Bruised
Chapter Three
Prince or King
Kindness and faithfulness keep a king safe, through kindness his throne is made secure.
Danny blinked his eyes open. He'd been having issues with dealing with the changes. But the last thing he remembered was falling into Batman in Wayne Manor as a bunch of what he believed were assassins in gas masks showed up.
He was never going to get any rest this way.
He looked around and noticed a glowing green pool. It looked a lot like the waterways in the Ghost Zone more than anything else.
He was also tied to a chair and in front of him were Batman and Robin hanging by their hands from the ceiling.
Danny hoped that Dick and the rest of them were okay. That Ember was safe as well. But he couldn't help but wonder why he was taken. Why would they want some random kid from Amity Park?
Batman groaned from where he was before looking around as well. And Danny could tell he was upset by something. Probably the situation.
Suddenly a man walked with an evil grin making Danny blink. He was very tried of creepy old guys.
"Welcome, Detective," the man grinned as he circled Danny. "You know, after taking in my grandson, I figured you'd stop collecting children. But it appears as if you have a type." Danny shuttered wanting out of here, but he did not want them knowing what he was. Ra's gently brushed against Danny making the hybrid angry.
He wanted to keep that secret as long as he could especially since he had no idea who this guy was.
"What do you want Ra's?" Batman growled. The man only grinned again before pulling out a blade.
"Since the young Jason seems to have handled the madness quite well, why not test to see if your new little bird can?" Ra's smiled. He only need Batman out of his way for the next couple of months.
Mostly needed him to not be looking for his daughter as she continues their plans from behind the scenes.
Suddenly Ra's stabbed his blade into Danny's shoulder and Danny screamed.
He wasn't expecting that.
He would've gone intangible.
The world floated for a moment before Ra's face came close to his.
He could feel the blood start to pour from the wound as Ra's pulled the blade out.
Batman was yelling as he struggled to free himself.
Danny's world was moving and swirling until suddenly he felt himself surrounded by the glowing green waters.
Danny looked around remembering everything as the woman in front of him smiled.
"You are the one that saved the Ghost Zone. Can you save us?"
"Whose us?" Danny asked looking around. They were the only ones here.
"My brothers and sisters of Lazarus," she asked making Danny twist around to look around as different people popped into existence.
"We have been trapped here in the waters between worlds for thousands of years. Our Father did it for the power that the Ghost King Pariah Dark promised him," she explained as she walked around him.
There were varying types of people from what Danny could guess from around the world.
What seemed like a Native American Warrior in a formal headdress to a Viking with a long sword and then a Samurai and a Ninja.
There were so many all from throughout time and cultures.
"What do you want from me?" Danny asked looking up at her. He wasn't sure what was going on, but if he could help them, he would.
His core sang.
Batman finally worked his cuffs loose. He didn't want to drag Danny into this life, and he was only supposed to be here for a short time anyway.
But that was a later problem. For now he needed to take down Ra's and grab Danny.
Robin also had gotten out of his cuffs.
Now they were dueling blades. Batman turned to the Pit as it started glowing white. He was too late, but all he could do was hope that Danny wouldn't be too far out of their reach.
That he wouldn't fail him like he had done to Jason.
"So you want passage to the Ghost Zone?" Danny asked as he crossed his arms. He wanted to help them, but he also wanted to protect the Ghost Zone. He wasn't sure what to think, but they hadn't attacked or threatened him in any way.
Something in him was telling him it was okay to trust them.
"Yes, it's been a while since we've been home," the lady pleaded. Danny looked around at the hopeful faces around him.
He could do this. If it was anything too bad, Clockwork would stop it.
Right?
"Alright, so how do we do this?" Danny asked before suddenly his vision was white.
"We just need a ride, Young One. Our promise to protect you from harm will follow," the lady promised.
White light blinded everyone momentarily. When their vision cleared, they all looked over at the Pit. A figure was on top of the water crouched down. A black cloak wrapped around their shoulder and a staff in their hands.
They looked up with electric green eyes.
Batman felt fear as he knew a fight was gonna be had by Danny with Pit madness. The green was brighter than anything he had seen before.
And even worse was the suspicion that Danny was a meta. And what the waters did to metas was untested.
Even Ra's was surprised by what was happening.
Suddenly the Pit froze solid as Danny hopped down.
"We've been waiting a long time," voices spoke coming from the young child. "And you," the figure pointed their staff at Ra's, "have hurt our young savior and threatened lives of the innocent. We do not approve of this."
The staff suddenly became a sword as they spun it though the air. Batman backed off unsure what was happening.
This wasn't Danny anymore.
It wasn't Madness from the Pit either.
It was something otherworldly.
Batman shoved his fear in a box and slipped Batarangs into his hand ready for anything.
Ra's raised his sword and prepared to fight the being that apparently had risen from the Pit.
He wasn't sure what to think of this since this had never happened before.
For the first time, he was unsure of the outcome whether he won or lost.
He was unsure of what exactly it was that was let loose.
"Our savior has promised us passage for safety. We will keep our end as shall he," the voices said as they slid into a battle stance. "And the Demon head shall fall, for this marks the end of the League of Shadowed Assassins. We shall ensure of this. As you have abused the powers granted from the ecto-waters. You have upset the balance."
Batman agreed that the League needed to go, but he was unsure of what this being really wanted.
"Who are you?" He asked as he watched them carefully. The stance they had taken was steady, and they were clearly trained. Cold air surrounded them as he caught a glimpse of armor and…a hazmat suit underneath?
"We are the Daughters and Sons of Lazarus. We've been trapped between worlds for years. And you have delivered our salvation in the form of the Savior," the voices explained as the green eyes turned to Batman. "You are the Gotham's Protector, you will protect our savior when we have been returned home." Batman backed up slightly unsure what exactly was going on. He figured this meant that Danny would be brought back.
Suddenly a gunshot was heard, and Batman watched as Danny's figure flinched back.
Green poured from a wound before the being looked up at the ceiling.
In a hidden cave was Talia who looked smug for moment before Danny vanished in a cloud of green.
She screamed as she fell. Danny suddenly there.
"You have harmed our Savior," the voices screamed, and everything started shaking. Green lights flashed around them all before slowly dying back down.
They weren't quick enough to save her.
Danny felt his core hurt for a moment before he looked around.
"What's going on?" He asked before he felt their presence soothe his core.
"We are protecting you," the voices said. And Danny hoped they weren't hurting anyone.
"What happened?"
"A demon tried to harm you." Danny blinked confused before they let him see the corrupted soul.
She had fallen.
But Danny knew that they had pushed her.
But she was a demon.
He could feel his core tear itself in two for a moment before it was soothed again.
"Fear not, young one. She has harmed many innocents in her lifetimes. This is for the best as she was destined to farther hurt the Protectors of this world."
"Worry not, Young One, the protection you offer others are worth far more than her life ever could."
"Mother!" Robin yelled in horror. He believed his family to be strong and invincible. But Ra's looked to the Pit and knew.
His daughter was gone forever. He would be unable to revive her.
The light reflected off the ice that coated it.
Whatever had been released from the Pit would destroy his legacy, and he wasn't sure if he could stop it. There were far too many unknowns. Ra's believed that he had known everything about the Pits, but now he knew he did not.
And it would lead to his downfall.
Stalagmites fell as the earth shifted. Batman and Robin took cover.
Danny was suddenly in front of them as the cave they were heading to collapsed. Ra's was not as lucky when the cave system he headed to had also collapsed. Batman took in a breath.
He did not condone killing, but this wasn't something he could exactly control. Not with the Earth moving this way, and he wasn't about to tangle with unknown beings inside someone he doesn't want to risk.
Ra's had clearly stumbled onto something otherworldly.
"We're trapped," Robin said as he took out his blade ready to battle.
To release his grief into the being that killed his mother.
Batman put his hand out to stop him.
"You are not trapped. Our Savior would not allow innocents to be harmed. Much less those that protect others. His core would not allow it," the voices said as the figure took its hood down. White hair gently shifted around from the power radiating around.
Batman looked into bright green eyes and knew that whatever was driving people mad from the Pit was inside the boy.
"You said you wouldn't harm him," Batman reminded. The figure tilted it's head.
"We would never harm our savior. He has promised us passage and a way home. According to him, we must go to Amity Park. For there is a portal home there."
I may have covid and am stuck at home now...so here's an update.
I hate being sick
But it does give me a chance to write some.
So let me know what you think.
This is the beginning of what I had actually written first, and I am concerned for flow...sorta.