4 When in Gotham

I landed on my feet, only to nearly fall as my knees refused to work briefly.

I thought it would be a good chance to test out both the Rooster and Rabbit talisman and luckily I didn't seem to have any problems with activating two talismans at the same time, which was a good sign since it would have sucked if that wasn't the case.

I stood in a small grove of trees, a large cornfield nearby with a farmhouse in the distance. I tried to land a little bit outside of town since I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

So, with Gotham before me and the Wayne Enterprises building in the distance. It had finally settled in. This is real. A bored ROB dropped me here, with 12 powerful Talismans and an Oni mask.

As I walked, I briefly contemplated my decision about coming to Gotham.

Objectively it wasn't exactly the safest place to live in. And, some would say I would probably be better off if I just moved to somewhere like Wisconsin or some out of the way state. Maybe, try and live a normal life.

Problem is even if I assumed for a second that this world would leave me be and I wouldn't inevitably get pulled into things in some way or fashion.

I still had to make sure there was a world to live in. With Vandal Savage, Ra'z Al Ghul, Lex Luthor and freakin Darkseid running about, I couldn't stay idle. Sure, Young Justice may have not have been as batshit crazy as some of the other versions of DC out there. But, it was still incredibly dangerous.

Gotham was a shit hole, no doubt about that. But, it was a shit hole that had the ability to make you tough and considering I had the most relevant knowledge about the villains in Gotham and needed the practice and experience, I felt this was my best option.

Let's just hope I get to reach my twenties in this life. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

Honestly, if I could have asked for anything more, it would have been Jackie chan's overpowered martial arts, being able to dish out a can of whoop-ass on a moment's notice would have been awesome.

Whoever dropped me off here had gone all out. They gave me a new life, a bag full of useful items, and shoved me into the deep end for me to figure it all out on my own.

I would love just to let loose and take my time exploring each talisman but unfortunately, I have to make sure I have some sort of stability first and then take my time finding a place to practice, without worrying about having a place to sleep when I'm finished.

According to the scholarship program announcement Wayne enterprises were looking for young people with talent and those who were willing to sign a contract with them after they graduate in their chosen field. Said person must be an orphan to even qualify and also be willing to take his studies seriously and not slack off or else he would lose the scholarship.

'Hm, I guess Bruce Wayne has a soft spot for orphans. Which is understandable being one himself.' I idly thought.

Seeing an opportunity to test a talisman, I pulled out the snake talisman and activated it. I could see my hands starting to fade and before I knew it I was completely invisible.

"Woah this is so cool." I couldn't help but voice, as I moved my hand back and forth.

I was still amazed at the fact that these talismans were so easy to use.

Unlike those who were naturally born with powers or those who happened to gain them later on in life I was able to flawlessly control the power of the talismans, which I suspected was due to the fact that they were magic based and worked on intent.

On the flip side carrying around stone talismans that could be stolen or damaged was a considerable disadvantage, at least when compared to having an innate ability.

So, I guess it all balanced out in the end.

I tried using three at once though, but couldn't focus on activating more than two at the same time. I didn't know if this was a hard limit or if it was because I needed to train more. Still, all will be revealed with time.

As I walked through the streets of Gotham. I finally understood why they called it the crime capital of the world.

It was quite uncomfortable seeing so many homeless people living on the streets. Those who were selling drugs, and those who were taking them. I even came across an ally where I saw a woman trading sexual favors for what can only amount to a few grams of cocaine.

Seeing this stuff in a movie or just reading about them online didn't do justice to how miserable these people truly were.

My mind couldn't comprehend the discrepancy between what it was like in Metropolis and how things were in Gotham.

My walkabout through this part of town put a real damper on my mood. It was hardly surprising though when I happened to walk in on a quite unfortunate scene.

" Do you have some kind of death wish or something? Or are you some kind of imbecile?" A brutish man wearing a long grey coat said.

" P..Please I didn't mean to, I swear to God " The woman said, as she shook in fear.

The man gave her a vicious smile. "I'm sure you know what would happen if the boss found out. Let me assure you, you wouldn't like it one bit. Lucky for you we can sort out an arrangement. I get to have some fun, and you get to... live. Sounds like a fair deal, if you ask me."

He then moved his hand toward her waist and started caressing her. " Who knows, maybe if you make it worth my time I'll even forget about the whole thing and we'll call it a day. "

At his lustful gaze, the woman averted her eyes as if resigned to her situation. She stood stock-still, her face betraying a pained expression as she tightened her hands till her knuckles turned white.

The situation was quickly heading in a direction I didn't like, so without delay I took out the Ox Talisman and grabbed the man.

I could feel the talisman's power flowing through me, and it didn't take much effort for me to throw him several meters in the air, where he unceremoniously crashed into a few trashcans.

" I recommend you get away from here. Somebody is ought to have heard that. " I said, to the still frightened woman.

" Wh..Who are you?! Are you a ghost?!" She said, as her eyes darted wildly around trying to find where my voice was coming from.

' Crap I forgot I was still invisible.' I thought before turning off my invisibility.

I still made sure to cover my face with a scarf I had bought from Metropolis for my flight to Gothan. I knew flying at a high altitude was bound to be a chilly experience and it turned out to be a wise choice.

The woman shrieked when I suddenly appeared in front of her but quickly calmed down when she saw me.

" You're just a kid!" She blurted out.

Perhaps surprised by how young I was, her initial wariness disappeared only to be replaced by shock and wonder.

" Wait. How did you do that? You sent that guy flying and then came out of nowhere! Are you one of those Meta-humans from the news?" She fired rapidly, seemingly forgetting she was about to get sexually assaulted mere moments ago.

Slightly overwhelmed by her... enthusiasm. Let's call it that. I silently pointed towards the man I had sent flying using my superstrength starting to groan and about to wake up.

I took advantage of her momentary distraction and quickly replaced the Ox-Talisman I had on hand, with the Rooster-Talisman which I had hidden in my pocket. My other hand held on to the bag I had arrived with containing the talismans and without any more interruptions, I used the talisman to lift both her and me off the ground and to a rooftop a few blocks away.

In response, the woman who I still haven't gotten the name of yelped in surprise when she suddenly started floating in the air. She was about to scream, just before I signaled to her I was the one doing it.

That seemed to mollify her a bit, but for a moment there I could swear I could hear her humming the tune to ' I can show you the world' as we flew through the air.

I finally released a sigh of relief as I felt we were far enough from any prying eyes.

" So, how far are you going to take this quiet and mysterious act you got going on? You haven't said a word for the past few minutes." She said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I focused my attention on the woman. " If you haven't noticed, we weren't in a particularly convenient location to have a chat. This neighborhood is teeming with criminals, which makes me wonder what a lady such as yourself is doing here."

She averted her eyes and said, " It's not like I have much of a choice. I got mixed up with some bad people, and now I'm paying the price for it. Look... kid I appreciate the help. I really do, but it's probably best if you don't get involved with these people. Superpowers or not, they aren't the kind to mess with. "

I frowned a bit at the evident fear and worry in her voice. What kind of trouble would cause her to be that afraid?

On one hand, a part of me wanted to help her but on the other hand. I just met her and didn't even know her name, or what kind of person she was.

It was one thing stopping a crime from happening before my eyes, but a whole other story to get involved with a gang in a city as dangerous as this. After all I could just end up making things worse. Nobody was more aware of my inexperience more so than myself.

It didn't help that most of my information about the outside world came from movies and stories. For example, this situation I was in, was a famous trope in a lot of popular media.

A classical damsel in distress scenario. You know, boy meets girl, boys rescues girls from bad guys. Girl falls in love with boy?

It was practically a rite of passage. But, then again this wasn't a story, was it?

I gave her a nod in agreement, " You're probably right, plus it looks like it's getting late so I should probably get going. I would skip town if I were you, just go home and buy a train ticket to somewhere that isn't Gotham."

I didn't give her a chance to say anything else, and with that, I lept off the roof and flew away.

( Woman's POV)

My mouth hung open for a few moments, as I watched the kid fly away to God knows where.

' Tch... I was so sure the kid would bite.'

I initially planned on feigning reluctance, and then accepting his help after he insisted.

It wasn't the first time a costumed freak popped out of nowhere and caused trouble. Gotham was practically teeming with them.

I thought I played my part perfectly, acting like I was reluctant to see him harmed, all while I subtly underestimated his powers.

It would push him to prove me wrong. After all, most young men fell for that kind of thing and It wasn't like he couldn't handle a few people with guns.

He would have made a great distraction for Falcone's gang, and while they focused on finding him, they would have forgotten all about me. Which would have given me the opportunity to find out where he had his cash houses hidden.

It was just my luck to get caught listening in on a meeting while posing as one of the girls they normally had around for 'fun'.

I had all but considered my plan foiled, when one of his henchmen caught me snooping, behind the door.

This one, in particular, had been eyeing me constantly, and even after shaking him off and managing to slip away from his gaze, he found me and took me to an alley behind the club.

I was seconds away from stabbing him and escaping when that Meta-human showed up and handled it for me. Too bad, he didn't fall for my act. I couldn't quite figure out if he saw through me or if he actually believed what I said.

All was not lost though, this situation could still be turned around if I played my cards right.

(Chapter End)

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