Emergence 2.5

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

The masked villain's path led them through the jungle all the way to the very top of a cliff overlooking the factory producing Bane's drug of choice, the team easily able to see a great deal of movement from the vantage point. Stepping even closer to the edge of the cliff, Kid Flash dropped his goggles over his eyes again and Robin - never failing to be as prepared as his mentor - brought out a pair of binoculars that Zeke doubted were simply all they appeared to be. Aqualad simply looked on, eyes adapted to dim undersea conditions likely serving him just as well as a pair of binoculars could.

While the three of them surveyed the Kobra activity down at the warehouse, Miss Martian, Superboy and Genesis were focused on the criminal activity just a few meters away from them, each of them keeping strict watch on their villain companion.

"Look at all that product." Robin muttered aloud. The shock was clear in his tone as he leaned forward over the edge, binoculars pressed firmly against his face. By his side, Kid Flash mimicked his motions, going so far as to drop to one knee to lean even further out. "A buy is going down but if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects, then-"

"Then, we make it our priority to identify that buyer," Aqualad concluded for Robin, voice firm with conviction.

"Just what I was thinking." Kid Flash added in a much deeper voice than usual, the ginger raising his goggles as he stood up straight. "Exactly what I was thinking."

"Yeah, sure," Robin shot back as he turned away from the precipice. He let out a snort as he began folding away his binoculars to return them back to his utility belt. "You're definitely the thinker here."

"Dude!" Kid Flash's retort went ignored by everyone present as they followed after Bane, the villain coming to a stop in front of a boulder that stood both taller and wider than himself.

"Jesus Christ..." If anyone noticed Zeke's whispered exclamation or his quick backstep, they didn't say a word. Instead, none of them seemed all that surprised as Bane bent slightly and lifted the boulder, dropping it away from the opening to what was apparently Bane's secret entrance. The idea that Bane was this strong without Venom and his team either already knew that or were fine with it was…

Well, it didn't put him anymore at ease, to say the least.

"Come on," Bane spoke up again, one arm gesturing towards the mining tunnel. "Answers are this way."

"So, we're really going down a dark tunnel behind a supervillain just 'cause he said he wants to help us?" Zeke asked, wide-eyed as Bane headed into the tunnel ahead of them. "Is that really what we're doing?"

Robin shrugged as he began to walk forward. "Seems like it, yeah."

The boy in blue couldn't help the visible twitch in his left eye at Robin's flippant response. Zeke took in several sharp breaths through his nose before letting out a much steadier release of air from his mouth. He mimicked Robin's shrug through the fake smile on his face. "Okay, just asking."

"See," Wally began, tilting his head in Zeke's direction. "If I were leader, I'd nev-"

"Not the time." Aqualad's hand on his shoulder did the job in quieting Wally as much as it pushed the speedster into the cave behind Robin. The dark-skinned Atlantean didn't waste a moment as he entered the cave himself, Miss Martian and Superboy following him right after.

Still wavering at the entrance, Zeke gave the boulder one last glance, the rookie suppressing a shiver as he thought about how heavy that thing had to be, before he followed the team – and Bane – into the mine. I swear to God, if I die...

Surprisingly, it didn't take all that long before they came to the end of the underground path. A metal door stood in front of them, some sort of panel directly next to it on the wall. Stepping forward, Bane placed his thumb on the dark panel, a light above the panel flashing from red to green in the space of a few seconds.

With a pneumatic hiss, the door opened up to expose an even more dimly lit locker room, with yet another door at the very end. Robin and Aqualad share another look as Bane cracks the door slightly, allowing for a sliver of light and the sound of distant machinery to make its way into their current location.

The Boy Wonder steps up beside Bane, the both of them glancing out into the factory while everyone else hung back beside them.

"All clear." The whispered words left Robin at the same exact moment he jumped out of the locker room, the rest of the team following behind him with Bane at their side.

A few seconds later, the group was making their way between large chemical vats, confused expressions on their face as they glanced from side to side.

"Ugh," Kid Flash spoke up, face-palming as he realized something. "Not again."

"How is that even possible?" Zeke was the second to speak, voice hushed as he glanced over his shoulder yet again. Somehow, despite all of them following right behind him, the Boy Wonder had vanished from sight. "Seriously, he was right in front of us."

"Has that little bird already been caught?"

"No," Aqualad replied back. He turned his head to the side, barely repressing an exasperated sigh as he continued speaking. "He just does that."

"Somehow," Zeke added on with a shrug.

"You guys stay put," Kid Flash cut in, sliding his goggles over his eyes once more. "I'll get us the intel we need and be back before bird boy." As usual, by the time the last syllable left his mouth, Kid Flash had already begun to speed away.

"Kid, wait!" Aqualad's words, as loud as he could feasibly make them, were pointless. Kid Flash either didn't hear or didn't care about what Aqualad had to say, already a gray blur as he zipped around the corner. The Atlantean's hand dropped down to his side, the sigh he had been repressing finally spilling out as he shut his eyes.

Zeke raised an eyebrow behind his borrowed domino mask, trying very hard to suppress the smile creeping across his face before Aqualad spotted it. So that's what I looked like.

Bane let out a smug chuckle at Aqualad's attempt at stopping the already out-of-sight speedster, before turning to the rest of them with a smug smile. "Great chain of command."

Aqualad did nothing more than narrow his eyes at the mocking comment, self-discipline clearly preventing him from retaliating. Superboy, on the other hand, had no such compunctions, the brash clone quickly stepping into Bane's personal space with a snarl on his face. "Cállate, cabrón."

Bane simply continued doing what he did best, which seemed to revolve entirely around being smug, as he shot Superboy a patronizing smile and raised his hands in mock surrender.

Unsurprisingly, Superboy wasn't mollified by that.

"Just knock him out again. Who would blame you?" Zeke muttered under his breath, secretly hoping that Superboy would hear him and actually act on the motivation. "I mean, I wouldn't."

While Superboy may have been the intended target for his message, the clone wasn't the only one who managed to overhear it. The dark-skinned Atlantean turned his narrowed eyes to Zeke at this, the younger boy quickly turning his head aside as if searching for whoever might have just spoken.

This time, Aqualad actually did let out a sigh, shaking his head for a moment before quickly composing himself as he rattled off a new set of orders to what remained of his team… and Bane. Quickly moving according to the Atlantean's commands, the team crept towards the sounds of nearest activity, loud voices in the distance barely heard over the din of heavy machinery. With the vast door to the warehouse in sight, the teens quickly ducked behind a waist-high wall of crates, only the top of their heads visible as they peeked over.

Aqualad's eyes visibly widened, an incredible measure of expressiveness from him, as he took in everything being stored and moved from one place to another. Said green eyes darted over a forklift as it crossed his field of vision, mouth coming down into a tight line before he spoke again. "It's a massive shipment."

Well, duh. Zeke raised an eyebrow behind his borrowed domino mask as he stifled a snort, still shaking his head at his leader's astute observation as he turned back to glance at each of the cowl-wearing criminals. The ones currently loading newly packed up cases onto the forklift, in particular.

Picking one of the men entirely on a whim, Zeke narrowed his eyes as he focused on a single thought. [Observe].

Derek Baker Lv 10

Kobra: Lancehead

HP: 350/350

A former Blackgate prisoner convicted for murder.

Became a Kobra cultist while serving his sentence. Likes Kobra.

Hates most Non-Kobra related things.

Again. So useful. He made to roll his eyes again but paused after a moment, turning his head to note Superboy as the clone remarked about something he found peculiar in response to Kaldur's obvious statement.

"They're only taking new product off the line," Superboy noted, receiving narrowed eyes from Aqualad and a questioning one from Zeke. "See," one solid arm gestured out towards a warehouse laden with stacked cartons already closed and labelled. "They're not touching any of the pre-made stuff."

Zeke's gaze slid over to Bane, the man in question just a few feet from the team, all six feet and more of the man concealed in the shadow of crates stacked several feet high. The sidekick licked suddenly dry lips and suppressed the urge to gulp as he spoke up. "Any guess as to why that is… uh, señor?"

"What?" Bane scoffed, arms folded over his chest as he leaned back. The rest of the team fixed gazes on him, the man only shrugging in response. "You think when Kobra stole my factory, they were kind enough to share their plans with me?"

"...Fair enough."

With an unsatisfied sigh, Zeke glanced back at the moving operation as M'gann fielded another question towards their criminal associate. Something's fishy here and it's not just the cult crazies. What's so special about that new Venom? Gaze locking onto one of the red cases stacked on top of multiple pallets, Zeke's eyes narrowed, iris and pupils overlayed by a vibrant blue for the second time as he focused his attention. [Observe].

Kobra-Venom

A chemical compound created by Kobra-affiliated scientists based on a combination of the neo-steroid, Venom, and the CADMUS-made Project Blockbuster formula. The resulting mix is three times stronger than Venom and just as permanent as Blockbuster, with the added result of being much safer for the user. Transforms user into a large, musclebound monster and hardens bodily tissues to provide enhanced durability.

Grants Trait: Supercharged Neo-Steroid (STR + 3000% – 5000%) Grants Trait: Musclebound Grants Trait: Tempered Hide Grants Trait: Roid Rage Grants Trait: Insensitive

Is… is that… Is that stuff Titan? He blinked at the errant thought, frowning as he recalled some kind of super-Venom made from regular Venom and something else from… from… Wait, where exactly do I know that from?

He blinked again, answers not coming to mind despite the images of what looked like a bonafide horror show he could suddenly recall. Like Grey Hulk with a really bad skin condition. Zeke let out a fearful shudder as he glanced at exactly how much Tit- Kobra-Venom that the henchmen had at hand if a fight broke out, images still sitting front and center in his mind. I swear to God, if I die here… The thirteen-year old pulled a face, expression tight as he tried not to finish that sentence in his head. Well, it would suck real hard.

Observe Lvl Up!

9→10

The powerful sound of spinning rotors shattered his concentration as a helicopter buzzed over the roof of the warehouse at that very moment, leaving Zeke confused as to whether the sudden twitch in his left eye was the fault of simple surprise or irritation at just how overblown this simple recon mission had become. He knew what he would bet on, if it came down to it.

Zeke turned to his left to give his team leader a worried glance, the person in question glancing down as he noticed the look in his periphery. As they made eye contact, the younger boy spoke up, voice still hushed, "So, I know you technically never accepted the job, but… well." He paused for a moment, shrugging as he wondered if this was the time to draw the line in the sand.

Might as well, he decided after a second. Robin's too young and Superboy is like five months old, I think. M'gann's not exactly all that confident in her decisions and Wally's… Wally.

Shaking his head, Zeke decided that it might as well be Kaldur. "You got a plan for us… boss?"

Superboy and Miss Martian turned at the question, both glancing down towards Zeke before giving Kaldur expectant looks of their own, already accepting him as their de facto leader with that action.

There was a pregnant silence as Aqualad chose not to answer at first, instead staring back at his team with an imperceptible expression. After a long moment, he gave them all a firm nod, expression barely changing as he accepted the position.

Zeke nodded back. Glad that's settled.

The Atlantean raised a hand to his ear, body angled slightly away from the team as he spoke up. "Aqualad to Robin. Do you read me?"

A moment later, he uttered the same words in reference to Kid Flash, a slight scowl marring his expression as he was met with the same failure. The blond let out a huff, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice as well as he did his face. "It seems that comms are down."

Holding back a sigh, he turned his attention back to his team.

"If we are going to make a move," Aqualad spoke up once more, craning his neck upwards as the noise of the helicopter drew ever closer, the rotors slowing down as the vehicle began its descent, "we must first gain some information. Miss Martian? Two tasks."

The girl in question perked up at the mention of her name, letting out a vaguely questioning sound as Aqualad pointed a single figure up, gesturing towards the factory ceiling. "One, acquire the identity of our new arrivals while unseen. Two, report back with a mental message."

"No problem!" The words left her mouth a single moment before she simply faded from sight, Zeke's eyes going wide as he was treated to his first display of said power. Before he could raise a hand to poke around the air where the green girl had just been, Aqualad's hushed voice forced the kid to refocus his attention.

"As for the rest of u-" Whatever Aqualad was gonna say next was suddenly interrupted by a sudden kicked up plume of dust and a blur, the actual words in the air drowned out by a far less quiet but all-too familiar voice as it made itself known.

"Hey, where'd Miss M go?"

Before they could react to Kid Flash's sudden appearance, the redhead jerking his head from side to side with a confused expression on his face, another familiar voice cut in to the conversation and replied in their place.

"Beats me. Think she went invisible?"

Zeke had barely been able to fight back a flinch when Kid Flash had zoomed in, the appearance as unexpected as it was unwanted, but Robin appearing right behind him nearly forced a scream out of him from sheer surprise.

Clamping a hand over his own mouth before he could shriek their location to any of the armed Kobras in the vicinity, Zeke whirled around and shot both boys a dark look, forcing himself to convey as much irritation as he could manage in a single expression.

Before he could say anything to drive home how annoyed he was, Aqualad rounded on both Kid Flash and Robin, the stoic Atlantean outdoing Zeke's impotent glare with a simple narrowing of his eyes. In a hushed voice, he began to question both boys, asking, "Where have you been? The both of you."

"I'm pretty sure it was some kind of command center," Robin replied back, signature smirk still in place. "Exactly what kind I'm not sure, but it was science related so I figured I was in the right place."

"Yeah, it was this computer room full of all the plans for Venom," Kid Flash chimed in, raising his chin slightly as he used a finger and a thumb to cup the underside of it. "Little Rob needed my help here to figure out what they were doing so I graciously offered my assistance."

"Your help. Really?" The boy wearing the same colors as a traffic light swivelled his head to give his teammate a dull look. "As if I wasn't about to figure it out myself."

Kid Flash smirked back, a hand coming up to fiddle with his goggles. "Sure, but we'd still be stuck up there waiting for that to happen. Plus, I took out that Kobra guy before you could."

"Only cause you used your speed to beat me there," Robin bit back, index finger just inches away from poking the speedster in the chest.

"Don't get mad at me for pulling my weight," Kid Flash sniffed, raising his chin even higher to look down at Robin. "You know, like a real leader."

"Okay, first of all…" Robin reared up again at Kid Flash's words, the younger boy clearly about to restart their hushed argument from before when he found himself interrupted as a pair of strong hands dropped on both his and Kid Flash's shoulders, Aqualad pulling Robin back while Superboy did the same for Kid Flash. From the looks on their faces, such a grip with Atlantean or Kryptonian strength was far from comfortable and it was clear that neither Aqualad nor Superboy seemed to care much about comfort.

"There will be no more of this," Aqualad intoned firmly, meeting Robin's eyes with a tight glare. "A true leader does not vanish and leave his team without direction or guidance," he paused to level a much firmer glare at Kid Flash, the redhead rubbing his shoulders as he groused under his breath, "And a leader certainly does not to seek to incite discord among his teammates or run off without conferring with them."

Robin winced at that, turning his head away as he let out a slight groan. "...What, you guys can't manage without someone holding your hand?"

Superboy turned his own glare over to Robin at that thoughtless statement, the Boy Wonder flinching under the combined glare of both his more intimidating teammates even as Zeke shrugged and went, "To be fair..."

Zeke found himself shrugging again as Aqualad's stern expression turned to him, shoulders saying everything that his mouth couldn't.

"Fine, I guess…" Robin finally grumbled under his breath as Aqualad returned to him, words barely perceptible as he worked a groan into each and every syllable. One gloved hand brushed the side of his face as he spoke up again, words much clearer this time. "I'm sorry for vanishing, okay?"

"If it counts, I'm sorry too," Kid Flash added a quick moment later, dashing in between Robin and Aqualad and waving his hands around. "At least for whatever I did that got me manhandled. Seriously, Supey, any harder and you might dislocate something. Jeez."

"At least we vanished for a good cause, though," Robin chimed in again, smirk returning to his face as he shot Kid Flash a knowing look. "We figured out what Kobra's using all this Venom for, some sort of permanent super-steroid mixed with Project Blockbuster. They call it K-"

"Kobra-Venom, right?"

Every face turned to the shortest out of all of them, Zeke's hushed voice grabbing their attention with a suddenness that he really hadn't expected. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again, already wishing he had kept his mouth shut in the first place. "Uhhhh… I mean, that is the name, r-right?"

He blinked rapidly, leaning back slightly as Kid Flash suddenly rounded on him. "Yeah, but we had to go through Kobra's files for that info. How do you know that?"

If Zeke had ever been wondering whether domino masks could narrow suspiciously, he had his answer as he came face to face with The Boy Wonder again as Robin lightly shoved Kid Flash out of the way. "That's a really good question, KF. What's the answer, Zeke?"

"It… It's… It's kinda part of my powers…" Zeke managed to get out, deciding he might as well go with the truth on this one. "I can sometimes see facts or information about things or people if I focus when I look at them."

Robin tilted his head. "You mean like, some kind of vision-based psychometry?"

Zeke blinked again, confusion clear on his face. "I don't really know what that word means but… sure?"

Kid Flash pulled a face as Robin and Aqualad shared a look, each one of them carrying differing amounts of disbelief in their expression. After a moment, the speedster let out a scoff and leaned forward, "If you ask me, that sounds like a huge load of b-"

"He's telling the truth."

Like Aqualad's, Superboy's voice had a certain intensity to it that even when speaking as low as he was right now, it almost seemed to overpower any other. In this case, Kid Flash's words were steamrolled as Superboy cut in with four simple words.

The half-alien nodded towards Zeke as Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash turned to look over at him, a question clear on their faces. Superboy frowned slightly as he continued speaking, arms folded over his chest. "I saw his eyes glow twice when he was looking over at the boxes of Venom. He's always glowing half the time so I didn't really think about it."

'See?' Zeke mouthed and Kid Flash waved an irritated hand back at him in response. Before the speedster could say anything else, Aqualad palmed Wally's chest and pushed him away from Zeke with an almost casual motion, superior strength allowing him the ease.

"Quiet," he scolded, the instruction clearly intended for more than just Kid Flash. He raised a hand to his head, wincing for a moment before both eyes quickly shut. "Sportsmaster. Sportsmaster is the buyer." The sentence came out almost as a hiss as the Atlantean opened his eyes, Robin and Kid Flash repeating the name with various levels of recognition.

"Sportsmaster?" Superboy's head tilted to convey confusion as clearly as Zeke's one-word question did. "Who's Sportsmaster?"

"Sportsmaster's the buyer?" Robin spoke up again, either not hearing or purposely ignoring his teammate's question. "Definitely didn't expect that."

"No, seriously, who is Sportsmaster?" Zeke repeated, still waiting on an answer as he looked between Aqualad and Robin. I swear the name rings a bell but also… not really.

"Another one of a long line of assassins with a gimmick. For some reason, the weirdo chose Olympic equipment as his thing." Kid Flash's hand went to his chin again as he spoke up to answer Zeke's query. "What I don't get is what a guy like him is doing buying super steroids?"

"Other than the obvious reason, of course," Robin quipped, smirk still plastered across his face. "Guy's been around since before all of us were born. Those type of gains can't be natural at his age."

"Enough! Enough talking," Aqualad intoned, eyeing each one of his team members as he pulled away from the crates they had been hiding behind. "We need a plan and we need one now."

Superboy chose this moment to make himself heard again, voice quieting the other boys with ease. "Someone should have told Bane that, then."

Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash and Genesis whirled around to face the large stack of crates the luchador had been hiding behind, four sets of eyes going wide in unison as they realized the large man had vanished.

Dawning horror began to fall on Zeke, his left eye twitching as he realized what was likely to come next. I really should have expected this, considering...

Mission Success!

Mission "Anathemic Alliance" Completed

+2000 XP

Bonus: Failed! Level Up!

You are now Level 5.

+ 5 Stat Points

Goddamnit! I mean, yes! I mean… The sidekick felt his brain grind to a near halt as he found himself struggling to process the simultaneous annoyance and excitement running through his mind on parallel tracks. Ugh, I hate this whole mission.

A split-second later, the sound of rapid gunfire echoed through the warehouse, immediately followed by the indistinct yelling of several Kobra guards. All in all, Zeke had very little time to feel sorry for himself. I really hate this mission.

Kaldur spat out a stream of words that absolutely had to be Atlantean expletives of some sort, considering the severe look of annoyance on the older teen's face. Without wasting a moment, their new leader reached behind his shoulders and pulled his arms forward quickly in one swift motion, water-bearers now in his grip. "Temporary plan: Neutralize Kobra and Sportsmaster. Move!"

The Atlantean's tattoos lit up with a bright glow as he leapt out from behind cover, water already forming on his signature weapons. Kid Flash and Robin were already gone, Robin vaulting up and vanishing over the cartons with his signature creepy laugh and Kid Flash blurring away in front of Zeke's eyes. Other than Genesis, Superboy was the only one left, the casually-dressed clone shooting a backwards glance at the other boy just an instant before he would have charged in.

Mission Gained!

Kobras are Venomous

Assist your team in taking on Kobra and his minions.

Ensure Kobra is defeated and make sure your team is in one piece.

Success: 5000 XP, Venom x 25, Kobra-Venom x 5, Kobra Kultist Kowl x 5

Failure: Kobra Escapes, Team Death

Bonus: Apprehend Bane

As the sounds of fighting reached a quick crescendo with the three boys' dynamic entrance, Zeke found himself letting out a groan of raw frustration, hands like claws at his sides as he tried to figure out how a covert mission had become the complete opposite.

A hail of bullets tore through a shipping container just meters from his head, the young sidekick flinching back at the explosion of wood splinters and the ear-splitting noise with a yelp as curled fingers clutched tightly at his close-trimmed scalp. It was surprise more than fear, but it certainly didn't ease his nerves. I swear to God I am not ready for any of this.

"Zeke!"

A voice. Superboy.

The jumpsuit-clad teen glanced up, the whites of Robin's borrowed mask widening with his eyes as he found himself staring at his half-human teammate, Superboy wearing his usual grim expression. "Huh?"

"Just… J-just stay behind me!" There was signs of internal struggle on his face as he edged forward, periodically glancing over at the fight and back to Zeke. The other boy couldn't begin to determine what the cause of said struggle actually was, and he was in no mood to give the issue any real thought. "Stay out of the way and try not to get hurt!"

The relief he felt in his chest couldn't be put into words, Zeke's face lighting up with a bright grin at Superboy's words. Flashing the clone a thumbs up as he stood up to his full height, he replied, "You go-"

Whatever general confirmation he would have given Superboy back was quickly replaced with a scream so high-pitched it would have been insulting to call it girlish, Zeke's hopeful mood replaced with instant terror as nearly eight feet of monstrous, leathery and ugly muscle burst through a window with an animalistic roar and shoulder-checked Superboy through the factory wall.

[Paralyzing Fear] negated by Gamer's Mind.

An half-instant later, the young sidekick's fear was gone before he could even conceptualize it. Mind suddenly clearer than it had been the last few hours, Zeke acted on instinct and sprang back immediately, all the force in his lower body transferred into a sudden backwards jump that carried him several feet before he even realized it. He fell to the ground in a heap a second later, mask widening with his eyes as an arm roughly the size of his entire body plunged down into the ground right where he had just been standing, shaking the ground and leaving a sizable crater at the point of impact.

Instincts borne of practice taking over, Genesis swung a glowing blue hand out in front of him, voice jumping several octaves as he screamed the first three syllables that came to mind. A shifting sphere of blue energy, roughly the size of a softball, shot from the young side-kick's open palm and rushed towards the leather-skinned monster. The blast of sapphire light struck the unsuspecting giant in the face, the resulting basketball-sized explosion… barely making the thing flinch.

Zeke's eyes widened again, left one twitching beneath his mask. I really really hate this mission.

Mana Burst Lvl Up!

13→14

"All points to speed!" Even as he felt his quick movement become both faster and easier to maintain all of a sudden, his thin chest still heaved up and down as he backpedaled further away from the figure. Turning his back to it seemed like a terrible idea, considering he wouldn't be able to dodge what he couldn't see. Whatever it was pulled its grotesque arm from the floor, chips and flakes of concrete launched free from the extraction falling to the ground like a rather dull hailstorm. Not good.

The sidekick took a worried step back, instincts screaming at him to run, but he felt himself pausing instead, thoughts almost frozen to a halt as something seemed to click in his mind. Genesis made to shake his head but stopped before he could, blinking as a cheery voice sounded off in his mind with perfect clarity.

MM: [Everyone online?]

AQ: [Yes. Thank you, M'gann.]

KF: [Your voice sounds even prettier like this, y'know.]

R: [Kinda busy. Mind keeping chit-chat to the minimum?]

G: [Help needed! About to die by monster man! SOS! SOS!]

SB: [Hn… On it. Just stop screaming in my head!]

Zeke's mood rose somewhat at the sound of Superboy's mental message, even with the dislike for the method of communication clear in his tone. It immediately sunk again as the monster man roared again and charged forward, lumbering form crossing nearly half a dozen meters faster than the sidekick would have thought possible for anything that big. Strong, durable, and fast… the absolute worst trifecta he could imagine as a match-up for himself right now.

The boy in blue dove to his right with barely a second to spare as what had to be at least five hundred pounds of monster muscle barreled past him with ground-shaking force and crashed bodily into another stack of crates. Eyes widening at the second near-miss, Genesis hand's dug at the concrete as he scrambled back again, legs feeling like jelly in the face of rapidly rising panic. Very not good!

Focusing on the feel of Miss Martian's mental link in his head, Genesis blared another mental message toward his team. [Seriously. I need back-up! Like, all the back-up!]

Met with no response, the sidekick forced himself to his feet again as rumbling made itself heard, an ominous sound made only more threatening by the noise of splintering wood and cracking concrete. A second later and a face only a mother could love burst from the wooden wreckage, crates sent flying as the rest of him quickly followed.

[Paralyzing Fear] negated by Gamer's Mind.

Calm fought back the fear before it could take hold, the boy quickly turning his back to the beast behind him as he took off. Thin legs pumped like mad out of the simple urge for survival, Zeke running for all he was worth as he focused his gaze on the wall in front of him. The sound of his own heart pounding in his ears as adrenaline flooded his body was almost enough to render him deaf but he didn't dare slow down for even half a second.

His small form darted past a shocked Kobra goon at Olympic speeds, the armed man letting out a shattered scream that faded away very quickly as the monster made its way past him. The ground trembled underneath Zeke's feet, the sensation of a living earthquake drawing closer with every thunderous footfall behind him, a heavy breath transitioning into a triumphant roar as a massive palm reached out to sw-

[Power Sprint!]

Zeke breathed in deep on his next inhale, body responding to the focused thought immediately. Gentle warmth suffused his lower body in an instant as he leapt several feet into the air, bounding up into the wall in front of him and kicking off the moment his soles made contact with the surface of it.

Acrobatics Lvl Up!

3→4 Skill Created!

Power Leap Lv 1

Power Leap Lvl Up!

1→5 Power Leap Lv 5

Jump good.

Using your inherent physical energy, jump higher than you ever could before.

Magnitude: 150% base standing/running jump height/distance

Cost: 10 Will

-8

-4

-2

-1

-1

Unsure of how to safely land, he hit the ground with an audible grunt, tumbling somewhat as his knee and and shoulder took the brunt of the impact with the hard concrete. Ignoring the already fading pain, Genesis gritted his teeth and glanced over his shoulder to watch a massive form surge headfirst into the wall with a thunderous crash. Yes!

An excited yell burst from the sidekick's open mouth far too early as the monster roared loudly and burst back into the factory, covering the distance between itself and Zeke in about a second. Raw shock froze him in place yet again as the beast surged in front of him with unexpected speed and that mammoth fist came down, Zeke instinctively raising his arms as he flinched in expectation of imminent pain.

The impact was thunderous, that of flesh against unyielding flesh.

"Didn't... I tell you…" A grunt interrupted the words, two competing vocal chords making similar sounds of struggle. "Didn't I say to…"

What… Zeke opened his eyes, blinking in shock as he witnessed his half-Kryptonian teammate interlocked in a shoulder grapple with the monster, the clone actually struggling somewhat for the first time when it came to a feat of strength. "Superboy!"

"Didn't I say to…" Conner repeated the same words again, face twisting for a moment before he suddenly let go of the monster and ceased the grapple, the beast stumbling directly into the cloned boy's fist as a result, "STAY!" A punch. "OUT!" Another. "OF! THE! WAY!"

A third, fourth and fifth were delivered in sequence, each blow more powerful than the last as the monster was rocked from side to side. Still, it didn't go down, instead delivering a blow of its own to Superboy with a guttural roar, one that the other boy simply shrugged off before returning the favor twofold.

In between punches and grunts, Superboy managed to shoot Zeke a glare. "What are you waiting for?!" He jumped up and slammed the leathery monster in the face with a hammer-fist, raining blows on the thing's skull from his perch around it's shoulders. "Get out of here already!"

"Got it!" The thirteen-year-old didn't bother arguing with the irate clone, quickly drawing on a second [Power Sprint] without looking back. His enhanced speed propelled him back towards the front of the factory in seconds where he saw, to some shock, that the entire loading area was now littered with downed cultists, the entire battle now centered in this one area. He nearly stopped out of sheer surprise, golden glow shuddering around his lower body as his focus wavered.

"Holy…"

To call it anything less than an open free-for-all would be an insult to the battle taking place in front of him, bodies of unconscious Kobras scattered in open heaps. Across the ground and in the air, Kid Flash and Miss Martian darted from place to place, the both of them adding to that number every minute. Aqualad by himself was facing off against several armed Kobras, the Atlantean using a single water-bearer to form a tall aqueous shield in front of him as he shot powerful blasts of compacted water with the other.

Robin was nowhere to be seen as Zeke dashed through the fighting, staying as far clear of the gunfire as he could manage. Even then, there were far too many to look out for at once. Darting around pillars, he could feel his breath hitch as his chest tightened like a vise every single time a bullet shot past, around, or anywhere near his person, fear almost forcing him to stop once or twice.

It was only the knowledge that stopping would kill him quicker than anything else that kept him mobile and on the run. Unfortunately, though, there were a few that were a bit more stubborn than most. One in particular…

"Dieeee!" A red-cowled goon jumped out from behind a thick pillar, rifle at the ready.

"Aaah! [Mana Burst!]"

The blast of energy leapt from his open hand the instant the the words left his lips, bright blue light exploding against the man's face with a sickening crack and a scream of pain. Zeke couldn't help the full-body flinch that came over him as the man's hand flew up with his rifle held tight. It was instinct that propelled his limb forward, right hand snapping out to push the danger away. Diverting it away from him, he couldn't help but let out a half-terrified, half-angry scream as the rifle spat out bullets, each one a thunderous roar as hot lead burst out of the weapon's smoking end.

Teeth gritted below his black-rimmed mask, Zeke screamed out three syllables at the top of his lungs and thrust his glowing fist forward into the shooter's already-broken nose. "[Power Strike!]" The man's head rocked back from the force of the hit, cowl falling away from his face as he stumbled. Before he could right himself, the sidekick swung again with a glowing fist and watched his hand sink into the cultist's stomach.

+ 200 XP

+ Kobra Kultist Kowl Power Strike Lvl Up!

5→6

Basic Martial Arts Lvl Up!

3→4

His chest heaved again as the armed cultist fell to the floor, heavy breathing not from neither mental or physical exhaustion but an entirely different kind of stress altogether. What happened to covert? Shaking his head at the entirely rhetorical question, Genesis made to start moving again only for his eyes to go wide as he caught sight of something heading his way fast.

A moment after the kid ducked for cover, two burly figures slammed into a pillar just a few meters away from him, the forceful impact actually managing to dent the structure. The first figure was obviously Bane, the supervillain easily identifiable from even a distance considering his distinct appearance. The reason for the dent in the pillar was also self-evident given that Genesis had already paid witness to the criminal's rather impressive physical abilities and each additional strike the steroid-using luchador buried into the other figure's gut only buried that knowledge further into his mind.

As for the man Bane was currently beating down, he was tall and rather strongly built, his figure likely one that anyone would call intimidating if he wasn't dwarfed by the mountain of muscle that was Bane. Metal plates adorned his left arm, arm and elbow plates on both of his upper limbs as well. In addition to that, he also wore a gray hockey mask over his face, short blond hair barely visible around the edges of it.

All that protection didn't seem to do the man any favors as Bane suplexed him into a stack of wooden crates, shattering the wood in its entirety. The breath seemed to leave the armored man's chest in a mighty groan, his body clearly spent. Bane moved closer to his fallen victim, dropping his boot onto the man's chest to force the air from his lungs again. "Your skills are weak, your will unfocused and your weapons… inadequate. I would say I envy your strength but that would be a lie, ¿no?"

He bent over and tore a large silver case hanging from the blond man's utility belt. Quickly opening the thing, Bane paused to take in the contents only to let out his distinctive, smug laugh just seconds later. Shutting the metal case again, he glanced back down at the man literally beneath his boot and grinned again. "Maybe next time, Sportsmaster, you can live up to your name and show me proper sport."

With that said, Bane took off, moving at a speed that belied his bulk as he rushed past the ongoing combat around him on a path directly towards the open factory door

So that's Sportsmaster. Genesis' gaze dropped to the man on the ground before quickly darting back to Bane's retreating form. And that's definitely Kobra Venom in that case. He glanced around at the fight around him, watching his teammates wade past or divert rifle fire as they took down a small army of robed cultists. So my options are fighting an army of crazy people with guns or one strong guy?

His left eye twitched for what felt like the hundredth time that night as he looked back up again at Bane, the man pausing to clothesline a cultist who dared get in his way.

...Frick.

"[Power Sprint!]" Genesis took off at full speed after the man mountain, the barely teenage hero-in-training doing his utmost to focus on the warmth spreading from his chest and down to his legs instead of exactly how stupid his plan was. It wasn't exactly working, but he tried regardless. Okay, so my best bet is that he's not gonna kill me. Considering that Sportsmaster guy isn't currently a corpse, Bane isn't an out and out murderer. That's good… I think.

He frowned at that thought, another realization dawning on him. So, he's probably just gonna beat the living hell out of me. That's... The frown on Genesis' face deepened, nearly transforming into an out and out scowl as he burst out into the factory doors, head turning this way and that as he tried to find where Bane could have di-

-52

-9

Resistance: Blunt Force Lvl Up!

18→19 VIT + 1

Everything went white as something hard smashed into his jaw. His head flew back, a spray of blood flying from his open mouth as he bit down on his tongue.

-44

-29

A second struck him across the opposite side of his face, jaw feeling double the impact as his bones almost seem to rattle underneath his skin. A third flew right into his unprotected torso, rattling his breastbone from the force of it as it tore a choked cry of pain from his lips. The sheer pain from it alone nearly sent him right to the ground, knees turning to jelly from the moment of impact.

He stumbled forward on those shaky legs, desperately trying to blink past the white haze in his vision. Head lolling like a newborn's, he tried to move — tried to run — but before he could, the world began to spin. He felt the hands gripping his collar before his eyes could make out the beefy arms that led up to them, forelimbs wider than his entire head on both sides of his suddenly fragile-feeling skull.

Debuff: Concussion

The spinning shot into high gear and Genesis felt himself hurtle through the air, body flying backwards several feet as he struggled to simply make sense of it. The impact jarred him back into place, skull and spine making contact with the concrete wall of the factory and taking the brunt of the blow for the rest of him.

-21

-14

-4

Genesis barely repressed the urge to vomit as he fell to the ground, the boy coughing violently regardless. Pain slowly beginning to fade, he forced himself up to his feet, hands at the ready as he tried to gather up enough focus to strike back with the energy he could feel welling up inside him.

-21

Another strike rocked him before he could even see it; an open hand slap this time, right across his face. Unlike the first, it almost felt lazy to Zeke, playful even. That was only in comparison, though. It still hurt like like hell when you were the one receiving it.

The boy's vision blurred even as he forced himself to stay on his feet, Bane's image hovering in duplicates as the man danced around him. Or maybe the villain was standing perfectly still.

He couldn't really tell, if he was being honest.

Spitting up a hunk of blood as he managed to find his footing, the teen shot a look that he hoped was suitably intimidating at the Bane that seemed to be the most corporeal, the blood around his mouth turning what might have been a sneer into a disgusted grimace. "Y-you… think I'm… think I'm…"

"Jeez…" The word spilled from his mouth unbidden as the kid nearly stumbled, his legs threatening to slip out from under him for no real reason. A quick change in stance corrected that accident, Genesis continuing his stand-off with the smug luchador as if nothing had just happened. He held his hands up, the open palm of his right hand glowing a bright blue and the fist of his left hand a bright yellow as he tried another attempt at intimidation. "Y-you really think I'm fuckin' sc... scared of y-y-you?!"

He was terrified, of course, Bane being one of the scariest villains he could remember that weren't in Superman's weight class. However, now was not the time to let the bad guy in front of him know that.

Bane let out a deep laugh, Zeke's gaze darting to the right as he focused on the location of the sound rather than his unreliable vision. As the villain calmed down, he furled his arms over his chest and began to speak, "Your fearlessness is admirable, niño, but there is a saying I once heard. 'The weakest dogs do bark the loudest', I believe it goes."

The weakest dogs… Genesis frowned at Bane's chuckled words, memory spiked by the turn of phrase. "Wait… Wait a minute! You…" The boy in blue pointed a golden finger at Bane's form, realization hitting him all of a sudden. "Piccolo said that! You stole that from Dragon Ball Z!"

Bane blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Dragon Ba-"

Now! Genesis moved, seizing the opportunity granted by Bane's confusion to get in close. The villain stumbled back in sheer surprise but in close quarters, he couldn't avoid the Mana Burst that the sidekick shot directly at center mass, the sphere exploding against his chest and forcing him to rear back. The [Power Strike] in his other hand slammed into the same spot, forcing a gasp from Bane and making the Hispanic supervillain give up more ground.

Zeke jumped back and away from the villain after his quick combo, most of the pain fading and his vision righting itself as he focused on the fight in front of him. He curled his hands together, the image of what he had in mind already forming between his twin palms as he geared himself up to say the word the moment it was prepared.

That moment never came.

Bane seemed to rush forward in between the blinks of an eye, the villain bursting into motion with a look of pure rage on his face. The basketball-sized ball of blue energy faltered and died as Genesis' eyes widened in shock. Muscles primed for action, Bane swung with an angered yell. "I will hurt you, niño!"

Reflexes Lvl Up!

2→4

I dodged it! Hazel eyes widened even further behind his mask as he watched the arm swing past him, the thirteen-year old having darted to the side of the blow before it could make contact. The excited thought rushed through him as he avoided the initial strike with skill or reflexes that he barely knew he possessed, the action filling him with hope that he could actually have a chance against Bane. The follow-up quieted every single thought along those lines.

-34

-12

VIT + 1

Bane's arm met the sidekick's neck in a powerful lariat, slamming him down to the ground with force that would be more fitting to a gorilla than any normal man. Before he could so much as catch a breath, a foot came down on his chest and Genesis found himself gasping for air almost immediately. "You are fast boy, and tougher than you look," Bane's words were tinged with more anger than before, the man staring down at him with a dark expression. "Still, that means nothing when I can break you with one hand."

"...O-o-okay." The single word left him in between desperate inhales for air, the boy taking in short gasps as Bane continued putting more and more weight on his body, his tiny form being pushed deeper and deeper into the damp ground of the jungle clearing.. "...And… what's… your p-point?"

-3

-5

-3

-1

-2

"My point is that I care about nothing else but what rightfully belongs to me and, you see, that man..." Bane jerked his thumb over by the direction of the helipad. Still struggling with the weight on his chest, Genesis shifted his gaze over to that direction, eyes widening soon after. This entire time, a nearly identical brawl had been going down just around the corner from where Zeke and Bane currently stood; a tall gray-skinned man with his bare chest marred with electrical burns facing off against a bruised and clearly spent Boy Wonder. A girl lay unconscious on the ground between them, her arms strapped to her side with the black strips of a bola.

-6

-4

-3

"That man and his people stole what's mine," Bane continued, voice growing more grizzled as he slowly increased the weight on the boy's chest. Genesis didn't even bother struggling anymore as he could barely lift his arms even now, all chances of another surprise attack demolished before they even had a chance to flourish. His gaze flicked back over to Robin, a grimace spreading across his face as the unnaturally pale man held the Boy Wonder up in the air, large hands wrapped around his neck. "And I want it back."

A closed-mouth smile spread across Bane's face as he stared down, the luchador well aware who held the cards here. "Go help your friend, nino. Do some good. Get these thieves off my island and in exchange, I let you live. Understand?"

Ezekiel glared up a the villain pressing down on him, fighting the urge to spit a wad of blood into his smug face. "...Fine."

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Grass-stained gloves fell on cape-covered shoulders, tired hands shaking the thirteen-year-old awake with an almost uncaring roughness. Robin opened bleary eyes behind his mask and flinched immediately, half-expecting to see Kobra's sadistic smirk in front of him as the man continued to choke him again. Instead, the only thing to be seen was the face of his newest and most troublesome teammate, the kid close to his age going by the name Genesis, the hands close to his neck belonging to the same.

The Dark Knight's sidekick took in the other boy's expression and general appearance with a single glance, immediately noting how badly beat up Genesis looked. Dark bruises dotted the sides of his face, swollen eye, split-lip and bloody mouth only adding to the pitiful and disheveled look that his grass and mud-stained jumpsuit completed perfectly. Robin opened his mouth, questions whirring through his mind and warring for the position of first to leave his lips.

None of them made it out as his jaw hung open as he spotted Kobra's body over Genesis' shoulder, the cult leader slumped on the ground with a ring of purple bruising on his chest standing out starkly against his grey skin. Further behind, he could spot Miss Martian and Aqualad sweeping up the last of the robed cultists, Kid Flash gathering the already unconscious ones into a large pile. Over by the tree line, Superboy could be seen with a disgruntled expression, the Kryptonian clone dragging the unconscious form of some giant, leather-skinned monster across the ground for some reason.

Robin turned back to Zeke, mouth still open as he struggled to come up with a question. Before he could do any of that though, the boy in blue gripped his shoulders tighter and leaned in close, almost shaking him again as he blurted out a question of his own.

"Can we go home now? Please!"

Mission Success!

Mission "Kobras are Venomous" Completed

+ 5000 XP

+ Venom x 25

+ Kobra-Venom x 5

+ Kobra Kultist Kowl x 5

Bonus: Failed! + 9025 XP

+ Essence of Kobra

+ Amulet of Kobra

+ Cowl of the Naga Level Up x 3!

You are now Level 8.

+ 6 Stat Points Power Strike Lvl Up!

6→7

Mana Burst Lvl Up!

14→15 – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – Spoiler: STATUS Ezekiel Patrick Armstrong Age: 13 Level 8 Experience 5000/6000 Health 520/520 Mana 185/185 Willpower 177/177 STR 29 SPD 38 VIT 34 INT 30 WIS 9 CHA 12 Stat Points: 6 Cash: $375

Traits

Bright Kid: While you're no genius or some prodigy, you're obviously brighter than most kids. By the time you're an adult, however, no one will care. (Before the age of 18: +75% to INT gain and +25% to speed of learning Mana-based skills/abilities)

Perks:

Hard Hitter

Bare knuckle boxer.

All unarmed strikes deliver 25% more knockback force but no additional damage.

Quick Healer

Don't worry, it won't scar.

You heal rather fast, at a rate of a tenth of your VIT every fifteen seconds.

Reactive Reflexes

Gotta be quicker than that.

When attempting to dodge an attack, your reflexes ability is 10% more effective.

Quick Study A mind is a terrible thing to waste. With this skill, an additional 20% bonus is given whenever Exp is earned.

Skills

Mana Burst Lv 15

Pew-pew! Pew-pew-pew!

A hastily-formed burst of energy with an unspecified nature.

Max Damage: 10% of INT x Skill Level

Minimum Cost: 5 Mana

SS: Hadoken

A derivative of Mana Burst created through the forced merging of two bursts.

Explodes on contact with far more force than any singular Mana Burst could manage.

Max Damage: 5x Mana Burst

Cost: 5x Mana Burst

Mana Shield Lv 6

Shields at 20% and holding!

A protective construct formed from the desire for protection and made from an energy of an unspecified nature. Drains 1 MP for every point of damage blocked. Shatters if more than 20% of MP is drained by a single blow. Ignores damage up to 6% of INT x VIT.

Minimum Cost: 5 Mana

Observe Lv 10

Kinda like a scouter, but less cool somehow.

Allows you to view the status or qualities of anyone or anything, allowing you to learn information about them.

Cost: 1 MP

Power Leap Lv 5 Jump good. Using your inherent physical energy, jump higher than you ever could before. While active, your jumping height/length increases by 5% per level. (50%) Cost: 10 Will

Power Sprint Lv 10

You'll never be the Flash relying on this alone. Still, we've all gotta start somewhere.

While active, your running speed increases by 5% per level. (50%)

Cost: 1 Will/s

Power Strike Lv 7

Not exactly a heavy hitter quite yet.

Increases the STR value and knockback of your physical strikes by 10% per level. (50%)

Cost: 5 Will

Abilities

Gamer's Body Lv. MAX

Allows your body to exist in a similar standard to that of a video game character.

Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects. Health, Will, and Mana regenerate at a base of 1 point every 30 seconds. Food and drink items can accelerate recovery.

Gamer's Mind Lv. MAX

Allows your mind to exist in a similar standard to that of a video game character.

Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional trauma and severely damaging emotional states. Grants immunity to forceful/unwanted mental intrusion.

Acrobatics Lv 4

Basically a flip kick, but without the kick part.

An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.

Awareness: Mana Lv 16

Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, spirit energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of Mana, the spiritual energy found within the human mind and soul. Gaining awareness of your magical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Awareness: Willpower Lv 5

Willpower, ki, chi, qi, stamina, aura, mantra, physical energy, life energy, od, or even hamon… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of your Willpower, the physical energy found within all living organisms. Gaining awareness of your physical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Basic Martial Arts Lv 4

Heroes prefer fists. Apparently, so do sidekicks.

This ability measures your skill and intuition in bare-handed combat, allowing for rapid growth and adaptation in martial arts.

Breathing Control Lv 7

Batman can breathe in space. Why can't you?

The ability to use oxygen efficiently, enabling you to hold your breath for extended periods of time. Increases by 1 minute every level. (2 minutes)

Meditation Lv 5

When the mind is enlightened, the spirit is freed and the body matters not.

The ability to train your mind in order to achieve a state of oneness with your spiritual essence and life force, as well your mind and body.

Reflexes Lv 2

DODGE!

Decreases innate reaction time and increases innate perception speed by 10% per level. (20%)

Resistance: Blunt Force Lv 20

A little pain never hurt anyone.

Reduce all blunt force damage from attacks less than 100% of your health. Increases 1% by level. (20%)

Resistance: Electricity Lv 5

Harmless Electrocution.

Reduce all electrical damage from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Increases 2% by level. (10%)

Stealth Lv 1

It's so overt, it's covert.

This represents your ability to avoid being seen, allowing you to slip past foes or strike them from an unseen position.

This skill does not cover the art of silent movement. Increases critical chance of stealth attacks by .5% per level.