《RWBY: Batman Begins》Chapter XXXV
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Bruce found Lucius.
He was pouring wine into his glass. Getting to him wasn't easy with how many guests were in his way, and wishing him a happy birthday as he went. But Bruce pressed on through the crowd.
"Happy birthday, Bruce."
"Thank you," Bruce nodded, stepping up next to Lucius. "Thanks. And thank you for that item.
Lucius looked up to Bruce. "You're welcome. I know you'll put it to good use."
"I already have. How long would it take to manufacture on a large scale?"
"Weeks. Why?"
"Somebody's planning to disperse the toxin using the water supply."
Lucius shook his head. "The water supply won't help you disperse an inhalant."
Suddenly, he paused, as he started to realize what could be happening.
Bruce noticed it. "What?"
"Unless you have a microwave emitter powerful enough to vaporize all the water in the mains. A microwave emitter like the one Wayne Enterprises just misplaced."
"'Misplaced'?"
"Earle just fired me for asking too many questions about it."
Bruce looked out into the party. Of course Earle had fired the faunus. He had always been that kind of human. He turned back to Lucius to make eye contact.
"Go back to Wayne Enterprises now and start making more of that antidote," he ordered. "The police are gonna need as much as they can get their hands on."
"My security clearance has been revoked."
Bruce smiled. "That wouldn't stop a man like you, would it?"
Lucius smiled back. They hadn't known each other for long, but Bruce seemed to get him. "I suppose not."
Bruce walked back out into the party. He wasn't sure what to do next. A part of him wanted to go back to the Batcave, but he still needed to keep these guests occupied.
"Bruce, there's somebody you must meet!"
Bruce turned to see an old woman, whose name he believed to be Delane.
"Not now, Mrs. Delane," Bruce said as she pulled him to a blonde woman.
"Now, am I pronouncing this right?" Mrs. Delane said. "Miss Salem?"
Bruce halted, looking at the blonde woman who stared at him. He observed her form. She was the same size and build as the woman he'd once known as Salem. Her hair was styled the same. But her face was very different from the old Salem.
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"You're not Salem," Bruce said. "I watched her die."
"But is Salem immortal?" Bruce knew that voice. He turned around, and found himself face-to-face with Cinder, his old mentor. "Are her methods supernatural?"
Bruce glared at Cinder, as the pieces started to put together in his mind. How Salem died in the fire. Why Crane was dumping the toxin into the water supply. Everything made sense.
"Or cheap parlor tricks to conceal your true identity, Salem?" he said.
Cinder, or Salem as he now knew her, smiled, proud of her student for putting the pieces together.
"Surely a man who spends his nights scrambling over the rooftops of Vale wouldn't begrudge me dual identities."
"I saved your life."
"I warned you about compassion, Bruce."
Wayne looked around at the constant guests, who were completely oblivious to the danger they were in.
"Your quarrel is with me," he said to Salem. "You let these people go."
"You are welcome to explain the situation to them," Salem offered.
Bruce didn't hesitate to take the opportunity. He lifted a glass of fake champagne, and called out to the guests.
"Everyone!" he called. "Everybody!"
The party went quiet, and everyone turned around to look at him.
"I . . . I want to thank you all for coming here tonight and drinking all of my booze."
The guests laughed.
"No, really. There's a thing about being a Wayne that you're never short of a few freeloaders, like yourselves, to fill up your mansion with. So here's to you people. Thank you."
He took a drink from the champagne, as Earle stepped up to him to tap his shoulder. "That's enough, Bruce."
Bruce pushed his hand away. "I'm not finished. To all of you . . . all of you phonies, all of you two-faced friends . . . you sycophantic suck-ups, who smile through your teeth at me . . . please, leave me in peace. Please go. Stop smiling, it's not a joke. Please leave. The party's over, get out."
The confused guests started to leave at his requests. A few looked around for a moment in confusion, not understanding what was happening, before following the others out.
"The apple has fallen very far from the tree, Mr. Wayne," he heard a guest say.
The words stung, filling Bruce with guilt. But he didn't let it get to him. This was for their own safety, whether they understood it or not.
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As the crowd filed out, he could see members of the League of Shadows glaring at him, still as statues.
"Amusing," Salem said with a smile. "But pointless. None of these people have long to live. Your antics at the asylum have forced my hand."
"So Crane was working for you," Bruce said.
"His toxin is derived from the organic compound found in our blue flowers. He was able to weaponize it."
"He's not a member of the League of Shadows?" Bruce asked.
"Of course not," Salem nodded. "He thought our plan was to hold the city to ransom."
"But really, you are gonna release Crane's poison on the entire city."
"Then watch Gotham tear itself apart through fear."
"You're gonna destroy millions of lives," Bruce tried to reason with her.
"Only a cynical man would call what these people have 'lives', Wayne," Salem argued. "Crime. Despair. This is not how man was supposed to live. The League of Shadows has been a check against human and faunus corruption for thousands of years. We destroyed Mountain Glenn. Loaded trade ships with plague rats. Brought Grimm to Kuroyuri. Every time a civilization reaches the pinnacle of its decadence, we return to restore the balance."
Bruce shook his head. "Vale isn't beyond saving. Give me more time. There are good people here."
"You're defending a kingdom so corrupt, we have infiltrated every level of its infrastructure."
Salem's eyes changed from anger and determination, to a look of sadness and betrayal.
"When I found you in that jail, you were lost. But I believed in you. I took away your fear, and I showed you a path. You were my greatest student. It should be you standing by my side, saving the world."
Bruce wished he could stand by her. He wished he could protect the people he loved alongside his teacher; his friend. But he couldn't support what she was doing.
"I'll be standing where I belong: Between you and the people of Vale."
"No one can save Vale," Salem said.
She peered behind him, and nodded to the men in the back.
As she spoke, Bruce could hear the manor being torn apart. Tables were broken, gasoline as poured, and fires were lit.
"When a forest grows too wild, a purging fire is inevitable and natural."
The flames burned bright, and the League spread throughout the house to destroy as much of the home as possible.
"Tomorrow the world will watch in horror as its greatest kingdom destroys itself. The movement back to harmony will be unstoppable this time."
Bruce took note of that last part. "You attacked Vale before?"
"Of course," Salem confirmed. "Over the ages our weapons have grown more sophisticated. With Vale we tried a new one. Economics. But we underestimated certain Vale citizens . . . such as your parents."
Bruce stiffened, unable to comprehend that his teacher had truly just said that to him. She was the reason he had turned into who he was today, and she was talking about his parents now?
The fire was spreading further.
"Gunned down by one of the very people they were trying to help. Create enough hunger and everyone becomes a criminal. Their deaths galvanized the city into saving itself, and Vale has limped on ever since. We are back to finish the job. And this time no misguided idealists will get in the way. Like your father, you lack the courage to do all that is necessary. If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind them and stab them in the heart."
As she finished, Bruce spun around to grab the sword of an incoming attacker, quickly incapacitating him, and turning back to Salem.
"I am gonna stop you!" he vowed.
Salem smiled. "You never did learn to mind your surroundings."
Bruce started to notice the sweat, and fully processed how quickly the fire had spread. Everything around him was burning, and pieces of the house were starting to fall apart.
Salem kicked him back, and a large log collapsed from the ceiling, crashing on top of him.
"Justice is balance," Salem said, glaring down at Bruce. "You burned my house and left me for dead. Consider us even."
With that, she left Bruce in his burning home. The injured Wayne struggled to push the log off his waist, but he was starting to lose his ability to move.
He looked around, and his eyes settled on a picture of his parents. Thomas and Martha were standing beside one another, with genuine smiles on their faces, just by being together. As the glass of the picture frame started to crack in the flames. They had loved this house. They had wanted Alfred to take care of this house for them. And now it was burning down.
All of this was his fault . . .
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Forging his own destiny
~~DROPPED~~Story Author: Anuel Proofreaders:Flubbykin (active)Chapters Proofread: 1-7; 28-39; 42-117; 120-133; 169-178; 197 - 211, 220-earliest) Ah, the world, the multi-universe made of perfect cycles. Cycles, which the only purpose is to purify soul – release it from the burden of its memories and experience, the process, that would let the soul be reincarnated again, to experience new life. The world is being born, it is being populated by souls, the smaller and bigger, the world would die and be reshaped anew. In a cycle. A never-ending process. Since the dawn of time, since the countless cycles, the pool of soul was closed, a soul that died could be reincarnated only within a System of its Administrator. Until now. Join us in our story of a single soul which because of certain events could no longer be reincarnated in its original world – being forced to be transferred into Universe ruled another Administrator – another God in world full of Fantasy and Magic, watch him casting aside his previous restriction and try living his life to the fullest… thought someone, somewhere, may have different plans for this weird, weird soul. Ps. There are game elements here Disclaimers and warnings: - This story uses clichés. Like, lots of it. - I am not a native English speaker, so my grammar may not be best (It actually is pretty horrible). First 80 or so chapters are a true butchery for eyes and I admit it. Shouldn’t I correct them then? I should. Why am I not doing it? Who knows. Maybe one day I will. - This story is pretty much an experiment. I try different perspectives, different styles, I can make some random Deus-ex-machina if I would consider that I made mistake in the story and decide to change it. - This story is written for pure fun, if you expect some mind-blowing plots and conspiracy of top-level authors – then you will be most likely disappointed. - Easter eggs. Easters eggs everywhere. Every now and then you will be able to spot single events, characters and lines of text that belong in different stories/mangas/movies/books and such. Of course, they do not belong to me but to the owners, though I am not listing them – I am sorry, but if you need to be told from where line comes, we won’t be friends. - And finally. The story is written for you and WITH YOU. If you have any suggestions, events, characters, skills, class… ANYTHING… you wish to see, please – tell me. In best case scenario I would use them, in worse – I would just not implement them, so what do you lose? Guyz I owe my thanks for their contribution: KenChi? IamacultivatorNetlordBasicBörjeDeimos Solyom tommyjl7 Arondight
8 235A Series Of School For Good And Evil One Shots
A whole bunch of SGE one shots I wrote.
8 189Code Name: GLITCH
Major Xiomar Haydn is a damn good soldier, and an even better mechanic, although he does have a tendency to get himself thrown into the stockades for getting on the general's bad side. To keep him busy and out of trouble, Xiomar is assigned the task of repairing an old Mech that hasn't been touched in fifteen years. He knows he can fix it--he's Chief Mechanic. What he doesn't know, however, is that GLITCH has a mind of its own. Literally. In the midst of a war between two countries, Xiomar and his newly-repaired Mech are caught in the middle. The enemy is trying to obtain GLITCH's technology... the power to give their own Mechs sentience and dominate the world. Xiomar finds himself pondering the morality of forcing a sentient being to fight on his behalf, and what that means for him as a dutiful soldier. With the future filled with uncertainty, Xiomar and GLITCH are certain of one thing--no one's going down without a fight.
8 209I Am Unstoppable
History changed its course due to sudden emergence of magic in this new world. Humans the once frail creatures have now become superpowers of Galactic Era. Science and Magic combined gave them the power to destroy planets and build newones. But as they become strong will the gods they once worshiped remain still just to watch someone gaining powers equal to theirs. Will the professed war happen? .... Enter the MC, Lucifer GodfellA man who can honestly be trusted to always be dishonest. His food is wine , His shelter is women's heart,and his clothing is disguise,leagues apart. But is there a greater hand at work, will Lucifer who always sought to gain materialistic world finally start upon a spiritual journey or will he tread upon both lands and engrave his own path..Want to know? Then embark with Lucifer on an epic journey to mock the gods, kill the sods and fuck the lords. P.S- The cover describes MC while he gives the, "I dont give a single f.ck" expression somewhere down the storyline.
8 125The Boy With Rabies
It was supposed to be a normal day for 17-year-old Theodore "Theo" Williams. He was an animal-loving teenager. One day, he was in the woods when he saw a raccoon. It approached him and he thought it wanted to be pet. When it bit him, little did he know that the bite will soon have him fighting for his life. DISCLAIMER: I got this idea based on a documentary I watched a few years ago. I apologize if any information is not accurate. I tried to use the stuff I remembered from the documentary. This story is also on my WattPad account: @SparklingSnazzer Update: I did go back and edit some more so I hope it looks a bit better now. :)
8 307The In-Between // an It and Stranger Things crossover
Y/N L/N never thought she would leave the comfort of Hawkins, Indiana, but after the events that left Hawkins flipped upside down, her parents were quick to rush her away from all the action and to a small town in Maine called Derry. she quickly became friends with a group of people who called themselves the Losers Club and finds out that Derry isn't so quiet and normal as her parents might have hoped for. but now it's 1987, three years after the Losers Club defeated It and two years after Y/N and the Party last defeated the Mind Flayer and demodogs, and both forces are back at full force, only this time they seemed to have teamed up to create an even bigger problem than either group had ever seen. there's only one way to stop the horrific events that are taking place and Y/N isn't so sure how it's all going to play out. then again, if she wants to save her friend and protect the lives of her family and friends, this would be the only way.it was time for the Party to meet the Losers Club| It x Stranger Things Crossover |{ some Bill Denbrough x reader }
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