We Don’t Like to Lose

I should have kept my proverbial mouth shut. Around one in the morning Raven woke me up. She was in her split dress; the one she wore to combat. It normally wouldn't be practical but I could sense the enchantments on it. As expected from a force of nature like Raven she had numerous defensive magics. She also had several enchantments weakening herself, or rather, seals in place as failsafes if she lost control.

"We got something demonic going on in the Bay. As part of the Vanguard you're coming with us."

I raked my hands over my crusty eyes, "Jesus bloody Christ!"

"Gripe along the way, get dressed."

Cussing, I got up and got into my recently dry cleaned tailed suit from earlier today. I went to the bathroom, scooped up some tooth cleaning powder and three mints before throwing them in my mouth with a little water. Walking out the door into the hall I was swishing my tooth powder and pinning my red ascot onto my neck. I spat out my "mouth wash" before climbing into the T-Car and was handed a COMM and a dossier.

"What am I looking at?" I grumbled, putting the earpiece on.

"An oligarch by the alias of Mr. Smyth has been running the largest prison on earth." Robin explained, I just noticed that he was here.

"I see you recovered well."

"Concentration on the mission is top priority for now Grant."

"Okay, okay, sheesh."

He continued, "It's an interdimensional prison where countries could send their undesirables. By it's design, it's been kept in legal limbo, it's been operating without any national jurisdiction."

"So you're saying that they can do whatever they want to the people locked up in here?"

"Correct, excessive slavery is common. Death and torture as well. Pretty much whatever the higher ups want."

"Okay so we're going to another dimension?"

"Mr. Smyth," Raven explained, "powered a rift battery with the power from a very powerful demon. So there should be similarities to other hell dimensions you could have been to. That rift kept it out of our dimension. The demon escaped the battery and caused the prison to enter over the sea."

"We," Cyborg said from the driver seat, "are going underwater."

"Any comments?" Robin asked.

"I just bloody got the salt water dry cleaned out of this bloody suit!"

"Some people from the Justice League should be there to help." Troia comforted, "Won't be too bad."

"What is our objective?" I asked.

"The demon is still in the prison," Robin explained, "so our mystics, you, Raven, and Troia are going to help the Justice League's mystics make sure that demon doesn't get unleashed."

"Troia is going because of her heritage and heirlooms?" I asked professionally, she wasn't really a mystic. I wasn't a traditional one either but I've dealt with my fair share of demons.

"Her weapons are effective, yes." Robin confirmed.

"Fine," I said. "If we all survive, I'll make you all some of my old friend's blood pudding."

"Blood… pudding?" Garfield choked out.

"Um," Raven protested, "I'm not a vampire."

"It's nothing like that!" I defended, "We used to have them all the time back in the day!"

"Those were banned in the US in 1971, Kevin." Cyborg said from the driving seat.

"Ohhh so that's why I had to get creative."

"Please," Garfield, despite being green-skinned, started turning greener, "don't tell me you drink animal blood."

"Their oatmeal cakes."

He breathed a sigh of relief before I added, "Cooked in blood and fat."

He started hacking, muttering, "Oh God, I don't feel so good-"

"Can it, we're going under water!"

After taking a smooth albeit high speed turn onto a beach I only felt a few bumps from the car transforming. Next I sat up in my seat and beheld the beauty of the ocean and the horror of the fortress before us. It was an island yet at the bottom of the sea, an island glowing red with power I can feel.

"Raven, do you feel that?" I asked.

"I can see it," Cyborg commented, "that prison is full of bad energy. My sensors might not help much once we get close."

"Our COMM's should still work right?" Troia asked.

"Might lose connection every now and then. I'll have to set up a hotspot."

"Lovely." I groaned.

Next, the T-Car, now half-submarine, manunuvered itself through a hole in the prison's walls. The building was slowly filling with water and the pressure had crushed a way in for us and our friends. Once we pulled up to the unflooded floors I saw Batman, Manhunter, and Wonder Woman escorting people out.

We all climbed out of the car and Batman called out, "Good, you're here. You know the plan. The mystics are to help contain the prison break. Zatanna and Justice League Dark have already taken care of the lesser calamities and Aqua Man's forces are coming as well. Don't worry about the Green that's just Swamp Thing."

"Anything else we should know?" I asked professionally.

"Kevin," he addressed, "remember what I said; but that demons are an exception."

With a smirk I popped my shoulder out with a roll and answered, "Understood."

The three of us started running. Already the halls were dilapidating, littered with blood, bodies and gore. It was like a scene from Doom 2016 or something. Beast Boy chimed on the COMM,

"Mic check for Team Raven."

We all replied, "Loud and clear."

"So… I'm curious. Why is Swamp Thing here? Isn't he like King of the Plants?"

I was curious as well when Raven sighed and replied, "Do you know how much algea, seaweed and other plant life is in the ocean? Even if you and him went to outer space he'd probably use the tofu you ate yesterday, revive it and turn you inside out."

Dang, I don't want to fight that guy if I ate a salad.

"He eats tofu?" I asked.

"He's vegetarian." Troia answered.

Oh.

"No blood sausage then."

Coursing our way through flooded and body filled halls we eventually got to an elevator. The two looked at each other and then me. Seeming to be speaking with only their faces, either in that way friends do or telepathy, for a second before Raven blurted, "You carry him."

"No you."

I walked up and pressed the elevator button and the doors opened. Both of them looking like idiots I said,

"We don't need to fly up."

I stepped in, pressed the button we needed and held the doors for them. Donna thanked me and Raven just walked in. With an offended but not-offended huff I let the doors close and we went up listening to *lovely* elevator music. Bored, I checked my nails as Raven put her hand to her COMM.

"Team Raven to all teams, mic check."

No answer.

"Well," Donna sighed, "looks like I jinxed it. Radio's on the fritz."

Water then dropped onto my head. Swiping at it, I swore, "Bro I swear if this thing doesn't work."

"Don't jinx-"

As if on cue the elevator shuddered and tossed me into Raven. Normally 100% grinding a goth chick would be awesome but it was short lived, I didn't have her consent, and we next saw ourselves pasted to the ceiling as the elevator was falling. Now she was on top of me as I screamed curses like a sailor.

With a groan the elevator abruptly stopped and then I was on top of Raven.

"Sorry," I moaned, "crap. You okay?"

"Yeah," Raven huffed, trying to catch her breath.

My vision began to blur and I had a splitting headache. Regardless I turned to Donna who was red in the face with effort in holding the elevator up.

"Take the bloody elevator he said. Don't jinx it, I said. Bloody gods!"

"We need to hurry or we'll be swimming in a moment." I slurred before hitting my head on the door.

"Hold on! Someone's bleeding!" Raven exclaimed.

"Kevin cracked his head," Donna grunted, "I heard it."

"I don't got time to bleed." I attempted to say but it came out slurred.

"Let me heal you-"

"No time!" I yelled before having my auras worm my hands in between the metal elevator doors. With a grunt I pulled them partly open, just enough to put myself in between the door. Now I pushed with my legs, a water wall flowing down onto me and slowly picking up force. God, how many pounds of ocean is Troia holding up right now?

"Climb over!"

With no time to argue, Raven climbed over me with a weary look. No doubt worrying about whether or not I could hold this elevator open. Once clear she exclaimed, yelling over the metallic groans and rushing water, "I'm going to get the doors Kevin! Once clear you need to get Troia!"

My voice already returning thanks to my healing factor, I yelled out a pained, "Got it!"

"Hurry!" Donna groaned.

Dark auras worked up under me, knowing what it was I slowly let the doors go. However the elevator shuddered again and I was tossed onto the floor. Looking up at Donna I saw dark auras holding that as well.

"Raven!" Donna protested, "I got it!"

Raven started coughing but the auras held.

"Crap!" Donna cursed, "By Zeus! Kevin! Hurry up and help her!"

I crawled through the now narrow opening and focused reckless amounts of energy into the auras on my hands. Deadlifting the best I could, my vision turned red for a moment and I could hear the voices. My sisters. My mother. But I knew it wasn't them. I was using even more juice than I did with that spat with Osiris. No, I can't do this.

I can't lose myself.

My vision returned when Donna pulled me onto the wet floor. We were both huffing and Donna laughed. After flipping wet hair out of her face she commented, "You kinda locked your knees for a second."

"You also pulled the elevator up two more feet." Raven added, "Do you have any idea how many tons that could have been?"

"Don't expect that all the time." I huffed.

"That was awesome," Donna laughed, "Cyborg would have turned into a toaster if he tried that."

I took her hand off my chest platonically and almost begged, "Don't let me push myself like that again."

I stood and popped my neck, adding, "Alright, we're close. Let's check the stairs."

Following the mystic signatures we eventually saw signs for the Battery chamber. Just before we got there Raven coughed. Not like a coronavirus like 229E or OC43 cough (common cold) but like coughing-up-blood cough. She tried to hide it with her foot but I caught it, saying,

"Is coughing blood normal Raven?"

"It's nothing-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa what?!" Donna exclaimed, "You told me you were good! I even vouched to Robin and Batman for you!"

"I am! Let's just go!"

She brushed past us and I sighed. Donna and I looked at each other for a moment before she shook her head and followed Raven. I walked over, elongated my thumb nail and dipped it in the blood before following my team. Once I caught up, Donna and I flanked Raven as she pushed open a set of double doors and I prepared to trade words with my "old friend" Zatanna.

Only, that didn't happen.

No, her, a monkey (Detective Chimp), and Swamp Thing were all sprawled out on the ground. A man in a tailored suit was sitting in Swamp Thing's husk of a head like a throne as he plucked the petals off a flower as one would do the "they love me-they love me not" ritual. However, the sheer power he was giving off was nothing I've ever experienced.

"Ah hello! I was just growing bored!" He took a flower off of Swamp Thing's body and placed it on his lapel.

"Everything is falling apart around you and you're still here?" Donna asked.

"Donna," I warned, "don't hold back. He's not human."

He didn't hear me and replied,

"Carpe diem (Latin), my dear stranger! Seize the day! Seize the present! Worry not for the future! You may call me Grendel and your futures shall be short."

His hand traveled into his coat and Donna screamed, "Look out!"

Leaping in front of me, Donna summoned a shield and sword out of thin air. Knives meant for me landed and stuck in her shield instead. Raven exclaimed, "He's fast!"

"How fast?!" As if on cue a foot from a roundhouse to the back of my head hit my ear and sent me tumbling over.

My ear was ringing as I saw this Grendel guy fork Donna's sword in between the forked blades on his staff he used. At the same time, he dodged two bullet-like blasts from Raven and somehow maneuvered himself in such a way that he leapt off of Donna's shield to the shadows above. Ah crap, we were going to need backup.

I put my fingers to my ear calling, "Team Raven to-"

Then there was a flick and pain was burning on my ear and hand. I looked at my hand and was missing a few tips of my fingers, blood squirting out of the stumps as they started to regrow. The ringing in my ear stopped… but that was because a knife removed my COMM and ear with it. My head flicked to where the knife had come from and disbelief washed over me. That was approximately 100ft away! (30.5 meters)

"I can't see him!" Donna yelled out as daggers hit her and Raven's shields.

"I got it!" I got up, focused my auras around me and roared. Hellfire coming off of my unearthly constructs illuminated the room and I saw him perched in the lofters above. Troia and Raven instantly flew up at him and I leapt up after them; my power flowing through my body and empowering me. However, I couldn't completely make it, having to pull myself up.

My eyes on the battle before me, I flinched from the sudden heat wave that followed. The only person on my team who has loosely fire-based powers was me. Grendel's attacks had hellfire boosts as well. I watched in horror as he maneuvered around Troia's lasso and Raven's hail of attacks in a blur of flips and deflections with his forked spear. I even saw him catch the silver lasso (Lasso of Persuasion) so it wouldn't touch him by using the fork in his naginata-or-war scythe-like blades without getting tangled.

"Box him in Raven!" I cried.

"He's too powerful and you know it!"

"Your power dwarfs his!"

"So does yours but we wouldn't be ourselves after it!"

I cussed, hating that she was right and tried to leap to a closer lofter. Blades hit me in the chest in mid-air but didn't do much other than almost make me miss my footing. It was more psychological than anything, he threw knives at me while taking on two Titans at once. How powerful is this dude?!

"Enough!" He exclaimed.

Next he redirected Troia's lasso in a way that pulled her towards him before back-kicking her in the throat and rolling forward towards Raven. My eyes were on Troia as she tipped over.

<Catch her! She's having a TIA! A mini-stroke!> Raven screamed in my head.

Cussing I leapt in and was forced to use my hell-energy constructs to break our fall. That didn't mean that we landed softly. I still hit the ground hard enough to knock my slightly enlarged shoulder back into socket, disabling my powers for a second. Other than that I was fine.

Until there was a crash and a pop behind me. My head on a swivel I grew cold at seeing Raven where the crunch had come from. Oh no, I ran to her screaming,

"Raven!"

Midway between the two, Grendel landed to my right and clicked his tongue.

"What to do, what to do…"

I was in a no win situation. If I went to Raven, he could go kill Troia. If I went to Troia, he could kill Raven. If I went to either, he could stab me in the back.

"Just leave!" I placated, "You've won!"

There was a metallic groan as more of the underwater prison started to collapse. Water started dripping down on Raven. Grendel looked at his surroundings in thought. He thought aloud,

"Ah, so that's where everyone went. I was hoping to kill the Warden before escaping."

As an afterthought he thrust his weapon at me and pierced my heart. Watching his form, I realized his style. Laughing on my blood, I gripped the weapon in a death grip.

"That's it," I coughed on my blood, "fencing."

He flicked a button on and electrical energy coursed through me. Through sheer will I stayed conscious, and laughed at him. In combat sports, even Olympic sports, there is only one thing faster than the fencer's weapon-the marksman's bullet. Turns out Grendel was innately fast enough to dodge bullets from being so good at fencing.

"Helene Mayer was faster than you." (1928 German-Jew Gold Medalist who fled Nazi Germany after competing in 1928 and 1936.)

The insult landed home (he must know his history) but he didn't see my elongated thumbnail touch his weapon. He stepped forward to slap me but I summoned a copy of his weapon in my other hand. Fast as he was, he dodged and cartwheeled back; observing me in a new light.

"Fascinating."

I ripped out the blade protruding from my chest and put my hands up in a stance me and the Creature Commandos learned at Camp-X. Limping, losing blood fast, but regenerating fast enough I fanned my fingers towards me in both hands; the "come on, bring it on" gesture. Seeing that I wasn't using my copied weapon he reached down and picked it up but placed it down behind him. Facing me, he entered a stance as well and I laughed. Like, die hard he was a joke now laugh.

Fencing was the only combative art he learned.

"You might wanna pick that back up."

"I'm confident that you won't hit me."

"I'm confident that you have not learned Defendu or Combato. Defendu can be "mastered" in mere days."

"That would be too easy."

"It was a compressed style during wartime but we digress don't we?"

I lunged forward for a palm to his temple and he ducked his head back. He would have dodged me if my dislocating shoulder didn't pop out and give me more reach. Imbued with power my hand clobbered into him and dazed him. Hellfire fueled attacks followed my training in the now forbidden Canadian art of Combato as an agent at Camp-X took over. One handed neck and spine manipulation, open handed strikes, and the full intent to kill flowed out of me. Groin strike, eye gouge, discombobulation, and I then went for a neck crank as he doubled over.

He regained himself and activated his abilities. When I went to twist his neck he twirled with it, breaking free and punching me. I was in disbelief. Well… to be more specific he punched THROUGH me that's what made me despair. Mumbling a curse he ripped his hand back out and kicked me in the face and sent me onto my back.

"I humored you long enough." He hissed before a dagger flew into my eye socket.

I screamed in pain, what little vision I had left turning red. Blood ebbed out of my body too fast. Why wouldn't he just leave?!

Raven started coughing and I tried to prop myself up. He walked over to her and I tried to scream but my throat came out hoarse, "Leave her alone Grendel!"

"A fierce evil demon suffered distress, long in torment, who dwelt in darkness." He quoted, "For day after day, he heard rejoicing loud in the hall: there was music of the harp, and the clear song of the scop, who sang of creation, the beginnings of men far back in time."

This dick was quoting the introduction of Grendel from the epic of Beowulf!

"The wicked creature, grim and greedy, was at the ready, savage and cruel, and seized in their rest," he absently turned, counting, "six of their Thanes."

He poised like Zeus with a thunderbolt over Raven, about to strike her down—impale her—like a fish.

It was at this moment…

I snapped.

My sisters who were not, helped me up. No physical hand or foot touched the ground. My mother who was not, gave me power. In a blur I lunged forth my hands pulling at his arms.

I couldn't hear him screaming, just my sisters and mother laughing. It wasn't sinister, but a peaceful laughing. I pulled harder, missing that laugh. They splashed water on my face at the river. I was a boy again. The trees and the grass was under me. The wind was pleasant and I wasn't in pain anymore.

I guess I should go help my father and brothers in the fields as they threshed. The leaves on the trees suggested it was harvesting time. As I turned in the vision however Raven was there. Taller than I and seeing her made me realize that this was a vision and nothing more. However, we didn't want to leave.

"Let yourself lose."

"If we lose you could die. We don't want that."

"You don't think I know what it's like to suffer the shame of defeat knowing that I could win? You can win today but at what cost tomorrow?"

"We won't do what we did in Dresden!" The kid me said, holding out a pinkie finger, "Promise!"

My mother splashed water on my face, "C'mon! Let's play baptism Kevin! Just stay in the river with us forever!"

I laughed, "Hang on! Let me say goodbye to my friend!"

When I turned back to Raven she cupped my face and said, "You wounded him Kevin. Give up."

My vision faltered and I was back at the prison for only a second and I said, "We don't like to lose. We especially don't like losing people we care about, are decent people or deserve better."

"That's good Kevin but let his arms go."

Again my vision faltered and this time my mother and I spoke in unison, "We don't want to let evil go unconsumed."

"We? Kevin?"

A loud heartbeat started pounding in my head. Something bigger than myself, the 'heart' my brothers and I were looking for. I could hear it now.

"We are the residue evil of over a hundred galaxies."

"You were corrupted Kevin!"

I heard it with my own ears that time, my vision finally coming back. The heartbeat started to fade away in my head. Fire was to my left and right, no they were wings. Wings with faces of flames, all burning, and all consumed by the heart. Spitefully I pulled harder on Grendel's arms, Raven called out to me in worry, but I just wanted to say one more thing,

"The dreaded demon suffered terrible torture, as his shoulder tore open, a great wound gaping as sinews sprang apart, and the bone-locks burst. To Beowulf then was glory given in battle." I further quoted, coughing up blood, "My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek out gold and SIT ON IT."

After delivering my artful, 'leave my friends alone' I let my powers subside and stumbled upon myself until I just couldn't stand anymore. Grendel stood, seething in rage and rammed his arm into the husk of Swamp Thing's body, relocating his arm. He picked up his spear, saying things I couldn't hear. Stomping towards me, his intent was clear but I noticed something.

The flower on his lapel.

It was moving.

It even sprang to life before a crash erupted into the room, water started to flow and a green mass landed almost protectively over me. That was the last thing I saw before losing consciousness.