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The Guild of Gamers: The Nightmare by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Cartoon X-overs & Justice League Unlimited Xover Rated: M, English, Adventure & Horror, Words: 121k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 4k+, Published: Jul 27, 2022 Updated: Feb 17

2,048Chapter 3: A Strange Form of Honour

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain and TheDonFluffles

The Guild of Gamers: The Nightmare

Chapter 03: A Strange Form of Honour

You know, it wasn't a bad plan that the police came up with.

Reading the report of Mr. Adams death, I chuckle to myself darkly.

No, it wasn't a bad plan at all, but they made one slight mistake. My voodoo dolls will shrivel when the victim dies, and the doll I made for him is still in perfect condition.

I do not appreciate their attempts to play me for a fool, and this calls for something special indeed.

I was actually going to release them, I was even going to be a gracious killer and release one of them if he didn't manage to kill himself as he got a single kill. It wasn't what I promised but I felt like being nice since he tried.

And then they tried to fool me. They tried to deceive me, and that I very much don't approve of. You might even say it has pissed me off.

Heading back out, I head back to the sewers as I move through the city. They're expansive, and with off screen travel I can use them to get around the city with ease.

Getting within distance of the police station, I start my search as I look for the allegedly dead Mr. Adams.

I can use my voodoo doll to track my victim, and I can sense his fear so finding him isn't even particularly difficult.

But while I could absolutely grab him right from under them, I don't. That's not what I have planned, because it ain't Mr Adams fault the police lied to me, is it?

Instead, I watch and find a police officer who knows Adams is alive and follow him instead, it doesn't take long before he heads somewhere isolated to take a smoke on the roof.

This is probably the riskiest thing I've done so far, but spite is one hell of a motivator.

The cop doesn't even see the bottle flying towards him until it smashes against his head, dazing him and forcing him to breathe in the sedative.

He tries to turn around, but I've already slipped back into the shadows and all he can do is sluggishly look around, his gun in hand.

He falls to the ground after a few seconds, trying to reach the door back into the station, and waiting until my cool-down is done, I slip back out and grab him, pulling him through my world as I abduct a police officer right from their station.

Taking him to the sewers, I take his gun and find something to cuff the man to and simply bide my time. He has enough id on him for me to find out where he lives, and the picture of him with a young boy that shares a resemblance to him makes me smile. You'd be surprised how much you can find out about someone just from what they're carrying on them.

His phone is locked, but the all powerful Face ID has it open in short order, giving me even more to work with as I look through his messages.

I should make a counter to my sedative, so I can speed this part up but for now I'll just have to wait patiently.

"Wha- where-"

"Ahh, you're finally awake. Good afternoon, Officer Doyle," I say, I'm making my voice sound deeper for obvious reasons. It's not perfect but it'll do until I have a better way to do it.

Never thought those acting classes would come in useful, I only took them because I had a thing for this hot goth girl who was really into the whole drama scene. She was the sexiest bitch I'd ever seen, it was a shame she turned out to be a serial killer, but I guess we have that in common now.

"Oh fuck, look, you have no idea what you're doing. You think we're looking for you now, you know what we do to cop killers in Goth-"

"Now, now. I have no desire to hurt you Officer Doyle, I just have a simple question for you," I say, kneeling down to his level. "Whose idea was it to lie about Mr Adams death? You were watching him, no doubt as part of his suicide watch to prevent him from completing my orders. Whose idea was it?"

"You think you can intimidate me?" he laughs. "I've been a cop in Gotham for twenty-two years, I'm not gonna be intimidated punk in a mask-"

"Do you think Harry would be?" I ask, making him freeze. "That's your son's name, right? What about your wife, Elena? She's a very beautiful woman, it'd be a shame to mar that beauty just because you weren't polite enough to answer a simple question."

His bravado vanishes quickly as he goes silent, paling slightly.

"If you aren't going to answer, please just tell me so I can end you and move onto the next officer. I'm sure some of your coworkers aren't quite as brave as you, or perhaps just less willing to sacrifice their families," I say simply, playing with the hunting knife in my hand.

I've been experimenting with different blade types, but the hunting knife seems to be the ideal weapon for this.

"Gordon, it was Gordon's idea," he says, making me smile.

"Ahh, it was? I expected you to tell me that it was Batman's idea to be honest, but that's why I decided to… double-check," I say happily. "Was that so hard?"

"My family-"

"Will never know how close they came to becoming a statistic, you told me what I wanted to know and I am a man of my word, don't worry… I'm sure someone will find you down here eventually," I say, dropping the key for his cuffs a couple of feet outside his reach as I turn and walk away.

James Gordon, the father of Batgirl…

Hm, that gives me a terrible idea. It'd be an absolutely atrocious idea to target Batgirl/Oracle, that would draw Batman's full attention onto me if I attacked a hero…

But what if I kidnapped a hero by accident? I obviously have no way to know that Barbara is Oracle, so if I was to kidnap her just to get to her father…

It's still a terrible idea, but I'm absolutely going to do it. I need to target the heroes eventually, and frankly Babs is a good first target since she's wheelchair bound.

Gotham PD apparently prefers physical files to digital, either that or they keep both as I appear in their archives.

They're not particularly well sorted, but it doesn't even take me that long to find the records on their officers, including a home address.

Out of spite, I steal basically every file I can. They'll know I ransacked their archives, but the station has surprisingly few cameras in it.

It will mean they'll know that the killer they were looking for just walked into their station and robbed the place.

As an act of kindness, I carve 'check the sewers' into the wall, I don't want Officer Doyle to starve down there. He told me what I wanted to know after all, and I do have my own twisted form of honour.

Vanishing again, I head towards Gordon's home. Barbara isn't there when I arrive, but that's because it's a school day and she's in University.

She definitely lives here, either that or Gordon has a teenage mistress. I'll admit, while I'm waiting for her to come home, I do have some second thoughts about this.

She's the first hero I'm going for, even if I'm going to pretend I don't know she's a hero. This is bigger than just grabbing some random civilians, but I'm going to have to go after the heroes eventually.

It's a lesson in patience as I bide my time, but she does arrive eventually, wheeling herself in. She looks tired but I imagine she's balancing being Barbara during the day and Oracle at night so I'm not surprised.

The Gordon house has obviously been modified to make things easier for the crippled Barbara, a chair lift installed on the stairs as she heads upstairs.

I always wondered why Barbara stayed crippled in DC, where magic and sci-fi tech can be found just about everywhere. It seems difficult just to move around her home.

As she reaches her bedroom, I reappear outside her room and toss several vials into the room at her.

I'm not taking any chances.

She can't exactly run away, and in short order I hear her slump to the floor as she falls out of her wheelchair.

Well that was easy.

…hey, Shiro. You there?

Yup.

Exactly how secure is the computer in my lair?

— Bruce Wayne (Batman) —

Rushing towards Gordon's house, his mind raced. Barbara had a button on her wheelchair she could press to send an emergency signal to the Batcomputer, but she'd never used it before.

Until today.

Arriving at the house, he let himself in as he rushed towards where the signal was coming from, his heart dropping as he spotted her wheelchair, lying on its side with no Barbara in sight.

The sight of some vials on the floor made his eyes widen ever so slightly, 'Legion' as people had dubbed the killer.

Why target Barbara?

The answer came to him a moment later. They kidnapped people to blackmail their loved ones. This might not even have anything to do with Oracle, and everything to do with James.

Zatanna had been shocked when her scrying spells utterly failed. She said it should have had a result even if he'd already killed them, but her spell simply returned nothing and she didn't know what that meant.

They'd theorised that whatever Legion had that was preventing technology from recording him was far more powerful than just that, and was even preventing magic from finding him or the girls he took, but that was just a theory that they couldn't prove.

He wouldn't leave Barbara in this maniac's hands, but he had nothing to work with once again. Searching the place intensely for any clues at all, he scowled as he found nothing.

Getting a message with a link from Tim, telling him to watch it immediately he opened up the link and checked the MHO thread he'd been linked to.

MHO was a surprisingly useful source of information, he even had an account that was known for having completely ridiculous conspiracy theories.

He used it to push the idea that Bruce Wayne was Batman, along with 'evidence' that any moron could see was wrong or misrepresented.

But nobody knew that XxVoid_CowboyxX was really Batman, and they never would. They were too busy mocking him for his ridiculous takes.

Shaking his head, he started to read the thread and his eyes widened.

The original poster? A newly made account simply named Legion. He immediately logged onto his MHO Moderator account and started trying to trace the poster.

The first post was simply a video with no message at all.

Starting the video, he watched as the man that was rapidly becoming infamous appeared on the screen.

"I am a man of my word, I want you all to understand that. I am a killer, yes. A monster, but when I said I'd release Mr. Adams' family if he fulfilled my orders, I meant it," Legion started, staring into the camera.

"So when I heard that Mr Adams had ended his life, I was prepared to release my guests as promised… however, then I found out that I was lied to. Mr Adams is very much not dead, sitting in his cell. I do not appreciate being lied to, so I decided to find out who was responsible for this deception."

James had the idea of faking Adams' death, of course he'd had the same idea but James had already thought of it and gone through with it.

"James Gordon, our beloved police commissioner, thought he could deceive me. I find this rather aggravating," Legion continued, before he moved and slowly turned the camera to the side, revealing Barbara, stripped to just her underwear.

She was clearly unconscious, her hands chained above her head to a wall that looked very similar to the cells he'd taken the pictures of the hostages in.

"This is Barbara Gordon, our hard-working commissioner's daughter. I'd have grabbed his son as well, but I didn't feel like making a trip to Arkham. Now, my demands this time are extremely simple. James Gordon is to make a live press release admitting he lied about Mr. Adams death by the end of the day, and he is to have Mr. Adams with him, as well as have his phone on him and turned on. If this is done, I will release Barbara unharmed. If this thread is deleted, I'll take that as a refusal and the fates of Miss Gordan, along with Mr. Adams' wife and daughter, will be sealed. You have until midnight."

As the video ended, he growled. He shouldn't have been surprised that all attempts to trace the poster failed, it was obviously their power, but the fact that 'Legion' felt so confident that he'd post videos online infuriated him.

He was also utterly unsurprised when he got a call from Gordon less than a minute later.

"I've seen it," he said, in lieu of a greeting.

"What should I do? I can't let anything happen to Barbara," James said immediately.

"Do the press release, we need to play his game for now," Batman replied, glaring at the grinning mask in the video's thumbnail.

The thread was going wild of course, with everything from posters claiming it was a hoax to posters mocking the police for trying to lie to a super villain.

Spotting someone commenting on Barbara's barely covered body, he rolled his eyes and gave them a 3 day mute and a warning. He couldn't delete the thread, he didn't even want to risk locking it and annoying Legion who clearly enjoyed the attention.

Not while he had Barbara.

— Barbara Gordon —

Waking up chained to a wall was surprisingly not a new situation for her, her past as Batgirl had led to her being captured quite a few times and that helped her keep her cool.

She'd been stripped, the cold air on her body told her that, but she still had her underwear on so she didn't need to panic just yet. She'd also been blindfolded, so she listened carefully.

She could faintly hear someone crying, they weren't that close but it definitely meant she wasn't alone. She could also hear footsteps moving away from her.

She didn't call out, sometimes it was better to let people think you were still unconscious to buy yourself time.

Her captor was almost certainly the one walking away, but if she waited she could listen out and hear if anyone else was moving around.

If she was lucky, she might even get to hear a conversation while they thought she was still unconscious from whatever they did to her.

"I know you're awake," a voice said, making her mentally sigh. Worth a try.

"I don't know what you want, my family isn't wealthy," Barbara said, her voice quivering slightly.

She had no proof they knew she was Oracle so she has no plans to help them find out.

That meant playing the part of the scared hostage.

"I know," the voice said simply.

So it wasn't money he wanted.

"You don't need to worry, Miss Gordon. As long as your father does as I have asked, you'll be free from this place by this time tomorrow," he continued.

That immediately sounded familiar, making her eyes widen behind the blindfold. Legion, as MHO had dubbed Gotham's newest killer.

A killer that now had her in chains. What had he asked her father to do? Bruce would definitely be searching for her but she was well aware of how ineffective the search for Legion and the missing women had been so far.

"Please, just let me go- I won't tell anyone-"

"There's no need for begging, my dear. Not for the next seven hours at least. You should save your energy because if midnight passes and your father has still chosen to not obey my orders, then you'll need to beg, to tell you the truth a part of me is hoping he doesn't, we could have such fun together," Legion said with a chuckle, sounding very close as she shivered at his tone.

"What do you want?" Barbara asked, making him chuckle again.

"A great many things, but we can talk about that later," Legion said easily, walking away from her as she heard a door close.

Wonderful.

She knew how to pick a lock, but she had nothing on her to use and from the feel of them she was wearing some heavy manacles, not simple cuffs.

…plus she was a cripple, even if she got out of the cuffs she'd just flop onto the floor, so with no clear path ahead of her she sighed and simply waited.

Her arms were going to kill her at the end of this, even if Legion kept his word and let her go. That's assuming her father could do whatever he was demanding, because she didn't have a clue what he even wanted.

Still, she'd been through too much to be truly scared even in a situation like this, her mind still trying to work out as much as she could to help capture Legion later.

— James Gordon —

With James Adams in cuffs beside him, he faced the cameras with a defeated look on his face.

"In an attempt to make the killer dubbed 'Legion' keep his word, we lied about Mr. Adams suicide," James admitted, going to speak before he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He already knew who was calling him, and he knew he didn't have a choice but to answer it. Accepting the call from a blocked number, he didn't even get a chance to speak before Legion's voice came through.

"Put me on speaker," Legion ordered, making him hesitate before he pressed the speaker button. "Can you hear me, Mr. Adams?"

"I can, I tried to-" James Adams started immediately, looking desperate as Legion's calm voice cut him off.

"Oh, I know you aren't to blame for this foul deception, in truth you've already failed, but I haven't harmed your family yet. I decided to make an exception due to this… interference," Legion continued. "I just need you to answer a simple question. Are you willing to die to make up for your failure?"

"Yes! I tried to kill myself but they-"

"That's all I needed to know, Mr Adams. Don't worry, your family will be just fine."

As Adams went to speak, his eyes widened and a scream of utter agony left him as his skin started to turn red.

It took him a moment to realise what he was seeing, it looked like he was being burnt despite there being no fire. James Adams thrashed around, unable to move thanks to being cuffed to the table, as the gathered press and police officers were forced to watch him burn alive, the smell of burning flesh filling the room.

— Markus Gray —

Watching the voodoo doll burn to ash, I turn back to the screen showing the press conference with a smile.

I don't know whether they're too shocked to end the live footage, or they fear my response if they ended it early, but either way it's extremely effective.

Some people rush towards the screaming James Adams, but with no sign of what is causing the damage they can do nothing but stand there helplessly as his thrashing finally comes to an end, collapsing against the table, his skin blackened and steaming.

"Do not expect me to be so… generous in the future," I say simply, making James Gordon stare at the phone in shock.

"G-generous? You call this generous?" he asks, horrified and furious as I chuckle.

"Is it not? He failed to fulfil my orders, and yet not only did I assist his suicide, I'm even going to release his wife and daughter. I'd be well within my rights to keep them both for his failure." I say simply. "That is generosity, I will not extend such kindness to my future partners."

"And Barbara?" Gordon asks, making me chuckle.

"Yes, I did say I'd release her didn't I?" I say slowly, pausing as I watch him staring at the phone in anticipation and fear. "But then, you lied to me didn't you? Would it really be so unfair of me to tell a little lie to you?"

"You-"

"But I'm in a merciful mood today, so I'll forgive your attempt to deceive me, you simply have to apologise," I say, grinning under my mask.

This feeling of power is unlike anything I felt in my last life. Forcing the Police Commissioner to apologise to a serial killer on live tv?

"I- I'm sorry for lying to you," Gordon says, making me smile. He doesn't mean it of course, he'd say anything to save his daughter.

That's admirable, I like people who'll do anything to save their loved ones, they're going to be very useful to me after all.

"There, was that so hard? You'll see your daughter soon, Commissioner. I just hope you learn from this mistake, because I will not be so forgiving in the future," I say calmly.

Ah, it's a shame to give Barbara up so quickly but as I glance over at another voodoo doll on the side, I smile to myself.

Somehow, I'll live.

"Goodbye, Commissioner. Oh, and I do hope you found Officer Doyle in the sewers beneath the station, he was very helpful in working out whose idea it was to lie to me."

Ending the call, I chuckle to myself. The fear I caused by burning someone alive on live tv, without even being there, is worth more than any fear I'd get from Mr Adams' family and Barbara.

She's ever so slightly afraid, but this is Batgirl we're talking about. It'll take more than a cell and some chains to terrify her.

As for just how much more? Well, I've cursed all three of them to sporadically see a shadowy figure watching them. I've also made voodoo dolls of all three.

I could be theatrical about this, but I don't want to give Babs any more to work with than she's already worked out, so I simply toss a vial into each cell and wait as unconsciousness takes them.

Pausing as I take a look at Barbara's unconscious athletic body, barely covered by a nice black bra and panties, I sigh.

It really is a shame, but I'll have other opportunities to live my teen fantasy of fucking Batgirl.

For now, I'm going to keep my word because I want people to see me as someone who will keep his word.

…I never said where I'd release them, and after a moment I decide where to drop her off.

Leaving Barbara in the cell they'd tried to hide Adams in, I slip away with a cackle. It's got to start getting under their skin how easily I can come and go through their own station.

The mother I place in Barbara's bed back in the Gordon household, using my new power to suppress the tiny cameras that weren't there last time I came here. Batman's work no doubt.

The daughter I leave in the changing room of a busy clothing store, using my power again to disable the cameras that definitely shouldn't be watching the rooms.

Returning to my lair, I smile to myself. A productive day.

Sure, I was kinda looking forward to putting my dungeons to use, but there will be plenty of opportunities in the future for that.

Perhaps Barbara will find herself at my mercy once again, but that's for the future. Now I can just bask in the feeling of the slowly growing terror coming from Gotham.

Skill Upgraded

[Recordless]

While active, you cannot be recorded, appear on camera or be picked up by scanners. You leave no trace on any electronic device. Any audio recordings of you become a garbled mess, you appear as an indiscernible blurred figure in pictures and videos. You also leave no fingerprints or other physical traces. In addition, your power warps memory and causes people to become unable to remember your voice or any details they may have picked up from you beyond what you want them to remember.

[The Nightmare]

You have the ability to enter the dreams of people sleeping near you, taking complete control of their dreams. They cannot wake up naturally while under your influence, and anything that is done to their 'dream self' will carry over to their true body.

As the house shakes again, I pause before I smile to myself. I can work with that. Suddenly the name of my 'system' makes more sense.

And I don't think Gotham is ready for Freddy, or a discount Freddy Krueger at any rate.

Still, I think it's time for me to make another appearance as Markus, heading back to my apartment with a small smile.

Do you know how many rats are in Gotham? In a 100 mile radius?

I honestly don't know the exact number, but I can tell you it's a lot. You see, I didn't want to risk my life attacking Falcone thugs, but do you know what I don't mind?

Risking a few rats.

As I head to the Iceberg Lounge, I reach out with my powers and take control of a swarm that grows with every passing minute as they head towards their destination.

The swarm doesn't feel like a hundred tiny minds to me, but one single organism that responds to my whims.

I have a growing appreciation of the sewers, they let me and my swarm travel throughout the city with minimal risk of discovery, and while I buy a drink at the bar, my ever growing swarm starts to gather under my next target.

Do you know what else I found in those oh so handy police files? Locations. I already had the start of a map to the criminal hotspots in Gotham, but the police files have done a lot to fill it out.

For instance, there's a bar in Falcone territory that they apparently use for meetings. There's no meeting right now, I think, but it's still a regular hang out for Falcone thugs, lots of tough looking guys in nice suits.

There's a single rat under a table, watching it all… and a few thousand more currently bursting out of the sewers and rushing into the bar.

"Aren't you a little young to be hanging out at a place like this?" the bartender asks, an attractive older woman with brown hair. She's not serious, that's obvious as she hands over my drink, instead giving me a teasing smile.

"Don't worry, I'm old enough to appreciate all the wonders this place has to offer," I shoot back with a sly smile, making her giggle as I take a sip of my rum and coke.

Around eighty-three miles away, screams ring out as a swarm of rats flood a bar, biting and gnawing at everyone as they swarm the bar-goers.

Some guns are pulled out, but what good are they? A single shot is fired and a single rat dies, hundreds more charge the Falcone enforcer as he screams, his flesh being stripped away by the swarm.

Some tries using baseball bats, it doesn't make much more of a difference.

"Oh really? I'm sure the girls will be happy to hear that, not often we get a pretty boy like you in a place like this," she continues, giving me a flirty smile as I chuckle.

"Just the girls? What about the women?" I ask, my eyes roaming over the tight dress she's wearing.

"Who knows? I guess we'll have to wait and see," she giggles. I'm pretty sure she's just angling for a good tip, but I don't mind. It's just part of the job.

I'm not leaving my drink unattended at a place like this, I don't need to worry about being date-raped (probably) but I'm not taking any chances.

Watching the dance floor while I finish my first drink, I send my swarm scurrying back into the sewers.

The job is done, sure some of them survived but they'll wish they didn't given how many bites they have, plus who knows what these little guys were carrying.

With my control loosened, the swarm disperses and scatters in every direction, but I can reassert my control with a thought.

It's a start, but the Falcone family is a massive organisation, it'll take more than that to even make a dent. That was more of a… declaration of war, which happens to not match Legion's MO.

They'll be looking for a metahuman who can control rats, not Legion.

One dancer draws my eyes, and not only because of her unique hair colour, split down the middle with the left half pink and the right half brown, and as she notices me watching her I realise that her eyes match, her left eye brown and her right eye pink.

She gives me a smirk as she goes back to dancing, shaking her ass which is wrapped in some very tight white jeans, a matching white tube-top barely covering her large breasts and blatantly displaying her lack of a bra.

There's something different about her, something that puts me on edge as she happily dances in the dead centre of the dance floor, uncaring of how many eyes she's drawing.

She's far from the only girl wearing such skimpy clothes, in fact there are plenty of girls wearing less than her, some very short skirts and dresses occasionally moving to reveal tiny thongs or no panties at all, but none stand out like her.

It takes me a moment to realise what I'm sensing, it's fear. Not her fear, she's not afraid in the slightest, it's the fear of everyone else in the club.

It's why none of the guys are approaching her despite her being the hottest girl in the club by far, they're all afraid of the short curvy girl dancing.

I'm not used to smelling fear that wasn't caused by me, it's a new experience and somehow she knows it as she gives me a smirk.

I'm not particularly surprised when I hear a soft voice in my head, having already worked out that there's something very wrong about her.

'You're better entertainment than most of the new gamers, Markus.'

Ah, someone else from the Guild then? Did Shiro send you?

'…let's go with that.'

I very much did not, I think my exact words were 'no, Neo, you shouldn't go and mess with the new gamer just because you think he's fun.'

'…I thought you were being sarcastic, and that I should do it. Plus, I'm not messing with him, just saying hello.'

Ah, would this happen to be the horny wife you mentioned earlier?

Smart kid.

Meet Neo, she's literally the worst person in existence and that's saying something with me around.

Ah.

Pausing, I look over at the still dancing Neo for a moment.

Lucky man.

Yup.

And why is she in my world?

Probably because I told her she couldn't play with the admin console for your system. She never actually bothered learning how to use the console anyway so she'd just have hit random buttons until something funny happened.

I see. Thank you.

'I'm still here, you know.'

Trust me, I know. Kinda hard to miss.

I'm ignoring you out of spite.

Neo pouts at Shiro's words, helping herself to a random club-goer's drink.

Look, I don't want Neo pouting at me for the next century so good luck? She shouldn't go that far, she knows the rules.

Does she listen to them?

Somehow, the sudden laugh I hear from where Neo is still stealing people's drinks doesn't fill me with confidence.

Eh.

It occurs to me that her following the rules wouldn't particularly help on account of the fact that I don't know the rules either.

She starts making her way over to me, and the nice bartender from before quickly whispers something to me.

"Be careful, she's been here all night and she's killed four people already."

'They started it…'

Somehow, I don't believe that for a moment.

Her smile only grows at my response, and she quickly finishes the glass she stole, tossing it over her shoulder back at the poor fool she stole it from.

She points at something on the menu and gives the bartender a dangerous glare.

"I'll pay for it," I say simply, saving her from Neo's wrath because it's blatantly obvious that she's not planning on paying for it.

The bartender lets out a sigh of relief as I pass over the money for the rather expensive drink Neo wants, making it for the impatient girl.

'Trying to get me drunk?'

Somehow, I doubt anything on this menu could get you even slightly tipsy.

'Who knows, only one way to find out~'

"I'd like a refill as well, same as last time," I say, getting a smile from the bartender as she passes Neo her drink, my own drink being far simpler than the cocktail Neo's sipping.

So, what brings a horrifically powerful goddess like you to a place like this?

'Why, you of course. I don't normally bother wasting my time with new gamers before they finish their first world and come to the Guild Headquarters, but for you I'll make an exception.'

She sounds sultry, but she's also the wife of Shiro, a literal super-god who casually brought me back from the dead with superpowers. I'm not that stupid.

'Aww, not planning on dragging me to the dirty toilet stalls and fuck my brains out? Shiro won't mind.'

Somehow, I very much doubt that. That's the least believable thing I've heard since I got to his world. Why don't you tell me why you actually came here?

'Your loss~ but fine, I wanted to give you a quest but Shiro, spoilsport that he is, wouldn't let me. So I decided to deliver it in person, lucky you!'

Lucky me.

Taking my drink, I take a sip and look over the club again. This isn't how I pictured this night going, I was just planning on making an appearance, getting a couple of drinks, maybe getting laid.

'It's not too late for that last one~ even if you're too much of a pussy to bend me over the bar and pound my tight little cunt, there's still that cute bartender. Why don't we grab her and take her to your dungeons, we could have a lot of fun.'

I'm trying not to attract attention to this form, though I can't say it's not tempting.

'That's because you're a sadist at heart, why do you think you fit so well into this role? Most of them have an… adjustment period, but not you. You dove right into it, the adorable little monster that you are.'

Hey, that's not fair. I'm not adorable, I prefer handsome or breathtaking. Adorable is for kittens.

'Next to me, you are a little kitty.'

Okay, fair point but still. You really gotta hurt a man's pride like that? So, what does the almighty Neo want from little old me? How can this mere kitty help an all powerful goddess of evil like you?

'Oh, I like you. Yes, the almighty goddess of sex and murder has a quest for her obedient follower, and she rewards very well. I want you… to kill a hero. Or just break them so badly they're dead in all the ways that matter if you'd prefer to keep them.'

Hm, a little ahead of schedule but that's nothing I wasn't already preparing myself for.

'Tonight, and I want it to be brutal and slow, I want them to suffer in agony and beg for your mercy, only to find that you have none to give.'

Okay, that's a little harder. Still not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. I just need to pick the right target. Any specifics or requirements for this hero or do I just need some over-enthusiastic do-gooder in tight spandex pants?

'See, I knew I liked you for a reason. I don't care who, just pick a superhero and destroy them. Don't worry, despite my reputation, I'm not completely unreasonable. I'm not expecting you to go pick a fight with Superman, or even Batsy. Hero, sidekick, bullshit powers or just a funny costume and some training.'

And that makes things easier.

So, one night to impress my new boss's wife?

'It gets even better than that, because for tonight only you get a sidekick of your own! I'm not going to help you with anything you couldn't already do, I'm not going to make this easy for you, but watching you made me realise it's been a while since I actually went and had fun like the good old days, meeting new people and stabbing them repeatedly. So, let's go cause some mayhem, boss!'

Heh, taking a sip from my drink I give Neo a smirk. I've had a very productive day so far, but I get the feeling that my night is going to be even better.

Well, Neo. I think we have work to do.

Downing my drink, I give her a smirk.

"Shall we get out of here?"

Finishing her own cocktail, she grabs my hand and leads me to the door. I might have accidentally made myself a reputation at the Iceberg Lounge but fuck it, somehow I think this will be worth it.

'This is going to be fun! I haven't killed regular mortals in eons, when you get this old you kinda forget your younger days.'

Why, you don't look a day over twenty. Now then, there's just one question left.

Who should we invite to be our lucky third member? It's not like DC is lacking in do-gooders to choose from.

— Bonus Scene — Barbara Gordon

…Legion was going to pay for this.

Not the kidnapping, though he'd pay for that as well, but the unexpected downside of the entire thing.

Her father was convinced that the killer would come back for her again, and because of that he'd insisted that she be put under protection.

For the foreseeable future, she was stuck with a police escort, and that meant she couldn't go to the Clocktower and do her job as Oracle.

To make it worse, Bruce agreed, which meant she had no way to get around it.

Sighing to herself, she continued bathing and tried to ignore the fact that a police officer was literally just outside the door. At least they'd given her a female officer.

She was sure they'd stop escorting her everywhere eventually, Gotham didn't have enough cops for them to have one babysit her for too long, but that didn't change the fact that this was about as much privacy as she'd get for the next week or two.

Washing her hair, she froze as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She'd pulled the bath curtain closed, but she could just make out a figure standing directly on the other side of the curtain.

Holding in a panicked shout, she gripped the curtain and ripped it open before staring at the empty bathroom in shock.

She knew what she saw, it was definitely the outline of a hooded man, but… no, Legion could apparently get into just about anywhere, he was still stalking her.

He had to be.

"Barbara, are you okay?" the officer asked, making her hesitate. "I thought I heard-"

"I'm fine, I just slipped slightly," Barbara said with a sigh, leaving the curtain open this time as she went back to cleaning herself, constantly expecting to see Legion's grinning mask staring at her.

She should probably get someone's help with things like this anyway, but she could admit that she was an extremely stubborn woman as she carefully pulled herself out of the bath.

Awkwardly drying herself off and dressing herself, she left the bathroom with a frown and went to her bedroom.

She had to keep the door to her room open, and while the officer was polite enough to stay outside her room, it didn't change the complete lack of privacy as she laid in bed.

Spotting someone standing in the corner of her room, she sat up quickly with a gasp, before blinking.

There was nobody there…

Her sudden movement drew the attention of her babysitter, but as she looked around the empty room, the officer gave her a sympathetic look.

She'd take offence to being treated like a traumatised victim, but it helped lower their suspicion.

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The Guild of Gamers: The Nightmare by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Cartoon X-overs & Justice League Unlimited Xover Rated: M, English, Adventure & Horror, Words: 121k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 4k+, Published: Jul 27, 2022 Updated: Feb 17

2,048Chapter 4: Going Live

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain, TheDonFluffles, and SkyCaptain502

The Guild of Gamers: The Nightmare

Chapter 04: Going Live

— Carmine Falcone —

"I didn't have anything to do with it, you dumb bast-"

The words were cut off as one of his men punched Otis in the stomach as he glared at the supervillain coldly.

"My men get eaten by a bunch of fucking rats, and you think I'm gonna buy that?" Carmine scoffed.

The supervillain glared at him through a bloodied eye, having withstood a considerable amount of beatings so far, but didn't speak.

Otis, or Ratcatcher, had been in Blackgate. Still, everyone knew that being locked up hadn't made Ratcatcher any less powerful since his rats could slip into the prison, delivering messages and smuggling goods.

Having him grabbed from his cell hadn't even been hard- a few bribes later and the villain was handed over to his men and brought to him.

Still, the fact that after hours of torture Ratcatcher still insisted that he was innocent gave him pause.

He'd never heard of anyone else in Gotham controlling rats, but still...

Nodding to one of his men, he walked away with a fierce scowl even as a gunshot rang out.

The bar hadn't been that important. Sure it was a front and a regular meeting place for the higher ups in his crime family, but it wasn't anything special.

The fact that seven of his men were torn apart by fucking rats was an insult he couldn't let stand. He'd considered telling his men to start killing any rats they saw but then he looked up how many rats were in Gotham, and really wished he hadn't.

The estimate he saw claimed there were around two million, which made him very uncomfortable, considering what a few thousand had managed to do. Not that he'd let anyone see his fear.

He'd made an example of Ratcatcher, which would send a clear message that he shouldn't be fucked with, but if the attacks continued?

Well, he'd heard Ratcatcher had a daughter who took up the family trade, and there couldn't be that many Rat controlling villains.

…right?

— Markus Gray —

I thought long and hard about who I wanted to kill, and eventually I came to a decision.

It's a tough decision after all, not something to do on a whim. Obviously countless heroes were ruled out immediately simply because they're out of my league.

Neo won't help me fight, so I have to kidnap them through my own skills and while she's agreed to teleport us to wherever our target is, I have to do the heavy lifting once we're there.

So it needs to be someone I can viably take down, and once we got to my place I did some research.

I considered Stargirl, Courtney Whitmore because if I recall correctly, her powers come from her belt and staff. If I can separate her from them, she's just a teenage girl (admittedly one with some combat training and experience), but I decided against it.

I don't know enough about her, I only know as much as I do because she got my attention when I was younger, purely because she's hot.

And she is very hot, from the pictures I found of her. She has a very active social media presence, both as Stargirl and as Courtney Whitmore, she has what I'm calling 'comic book' looks, because regular people, even hot blonde cheerleaders, shouldn't look that attractive.

I know her step-dad is a member of the Justice League, and while I fully expect to have their attention by this time tomorrow… I know fuck all about him. Some research shows he's got a mech-suit but what his capabilities are, I don't know. I just don't know enough to target her while he'll be sleeping in the next room.

Sure, I could probably run if it goes to shit, all I have to do is break line of sight, but that probably isn't good enough when he might be able to see through walls, and it definitely wouldn't impress Neo.

So Stargirl is definitely on my list, but that's for the future.

Then I considered Green Arrow, because while I do like Oliver Queen, he's both weak enough to be viable and important enough to cause a lot of fear.

Star City isn't anywhere near as bad as Gotham for crime, but they still have more than their fair share, and much like Gotham, they have their own protector, the Emerald Archer.

Several things made me reconsider this, starting with the fact that tabloids have reported Oliver has frequently been seen in the company of a very leggy blonde, identified as Dinah Laurel Lance.

I could try and ambush Green Arrow, but Green Arrow and Black Canary? Normally I'd be happy to hear screams but that's one cry I'd like to avoid. I'll need to invest in a very good gag if I want to target her.

Also, the Green Arrow has blood on his hands here, as when he started out he killed quite a few criminals, corrupt businessmen and politicians in his war against corruption.

I've already realised that this world is a mixture of a few different DC universes. It looks like Shiro picked and chose his favourite versions of each character and worked them in.

He was also presumed dead for years, and was found surviving on an island so I already know which Ollie I'm dealing with. I did like Arrow. It was a good show even if the ones that followed weren't as good. It's obviously a mixture between Arrow and another Green Arrows, maybe Justice League Unlimited or the comic books.

God I hope it's not the comic books, DC power scaling scares me.

But then a thought struck me, and I knew exactly who I wanted to target.

I don't want to try and take on Green Arrow just yet, but I'm up for a… test run, and thankfully Ollie has three mini-me's for a practice run.

Red Arrow is his current sidekick, who I am sure is Thea Queen. Artemis has been spotted several times patrolling Star City in his company, though oddly enough Artemis Crook is a student at Gotham Academy. Finally, Arsenal (formerly Speedy) has recently gone solo after some major disagreement with Green Arrow.

Wouldn't it be tragic if his former sidekick got brutally murdered after trying to make it on his own? Wouldn't it eat Ollie up inside?

Arsenal has no real support anymore as far as I've been able to tell, always being seen on his own, and while he's definitely talented…

He'd beat my ass in a fair fight, but in the words of Captain Jack, that's not much incentive for me to fight fairly, is it?

Sure, Arsenal's death isn't going to spread the fear that Green Arrow's death would- he's the definition of small-time- but we all have to start somewhere.

Plus, completing Neo's 'quest' is more important than spreading fear right now, because I can do that anytime.

I have plans within plans for that, I just need to work out how to actually achieve them.

But nevertheless, with our target selected Neo easily teleported us to Star City (which also has the benefit of giving me a point I can travel back to when it's time to pay Deadshot's family a visit), to find Roy Harper.

Thankfully, Neo did actually teleport us to an alleyway near his 'hideout', and the stars are aligned because like all my favourite victims he's asleep.

It's almost 4am at this point, and given that he's sleeping in half his outfit, I'm guessing he's just got off patrol.

I can't deny I'm a little nervous. He's my first 'hero' since he can't be classed as a sidekick anymore, now that he has gone solo.

My nerves are proven correct as I go about my usual strategy for drugging my victim, tossing the bottle onto the bed next to him as a cloud of pinkish mist engulfs him.

None of my previous victims had managed to even wake up, but Roy sits up immediately as he goes alert, his eyes widening as he covers his nose and mouth, spotting me standing in the corner of his room.

Fortunately I had the foresight to move his bow out of the room, but he manages to get out of his bed, coughing slightly as he breathes in my latest concoction.

He stumbles slightly as he rushes me, disoriented by the fumes he's breathed in, and that's probably what saves me as he drops into what is obviously a well practised martial arts stance and immediately attempts to punch me in the face, barely missing as I duck quickly.

The raised knee doesn't miss, and as I duck he simply knees me in the face instead, knocking me back. Heh, didn't see that coming.

I've never learnt how to fight properly, aside from playing some fighting games, but I do have one advantage over him as he quite easily grabs my arm as I rise, flipping me over, disarming me as he plucks the knife from my hand as I'm still mid-flip, slamming me into the hard floor before he puts me in a tight hold, one I have no idea how to break.

I was never going to be able to beat him in a fight like this, even drugged as he fights off the effects of my sedative, but again… I never planned to fight fairly.

He can beat me, but can he beat my horde? Star City doesn't have quite as many rats as Gotham, but gathering a nice few thousand didn't even take half an hour.

His eyes widen as he hears the sound of many scurrying feet approaching, and despite the unfortunate position he has me in, he has no real choice but to let me go as the swarm approaches, because he knows he doesn't want to be on the floor when they reach us.

But as he tries to let go, to move away and towards the window to try and escape my horde, I make my move.

I have no idea how to do any of his fancy holds, so I simply grab onto his legs to stop him from moving, it looks ridiculous but all I need to do is delay him, and he's still under the effects of my concoction.

It wasn't strong enough to knock him out, but he's still sluggish, and combined with me latching onto him, it's enough to slow him down long enough for my rats to start to swarm him.

They don't bite him too much this time- I don't want to kill him just yet after all- but it's enough to make moving difficult as we are both drowned in a sea of angry rodents.

This would probably have freaked me out, if I didn't practise this move repeatedly, burying myself in a sea of diseased, dirty rodents.

Apparently Gamers are disease resistant, or Neo lied to me because she thought it was funny to watch me freak out as I jumped into a giant rat swarm.

I don't mind, it was a learning experience to understand what my victims will go through, at least, at a lesser level since my rats don't bite me.

…you aren't disease resistant.

Damnit Neo, give me a second

[The Vermin Lord]

You have the ability to control all rats within your range, sensing their presence, commanding them telepathically, sharing their senses and even possessing them. In addition, you are completely immune to disease.

Creatures: Rats

Range: 100 Miles

Huh, thanks.

This is why letting Neo out is never a good idea, her pranks can get out of hand.

Eh, honestly I don't blame her. It was a pretty funny prank.

…you're an odd guy, Markus.

As Roy flails, trying to pull himself out the swarm, I simply grab another bottle and toss it at him.

I need to learn how to fight and hit the gym, because just about anyone could kick my ass as I am now.

I've succeeded so far because I have had the element of surprise and have never actually fought anyone, but my potentially-broken nose shows how any actual fight between me and anyone half-trained would go.

Still under the influence of the first dose, he continues to struggle and try to fight off the effects as I watch patiently.

I'll also need to get my hands on some better materials so I can produce a stronger sedative. My current one works well enough for regular people but I should have expected heroes to be able to resist it. I imagine the less 'normal' ones wouldn't even notice it.

The rats are rapidly collapsing as they unwittingly breathe in the gas, but so is Roy, which makes me smile triumphantly despite the pain in my nose, tilting my head as he glares at me, falling to the floor.

Waiting for the gas to disperse, I have the rats that didn't fall asleep carry away their sleeping brethren.

'Not bad. You kinda got your ass kicked though.'

Turning around, I chuckle seeing Neo sat on Roy's dresser, watching me in amusement.

"Of course. If I was trying to kill him it would have been simpler but taking people who are much better fighters than me alive was always going to be a problem," I reply with a casual shrug, picking up Roy with a grunt of effort.

I really do need to get into shape, but in my defence, I was a programming student before all this. I spent most of my time behind a desk.

'You don't seem to care that he broke your nose.'

"Well, considering what we're going to do to him, I think we can call it even," I say with a chuckle as she approaches, tilting her head before she grabs my now crooked nose and brutally forces back into shape, making me grunt in pain.

As she moves away, I feel it and pause as I realise that while it hurts, a lot, I can't feel the break anymore.

"Huh, nice trick," I say with a chuckle. "Thanks."

Getting a thumbs up, I smile as I open a portal, Neo hopping to her feet and following me into it and into my dungeon.

Right, one 'hero' nice and kidnapped… now how the fuck do you torture someone?

'Don't worry, I'll give you a hand this time. You did the hard part, now comes the fun part!'

"I thought the fun part was looting his hideout," I admit, making her blink as she looks back at the portal.

'Okay, fair enough. That's fun too, maybe we can hunt him with his own bows later!'

Huh, not a bad idea. I do have a giant forest just outside.

But first things first, I need our guest strapped to that rather spiky rack. Honestly, the medieval guys were onto something, because the rack is just the anti-manlet device, we had the solution to short people all along.

'Oi!'

"Short guys, short girls are hot," I correct, making Neo beam as I strip Roy, pausing as I remove his underwear. I hope for his sake he's a grower, because he's not a shower.

Neo's giggling almost makes me feel sorry for Roy as I clasp his wrists and ankles into the rack, but it's certainly not enough to change my mind at this point.

"So, which of us is going to watch him while the other loots his place?" I ask, making Neo freeze.

'Rock, paper, scissors?'

"Works for me," I say. You can't go wrong with good old rock.

As she throws out paper, it occurs to me that she's been reading my mind this entire time, her impish smile making me sigh.

"Okay, I should have seen that coming," I say with a chuckle, making her giggle as she heads back through the portal.

— Roy Harper (Arsenal) —

Waking up, he immediately went to jump up, the clanging of chains and the cold metal tightly wrapped around his wrists and ankles telling him of the seriousness of his situation, as he looked around desperately. Was he strapped to a fucking medieval rack?

It didn't take him long to see the grinning mask of his abductor, calmly chatting to an attractive woman with pink and brown hair.

"Ah, our guest has finally woken up. I should probably make a counter to my sedative, it wouldn't be that hard," the masked man said to himself, rubbing his chin under his mask.

The girl just shrugged with a grin as she stared at him, making Roy very aware of his nudity. He also noticed exactly where he was.

He hadn't seen a torture dungeon in person before, but the various weapons and other torture devices around the room made him extremely nervous about his immediate future.

…Was that a camera?

"Who the fuck are you?" Roy asked, making the masked man chuckle.

"Who I am is a man in a mask. If I wanted you to know my identity I wouldn't have bothered with this mask, would I?" the masked man asked sarcastically before pausing. "But you can call me Legion, my lovely assistant and camerawoman here is Neo."

Legion. He'd heard that name. He kept his ear to the ground and word of Legion killing someone live on tv had spread fast.

"Legion, you're from Gotham, what do you want with-" Roy started, hoping to buy time.

He might not be on good terms with Oliver at the moment, but his former mentor was still his best bet for rescue since the shackles around his wrists and ankles weren't going to be easy to undo.

"You're in a dungeon filled with implements of pain, strapped to a rack, I'm sure you can work out what I want to do to you," Legion replied cheerfully. "Or did you mean why did I go for you? If so, that's simple. You're weak enough to be a good starting point. I considered going after a real hero like Green Arrow but I decided to start small with his… mini-me," Legion said slowly, amusement in his tone. "It was either you, Red Arrow or Artemis, and you seemed like the easiest target."

As he glared at the mocking villain, his 'assistant' giggling to herself, Legion tilted his head.

"You seem offended, don't fret too much, your pride is only the first thing we'll be hurting," Legion said with a satisfied smile.

"What did Green Arrow do to you? Let me guess he beat your ass and threw you in prison?" Roy asked scornfully, making Legion laugh again.

"Oh certainly not, he's never met me and probably barely even knows I exist. He's done nothing to me. I hold no grudge and I'm not on some vengeful crusade," Legion admitted, making him pause.

Then why…

"As for why Ollie…" Legion started, making his blood run cold. "Well, it's because he's an easy target. At the end of the day, in a world of living gods like Superman, some rich playboy with a bow and arrow is never going to amount to much. His less talented, worse-equipped side-kicks are even more irrelevant, Speedy," Legion said mockingly, throwing his old nickname in his face.

"You're wrong-"

"Maybe, maybe he'll bust down the door and rescue you any second now," Legion said, pausing as he tilted his head again, seemingly listening out. "But somehow I doubt it."

Moving towards the rack, Legion looked at his body for a moment before he looked back up, his expression hidden behind the grinning mask.

"But enough chatter, it's time to start the fun. I'm afraid this is my first time, so I hope you'll be patient with me," Legion said slowly, his voice teasing as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a straight razor. "But look on the bright side, they say you always remember your first time, and as irrelevant and forgettable as you may be to the rest of the world, you'll always hold a special place in my heart."

He'd have replied to Legion's mocking words, if it wasn't for the feeling of the blade pressing against his shoulder, slowly and deliberately being dragged across his flesh in a diagonal slice as he clenched his teeth, not willing to give him the satisfaction of screaming.

"Don't worry, my adorable assistant is going to make sure I don't kill you by accident, she's something of an… expert at this," Legion said, making 'Neo' wave at him mockingly. "If we kill you, it'll be very deliberate."

"Fuck you."

It was short, simple and accurately represented his feelings towards the two psychos who had grabbed him, even as he hissed in pain from the razor slicing into his arm.

God he hoped Ollie was looking for him, somehow, some way, because he wasn't seeing a way to get out of being Legion's practice dummy, watching as Neo occasionally silently corrected his cuts.

He really didn't like the look of the other tools that they'd lined up on a table behind the camera, he could guess what the metal bat and hammer were for but what were they planning to use the garden shears for?

— Markus Gray —

I'll admit, I technically killed Roy several times as I cut something a little too important, or made a cut a little too deep but that's what Neo is here for as she heals the fatal wounds with a thought.

Roy is afraid, he tries to hide it behind a tough act, but as the cuts just keep coming I can feel his fear growing, every minute making his hope for a rescue die a little more.

There's something sweet about his fear, and it took me a moment to realise what it is, it's the taste of dying hope.

It's a delicious taste, and one I intend to experience more.

Moving away from him to switch blades, Neo moves in as we switch, and given the way she was menacingly snapping the shears she brought, I decide it's best I stay out of the way for a moment.

Look, I've found that I actually rather enjoy this, pain and fear are a wonderful mix, but some things are too much even for me as I feel a sharp spike in his terror, followed by some weak pleadings.

He tries not to scream, 'tries' being the operative word in that sentence, as eventually the pain gets through to him when I drive a drill into his kneecap, but none of his screams come close to the one that follows while I blatantly don't turn around.

And also close my legs a bit, my own manhood shrinking in fear at the sobbing I hear.

It's definitely effective, but I don't think I'll be employing that particular method myself as I turn back around hesitantly, watching as Neo grins with a small sealed plastic bag in her hands, a grisly trophy inside it.

"Do I want to know what you're planning to do with those?" I ask, making her pause, before shrugging.

'Probably not.'

"Then I'm not even going to ask, he's not going to bleed out, right?" I ask, making her scoff.

'What am I, an amateur? He… is absolutely going to bleed out, give me a second.'

Clicking her fingers, the… wound between his legs seems to forcibly close, which just seems even more painful as he groans in pain.

'There, he'll live.'

"You know, I'm not sure there's anything I can do to him that'll surpass that," I admit, making her shrug.

"P-please, stop this. I-I didn't do anything to you," Roy says quietly, his voice hoarse from the screaming.

'That's quitter talk.'

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not done. We've got plenty of other tools to try out, I've never actually used a whip before so I do wanna see how that works, but I think that's going to be the crowning moment of our little game," I admit, making her beam at me.

'Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to one-up me!'

"I suppose so, now… wanna start stretching the rack again?"

'Oh, absolutely, his bones made some funny noises last time.'

— Shiro Eis —

…should he be worried that Neo somehow found a kindred spirit?

Nah, it'd be fine.

"You know, there's something… special about your Gamers," Kuro admitted, making him scoff.

"I do know how to pick 'em, now stop delaying and make your last pathetic move," Shiro said, giving his eternal rival (and best friend) a victorious stare.

"As you wish… you got any sixes?" Kuro asked, making him pause before he scowled, passing over a six of hearts. "Heh, nice. Got any… nines?"

"Go fish," Shiro said, making Kuro scowl.

As old and powerful as they were, they could still entertain themselves with the simple things. It was good that Neo was occupied, since they had Monopoly lined up next and that always got… bloody.

At least it wasn't Mario Party. That had been officially banned from the Founders' game nights after the… incident.

Which he still insisted wasn't his fault.

— Roy Harper (Arsenal) —

He had no idea how long he'd been subjected to the duo's torture, Legion eagerly experimenting with every tool he could get his hands on.

He should be dead, he knew enough about his injuries to recognise that, but the devil wouldn't let him die.

Legion scared him, but he was obviously new to this. Neo terrified him because she was, as Legion said, an expert at inflicting pain and shame alike. She never spoke, though Legion would hold entire conversations with her as if she was responding.

She found it funny to arouse him, because his body would attempt to respond and it would only cause him agonising pain.

To his shame, he broke. Legion asked him questions and he answered in the desperate hope to stop the pain. Legion clearly already knew the answers, like when he asked about Green and Red Arrow's real identities, but with the camera recording he broke.

It did stop the pain, very briefly, then they started again as Legion got to test out different types of whips, his back torn to shreds as Legion used him as his test dummy.

He'd decided on the bullwhip eventually, one with a metal tip no less, apparently it made him feel like Indiana Jones, whoever that was.

But after a while, they had another conversation out of earshot, that is to say the one ear he still had, and the next thing he knew he was being drugged again.

Waking up in the middle of a forest clearing, he looked around desperately, not seeing his tormentors anywhere in the unfamiliar forest.

Finding a note pinned to a tree with an arrow, he hobbled over to it, trying not to put any weight on one of his legs thanks to the damage Legion had done to it with the bat.

'You've been a wonderful guest, so we've decided to give you a chance to live up to your name, Speedy. All you have to do is find your way out of the forest and you're free to go. We won't pursue you any further. You have a ten minute head start before we start the hunt, good luck!'

At the bottom, Legion had drawn a crude cartoonish version of himself giving him the thumbs up.

Knowing he didn't have time to waste, he looked around, seeing nothing but trees as far as the eye could see in every direction, picking a direction at random and setting off as fast as his hobbled legs could take him.

Which wasn't very fast, and as the painful minutes passed, with him seemingly making no distance as he just saw more and more trees, he considered that he might be heading further into the forest.

He hadn't even seen a single animal so far, which struck him as odd but he didn't have time to worry about that.

It was too late to turn around now, especially as the ten minute mark passed and he heard a horn blow in the distance behind him.

The hunt was on, and it encouraged him to move faster, pushing his broken body to its limits. The sound of movement in the distance, heading his way, made him start to panic. The sound got louder, and as an arrow hit a tree he was moving past, he looked over his shoulder to see Legion wearing a red Robin Hood outfit holding his bow.

"This is pretty hard," Legion admitted, making Neo giggle, also wearing a pink and white Robin Hood outfit as she took a shot.

In his state, he stood no chance of dodging as the arrow struck him, sticking into his shoulder as he stumbled forwards, barely avoiding falling to the floor.

"Nice shot," Legion praised, taking another shot himself. Legion was obviously an amateur, and the arrow struck the ground a few feet away from him as he kept moving, trying to put the trees between him and his hunters. "Run, rabbit, run!"

Another arrow shot past him as he desperately stumbled through the forest, seeing no end to the rows of trees.

He was only alive because they didn't feel like killing him yet, that much was obvious. Neo was a worryingly good shot as every arrow she decided to shoot would strike him in a non-lethal spot, and Legion was apparently a fast learner as Neo helpfully corrected his stance.

Legion's first accurate shot hit him in his one 'good' leg, as good as it could be after so much torture, and finally he fell to the floor, his strength exhausted.

Turning to face them, he could see them slowly walking after him, joking between themselves without a care in the world.

"You were a good playmate, Roy, but I'm afraid playtime is over now," Legion said mockingly as they reached him.

"P-please, don't-" he started, his pride long gone as he laid on his back, staring up at his captors.

"Neo, would you like to do the honours?" Legion asked, making Neo bounce happily on the spot, moving forwards.

Giving him a sweet smile, she pulled out another arrow, notching it as she aimed down at him.

"P-plea-"

— Markus Gray —

Watching Neo put an arrow between Roy's eyes without any hesitation as the hero started to beg for his life, I chuckle.

We set up cameras all over this forest, the entire hunt was caught on film. I'll edit it all together later. I actually know a thing or two about video editing since I streamed and had a pretty successful YouTube channel in my past life.

It was just a hobby, but the knowledge should come in useful.

'Ah, that was fun. It's been a while since I played around with weaklings like this, I kinda forgot how much fun it could be.'

"Well, wanna go grab someone else and start the game again? I don't think going for another hero is a good idea, but there's plenty of civilians no one would miss." I say, making her blink, before she beams at me.

'Same again?'

"Hm, do you know if it's possible to change the outside of my home? It could be pretty fun to throw someone into something like a cave system and make them try to escape it," I ask, making her rub her chin.

'If it's not possible, I'll poke Shiro until he agrees.'

Dude, really? Setting my wife on me for an upgrade? That's just not fair.

Eh, you're keeping her busy and entertained so I can hang out with the boys, so I guess you've earned it. Give me a second, I think I can do one better than just modifying your surroundings.

Skill Added

[Map Creation]

You have the ability to create small demi-planes inside your pocket dimension, designing them to match your requirements.

Oh, I can definitely use this. I've already got a few ideas of 'maps' I can make. Picking up Roy's body, we head back to my house (which I'm decidedly not surprised now has a giant freezer for body storage), before I activate my new power.

'We should make a labyrinth! Or maybe an abandoned hospital!'

"Both good ideas, there doesn't seem to be a limit on how many I can make after all," I agree, making Neo nod excitedly before she pauses.

'I know just the thing to help get the creative juices flowing!'

As I watch Neo head to the liquor cabinet, I chuckle to myself as she starts pulling out a lot of alcohol.

I'm sure this can only end well, but I'm having too much fun to worry about the future now.

— Shiro Eis —

"I place a card in face-down defence position, and end my turn," Kuro D said, making Gray narrow his eyes.

"I swear to me, if that's another Marshmallon I'm going to hurt you," Gray grumbled, their budding argument interrupted as Neo appeared in the room, swaying slightly.

…how did she even manage to get drunk, she was immune to basically everything.

Stupid question, she got drunk the same way he did, by suppressing her resistances.

"No, Neo. I already know what you want and I'm not supposed to help the new gamers," Shiro answered the moment she went to 'speak'.

Obviously he'd fixed her voice aeons ago, but she preferred to not talk anyway.

He'd already seen what Markus and Neo had drunkenly come up with, and he'd admit it did look funny and he'd probably steal the idea to use for the guild, but-

'Please, please, please, please, it'll be really funny.'

Giving him the puppy dog eyes, he sighed as he placed a card face down, giving Kuro a suspicious look as his opponent smiled innocently.

"No means no," Shiro said sternly, making literally everyone in the room snort.

"Oh, since when?" Kuro asked, making him pause before he shrugged.

"Okay, poor choice of words but you know what I-"

Moving up to him, Neo whispered in his ear so quietly even he had to strain to hear her, his eyebrows rising slightly.

"Seriously?" Shiro asked, making Neo nod with a smug grin. "…fine, but after this game. I've nearly won anyway."

Ignoring Kuro mimicking the sound of a whip and Gray's subtle snort, he turned back to the game.

Like Isis didn't have Kuro wrapped around her little finger.

"I end my turn."

"Cool, I activate my trap card, Bad Reaction to Simochi," Kuro said, waiting to see if he'd block it.

He'd already used a lot of his cancelling cards to stop Kuro's other bullshit, so he had to let this go through.

"And then I activate Giftcard, Giftcard and Giftcard. You take 9000 damage, I win," Kuro said smugly, making him growl.

"Fuck you and burn your deck, if you guys let me play meta-"

"Meta is boring, now go do what your mistress wants," Kuro taunted, making him narrow his eyes.

They could mock him now, but they wouldn't be laughing when he got back. They were playing Civ next and he was going to completely demolish them.

"Fine, come on Neo, this shouldn't take me long to set up," Shiro sighed, tossing his pillow at Kuro.

Fortunately, tech was his speciality and this wouldn't take him any time at all to set up.

— Bruce Wayne (Batman) —

Legion was only getting more bold with his attacks, but this was beyond anything he'd done before.

Legion had somehow set up a website from which he could live-stream his crimes, and he'd quickly realised that the server it hosted on apparently didn't exist.

He'd immediately tried to hack the site, now he'd have to get Lucius to replace the Batcomputer after it caught fire then exploded.

It had started simply enough, with Legion announcing his new site on MHO, much to people's shock and horror as he posted a video of Arsenal being tortured and hunted for sport as a demonstration on the type of content they would be posting.

Green Arrow was distraught and furious, and the entire League was disgusted and enraged at Legion's actions. He knew a council meeting would be called soon but he honestly had very little to give them.

Some people asked why the mods didn't delete the thread, and they were right to wonder. Some people wondered if the mods were worried about Legion's retribution, or if he was holding people captive, but the simple truth was that they couldn't delete the thread or ban Legion's account.

The first time someone tried, they got a message from an account called 'You'll Scream for Ice Cream', with their full name, picture and location, right down to what room they were in.

Now the buttons to ban or delete his account simply weren't there.

Then he'd announced his first livestream, where four lucky players would get a chance to fight for their lives.

He'd kidnapped four people, two from Gotham and two from Star City, which added fuel to the growing theory that Legion was a group, not a single villain, and placed them in what appeared to be a large abandoned prison filled with hidden cameras.

The rules of this 'game' were simple, the four players needed to complete several 'objectives' to escape, in this case it was simply finding enough keys to open the exit, though Legion claimed they'd change the objective frequently to keep it fresh.

The catch? The keys were placed in frankly sadistic locations. One was in a pool filled with broken needles, for example.

They also had a time limit and an opponent. Legion stalked the halls, hunting the 'survivors', though it was obvious that he wasn't particularly trying too hard to kill them.

And to make matters worse, Legion had decided to allow audience participation, with the viewers getting to vote on various things.

They could vote to give the survivors help and make things easier or to hinder them and make the game harder. It turned out people voting anonymously on the internet could be very cruel indeed. One of the captives, Alexis Kaye, a student from Gotham University, had been captured early on and the viewers were allowed to vote on her fate.

'Minor punishment' had won, and they'd voted to have her stripped naked live on camera for the rest of the game.

Another survivor had been captured, an older male from Star City named Christopher Richards, and major punishment had won, with them voting to amputate one of his arms.

Legion made 'character profiles' for his victims, so the viewers would know who they were, their occupations and what family they had waiting for them.

Anytime a survivor was captured, the already massive and growing audience would get to vote on their fate, with the punishments and even executions being live-streamed as well.

The live chat showed how bad people could be, cheering as the survivors failed their tasks or were chased by Legion. Sure, plenty of people were calling Legion a monster but they were drowned out in a sea of enthusiastic viewers who seemed to thrive in having the power of life and death in their hands.

It was a problem because the 'good' viewers had quickly stopped watching, but that meant they'd miss the votes, while those who found this sick twisted game entertaining would still be there to vote.

So far, any attempt to hack the stream or 'cheat' the votes had resulted in utter failure and usually the destruction of the computer being used as devastating viruses flooded it.

Even his extremely advanced Batcomputer had fallen prey to them, and Barbara had reported that her computer had quite literally melted when she tried, causing a house fire that was extremely dangerous for her due to her disability.

The viewer count was only growing, and he could do nothing about this sick game Legion was forcing people to play. He had no idea where Legion kept taking his victims. Studying the environment they were in had not helped, with him finding no identifying features in the prison.

He found himself feeling utterly useless, forced to sit around and watch as Legion forced the people he had sworn to protect to play his sick games from the sidelines.

He didn't like it at all.

— Alexis Kaye —

She'd always had a boring life, as boring as living in Gotham could be anyway, and she'd always wished that something, anything, to happen that would add some excitement to it.

The saying 'be careful what you wished for' made so much more sense now, as she found herself back in her university dorm room, naked and bloodied.

Gotham's newest villain, the masked man only known as Legion, had targeted her, apparently on pure chance, dragging her away in the night to take part in a sadistic game, streamed for the whole world to watch.

She'd been slashed at by Legion himself, stripped naked in front of an audience of tens of thousands, tortured after she was captured again, Legion's blades cutting into her skin over and over again, but…

She'd won.

She'd gathered the five keys needed to escape the prison. Admittedly she'd taken three of them from the corpse of another survivor who'd been caught one too many times. She'd found one hanging from a rope at the top of some extremely precarious scaffolding that she'd managed to climb, and another was in a room that was completely pitch black, broken glass all over the floor.

Of the four players, only she had survived in the end. She had survived, naked and bloodied, pain and shame flooding her body in equal measures.

The entire world had seen her cry as her clothes were torn away, they'd heard her scream and beg as Legion cut into her, but she'd survived.

And it felt so damn good.

Even with the pain, she felt better than she ever had before. Nothing in her life compared to the feeling of joy and success as Legion told her she'd done it, she was free to go.

Her life, that she'd been so apathetic towards, seemed so much brighter now.

Despite the countless cuts on her body, she moved towards her computer and turned it on, not bothering to get dressed as she started to research.

She should have called the police, gone to the hospital, told someone she'd been let go, instead she painfully sat down in her chair.

Legion, her torturer. She needed to know more about him.

— Markus Gray —

"…we might have gotten a little carried away," I admit, making Neo shrug.

'It was fun though. You have good ideas.'

Yeah, I just stole the idea from Dead by Daylight to be honest, but it's an effective way of gathering fear from not just the participants but the viewers after Neo convinced Shiro to help set the site up.

I might have to recruit some killers and automate the games a little if I hold them regularly, grabbing people from all over the world to force them to take part. It'll be a constant supply of terror. Last night was lucrative.

[Chains of Pain]

You can summon portals from which you can project hooked and spiked chains to bind and pierce your victims.

[The Blight Lord]

You have gained the knowledge of how to design and craft diseases, viruses and other blights. Make Papa Nurgle proud.

[Mr Nice Guy]

You have a passive aura that tells people that you are a 'nice guy', preventing them from finding you suspicious or seeing you as a threat unless you attack them or act too suspiciously.

[Agent 47]

If you are wearing a uniform of any type, you will be able to blend in wherever that uniform would be applicable. In addition, you will gain the skills associated with that outfit, and the knowledge of how you should act to not break your cover.

I don't want anyone to think they're safe, no matter their race, gender, age or status: anyone could be the next participant.

'Plus, we wouldn't want people to think that you're a racist or sexist deranged serial killer.'

"Of course not, I'm an equal opportunity psychopath. Suffering is best shared with everyone," I say seriously, before we both burst into laughter. "I must say, it's been fun, Neo."

'Definitely. You more than lived up to my expectations and gave me a few ideas of my own. That said, Shiro will cry if I'm away too long- well that or he'll make a robot clone of me again.'

"And we wouldn't want that. It's been a genuine pleasure, Neo, I'm sure we can play again another time," I say, making her give me a grin and a wave as she disappears.

…Shiro is one lucky bastard.

Correct, nice going keeping her entertained. Most people don't survive having her attention that long.

Why? She's easy enough to keep happy, all she wants is to play, you just need to provide her with enough toys.

Heh, true.

After Roy, we ended up grabbing about a dozen more people from Star City to play with, no-one as special as Roy, and I didn't go for Deadshot's family since I figured their chance of surviving around Neo was… slim.

You're not wrong there.

But at some point during our drinking and playing, I came up with the idea of making it a real game, thanks for the help by the way.

Eh, let's just say Neo promised something that makes a little admin interference worth it and leave it at that.

Understood, feel free to send Neo here to play anytime you want her busy.

Heh, careful there kid, I just might take you up on that.

I'm counting on it. Good luck by the way, because I'm pretty sure Neo was getting seriously horny during the torture.

Yup, she just showed up with that look in her eyes. Have fun, kid… because I sure as fuck will.

Heh.

Before I go, I figure I owe you a small favour for wifesitting Neo during game night, any ideas what you want to make it even?

Hmm…

Actually, there is something you could do.

I see what you're thinking, that's actually a lot smaller than what I was expecting for you to ask for, so sure. If that's what you want I can do that. Hell, I can do one better.

Well, while I'm stealing ideas from games and movies I've watched, I might as well steal from shows as well.

True, why make what you can steal?

Words to live by.

— A Few Days Later —

Arriving at my destination, I smile as I adjust my tie.

"Ah, hello, can I help you?" the older woman at the front desk asks, making me smile calmly.

"Hello, my name is Markus Gray. I'm here for my job interview," I say with a happy smile.

"Ah, you're rather early, Mr. Gray, but I'll tell Commissioner Gordon that you're here," the GCPD receptionist says with a smile.

Meet Markus Gray, the hopeful new forensic scientist for GCPD. It turns out GCPD is kinda desperate when it comes to recruitment because I only applied two days ago, and they've already asked me to come in for an interview.

Shiro made sure I knew how to actually do the job, and that I'd have the paperwork to prove I definitely studied forensics in university.

Hey, it worked for Dexter Morgan.

— Bonus Scene — Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)

Death was an unfortunate reality of the hero business. As carefree as he acted he knew that.

This wasn't death, this wasn't Roy catching a bullet on a patrol or dying in battle with a villain, this was something much, much worse.

"You should stop watching tha-" Dinah started, cutting off as he glared at her, before sighing. It wasn't her fault.

He hadn't parted on good terms with Roy, but he still cared for his former sidekick a great deal, and seeing what those… lunatics had done to him drove him to an emotion beyond fury.

Thea had been sick after she watched it, and her confidence in becoming a hero had been severely shaken as she saw what could have been her fate.

He had no idea why Legion, a villain from Gotham, had targeted Roy, but he intended to find out.

The League didn't approve of killing, he'd already been under scrutiny for his actions after he'd returned to Star City from Lian Yu, but their disapproval meant nothing to him right now.

Legion would pay for this, painfully and slowly.

"I know," Oliver finally said, closing the video he'd watched a dozen times, watching for anything he could use to find Legion. "Legion is going to suffer for this."

"I know, and I'll help if you'll have me," Dinah said, making him smile softly despite the rage and pain in his chest.

He'd let Roy go off alone, he'd thought Roy was ready… Now all he felt was guilt and pain.

"I'll take anything I can get," Oliver said gratefully, glaring hatefully at the picture of Legion's grinning mask.

Legion was living on borrowed time.