Happy Belated Halloween and Day of the Dead, everyone! Have a special chapter as a treat!
The fist slammed into the concrete, the two narrowly avoiding the attack as the concrete cracked from the force.
"Solomon Grundy," the zombie-like monster droned. "Born on a Monday."
Another swipe of his massive hand swatted Friitawa away, sending her crashing into the bricks, creating a massive dent.
"Christened on Tuesday"
Talia rolled to the side as the massive giant charged at her, his massive bulk crushing part of the wall behind her into powder, the dust slightly obscuring his face, leaving only the dark, decayed hair visible.
"Married on Wednesday"
A massive fist slammed down onto the floor, sending a mass of debris falling from the ceiling, causing the assassin and the scientist to shield their heads with their hands.
With a flying leap, Talia leapt at the monster, the sword at her hip unsheathed as she slashed at his chest, blood glistening from the wound. Her eyes widened, however, as the wound that suddenly appeared seemed to knit itself back together in moments.
"How-" she was interrupted by a backhand from the titan. With a snarl, she leapt again and again at the beast, each time slashing with a swiftness and ferocity that could put even a master martial artist to shame. Yet each time she struck, the wounds seemed to continue to heal just as quickly as she had made them.
She looked over at the scientist, her eyes narrowing as she found Friitawa standing off to the side, her form hidden in the shadows. "What are you doing? Get out there and help me finish this!" Talia snapped.
"It's not as simple as that," Friitawa said cryptically, eyeing the beast as it seemed to smash its ball and chain into the ceiling, sending concrete raining down and the tunnel rumbling.
"What is there to think about? We simply have to wear him down until his body can't regenerate anymore," Talia said, concentrating on avoiding the fallen debris as she continued her assault on the giant.
Finally, the beast seemed to have enough, and with a clumsy kick, sent Talia tumbling into a support pillar, smashing her right through it as the support gave way, burying the assassin in rubble.
She quickly lifted the rubble from herself, stopping to cough dust out of her lungs. To her satisfaction, she could see that the giant's wounds were still bleeding, meaning that his healing abilities was struggling to keep up.
However, her triumphant smile turned into a frown as she saw Grundy wrap his ball and chain around a fallen electric generator, his muscles rippling and lighting up like Christmas lights as he seemed to grow stronger, not a trace of his wounds remaining as he roared, electricity coursing along his veins as he turned to face the ninja, a savage grin on his face.
"That's why," Friitawa said, ducking as the electrically charged metal ball whizzed past her head, then sidestepping as Grundy pulled the chain back to himself, the electricity still crackling in the air. "I've heard rumors that he got stronger with electricity, but I didn't think I would see it in action. Fascinating."
"Fascinating?!" Talia spat, anger in her eyes as she glared at the albino. "This thing is going to collapse this whole tunnel down on top of us and you find this fascinating?!"
"Yes, it is," Friitawa stated, as if she was as obvious. "Not many creatures have the ability to generate their own electricity, much less absorb and gain power from it. If anything, the opposite tends to happen. So, to find something that is able to not only store electricity in their body but has an immunity to it and can heal itself with it is remarkable. Oh, how I would love to vivisect it to find out how it gained this immunity," she said, her hand lowering towards the handle of her extendable scythe, watching the giant with a hungry look in her eyes.
Talia shrieked as the mace of electrified metal hit her, knocking the breath from her lungs as she convulsed briefly on the ground. "T-That's all well and g-good," she said shakily, body still twitching from the shocks as she stumbled to her feet. "But how do we stop it?"
Friitawa didn't answer, watching as the electric energy slowly dissipated from the giant before, in one fluid motion, she struck, slicing at the monster's ankle as she severed its tendons, sending it down to one knee as it roared in pain. Before Grundy could recover, she used the momentum of her previous swing to arc her scythe across his chest in a deep slash.
alia, catching onto the scientist's strategy, grabbed her sword and slashed it in an arc around the other side of Grundy's chest, leaving a gaping hole in his torso. By this time, the giant rose to his feet, any remnant of intelligence or strategy thrown out as he roared, charging at the two women.
But this time, Talia was ready. With a leopard-like leap, the ninja leapt onto the back of the beast, holding steady onto his throat as Grundy swiped, struggling to get her off of him as she held him still. "Now, Friitawa!"
Friitawa nodded, using the opening Talia provided to tear at vulnerable organs and ribs, before finally stabbing her scythe into his heart and twisting, severing the organ from its resting place and hurling it to the floor.
With a one last groan, Grundy fell, returning to the border between life and death as he twitched briefly, then fell still.
"Is it dead?" Talia asked, poking his arm with her sword.
"Not quite," Friitawa replied, retrieving the heart and placing it back into his ruined chest. "Just immobile, for now. But I suggest we get this thing back to Cobblepot before it wakes up."
"Very well," Talia said, sheathing her sword. "I will report to my father that we have secured an alliance with the Penguin."
"Yes, report to daddy dearest," Linda said, with a sneer of derision. "Be a loyal dog while your masters make the decisions about how to live your life. Sit at his feet while he decides whether you are more useful alive or dead in his cleansing."
"My father is a great man, a much better man than anything you could ever be!" Talia snapped, drawing her sword and pointing it at the albino's neck. "While I may not agree with everything he says, I respect him as a great visionary who has Gotham's best interests at heart. Everything he does, he does for the good of all."
Friitawa smirked, looking nonchalantly at the sword by her throat. "Oh, I was not questioning your loyalty. Not at all. Merely wondering what you think your place is in your father's grand plan."
"At his side, of course," she said, her eyes narrowing as the ninja wondering where the scientist was going with this. "He wouldn't want me anywhere else when the time comes."
"Really?" Friitawa asked, with feigned interest. "Because from the rumors I've heard, you're merely a placeholder for another. If I recall, it's for someone better suited for his grand plans, someone more in line with his grand scheme than his wayward daughter. Do you know what I'm talking about?"
Talia hesitated, allowing the albino to push aside the tip of the sword. "He-I know he wants a male heir to succeed him when he dies, but he never said anything about replacing me."
"Hmm, then perhaps you don't know him as well as you think you do."
She shook her head. "No, no I know my father! He would never do that to me. He only said that as insurance in case the Lazarus Pit fails. He would never abandon me!"
"Believe what you will," Friitawa shrugged, the sly smirk still on her face. "But don't be so shocked when he decides to discard you for someone else."
Talia scoffed, sheathing her sword once more and turning away from her. "Let's just get this thing to Cobblepot before the night is over."
Oswald sighed as the last of the debris was cleared on the bottom floor, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as dawn started to break. It had taken the remainder of the night, but he had finally cleaned most of the mess left over from the ruined party. The tapestries were still torn and the floating iceberg was still leaning far more to the left than he would have liked, but for one night, it would have to do.
He turned as the booming thuds of the massive giant know as Solomon Grundy shook the floor, rattling the glass that encased his right eye. His hands were bound in front of him, the massive ball and chain used as manacles as he was led to the squat man by Friitawa and Talia, the former looking smug while the latter eyed the giant warily, sword at the ready should he try to break free.
"As promised, my dear Cobblepot. Solomon Grundy. A fitting commander for your army and a potential hidden weapon should Batman come knocking on your door," she remarked, gripping the chain tightly as she shoved Grundy to his knees, ignoring the low growls he gave her as he struggled to rip his hands free.
"It's abou' time ye got 'ere," Penguin scoffed. "Now, le's see what ya got."
Penguin inspected the monster, walking around it as he stroked his chin, examining it from every angle as he pondered whether he should accept this offering, especially in light of its traitorous offeror. Finally, he nodded, seemingly satisfied. "This'll do. Now," he said, his cane thumping the ground, the glass gleaming in the light. "Wha' is it that ya want?"
Friitawa grinned, savagely. "Oh, it's quite simple, Cobblepot, merely a trifle for one such as you."
"An' that is?"
Talia stepped forward. "That our associates can come and go as they please through your territory, no questions asked and no mention made of any suspicious activity, whether it be to your informants or to the police."
"Tha's simple enough," Cobblepot huffed, tapping his cane. "Consider it done."
With a nod, Talia turned and departed, disappearing into the shadows to return to her master.
Friitawa turned as well, only to be stopped by the Penguin's voice.
"There was somethin' else ya wanted, Friitawa. I know ya too well to jus' give up a prize like Grundy without something more substantial than just my promise of silence."
"Indeed, Oswald," she said, chuckling darkly. "There is one more thing that I require."
She looked over her shoulder toward him, her eyes slitting and glowing as she grinned savagely.