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The Silhouette and The Forge
Chapter 35
The atmosphere in the gargantuan room, reminiscent of a Roman coliseum, was tense. Many of the Court members gathered were as silent as the grave. The grandmaster had issued an order stating three words.
It was time.
Sending several messages to all of my hunters and numerous other contacts to have them all prepared and ready for what was to come.
Taking my spot near Jaina without anyone knowing I am there with the refracting of light. Not perfect but mixed in with my skills of stealth and the many Court members more focused on what was about to happen helped ensure no one was aware that the trenchcoat clad figure near the grandmaster in the Emperor's box was a genjutsu.
The past several days that grew into a week had been spent using the monastery to enhance my knowledge and gains in chakra based techniques and creating several artifacts and trinkets that could be used for this coming event. Didn’t even have time to make anything for future projects with everything being dedicated to this singular event.
The Court had proven itself a dangerous threat if not treated seriously and seeing the weapons used by its talons imbued with magic made me take them that much more seriously. It’s high time they were dealt with.
But I am not so shortsighted to view the Court like some great hydra that needed to be slain but more like a battleship that could be hijacked and used to aid those it once harmed.
Jaina was nervous. Her hands were clenched so tight her knuckles were turning white. Many Court members would look in her direction who had been convinced to support her after the grandmaster had been fooled into doing what I wanted them to do.
A vast majority of the Court, nearing seventy five percent had come to Jaina's side.
It was an odd feeling hearing the grandmaster speak to the genjutsu illusion of me. It had come a long way compared to when I used it to evade the talons last time. Now it had nearly no strain on me and it was fooling several people.
Like the head Talon in elegant yet practical armor adorning his body never seen far from the grandmaster.
“You have helped the Court immensely, Silhouette. Once the city is cleansed you will be grandly rewarded for your dedication and service to the new city that shall be built upon the ashes of the old.” The grandmaster said.
With a flex the illusion nodded, tipping its hat to her. Now knowing the grandmaster was in fact a woman with my chakra flooding her system adjusting her senses as most genjutsu do alongside another jutsu helping me. The same jutsu that showed they were a woman.
The other jutsu is called Sensei Says. It allowed me to feel her senses. What she said, saw, etc. Had to do it this way since any form of surveillance and eavesdropping through technology failed to work in a certain radius around her.
With my chakra in her system for the first genjutsu it allowed me to manipulate hers and others' senses, Sensei Says let me feel their senses as if I was right beside them.
A slightly more complex jutsu but one that according to the Uchiha library wasn’t useful against enemy shinobi since for those with chakra training even if they have no talent being a sensor it was rather obvious when it got into their system.
For someone with nearly no chakra training or no chakra to speak of? Now that is going to be much harder to detect.
But the voice everyone heard through the mask sounded like a man’s. But the voice I hear through her own perspective is not only a woman’s, but it’s someone I have met before.
Samantha Vanaver.
Imagine my surprise learning she is the acting grandmaster for the Court. Well it is going to make what happens next even more satisfying knowing the history between her and Jaina.
“Today is a grand occasion. For generations the Court has sought to turn Gotham into the bright and shining jewel it so rightfully deserved to be. Today is the day we cleanse the city of the filth like the many parasites that cling to it.” Her voice boomed across the coliseum
Despite the grand nature of their ‘mission’ many of the Court members clapped and applauded awkwardly, something Samantha doesn’t fail to pick up on.
Before she could say anything further, a man stood up among the many members here. “I declare a vote! The grandmaster no longer is acting within the Court's interests, and has usurped power away from the Court itself, removing the checks meant to keep power balanced in our Court!”
His voice is heard across the arena with Samantha narrowing her eyes, hands clenched like she wanted to strangle the man.
The talons near her shifted looking ready to step in but remained where they stood. Samantha looked around ordering them to move. They merely look at her and only Talon himself stands closer to her protectively.
“I second that vote!”
Soon many of the Court members are being vocal about deposing the grandmaster. Something that angered Samantha with her gritting her teeth gnashing together, heavy breathing, hands balled so tight the knuckles popped and blood was drawn from her nails digging into her palms.
“So you all wish to vote against me? How have I gone against the interests of the Court? Is this not what we have sought to achieve for several generations?!”
She tried to sway the rest of the Court back to her side. But it is far too late the damage having been done to extensive to fix now with a few words whether they were bitter or honeyed. It all made no difference now.
“You have taken power from the Court when you had several members executed without giving them a proper trial which they are owed for being Court members.” One older woman said.
“They were traitors!” She argued back.
“It doesn’t change the fact you did so without following the Courts laws and rules established to ensure the Court acts together. You have amassed too much power with how you treat the common Court member.” Another man countered.
“All in favor of removing the grandmaster of their position?”
It was a resounding chorus of yes’s. Nearly the entire Court beyond a handful of individuals had agreed to remove Samantha from power. Even the ones who were still on her side had changed.
Even a blind fool could see the opposition vastly outnumbered them and it wouldn’t be in their best interests to continue to support someone who would soon lose all power.
“Then it is decided. Who will we nominate for the position of grandmaster?”
“I nominate Jaina Hudson.”
A series of approving mutters echoed from members of the crowd with many falling in line showing their support for her. Some may have had reservations, but they fell in line not wanting to be singled out with the now former grandmaster.
Samantha took a sharp breath, eyes narrowing with her sight zeroing in on Jaina. Snapping her fingers with several talons getting closer and surrounding her.
“So this is what the rest of you think? A shame…” She said, playing up the theatrics of the moment. She shook her head like a parent would when they were disappointed in their child with the crowd looking back at her.
“We don’t think, we know. Jaina Hudson, do you accept the position of grandmaster of the Court of Owls?”
Jaina stood up gaze sweeping out across the many members in the arena looking between her and Samantha. Jaina almost looked like a bird of prey, looking out across the vast expanse. Regal and majestic despite the more casual clothes worn unlike all the other times.
Clothes that looked more fit to be jogging or doing yoga in. Seems she heeded the advice that was given. Good. From the look of Samantha’s senses she was furious.
That doesn’t do it justice by the heavy breathing and how her hands were gripped so tight I am surprised she hadn’t broken them. The feeling of her body heating up with the fury in her veins.
“I do.”
The Court members clapped and applauded this event and quickly fell silent with what Jaina said next.
“Several things will be done with me as your new grandmaster starting right now. First, the foolish and ill thought out plan of killing off most of Gotham's population ends now.” A few more brazen Court members made their disagreements known with Jaina staring each of them down silencing them.
“I understand this has been a plan for several generations, but it was a foolish one to do especially now. Let’s say we follow through with it and succeed. You all realize the Justice League and other vigilantes will be far more thorough in coming after us, even possibly using more lethal methods to handle us.”
Her reasoning was sound with all of those arguing in favor of killing the citizens of Gotham falling silent. Whether they have changed their thinking or are merely doing so not to get on Jaina's bad side was anyone’s guess.
A series of slow claps drew everyone’s attention to the now standing Samantha who had not once taken her eyes off of Jaina.
“A naive way of thinking Jaina. I suppose we all should have expected you would be so foolish to not realize the necessity of the plan.” The former grandmaster said, mocking her with the nonstop clapping.
“Thank you for reminding me of the second thing that shall be done as grandmaster of the Court of Owls.”
Samantha froze with a growl escaping her. “Your Court of Owls?! You're just a mongrel dog enjoying what scraps the Court had deigned to give you while you served us.”
Jaina merely ignored the outburst like a person who was beyond caring by this point and brushed it off.
“Talons! Arrest the former grandmaster. They will face justice at the hands of the rest of the Court and Gotham itself for crimes against humanity.” Jaina pointed at Samantha who took a step back before stopping herself. To those gathered they would probably think it was to not show any fear out of pride.
I could feel what she felt right now. It wasn’t fear. She didn’t want to show she was weak to the rest of the Court. But something that had me wary was the confidence she was exuding. A chuckle left her lips.
“Then it is treason.” No one else beyond me, and those beside her could hear what she said next.
“Kill them all. Initiate contingency chaos reigns.”
Swarms of talons came out of the shadows all along the coliseum. Several converge on the emperor’s box she resided in not once feeling an ounce of fear for the approaching army of undead ninjas.
More rage, indignation at having the entirety of the Court turn on her before she reached into her suit pulling out an odd medallion. It looked like a cheap piece of metal you could get at an old carnival.
The instant she took it out holding it in her hand a faint glow of ethereal red, like a dancing flame formed on it from her perspective before my hand clutched at my head when the jutsu abruptly ended.
That’s not good…
One talon leaping up to get into the box instead was sent flying back down to the arena below with numerous throwing knives embedded into its body. Everyone’s gaze besides Samantha who was still only looking at Jaina cradling that medallion snapped to the talon appearing with golden bits to their armor.
Many more appeared with chaos erupting in the stands with several Court members getting skewered or cut down by the new talons.
The regular talons stepped in trying to save the Court members. With the first few Court members getting cut down and what’s happening finally registered to them, the screaming began.
Men, women, young and old, all flee in terror with the talons under Jaina doing their best to fight off and protect the Court with Jaina giving them orders to protect those that remained.
Despite the skill gap between the regular talons and Samantha’s being considerably better, the improved but simple talons have numbers on their side making up for it if the wounds the decorated talons have on their suits and bodies was anything to go by.
Glancing to the box with my genjutsu getting out of the seat. Before I can have them look like they are about to fight the talons coming for Samantha the leading Talon took his sword and stabbed it through the back of the illusion.
Despite not seeing his face I can tell watching them from next to Jaina that he hadn’t been expecting that. Lashing out with a punch with it going right through where my head should be.
Samantha’s posture looked rigid before Talon forced her out of the box with her talons fighting off the others trying to get to her.
Two golden adorned talons sliced through the other talons and then several Court members whose screams were cut short rushing toward Jaina. Moving too fast the invisibility now useless was dropped with me intercepting two sword strikes before sending a fist right through one's head.
Ignoring the blood and viscera covering my fist my heel goes for the other's head. Instead of backing away when it had the chance with the distance between us and how fast it was, it took a dagger with that same red glow from Samantha’s pendant as a part of my mind screamed at me to avoid it.
Too late to back out of the way the blade goes for the side of my knee as it’s off hand tossed another dagger aimed for Jaina's heart.
Oh no you don’t.
Reaching out a hand and knocking the blade off course but hissing when the blade mid spin managed to cut into my forearm cutting my suit.
Not having time to focus on the pain or that same red glow along the blade with the other dagger about to find itself a new home into the side of my knee only for it to stop.
Me and the talon both paused seeing the pale white hand of a woman holding the handle. She was wearing a modified leather track suit similar to the one Bruce Lee had worn. The sleeves were missing showing the pale white of her bare arms with the zipper lowered down showing a generous view of her cleavage.
The suit itself was mostly white with pink highlights and lines along the edges. Her hair was wild and coming down in white rivers. It almost looked like silver.
What drew my gaze was the pair of fluffy white rabbit ears on her head. Not fake ones like you would see at Easter. Genuine rabbit ears.
Her magenta eyes behind the pink mask covering half her face showed amusement somehow knowing where my eyes were at with her smiling and laughing. The talon took it better than I did before leaping trying to hit her with a roundhouse kick.
The strike despite the speed being something most people couldn't handle may as well have been off the mark by miles. One moment she was standing holding the dagger that would have killed Jaina the next she was dropkicking the talon with the sound of bones cracking.
The talon flew off near the center of the arena from the sheer force behind the kick.
Looking back at the mysterious woman who had a smug smile cocked her hip. “Like what you see?”
“Enough. Help us get to the former grandmaster.” Jaina spoke, and the woman who was so sure of herself faltered, her smile turning into a frown.
Before Jaina’s savior could respond the entire arena and the surrounding underground complex shook like the earth around them was waking up. It shook hard enough I would have fallen over had it not been for the chakra keeping me stuck to the floor.
Jaina would have had it not been for our new companion grabbing her from falling over her seat and down the stairs.
“It would seem our backup has arrived.”
Jaina gave a long look. “Hopefully they don’t cause too much damage.”
“Only for the members that need to… disappear. They will be replaced since they would cause you problems otherwise. The vast majority of the Court should be safe since the methods they were given to get in would not intersect with the ones the Court members being kept alive are using. The ones you want alive.”
Tossing a throwing knife into the helmeted eye of a talon before its body was wreathed in electricity sending it falling down with two of our talons taking their blades and pinning it to the ground.
“I appreciate you looking out for me.” Jaina said, looking all business with her gaze sweeping out across the stands seeing blood and death on a scale that bothered her.
She held up far better than I had expected her to, her resolve firm and showing no weakness.
“Try to keep up.” The mystery woman said, her tone playful.
Her movements were so fast I was struggling to keep up with her speed. Only seeing afterimages with numerous talons being knocked aside with their limbs broken in various angles.
Several of Jaina's talons surrounding her kept any of the other talons from getting to her and I helped keep them at bay when they grouped up too much.
Many of Jaina’s talons group together acting as a barrier to keep her safe with her moving forward along the arena towards where Samantha had run off to.
Knocking back several gold talons who are putting up good fights when paired against the normal talons and needed to be handled.
When pitted against me it was another story. Knowing now to not let them get any hits off with those weapons going for shots that would take out their limbs, breaking them or rupturing organs that would require a lot of time to heal.
Unlike when I fought alongside Batman, the weapons being used against us were far superior with whatever that red glow is. It was more intense than the one back in Wayne Tower.
“Don’t worry about me, try to help White Rabbit get the grandmaster.” She said before another rumble stopped both of us before an explosion got our attention.
Many of the talons on both sides in the stands were gunned down with flames licking at the new holes lining their bodies. Several people wearing red clothes with the letter A emblazoned on them came in.
They mowed down any of the talons with numerous Court members surrendering only to be executed on the spot without a word spoken.
The already hectic state of the arena turned battlefield had become even more chaotic with Anarky’s people storming in with several getting cut down but the others didn’t falter with the talons being incapacitated far longer with the flaming rounds making healing difficult.
Seeing a swarm of gold talons getting batted aside as if a tornado had descended upon them and for a second seeing the now named White Rabbit who was blitzing the talons without issue. “Don’t worry about me, go help her get the grandmaster.”
Turning back after roundhouse kicking a talon taking its head and part of its arm off and staring at her for a long moment. I had to give her some respect for not flinching at all the blood covering me.
“I will catch up. With my escort here I will be safe, don’t worry.”
“Alright. If you find yourself in trouble don’t hesitate to contact me.”
Rushing off with chakra enhancing me further, letting me leap across vast parts of the arena and doing this two more times closed the distance where White Rabbit was.
A talon amongst many trying to slow her down gets slammed into the concrete floor bones shattered and ground to dust with me standing above them.
“Here I thought you would be further ahead than this with the head start I gave you.”
She merely laughed while batting her eyelashes at me. Both of us are going to town taking down the gold talons with the loyal talons backing us up. Not that they were needed with us making short work of them but more just kept pouring in.
That was not to say the gold talons were not a threat. Both I and White Rabbit knew well enough not to get stabbed or cut by the blades they used since the talons helping us are taking far longer to heal back from the wounds given to them in comparison to the ones we are fighting.
A faint red glow like the dying embers of a fire emanating from their wounds with us pushing forward with me keeping tabs on our surroundings.
Knowing that whatever that is wouldn’t be good for our health is why whenever we strike one of them the blows hit so hard they looked almost like a cannon had impacted them.
Chunks of flesh moving through the air like confetti with droplets of blood falling like crimson rain. Every punch or kick was used with the utmost force in them without chakra enhancing it.
Learned my lesson from Wayne Tower, knowing that I cannot afford to have chakra exhaustion take hold now and keep it conserved in case something happens where it will be needed.
Each blow was meant to take them out of the fight for as long as possible. With the sorry state of their bodies one would think that would be well beyond what was necessary.
My counterpoint is simply looking down at one of the talons dragging itself forward with its sole remaining arm, half of its chest cleaved off dragging blood and spilling organs across the floor. Yet its flesh was already knitting back together, new organs forming inside of its torso with the bones visibly growing back.
It was healing fast enough to go well beyond the line of reason. It should be fully dead yet it still clinged to life.
Their numbers had thinned down enough around the rest of the coliseum that what was left was not enough to occupy it. They were healing or fighting off the numerous enemies now surrounding them.
Taking a page out of Batman's book, my hands turned on fire with flames coming off of them with the runes of my gloves now glowing.
“Cute toy.” My companion said with us turning the talons around us into paste. “But toys can get you only so far. Let’s see how well you can measure up with skill.”
She was on the move, where before with me pushing myself I was just a little slower than her. Now it was like having an Indy car race past a beat up old car a highschooler would drive.
So fast she may as well be teleporting in my eyes showing how much she was holding back. In a matter of seconds dozens of talons found large sections of their bodies becoming either minced meat or just red mist.
Arms, legs, chests, all utterly destroyed with no way to tell what was muscle, organs, or even bones courtesy of how thorough the destruction was.
Such was the destruction she wrought upon all who opposed us. Activating a feature of my gas mask after a quick inhale everything slowed to such a degree time was almost frozen. Bullets now moving so slow it would be child's play for me to pluck them out of the air.
The only thing moving normally was the woman who made a game of this carnage. With a simple knife hand strike she cut two heads with one cleave, whilst in the same motion moved forward snapped out a backwards tornado kick bisecting a talon. On and on she went with me joining her.
She noticed a talon she was going for had a new hole where its face should have been. Turning and doing a double take seeing me take one of the talons she was aiming for bringing a fist down onto its head.
Moving on as the head broke apart from the equivalent force of a high caliber gun before fire formed on what’s left of it.
“Oh finally decided to step up your game? Let’s see how fast you can go!” She laughed, zipping off with a leap knocking aside any talons in her way with me following in the wake of destruction she had left for me.
It didn’t stop me from cutting down what was left of the opposition in our way to ensure there was less for Jaina to deal with.
For all that she would like to show to the world that she wasn’t afraid right now, having been around her enough I could see the signs she was terrified. But she knew what she had to do and what must be done so she soldiered on despite her fear.
I just tried to ease as much pressure off of her as possible out of concern for her.
This may as well have been a war, and like any war no matter how safe or secure you think you are, reality doesn’t care.
You can still die at any moment from a stray shot or even be inside of a remote bunker and something can and will go wrong then bam! You're dead.
At first me and Rabbit had closed the distance to a tunnel that Samantha and her little escort were about to take. The two of us slammed down on opposite sides of the group not needing to say a word knowing what we wanted to do together.
A woman after my own heart.
“Going somewhere? After all we have been through… Samantha.”
The former grandmaster looked like she had something to say but came up short when I dropped her name. Even White Rabbit froze for a moment before ignoring all the talons and focusing solely on her.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, traitor.” She said with that man’s voice coming off like a growl.
“It’s adorable as much as it is disappointing you have the audacity to call me a traitor. Let's be honest here, how long were you intending to reward me with that little stunt?”
I didn’t fail to notice the pendant she wore was being cradled in her hand with it getting brighter and brighter looking more like a red sun.
That needed to be dealt with. The talons around her were positioned to ensure they block any attempts at her life with her having the confidence she was safe enough to stare at both of us for a long moment.
“From the beginning. I see that it was the correct decision on my part, seeing how Anarky is still alive. But none of it matters. You all will be dealt with since I called in a favor that was owed to me.”
With that she merely walked ahead as if we were not about to take her head right here and now. Glancing at White Rabbit who just gave me a look that she couldn’t believe she seriously thought she could just walk away.
Shrugging to her and moving to stop Samantha only to back off when several talons moved as fast as me. The two of us were now forced to evade and move back, splitting off from one another.
Where Rabbit was smiling like she just got the motherload of carrots, I wore a grimace knowing she was getting away and I was being forced to evade each strike from two talons who came far too close for my liking with their swords.
Several more backed up the ones attacking us with these ones proving by far the most skilled out of all the talons I have battled to date. Any opening if there ever was any was cut off from me with others preventing any counter attack I could muster.
The last I saw of White Rabbit she had a smile going from ear to ear with a manic look in her eyes fighting back against the talons with no regard for her life.
Leaping back to make space with my hands facing the talons before a stream of fire like water from a firehose poured out enveloping most of the talons in it with a few leaping out of the way in time.
To my horror the talons that were in the flame that was hot enough to turn the concrete of the coliseum molten were healing from the damage.
Several talons came at me from both sides. Swords cut and stab with me narrowly leaning back and evading each strike with one managing to knock my Fedora off with it falling apart turned into ribbons.
Another talon with a curved long sword that swung the long blade forcing me to leap over it. Half a dozen talons leapt into the air their weapons raised to shred and spear me.
Before any got close enough numerous blue threads extend from my fingers and with a mental flex the wires snagged each of their weapons. Another flex had them find new homes in nearby talons.
Sticking the landing and backflipping away with half a dozen talons crashing into several chairs in the stands splintering the wood.
Several throwing knives were tossed right at me with me leaping before twisting into a corkscrew spin with the majority missing me with only a handful leaving cuts along my suit.
Tsking to myself feeling stinging sensations all along my body. Weaving through a series of slashes before tossing marble sized explosives that sent the horde of talons flying. Punching through a talons fist, then arm with a wet splat feeling the stings turn into a burning sensation.
Almost like my wounds were on fire. Switching capsules in my gas mask downing a quick antidote only to still feel the growing pain along my wounds. It’s not poison…
At that revelation more talons sprint right for me before they stop along with everyone else for that matter when a bright red light illuminated the battleground making the shadows grow longer.
For a moment wondering if I had lost my mind seeing a few shadows almost dance to an unheard tune.
Just as quickly as the light had appeared it faded away leaving someone that I would have preferred to never meet even if I am not here in person technically.
Successfully turn the majority of the Court against the Grandmaster +50
Make Jaina the new Grandmaster of the Court +100
Trick Samantha Vanaver +50
Meet the White Rabbit aka Raina +50
