AN* Well here it is, the final chapter of the Gotham arc, after this then things are going to start getting crazy. I am sorry for the late update but this weekend was ACen and I was out having a blast with the other thousands of people that showed up one day or another. Also expect later updates because i have a ton of fine tuning for these upcoming chapters and i hope that they will be well worth the wait. As always Read and Review, and enjoy the latest chapter of Turning the Wheel.
Winding Down
Shinku stood and watched the destruction for several minutes when Robin contacted him again.
"Shinku, head back to entrance that we came through with Joker earlier. Meet us at the elevators." Robin ordered. With a nod Shinku leapt off the roof he was standing on and traversed the grounds, avoiding the poisonous plants and the infected guards that were under Ivy's control. Slipping through the doors he started walking down the corridor until his demon side started acting up again. It pulsed and shook the entire floor and suddenly he heard a scream and turned to see that a masked man with needles on one hand making it look like it was clawed.
"What are you?" he screamed.
"Who are you?" Shinku asked looking at the foe with disdain.
"I am the master of terror, Scarecrow." Scarecrow replied as he ran off and dozens of guards and Titan enhanced goons came charging at him. Sensing the Titan Shinku started going crazy again, and with the Magus Sword out he began slashing through the foes taking them out before they could so much as land a blow on him.
"Pitiful." He growled as he followed the fear inducing man until he reached the elevator and saw that Batman and Robin were chasing him as well. Leaping onto the metal rafting around the elevator shafts the three heroes made their way down to the bottom floor and activated the elevator to move up, revealing the entrance to the crocs lair. Entering the door Shinku kept the Magus Sword unsheathed until they reached the edge of the tunnel and the sewer where Scarecrow was standing with a bag hanging over the water that would lead out to Gotham Bay.
"DON'T MOVE!" He shouted "IF YOU TAKE ONE MORE STEP CLOSER I WILL DROP THIS BAG AND INFECT ALL OF GOTHAM!" he shouted. Before they could do anything Killer Croc leapt out of the water and grabbed the arm of Scarecrow, forcing him to drop the bag on the ground as he was pulled under water.
"Sucks to be him." Shinku muttered as he walked over to the bag. Lifting it up he took a sniff of the contents and made a face "How the hell do these freaks get these things."
"What do you mean?" Batman asked as they approached the edge, keeping their eyes on the water in case Killer Croc attacked again.
"This is an anti-venom. It's used to calm down demons, make them complacent. I could use this to slow the effects that Titan is having on me." Shinku explained as he opened the bag and took out a small amount, eating it. Once he swallowed the small bit they made their way through the sewers until they arrived at the entrance to the caves that Croc called home.
"Alright we need to collect the spores needed, but because of those wooden platforms Croc will always know where we are. So we need to have a plan of escape just in case." Batman said.
"I have an idea." Shinku remarked.
"What?" Robin asked.
"He knows your scent and odds are he will attack anything that carries your scent. So I'll take your cape and start moving onto the platforms, while you two grapple over them and make your way towards the spores, landing at the major intersections when I get there." Shinku suggested. After talking for a few moments Batman took out the exploding foam and sprayed the ground, leaving a trap to protect them and stop Killer Croc if he started chasing them as they left. Once Shinku had the cape on he created a cowl with magic to make him look like Batman and began walking on the wooden platforms making his way towards the spores that Batman told him to go towards. Once he reached an intersection he saw Killer Croc come running at him on the platforms. Using his magic he created a shuriken and set it flying into the shock collar causing him to fall into the water before he could hurt him. Making his way through the maze of tunnels and platforms the three of them began gathering the spores while Shinku periodically dealt with Killer Croc until they were on the home stretch when he came bursting out of the water and chased after Shinku who was ahead of Batman and Robin. Turning to face the Croc he dropped the magic and drew his blade releasing it into its third form, while spinning the blade.
"Seventh Strike: Rolling Thunder!" he shouted as the black lightning wheel rolled off through the sword and smashed into Killer Croc sending him flying back giving them enough time for the three heroes to make it to the cavern where Killer Croc, who had swam the entire way there leapt out after them, while Batman triggered the foam bomb opening a pit under the reptile sending him falling.
"Well that takes care of that." Robin noted as he walked out of the entrance and arrived at the Arkham Asylum Batcave. While Batman made an antidote to Titan Robin and Shinku were checking in on the Titans.
"How are things going?" Shinku asked.
"Better. Most of the bombs have been dealt with, while the few remaining ones the police have cleared everyone away from." Cyborg reported.
"And the criminals?" Robin asked.
"Beast Boy and Starfire are dealing with them. Most of them got cocky once they heard that Batman was trapped in Arkham." Raven replied.
"Alright. Once things are settled leave Beast Boy and Starfire over there and the rest of you get over here to help deal with clean up." Robin ordered as they felt the tremor.
"Oh crap. Call you later." Shinku said as he hung up on the others as he saw a giant plant root come bursting in. Leaping out of the way he saw that the plant had blocked the exit.
"So what's the plan?" Shinku asked as he looked about the cave.
"We take the special exit." Batman replied as he took out a different tool and pulled down a nearby wall. Leaping up Shinku followed the two caped crusaders to the cliff and watched as they leapt from rock to rock in a way that Shinku knew he wouldn't be able to do.
"Well might as well give it a try." He muttered as he activated Kage To Hi Ryu. Leaping into the air he channeled the black flames to his hands and feet and used them as a rocket boost to get himself up to the compound again. Once he landed he felt the ground shake again and moved towards the one place that he knew she would be the Botanical garden. Slipping through the doors he arrived at a large gap that he remembered seeing while searching for Joker. Taking a running start Shinku leapt over the gap and entered the garden to see that Ivy was there fawning over the plants that were incredibly active.
"It's time to go back to your cell." Shinku replied as he kept Kage To Hi Ryu activated.
"You can't stop me." She replied as a vine slashed at him. Moving with a single motion he rolled past the strike and wrapped the flames around one of his hands and slashed through the vine, listening to Poison Ivy give out a scream.
"YOU MONSTER!" she shouted "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY BABIES!"
"Time to give up Ivy." Batman said as he and Robin ran in. With a scream of rage she leapt off a ledge and came up inside a massive plant that had some sort of barrier protecting her.
"Nothing is ever easy." Robin sighed.
"Should it be?" Shinku asked "Cover me for a few seconds; I'm going to show her how dangerous the dragon can be."
"Don't kill her." Batman warned as he took out several Bat-a-rangs.
"I won't. Now that I've calmed down I can fight with my full power without killing her." He promised. With that he pulled the flames to his first two fingers on his left hand, then grabbed them with his right hand and pulled the flames back.
"Draconic Arrow!" he shouted as the black flame shot off and struck dead into the giant flower that Ivy was in. While she screamed out in pain Robin threw several bombs at her knocking the plant down so Batman could spray the foam bomb on it, blowing the protective layer off, allowing Shinku to then slash her free of the plant and let Batman inject the antidote into her. Once that was done Shinku turned back to the door to see that two of the Jokers goons had entered, strapped with bombs.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Shinku roared as the two other heroes saw the bombs and leapt out of a window as Shinku used his magic to create a shield around the room, to minimize the damage and a second barrier around himself, to stop the explosion from killing him. Once the blast hit he felt something fly through his barrier and imbed itself into his right arm. Once that was done Shinku leapt out the window to see the two caped crusaders waiting for him, with looks of shock on their faces.
"Shinku! Your arm!" Robin shouted as Shinku looked at his arm. Imbedded into his upper arm was a long piece of steel, going completely trough his arm, just missing the bone.
"Don't move your arm." Batman ordered as he went to examine the wound "It's a clean through and through, but I wouldn't move it if you could avoid it."
"Damn." Shinku muttered as his demon started waking up "We have company." Looking to the path they saw the monstrous Prometheus.
"I finally found you." He grinned.
"Get going you two. You need to stop Joker." Shinku ordered.
"But…" Robin began.
"GO!" he roared making it clear that they should leave. Once the two had left did Shinku look at the giant foe.
"That was an impressive attack you used. It won't work a second time though." He laughed.
"Then I guess I should just take things up a notch." Shinku growled as he felt the demon side try to take control. Using his magic he blinded the foe and ran into the garden again, hiding carefully as he went over his options. Suddenly the Magus Sword pulsed and he felt his mind drawn into the blade. He was then standing before the sword spirit and his inner demon, the two looking annoyed.
"Why don't you kill him?" the demon asked.
"I can't. My arm is basically useless, and I am almost out of magic." He sighed.
"Then let's make another deal." The sword grinned "I can give you a boost of power and heal your arm."
"What's the catch?" Shinku asked.
"At the moment there is none." She grinned.
"Liar." Shinku growled.
"She isn't." the demon replied "It's in her best interest to help us."
"Then what's in it for you?" Shinku asked.
"We stay alive. I can't gain superiority over a dead body." He laughed.
"You should decide soon. It's rather dangerous to remain as you are." The sword noted.
"I think I know what the catch is." Shinku grinned.
"What would that be?" she grinned.
"You are slowly corrupting me, making me rely more on your power." Shinku noted.
"No. I am simply keeping you alive. If you fight as you are then you will die by the hand of that monster. If I help you then I stand a better chance of one day corrupting you." She laughed "That is one thing that your demon and I agree on, we want you to become one with him, so that you can truly be a full blooded demon, and keep that charming daughter of Trigon to yourself."
"Time to choose. We are out of time." The demon noted.
"Fine. This is the last time we make a deal." Shinku vowed as he shook her hand and felt the magic surge into him. Returning to his body he saw Prometheus charging at him. With a single motion he pulled the metal out of his arm and channeled magic to the wound so that it could heal as he dodged the oncoming knight. Once he was fully recovered he drew the Magus Sword and looked at the knight "Ready for round 3?"
"Bring it on, you worm." He laughed as he swung a massive sword at him. Dodging the strikes Shinku realized that even with the recovery that he was still at a disadvantage.
'Release my power." The sword ordered.
'Be quiet. I can handle this.' He thought as he dodged another slash.
'If you keep delaying then we will be in serious trouble!' she shouted.
'I can handle it.' He growled as he muttered blaze and channeled the flames to the blade "Kage To Hi Ryu succession move. Dragons Blade." Kenshi said in a trance. Dodging the slashes with minimal movement he slashed through the blades, leaving the Titan enhanced monster with two useless claymores.
"DAMN YOU!" he shouted as he charged at him.
"Rising Kaiser." Shinku growled as he emerged from the trance, dropping the Magus Sword and knocking Prometheus into the air with a solid uppercut, sending him through the glass ceiling above as he leapt up after him, unleashing a lightning fast series of hits that destroyed the armor. Once the two stopped rising Shinku used the flames to send himself higher and then launch himself down onto the knight, smashing him into the ground, right into a water reservoir. Landing next the tank he saw that Prometheus was still alive, though in extreme pain.
"Just stay there." Shinku noted as he grabbed his sword and headed for the visitor center where he had heard the sound of the roof collapsing. Shinku arrived to see that Joker had injected himself with Titan and was now gallivanting around to the news copters that were flying over the scene. Scanning the scene he saw that Batman and Robin were both exhausted and that they were barely standing. Growling at the overpowering scent of Titan Shinku made his way into Jokers line of sight.
"Well well well. You finally showed up!" Joker laughed.
"Just in time to kick your rear from here to your cell." Shinku growled as he activated Kage To Hi Ryu.
"Make my day." The monstrous clown laughed as he swung a clawed hand at him. Shinku ducked under the swing and balanced on his hands while using his feet to kick the Joker in the stomach, sending him flying. Not wasting a second Shinku chased after the Joker while not giving him a moments rest, hammering blows into the villain that he just seemed to shrug off. After five minutes of Shinku beating Joker like a rag doll he felt the flames flicker and then die out.
"Looks like you are outta juice there!" he laughed as he backhanded him across the room.
"Game over Joker." Batman growled as he went to punch the distracted Joker while activating the exploding foam on his hand, delivering a massive punch to the clowns face, knocking him out.
"Good timing Bats." Shinku gurgled as he tried to sit up but winced in pain.
"You broke some ribs." Robin noted "And how'd you heal your arm, I thought you couldn't use healing magic."
"I can't. The Magus Sword gave me a power boost, which let my pitiful skills turn into those of a master white mage." Shinku explained "but now I am completely drained."
"Good thing we got here then." Raven said as she floated down with a platform carrying Terra and Cyborg.
"Very. Heal Bats." Shinku noted as he slipped out of consciousness and right into the same black room he had been in earlier.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I wanted to congratulate you on your victory." The Magus Sword grinned.
"That's not necessary." Shinku sighed.
"I know, however I wanted to simply talk. Since you have made contact I can talk to you like this at any time."
"Which means that you will be trying to corrupt me until I block the contact somehow?"
"You could say that. I prefer to think that I am simply persuading you into my way of thinking." She replied.
"Call it what you like, but all it is, is you trying to manipulate me." Shinku growled.
"In a sense."
"Enough. I am too tired to argue with you. Now let me rest in peace so that I can enjoy the next few days." Shinku sighed.
"Of course master." She nodded as she disappeared leaving him surprised at the ending comment and worried about what she would be trying to do.
Shinku awoke in his room at Wayne Manor feeling active enough to at least get out of bed he slowly rose, noticing that his injuries had been healed.
"Glad to see you're awake." Raven noted from the chair by the door.
"How long?"
"You've been out for about a day. You over exerted yourself over there, and you had severe magical and physical exhaustion." Raven explained.
"No. How long have you been here?" Shinku grinned as he noticed her slight blush.
"Most of the time you were out. I was double checking on Batman, and the others, since we were all basically dead tired from the night's battles."
"Ok. Mind leaving so I can get dressed?" he asked.
"Why? It's not like anything's changed since our last time alone in this room." She grinned as she left leaving him blushing as red as a tomato. Once he was dressed he walked out and down to the living room to see that the others were there as well each relaxing in their own way, with Bruce reading the paper, Robin talking with Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg playing foosball, Terra talking with Alfred about some foreign country and Raven grabbing two books of the nearby shelf. Taking a seat next to her he grabbed one of the books and started to read until Bruce finally broke the silence.
"So how are you feeling Shinku?"
"Better. Now that the Titan isn't affecting me I feel much more relaxed."
"That's good. I was going to offer all of you a night out at one of the charity dinners that is tonight. Can each of you disguise yourselves appropriately?" he asked looking at the teens.
"Not a problem." Robin nodded.
"I'll manage." Cyborg replied.
"I shall try." Starfire said.
"I'll do what I can." Beast Boy grunted.
"Sure." Terra grinned.
"Of course." Raven remarked.
"Easy." Shinku laughed as he stood up and headed for his room to see what he had to work with.
That night each of the Titans came down in their own disguises and aliases. Robin was back to being Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's adopted son, who had just returned from his time abroad for a visit with his girlfriend Sarah, Starfire. Beast Boy and Terra were disguised as a travelling business couple that specialized in ancient artifacts. Cyborg was an up and coming entrepreneur named Blake Stone. Lastly Shinku took one of the wheels many identities that it had created, known as Aaron Phenix, a multi-billionaire businessman who owned one of the largest communication companies in the world, and his girlfriend, Carly. Each of the boys were wearing a full tuxedo, compliments of Alfred for making the measurements and adjustments, while Starfire wore a silver sleeveless dress and had her hair tied up, while Raven wore a black one and had her hair magically grown.
"You look the part." Bruce said as he headed for the limo "I'll go first with Robin and Starfire. Shinku and Raven will arrive after that, then Cyborg, and lastly Terra and Beast Boy." With that they nodded and waited until their prescribed turn to get into the limo as it came back to pick them up. Once Shinku and Raven arrived they walked in and began socializing with the other rich people who seemed drawn to Gotham like flies to rotting meat. Shinku tried to keep up a pleasant face, already knowing that many here were actually corrupt businessmen and women that intended to exploit Gotham and could never be touched since they always kept their hands clean. Raven noticed that he was getting tense and dragged him to the dance floor to get him away from all of the people that she knew were making him angry. After getting him to dance for several songs they were escorted to their table that was occupied by the rest of the Titans, Bruce Wayne, and a few other people that Shinku remembered from other such events with Kopeki, all of which traitors to the light as the wheel saw it.
"Master Phenix, we did not expect to see you here." One of the older gentleman said "how is your older brother doing?"
"He passed on early last year. He caught a disease that the doctors couldn't create a vaccine for." He replied.
"I am sorry to hear that." The wife said with sympathy on her face but a glint in her eyes.
"We all are." Bruce added looking at him, making sure that he wouldn't do anything that would cause problems later.
"Thank you. For now I let the CEO's handle things until I am of age. For tonight since my beautiful girlfriend and I were in the area we decided to come and donate some of the Phenix fortune to a worthy cause." He replied with a cool grin on his face.
"So how are the Phenix stocks looking these days?" another man at the table asked.
"Up at the moment but there is supposed to be a new Wayne phone coming out that is supposed to shake up the market." The first man said looking at Bruce.
"Yes, the R&D department is working on something spectacular but it won't be out for several months." Bruce replied.
"Things aren't looking well for you then Master Phenix." The lady grinned.
"It's no surprise. Besides, I enjoy the prospect of competition." Shinku retorted.
"Of course you do." The second man grinned evilly, hoping to see the stocks drop for PhenixTech. Just then dinner was served, allowing them to enjoy the meal while they waited for them to start calling up names for donations. Once they finished eating they started calling up the names of the attendees with each trying to show up the next. Once they finished the scheduled guests they called up those who had shown up at the door, mainly the Titans, each of them donating something of great value until finally Shinku went up.
"I present a signed contract from PhenixTech, promising all proceeds from our newest line of phones will be donated to a charity of your choosing." He replied as he handed over the contract and listened to the muttering of all present that had felt spurned by such a generous gesture. The night continued with much more heavy glares directed as Shinku until he finally decided to call it a night and signaled to Bruce and the others that he and Raven were leaving. Making their way out they were stopped at the door by the three people at the table earlier.
"That was most generous of you." The lady said, venom dripping off her words.
"Well as the future heir of my company I can do as I see fit." Shinku replied with equal disdain.
"It is not wise to trifle with us little boy." Her husband remarked.
"Really? What will you do?" he grinned as he looked at each of the pompous and corrupted officials.
"We could make your life a nightmare." The last man growled.
"You know nothing of nightmares." Shinku grinned letting his killer intent loose, making each one of them gasp for breath "Now we will be leaving." He said as the two of them slipped past the two and got into the limo. Once they were back at Wayne manor Shinku instantly relaxed.
"You ok?" Raven asked.
"Annoyed. I know that they had their hands in some very illegal enterprises but we can't prove it. It annoys me that I can't do anything about it." He sighed as he sat in a large easy chair. Raven then walked over and sat in his lap.
"It's ok. They will eventually mess up and will be arrested for everything that they have done." Raven replied as she kissed his cheek "Besides it is getting late, we should call it a night."
"Agreed." He yawned as they walked up to their rooms and kissed goodnight before heading off to bed.
The next day they all packed their bags and headed for the cave to finally head home. Once each of them had their belongings they all bid Bruce and Alfred goodbye.
"It has been a pleasure having all of you here." Alfred said with a nod to each of them and a hug for Robin.
"Don't be strangers." Bruce said.
"We won't. We might come back to stay for a few days, or to just train with one of the greatest heroes of the previous generation." Shinku grinned.
"Hey, I'm not that old." Bruce laughed.
"Compared to us, you are ancient." Shinku retorted as he donned the helmet.
"By the way, I have thought about what you asked back in Arkham."
"What's your answer?" Shinku asked intrigued.
"I guess no one can truly lay the blame. If I were to have killed the Joker then many lives would have been spared, but at the cost of drawing closer to the darkness that we fight. Soon we the heroes would rule the world and make the laws and any who spoke out against us would perish. All we can do is follow our own guidelines and try to save as many as we can." Bruce replied. Shinku sat silently, remembering something that Kopeki had told him once before a very important mission.
"These kinds of missions will test what your moral fibers really are, what rules you will break and what you will stand by. Even if it is for the greater good, all actions have reactions and no matter how pure the intentions sometimes we must cross over to the darkness to accomplish the greater good." He had said as the two of them had gone to a far off world to help fight a war.
"I see what you mean." Shinku said to Bruce "I think I understand now what my mentor was trying to teach me back then."
"Good. So what is your answer to the question, where do you draw the line?"
"As soon as my loved ones are threatened." Shinku replied "I understand the greater good, but there is no such thing as pure light or dark, there are shades of gray and if this world is to continue to exist then we must accept that and choose what rules we will stand by till death and what ones we will break." With those final words Shinku got on his bike and drove off down the tunnel after his comrades, returning to his home in Jump City.