Lucian followed Duke to the top of Wayne Tower. He landed with a swirl, wings spiraling like a vortex as they shrank into their cape form. The wind blew it around as he crossed his arms, making it flutter in much the same way that his hair and tail did.
Duke's eyes seemed to shimmer through his visor as watched the process to its completion.
"Woah... that's cool," he couldn't help but say. "But uh... why are you out here? The sun's still up. And how are you so tall right now?"
Lucian shrugged. "Things happened. I just got a lot of free time and really nothing to do, so I figured I'd come out and help early."
"Hm... that makes sense, I guess," Duke admitted, "but won't you be tired later? Also, again, how are you tall?"
Chuckling, Lucian used Blackwhip to pull his cowl back, and his jaw brace down. If his current form had lips, they would have been pulled into a wide grin because of Duke's expression.
"Don't worry about me getting tired. I'll just tap out early for an hour or two to rest, and I'll be good to go until morning."
Duke stood rooted in place until his fascination finally overcame the shock. He took a few tentative steps closer, intrigue guiding him forward as he asked, "Are you an alien? We know a few aliens. Martian, maybe...? But Martians don't like fire."
Lucian shook his head. "Nah. Just a metahuman. This," he said, removing one of his gauntlets to show off his biological claws, "was a recent thing. I mutated after stealing Orwell's lifeforce while he was hopped up on that blue Venom."
Duke nodded to himself, internalizing the information. Then, he backed up. "Alright. As cool as this is, we can't just hang around up here all day. Mind telling me what else you can do between the action?"
"Not at all." Lucian pulled his gauntlet back on, as well as his headgear. "Now, let's go take care of the city."
He dove off the tower, easing himself into a steady glide while Signal pulled ahead to set their pace and direction.
"For now, let's focus on helping where people can't take care of themselves," said Signal.
Lucian gave a very Japanese "Ough!" and spread his wings wide, keeping himself a bit above and behind. Since Duke took initiative, he would follow to feed his confidence and build rapport.
He'd done with Nightwing when they worked together. People rarely ever enjoyed being one-upped by a newcomer, and even when they didn't mind, people preferred being looked up to.
When Signal pulled down and pointed at something near the ground, Lucian flared [ Justice Sense ]. It was a break-in.
"What do, bub?"
Signal slowed and pulled up, light shimmering around him. In seconds, he vanished completely. "You go in," he said. "That was a cool showcase earlier, but I wanna see how you work in a calmer setting."
"Jolly Roger," Lucian replied.
His tendrils pulled him to the side of the building, and he clung to the faded red bricks. Blackwhip receded completely while his body compacted in size. Due to changeling properties, his shapeshifting-based enhancements remained the same, and his equipment shrank with him like proper magic items should.
First, he scanned the outside of the building. There was no indication of backup nearby—no vehicles, no lookouts, and their choice of location had no easy path of escape. They didn't seem to have planned anything besides 'get in, get stuff, and get out.'
Now sure that the outside was clear, Lucian soundlessly entered the window directly underneath him. Its frame had been damaged by the burglars' entry. Once in, his choice of surface for traversal was the ceiling.
With instinct and senses alone, Lucian detected five people inside. Air movement, temperature, sound, scent. Then came the issue of confirming it...
Since ki vision couldn't see through obstructions, innovation came to him. To confirm that there were indeed only five people in the building with him, he enacted an idea on the spot.
Much like his practice with the fountain back in the Wayne estate, Lucian let his lifeforce seep into the air. It was a much quicker process due to the medium's lack of density, but at the same time, it couldn't contain as much lifeforce as water. As a matter of fact, it could barely hold onto any.
That didn't matter, though. Once Lucian felt that his lifeforce had stopped spreading through the building, he flared his own aura. Like sonar, it sent a pulse rippling through the air that spread as far as his lifeforce went. It bounced off the walls and furniture, sending minor feedback, but something stood out.
Within the returning wave were five disturbances. It was like pulling on a shirt, only to find that holes had been burned into its fabric. The direction those holes pointed to, indicated their origin.
"I count five suspects from an environmental scan," he whispered into his earpiece. "I'm moving in. Should be out in a minute or two."
With that, Lucian proceeded with his hunt.
He strode along the ceiling on elongated limbs. Two of five disturbances were on the same level as him. Through an open door, he caught two flashlights sweeping through the room. One went back-and-forth with wide clearance, while the other moved in shorter, quicker bursts of motion.
Lucian moved in, his prey none the wiser. As they went on with their dishonest work, tendrils shot down from above like striking snakes. They wrapped the burglars up like cocoons and sapped the lifeforce from their bodies. Any objects that dropped during the process were snatched up by the tendrils as well, ensuring that the burglars' friends wouldn't be alerted.
When those that Lucian had in his grasp fell unconscious, he reached into his Utility Belt. A length of rope emerged with his hand, and he tied up his first two marks to leave them in the room he came in through.
There were only three left now, all on the level just below. Each one searched on their own. Inevitably, they were all dispatched within moments just like their other two friends.
Lucian made sure to dump everything they'd stolen beside their unconscious bodies, double-checked the crooks' bindings, and left from his entry window.
"One minute, forty-seven seconds," Lucian said through his earpiece. "Cleanup included."
Signal shimmered back to visibility. "Not bad. That's really fast, actually. Though... you still left a mess in that room."
Lucian shrugged, clinging to the building's side. "Eh, kept these cunts fro robbing the residents blind. They can thank me by handling that little mess on their own." He looked as if he was standing on an invisible foothold as he spoke, casually leaning against the wall. Blackwhip suction cups. "Plus... evidence," he added.
Though Signal tried to resist it, he couldn't help the grin that formed on his face. "Alright, that's it for here. I've called the cops, so now, we just wait for them get here and arrest these crooks. After that, we ghost.."
...
[ Low-threat individuals apprehended: 5. ]
[ EXP per mark: 40. ]
[ Total EXP earned: 200. ]
[ EXP to next level: 4,795. ]
...
Soon, they were in the air again, patrolling from up high as they conversed.
"Alright. While we're here, you have to tell me about the stuff you can do," said Signal, now flying side by side with the Manticore. "What was that with putting people to sleep? You did it with the joyriders earlier, and now with the burglars. Was that your lifeforce stealing thing?"
"Right on," Lucian confirmed.
With healthy, frustrated curiosity, Duke followed up with "How do you even do it? From 'lifeforce,' I might guess it's magic... is it like that?"
Lucian had thought about how to answer a question like that before. With a select few people, he would answer honestly. Duke was one of them.
"It's just part of my power," he replied. "I learned how to heal myself with my own lifeforce first. Figured out how to heal others with it some time after. You can guess the rest from there."
"That's kinda terrifying," Signal admitted. "It sounds dangerous, doesn't it? It feels like you could kill someone with that if you aren't careful..."
"Yeah... it'd be easy," Lucian affirmed. Signal's aura flickered from his response. "One wrong move, and you drain 'em completely dry... my control's too good for that, though. Besides, not a fan of the whole 'taking lives' thing, so I try to avoid it."
Signal didn't turn his head, but Lucian could feel his gaze.
"Is it something about your past...?" Duke asked, seeming to doubt himself halfway through before proceeding anyway.
"You could say that..." Lucian let the pause drag on for a bit. "You know I'm not originally from Gotham, right?"
"Yeah," Duke replied. "I heard it from the others."
"Well, there's that. I wasn't exactly a saint, and I'm not afraid to admit that I've killed before." He paused to let his words sink in. "Even then, I took no pleasure in it whenever I had to."
"I've heard things like that before," Duke said solemnly. "There's a 'weight' to it, right? That's what I was told."
"Mm. You carry it with you. That's why I avoid it." Lucian scoffed, mirthful. "Hell, it's a luxury that I can afford to hold back, now that I have powers."
This time, the silence wasn't deliberate. It lasted until Signal caught another case through his connection to the police network. Again, they dove down to resolve a new incident.
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
Ding-dong~!
The familiar doorbell echoed from within the Watson family home. Someone could be heard scurrying to the front door, and a nurse peeked out when it opened.
"Oh! Maxie." She stepped aside to allow entry and noted, "And you brought another visitor with you...?"
"Jodie's a friend," Maxie explained. "Lucian's gone off to help the relief efforts, and we were told to stay away from where we worked, so... here we are."
The nurse simply nodded in understanding and shut the door behind them.
After having a look around, Maxie asked, "Hey, where's Joe?"
She'd called ahead while she was still at Jodie's and gotten his approval to bring her over, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"He went out to get groceries with Shaun," the nurse replied. "We tried to convince him to stay, but he wouldn't stop bugging us until we compromised."
Maxie gestured for Jodie to go on ahead to the backyard. On her way to the stairs, she said, "Yeah, he can be stubborn like that... well, when he comes back, tell him I'm here with that friend now. She's teaching me how to fight in case... well, you know."
...
Maxie ascended the stairs. On the second floor, she went to the white door on the right side of the hallway. She opened it and peeked through.
Inside was Tammy, still unconscious. Her nightstand had been moved to make space for the patient monitor, and an IV stood on the opposite side of the bed. The room had also been rearranged to minimize hazards, and that meant...
Maxie breathed in deep. The smell of antiseptic had replaced the familiar soft and fluttery scents that the bedroom once had. That fact made something twist in her chest. Frowning faintly, she stepped into the room, shut the door, and went to sit by her best friend's side.
She looked so peaceful. So... alive, even in her comatose state. Everything about her seemed much healthier than when she was still with Aleck.
Some other things had changed, too. The roots of Tammy's hair had begun to show—soft, glossy brown, just as wavy as Maxie's own. Since she was in a state of constant rest, Tammy's eyebags have all but gone. Though her body should have atrophied further due to physical inactivity, with medical support and Lucian's aid from before, she actually had actually filled up somewhat, and possessed quite a healthy glow.
Trepid, Maxie took Tammy's hand which felt cold against her palm. Still, there was life there. It was soft and subtle, and couldn't truly be described... but it was present. Now clasping both her hands around Tammy's, she pulled it up and held it to her forehead.
'Should I...?'
It was worth a shot.
Last night, Lucian had given her that lifeforce ball. There was a surge of energy as it entered her body, and it stayed there, lingering in her blood. When she tried to channel it, imagining how he must have done so himself, it worked. Her supply of it dwindled quite quickly as she fought, but it worked.
With a deep breath, she summoned her determination and dug up the sensations from her memory. The way lifeforce flowed through her veins, nerves, and every muscle. The way her bones sang with warmth and power.
She closed her eyes to concentrate. Tracing the path that her memories carved, she pulled at 'something' from deep within her chest. It was difficult to describe how it truly felt, but it was like something 'bubbled' in her heart. Using that imagery as a starting point, Maxie ran with her imagination.
She believed her lifeforce to be responding to her by 'boiling' like water. When water boiled, there was steam—that must have been the key. She couldn't see it as her eyes were closed, but her body gained a faint glow. The more she tried to grasp at the proverbial steam inside her chest, the stronger it became, if only slightly.
Then, she treated her very body as a pipe network. With that as the case, she readjusted her imagery. Her heart was the boiler. Lifeforce was water. A familiar thrum crept across her entire being, and Maxine knew that she had done it.
She was channeling lifeforce like Lucian did.
Her eyes opened, a hopeful twinkle sparkling in them as the light caught. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the faint glow under her skin. Then, gulping, she tried to direct it—tried to pour her own lifeforce into Tammy's body.
Small wisps of white 'steam' seeped out from her veins. With her mental direction, they slithered into Tammy's hand in her grasp. There was warmth. Tammy's body temperature rose wherever Maxie's lifeforce entered.
Soon, not even seconds later, fatigue accumulated. Though it wasn't much, Maxie's brain fogged up. Her head and limbs grew heavy, and she became dazed. On instinct, she cut the connection and forced her lifeforce to settle down.
'Just how much of this stuff does Lucian have...?' she pondered. Her mind reeled at the implication, since she always saw him throwing the stuff around like he was just splashing water in a pool.
With renewed perspective and resolve, Maxie let go of Tammy's hand. She stood up and leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "You'll get better soon," she promised.
Traitorously, her eyes drifted down... her lips, partly open, looked so inviting.
Maxine shook herself out of that moment of weakness. Now wasn't the time. She needed to do her best for everyone first.
Once Gotham had gotten through whatever was going on, and when Tammy was finally back to normal... then, she would have time to deal with everything she needed to hide.
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
[ Report: ]
[ Low-threat individuals apprehended: 19. ]
[ EXP limit for low-threat marks has been reached. ]
[ Calculating bonus EXP... ]
[ Earned 76 EXP. ]
[ Bonus opportunities remaining for low-threat marks: 6. ]
[ Report proceeding... ]
[ Moderate-threat individuals apprehended: 9. ]
[ Earned 720 EXP. ]
[ Total EXP earned: 796. ]
[ EXP to next level: 3,999. ]
Lucian had been patrolling with Duke for some time. They'd resolved their fair share of incidents already, and another one was bound to crop up soon. Right when he expected another catch through Signal's police scanner, he was drawn to look in a certain direction when [ Justice Sense ] pinged him.
He was on guard right away.
The ping came from a street some distance away—it cut through a block, giving access to the backdoors of various establishments. Down in that street were familiar faces.
Two men and one woman were caught in a struggle. They were being strongarmed by men in ski masks. Waiting nearby was a van, no doubt with more hostiles inside.
"Signal!" Lucian called out, urgency burning in his voice.
"I see them," Duke responded. "Let's swoop in and—"
"No!" Luce interrupted. He withdrew his wings and landed on the closest building. Speaking into his earpiece, he continued. "I know them. Stay here and come back me up if shit gets rough, but I wanna deal with this myself."
He had no time to wait for Signal's reaction. With no eyes or cameras on him, he switched to his Phantom Knight loadout and leapt down the building. [Inertia Cancel] arrested his momentum just before he hit the ground, and he blasted ahead and carried on in a full sprint.
Signal's hesitant answer rang through his ear once he was already on the ground. "Alright. Be careful."
...
Pushing his lifeforce, Lucian gleamed with a white aura as he charged ahead. Energy 'popped' under his boots with every step.
Up ahead, his coworkers did their best to resist their assailants, but they were already beaten and bruised—not to mention outnumbered. It was a losing battle.
Lucian projected a chorused battle cry as Stinger's messer form appeared in his hands. While the ski-maskers were gawking at his sudden appearance, he tried a new 'technique.'
Lifeforce suffusion served as the foundation for Lucian's new technique. Stinger's blade burned with white flame he filled it with ki—it spread easily through the dense medium and accumulated plentily. The 'ki pulse' he'd just innovated earlier served as the active component—only more focused and explosive. With a mighty swing, Stinger buzzed through the air. The attack sent forth a wave of white flame that charged ahead with righteous fury.
As there was still quite some distance, the ski-maskers managed to react in time. They jumped out of the way, throwing Lucian's coworkers to the side.
Whether the attack hit or not made little difference. The technique was rushed anyway. At most, it would have knocked people over and made them uncomfortably warm, like a sudden fever.
Several bullets pinged against his chest after the ski-maskers managed to scramble to their feet. Low-caliber pistol shots. Three small holes were punched through his hoodie, but the undershirt beneath remained untouched, what with the Pseudo-Dragonhide Scale-Mail that it was infused with.
'They're armed,' he noted.
[ Hooray for Obvious Knight. Think fast; automatic rifles. ]
Stinger shrank in Lucian's right hand, and his spare Blink 'Dagger' appeared in his left. He didn't bother dodging the enemies' retaliatory fire unless [Danger Sense] caught an oncoming headshot; so as long as he was hit center-mass, he was bulletproof.
His hands blurred. The air whistled. Two of the ski-maskers found their shoulder ligaments sliced through. The air whistled a few more times, all hitting the same people. Other shoulder. Knee. Other knee.
They went down as their compatriots went to escape without them. Seeing that the first two cunts were downed, Lucian charged after the fleeing van. While running, he enlarged Stinger until it was as long and wide as he could make it. Then, aided by his momentum, he launched it ahead.
The van swerved as the massive blade skewered one of its rear tires. Another sword impaled the other one, and they were completely cut off from escape. They left the vehicle to try and retaliate... but they found their shoulders and knees pierced with daggers like the two they had left behind.
Now that the threat had been dealt with, Lucian turned his gaze up to the sky. Signal was no more than a glowing yellow blip in the distance.
"Sig," Lucian called out. "This is personal business now, so I wanna handle it myself. You should go. Good luck out there."
Hesitation. Eventually though, Signal needed to answer. "Alright. Call if you need help... and don't do anything stupid."
Lucian smirked. "Nah, my brain's too big for that. Seriously though, don't worry. P.K., out."
[ Notice! ]
[ Moderate-threat individuals apprehended: 6. ]
[ Earned 480 EXP. ]
[ EXP to next level: 3,519. ]
৹ ◎ ◉ ◎ ৹
The clock tower's giant seconds-hand moved in a steady, monotone pace. Its shadow, cast through the translucent backing, served as an artful constant that passed the chamber behind it every minute. Just as light seeped through from outside, there was another source of illumination within.
Green light bathed a small area just behind the clock tower's face. It came from several screens, all attached to a complex and bulky computer terminal. Seated at it was Oracle—Barbara Gordon.
She idly nibbled at her pen's back tip, brows creased as she stared into her screens. It was surprising how easily Lucian gave away information on his powers, and even his past. But then, that posed the question of whether he was being transparent, or if he was still hiding some things.
Barbara filled her lungs with air and let it all escape with a sigh. She would have to leave that part to the others. For now, she set her pen down and started tapping away at her keyboard, cataloguing information on Lucian to update Oracle's and the Bat-Network's database.
'Stubborn... impulsive tendencies... delusions of grandeur that aren't completely unwarranted...'
Barbara snickered as she typed in the next line.
'Insistent on maintaining and roleplaying as two vigilante personas despite the disadvantages.'
She briefly chewed at her lip, recalling what had just happened. Though Lucian was now out of visual range, she could still access audio and coordinates through his earpiece. He could be left alone for now.
Then, for a minute or two, she updated the profile on his abilities, listing down everything that she'd picked up from Lucian's conversations with Duke. She also noted his sustained explosive growth, and the various new abilities that he kept manifesting. There was also his psychological profile... The new revelations would need time to be broken down and analyzed before an update.
Then, in her private little notepad, she read back on her own profile on him. It was something she'd written some time ago, while watching Lucian before all this mess that happened around them.
'Potential preference for athletic redheads with green eyes.'
Her face flushed, but the redness quickly faded. Besides the obvious, her eyes were pulled down to her lap. She hadn't been sitting in an office chair. Hers had two pairs of wheels; one large, one small.
Rubbing at her knee, she sighed in resignation.
'What am I even thinking...?'
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
[A/N]: It was a tough choice between Barbara or Kori when I was still conceptualizing DC:SR. In the end, I chose Barbara for Lucian. For one, one of them would have to be with Dick. He's got too much game to be alone, and he's too good of a man to have more than one partner unless they wanted it to happen. In the end, I followed my heart and put Dick and Kori together; it was non-negotiable. Then... Barbara.
Now, the present... man, this chapter was so tough to write at first. Once I figured out the direction for it though, it was smoooooth as buttah.
Lastly, some details... Waylon [Killer Croc] is a lot closer to his Absolute version in this story, in terms of appearance. Not as monstrous, but still quite grotesque. Quite powerful, too. He was busting thick fucking rock and asphalt like they're Lego houses, and Lucian kept tanking that shit like a champ, even if it was only through parries.
Anyway yeah, that should give a point of reference for how strong Bane is here :3
He may not be Absolute, but is still a heckin unit.
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