Disclaimer: This story is fiction. There are two celebrities who will appear from time-to-time. The other characters are fictitious. Any similarities to persons living or dead are completely coincidental.
In this story, I have continued the adventures of Batman, my Batman, which his story first began in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight" in the Boy Band section of this archive. It spanned 250 chapters. You will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this.
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered.
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Chapter 26 Dwellers
Orin and I watched as the skeleton army controlled by Slizzath gathered around us. There was no way for us to defeat all these beings. The lightsaber I wielded didn't nearly do the type of damage one would normally assume it would if placed in this situation. The swords of the skeletons blocked it as if it were a sword like theirs. I could only assume it was some mystical property or the fact we were in a different dimension. The laws of physics on earth didn't allow for anything else.
We also had the added stress of Orin's telepathic ability to speak with the creatures of the sea hindered by an amulet Thanatos wore around his neck. If it were destroyed, Orin would be able to communicate with Scylla and Charybdis and prevent Slizzath and Thanatos from taking over Atlantis. However, the army of skeletons was our most pressing need for the moment. We had to survive this before we could even fathom approaching Slizzath and Thanatos.
"This doesn't look well for us," I said.
"I know. I had hoped that I would be victorious and save my people. All I ever wanted was what was best for Atlantis. Now, it seems I will never be able to fulfill that desire. I pray that Namor is able to defeat these two before their plans of conquest are realized."
"My friends back home will do everything in their power to help Namor. I promise you."
Orin smiled at me and we readied ourselves as the skeletons attacked. The first few were difficult, but nothing I wasn't used to before. By the way Orin was handling himself, he wasn't new to it either. But the masses kept pressing against us and it was proving more and more difficult to stop them.
I noticed out of the corner of my eye some movement in the water along with a green glow.
"Slizzath has summoned something more to end us," I said.
Orin turned toward the water and then stated, "It is nothing I know. Truly, his powers are darker than we had anticipated."
Suddenly, a youth emerged from the water at speeds greater than any human being I've known could swim. He flipped in the air and pulled out two swords. As he came down, he sliced through several skeleton warriors. I got a good look at him and remembered seeing him before Scylla pulled me into the water. He was Namor, Orin's cousin.
The green glow grew and erupted out of the water. Green Lantern, The Flash, and Black Canary emerged. Black Canary wielded a sword similar to that of Namor's and she went to work immediately at slicing up skeletons. She didn't dare use her sonic cry for it might have brought the cave walls and ceiling tumbling down killing everyone.
The Flash moved with lightning speed. He kicked and punched skeletons so hard and so rapidly that the impact caused their bones to snap like twigs. He ran away across the water to the other side and spun his arms around near the water. Once they were moving at an imperceptible speed, he stuck his arms in the water. The water churned so hard that it caused a tidal wave to come crashing through. It took a slew of skeleton's with it as it receded, which gave us enough breathing room to continue the fight.
GL created a plow blade and knocked another bunch into the water before turning and creating several swords to fight off a small band of skeletons. She even created one for herself and fought off several of the warriors. Wherever she came from, she definitely had an extensive knowledge of fencing and fighting. And she was able to concentrate on all the different fights going on around her so as to block and parry each skeleton's differing attack. I applauded her skill and mental capabilities. I was glad she was on my side.
As we beat back the skeletons, I turned to Orin. "Do you and Namor want to go after Slizzath and Thanatos? I think we have things under control here."
Orin nodded and called out to Namor. He pointed toward the ledge and Namor knew what he meant. The two fought skeletons as they made their way toward the rock wall. Then, they jumped and climbed up. I wished them luck and turned toward the skeletons nearest me.
As I fought them, I thought of everyone being able to use their powers and decided to give mine a try. It had been a while since I used them and I the last few times I did use them, something went whacky. Lance kept pressing me to see Xavier about it but I had him, Sarah and Preston, and the Center to concentrate on. I didn't have time to worry about my mutation acting weird.
Choosing to make a few skeletons crumble to pieces, I concentrated. I looked at those surrounding me and then closed my eyes. I heard the sounds of their bones snapping and smiled to myself. Then the ground shook.
"Stop!" GL exclaimed as she flew beside me and shook me.
I opened my eyes and saw that several of the rock supports had cracked.
"You would have brought the cave in. It might not be a good idea to do that down here."
"You might be right," I replied.
"I know what it's like to feel the adrenaline rush of merely using your mind to do awesome things. But you must maintain control."
I nodded instead of telling her I knew full well to maintain control. I know what it's like to lose control. The power becomes easier to use, but part of you disappears with the usage. The power ends up controlling you.
The two of us entered the fray of combat once again.
Orin and Namor ran down the cavern after Thanatos and Slizzath. The two villains noticed the Atlanteans coming for them and used the time available to get a head start. This, however, didn't deter the two youths from pursing them. It only increased their fervor.
Several feet into the rock, the cavern split into two tunnels. Not knowing which way the Atlantean criminals went, Orin and Namor split up.
"Good luck!" Namor called to his cousin.
"And you, as well!" Orin replied.
The tunnel Namor took went deeper into the ground. His trip became easier at first, then more treacherous as the slope steeped more and more. He pulled out his swords and used them against the walls to brace himself so he would not slide more rapidly than he could control.
"It would not due for me to die right now," he muttered. "Atlantis needs me to survive."
Orin ran along the tunnel and felt it incline as he continued on. It did not slope too much, however, and he quickly arrived to a vast chamber. He looked around and found it nondescript as far as environment, but his search was for much more than decoration. He looked for the two Atlantean criminals who threatened his people. He saw no immediate movement in his vicinity and decided to take a closer look around.
"Perhaps there are niches within these walls which protect Thanatos and his Necromancer from my sight."
Orin removed the weapon from his back and cautiously moved forward into the open cavern.
Jumping into the air, I spun around with the Lightsaber and sliced up several of the nearest corpses. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where in the hell they were all coming from. If they truly were those who died in the ocean, we could be here for weeks battling them. I wasn't up for that.
"We got to get out of here!" I called out. "Any suggestions?"
Canary shoved her sword into the ribcage of a skeleton and spun it around slinging it into a group of skeletons. She kicked backwards and knocked the head of the nearest skeleton in reach. "GL, can you get us up on the ledge?"
"No problem," GL exclaimed.
GL's ring emitted a green glow that surrounded us and lifted us up to the ledge. Once there, we watched as the skeletons swarmed toward us, clawing their way up the rock.
"How do we keep them out?" Flash asked.
"I have an idea," Lantern said. "Everyone in the cave."
We entered the tunnel and GL created a green wall around the entrance. The skeletons pushed and pounded their way against it trying to bust it through.
"Go," GL said. "I'll stay here and keep the entrance clear."
"I'll stay with you," Flash said.
Dinah and I ran down the tunnel until we arrived at a fork in it.
"That way," I said to Dinah. She turned left and headed into the tunnel.
I took the tunnel to the right and, as I ran, felt the floor slope downward. 'Be careful,' I muttered to myself. 'No telling where this ends.'
Canary entered a vast cavern and looked around. She readied the sword she carried in case some monstrosity jumped at her from the shadows. The cavern was damp and dark with pools of light scattered throughout. The light came from several mounted torches on the walls.
"This is obviously a utilized area," she muttered.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she spun her sword around ready to defend herself. A trident's prongs caught her sword and twisted, knocking it out of her hand. She swung her leg up and caught whatever it was in the stomach and she heard a groan as well as feet stumbling backwards.
The figure dove out of the shadows and tackled her. The two rolled into the light where they could see each other's blonde locks.
"Orin," she said.
"Black Canary," Orin replied.
The two disentangled themselves and got up.
"Sorry about that," Orin said. "I did not know it was you."
"Same here," the Slayer replied. "By the way, you're awfully strong. Stronger than me."
"The water pressure due to the depths of Atlantis have allowed us Atlanteans to evolve into beings with dense skin and great strength.
"You are much stronger than the average surface dweller."
"Oh, I'm a Vampire Slayer."
"A what?"
"We have beings on the surface which feed off the blood of others. They do not have a heartbeat and can't stand the sunlight. They are called vampires. They have a supernatural power to them, as well as countless other demons. Vampire Slayers are the soldiers of the Powers-That-Be. We are imbued with supernatural strength and skill."
"The Powers-That-Be?"
"Fancy title for whatever higher being or beings that run the show."
"Ah, now I understand. Vampire Slayers are divine warriors."
"I could handle being called divine," Dinah said with a smile. "Have you seen your friends?"
"No. Thanatos and Slizzath are nowhere to be found. Perhaps they went down the other tunnel that Namor went through. I hope he is well."
"Batman went down the same tunnel. I'm sure they are doing okay. In the meantime, let's check out this cavern."
I slid down the slope unable to grab onto anything. With the way my powers acted earlier, I didn't want to risk causing the tunnel to fall in on itself. That would do me no good. Plus, I didn't know if Orin or Namor came down this way, seeing as both of them went after Slizzath and Thanatos. So I was left with trying to get a grip on the rocks that had no hand-holds.
I felt my legs give way to a drop off and I slipped off the edge. A hand darted out and grasped my wrist and held me dangling over a pit. I looked down to see hundreds of pointy stalagmites waiting to impale me should I fall. I looked up and saw Namor holding my wrist. He held onto his sword which was imbedded into the rock. A ledge lay just above him.
"Reckless surface dweller," he muttered as he lifted me to the ledge above him.
I was amazed by his strength. 'Must be an Atlantean thing,' I thought.
After pulling myself onto the ledge, I reached down to help him. He glared at me letting me know he didn't want my help. So I stepped back and he kicked against the rock and flipped over onto the ledge, pulling out his sword as he went.
Grabbing his other sword, he said, "This way. There is a hidden tunnel which leads back up. This may be where they are hiding."
"You don't like surface dwellers," I stated as I followed him into the tunnel.
"You pollute the waters; hunt the animals to near extinction. Your drilling in the water has disrupted water currents and the temperature of the ocean, not to mention all the damage that is being done to Atlantis. Can you give me one good reason why I should like you and the rest of the surface dwellers?"
"We're not all bad. Some of us want to protect the oceans and the animals within. We have scientists who are studying the creatures in the water and would like to further understand it. It's the last unexplored part of the world."
"You don't get it. The presence of surface dwellers alone disrupts sea life. We don't want you."
I decided it was best to keep my mouth shut about the "good" of surface dwellers for the rest of the trek. There was no reasoning with him on that account. So, I changed the subject.
"Orin looks different from you. Are Atlanteans more like him in appearance than you?"
"No. There are no light haired persons in Atlantis. Most have black, dark brown, or red hair. He is an anomaly. I'm surprised he wasn't abandoned."
"What do you mean?"
"There is a prophecy about the Atlantean with hair the color of gold which will bring about the destruction of the city. Because he was born the king and queen, he was allowed to stay."
"Why not just kill those who are different from you?" My statement was designed to be sarcastic and get him to think. It only served to anger him.
"We do not kill our own like barbarians! Exile is the most extreme we do to our own."
"And that would have kept him from destroying your city?"
"Being abandoned could have caused many results. He could have died on his own without some to take care of him. Or he could have been found and raised as a surface dweller. In either case, he would have had no knowledge of Atlantis, and our city would be safe."
"So you think abandoning a child to die isn't barbaric? I think your Speedos are on too tight."
Namor turned to me and I could see the fire in his eyes. "Do not test me. I have no problem killing surface dwellers. To us, you are nothing more than animals."
"Okay, I've had enough of your platitudes. You judge all by the actions of a few. You are a bigot, living on stereotypes and myths. If you think Atlanteans are so great, why are you hunting down two of your own? If surface dwellers are the source of great destruction of Atlantis, why aren't you hunting them down?"
"We have plans at the ready in case surface dwellers do not change their ways. We will not hesitate to implement them if necessary."
"I hope the rest of Atlantis isn't like you. You are too full of hatred and anger to reason with. We wouldn't even be able to talk about anything with the likes of you."
"A pity for Atlantis," he stated as we continued on up the slope.
Black Canary and Orin made their way through the cavern, checking for secret rooms and tunnels to other places. Before they could finish their search, however, the room filled with light and Thanatos and Slizzath appeared on a shore.
"Greetings, Prince Orin," Thanatos said. "How good for you to come...to your death!"
The two laughed maniacally.
To Be Continued...