Robinson Park was one of the last vestiges of greenery in the city. Trees that had been growing for hundreds of years loomed over the park, protected by city ordinance and federal law. It helped that President Teddy Roosevelt had been at the park's grand opening, cutting the ceremonial ribbon himself and proclaiming it a place for all of Gotham to enjoy.
That wasn't to say developers hadn't tried many times to slowly carve out chunks of the park, but most of their attempts had been rebuffed. The last successful attempt had occurred some thirty years ago, resulting in the city being sued by every environmental activist group imaginable, the EPA, and even the federal government. Construction had started, but there was constant sabotage, and theft of building materials and equipment. The lawsuits had prevailed in superior courts and the developer lost millions. It was now used as a cautionary tale as to what would happen if anyone else tried.
And still there were attempts.
To date, none had been successful. In fact, there hadn't been one since Pamela Isley had tried to take over the city with her plants. Robinson Park had become more forest than it ever had been since before colonization.
And it was here that some of Gotham's worst would gather for a confrontation. The Riddler had taken over the city's media centers and broadcasted a riddle meant to provoke the Joker into action. That riddle had brought Batman here as well, the vigilante stationed on top of a building opposite the south entrance.
He wasn't alone either. The Birds of Prey were here, covering the other entrances. Unless the Joker drilled his way from underground—which one couldn't rule out because this was the Joker—someone would spot his arrival.
The riddle had been well constructed. It's creator also knew there were others able to solve it though, as the riddle indicated. "Only those of wicked smiles and monstrous faces may enter," clearly meant it was for the Joker and his crew.
As for the where, that's where the first line came into play. The literary reference to an island referred to Robinson Crusoe, a book about a man trapped on an island. Then there was roughneck Teddy, meaning Teddy Roosevelt. How did Robinson and Roosevelt come to play with each other in Gotham? Robinson Park.
The vigilantes had staked the area out even before the sun had set. Based on the number of people still out, it was clear many of Gotham's citizens hadn't solved the riddle, which was most likely the point. Considering Batman's own history with the Riddler, the man had to assume that he had figured it out and would be here. So how was this going to play out? Was this just so both the Dark Knight and the Joker fought it out and then Strange entered at the end to defeat the last man standing? Was it to trap them both? Neither?
What was the endgame here?
"Perimeter check," came Oracle's voice over the comm link. The hacker was doing her best to keep surveillance, though that wouldn't be possible inside the park as there were very few security cameras available within it. For now, she would be the intermediary the vigilantes would use to keep in touch with each other.
"Nothing at the Northwest entrance," came Huntress' response.
"Nothing at the West entrance." Black Canary.
"No sign at Northeast." Katana.
There was a pause, so Batman responded, "Nothing at the South." That just left Manhunter at the east entrance.
Several moments passed, which caused the dark-clad man to glance in the direction of the east entrance. The longer it went, the more anxious he felt.
Then, "I've got movement at the East entrance," Manhunter reported. "Just give me a second to confirm."
Movement—by whom? It could be civilians; it could be the Joker; it could even be Strange's crew. There was no telling until they received confirmation.
Finally, "I've got 'em. Joker's brought his whole crew and they're entering through the East entrance," Manhunter said.
"Everyone close in," Batman ordered. "Manhunter, follow the Joker and bring up their rear. We strike at the same time and bring them down hard."
He didn't wait for confirmation of his order as he leaped off of the building he stood on, activating his cape's glider mode. He soared through the air, passing over the wall surrounding Robinson Park, angling towards the east.
The wonderful sounds of concrete and pavement ended the moment they crossed over. An unnatural green color took over the sedate greys, browns, and creams. It was just so unnatural.
Standing at the entrance to Robinson Park, Joker placed his hands on his hips and gazed out unto the—ugh—great outdoors. Give him the hustle and bustle of the city because this park thing just wasn't him. You would think since he had an affinity to green, he'd rather like this place, but he didn't. He really didn't. There wasn't anything here worth blowing up, or holding people hostage, or even painting it red with the blood of some poor unfortunate soul.
It screamed boring. The Joker was anything but boring.
"Alright, troops!" the clown proclaimed as he spun around to look at his forces. Each one had their weapons, plus additional guns and ammunition. This was going to be a gunfight after all, regardless of whatever Strange had in mind. He could bring his mind games and his scalpels and his lack of sense of humor, but they were poor weapons in the face of a gun. Heh, perhaps he would paint some of this green red after all. "Here is your mission! There's an arrogant, balding, older man with a Napoleon complex hiding out in these woods. Ten thousand for every mindless pawn he's roped into this; a hundred thousand for any of those costumed idiots that think they can box in a higher weight class, and a cool one million for said arrogant, balding, older man with a Napoleon complex! Any questions!"
"You're gonna pay us?!" Harley squealed, gyrating where she stood. "You're so generous, Puddin'!"
The Joker blinked. "Pay?" he repeated as if it were a foreign concept. "Who ever said anything about money? I meant points! Scores that, like in real life, are completely made up and don't even matter!"
"Ugh," Croc grunted. "And here I thought we'd get paid for this."
"You, my walking leather wallet, are getting paid, but in a different coin. You see, I'm letting you live long enough to help me, or until some Australian guy comes around and wrestles you down. Either way, you should count your blessings."
"I'm getting sick of those jokes, Clown," the crocodile man growled.
"You knew what you were getting into when you signed up, live with it." Joker spun around to regard the woods, a look of distaste on his face. "Now let's go do that voodoo we do so well."
The sound of grass crinkling beneath their feet filled the air as they trampled towards the trees. There were a few dirt paths for the soccer moms out on a morning jog, which helped since the woods got denser as they went in, forcing them onto the trail. It was a boring, straight one too, though it did start to curve to the left and then back to the right after all. For all those people that liked hiking, this was duller than watching paint dry, and he would know, he did that to pass the time in Arkham!
Never underestimate drying paint, kids; those fumes could alter a man's perceptions pretty good. Forest green was the best.
At one point, Harley scampered in front of them, coming to a stop where the path diverged into two. "Which one do we take," Mr. J?" she asked, scratching her head in puzzlement.
"How much do you want to bet he'll go with the one least traveled?" Two-Face said to Scarecrow.
"Sucker bet," the burlap-wearing man responded.
"And you two would be right!" the Joker informed them. "But not because of that Bobby Frost guy. This is Strange we're talking about and he'd want to lure us to some remote place in the forest before triggering his trap. He's a rather predictable fellow."
"Uhh, guys?" Croc said.
"He's not wrong," Two-Face agreed. "Any of you been out here before? Where is the most secluded place here?"
"Guys?"
"Can't say I was much into the outdoors," Scarecrow responded. "I never visited this place."
"Guys."
"Well, you're in luck!" the Joker exclaimed. "Because I've been here!"
"Guys."
"Of course, you have," Two-Face grunted. "When?"
"Guys!"
"What?!" the three men shouted in unison.
"Shut yer traps and listen," Croc told them. "There's something out here."
"Where?" the Joker asked, looking two and fro. "I don't see anything."
Naturally, that was when the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention. Rustling leaves joined in, but from all sorts of different directions. "I think there's more than just one something out there," Harley said nervously.
There was movement between the trees. It was quick, so none of them got a good look at it. Then it happened again, but slower. There it was, something big and lumbering and it was clearly coming towards them.
But then out of the corner of Joker's eye, he caught the same sight just off to his right, and then further right, and then all around them. Whatever was coming towards them, it had them surrounded.
Clever girls.
"What the hell is going on?" Two-Face growled as he hefted up his tommy gun.
"I think I was wrong," the Joker admitted. It wasn't an easy thing to say too. "It seems we walked right into the trap."
That's when one of the figures emerged into sight, the shadows from the trees no longer hiding it. It was a mass of vines and leaves, shaped like an oversized dog. Its mouth was open, sharp teeth lining its mouth.
"Oooooooh!" Harley squealed. "It's so cute!"
The men looked at the girl, causing her to shrink in on herself. More of those weird plant creatures appeared, all different shapes and sizes. There was one that looked like a bear, another like a tiger, and a boar, a wolf, a R.O.U.S.—you know, Rat of Unusual Size; they do exist after all.
"So, fearless leader," Two-Face spoke up. "What's your big idea to get out of this?"
The green-haired man held up his oversized handgun, then pulled out a flask from his jacket. "You've got a gun, don't ya?" he replied rhetorically. "Then do what any sensible person would do and shoot the hell out of these things!"
A second later and the beautiful sound of machine guns firing filled the air. It was music to his ears.
The all-too familiar sound of gunshots alerted the vigilantes in an instant. Having kept to the air, Batman turned course and began following the sounds. He knew he was going the right way as they became louder.
Looking down, he saw the canopy the trees had made, their leaves creating a green carpet, making it all but impossible to see the ground below. For a moment, he thought he saw flashes of light—the result of the gunpowder exploding and exiting out the gun barrels. Soaring by the sight, he made a wide U-turn, attempting to return to the spot.
For a moment, Batman thought he was seeing things. Though there was a breeze as he glided, which naturally made the leaves wave back and forth, it seemed as if the canopy was becoming thicker. There had been an occasional spot, a hole that revealed lower branches, but he wasn't seeing those now.
Suddenly, he heard a whizzing sound and something lightly brushed against the underside of his arm. Though it barely touched him, whatever it was went right through his cape and he knew it instantly as he suddenly jerked to one side, turning so that he was sideways in the air.
Then he saw it. Shooting up from the forest was a large, pointed thorn. He heard the same whizzing sound as it shot right towards him. Going with the flow of his unexpected turn, he went into a barrel roll, avoiding the thorn and ending up stomach down.
Then came more, the thorns missing his body, but tearing right through his cape, leaving more holes. His flight jerked back and forth in response. The canopy was starting to rush right up to him as he began losing altitude.
Damn it, he had to get out of here. It was clear that someone—and he had a good idea who—was trying to steer him away from this location. Normally he wouldn't have let that deter him, but he was above a forest, which put him at a strong disadvantage. Turning as much as he could, he began heading towards the eastern entrance of the park. Hopefully the rest of the Birds of Prey were converging there.
Unfortunately he wouldn't make it. His descent was too fast and he went right into the canopy. Letting go of his cape in favor of protecting his face with his arms, he dropped through branches, leaves, and vines. The vegetation batted at his body as he crashed through them, ripping through leaves and snapping thin branches.
And then he was in empty air. Immediately he grabbed onto the edges of his cape and spread it as wide as it could, creating a makeshift parachute with it. His descent slowed, but thanks to the holes in his cape, it wasn't as effective as it should have been. He ended up crashing to the forest floor, landing in a heap.
"Uaaaah!" he grunted as he hit, laying on a floor of dirt and leaves. His body throbbed from the landing, the vigilante opting to lay there for a moment to recover.
That wasn't the greatest of ideas admittingly, especially with Poison Ivy on the loose here. Who else could have fired those enlarged thorns at him but her? And with her control of plant-life, lying in the middle of the woods was a horrible idea. He needed to retreat before she decided to take advantage of his current situation.
With a grunt, he began to push himself up. Rolling his shoulders and flexing his arms and hands showed he hadn't broken them and the presence of soreness in his legs indicated they weren't as well. Running a hand up and down his chest and abdomen, he didn't feel any broken ribs, so that was a plus as well.
That's when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. Looking up, he caught the sight of figures moving by trees, familiar colors appearing and disappearing as soon as he saw them. It was only a few moments before the Birds of Prey arrived, their weapons drawn and ready for battle.
"You okay?" Huntress called out to him, her bo staff in hand. "We saw you go down."
"I'm fine," he answered as he held himself at his full height. He turned to one side and gazed down the pathway they were on. "Joker is somewhere in that direction. I caught sight of their gunfire before Poison Ivy attacked."
"Of course she would be here," Manhunter groused. "No wonder Strange and Riddler drew us all here. They're going to use her to wipe us all out."
It wasn't too much of a leap to come to that conclusion. They had all expected a trap and they still walked into it willingly. "That means we just need to stay on our guard. We kept together, don't let anyone get separated. It'll be too easy for Ivy to pick us off if we do."
He heard murmurs of agreement from the Birds and with that, they began walking down the trail. It wasn't long before there was a soft curve to the left, which they followed. All the while, they could still hear gunfire, which meant Joker was still fighting whatever it was Ivy had attacked him with.
However, before too long, it became apparent they weren't heading towards the gunshots. In fact. Instead of those sounds coming in front of them, they drifted off to their right. Coming to a stop, Batman stared in the direction of the gunfire. In front of him was overgrowth, but nothing he couldn't get through if he really wanted to.
"You noticed it too," Black Canary spoke up. "We've been moving around the gunfire instead of heading towards it."
"Then let's change course," Huntress said. "We go dead ahead, forget the trail."
Batman didn't bother responding as he stepped off the trail, mindful of his steps as leaves crunched beneath his feet. The others followed his example and they were trampling by trees and around bushes, the uneven ground keeping them from going too fast.
Soon they ran into a towering hedge, causing them all to stop. "Was this here before?" Manhunter asked as she ran a hand along the hedge.
"No," Batman growled. "This is a manicured bush and those are only located at the park's entrances, not in the middle of the woods. This was grown recently, even mere minutes ago."
"Ivy," Huntress grunted. "She's trying to block us off."
"Let's see how far this hedge goes," Black Canary responded.
While not his preferred option, it was the safest one. So they went left, following next to the hedge. As it turned out, they emerged onto a pathway, one the went along the side of the hedge, which only broke up when it went right into a tree, restarting on the opposite side.
It wasn't long after that they came to a stop. The sound of gunfire had stopped, but the last vestiges of it had been drawing away from them as they had walked. "She's leading us away again," he said out loud.
"Should have known," Manhunter agreed. "I say we just cut our way through."
In an instant, Batman retrieved two of his bat-shaped shuriken, one in each hand. Lashing out his arm like a wipe, he cut into the hedge, slicing off some of the thin, leafy branches. Katana was next as she hacked into the towering bush with her sword, making much better progress. Huntress had her own H-shaped shuriken and was following the Dark Knight's lead as Black Canary and Manhunter turned to regard the rest of the forest, making sure nothing tried to sneak up on them.
After all, they were on Poison Ivy's turf. She could grow just about anything here at a moment's notice and they were definitely getting her attention by attacking her plants. It was a matter of when, not if.
Pamela was performing wonderfully. Her control over plant-life was incredible, and to think what she was capable of at the microlevel; it had been a good choice to recruit her. Currently, the Joker and his forces were engaged with what Pamela claimed as her Children, and who was he to argue about the name?
Expectedly, as soon as the clown appeared, Batman and his allies would do so as well. Pamela was prepared as this was anticipated. Edward's riddle was broadcasted to the city; there had been no real way to give such a challenge to the Joker personally. With such a public notice, everyone was privy, and of course Batman would solve it.
His sense of duty would bring him here; he would allow allies as the forces involved were too great for him alone. The interloper needed to be dealt with. A flight was ended and the vigilante was forced to ground. The former shrink imagined his opponent to be injured, helpless, and this was probably the best time to strike.
But no.
No, Batman deserved better than being a side attraction. Something special and momentous was what he deserved and nothing less. So distraction and diversion were the weapons of choice there.
"He's grouped with his followers," Pamela announced. Strange nodded his head at the mutated scientist.
"We planned for this. You know what needs to be done," he commented. Then, to a more important topic, "Status of Joker and his followers?"
"All in one piece." There was an edge to her voice, a simmering anger. Her devotion to all her creations was concerning. Still, as long as she kept her emotions in check, so long as they reached the planned for conclusion, what was simmering rage in the grand scheme?
"If they are in one piece, then they are holding out remarkably well," Edward observed. "Perhaps we should move on to the next contingency?"
When Pamela did not immediately speak up and demand more time, Strange knew that his green-skinned ally was receptive to a change in actions. She was still clearheaded for the time being. Good.
"It was anticipated that our enemies would put up a fight. We planned for heavy resistance," he remarked. "Together, they are formidable, so we shall divide to conquer. Edward, contact Jervis and give him the order. Then move into position yourself. Ivy, give the command to your Children to separate our foes. It does not matter if you have to do so slowly, or quickly. Pick your pace."
"What of Batman?" Pamela asked, though it came out more as an irritable response.
What of Batman? Well, so long as he was in play, he was still a threat. "You have many children, do you not? Not all have to play with clowns, do they? If nothing else, they will confound and you can better focus on the true target."
"Then that is what I shall do," Pamela replied. "If you have nothing else for me, my Children need me on the front lines. I will make sure those murderers receive retribution."
Someone had made up their mind. While Strange preferred to keep the most powerful of their ranks close, there was one thing he understood far better.
Never get in the way of a woman who had made up her mind.
"Do what you feel you must," was all he said in regard to the matter. "I will continue coordination from here. We are just beginning the plan. Do not lose sight of the goal."
Then he was alone. The rest of the pieces were taking to the field. Now to make sure everything went according to plan, or as close as it could be. The time when plans fell apart was during the first engagement with the enemy, after all.
The plant...animal...things were ripped apart by the hailstorm of bullets. They roared from pain and frustration as they were beaten back. That had been the first wave.
Then came the second.
This next group were less animals and more a combination of them. A cat with a scorpion tail. A wolf with crab pincers and legs. There was even a snake with wings.
Two-Face opened fire first, quickly followed by the Scarecrow. He didn't fire for long as he reached the end of his clip. Frantically, he yanked the empty magazine out and fumbled trying to put in another. For his sake, Killer Croc picked up his slack as he fired his own machine gun.
All the while, the Joker just danced around, randomly firing off his handgun without a care in the world. He had a flask in hand, the stopper popped off, and thanks to his random dance moves, the liquor within was slouching out, flying all over the place and wetting whatever it hit. There was a smell to it that made him wonder just what liquor the clown drank because it was strong and off-putting. That wasn't the oddest thing though.
Out of all of this mayhem, Harley Quinn stood there, the plant monsters blatantly ignoring her. She had even shot a few of them and they had just stopped, growled at her, and then lunged for one of the men.
"Hey!" Harley cried out after the fourth time that had happened. "What am I? Invisible? I'm standing right here!"
"You've got to be kidding," Two-Face grunted as he made mulch out of one of the plant animals. "These things aren't attacking her and she's pissed about it?"
"A rather odd turn of events, isn't it?" the Scarecrow responded. "Why are we the only ones being targeted? If these things are like their animal counterparts, they would be going after the weakest prey first."
There was a giggle that grew into a laugh. "OH, this is just too much!" the Joker cackled. He spun around in place, arms thrown out wide. The liquor in his flask launched out a rather large amount, which splattered across trees and bushes.
"Mind sharing what's so funny about this?" the burlap-wearing man pressed with irritation.
"These are man-eating monsters!" the Joker exclaimed. "Key word: man! And as much as I love my Harley, she just isn't equipped!"
"Oh, sure," Croc grunted as he finished off another plant monster, giving it a kick to reduce it to a lump of leaves and mud. "Had to make that literal."
"It does make sense," Scarecrow relented. "I suppose we can thank Poison Ivy for this."
"Who else?! You know any other man-hating plant ladies around?!" The Joker made to take a sip from the flask, but stopped. "Oh, running on empty, huh?" He then tossed the flask away, and then reached to the flower on his jacket's lapel. A spray of acid launched from the flower, splattering all over an encroaching plant monster, causing it to scream as it melted into green paste. He then coolly slipped his hand inside of his jacket, only to pull out another flask, popping off the stopper, but then began spinning around, sending more liquor flying through the air.
By then, Two-Face took a few placed shots, taking down the last plant creature. "If this is the best she's got, then I'm not impressed," he grunted. Hell, the number of bullet casing at their feet was more alarming than these monsters, and that was a rather scary number if one cared to count.
"Is that right?" a rather ethereal voice sounded, seemingly coming from everywhere. "Am I boring you, Mr. District Attorney?"
"And here's the bitch we all have to thank for this," the two-faced man growled.
"Hey!" Harley Quinn shouted. "What's the big idea ignoring me?! Huh?! Am I not good enough for ya?!"
Croc eyed the clown girl. "She's still upset that she didn't get attacked? Crazy broad."
"Oh! Pammy, Pammy, Pammy," the Joker tsked. "You really disappoint me, you know that? I mean, plants that look like animals? That's hardly a challenge against my guns. Surely you can do better than that."
"Is it a challenge you want?" her voice echoed out bemused. "I can offer you that. In fact, here it comes."
It was quiet for a moment before there were sounds of leaves being crushed beneath feet. There were grunts and snarls seemingly coming from all around. Shadows danced between the trees, hidden figures that were approaching the rogues. It was just like when the plant animals tried to surround them.
And then they appeared, but they didn't look anything like animals. They towered over them all, including Killer Croc. Rough green skin was broken up by round growths, cactus needles sticking out of them. Massive arms nearly touched the ground, sharp claws sticking out of their ends. They lacked necks, or so it appeared as if their heads grew out of their shoulders, tufts of hair oddly enough growing out of the top of their heads. Their mouths were stretched wide, revealing human-like teeth in the middle, and darkness pouring out of their gaping maws. Rage glowed from their eyes.
"You wanted a challenge," Ivy reminded them. "Now face my children. They're dying to make mulch out of you."
"You just had to open your dumb mouth, didn't you, Clown," Two-Face growled.
The hedge was thick. Whether it started that way, or Ivy continued to grow it in response to their pruning attacks was unknown. Eventually, they broke through thanks to Katana's sword slicing off large chunks of leaves and branches.
Immediately the vigilantes poured through the hole, emerging out on the other side. The sound of gunfire had started up again, though it didn't seem further off than it had previously. Hopefully, Joker's group was still in the same place, though the echoes that bounced through the trees made it more difficult to determine that.
Returning his bat-shaped shuriken to his belt, Batman allowed his cape to hang over his shoulders, enveloping his body. The Birds spread out to his right, on their guards with their preferred weapons up.
The ground before them rose upward, forming a hill covered in leaves, small twigs, and dirt, which was broken up with various growths of grass and tall, thin trees. Without a word, Batman began to walk up the hill, the Birds following his lead.
It went without saying that they should all be on their guards. Whatever was causing Joker's group to be firing their weapons could be anywhere in this forest.
It came without warning. As Manhunter took a step, her foot was suddenly yanked out from underneath her, her left foot jerking into her right and knocking her legs out from underneath her. Eyes wide, she fell awkwardly to the ground, yelping as she landed.
And then she started sliding off to a side. Immediately, Black Canary and Huntress were at her side, grabbing onto the red-and-white-clad woman by her hands. Her feet dug into the earth as they pulled as hard as they could.
"Something has my feet!" Manhunter shouted, more to warn them than out of panic. She was wiggling her legs, trying to free them, but that just made it more difficult for her comrades to hang onto her.
"Will you stop squirming?!" Huntress demanded. "I can't hang on if you keep moving around!"
Immediately, Batman had a shuriken out and he sent it flying towards the women. It arched through the air, passing by the struggling women, and struck something that let out a scream. Suddenly, the three Birds lunged backwards, Canary and Huntress landing on their backs as Manhunter plowed into their legs. Whatever had been pulling the latter must have been sliced off by the bat-shaped projectile.
Katana made to step towards her comrades. That's when the second attack came. Right as she raised her foot, a moderately sized tree root suddenly ripped itself out of the earth, rising up to the perfect height for the Asian woman's foot to collide with it, tripping her as she went stumbling forward. Shooting out of the dirt, vines suddenly wrapped around her feet and legs, moving up her body and pinning her arms to her body. Because of her stumbling, Katana ended up falling to the ground, landing hard on her stomach. Somehow she still kept ahold of her sword.
That was when the vines ripped up from the ground, stretching across the hill and disappearing further into the woods. It was as if they had been buried here, waiting to spring their trap. Then without warning, Katana was then dragged across the ground, heading in Batman's direction.
Immediately, he knelt down and grabbed onto the red-and-yellow-clad woman and was yanked down to the ground with her, being dragged as he hung onto her tightly. Faintly, he heard shouts from the other Birds, a second attempt on them being launched.
The Dark Knight couldn't worry about them at the moment though; he had his hands full here. Making sure he had at least one hand with a good grip on the vines wrapped around Katana, he eyed an approaching tree that they were about to pass. At the right moment, he reached out with his other hand grabbed onto it, nearly feeling his arm being yanked out of his socketed as he did so.
The important part was that they stopped though, even as the strain was already burning through the vigilante's arms. Feeling himself stretched out, one hand grabbing the tree, the other onto Katana's vegetation restraints, he grunted from the force that was pulling on him.
"Katana," he grunted, gritting his teeth. "Try and...free yourself."
He felt the woman shifted. Clearly she was trying to figure out the best way to do so. Unfortunately, whatever time they had came to an abrupt end. High above them, buds of flowers began to grow out from one of the tree's branches. Faster than any plant could possibly grow, the buds swelled and bloomed into flowers, ones that soon formed gaping mouths with sharp teeth at their centers. The flowers began growing downward off of the branch, reaching down to the Dark Knight as they snapped their toothy mouths.
That was just...perfect.
As one snapped its jaws inches from his face, Batman realized he only had two options. One: hang on as long as he could and get bit and attacked by these snapping flowers; two: he let go and did his best to hang onto Katana as they were dragged through the forest.
He knew he didn't want to be separated too far from the other Birds. He also knew he wouldn't be much help if he was torn into pieces.
Letting go of the tree, he immediately shot his hand to grab onto some part of Katana, the two immediately being dragged once again. It wasn't the best choice, but it sure as hell beat being eaten alive.
Now he just needed to hang on as tightly as he could so that he and Katana weren't separated. As the uneven ground indicated, that wasn't going to be easy.
The latest wave of plant creatures Poison Ivy sends are based off of ones from the BTAS episode House and Garden, where she marries an Arkham psychiatrist to create a normal life, or as normal as she can make it. She made children from plants and with a growth hormone increased their growth into hulking monsters, which she used to kidnap wealthy Gothamites to hold for ransom. AV and I decided to get some use out of them for this arc of the story. We'll see how Team Joker handles them lol
