Chapter 2. The Pact
A cloaked man holding a torch traveled down a winding staircase, the echoes of his steps amplified by the silence around them. He continued down into a long hallway with a large stone door at the other end. Upon reaching the door, he gently placed his hand on it, and whispered a small chant. The door shuddered then slowly slid into the floor. The room behind it was filled with other cloaked figures, some standing in circles chanting, others with their attention in the books in front of them. Floating orbs of white light illuminated the room and threatened to blind anyone that looked directly at them. Upon a large throne at the other end of the room sat a woman, her head resting upon her hands, eyes focused on the new arrival in the room.
Her alabaster skin seemed to glow in the light of the room. Despite her matronly appearance, her pale blue eyes looked to lack any sort of glow as she continued to stare down the cloaked man. Her jet black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that stopped at her waist. She wore a purple dress under a midnight blue, hooded robe. As the cloaked man approached and knelt, she crossed her legs revealing knee high boots the same color as her robe.
"You dare return to me as a failure?" she hissed raising her head to look down on him.
"M-my Lady! We were-" he stammered.
"I told you imbeciles not to use Gotham because of Batman. Yet here you stand with no sacrifices and my men in the custody of Gotham PD."
As she raised her hand a ring of green fire surrounded the cloaked man.
"Please! My Lady! We were not stopped by just The Batman! The Grandmaster was with him as well!" he cried.
She lowered her hand, causing the fire to vanish as the man breathed a sigh of relief. She rose from the throne and walked up him, her eyes flashed in anger.
"Are you certain of this?" she whispered.
"Yes my Lady," a pair of green eyes stared at her from the darkness,"Batman and the Grandmaster have joined forces to stop you."
She slowly approached the shadowy eyes, a hint of fear in her voice,"How much do they know?"
"That you are here in search of souls, but the know not your intentions."
She turned to face the cloaked man, her face contorted with rage,"You fools! Do you realize what you blunder has done!?" she yelled. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to survey the scene.
"I beg your forgiveness my Lady!" his voice cracked,"We only thought the celebrations would make it easier to-"
"SILENCE!" the room shook as she screamed.
"Given enough time this war would have been ours! Now not only does he know we are here, he knows one of the things we search for! Now, because of your incompetence he has enlisted the help of a man whose resources are more than enough to unravel my entire plan!"
The man bowed his head to the ground, "Please, allow me to fix this my Lady! I beg for you forgiveness and a chance at redemption!"
Her expression softened,"Very well, you can have your chance at redemption."
"Thank you my Lady! I shall not disappoint!" he sounded relieved.
She motioned for two others to come forward. They stood on either side of the man and grabbed his arms.
"My Lady?" a look of shock and sorrow on his face.
"You wanted a chance at redemption did you not? I'm still owed a sacrifice." her cold words accompanied with a sadistic smile.
As the man struggled and screamed while being drug out, she motioned for more cultists.
"Head to Gotham PD and find those failures. They each still owe me a sacrifice, and be discreet. I don't want the Grandmaster getting in the way again."
"What is our next move my Lady?" the green eyes asked from the darkness.
"We must find someone to deal with Batman and his circle of cronies," she paused, a smile forming on her face,"And I think I know exactly who to find."
Oren and Batman arrived at the rendezvous point to see the other three warriors waiting for them. On the far left was a young man who looked to be in his early 20's. He had the same features as Oren, except his hair was cut in a military fashion, leading Batman to believe they were most likely related, a grandson or great-grandson if he had to guess. The other two, a boy and a girl, looked around Jaime and Kara's age. The girl had tan skin with brown, wavy, shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes. The boy had lighter skin, with short, dirty blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes. All three wore the same attire as Oren, except for the one on the far left. His left hand was instead completely wrapped in bandages.
"Batman, these are my Rune Knighs: Arin, Maya, and Raiku." Oren announced pointing to them from left to right.
"It's an honor to meet you sir." Arin smiled as he extended his hand, golden eyes trained on Batman.
"Likewise." Batman shook his hand, along with the other two.
"Now that pleasantries are out of the way, give me your reports."
Arin was first,"I've been hearing whispers of men luring anyone that would listen to isolated locations with promises of power and riches if they swear fealty to their Lady. Any victims would head to an undisclosed, and probably abandoned location, where they'd disappear. I've already informed some officers in Gotham of the possible kidnappings."
"We just came from a group of them attempting to sacrifice some teenagers." Batman added.
"So did we," Maya said pointing behind her,"we were helped by one of your associates. I believe he called himself Blue Beetle. We told him we'd be meeting you here and he said he'll be on his way after the police apprehend them."
"Did you make sure to seal their magic before you left?" Oren asked.
"Yup, don't those clowns getting out again." Raiku happily declared.
"Then it seems you were correct Oren. The witch and her cult is here in Gotham." Batman turned to look at Oren,"I need to know what we're dealing with."
"Batman!" Blue Beetle called out as he landed,"So I guess they already told you about those cultists?"
"Yes. Oren was about to give us some insight on what's going on."
"The witch's name is Scilia, and she is a devout practitioner of dark magic. Her quest for power has unfortunately come at the cost of many lives. I need to find her and stop her before she adds anymore victims to her list." Oren said.
"Do you have any idea what would bring her specifically to Gotham?" Batman asked.
"I suspect she is simply looking for souls wherever she can find them, but her intentions elude me thus far. I had hoped to find her whereabouts in the mind of that cultist, but he along with the rest are most likely initiates. They wouldn't know where to find her as they're practically foot soldiers and peons that simply obey orders."
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm getting something on the police scanner." Blue Beetle said.
Batman switched the frequency in his cowl to the police scanner.
"Alert! All units report to Gotham Police Department! This is not a drill!" A loop-back message.
"I thought you said you neutralized their powers." Oren said angrily.
"We did!" Mara and Raiku protested.
"I watched them put those weird symbols on each of them." Blue Beetle added.
"It's possible she sent more men to break them out." Batman suggested.
"No, it's far more possible that they'll be disposed of." Oren said grimly.
Batman pressed a button on his belt, moments later the batjet arrived.
"It only seats two." Batman said.
"Very well, I'll go with Batman. Blue Beetle, can you fly with Mara? Her regenerative magic will be needed for any injured officers." Oren asked.
"Sure. I got ya covered." Blue Beetle confirmed.
"Grandmaster, I can-"Maya began.
"There's no need for that Maya. Save your energy for the men and women who'll need healing." Oren said cutting her off.
"Then let's go." Batman said jumping into the jet.
Wonder Woman once again found herself taking refuge in Kahndaq with Black Adam and the rest of the Regime forces. Angry over once again losing to Batman and loosing Superman to incarceration in the Phantom Zone, she spent her days poring over books for a way to release him. While Cyborg looked for a way through technology, she would look through magic.
"Find anything?" Damien asked entering the room.
"No, and even if we did, Bruce drained of his powers before he sent him in." she responded, despair in her voice.
"We can worry about that after we've broken him out of there." Black Adam said, walking past Damien and sitting down.
"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" Came a voice at the door.
They all turned to see the witch, Scilia, leaning against the door. Wonder Woman and Damien both unsheathed their swords while Black Adam quickly conjured a cage of lightning around her.
"Who are you?" Damien asked.
"How did you get past the the guards?" Wonder Woman demanded.
"More importantly is how did you get into my country?" Black Adam added.
"My name is Scilia, and I come with an answer to your dilemma." Scilia answered, hands raised in front of her to show civility.
"What answer would that be?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I know how to release Superman from the Phantom Zone, and even how to reverse the effects of gold kryptonite that has de-powered him."
"And what would you want in return for this deed?" Black Adam asked suspiciously.
"I'm being hunted by a man who has allied himself with Batman. While I can gladly take on my pursuer over time, I'm no match for their combined strength. I also support your Regime and would gladly lend you aid in reinstating it."
"If you supported the Regime where have you been all this time?" Damien asked.
"Fighting him off. His magic is potent, and it has taken much of my own power to escape him whenever he's found me. Luckily, I've begun to amass followers to help take him on, but only him. If you'll help by getting rid of Batman, and maybe even my pursuer, then my magic will be at your disposal to bring back your Regime."
Wonder Woman looked at Black Adam and Damien, both who nodded their heads and sheathed their weapons.
Wonder Woman walked up to Scilia and held out her hand,"Very well Scilia, you have a deal. Now bring Clark back."