. Careless. Little pricks could be felt all along his arms and neck as Copperhead's claws tried to break his Aura. With a grunt, he snapped his head to the right into Copperhead's nose just as she slashed his chin, drawing a cry from her. Her grip weakened and Batman ripped her off of Ozpin, only for her to twist around in his arms and strike his neck, making him grunt in pain, then flip off of him. The killer clicked her blades against each other and gave a pleased hiss.

Ozpin readied himself for the next step but then stopped as the outer rims of his vision blurred. Staggering, he felt something trickle down his neck. He placed his free hand up to his chin and then withdrew it; sure enough, there was a small trail of blood. Damn, she must've managed to get a scratch through my Aura. A glance to Batman staring at his own hand told him it was the same. "What did you just do?" The cowled man asked for the both of them.

Copperhead simply turned around and pulled herself up to an opening in the ceiling. "I've killed you," she boasted as she leaned upside-down from her perch. "And in a few minutes, your bodies will realize it." Ozpin hurled a disk at her, but his aim was off and she easily dodged it.

Neither could continue as they fell to their knees from likely the same toxin that had killed Joker's goon. This poison… Ozpin thought as his eyes tried to focus on the cackling assassin, I've never encountered anything quite like it before. Certainly not in this body. With a grunt of effort, he summoned his Aura and channeled it through every part of himself. Green energy flickered around his head, arms and legs. Both Batman and Copperhead turned to look at the veteran warrior in interest before the assassin laughed. "That's it. Fight back. Use whatever tricks you might. With every effort, with every attempt to prolong it, you both simply hasten your ends."

And then she was gone, only a final cackle in her wake. Ozpin forced himself upright despite the war his body was currently undergoing. If skilled enough, a trained Huntsman could use their Aura's healing potential in a concentrated effort to counteract toxins, but it varied from chemical to chemical. And with my Aura not even at one hundred percent, Oz thought bitterly. You let your guard down, old fool. This is the price. His cane was currently serving its traditional purpose.

But the affects were lessened to his sight being a little blurry around the edges and shadows more pronounced. At least he could stand straight, Aura still crackling around him. Ozpin was more worried about Batman, though; after all, his compatriot didn't possess Aura to aid him. The vigilante staggered as he pushed himself back up, prompting Oz to step over and gently help him rise. "Save your strength, Batman," he advised. "Do you have any sort of antitoxin on you?"

Batman shook his head. "Nothing… specific for… this…" Every word he released seemed to be a battle. But still he rose, pointing at the ground. "Must scan the room for… Copperhead's poison…" His eyes flared as Detective Vision activated. "Droplets of female perspiration… Copperhead came this way."

Ozpin understood, sliding his goggles one-handed in place. "I'm on it." His tool digitally reconstructed the image of Copperhead charging towards them, then flipping up to the beam from earlier. "All we need is a single untainted drop…" he mumbled, rewinding the scene again and- there! Some poison had dripped off her claws into a tiny crevice in the metal.

Detective Vision quickly analyzed its composition and fed the results to both men's devices, and then to the Batcave's computer. "Alfred," Ozpin called while supporting Batman, the two heading for the exit; this room was too small for another battle, "I've just uploaded the analysis of a neurotoxin that Copperhead injected into us. We need you to synthesize an antidote as quickly as possible."

"Dear Lord," the old man breathed, "I feared something was wrong from Master Bruce's vitals being off the charts. Get him and yourself up to ground level so I can have the Batwing pick you up. And after this, you're both coming back here so I can have a look at you."

"No…" Batman spoke up as they walked through the drug laboratory. "Send an air drop… Batwing would take too long… to shuttle us back…"

"O-of course, sir. Stay strong. Both of you." The process was painfully slow, with Ozpin only being a little better in shape than Batman. And it didn't help that shadows of Copperhead flitted all over the place, accompanied by her laughter. Especially as they couldn't be sure what was real and what wasn't.

And yet, he wasn't carrying Batman all that much. In fact, even as the younger man had a coughing fit, his focus didn't waver from the path. Or from keeping an eye on their surroundings. Batman was obviously in bad shape but refused to stay down. Another shadow flashed over the exit door but passed again when they reached it. We're stuck in her little game, with a fraction of our strength. Besides, I can't help but feel that there's another one watching us. Why…?

Suddenly, someone landed very quietly behind them, and it was just shy a miracle Ozpin heard them in time. The Long Memory flashed up and clanged against a long sword not unlike that of a katana; this woman, clad in dark conservative garb and mask covering her lower face, brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, was decidedly not Copperhead.

She spun in place to prepare a second strike, but that was intercepted by a black spiked gauntlet. Batman batted the blade aside to grab her right arm before she could retreat, allowing Ozpin to knock her out with one good blow from his cane. Releasing her, the former steadied himself and gazed down at her prone form, eyes widening and narrowing (must be having a difficult time differentiating between hallucination and reality). "She's… one of Shiva's… acolytes. Shouldn't… be here."

This woman isn't one of the mobsters we've been fighting all night long, Ozpin reminded himself as he forced down an urge to cough. She avoided Copperhead to reach this far, snuck up on us while we're fighting the poison; she's too disciplined to simply attack us without her mistress ordering her. "Shiva must've been keeping an eye on us the entire time. Maybe she's altering her test… To include… me now…" Shaking his head, he could feel a pounding in his skull, the headmaster re-shifted his hold on Batman and turned back to the door.

After Batman held it open for them, they continued back down the hall from earlier. Oz wasn't sure if the goons they had defeated a while ago were still there, his focus was torn between watching out for more ambushes and keeping Batman safe. His ally's eyes were now unfocused and he was mumbling things. "No… cleaning up this city…" he spoke and gazed at nothing in front of them. "Wouldn't understand… haven't forgotten what… Wayne stands for."

Ozpin gave him a gentle shake. "Steady there, Batman," he spoke softly, but with a firm undertone. "Whatever you're seeing isn't real." He wasn't sure what Bruce was seeing, but he'd been accustomed to speaking with traumatized students and colleagues before; it had taken more than four months of recovery from a particularly graphic mission before a promising officer of the Atlas military had been willing to engage in casual conversation. And he knew for a fact that James still tended to have flashbacks even after rising to the headmaster position.

At least he knew how to help ease them out of such episodes. Sure enough, Batman seemed to use his words as an anchor and pull himself out of it just before they reached the stairs. "Right… not real…" then his eyes sharpened ahead. "…What about her?"

Ozpin looked straight ahead, thinking he could see a female figure approaching them, black dress flowing in her wake- his eyes widened with alarm as a familiar laugh that wasn't Copperhead's echoed along the walls. But he blinked, and there was nothing there. "…Just another illusion. Pay it no mind." Oz wasn't sure who he was reassuring.

Then long past the stairs, almost at the next door, Bruce's attention turned to the bars next to them, even though Oz couldn't see anyone there. "…Tried to save… Loeb…" This time, he had a better idea what the vigilante was imagining. He gave him a light squeeze on the shoulder and helped him along to the elevator, where the dead thug they'd inspected earlier still lay.

Bruce practically slumped against the button setting it in motion, then stared at the body even as they rose. "Didn't know… wanted to save…" His voice was almost pleading now. "I will save Gotham… I have to…" Then he pitched forward to land on all fours just before the elevator stopped. "Please… I'm trying…" Trying to push himself up, Bruce seemed so broken right now. And they hadn't even made it past the open, ominously glowing gate yet.

…Hopefully another hallucination. Ozpin knelt down by his pupil despite his own weariness. Stopping this blasted toxin with Aura was only going so fast. "Batman…" he began, wishing to say his true name, but considering the toxin's effects, couldn't be too careful concerning hidden eavesdroppers. And in truth, he was not quite sure what further to say. "I can only guess what you're seeing, what your mind is torturing yourself with. I'm sorry we haven't saved every life we could tonight, and sadly that is par the course. You couldn't save your parents then, either," anger flashed through Bruce's limbs at the words. Oz hated saying it like that, but it helped him focus. "Just as I have failed to save far too many in my time."

"But for some reason, neither you nor I have stopped trying." That made Bruce pause again. Ozpin smiled; he'd learned by now that like many, this young man responded when challenged. "Or are you giving up? Are you going to let Copperhead claim your life like this? Are you content to let Joker and the rest have their way with your home?"

Batman first got onto one knee, then forced himself without aid to his feet. "Never." That single word came out with no sign of the war in his body. And though his next steps were wobbly and he gave no objections to Oz helping him along, there was still an aura of defiance. They headed with their heads raised for the outside. Bruce Wayne, the millennia-old warrior mused with pride, you would've made a legendary Huntsman. And you make a strong man. I daresay even the likes of the fabled Grimm Reaper or Summer Rose herself would not have been a match.

"Hey, pendejos!" Right. Fight now, cure him later, respect later still.

Three Copperheads appeared out of nowhere, claws at the ready. The pair split apart to parry the opening lunge of one each, then Batman slammed his fist into one's jaws, Ozpin thrust his cane in a second's abdomen, then the third was flipped to the ground with a stomp to the head, making all three fade into mist.

Still, the assassin laughed. "Is that the best either of you can do?" Ignoring her, they continued each step towards the gate, now more clearly the opening to the secret passageway. Back out in the warehouse, Oz needed his cane more to stay upright, Aura continuing to flash around his limbs. The fighting was just spreading the poison even more. Green mist swirled around the two in the warehouse's center as Copperheads crawled out to surround them, hissing at each other and performing tricks you'd expect from circus contortionists. "You are not gonna like what comes next!"

"I am already disappointed." The new voice made all turn as more women like the one that had attempted to ambush them earlier dropped in a circle around the Copperheads and their prey, swords drawn. Shiva (well, three of them) suddenly appeared ahead, a frown across her face. "To think the one my master has such hopes for would be brought to such weakness by a mere poison…" she shook her head. "Ozpin, Copperhead. If either of you value your lives, you will allow my subordinates to put this failure out of his misery."

The Copperheads gave angry hisses at the newcomers. "This is my kill, chica."

"Don't worry…" They all turned to see a hunched, but otherwise ready Batman bring up his fists. "I'll take… you all on."

And Ozpin stepped up next to him, twirling his cane. "And if you want to get to him, you'll have to answer to me. And fair warning, ladies," The Long Memory came to an abrupt stop. "Never underestimate cornered prey."

And thus, the battle began.

A trio of warriors somersaulted towards them, blades flashing, while a Copperhead attacked from either side. Trading a nod of encouragement, Batman and Ozpin blocked the various swords, claws, kicks and punches in practiced moves that were thankfully only partially hampered by the toxin's effects. Oz hurled a concussion grenade to provide more breathing room, then pummeled three attackers simultaneously with thrusts of his cane before finishing them with a two-handed swing. Two of the women fell to the ground unconscious, the other dissipated. Another Copperhead pounced on him from behind, only to thrown over his shoulder and fade away as well.

Meanwhile, Batman used his cape to blind a warrior (and possibly an illusion), then punched her until she fell back before flipping over a Copperhead that seemed solid. "Tell me, Batman," she taunted as she twisted under a kick, "How will you or your friend defeat the phantoms of your minds?" She received her answer in a blow to the stomach that lifted her, followed up by being hurled away. Then Batman evaded a piercing attack from another of Shiva's followers and rolled away, leaving some Explosive Gel that blasted her to the floor and finishing her with a batarang (though he tossed three in total).

Shiva herself stood impassively as a spectator, noting the techniques her quarry used to stay alive, actually defeating all of her acolytes in their conditions. Just before she dodged a grapnel fired at her and brought up her hands to block the strike of a reeling-in Ozpin. The Long Memory's momentum forced her to fall backwards, but she immediately rolled upright into a stance. "Are you certain you can turn your back on him in his current state, Ozpin?" She taunted. "Or in yours?"

Oz wasn't stupid; with the way his Aura kept fluctuating, he wouldn't have any proper shielding from her attacks. And still the poison continued to hamper his reflexes. Which meant he'd be fighting at best on equal ground with the assassin, at worst an uphill battle.

A little smile played on his lips. You can't be a Huntsman if you have nothing but easy wins all the time. "I suspect Batman has more to offer than anyone here knows, including himself. As for me," the professor thrust his weapon thrice at mid, then low, then high in three seconds, forcing Shiva on the defensive. "Just because I'm a little weaker doesn't mean you've grown any stronger."

Shiva returned his smirk and attempted a kick-palm-strike combo which Ozpin mitigated to a light hit to his shoulder. "Very well. Entertain me, and I'll let the test continue. You have my word." Then she leaped high to perform an axe kick that forced him to defend with both hands on his cane.

As Oz traded blows at a lesser speed than he was used to, he spared a glance at Batman grabbing hold of Copperhead, slamming her into the ground, then dislocating her elbow when she attempted to cut him again. Well done, my friend. His pride turned to concern as the vigilante doubled over in a coughing fit, but Ozpin was too busy countering Shiva's rapid strikes to aid him.

"NO!" Luckily, Copperhead settled for crunching her elbow back where it belonged and putting distance between them. Batman rallied enough to start fighting again, only he was mostly swinging at hallucinations. His opponent flitted in and out of range, taunting him all the while. "The body cannot survive without the mind, Batman. Necroptosis. Look it up."

As for Shiva, she was proving every bit as deadly a combatant as Deathstroke. Perhaps more so in a certain way; Slade was a veteran with a well-balanced fighting style to complement his arsenal, but he fought mostly in a straightforward manner, with little variation. Typical soldier mindset.

Shiva, by contrast, was at least half Slade's age and a reminder why martial artists were called artists. All of her moves were done with equal amounts of grace and deadliness, be it a punch or knee strike or hand chop. She shifted around blows that should've done serious damage and fought back with speed that made Ozpin wonder if she didn't in fact have Aura. Truly a prodigy.

Of course, Ozpin had been called that as well, and he was the headmaster of a school for warriors. Even in his current state, he knew how to read a fighting style.

The emerald Huntsman decided to play defensive for a bit, letting Shiva attack him with a series of blows from all sides. He suppressed a wince, seeing as Aura was only able to sporadically absorb impact, but weathered the storm, waiting until- There! Shiva's left leg kicked his cane out of his grip, making it spiral in the air, and slowed just a fraction of a second to add more power to the throat chop with her right.

In a speed she hadn't seen yet, Ozpin pivoted on his right foot, spinning three-hundred sixty degrees, and cracked the back of his left heel into her cheek. The dark-haired woman spat out blood as she fell to one knee; the kick had gone right through her defenses and unlike Deathstroke, she wore no armor to mitigate the impact. Rubbing her cheek, Shiva immediately looked back to see her opponent catch his cane in midfall. Her eyes flashed with anger, anticipation, but Oz could see a hint of uncertainty as well. Just as he'd planned.

Prodigies. They breeze so quickly through their areas of expertise that when an actual hurdle appears after a long period of success, many get thrown for a loop. I wonder how long it's been since you've been knocked down like that. From the way she rose and assumed her stance with noticeably more caution than before, quite a while.

Nevertheless, Shiva kept her composure and resumed attacking him. By now, though, Ozpin knew how she preferred to fight and was ready. Strikes that rattled him earlier were batted aside, kicks were preemptively stopped, he had even paid attention to the tells when the woman would attempt a feint. If it weren't for slight exhaustion and the Aura-poison stalemate his body found himself in, he could've finished the fight already and helped Batman.

Not that Batman needed the help, as he was able to notice. Even with most of his maneuvers going against thin air, Copperhead failed to deal a lethal blow despite her best efforts. She continued to taunt him with promises of him faltering, and the word, "pendejo," (whatever it meant) was spat out rather frequently. Still, Batman not only fended her off, but got off a fair number of hits too. After one knee to the chin made her stumble away, she screeched, "You should be dead!"

Unfortunately, she had a point. Oz noticed Bruce's body moving slower, as well as more sporadic coughing fits. And he couldn't really say he was in any better shape. An elbow to his ribs almost felt like someone had thrown a fireball at his chest. Blood trickled from his mouth. They needed to end this now.

And just like that, with the sound of glass shattering, a stroke of luck came. "Sirs, the drop container has arrived." Alfred, Gods-blessed Alfred reported. "Can you see it?"

"I see it," Batman rasped as an answer; the metal pod wasn't too far away from him. But Copperhead had crouched down in front of it. Gritting his teeth, Oz came up with a risky plan. As Shiva rushed him, he stepped aside at the last second, tripped her up with his cane, then grabbed her coat with both hands to hurl her with all his current might and Aura straight at the other assassin. Copperhead failed to notice before Shiva slammed into her, leaving both women sprawling along the floor.

Sighing in relief (he'd been lucky that the Copperhead he'd aimed at wasn't an illusion), Ozpin dragged himself towards the container while Batman almost collapsed against it and unlocked it. Two sets of fluid injectors rose from the folding-away panels, the vigilante taking one and immediately injecting it into his neck with a relieved grunt. He then took the other and, when Oz was close enough, stuck it into the older man's unshielded neck. The silver-haired man breathed out as he felt his strength return; the antitoxin was likely mixed with a safe sort of stimulant. In another minute, his Aura stopped fluctuating to return to its usual state.

Sounds of a scuffle drew their attention to close by. Copperhead had apparently not appreciated the fact Shiva used her to stop her fall, and Shiva wasn't eager to taste her little cocktail. The fight ended with the dark-haired woman launching her half-reptilian competitor into the air, then kicking her with both legs against the nearest steel beam. Copperhead slumped to the ground, dazed. Frankly speaking, he expected no other outcome in a scuffle between those two.

Eyeing her, Shiva wiped away more blood from her lips, then returned her attention to the two men. All three tensed up for a continuation of their fight, only for Shiva to give an impressed nod. "Defeating my followers, fending off that wretch, giving the most difficult fight I've ever had, all while at a fraction of your full strengths…" She bowed her head, this time with more respect. "Skilled. Honorable. Devoted. Traits both of you share.

"I see now, Batman, why the master has chosen you. And you, Ozpin," her brown eyes locked with his, "I know of no other person that matches your prowess. I included." The last part was said grudgingly, but Ozpin acknowledged the praise with a slight bow of his own. Shiva gave a decidedly unfriendly smirk. "For now."

Shiva turned back to Batman. "It seems we have both learned something today, detective. Be grateful you have him as an ally."

"I'm more grateful than you know," Batman replied, his voice stronger, "but I don't care about you or your master. We're bringing you in."

Shiva shook her head slightly. "No, you're not. But you have both earned a reprieve. I hope, in time, you will come to realize how wrong you are about Gotham. It is not meant to be saved. It cannot be saved - Only cleansed. And from the ashes, reborn."

"If that is what this master of yours truly believes, then you should be careful, Shiva." Ozpin warned, hands settling atop his cane. "I've heard such words many times before, and more often than not, the ones who said them learn that if you burn the present for the sake of a brighter future, you shouldn't act surprised when all it holds is ashes." I've learned that the hard way, too.

Shiva remained stoic. "One way or another, we'll see. Keep your skills at peak efficiency, Ozpin. I will be far stronger the next time we do battle." Then smoke flashed around her, and she was gone. Oz sighed at that. Taking a collection of lives in order to preserve many more. Such thinking can't be the right solution long-term. This could be trouble later down the road. …Though I wouldn't mind another, proper battle with her.

But right now, there was another enemy to deal with. And she was battered and exhausted, but neither man forgot what the professor had said about cornered animals. "You cabrones think you're cured? My poison is still in your veins," she climbed along the metal behind her to her feet, "and it will remain there for as long you live. Which won't be very long."

Ozpin blurred in green and slammed her one-handed against the beam. "I've had enough poisoning for one night, thank you." As he pulled out a length of sturdy cord from his utility belt to bind her, Batman's attention turned to the steel container still suspended by crane.

Soon enough, Copperhead was hogtied with the tightest knots Oz knew and the container was open on the ground. "You think these ties will hold me?" She sneered as Batman picked her up.

"Maybe not," he unceremoniously tossed her into the container. As she landed with a heavy thud and began to struggle, both stepped up to shut the doors. "But I'd like to see you get out of this."

Ozpin slid his door in. "And you might want to conserve strength, ma'am. Those ties are designed to grow tighter the more you wiggle. Have a pleasant evening otherwise."

Copperhead looked up. "I know where he is! The Joker."

Both paused in mid-closing. "Tell us." Batman poked his head through the crack.

"He's called the meeting. All the assassins will be there." An idea sparked in Ozpin's mind at that, and judging from the way Batman looked at him, they were on the same page. "When you set me free, I'll tell you where."

Neither Ozpin nor Batman liked that deal. "Thanks, I owe you one." With that, the dark knight made to close the door.

"Wait! I can tell you the location."

"You already did, much appreciated." Oz replied as his partner finished closing up and he forced the locks into place.

All the while, Copperhead provided him with a colorful display of what he assumed were foreign curses. Yes, Earth has an abundance of languages. I hope I have some time to learn a little more about them. Their captive belted out something like, "Malvado hijo verde de un gran puta!" …Preferably more than swear words.

As they walked through the warehouse, Batman sent out a call. "Alfred, send GCPD an anonymous tip. Tell them to look inside the shipping containers at the steel mill."

"Does that mean you and Master Ozpin have dealt with Copperhead, sir?"

"Yes. And we're about to deal with the Joker."

Alfred protested. "I don't think that's wise after what you two have just been through. You should come back here for medical-"

"Not now, Alfred." The tone was even sharper than usual; Oz could only worry why. But Batman didn't seem to care as he finished the call and strategized. "You figured out Electrocutioner's gloves emit a powerful electromagnetic signal, Ozpin, which we can follow with my scanner. He'll lead us straight to the Joker."

"First let's get out of this steel mill without any more surprises." As they moved through the loading bay, Ozpin could feel he was being watched. "…Is there something you wish to ask me, Batman?"

"That energy you use," he pointed towards Oz' face. A look in a relatively clean ice pillar revealed what Batman had noticed: a bruise under the Huntsman's right eye was visibly getting smaller. Soon enough, it was gone, just like the cut where Copperhead had poisoned him. "I would've offered having the Batwing take you back to the cave, but it doesn't just shield you, does it? It reinforces your physical strength and heals your wounds."

"Indeed. Good eye. It's called Aura and is a manifestation of my soul. Yes, I know," Oz chuckled at the look Batman gave him, "it sounds far-fetched, but it is the truth. Where I come from, we all have the potential to unlock and harness it for combat, among other things." His ears then picked something up. "I'd be happy to explain more, but later."

Batman followed his line of sight and understood. In the next room was a small group of thugs handling a large canister. "Alright, that's the last of them." Detective Vision revealed it contained illegal chemicals.

"Thank God." One slumped in relief. "My freakin' back's killing me."

"So now what?"

"We wait for the guys to show up and pay for the stuff." Batman used the jammer on the one thug carrying a rifle, then they simply walked up and beat down the mobsters in seconds. Frankly after the last battle, this couldn't even be called a skirmish.

"Let me destroy the canister before moving on." Batman marched up to it, applied some Explosive Gel, then blasted it to foul-smelling pieces. He then tapped his cowl.

"Sir?"

"I'm uploading a chemical sample. I need you to run a scan of the city. Look for high concentrations of the compound. Find the source and we can shut them down." This boy is a relentless multitasker. Much like, Ozpin recalled with a pang of guilt, the missing leader of Team STRQ. Missing...Wait...Could it be possible-No, focus on the mission; not past regrets and certainly not minuscule hopes, you old fool.

"Certainly. I'll alert you as soon as I've found something." With that, they walked out of the mill towards the next mission.

"Now, about this 'soul power'…"

"Would it cause irreparable damage to your moral core to be a little more open-minded?"

I promised you guys I'd give you a Ozpin vs. Shiva fight, didn't I? With the Aura, I know Qrow was still poisoned by Tyrian despite being a veteran, but for one, he lasted a lot longer than most (albeit not in best shape), and for another, Oz has got experience he doesn't. Who says you can't use Aura to counter toxins? And it didn't cure him, either, it just lessened the effects. Thanks to my genius editor, MasterPrince713. And most importantly, Happy Halloween!

Review Q&A:

*To SargentEpsilon: Yeah, it's easier for them to split up and handle little details while on the move, then come together for the big stuff. And I liked the canon details of rejected assassins' files in the story so naturally I added it.

*To Jebest4781: Always a pleasure :-).

*To the first guest: It's a little vague, probably intentionally seeing as we're talking about fairy tales. I for one have little interest in the Brother Gods themselves; they're incredibly powerful with ideas of morality very different from ours. Hopefully there won't be too many "nudges".

*To MetalScizor: I appreciate your thoughts, hence why Ozpin is poisoned in this story. It leaves him weakened, but not helpless, and it sure as heck won't be the last time he's vulnerable. As for Bats, I know he's still rough around the edges but not helpless, either. Hence why he defeats Copperhead this time around while Oz keeps Shiva busy. But I don't think he has that trick with the bat insignia and armor this early in his career. One way or another, I hope you keep reading and enjoy what will be coming next.

*To MajorBrony95: Ask and you shall receive ;-)! And no worries to you and all my other loyal readers, Copperhead may just slither into their way again, prompting Oz to play snake-beater… who knows?

*To Mastermind4982: As always, you find just the right way to articulate the thoughts I had in mind while writing this. Shiva is no doubt both wary after their clash and delighted at another sparring partner. Really glad Oscar doesn't have to fight her just yet, he's still got a ways to grow.

*To the second guest: I really wish Oz would finally get a break, but sorry, no time travel in this story. Only dimension-hopping.

*To the third guest: Agreed, reincarnation just opens so many doors for other stories. If I've got the time and creativity, I might try my luck at one or two.

*To the fourth guest: Indeed, Oz is an empathetic guy, I'll gladly risk a fistfight over that. And maybe there is at least one no-name crook among his collection of past lives.

*To Agent 48: Seeing Pyrrha again would be beautiful, but for now, I'll just be satisfied with watching the living characters deal with each other. And I hope you're satisfied with the boss battle here.