Vol III | Chapter XVI

Author's Announcement

Alright. I love writing and that's a fact, though I'd like to restart or continue the other stories that I have seriously left postponed for too long. Great examples:

DARK SOUL: ALTERNATE

Return Of The True Sith

Resident Evil: Untold

.Scream

Dark Souls III; Love Under The Moon

LEGION OF ROME IN MIDDLE EARTH | TOTAL WAR

Now among these, I'd like to know what you would all like for me to continue WHILE updating this story as well. Oh, and these are merely another 'fanfic' genre. If you'd like to check out original novels (made by me), here is the list:

The King's Guard.

Around Us Inside

(and a whole lot more which I'm still embarrassed to share)

But anyways, think about it and leave a comment! And finally, enjoy the chapter!

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"Okay… that should be enough… right?"

Anatole watched anxiously as much as he worriedly said. But Cassiopeia responded firmly as he tied the bandage tightly – though never squeezing the wound. "She can get through this. Just like always, Anatole – okay?"

The larger man reassured Anatole who believed in the man's words.

"Hate to break the moment but we should get moving." Wally interrupted as he looked to the skies and an upcoming storm seemed to be approaching them. "Alright… We shall move slowly…" Anatole agrees and replied before he knelt to carefully pick up Bebeck, and while Cassiopeia have already been tasked to carrying two soldiers;

Now he still didn't mind when he carried four of the soldiers at once. Two were tucked underneath his large arms and the other two on either of the man's broad shoulders. With a nod from Anatole and the large man Cassiopeia, Wally began their speedrun through the massive lands of the Soviet Union to the Finnish Border.

Meanwhile, the grenadiers that Watchmaster 057299-3287 has held back on their infiltration, hijacked a patrol vehicle and returned to report back to the Kommisar what they had gathered. Most notably them – faster than any vehicle they'd know.

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Back in Gotham City…

The thug lashed out as he launched towards the bitch that had her hound messed him up beyond repair – his face swollen and stained with his own blood and mucus – she would have to pay!

With a knife held in both hands and a thirst for vengeance – a crime of passion – with eyes wide with so much anger and hate he would make sure that woman get exactly what was coming. Then with a scream of swirling emotion he aimed the knife at the wench.

He'd had killed her, or at least injured her enough to an extent but he didn't. No, instead his reward for justice was taken from him by none other than the crazed psychopath that had been beating him with not even a hint of restraints. Yes, they meant to kill him!

In newfound rage and violence and…

Chaos. He screamed as he aimed at the guardsman and he'd swore to kill and dismember him limb by limb. He would harvest the organs within those rib cages and break them open. He would shower in the pool of blood that belonged to the guardsman. He will…

Though those were simple fantasies as he thought he'd actually stabbed and slashed the guardsman's lower abdomen wide open – wishing to see guts fall out – but there wasn't. Had he been mistaken and had he hallucinated all those, he wondered.

The guardsman should be on the floor right now bleeding to death as guts and blood escaped him. But, instead an elbow to the mouth shattered whatever teeth he had as he was forced to choke and swallow it as the guardsman climbed over on top of him and began smashing in his face.

Was he going to die?

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"Hylric stop it! Hylric!"

Dick ordered and yelled though maybe it was the sound of crushing bones that overwhelmed his voice. Perhaps that was the reason Hylric wasn't responding to him since he couldn't be heard. Perhaps. But that could not be the case, no he won't allow it, lest he allowed the man to be pummeled to death.

As he stood behind Hylric he grabbed hold of Hylric's arm as the guardsman prepared to send another punch to the poor man's fractured and battered enough face. "I said… enough…"

His hold on Hylric's arm was firm and secured in case the soldier had any funny ideas, as well as to let it be known that he was using his authority over him. With the silence that have engulfed them, there was only the sound of a low and whizzing noise coming from the man as he hung on to life by a thread.

Eyes behind both masks stared at each other, both having similar beliefs yet ultimately different. Such as Nightwing's duty to uphold the streets of Gotham, and Hylric's duty as a guardsman to defend the world upon thousands of worlds of the Imperium from evils that timely wait for the Imperium's demise. Both are similarly the same, though by scale is largely different.

Hylric was a soldier, born to be a soldier and meant to die a soldier. He will live life as a soldier through and through. Nothing else in between than sole servitude to the Imperium and the Emperor.

As the silence continued it could almost beckon that the scene they caught themselves in was held in great suspense until something finally peaks, and as if it was, the vigilante hero of Gotham arrived with a grand opening.

Over the glass pane and as he rolled over the floor Batman did it all so fluidly and smoothly as he stood back up and began with hurried steps towards none other than Masha. "Had you known all along?"

Batman growled as he stood directly close to the Watchmaster who merely stared back at the man as he questioned her. With Nightwing's hand still on the Grenadier's arm, both parties were showing increasing levels of tension. "Had you known all along?" he repeated and based on the tone Masha was sure there was something the man hadn't taken accounted for, but what was it?

Masha couldn't be mistaken, and neither did Hylric as both served enough and fought with other regiments; that it was easy to notice when a guardsman is growing anxious – obviously guardsmen that weren't part of the Death Korps as well as weren't prepared to face horrors and deaths. Just like him – Batman.

Though, the man was anxious – no, more so as unsuspecting than anxious – Batman wasn't afraid at all. No, instead it seemed he was simply trying to take account of the situation and preparing for it. Perhaps a countermeasure. Most likely, Masha assumed, but she'd like to know what and so she participated.

"Known what?"

Her response was curt, and Batman only became increasingly untrusting of just how much she knows and was hiding. With eyes staring daggers at her, Masha only returned the stares before Batman relayed the news.

"Guardsmen."

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