Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)
Chapter 11: Fresh New Digs
Titans Tower, Jump City
It had been a few days since Control Freak's attack on Jump Studios. The damage was being slowly repaired, but it wouldn't be completed for several more weeks. Blake personally didn't really follow the situation much further after learning that, more content with knowing that no one was seriously hurt. A few police officers got grazing blaster shots on them, only receiving minor burns for their troubles. Nothing a visit to the doctor wouldn't fix. Control Freak himself, which she happened to learn was his legal name (he had changed it, apparently), had pled guilty to all charges and would spend the next six months in jail, followed by another two years on probation.
For all his faults, the man had good lawyers.
Currently, she was sitting on the couch with Yang and Victor, who themselves were currently watching a movie called Predator. Yang had mentioned how she, Ruby, and Victor had fought against one alongside a Terminator, which had caught the blonde's interest. After some research, she ended up deciding that Arnold Schwarzenegger was the greatest actor of all time and had decided to binge watch all of his movies.
The Faunus didn't judge. After all, she, Weiss, and Raven ended up watching the entire Raiders of the Lost Ark film after they told Garfield what they had went through. Weiss spent the entire time picking apart the inconsistencies and inaccuracies, Raven only half-watched the entire thing, while Blake herself ended up enjoying it. The others did the same with various other movies and tv shows, with Jaune and Ruby finding Star Wars to be among their favorites.
They all had gotten hooked onto Game of Thrones, although Blake preferred the books.
"Well, that's the end of that one," Yang declared as the credits rolled, taking the opportunity to stretch out her arms. She then walked over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out some food to eat in the process.
"So, I was thinking," Kori began while sitting on her stool, eating a slice of pizza with mustard drizzled on top. Weiss could barely contain her revulsion at the combination, and when Nora decided she wanted to try it as well, the heiress forced herself to look away.
"Don't leave us in suspense, Star," Yang called out as she continued making everyone sandwiches. "What's on your mind?"
Kori smiled and sat up straighter. "I think it would be nice if we all went to the mall of shopping sometime today. "
The others thought about it for a moment, and Weiss took the opportunity to look at her white skirt. Although it wasn't the exact same outfit she used to wear all the time back on Remnant, as that got destroyed beyond repair following their arrival to Earth, it was similar enough that it served as a neat replacement. That being said, Weiss couldn't help but see Kori's point.
"Hmm, I could use a change of clothes. I've been wearing this outfit a lot lately," she pointed out.
"Yeah, same here," Yang agreed.
"New clothes would be nice," Blake followed. A chorus of agreement rose from the others as they, too, indicated a trip to the mall was warranted. Koriand'r smiled and clapped her hands together happily.
"Splendid! Garfield, Victor, will you be joining us?" she asked the two males, who both blanched and shook their heads.
"I appreciate the offer, Star, but I'm good," Victor relayed back to her.
"And if you think you can drag me into clothes shopping, you're going to have a bad day," Garfield countered and visibly shuddered, as if the world suddenly got colder. Raven rolled her eyes and Victor laughed, only to smile smugly.
"Besides," he started, "I gotta finish up your guys' new uniforms."
"Oh, they're almost done?" Jaune asked as he entered the room, having heard their conversation from the other room. "By the way, Kori, I'll be happy to join you and the others."
Koriand'r smiled but allowed Victor to continue. "Yep, almost done. Added a few finishing touches of my own to them, but trust me. You guys will like what's waiting for you."
"That's awesome! Thank you, Victor," Ruby said, then paused for a moment. She began tapping her chin in thought, then raised her finger upward. "Um, if you don't mind me asking…how are we…"
"Going to pay for new clothes?" Raven finished Ruby's sentence, and the young girl nodded. She had expected the question, and judging by the looks from the rest of RWBY and JNPR, they too had the same question on their minds. The half-demon then thought back towards what they had told her about life on Remnant, and remembered a key detail about the role of Huntsmen. Judging by the look on M'gann's face, so did she.
"Oh, that's right. Huntsmen and Huntresses got paid for their work, right?" the Martian asked, and the Remnantians nodded.
"So that's why you got mad!" Garfield suddenly shouted in realization.
"I wasn't mad, I was just—" Weiss started but halted herself. She took a deep breath then nodded. "Yes, M'gann, you are correct. Back on Remnant, Huntsmen and Huntresses were paid to do a variety of tasks. Search and destroy, protection detail, intelligence work, and a lot more."
"So, glorified mercenaries, then?" Victor suggested with a serious look. Weiss wanted to counter that, but she knew where his thoughts were coming from.
Despite their similarities, namely being a large community of superpowered beings that fought against criminals and monsters, the fact that Huntsmen were paid flew in the face of the largely unpaid work superheroes conducted. Coupled with the fact that one of the Titans' worst foes was a mercenary by the name of Slade Wilson, otherwise known as Deathstroke, meant that he would obviously be biased against the concept. A quick look around the room told her that the other Titans shared his thoughts while her team was in silent contemplation, likely thinking the exact same thing she was.
Ruby sighed deeply then shook her head, drawing the others' attention. "Some were, but Huntsmen and Huntresses were supposed to defend the world. For the most part, they did. I wouldn't say we were mercenaries."
Seeing that he might have crossed a line, Victor threw up his hands, "I meant no disrespect, was just—"
"Don't worry, Cy. I got what you meant." Ruby smiled, and Victor knew all was well. She then turned towards the others. "That doesn't answer my question, though. How do you guys pay for all of this?"
"Oh, well that's easy to explain," M'gann started. "Jump City actually takes care of our utility expenses. We're considered to be an unofficial extension of the city's law enforcement and emergency response, just one with unlimited autonomy. As for food and everything else, we each have jobs on the side."
"Wait, like 'job' jobs? McDonalds and all that?" Yang asked as she handed out sandwiches to everyone, the beginnings of a smirk forming on her lips, but Kori waved her off.
"No, nothing like that," Garfield clarified, "It's sporadic, really, not a full time thing. M'gann does children's therapy, Victor assists S.T.A.R. Labs with various research assignments, Kori's a model, and Dick's rich as all be."
"What about you and Raven?" Jaune asked, but before Garfield could answer Raven spoke up.
"I don't have a job," Raven pointed out, "I'm not suited for retail work."
"Yeah, we figured that out a long time ago," Victor muttered, only to go silent when Raven glared at him. Garfield chuckled to himself, drawing everyone's attention towards him. Clearing his throat, he leaned back and smiled.
"I give financial advice." At his declaration, everyone stared at him silently with shock. His composure only lasted for a moment before he started to giggle. "Nah, just messing with you. I did use to work at a meat restaurant – yes, I know the irony there – but then it turned out the chef was a supervillain trying to bake people into pies. Things got out of hand real fast. Haven't worked since."
The others all stared at him, and Yang coughed. "Well. And I thought my first job was bad."
"Anyway," Blake intoned, wanting to shift the subject forward, "when are we going to go?"
"We can go whenever you're ready," Kori answered. The others nodded before quickly finishing the last of their meals, then rose to their feet. They began to walk towards the hangar when Victor called out to them.
"T-Car's off-limits!" he yelled from the couch, the mall-goers waving back to him in acknowledgement. Victor turned back towards the television for a few more moments before standing up, stretching out his arms, then moving down the hall.
"You working on the uniforms?" Garfield asked from his perch, and Victor nodded.
"Yep. Hope to have them done by the time they get back. You wanna help?"
"Dude, you and I both know I'm no help with machines," Garfield reminded him with a laugh. Victor chuckled before entering the stairwell. Heading down, he passed by several different doors before stopping at a large sliding door made of steel, its frame dotted with heavy rivets. Victor walked towards an eye-scanner on its right side and scanned his human eye, and a robotic voice granted him entry. The doors slid apart from the middle out, only closing with a metallic clang once he had fully entered. Surrounding him were several pieces of machinery in various stages of assembly, ranging from weapons and gadgets to engines.
Victor sighed contently, allowing the smell of oil to enter his nostrils. Perhaps more than anywhere else in Titans Tower, it was here that he felt most at home. It was at the engineering bay that he did most of his work maintaining and designing all of their equipment, security, weapons and armor, and anything else he could think of. For the past few days, he'd been in here constantly to create, refine, and improve RWBY's and JNPR's armors and weapons, and he was almost done.
"Alright," he said while cracking his neck, "let's get to work."
The concept of a secret identity was not a new one to Blake. After all, for much of her first semester at Beacon, not even her team knew she was a Faunus. Even after that whole debacle, her secret remained in place to everyone else in Beacon outside of teams JNPR and SSSN. Not even Velvet, a rabbit Faunus, knew she was a cat Faunus. So to hear that the Titans used secret identities did not surprise her. What did surprise her was the sheer scale the practice was among Earth's superheroes. Nearly every single one had a secret identity, one that they kept as close to the chest as possible. She was pretty sure that, while the League founders knew who everyone was, the same couldn't be said for the others. Ruby and Jaune had accepted the practice at face value, chalking it up to superhero convention, while the others had a more difficult time understanding why.
But, as they walked through the streets of Jump City, they were beginning to realize. Instead of being hounded at every turn by paparazzi or energetic fans, the citizens of Jump City passed the eleven of them without even a second glance. It didn't hurt that Kori was wearing a pair of contacts that made her neon green eyes look more like a human's, with white sclera and green irises, and people assumed that her orange skin was the result of a tanning incident. M'gann had undergone a more dramatic transformation, turning her green skin white, her red hair, brown eyes, and freckles the only remaining characteristics from her normal form. Raven was the least changed, but without the hood, people just assumed her to be a pale goth girl, no different than any other.
"So, this is why you guys do it?" Weiss realized, and M'gann, calling herself Megan for the moment, nodded.
"You come to find that, after years in this line of work, being able to go out and just be…normal is a luxury greater than anything else on the planet," she declared with a smile, Weiss nodding in response. She could understand that. Judging by the look on Pyrrha's face, if she wasn't on board before, she was now.
"Thanks again, Raven, for getting us here," Jaune told the half-demon, who looked towards him and nodded.
"Don't mention it," she replied, and Jaune nodded. With the T-Car unavailable for them to use, Raven had opted to simply teleport everyone into a secluded alley a mile from the Jump City mall. From there, the group of heroes walked along the city's sidewalks, chatting among themselves about what they hoped to get. Kori had repeatedly maintained that they would take care of everything and not to worry about paying, which only served to make the Huntsmen and Huntresses feel more guilty.
Jaune's thoughts then drifted back to their conversation from earlier, about how each of them had jobs of their own on the side. The more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that they'd also likely have to find jobs of their own. Ones that would grant them the time to do their hero work of course, but jobs like that would be few and far between.
He wasn't too upset about that, however. Jaune never considered himself to be a desk jockey.
When they finally entered, he and his friends were reminded of Vale's malls. Shops and stores lined the halls of the two-story building, with white tile covering the ground and florescent lights illuminating the structure. Scores of people walked from store to store, carrying bags and other purchased items in their arms.
"So, where to first?" Kori asked with a smile and clap, and Jaune and Ren suddenly felt a chill pass through their spines. It was a familiar feeling to the boy, one he had grown accustomed to back home, and it was just as dreadful then as it was now.
'I should have stayed with Beast Boy,' the boys thought as the girls quickly dragged them to the nearest store.
Titans Tower
"Okay, this is Project White Knight Armor, test number fifty-one," Victor declared to a recording camera, standing in front of a heavy plate of solid titanium alloy, gold trim along its sides. It was a component of Jaune's armor, but before he would ever allow the leader of JNPR to wear it, Victor would inspect and test each and every possibility that could be thrown at it. The same philosophy went towards the other's weapons and armor, and he preferred to be thorough.
"Previous tests have proved the armor composition is resistant to small arms fire. Heavy rounds can cause structural damage, but increasing plate thickness to compensate would significantly increase weight. As such, current thickness of three millimeters will suffice. Current test is to see whether or not changed alloy composition will reduce heat transfer from plasma and energy-based weaponry."
Victor nodded to himself as he shifted his arm into a plasma cannon, showing it to the camera. He then walked in front of the titanium alloy plate and aimed, breathed in deeply, then braced himself as a jet of flame ejected out of his arm and engulfed the armor piece. He maintained the heat for a few seconds before shutting it off, revealing a slightly charred but still intact plate. He scanned it with his sensors, which showed that its structural strength was still high, and he smiled to himself.
"Fire resistance optimal, switching to direct plasma weaponry," he announced as he aimed once again. He then fired single shots of plasma directly into the plate's center. The first shot only scorched the plate more, but with each successive hit, he could see the plate warp more and more until after just ten shots it collapsed entirely into a smoldering wreck. Sighing to himself, Cyborg turned back towards the camera and shifted his arm back into its normal configuration.
"New alloy increased extreme heat resistance by twenty-five percent, but I won't be satisfied until I can reach fifteen shots before structural integrity is compromised." Victor then shut off the recording with a thought, then walked back over to the workbench. This was the fifth alloy composition he had devised, and it was growing harder to find better combinations of strength, flexibility, weight, and heat resistance. Batman, whom he was partially making these recordings for, had insisted that all of their armors be heat resistant, to varying levels. As Jaune's armor was the most extensive out of everyone's, it was only appropriate that his armor grant the most protection.
At the very least, the testing process had allowed him to develop the other armors with appropriate materials. He quickly scanned through possible combinations then set the automated forge to assemble the piece, before moving over to the electronics bench. On it, he saw the various masks and helmets each of them would be using, each filled to the brim with a highly sophisticated electronics systems. Whether it was an advanced domino mask or full helm, each of them sported real-time Aura tracking, optical enhancement including zoom and night vision, GPS, and even limited monitoring capability of people's vitals and nearby electronics.
As he continued to work on them, Victor allowed himself to smile. He briefly thought about how the others were doing before shoving the thought aside, figuring that what he was doing was more important.
Jump City Mall
"Ren," Jaune began as he and his honorary brother hefted their bags, "this did not turn out as bad as I thought it would be."
"Same," Ren replied, knowing the horror stories Jaune had told him from growing up.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Yang asked, more curious than anything.
"Seven sisters, do the math."
"… Oh, yeah. That couldn't have been fun."
"No, no it was not."
Yang nodded at Jaune's answer and continued their walk through the mall. Jaune had previously mentioned growing up with seven sisters, and she could imagine how they might have made going through the mall difficult for him. Hell, she didn't think anyone would have the stomach for that much shopping. Feeling an itch on her nose, Yang lifted up her hand, still holding a bag of casual clothing, then scratched it.
"Just over here," Raven declared as she led them to a secluded part of the mall, one where security cameras would not see them in a particular spot. Once she indicated the spot in question, the group placed their bags on the ground and allowed Raven to teleport them into Titans Tower, relieving them of the load.
"I just have to say, that is a very useful skill to have," Weiss mentioned, and Raven nodded. "So, where to next?"
"I think…" Koriand'r paused to tap her chin, "that it's Jaune's turn to pick this time."
The others turned their attention towards the young man, who hummed in thought and began looking around the various stores around them. He thought back towards what he himself had already gotten, a collection of jeans, cargo shorts, shirts, hoodies, and jackets, so he felt he was set. When his eyes finally rested on a store, he thought about it for a moment then nodded.
"How about that one?" he said while pointing to the store in question. The others followed his finger then looked back at him in surprise.
"Are…are you sure?" Yang asked. "You know we can go to any store you want to, right?"
"Yeah, I know, and I want to go there. Come on, it'll be fun."
On the other side of Jump City, in one of the poorer neighborhoods, a downtrodden man shuffled back to his run-down apartment. His hands were in his pockets, and his eyes were transfixed on the cracked sidewalk beneath his feet. He refused to make eye contact with anyone he passed, which itself was a rare occurrence as people tended to avoid him, just as they had for the past few years. When he finally arrived at his apartment, he pulled out his key to unlock the door, only to see an eviction notice nailed to it.
"What? No!" he muttered before running down the stairs and straight into the landlord's office. The landlord, an overweight woman getting on in years, appeared to have been expecting him and regarded him with disdain.
"Good, you're here. I'm going to need my key back," she declared while holding out her hand, but the man shook his head.
"No, please! Just give me more time! I—" he begged, but the woman wasn't having it.
"I've given you time! Six months' worth of time to pay your rent! Hell, I even lowered it for you, but you never paid it! Any sympathy I might have had towards you is long gone, Mumbo."
"Do not call me that!" the man shouted, only to catch himself. "Please, just give me another chance. I almost have the money."
"That's what you told me last month, and the month before that, and the month before that. At this point, I simply can't believe that anymore."
"Oh, come on! No one wants to hire a stage magician anymore. I'm lucky to get a single kids party a week."
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you became a supervillain," the woman coldly countered, then gestured her head towards her hand. The failed magician glared at her for a moment, then sighed.
"Can… Can I at least get my things?" he asked pitifully, and the landlord's expression briefly softened.
"They're over there," she gestured towards a small bag of clothes and supplies. The man trudged over to them, hoisted the bag over his shoulder, then handed the woman the key. Without saying a word, he prepared to walk out, only for the landlord to hold a pamphlet towards him.
"I don't know why I'm still trying to help you, but look. Wayne Enterprises has a criminal rehabilitation program. They might be able to help you."
Rather than appreciate the offer, the man glared at her then left, slamming the door behind him. He left his apartment complex behind him, then looked up to see dark clouds beginning to form overhead. With a scowl, he picked a random direction and began walking, cursing the day he found that magical hat and wand.
"Ahhh…" Yang moaned as she felt the masseuse work across her back, kneading away weeks, if not months' worth of knots and stress. "Jaune… You did good…"
"Thank you Yang," Jaune replied from where he was laid across his belly, warm stones spread across his back. Having grown up with seven sisters, Jaune was no stranger to being dragged into spas. At first, when he was younger, it was against his will. Over time he grew to appreciate them, so seeing one in the Jump City mall grabbed his interest.
Across from him, Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Koriand'r sat upon recliners, wearing green face masks and cucumbers over their eyes while having shampoo rubbed into their heads. Ruby chatted with one of the beauty technicians as she filed the young girl's nails, while Raven, Ren, and M'gann lied next to Yang on separate massage tables.
"Jaune, why didn't you tell me you liked to go to spas?" Weiss asked, tilting her head slightly and removing one of the cucumbers from her eyes.
"You never asked," he pointed out, and Weiss looked at him before nodding. She then placed the cucumber back on her eye and stared upwards, letting warm water wash over her hair while also enjoying the sensation of her head getting massaged.
"Yeah, Jauney here has great tastes in this kind of stuff," Nora declared as she sat in another recliner, her face also covered in a green mask while she herself was eating cucumber slices. "First thing he did when he became leader was take us to one. Called it 'team-bonding'. I knew then and there he was the best leader ever."
"Wait, you guys have been going to these places and you never invited me?" Yang asked with a smile on her face. When her back popped once again, she sighed in relief before looking at Jaune. "Vomit Boy, you aren't allowed to go to one without telling me, you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jaune mock-saluted her, and Yang chuckled.
"And to think, Garfield and Victor chose to sit this out," Pyrrha mentioned while feeling her joints getting much needed relief.
"They're missing out," Raven declared, and the group collectively nodded.
"Alright, Ember Celica Upgrade Project, test forty-nine," Victor said into the camera, holding a replica of Ember Celica in his hands. Both teams had given him permission to upgrade their weapons after he had identified some areas they could be improved following Control Freak's latest rampage. They had all agreed to let him test some new ideas, although Ruby forced Weiss to make a contract to guarantee that he would not harm Crescent Rose in any way.
He was actually impressed at how quickly the heiress had managed to write it up, with little to no loopholes to exploit. Not that he would have if there were any.
"As requested by Yang, I've added a select fire capability to Ember Celica, capable of firing a rubber slug or rocket to assist in long range or heavy combat. Please see tests twenty to forty for progress on that functionality. I've also taken the liberty of designing a grappling hook functionality to assist in mobility. Current plan is to include functionality into projects White Knight, Crimson Guardian, Red Reaper, Jade Lotus, Pink Lightning, Nightshade, Golden Dragon and Snow White."
Victor emphasized this added function by priming it, and a small grapnel appeared at the front of the gauntlet. Still in frame, Victor walked forward and looked up at a small perch, designated as the target area. The test would be a success if the grapple gun could safely bring him up. Given how the last few tests had either not pulled hard enough or, even worse, only pulled his arm forward while leaving his body behind, he wasn't taking any chances.
He then took a deep breath and aimed at the perch, then fired the grappling hook. The hook latched onto the perch then, with a loud whirl, dragged him up. Victor analyzed the strength of the wire and the force being exerted on his arm, noting that it was within safety parameters but still on the high scale. He frowned at that, even though he safely landed on the perch. Jumping down to the floor below, he removed the gauntlet from his arm and looked into the camera.
"Test was a success; however, bodily exertion was on the high end. Going to work on reducing the stress."
With a final nod, he shut off the camera, then went back to the work bench. Truth be told, he knew Yang would be fine with the grappling hook as it was now, but he himself would not be satisfied until it was as close to perfect as possible. Taking that in mind, he sat back down and began to refine once again, only stopping when he heard the dull sound of thunder.
"Hmm, must be raining," he muttered before settling back into his work. Before he could get too far, he heard the sound of knocking on the lab's door, and with a groan Victor rose to his feet and walked over.
"Gar, what is it?"
"Um, dude? The remote broke and I can't get the tv to switch channels," he said, his voice muffled by the thick steel. Rather than show sympathy, Victor groaned even louder.
"Gar, you know I love you, but I'm the middle of something important here."
"I know that! But, it'll only take, like, five minutes!"
"No, Garfield. You're going to have to just put up with it for now. I'll fix it later."
"Dude, the TV's stuck on some old lady soap opera channel!"
"Then read a book. I'm sure Raven's suggested many to you."
Ignoring Garfield's continued cries of protest, Victor walked back to his bench, muted his audio receivers, then got back to work.
It was pouring now, as if someone had personally decided to make his day even worse. First, he had to tend to a kid's party where he endured near constant abuse, only getting paid bare minimum for his efforts, just to get evicted from his home. Deep down, he knew the landlord had given him every opportunity, but he couldn't help but feel only rage and resignation towards her.
Part of him also felt that he should have taken that pamphlet. After all, if the Wayne Foundation could help someone like Victor Fries, then surely they could help him. But his pride held him back.
Finding refuge under a bus station, the magician sighed deeply into his hands. "What am I going to do?"
"Indeed, that is the question, isn't it?" he suddenly heard a man say, causing him to bolt upright in shock. Before him, standing under a red umbrella, was a man wearing priestly robes. His greying hair showed a sharp widow's peak, and the tips were curved upward. They almost looked like horns, and the man felt something inside him stir in fright.
"Who…" he began under parched lips, "Who are you?"
"My name is Sebastian. I run a church nearby, and I couldn't help but notice you wandering in the rain all downtrodden. What seems to be the trouble, my child?"
The man looked upon Sebastian with interest, feeling that the priest's concern was genuine. Slowly, he felt himself relax and he let out a deep sigh.
"Everything, really. It's…quite a bit," he revealed, and Sebastian nodded.
"I see. Well then, how about we continue this inside my church? It's not too far, and it is much warmer. Not to mention dry."
"You…you sure? You must know that…"
"Oh, I know who you are, and what you've been. But, in the eyes of the Allfather, all can be forgiven. Come," Sebastian declared while holding out his umbrella. Tentatively, the magician stepped forward and took it, and the two walked dryly under the heavy rain towards the church. It was a traditional church structure, Gothic-looking in design. He couldn't help but feel awed at the edifice, with its blood-red stained glass windows obscuring the insides. When they finally entered, the two of them immediately noted the difference in temperature.
"I have to admit, that was quite the storm," Sebastian noted while shaking dry his umbrella, then placing it onto an ornate holder. He beckoned the magician to follow him towards a nearby bench, and when the two sat down, Sebastian looked him in the eye.
"Now then, what's been troubling you?"
After a moment's hesitation, the man began to speak, and Sebastian listened intently.
"Well, I'm certainly refreshed!" Nora exclaimed as she exited the spa with a skip in her step. The others followed after her, all of them feeling more relaxed than they had in a long time.
"I can't remember the last time I went to a spa," Yang declared while admiring her smooth face. "Jaune, once again, nice choice."
"Don't mention it. I think all of us deserved that," Jaune stated with a smile, and everyone couldn't help but nod.
"Indeed! Ooh, we should take Garfield and Victor next time! I'm sure they would most enjoy it!" Koriand'r proclaimed, and Blake smiled at the Tamaranean's energy.
"I bet they would." Blake then looked up at the ceiling glass and frowned slightly, seeing that it was still raining quite heavily. "Great, looks like it'll last for a while."
"Eh, it's not so bad," M'gann pointed out. "At least we're dry. Besides, I'm getting hungry anyway, so how about we get something to eat?"
All of them agreed to that, and so they made their way towards the food court. After selecting what they each wanted, they found a table able to accommodate all of them and sat down. Raven then quietly erected a spell around them, which briefly flickered purple before dissipating.
"Silencing spell. No one will be able to hear us," she explained, and the others nodded.
"Hmm, useful," Yang noted as she ate her burger. After a moment, she looked around at the others and drew their attention. "So, something's been on my mind recently."
"What is it, friend Yang?" Kori asked with genuine curiosity. Yang appreciated that quality in her, and she nodded.
"It's just…" Yang sighed and shook her head. "Why Earth, exactly? Cy said that Mother Boxes are actually alive and fully sapient, capable of having their own opinions and desires."
"I still can't quite wrap my head around that, if I'm being honest," Jaune admitted, and the other heroes all nodded in agreement.
"Victor doesn't even understand them, and a Mother Box is what made up his current body," Raven admitted, and Yang raised her arm towards the half-demon.
"Exactly my point. For the life of me, I can't understand why the Mother Box chose Earth specifically. I mean…" Yang sighed again then looked at the three Titans in the eye. "Don't get me wrong, I really like being on Earth, but I can't help but wonder why Earth specifically and not on, say, New Genesis or, thank the Gods it didn't, Apokolips."
"We're all lucky there," M'gann noted, and the Remnantians felt a shiver rise up their spines. Moving past the feeling, M'gann leaned forward. "To be honest, I don't have an answer for you. Maybe it chose Earth because of how similar it was to Remnant. You said it yourself that it's surprising how alike the two planets were."
"Yeah, I know that, but…" Yang sighed and shook her head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
"I wouldn't say you're overthinking it," Blake spoke up, wiping away a fleck of bread from her lips. "We've all thought it."
RWBY and JNPR all nodded at that. As Blake said, the mystery as to why they were brought to Earth did cross their minds from time to time. Before Yang could speak again, Ruby unexpectedly piped up with her own theory.
"Maybe it was just being nice, and it wanted to help us out while escaping from Brainiac's lab?" Everyone was brought up short before chuckling at the possibility that the answer really was that simple. As Yang playfully tussled her sister's hair, ignoring her indignant squawks, she felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw Victor's name on the caller ID.
"Victor! How's everything going?" she asked, placing the scroll on speaker. "You're on speaker. Don't worry, Raven silenced everything."
"Figured she would," Victor stated with a chuckle. "Anyway, got some good news! I finished up the armor and weapon upgrades, and they're waiting for you at the tower."
"Really? That's awesome, man. Thank you," Jaune said with a smile, and they could hear Victor wave it off.
"No problem, man. Anything for my friends."
"We'll be there in a few minutes," Ruby spoke up, only to slightly frown. "How's my baby?"
"Gave her a few upgrades, but she's perfectly intact, as required," Victor replied, and Ruby smiled.
"Alrighty then! We'll be there in a few minutes!" she then declared, and Victor smiled.
"See you all in a bit. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to fix the remote again."
With that, the scroll call turned off, and the Remnantians all looked at each other in anticipation. The Titans remained silent as they looked at them, Raven internally wondering what Garfield did to mess up the TV this time.
After quickly finishing their meals, the group speed walked towards the entrance of the mall they originally went through. The rain was still ongoing, and Raven was unwilling to potentially expose herself with such a blatant display of her magic. As such, after taking a moment to ready themselves, the group ran as fast as they could through the rain, getting absolutely soaked in the process. It was only thanks to their enhanced speed or flying capabilities that they were able to reach the alleyway they originally teleported in from, and the group quickly placed themselves beneath a small overhanging roof.
"Are you sure we had to go here?" Blake asked, trying to wipe away the water.
"Yes," Raven admitted, slightly disgruntled. "Doesn't mean I like it."
"Great…" the Faunus muttered, and the group continued to try and dry themselves off while Raven worked to cast the spell, only to suddenly stop. The others stopped as well as they heard the sound of approaching footsteps walking towards them, and when they turned towards the source they saw a trio of men wearing heavy jackets and jeans, their hands in their coat pockets and eyeing them dangerously.
"Hello, there," the lead man said as they walked under the roof, "Nice weather we're having today, aren't we?"
"It's absolutely dreadful," Weiss corrected, staring at the men warily. All of the heroes were, especially when the men chuckled.
"Yeah, you could say that." The three went silent once again, and an awkward silence fell between them.
"Well…" Ruby began, "we'll get out of your guys' hair." Before they could even take a step, the men brandished pistols and aimed at the group, stopping them in their tracks.
"Nah uh," the lead thug proclaimed, gesturing towards Koriand'r's purse, "not until you ladies empty your purses."
Judging by the look on his face, he was anticipating the young men and women to comply fearfully, so when they did nothing he got angry and confused.
"I said give me your money!" he again ordered, and the teenagers merely looked at each other then back at him.
"Oh wait guys, I recognize what they're trying to do this time!" Ruby announced with her finger proudly raised into the air, "They're robbing us!"
At her declaration, the now thoroughly exasperated criminal aimed his pistol at her angrily.
"Yes! Of course this is a robbery, and if you all don't give us your money, this bitch is going to-!"
He never got to finish his sentence before a yellow blur slammed into him, sending him flying into a brick wall and knocking both the pistol out of his hand and the breath from his lungs. In a daze, he saw his two compatriots held down by their would-be victims, and with horror he realized one was being held off the ground by the tanned woman, her eyes now glowing green, and the other was pinned to the ground with shadowy tendrils. When the blonde walked up to him, her lilac eyes now red and cracking her knuckles, he suddenly realized exactly whom they just tried to rob.
"Oh, shit…" he muttered fearfully as Yang picked him up by his collar and looked him in the eye.
"'Oh, shit' indeed, my friend," she echoed back, tightening her grip. "You see, buddy, I was only going to give you a black eye for your troubles, teach you not to do this again, but then you had to go and point a pistol at my sister and call her a bitch. That's just not going to fly. At. All."
Yang pulled the man closer to her face with each word, and by now the man was trembling at the angry Titan holding him up.
"…Please don't hurt me…" he begged, and Yang seemed to think for a moment.
"Hmm… Nah uh…"
Before he could even scream, Yang threw a fist into his face, breaking his nose and shattering a few teeth. He fell to the ground with a groan, and Yang then unceremoniously picked him up off the ground and dumped him into a nearby dumpster. She then held the lid open for Starfire and Raven to throw their criminals into the receptacle as if they were playing basketball. Raven then created a padlock with chains that surrounded the dumpster, and when it was all done the group looked towards it with disdain.
"Idiots…" Weiss muttered as Starfire floated towards the cannister.
"I must give these men to the police," the Tamaranean proclaimed, and M'gann nodded.
"Let me just wipe their memories of our civilian appearance real quick," she told her as she walked through the rain, no longer keeping her form solid and allowing the raindrops to harmlessly pass through her. She then stuck her hands through the metal and concentrated. A moment later, she pulled her arms back then nodded.
"Thank you, M'gann," Starfire said, and M'gann nodded.
"Don't mention it," she replied. "We'll meet you back at the tower."
Starfire nodded, then grabbed the dumpster and flew off towards the nearest precinct. As M'gann walked back, she noticed a look on Ruby's face, and immediately knew what she was worried about.
"Don't worry, they won't suffer any lasting harm. I didn't reach far enough to hurt them," M'gann reassured the young girl, and Ruby sighed in relief.
"Oh, that's good." Part of Ruby's mind wondered about the 'far enough' comment, but decided to just drop the subject matter. A moment later, Raven cast the spell and teleported them back to Titans Tower's living room, simultaneously drying themselves in the process.
"Okay, let's…" Yang started, only to trail off when they noticed that Garfield was still on the couch. By itself, that was not an uncommon occurrence, but the fact that he was deeply reading a book certainly wasn't. For her part, Raven seemed absolutely giddy.
"Oh, hello Garfield!" Ruby proclaimed with a smile, and he turned his attention away from the book and towards them, then nodded.
"Hey, guys! Glad to see you're back. Where's Star?"
"Some idiots tried to rob us. She's taking them to the police now," Weiss explained, and Garfield cringed.
"Ooh, that must have hurt. For them, I mean. Anyway, Raven? Do you mind explaining this book to me? I can't make heads or tails of it."
"Of course," Raven replied while floating next to him. The Beast Boy made a spot for her next to him on the couch, and began to ask her a series of questions. Unwilling to break up the moment, RWBY and JNPR silently left with M'gann, heading down the stairwell and towards Cyborg's lab.
"By the way, why were you reading this book?" Raven asked, and Garfield shivered.
"The TV broke, and I didn't want to watch a black and white soap opera."
Raven stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "It's what I figured, to be honest."
"Oh, you know me so well."
"Sometimes, I wish I didn't," Raven joked back, and the two friends continued as usual from there.
Victor was waiting for them in front of his lab, a wide smile on his face. RWBY and JNPR couldn't help but smile back, and let Cyborg lead them inside.
"It took a lot of blood, sweat, and oil, but I'm finally satisfied with what you guys are getting. Triple Kevlar weave, carbon nanotube fibers, ballistics-grade and heat-resistant ceramics, titanium-alloy plating, the whole package," he declared and gestured towards a large bench, several suitcases marked with their individual symbols lying on top. Quickly, the Huntsmen and Huntresses walked over and grabbed their cases just as Garfield, Raven, and M'gann joined them.
"Well, go ahead! Try them on," the Martian insisted, and the eight teenagers took the opportunity to go into some nearby dressing rooms Victor had set up for that express purpose.
"Ooh, this is so cool!" Ruby shouted excitedly while the others gasped in agreement. Victor smiled proudly at their declarations while he and the other Titans stood in place.
"Oh, by the way, sis," Garfield began, drawing her attention. "Dick called while you guys were out. He'll be arriving sometime tomorrow."
"Ooh, he is? Kori's going to be so excited."
Victor smiled at the news, and even Raven let out a small grin. The looks on their faces quickly changed when the first of the doors opened, revealing Ruby dressed in her new superhero attire.
"Damn, girl. You look good," Garfield noted, and Ruby blushed at the praise. Were it not for the hooded cowl covering her face, they might have been able to see it.
Batman, when he had designed all of their new outfits and armors, had used their Hunting outfits as a basis. Ruby's was no exception, looking like a lightly armored version of her original combat skirt. Along the waist were several pouches, meant to contain a wide variety of tools and specialized rounds, while the buckle of her utility belt showed her rose symbol for all to see. The armor itself was a dark red in color overlaying a black undersuit, the two colors complementing each other. Ruby's hood, originally let down, was now pulled up over her head. On the inside of the hood was a black cowl that completely covered the upper half of her face, even hiding her recognizable silver eyes behind a pair of lenses embedded into the cowl. Her cape also sported substantial improvements, with several long fibers running down its length. The center of her armor was a silver plate covering her chest and going down to the center of her waist, with crisscrossing crimson engravings of thorny vines reminiscent of the straps of her usual corset breaking up the otherwise blank surface, and her arms were covered in red and black gauntlets.
"Victor, my man!" Yang proclaimed as she strutted out of her dressing room, wearing her new attire. Like Ruby's, it was reminiscent of what she had worn before, wearing a yellow jacket with brown trim over a brown undersuit. Her once bare upper legs were now covered in yellow and brown trimmed armored coverings, and a yellow domino mask hid her eyes. Pouches lined her waist, and the symbol of a burning heart was embossed in the center-left of her belt.
Blake was the next one to exit, her new uniform being a lightly armored black catsuit with a dark purple iridescent texture that shifted in the light to break up her outline, and a white undersuit showing along the chest and waist. Like Ruby, she too sported a much more substantial mask, one that could cover the bottom half of her face while leaving the top of her head exposed had she chosen to pull it up. Instead of a bow, her ears were now fully exposed. Resting on her forehead were a pair of black goggles, and judging by the look on her face, she was pleased with the results.
Weiss and Ren exited their dressing rooms at the same time. Like Ruby, she too wore an armored version of her combat skirt, now a pure white with a faint blue hue. A single pouch containing a wide variety of various substances and fuels sat on her left side, while her back bore the Schnee logo for all to see. Her chest was covered in a white armor plate, segmented in areas to provide greater mobility, as were her arms and legs.
Ren, meanwhile, had a much more substantial change to his attire. He was wearing a green and black overcoat, the inside layer a bright magenta, and the chest was covered in a green armored plate with gold trim. His shoulders were covered in layered pauldrons, each layer ending in a gold edge before reaching his armored sleeves, the end of which was colored in magenta. The area around his elbows was covered in a black undersuit, his forearms were enclosed in green and black gauntlets, the sides of which lined with the same hooked parrying blades that the Bat family liked to use, and his knuckles were studded with gold emplacements. Gold colored ceramic plates covered his waist, and his legs were covered by green, black, and gold colored shin guards and boots. The symbol of a lotus sat in the middle of his waist, and a green domino mask covered his eyes.
Pyrrha, when she finally exited her dressing room, looked as though she had stepped straight out of Themyscira. It appeared Batman had taken her original aesthetic, which had coincidentally looked similar to ancient Greece, and combined it with the Amazons. Gold and bronze-colored plating now covered much of her body, with a substantial increase in protection over the chest. In her hands was a Corinthian-style hoplite helmet, the center of which appeared to be able to slide into the cheek guards on the sides, and the back contained a hole through which her hair could flow out like a scarlet plume. Her red sash was still wrapped around her waist, covering a single pouch containing all of her supplies, and she eagerly joined the group as they all inspected each other.
"I think I can see what he went with. You look good," Ruby told her, and Pyrrha smiled while slightly brushing.
"Yes, although it is heavier than what I'm used to," she admitted.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that. Why'd Batman give us more armor? He knows we have Aura, right?" Yang asked, and Victor smiled slightly and shook his head.
"He said, and I quote, 'for when their Aura breaks,'" he explained, emphasizing the 'when'. Yang and the others thought for a moment, then nodded after remembering the few times their Aura had broken.
"Well, I now know how Jauney feels! This armor ain't half bad!" Nora proclaimed as she jumped out of her dressing room. Like Yang, she too was wearing an armored jacket, one that was black and pink-trimmed while covering a white undersuit. The back of her jacket was emblazoned with her symbol, a pink circle with a white hammer jutting into its center, itself having a pink lightning bolt crossing through it. Her waist was lined with a pink skirt, while her legs were covered in white armored leggings that extended into her black boots. Nora was wearing her pink domino mask with pride, and soon everyone was watching Jaune's door with anticipation.
After a few more moments of waiting, Pyrrha got concerned and walked over, knocking on the door gently. "Jaune, you okay?"
"I, uh…" Jaune awkwardly started, the sound of grunted straining following suit. After a moment, he sighed in defeat. "I'm stuck. Help me, please?"
Pyrrha chuckled before gently opening the door, Jaune allowing her entry. A moment later, the sound of heavy plating being properly inserted and attached followed, as well as a sigh of relief from the boy.
"Thanks, Pyr," Jaune said as Pyrrha exited the room.
"Don't mention it. Now, show everyone," she insisted, and soon enough Jaune exited his room. Almost immediately, the others could see exactly what Batman had been going for. Gone was the single chest plate, instead replaced by full set of plate armor lined with gold trim. In his hands was a helmet with a slit-visor that appeared to lift upwards to expose his face, should he desire to do so. Judging by the look on his face and his turning of his head to get a better look at himself, he was greatly pleased with the results.
"Well, Vomit Boy, you definitely give off the White Knight vibe now," Yang stated while flashing a thumbs up, and Jaune blushed while rubbing the back of his head. The group then converged together, taking the time to more closely inspect their new attires while testing out their range of movement. To their relief, they found that their armor did nothing to constrain them, and they gave Victor satisfied smiles.
"Thanks, man," Jaune said, and Victor nodded.
"Don't worry about it," Victor replied, then smiled. "But, I should have you guys know. That armor does more than just protect you. Want to see?"
Everyone nodded excitedly, giving him a resounding 'yes'.
"And then you found me. You know the rest," the man finished telling his tale to the priest, who nodded in understanding.
"I see," Sebastian murmured while rubbing his chin.
"You see? You see?" The man was incredulous, and before he could stop himself, he began to rant. "My life is over. I can't find work, I can't get a home, I have no money, I have nothing. All because I screwed up!"
"I wouldn't say that," Sebastian interjected, and the magician laughed.
"No, I most certainly did. I was the one who found the wand and hat and used it when everything told me not to. When the Titans finally stopped me, instead of reforming I kept going back to it."
"Why did you go back to the hat and wand?" Sebastian suddenly asked, catching the man off-guard.
"What does that have to-?"
"Humor me, please," the priest interrupted, a serious look on his face. "Why did you go back to the hat and wand, even though you knew they changed you?"
The man stumbled, trying to find the words, before sighing. "I… I don't…"
"Please, my child. Nothing you say will cause my opinion of you to change, and your secret is safe with me."
The man sighed again, rubbing the back of his head and closing his eyes before finally speaking. "I… I guess I kept going back to them because they made… They made me feel powerful."
"Powerful? How so?"
"That I was in charge of my life for once," he clarified. "My stage career was slowing down, forcing me to have to put up with snot-nosed kids, doing requests in half-baked carnivals in the middle of nowhere. I was Mumbo the Magnificent, someone who was worthy of the greatest stages in the world, but instead I was here."
"You felt you deserved more?"
"Yes! I—" the magician took a deep breath then shook his head. "Sorry, I know its selfish, but…"
"I wouldn't say it's selfish at all," Sebastian suddenly declared, much to the man's shock.
"I… What are you talking about? Of course it was selfish?"
"Wanting to improve your lot in life is selfish? Well then, I suppose most people are as well, but no one faults them for that."
"It's not that I wanted to improve myself, it's that I became a criminal to do it! I allowed the hat and wand to bring out my darker side, and it consumed me for years."
"Your darker side, or your true self?" Sebastian quietly asked, and the magician suddenly felt very cold. A feeling in the back of his mind that he had been ignoring suddenly flared up, and he quietly shuffled slightly back.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, suspecting that the seemingly kindly priest was not just talking about him.
Sebastian smiled, looking much more sinister now than he did just moments ago, and began to explain, "My flock believe that the nature of man is one of darkness. A desire for power and dominion. So, one wanting to pursue that is not inherently wrong."
"Even if it comes at the expense of others?"
"Even then," Sebastian proclaimed, and with a start the magician finally realized exactly who he was talking to. Now fearful, he rose to his feet and backed away.
"You're not a priest…" he accused while pointing a shaking finger at the man before him, who was still sitting down. "You're Brother Blood… Leader of the Cult of Blood…"
"Hmm, I wouldn't say we're a cult," Brother Blood countered while gesturing towards a group of men previously unseen, who were blocking the entrance out of the church and trapping the magician.
"You…" The man could barely speak at this point, and Brother Blood chuckled.
"Why are you afraid? None of us are going to hurt you," he said, but the magician was skeptical.
"You… I've heard rumors…"
"And what might those be?" Blood asked, and the man gulped loudly.
"That… That you worship Trigon the Terrible and do…things for him…"
"Ahh, I see…" Brother Blood closed his eyes and nodded to himself. "All lies and slander, I assure you. What I preach is nothing but salvation for my followers, and I would never dream of doing something like that."
"I… I have to go now…" the man declared, and tried to move towards the entrance only to stop when the red-cloaked cultists barred his exit. Brother Blood then rose to his feet and stepped forward, his frame towering over the terrified magician. When the cult leader smiled and placed his hand reassuringly on his shoulder, the man jumped slightly.
"There, there," Brother Blood calmed him while patting his shoulder. "None of us are going to hurt you. I simply wanted to help, but now I am certain my presence is harming your state of mind. For that, I apologize deeply. I also apologize for my followers. They can be quite zealous at times."
The cultists said nothing, and when Brother Blood gestured towards them yet again, they split apart from barring the door. Almost immediately, the man sprinted past them and threw the doors wide open, spilling onto the rain-soaked streets without a care. He briefly stumbled then fell to the pavement, all the while Brother Blood watched him from the comfort of his church.
"Farewell, Mumbo. Please, if you ever feel the need for guidance, know that I will be here. Even if you don't, I encourage you to follow your heart's desire."
The magician said nothing as he hastily got to his feet and ran as fast as he could, never once feeling Brother Blood's eyes leave him.
As Victor had described, there were many improvements to their weapons and armor since they'd last used them a few days before. For one, everyone, with the exception of Yang who had hers embedded into Ember Celica or Blake, who simply had Gambol Shroud's get improved, was given a grappling hook in order to extend their mobility. Their masks or helmets also contained a sophisticated electronics suite that seemed to integrate everything their scrolls did and much more into a heads-up display. In the case of Jaune and Pyrrha, their helmets also integrated a rebreather while the others were simply given separate masks to store in their pouches. At the same time, Victor had also created communicators that integrated with said electronics suites, which were small enough to fit into their ears.
There were also several additions more tailored to everyone's specific needs. Nora's armor contained built-in circuitry that could both absorb electricity from external sources to transfer into her body, while also having a series of batteries to store excess power for later use. Her own movements would even charge the batteries from the kinetic energy, giving her a much more readily available source of juice for her Semblance. Jaune had requested a stronger offensive modification for Crocea Mors, and so Victor had designed a mecha-shift that would merge the sword with the sheath to turn it into a two-handed claymore. Many other smaller upgrades were given to each of them.
Right now, however, they were currently focused on one improvement in particular.
"Ruby, get down here, now!" Yang insisted from the bottom of Titan's Tower, the rain having finally dissipated.
"I WILL IN A SECOND!" Ruby shouted back from the roof, looking down on everyone with excited eyes.
"The normal way!"
"WHERE'S THE FUN IN THAT?!"
"Ruby, I swear if you jump off the building…" Weiss's threat tailored off, preferring to let her young leader's mind finish her thought. Unfortunately, Ruby seemed to disregard it entirely as she continued to stretch and ready herself.
"Do a flip!" Nora shouted up with a smile, causing the others to glare at her. Nora smiled shamelessly, especially once Ruby shouted back in affirmation.
"Yang, trust me. If she falls, Kori or I will catch her, okay?" M'gann insisted in a much calmer tone. Yang looked to retort, only to sigh and nod her head then look back up at Ruby.
"Okay, I can do this. I can do this…" Red Reaper muttered to herself over and over, trying to psyche herself up. Just because she was excited didn't mean that she wasn't a little bit nervous. Titans Tower was well over a hundred feet tall, after all. She then took a deep breath and stared out across the sea, the evening sun beginning to set over the horizon. She found it beautiful, and with one final breath, her expression hardened. She then ran out towards the edge as fast as she could, then leaped off the building while doing a front flip. For a moment, her momentum kept her going, but then gravity reasserted itself and she began to fall.
"Ruby!" Yang yelled out in worry as Ruby's body began to flail. Kori prepared to fly after her, but Raven held out her hand and stopped her.
"Wait," she insisted, and with great reluctance, Kori stayed where she was. They watched Ruby slowly right herself and pin her arms to her sides. Then, just before she reached the round, she spread them out wide. Her cape followed her arms and stayed rigid, turning into a glider that allowed her to bank over the rocks.
"WHOO!" Ruby cheered as she soared overhead, her friends cheering her on from below.
"Yeah, good job, Ruby!" Jaune called out with a big smile. Ruby looked back to smile at him as she glided across the open ocean, only for her to suddenly bank without warning from the movement and crash into the water with a surprised shriek. She somersaulted multiple times, skipping across the water like a rock before skidding to a halt and sinking beneath the waves.
"Ooh," the others winced at the impact. For a moment they stared at the disturbed water where Ruby had landed, sighing in relief when her head finally poked over the water.
"THAT WAS SO COOL! LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"
The magician didn't know how long he had been running. His legs were burning, but he refused to let himself care. Right now, he was running purely on flight instinct, knowing that he had to get as far away from that place as he possibly could.
"OOF!" he grunted as he slipped on a puddle and fell to the ground, rolling to a stop and launching his bag away from him. Groaning in slight pain, he rubbed his sore ankle then saw how his bag, his last material possessions on Earth, was crumpled against the brick alley wall. He slowly got to his feet, then limped over to grab it.
"Please tell me nothing got damaged…" he begged to himself as he opened his bag. He ruffled through his clothes and possessions and inspected each of them, slowly growing more and more relieved at each non-damaged item.
When his hands felt a wand and hat in there, he suddenly felt very cold. Slowly, he lifted them out and saw that they were indeed the very same magic hat and wand he had found all those years ago.
"GAGH!" he shouted as he threw the objects down the alley, backing into the wall when they landed. The hat landed bottom side up, while the wand leaned against the hat. The magician stared at both items, then with a scowl he got to his feet and prepared to walk off.
"Damn that bastard. He must have found them and put them in…" he muttered as he prepared to exit the alley, only to slowly pause. Despite a loud part of his mind telling him not to turn around, he slowly did and stared at the magical items. His mind went back to what Brother Blood had told him, that what he did wasn't wrong and that it was instead just and right. A deep part of him agreed with that.
"No, I shouldn't," he told himself and tried to turn away, but he found that he couldn't. Rather, that he didn't want to. Part of his mind began proclaiming that what Blood had said was right, that he wasn't the problem. He didn't wrong the world, rather the world wronged him. It wasn't his fault he couldn't find work anymore, it wasn't his fault any money he did earn had to be used to keep himself fed and clothed, not leaving any for rent. No, he wasn't the problem here. It was everyone else.
Before he knew it, the magician held the hat and wand in his hands once again. He inspected them, seeing how they were unblemished. The part of his mind screaming to throw them away was growing fainter and fainter, yet it still slowed him slightly. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the magician placed the hat on his head.
The transformation was sudden. His outfit changed into that of a stage magician, a black tuxedo with a red collar over a white shirt, and a black bow tie wrapped around his neck. His skin turned a faint blue, and his glasses turned into a black domino mask that completely obscured his eyes.
Mumbo Jumbo looked at himself for a long time, feeling the power that flowed through him, and he laughed.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice! We had a lot of fun writing this chapter and designing everyone's new superhero costumes, and we hope you guys all enjoy!
Now, onto the Q&A:
tyfighter1997: I'm glad you liked the chapter! As for shorter chapters, look to the Hunters of Justice Chibi chapters for more short segments focused on humor. As for the actual chapters, those will be longer and more in line with the DCAU episodes. As you've undoubtedly noticed, the DCAU is a significant influence on this story.
meeyaaargh3412: Yep. We figured that not only would Batman be the type of person who'd play videogames with Ruby but even when playing he wouldn't kill anyone. I'm glad you're enjoying the Chibi chapters.
Croniklerx: Glad to see you back. Personally, I loved RWBY Vol 6, but the finale was admittedly a bit underwhelming. Still, I'm glad your enjoying this story. And yes, writing the last actual chapter, what with all the movie cameos, was a blast to write. Indiana Blake was something the world needed to see. As for confrontations with the other Titans archenemies, well... Here you go. As for Mongol, Despero, Starro, and others, you'll have to wait and see.
Jom Ghost: Wish granted! Joking aside, we had actually already planned for his outfit to be full plate armor. It just seemed natural.
Cloud-0: You'll have to wait and see what we have planned for Darkseid.
meeyaargh3412: Doing two chapters worth of Q&A, so I'm kind of going in order here. Control Freak doesn't have a crush on Ruby just yet, more that she just pointing out that, in hindsight, was really obvious.
Jackalope89: I'm glad you're liking the story! One of the things we strive to do is make sure that everything makes sense, even while taking in lots off different elements. I can't comment on the Outlaws, however. As for Jon Kent, you'll have to wait and see.
Peliaos: No, you are correct. Slugthrowers are a thing and they do make really good anti-lightsaber weapons due to the whole melting thing, but doing that wouldn't have made the Vader fight as interesting.
6tailedninja: Trust me, it was a blast to write this thing. Indiana Jones and King Kong were some of my favorite encounters, too. And who's to say that theme music wasn't playing in the background the entire time? I personally saw that it did.
Steelrain66: I'm glad that you enjoyed how we did it. Yes, Jaune did get a badass moment there, but at the same time he didn't overshadow anyone. That's not a critique against him, more of a philosophy towards all of RWBY/JNPR in this story. The last thing we want is to have characters completely overshadow others. Everyone gets their own little badass moments to shine and show that they contribute that also fits their strengths and weaknesses as characters. Plus, Jaune is the closest analogue to Luke Skywalker in the entire cast, so him dueling Darth Vader just felt right. As for Flash's villains, they'll come in eventually. We do have plans for them. And thank you for the praise. You know, if you are interested in other crossovers that are similar in scope, I would recommend Of Elder Scrolls and Huntsmen: Dragon Rose. It's a RWBY/The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim crossover written by JessessanMan/Jesse K on both and Spacebattles, with myself and NaanContributor working as betas for the entire story. A lot of how we write that story has carried over to Hunters of Justice, including the Batcomputer informational/exposition chapters as well as the Chibi chapters. You may enjoy it.
That's it for today! Tune in for next time, as its RWBY, JNPR, and the Titans vs Mumbo Jumbo! Also, on a side note and personal request, this story does have a TV Tropes page! If any of you happen to have an account with , I would greatly appreciate it if you would help me in filling it out with appropriate tropes.
See you all next time!