245 Tribute For The Hungry Demon #245

"Are you ready?" I asked as I turned away from the portal before me and to Deathstroke, alternating my gaze between him and his son, still bound in my energy construct.

Ultimately, I couldn't trust the sketchy stone Nightwing wanted to use. My suspicions weren't baseless as I watched him, the other heroes, and the captives awkwardly standing around for five minutes before they were teleported.

We agreed to have them use the black stone, while Deathstroke, Jericho, and myself would use the portal to get back to earth after taking out the Blackfire alter in my inventory.

Naturally, I didn't simply trust Deathstroke either and tried his portal for myself before agreeing, which depleted a good portion of its energy, leaving us with three uses, no more and no less than we needed.

How the mercenary managed to get his hands on the required technology to open a portal to another dimension is beyond me. However, it didn't stop me from scanning the shit of every machine I found in Deathstroke's hideout.

I suppose it just shows how far being a resourceful assassin with a lot of money and connections everywhere could get you. You really can't look down on anyone in this world.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Deathstroke replied with a grunt as he approached the portal and nodded. I returned the gesture and immediately floated Jericho into it before taking out the alter from my inventory.

The mercenary took a brief look at the alter but said nothing and instantly jumped into the gateway, and I didn't linger as I followed behind him. Suddenly, a swirling myriad of colors covered my vision, and I felt invisible strings tugging at my body in all directions.

Everything went black for a moment, and I was inside Deathstroke's hideout when I opened my eyes. I quickly turned back to the machine and sighed in relief as I watched the portal close itself and the device sustaining it explode.

"Did it work...?" Deathstroke asked as he approached Jericho and kneeled in front of the energy construct restraining him. "Joseph, can you hear me?" He asked as he reached for his son's face, only for me to stop him.

"Step back. I'll check," I said as I put a hand on Deathstroke shoulder, causing the mercenary to stop and hesitate briefly before nodding and moving back.

I took a deep breath as I dismissed the energy construct, and Jerhcio instantly fell to the ground, unmoving. The mercenary frowned at the sight, but I ignored it and kneeled next to Jericho to inspect his vitals.

"He's alive..." I said, to which Deathstroke let out a sigh of relief. "I don't detect the spirits' energy signature either..." I added, trailing at the end of my sentence, then proceeded to inspect his mind.

"Physically and spiritually, he is fine, but he's been through a lot. I can't say the same for his mind." I said with a sigh as I got up and turned to Deathstroke.

"I can't peek into his mind, either. A barrier protects it, so I can't tell if his psyche is intact," I added, shaking my head. "I could break through his mental defenses, but that would probably break his mind, even if it were intact," I continued as I got up and turned to the mercenary.

"Either way, with the spirits gone, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain," I concluded, crossing my arms as I waited for the mercenary to process my words and ask any questions he might have.

"Then what should I do?" The mercenary asked after a brief silence. "Is there anything I can do to help him?" He asked, furrowing his brows as he alternated his gaze between his son and me.

"All you can do is wait now. Your son might be just unconscious, so give it a few days," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "If he doesn't wake up, then you should take him to a psychic," I went on, going quiet as I waited for more questions and received none.

"If that is all..." I said, to which Deathstroke nodded, and I turned to leave, heading for the hideout's exit. However, I quickly stopped as the mercenary threw something at me.

"I owe you one. If you need someone dead, give me a ring," Deathstroke said as he watched me catch the knife he threw at me and take the paper attached to its handle.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," I said with a chuckle as I stuffed the mercenary's number into my pocket and continued walking.

...

The Batcave

"Alfred...?" Bruce said as he stopped his work on the supercomputer, turning to the latter as he stepped into the cave with a concerned expression on his aged face.

"I have bad news, master Bruce," Alfred said as he stopped in front of Bruce. "The Joker escaped custody again, and we've lost cotact with young master Todd," He added, his expression becoming more concerned.

"I see..." Bruce said, trailing at the end of his sentence. "I'll take care of it," He added as he moved his chair back and stood up, heading for the bat-suit display.

"And here I thought you would spend the rest of your life on that chair, not that I'm complaining, mind you..." Alfred mockingly said, raising an eyebrow as he watched Bruce get dressed, though his relief was audible for all to hear.

"My work is almost complete..." Bruce said as he finished putting on his costume. "But I have to take responsibility for my actions beofre I finish it..." He blankly added, turning to the butler as he raised the cowl over his head.

"Goodbye, Alfred," Bruce said as he walked to Alfred and gave him a hug before silently walking away and leaving the butler behind, too stunned to speak or process the situation.

...

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would..." I muttered to myself as I entered my hideout, heading straight for the couch and plopping down with a loud sigh.

I didn't think taking out the Incubus would take more than a day since I assumed he'd be waiting for us. However, I had presumed helping Virgil would take at least a couple of them.

In the end, it only took about thirty hours to take care of business on both ends and a couple of minutes to get back to my hideout since Deathstroke's lair wasn't far off from Gotham.

I couldn't help but feel strange as I sat on my couch, sinking into the comfortable padded leather as if nothing had happened. I traveled to another dimension, killed a high-ranking demon, traveled to yet another dimension, and friggen destroyed it.

It felt surreal and overwhelmingly underwhelming at the same time if that made any sense. Such acts and feats were unthinkable to me, going back a month that almost felt like an eternity ago.

My biggest concerns were to fly under everyone's radar and steadily grow more powerful. And yet here I am today, strong enough to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

I didn't have to look behind my back constantly. I didn't need to fear some Gotham freak suddenly appearing out of nowhere and killing me on a whim.

It was liberating, in a way, knowing that I could achieve so much and still come back home at the end of the day to relax with zero worries and concerns. It was a good feeling, but I couldn't help but find the sensation strange, foreign.

There had always been a proverbial sword hanging over my head since I came to this world, giving me a sense of urgency to improve, to grow, to be stronger.

However, now the sword is gone, but my desire to grow more powerful remains. It wasn't going anywhere. Instead, it burned more intensely the more power I'd accumulated.

I always thought my hunger for power came with the desire to control my own destiny and not let myself turn into a helpless victim to the whim of another more powerful than me.

But now that I was no longer weak, why did I still want more?

I didn't know at the time, nor did I have the chance to overthink it, as one hungry ghost of a kitten interrupted my chain of thought, demanding attention and treats.

"You sure are carefree..." I said with a chuckle as I stood and picked up the cat by its scruff. "Come on, let's refill that bowl of yours with treats," I added, heading straight for the kitchen.

The cat's bowl might have been full of food, but it didn't stop me from adding a few treats, nor did it stop the hungry demon from devouring it like there was no tomorrow.