58 New Toy #58
Observing Raven shoot me a look that screamed, "Stranger danger alert," I barely stifled a laugh. I can't blame her; not everyone would readily trust a shadow-drenched stranger swooping in to save the day.
But, hey, I simply have to set the record straight, right?
"Ease up on the suspicious stare," I quipped, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna offer you candy. Plus, I don't even own a sketchy van, you know?" I added, letting out a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.
Raven seemed to have a quip on the tip of her tongue, but Before she could muster a comeback, Brother Blood crashed the party with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, pointing his finger at me like an inquisitor pointing out a witch in a crowd of peasants.
"And who in Trigon's name are you to hinder the Church of Blood's unholy crusade?!" he thundered, his rage palpable.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, I volleyed back with equal zeal. "Didn't your parents teach you manners? Introduce yourself before you ask others for their names!" I retorted, relishing the confusion that flickered across Brother Blood's face.
"I killed my...." He replied, pausing halfway as his bewilderment quickly morphed into a fresh wave of realization and fury. "Impudent child! You dare mock Brother Blood?!" Dark tendrils of magic began to coil around him like a sinister aura.
"Shouldn't it be Grandpa Blood now, you edgy old-timer?" I fired back with a smirk, delighting in the gasps of disbelief from his entourage of acolytes.
"Very well. If you're so eager for death, then I shall grant your wish!" With a scowl, Brother Blood hurled a swirling ball of dark energy, looking like he'd just stubbed his toe on a villainous coffee table.
Raven stepped forward, her eyes glowing, ready to throw up a protective shield or something of that nature, but I breezed past her, a shadowy baseball bat materializing in my grip.
Taking a batter's stance, I waited for his dark fastball to come zooming my way. With a swing worthy of the World Series, I sent it rocketing into the sky, where it burst into a fireworks display of wriggling tentacles that seemed intent on molesting anything and everything within their reach.
"Touchdown for the good guys!" I cheered, fist-pumping like I'd just scored the winning goal. Brother Blood's frustration was practically visible as he morphed into a cloud of angry blood mist, zipping toward me faster than a squirrel chasing a nut.
As he reformed before me, claws outstretched and ready for a manicure, or more likely to mangle my face, I threw up a shadowy barrier faster than you can say, "Abracadabra." Before he could blink, my hidden arsenal of Apokoliptan blasters popped out of the shadows, aiming right at him.
With a chorus of blasts that would make fireworks jealous, they unleashed their lasers and energy projectiles at Brother Blood.
As the Apokoliptan blasters unleashed their barrage, the air filled with the anguished scream of Brother Blood. A cloud of blood mist, riddled with holes like Swiss cheese, soared into the sky before coalescing back into Brother Blood's form, looking even angrier and more menacing somehow.
"Persistent little bugger, isn't he?" I remarked, eyeing Brother Blood's reformation with a mix of annoyance and intrigue.
Raven, ever the master of understatement, chimed in with her usual dry tone. "Brother Blood's cursed powers make him as resilient as a cockroach. It'll take more than a light breeze to keep him down."
I shot her a glance, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "So, what's the plan?" I inquired.
She nodded slowly, her expression serious. "I have a spell in mind, but it's complicated. I'll need a few minutes to pull it off," she explained.
"No problemo," I replied with a cocky grin, twirling the baseball bat in my hand until it transformed into a sleek blade. "I'll keep the party going, but don't dawdle too much," I teased, activating my Storm Walker shoes and springing into the air, ready to take on Brother Blood once again.
As I soared into the air, I caught Brother Blood's smirk, practically shouting, "Easy target up here!" It was a classic villain move, but thankfully, he refrained from the cheesy dialogue—small blessings, I guess.
Undeterred, he ascended higher, raining down a storm of dark energy projectiles in my direction. I met his challenge head-on, conjuring shadowy platforms beneath my feet like a cosmic hopscotch game, dancing through the air to dodge his attacks.
With each leap, I closed the gap between us, determined to keep the pressure on. Brother Blood's smug grin faltered, replaced by a look of frustration, but he didn't let up, hurling even more projectiles and zipping around like a madman, trying to outpace me.
I sliced through the incoming attacks with my sword, cutting them down like annoying flies. Whenever Brother Blood dipped too close to the ground, I summoned shadowy tendrils to ensnare him, but he proved to be slippery, slipping through my grasp with ease.
As the aerial dance with Brother Blood continued, I glanced down to check on the other Titans. Beast Boy had transformed into a dinosaur, engaged in a fierce tussle with Brother Blood's monstrous mount, while Starfire was busy keeping the acolytes at bay and protecting the civilians.
Lost in the momentary distraction, I felt the sudden presence of Brother Blood materializing before me. Before I could react, his extended nails were on a collision course with my face.
Instead of panicking, I flashed him a grin as shadows began to swirl around me, revealing Rattigan lunging from the darkness with a ferocious chitter. He sank his teeth into Brother Blood's nose and clawed at his face, eliciting a howl of pain.
As Rattigan withdrew, melding back into the shadows, I seized the opportunity, adjusting my stance and hurtling toward Brother Blood. With a swift stroke of my shadowy blade, I cleaved him in two.
His body split apart, but instead of crumbling, it clung together with tendrils of blood mist, his fury evident even in his divided state.
But I wasn't about to let up just yet.
As I plummeted towards the ground like a particularly clumsy comet, I decided to give Brother Blood a taste of his own medicine. With a flick of my wrist, I unleashed a shadowy tendril that snatched him up like a kid grabbing the last slice of pizza at a birthday party.
Brother Blood squirmed like a worm on a hook, trying to pull off some Houdini escape act with his blood-mist trick, but my tendril had other plans. It expanded like a balloon, wrapping him up tighter than a burrito at a taco stand.
With a dramatic spin worthy of a Hollywood action star, I sent him hurtling towards the pavement below. I followed suit, diving headfirst like a skydiver with a bad case of vertigo, accompanied by the delightful symphony of Apokoliptan blasters unleashing their barrage from the shadows wreathing around my body.
The landing was less than graceful, and I probably cracked a few bones, but, hey, who needs finesse when you've got style?
I dusted myself off (metaphorically, because, you know, shadows), then conjured up a massive shadow hammer, ready to give Brother Blood's shadowy prison a good old-fashioned beatdown.
I pounded away at the shadowy prison like a drummer on a caffeine high, but before I could make it into a rhythmic masterpiece, cracks started appearing, giving off this creepy red glow. Next thing I know, the shadows exploded, and out popped Brother Blood, looking like he'd just been through a blender.
He gave me the stink-eye and pulled out this weird red gem like it was his winning lottery ticket. "You're a tough nut to crack, I'll give you that," he spat out, ready to launch into a speech that would probably put me to sleep faster than a lullaby. But I wasn't having it.
Quick as a flash, I conjured up a shadowy bow and aimed straight for his arm, hoping to make him drop that gem like a hot potato. Brother Blood looked genuinely surprised and affronted at my interruption like I'd just crashed his tea party uninvited. But he reacted quickly, crushing the gem before the arrow hit its mark.
Out of the crushed gem sprung this funky, blood-colored swirl, zipping straight into the mouth of Brother Blood's monstrous pet, currently having a rowdy tussle with Beast Boy in his dino form.
Suddenly, the creature let out a roar that could wake the dead, its body swelling up like a balloon on helium, and this eerie blood-colored fire dancing around it. Next thing I know, it casually grabs Beast Boy and tosses him into the nearest building like he weighed nothing, turning its attention to me.
"Well, shit..." I grumbled to myself as the beast menacingly charged toward me, letting out a second roar that shattered all the glass in the area. "Still, this is the perfect opportunity to try my new toy..."
With a sly grin, I dipped into my shadowy arsenal and whipped out my prized possession: the one decent thing I managed to snag from the evil clutches of the weapon gacha.
...
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