A city that always seemed cloaked in clouds, with strange Gothic buildings rising like monuments of gloom.
Behind the glow of lampposts, dark and evil acts took place, hidden in the shadows of narrow alleys.
This was Gotham City—one of the cities with the highest crime rates in the entire country.
Suddenly, atop one of those buildings, the very fabric of reality cracked.
A body was thrown out of the rupture, which sealed itself immediately after.
"Damn it... Those cursed dwarves… I swear, if I ever see them again…" Arthur muttered, still dizzy.
He soon stood up and looked around, his mind slightly disoriented.
"Where… am I?" he asked.
As his senses returned to normal, a few things around him stood out.
First, the Gothic architecture and the faint mist drifting around him.
Second, he could clearly feel multiple crimes happening nearby—even in the alley right below the building he stood on.
And third...
A giant bat symbol glowing in the sky.
"Holy shit… I'm in Gotham…" he muttered.
Gotham City—one of the worst places to live in the entire DC universe.
Not that it was really a problem for Arthur.
"Why did those two send me here? Do they want me to kill the Joker?"
Killing the Joker wouldn't necessarily be the best move—especially since he didn't even know which version of the universe he was in.
If he were on Earth-22 of the Dark Multiverse, this universe would be completely screwed the moment the Joker died.
"I'd better take it one step at a time."
"And the first step is to get new clothes…" Arthur muttered, glancing down at his current outfit.
"Alright, let's see if I can get something useful from the system…" he said.
"System, claim today's login reward."
[Ding~]
[Congratulations, host! You've received: Your Own Cellphone (Modified)]
"..."
"You've got to be kidding me," Arthur said, puzzled as he picked up today's reward.
It was, indeed, his cellphone—the very same one he had dropped while being dragged through the blue vortex in his original world.
Suddenly, the screen glowed red, and an endless stream of binary code began flowing across it.
A very familiar image began to form on the screen.
"So that's what 'modified' means…" he murmured, as Ruby's image began to take shape.
As he watched, Ruby opened her eyes on the screen, looking clearly confused.
[Master…?] she murmured, her eyes meeting Arthur's.
"Hey… Long time no see, Ruby." Arthur smiled as he spoke.
[Master!? Where have you been!?]
Realizing who was in front of her, Ruby began bombarding him with questions.
"Calm down, I'll explain everything from the start. But first, can you connect to the terminal back home?" Arthur asked.
[What do you mean? Of course I—what? Why can't I find my main terminal?]
She grew confused, trying again and again to connect to her primary hub at Arthur's house.
"I guess it's because we're not in our universe anymore," Arthur said.
[We're not in our universe?] Ruby echoed, puzzled.
"Check the internet and see for yourself," he replied.
---
"Ughhh~ I barely slept last night… I'm dying here…"
A young red-haired girl with green eyes rubbed her eyes as she walked through the streets of Gotham. Suddenly, she spotted a coffee shop not far ahead and decided to grab a cup to help her wake up.
This young woman was Barbara Gordon, daughter of James W. Gordon, current commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.
She possessed exceptional hacking and martial arts skills and had become Batman's ally as Batgirl about six months ago.
Last night, she had stayed up late dealing with Gotham's seemingly endless stream of crimes.
A bell rang as Barbara stepped into the café.
THUD—
"Ah! I'm so sorry," Barbara said, still groggy and not noticing the person in front of her until she bumped into them.
"It's alright. Just be more careful next time."
Only then did Barbara look up at the man she had collided with.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
He was the most attractive man she'd ever seen—unusual platinum-blonde hair, a toned physique, and those dangerous yet mesmerizing crimson eyes.
But something else caught her attention.
His clothes were riddled with bullet holes.
Of course, this was Gotham—people got shot all the time. But what really stood out was that, despite the holes, he seemed completely unharmed.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Barbara's mind.
"I'll buy you a coffee as an apology," she offered, adjusting her glasses with a shy smile.
It had been a long time since she'd invited someone like that.
Arthur touched his face. He knew he was good-looking, but not to the point where a stranger would just offer him coffee out of nowhere.
He let out a small, resigned sigh. His crimson eyes calmly met hers.
"A curious offer," he said, smiling.
"You bump into me and offer coffee in return..."
"...but I suppose I should accept your kindness."
(I really need to tone down the arrogance. I almost said something else, he thought.)
"Y-Yes—I mean, waiter! Two cappuccinos, please!"
She hadn't expected him to agree.
His speech felt a little strange, like he was carefully choosing his words to avoid saying something else.
Choosing to ignore that for now, she called the waiter over quickly.
"I'm Barbara. And you are?" she asked.
(Red hair, green eyes, and the way she walks clearly shows she's trained in martial arts... and her name is Barbara...)
"I'm Arthur. I just arrived in Gotham, so I don't know much about the city," Arthur replied with a smile.
"Oh! Then feel free to ask me anything," she offered enthusiastically.
"Then I'll take you up on that. Tell me, do you know someone named Dick Grayson?"
In Earth-2 of the New 52, Dick Grayson was Barbara's husband.
Arthur asked not only to check if she knew him—but to figure out which timeline he was in.
Barbara looked at him curiously.
She expected him to ask something about the city, maybe even about his bullet-ridden clothes.
"Yes, we met about three months ago. Are you a friend of his?"
Not only did she know him—she also knew he was Robin.
"You could say that. We knew each other when we were very young. I doubt he even remembers me."
"I heard he was living in Gotham now, so I got curious."
Barbara nodded, easily believing his words.
(Given that she knows Dick Grayson, I can assume she's already Batgirl… and the events of The Killing Joke haven't happened yet—or are about to.)
For the next several minutes, Arthur and Barbara chatted casually about various topics.
Until—
BANG!
Suddenly, someone kicked the café door open, storming in and pointing a gun at everyone.
"Hand over everything valuable!!"
---
(End of chapter)
🎇🎇 We've officially reached Chapter 100! 🎇🎇
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."