A Beware the Batman fanfic – Bring on the Badguys!
Written by WDCain Man

Disclaimer: Batman was created by Bob Kane and owned by DC Comics, which is owned by Warner-Brothers. No profit is being made from this fanfic.

I know I said I was going to focus on my other stories but I was hit with inspiration on this idea just from a single picture from Marvel's new Black Widow comic. After that, my imagination just wouldn't stop. So here's a quicky while I work on other, more intense, stories. Enjoy!

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Bring on the Badguys!

Part Fifteen:

The Mad Monk

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Under the moonlit night sky and above the cold Russian land, several stealth helicopters quietly arrived at their destination. Each carried a Brotherhood black Ops covert team that silently made their way to the two century-old castle used by the long dead Czars of the past. None of the squads entered via the front gate and instead repelled downed rope from the choppers into the courtyard. The teams avoided entering via the main antechamber and instead used side entrances.

Their target was the most dangerous vampire in the world and they were prepared. Their equipment included assault rifles loaded with silver bullets and grenades that would produce silver-coated shrapnel upon explosion. Strapped to their belts were handy silver bladed blades encamped in the holster. Their vision-enhancement gear offered night vision but not thermal scans. Nightwalkers were cold to the touch. For protection, they wore Kevlar vests but the real key to their defense were silver collars clasped around everyone's neck.

Despite all these precautions, they knew none of them were safe on this mission. Vampires only grew more dangerous with age and their target was the most dangerous vampire on the planet. He was from an ancient time, an era of senseless war and endless bloodshed. The only law of the land was survival of the fittest and he was a strict enforcer of that law.

Massive weapon caches were found in a dozen of the castle quarters by the squadron. There were the usual swords, axes, and arrows; all typical of a medieval mindset but in other areas they came across the most modern firepower of modern warfare ranging from handheld gear on par with their own to large scale explosions, chemical bombs, and bunker-piercing missiles.

The squad leader could only shake his head in disbelief for in the very next room was a massive library filled to the brim with modern text books on science, philosophy manifestos, and ancient scrolls describing old civilizations and even older religions along with forgotten, forbidden practices.

The second-in-command approached his superior. "Sir! The men have done a room by room search! No sign of the target! We've checked everywhere, even those creepy iron maiden torture boxes he keeps in the dungeon."

"Blast! The Brotherhood was positive he was here! Had we bagged the Mad Monk, we would have all been turned!" He wasn't happy, that much was obvious. Only the lucky or most skilled ghouls were allowed the embrace to become vampires. This was his big opportunity and it was a wash. "Have you checked all the rooms for hidden passages? Because otherwise the Brotherhood will say we botched this and the target slipped away."

"We have a detailed map from a vampire who helped build this monastery two hundred years ago. There are three such passageways but nothing has been found." His tone softened to become more comforting. "The blame won't fall on us since the target isn't here. If anyone is to blame, it's the guards within the Brotherhood who allowed Niccolai to escape after he was brought before High Judiciary Nocturna."

The Commander shook his head in disgust. "That wasn't the real Niccolai Tepes! That crazy barbarian is also some kind of alchemist. He's been doing crazy experiments on vampires for centuries. It turns out Tepes made a vampire that could look like him right around the time he made that freak with the mouths on his hands."

"Crap," the Second grimaced. "I knew men on the squads sent to capture Cornelius Stirk. It was horrible what he did to them."

"Well, what the Mad Monk does is far worst. Take my word for it. Tepes wants total war. He wiped out the other Eastern Europe clan leaders because they refused to initiate World War III and if we don't stop him soon then everyone will have to fight or die."

The Second whistle sadly. "I heard a rumor that somehow Lady Nocturna became the last of that bloodline. I didn't know Niccolai went to war with them."

"The maniac is the polar opposite of Nocturna. While she demands obedience and order, the Mad Monk wants war. In his world view, we never should have left the dark ages: Get strong and kill or die like a dog."

"A Social Darwinist, huh?"

"One that's willing to send the world back to the dark ages. Niccolai Tepes is the most wanted vampire on the Brotherhood's hit list."

The Second readied his gun. "Then we need to take him the Mad Monk before he ruins the world."

The Commander rolled his eyes. "Dramatic much?"

BOOM!

The two immediately snapped to attention at the sound of the explosion. "That came from outside!" the Second shouted as gunfire could be heard.

"Damnit! No wonder we didn't find anyone inside the castle, he's hiding outside!"

They broke down the door and rushed into the courtyard to see their ground troops being massacred by a dozen vampires in black monk robes. The nightwalkers fought skillfully like trained martial artists but with the ferocity of rabid dogs. They butchered the special anti-vampire troopers regardless of their weapons and armor. The Commander was instantly on the radio issuing commands to all helicopters to open fire on the enemies.

That was when they saw him: The Mad Monk. He was the largest vampire either of them had ever seen, near seven foot. He was a mass of muscles like a weight lifter. There was the look of a barbarian to him with tribal tattoos were tattered all across his pale skin. Yet his baring had the steely discipline of the finest soldier. Besides his crimson eyes, the only color to him was his long bushy beard. It was bright red as if it had been dipped in blood.

He was a nightmare from the dark ages but one that could use the tools of the modern era. Tepes carried a massive M61 Vulcan six-barreled gatling gun like an expert and the extremely vehicle-heavy ammo drum plus power supply like a powerhouse monster. Duel grenade belts were wrapped from his shoulders to abs in an x-shape. Similar black leather straps were wrapped around his bear-size hands and wrists. This bare-chested beast walked calmly through this mini-warzone, his red combat pants already splattered with the blood of dead soldiers.

The Mad Monk looked up to the attack choppers firing on his minions from on high. Then he jumped, far higher than any normal vampire should, to land on one of the helicopter's landing struts. There, he could open fire on every other chopper. Then he tossed a grenade into the one he hung from before he fell back to the land like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. The attack choppers all lit up the night like fireworks celebrating the bloodbath.

Niccolai Tepes marched past the carnage. The troopers were nearly all wiped out. All that were left were the Commander and his second-in-command with each facing off against one of his minions. It was actually impressive to watch them fight.

Their vampiric opponents were physically superior but the soldiers could keep up with their training. The troopers finally leapt in close and maddening deliberately broke their silver collars to expose their necks. Overcome by the thirst, the vampires thoughtlessly lunged forward to drink. The soldiers followed through on their plan and pulled out a silver combat knife covertly to stake them both.

The two soldiers breathed hard even as the staked vampires turned to ash. Both looked towards their comrades and saw everyone was all ready dead; their blood already being guzzled down. They were all that were left.

"You are alone!" The vampire barbarian king boomed. "You two are the only ones among your men who are fit to survive! Swear your loyalty to me and you will be spared and turned!"

The Mission Commander saluted with a smile. "Yes sir! Being turned is the real reason why I serve the Brotherhood! I will serve you just as faithfully!"

On the other hand, the Second glared at his superior officer before spitting on Niccolai's boots. "Go to hell, you bastard. I swore an oath and I'll die before I'd break it."

The Social Darwinist leveled his mighty weapon and fired. The Commander instantly died, reduced to an unrecognizable bloody smear. The other soldier could only stare, first at the stain, then at the monk incredulously. The battle marked monk than bared his fangs and lunged, giving him the Embrace. Then the soldier was laid on the ground with respects as the change began.

"You turned one of our enemies, master?" A female vampire in a black cloak asked.

"Yes, sweet Dala. He showed not only prowess when he slew one of ours but honor as well unlike his leader. The vampires they killed are not worth avenging. They forgot their training and gave in to their hunger like animals. They were not fit to survive."

"May the fittest survive." Dala bowed her head and repeated the mantra on instinct. "Tell me, master, now that the Brotherhood assault has failed, what are your commands?"

"Gather my forces and begin transferring all my equipment. We shall set up base in the America land of Gotham City."

"Gotham City, master?" For what reason?" A bold question but Dala was special to Niccolai.

"For the secrets of Miagani Island, where the first vampire was born! And we shall raze Gotham and scour the weak to gain its power and with this might I shall conquer the Brotherhood!"

"Your will be done, master, as you are the fittest to rule."

The Mad Monk nodded solemnly, for this tenant was the law of the world and it was the only one he respected. "The weak will be cut off and only the strong shall survive!"

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End Part Fifteen…
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I was inspired for this chapter by Molot Boga from Marvel's new Black Widow comic. Just one page was all it took. The three panels of him walking into traffic wearing the dab robes of a Russian Orthodox monk before yanking them off to showing this hulking modern day barbarian who starts shooting a gatling gun and tossing grenades while eloquently quoting bible quotes made me think this was the mightiest monk ever and would be a great template for a Batman villain. Raynald de Chantillion from Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven also helped influence Tepes with the red beard and killer attitude.

The Mad Monk was the very first super villain Batman ever fought. Until then he dealt only with gangsters and crooked city officials. The Mad Monk changed all that, bringing in a supernatural element to the Bat books by having Batman face vampires. Now while most modern writers don't like mixing supernatural elements with the Bat books unless they're Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder, they still remind an iconic part of the Batman iconography.

Since I already had a vampire show up with sexy Nocturna then I'm saved with explaining the Mad Monk's backstory with the Brotherhood of Vampires, all I had to do here was craft the Mad Monk's new persona. Something I mentioned in the last chapter was that a good rogue's gallery needs variety or else it gets repetitive. So I decided to have Niccolai here be at the opposite end of the spectrum from Nocturna. She's a firm believer of peace through order than the Mad Monk would be a war-loving anarchist.

Basically I made him into Bane; and this time he isn't all about making his girlfriend happy. I even added a bit of Apocalypse from X-Men with his survival of fittest belief. Truthfully, I hate the Social Darwinist villain. The idea of thinking you are justified hurting people since you are stronger than them just leaves you as nothing but a bully.

Akame Ga Kill's Esdeath is the only time I've actually found a Social Darwinist interesting since every other time they come off as either a bully or a hypocrite. Esdeath truly follows that ideology since she doesn't hold any anger over her father's murder since "he was weak so he deserved it." No rational person can follow this ideology yet she does have a code of honor. It's an amazing effort how well she's written. I tried to do something similar to the Mad Monk by seeing he also values honor and loyalty along with strength. Do you think I succeeded?

I wish Rocksteady succeeded with Batman: Arkham Knight. I had lots of problems with the game. It had no real boss fights, the Batmobile was over-used and except for the Riddler tracks it lost all its charm after the fifth tank battle. Plus I do not like the photo-realistic graphics used since everyone looks so drab and plain instead of comic book powerhouses. Harley Quinn, my favorite female comic character, was so annoying in this game with her high-pitch shrill and one-character trait of "I need my Mistah J back!"

Geez, the writing in this game took a nosedive. I figured out who the Arkham Knight was seconds after he started talking. Even the ending made no sense to me since there is a Batman Adventures comic (the one based on TAS) that had the EXACT same setup! In the comic, the Joker has captured Commissioner Gordon and demands Batman surrenders to him. An hour later, Batman does so Joker has him strapped to a gurney and unmasks him on TV but finds it's a cop. Batman just went to the GCPD and found an officer of similar height and build to him and had that dude pose as him and leading Bats free to following the guy to Joker's real HQ to save Gordon and capture the bad guy.

The cops in the game worship the ground Batman walks on. Why doesn't he do that in the game? I just can't believe a comic over twenty years old solved the big problem with this game's ending! Ug. Seriously, the only redeeming thing about AK is the fantastic voice acting, the return of the Joker, and Poison Ivy's role in the story. Other than that, this game was a wash for me. Now I badly need to write something happier to improve my mood.

Until next time, read and review!