Lighting arched up above as the storm clouds gathered above the city that Discord looked out from the other side of the river hovering just in the air top it. According to the police report it seems that one of the goons had escaped when Everfree took down the others and just a day ago a body was found rotting in the swamp near Gotham. 'A rotting body found a day after a Criminal escapes me means that the criminal's boss killed him when he got to Gotham.’
As Discord flew into the city he took time to remember what he had learned about the “Great City” he was visiting, ‘Gotham a crime ridden city with something like a dozen crime syndicates either headquartered in or have major dealing in the city, police force is so horribly corrupt that it makes either corrupt police forces look good, oh and they have a prison called Arkham Asylum which the inmates keep breaking out.' Landing on a rooftop Discord blinked as he replayed the whole thing in his head, “Ok. What. The. Fuck? Why do people still live here?”
While he would like to debate the machistic outlook of the people of Gotham in regards to the place they called home he did catch something out the corner of his eye. A lone figure swinging from the rooftops over Gotham. “Well considering that’s not the Bug from Major comics it has to be Batman.”
If anyone knew anything about the whole mess and willing to help him out it had to be Batman. Flying over to the patch Discord silence landed right behind him before speaking in a casual tone, “Yo Batman what;s up?” The Dark Knight turned around to see the hero Everfree walking up to him. His eyes narrowed before his first reached out and punched Everfree in the face. Discord winced back for a moment while Batman fought back the pain in his hands. It felt like he had punched through a brick wall, “Ouch why would you do that?!” Discord demanded.
Batman glare faded a bit but didn’t disappear as he answered his question, “Sorry I had the overwhelming urge to do so.” Batman looked away to continue his watch over his city. He didn’t want to admit it but hitting him in the face felt surprisingly good.
“Yeah I probably deserved that one,” Discord walked back to the edge next to him before he spoke up again, “Anyway I’m looking for something that was stolen from as museum and the person in question must have been employed by one of the crime families so I came to check it out however seeing as I have no real idea where to look I thought maybe you could help me.” Discord gave him a cheerful smile as the Dark Knight turned to him having heard his case, “So what do you say Bruce?”
For a moment the city seemed to have become quite after those words left Discord’s mouth. Batman froze up for a moment before he gave Everfree a glare and spoke in a low and threatening tone, “How do you know?” Everything he had on Everfree, which wasn’t much seeing how he just appeared less than month ago, but the fact that Everfree just casually talk about who he was under the mask. He had to be either a super genius or heaven forbid a greater detective them himself.
“I know because Batman is wealthy, wealth means power and power means loneliness so you have no parents and no parents mean, that you are Bruce Wayne cause Bruce Wayne has power and Batman has wealth.” Discord explained his logic on how he uncovered Batman’s secret.
Batman didn’t move as he process how he had come about his secret identity. “Your serious?” Batman question with disbelieve slipping though his tone and a bit on his face.
“Yep I’m serious, I used logic to figure it all out I’m quite proud of myself.”
“That isn’t logic…” Batman deadpanned at the possibly crazy person.
“Yeah I know but eh, I guessed and I was right. Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone your identity I swear on the name of my mother Faust.” Discord sait over the ledge, “So what you say about teaming up?”
Batman weighed the pros and cons about this. On one hand it seemed that heroics was at best a hobby for Everfree, he seemed mentally unstable (the irony is not lost to Batman), and knew his identity and he had no idea what Everfree was capable of. Well that last part wasn’t completely true he had two theories on it, the first was he was a metahuman or an alien, and the second was that he was magical like John Zatara, and his daughter Zatanna.
Batman had a feeling he was going to regret this somehow. “Fine.” Batman answered. Discord was surprisingly calm about this giving him a nod.
“Alright then seeing how you know more about the city you should lead.” Discord floated up into the air in front of him before he notice something was missing, “Wait a minute where is the other guy? Robin that’s right where is he?” Discord questioned as he realized that their was a missing boy wonder.
Batman decided to ignore it. Everfee asked a lot of questions already and Batman was still unsure of his motives. Besides Robin had left on his own and Batan wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.
Sombra walked through the warehouse as his men looked on with slight fear in their eyes as he passed by. After his upgrade their boss had decided to give a small show of force. At that he had the more disloyal members brought to him and well the sounds of the brutal torture and walking out covered head to toe in their blood was a hell of a way to scare the rest into submission. Sombra walked up to his lieutenant holding a suitcase in his arms. “I trust you have it?” Sombra questioned in a calm and somewhat friendly tone.
The lieutenant gave a nod hiding any fear if he had it. “Yes sir.” He handed Sombra the suitcase. The crime boss opened it up and had a smile as he picked out what was in it. A small vial was held one in front of his face as a smile came over his face, “Scarecrow’s fear toxin, hard to get seeing how the GCPD and the damn Bats destroy all of it or render it useless.”
Sombra looked as the vail before placing it back in the suitcase, “Yes it’s unfortunate that Crane isn’t willing to sell it out.” Insanity it seems wasn’t good for your long-term planning, “Now then you said something about our partner being a mole?”
A few moments later they were outside as the trunk to the lieutenant car opened showing a man in his mid thirties tied up and gagged, “Yep turns out he’s with the FBI.” He handed Sombra the guys badge. Sombra reached in and pulled the tied up man by his neck lifting him up.
Sombra gave him a dark look, “I’m shock truly I am.” His glare intensified as his voice deepened, “I had though I made it clear about traitors.” His voice sent chills down the man's spine. Sombra turned to his men, “Excuse me while I reeducate this man.” Sombra pulled out a steak knife from his pocket as the rest of them took off at this. They actually felt bad for the poor guy.
“You know how did this come to be actually I mean did you get workers to make the cave?” Discord commented as he looked out at a few of Batman’s things within the batcave, “Cause I’m surprised no one hasn’t put it together if that’s the case.”
“This was a natural cave that one of my ancestors turned into a mine at one point.” Batman explained to Discord. He was right he was regretting this. Everfree didn’t seem to stop asking questions, commenting on everything, or when Alfred came down asking him if he ever called Batman “A stupid boy.” He was just about ready to kick him out of his cave and out of Gotham, and maybe take a day off. Batman continued to ignore the talkative guest as he typed away his computer pulling up his file, “James DePlour a grandson of French Immigrants known criminal who has done work outside of Gotham for the crime families turned up dead in the swamp less than a week ago.”
“Yeah I flew over it on my way here…” Discord placed his hand on his chin as he took a moment to reflect on something he felt while flying over it, “I think I felt a dark presence within it did Gotham happen to have a Witch Coven? A cannibalistic tribe of death worshipers? A demon chained by ancient priests?”
Batman shot him a glare as he continued to rumble on about everything, “Can you even focus?!” He growled catching Discord’s attention. It was like he was dealing with a five year old. A five year old who could punch through cars, summon objects into existence from magic, and was nigh-bullet proof, and that was just the stuff Batman knew he could do.
“Sorry I’m not used to doing something for this long.” Discord apologized, “Anyway did he have anything on him or in him when you found his corpse before the police?”
Batman didn’t speak as both him and Discord turned their heads to the piece of crystal keep in a glass container on one of Batman's tables. Discord walked up to it as his mind recalled what it was, “A Umbrum Crystal? No…” Discord placed his hand over it, “A crystal made from Umbrum magic.” Discord’s face took a somber look as he focused on the glass it opening as the crystal floated slightly above his hand.
“Umbrum?” Batman questioned, “You know what it is?”
Discord turned back to him before looking at the crystal, “Truthfully? I have forgotten most of my life and it seems A bit of what I know but I remember this now,” Discord turned to Batman his guise a full one eighty from the person Batman meet a few hours ago. “The Umbrum are a race of beings magical spirits born from darkness, anger, hate, pride, deceit and they are powerful, their magic can even bend time and space.” Discord suddenly had a realization, “That Crystal they took it held one and they must have set it free.”
Batman’s scroll harder at this. Lunatics with poisons, guns and weird mutations he had dealt with regularly. A magical creature who could bend time and space? The only magic users he knew of was John his daughter, Zatanna, and Everfree. John was dead, Zatanna and him haven’t talked in years and even then she probably had no idea what a Umbrum was and it could take him a few days to track her down time which he probably did not have given this thing could warp it. That just left Everfree, the person standing right in front of him, who knew what it is and was probably his best bet. For a moment Batman wondered if fate loved to torment him. “Can you track him or something?” If he questioned.
Discord held the crystal in his heads before shaking his head, “Trust me if the Umbrum was freed I could trace its magical trail like their was no tomorrow, however that’s the thing I can’t feel it’s magic anywhere.” Discord closed his fist as the crystal glow under his power becoming nothing within it, “However it seems this one is hiding it, my only guess is it’s using a host possessing someone not unlike a demon would yet in a more symbiotic fashion as long as it doesn’t use to much of it’s magic it would remind hidden from me.”
A game of cat and mouse was nothing new to Batman. He had done this dance before with the Joker after all, but this felt different. He had nothing on his enemy and yet his foe wasn’t in a rush to reveal himself to him. Discord’s serious look faded away as he started to fly, “Eh, we shouldn’t worry about it now I mean why be paranoid about?” He gave Bruce a sheepish smile, “Don’t worry the moment something happens I’ll come right back here and fix the mess until then I going to see the world's first Superhero who knows maybe he’ll be more friendly then you Bruce.” Discord gave him a fellow salute and disappeared before his eyes in a flash of light.
A few moments pass by as Batman sat back in his computer, feeling a headache coming on.