DC:The Darkest Knight

"Throw a fireball or something!" I shouted as I sprinted through the forest with Zatanna on my back, trying to escape the werewolf pack chasing us.

Of course, they weren't real werewolves. We were just playing the VR game I created, which I plan to launch once I take back control of my company.

As I run through the forest, dodging the trees and making sure that I don't trip over anything, I sense movement behind me. I leaped to avoid a werewolf that lunged at me. With all my strength, I kicked its head, knocking it out and giving myself a speed boost.

"I can't! They keep dodging everything I throw!" Zatanna said from my back, her voice filled with frustration as she rested her chin on top of my head. She was a bit frustrated because, even though she could use magic, she couldn't use 'her' magic in this game.

"Goddammit, girl! You aren't even trying. At least try to find us a way out," I snap at her, ducking to dodge one of the werewolves that shot towards us from atop a tree.

"I thought you were the one with the brains. Can't you think of a plan like you usually do?"

"Not in here. You were the one who put all of their stat points into intelligence and magic, while I focused all of my stats on agility and strength. And how do you expect me to come up with a plan when I have nothing in hand and am running for my life from three-meter creatures with teeth that could chew me like gum and claws that could cut me like butter."

"Don't be such a drama queen, Bruce. Nothing's gonna happen. Let me check the map; maybe we can find a secret pathway or something," she said, and a digital map appeared in front of us.

It showed our names in the center of a forest on a mountain.

I glanced at the map for a moment before memorizing it.

"Z, do you still have that Pegasus feather?"

"Maybe, I don't know. I have to check."

"You see the cliff ahead of us? We're gonna jump from there while using the feather to escape."

"Alright, let me check my backpack," Zatanna said, and suddenly something hit my head, making me stumble.

*Click*

Before I could ask her what it was, I heard a clicking sound and felt a breeze on my backside.

"Z, what was that?"

Zatanna didn't answer immediately, but I felt her weight shift slightly backward before she settled back.

"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"Give me the bad news."

"The bad news is a werewolf just tried to eat your ass, but the good news is it only tore your pants. So your ass is still intact, mostly."

"What do you mean, mostly?"

"Well, it looks like the werewolf's teeth grazed your ass a little, but don't worry; nothing a little healing potion won't fix."

"Is it bleeding?"

"Not really... maybe just a little."

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck! Z, give me the stamina potion fast!" I shouted, pushing myself to run as hard as I could.

"Why are you panicking so much? Is it bad? Is the bite poisonous?" Zatanna asked, her voice filled with worry as she rummaged through her backpack for the potion.

"Werewolves have a skill called Fresh Hunt that boosts their stats by 10% as long as they can smell fresh blood, and I'm currently providing it for them."

"Oh, that explains why their eyes are turning red," Zatanna said, handing me the stamina potion, but I didn't drink it.

"Let's just die, Z, it's pointless at this point," I replied, my voice flat and lifeless. I had completely lost hope.

"What? Why? Oh no, please don't say it's another buff thingy."

"Yeah, they're about to go into berserk mode, which gives them a 30% boost to all stats. With the initial 10% from the pack bonus and the extra 10% from the blood hunt, they have a total of a 50% increase to all stats. Plus they were already high-level mobs for us; they are about to tear us a new one."

"Don't give up, Bruce. We're almost at the cliff," Zatanna encouraged, showing me the map that indicated our proximity to the cliff.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, I quickly chugged the stamina potion and activated my own berserk skill, which doubled my stats and made me immortal for 3 minutes at level one, while the werewolves continued to chase us as if they didn't want to kill us anymore but needed to kill us.

"Are you ready, Z?" I asked as the cliff came into view.

"Hahahaha, as ready as I can be, Bruce. Jump!" Zatanna laughed, grabbing my hair with one hand and holding a glowing white feather with the other.

"YOLO!" I shouted as I leaped off the cliff, and we began to fall with incredible speed, with werewolves leaping after us.

Zatanna quickly activated the Feather of Pegasus, and we began to float while the werewolves fell right beside us, with their eyes glowing red and drool flying everywhere as they tried to bite us.

"Alright, Z, we have just ten minutes. Use your wind magic to get us to a safe spot," I said, glancing sadly at the werewolves that had fallen. I really wanted to grab their loot, but they had plunged into the river below the cliff. If we went down to retrieve it, we'd likely spend days searching for their bodies.

Using her wind magic, Zatanna guided us to a safe place, and while we were still in the air, my berserk ended, and a debuff applied to me, which decreased all of my stats by 100% and left me completely exhausted, making me basically paralyzed for a period of time depending on the damage I had taken. Since I didn't take any damage this time, it was going to be a 10-minute debuff.

Which Zatanna didn't know since she deactivated the feather while we were still a few meters above the ground.

I fell to the ground face-first like a sack of potatoes, with Zatanna landing on top of me.

"Oh God, Bruce, are you okay?" Zatanna asked, her voice filled with concern as she flipped me over to check on me.

"Yeah, I'm good, but I'd feel better if you got off me."

"Wait, are you calling me fat?"

"Z, you are not fat, but you're not exactly light either. I've been carrying you on my back for almost half an hour while running from werewolves at full speed. And I don't exactly have my own body in here, at most peak human, so forgive me for wanting to take a break."

"Jeez, Bruce, I get it. There was no need for all of that. You could just say, 'No, beautiful, gorgeous, and cutest Z, you are not fat." Zatanna said with a pout and hit my chest, looking a bit offended as she stood up.

And I felt like a weight lifted off me, literally.

"*Sigh*, I don't know if you are really smart or just a god at this point, Bruce," Zatanna said as she climbed onto a larger rock, watching the scenery.

"I mean, look at the world you've built. It's a living, breathing world. I can feel the sun's warmth on my skin and smell the fresh forest air. I see leaves drifting down from the trees, and when I step, I sense the ground vibrating beneath my feet. The creatures here aren't just part of the scenery; they have their own lives and stories. Sometimes, when I chat with an NPC, I forget it's just a program. It feels like I'm talking to a person... Sometimes, I just want to enter this world and take in the beautiful sights, watch the snowing mountains, walk in the forest while raining, and breathe in the soil smell after rain. It has a strange calming effect; I just want to get away from everything—all of those trainings, responsibilities, and expectations—and relax here. Don't you think so too?" Zatanna asked me as she turned towards me, tucking her hair behind her ear. The sun shone over her, adding a strange divine feeling to her beauty, and her soft hair beautifully danced in the breeze. She resembled a beautiful painting, solely created to express beauty.

"It is you who makes this world special," I throw a random compliment with a smile. Since I didn't actually listen to anything she said, I stopped listening after she said built because I felt the yap coming from miles away.

Zatanna blushed at my compliment and lowered her head with a shy smile on her face.

"Stop it; I'm being serious here," she said shyly as she playfully threw a pebble at me that hit my forehead.

and I felt a little warmth where the stone landed.

"Hey Z, come here."

"Do you need something?" she asked, tilting her head and resting her finger on her chin.

"Stop being adorable and come over."

She hopped down from the rock and rushed to my side, squeaking as she got closer.

"Oh no, Bruce, you're bleeding! What happened?" She asked, her voice filled with concern as she examined my forehead.

"I must have cut it when I fell. It's nothing, just lay on me."

"Hold on, let me put a bandage on it first," Zatanna said, rummaging through her backpack until she found a bandage, then proceeded to bandage the cut along with my entire head, leaving only my eyes, nostrils, and mouth exposed.

"*Phew*," Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm, Zatanna let out a tired breath.

"Now you'll be good as new once you heal," she giggled cutely and lay down on top of me.

"I think it's time to log out, Z. We've been playing for hours now."

"*Sigh* Yeah, Dad's probably already mad," Zatanna said with a sad sigh.

"Don't worry, we can always play again next time," I reassured her, trying to pat her back, but my debuff was still active.

"Yeah, see you later, Bruce," Zatanna said with a smile, giving me a quick kiss before logging out, and I did the same.

***

I leaned back slightly to avoid Selina's claw-like gauntlets as she lost her balance and stumbled forward. I quickly positioned my feet in front of her to tackle her, and I succeeded. But just before she fell, she placed her hands on the ground and flipped, landing safely on the ground.

Taking advantage of the fact that her back was turned towards me, I kicked her side. She grabbed my leg and tried to pull me closer. As she turned to hit my chest with her shoulder, I jumped and kicked her with my other foot, but she dodged it. In doing so, she released my leg. I landed on my feet, did a backflip, got behind her, and wrapped my arms around her neck in a chokehold.

I didn't squeeze too tightly to avoid choking her immediately.

She struggled to break free by pulling my hand from her neck. When she saw it wasn't working, she used her flexibility to bend and kick at my head.

I let go of her neck and raised my arm as she kicked my forearms and rolled away. I shook my sore arm as pain shot through it. Standing up, I noticed Selina crouching low, eyeing me warily. Making a classic Catwoman pose, she looked like the spitting image of her comic version, with the exception that she was wearing her newly made suit.

[IMAGE]

I lowered my body as my muscles tensed, ready to charge at her.

*Hiiiiiiis*

But she got on all fours, arched her back, and hissed at me before leaping toward me, her claws aimed at my chest.

Instead of dodging, I relaxed my mind and body completely. Just as her claws were about to hit me, I grabbed her hands and pulled them aside, leaving her head wide open. I then kneed her in the face, sending her backward. While she was still in the air, I grabbed her ankles and slammed her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

She lay still on the floor, but I knew she wasn't out cold, and I knew she wasn't hurt; not with her enhanced body, despite getting a direct hit to her face, her nose wasn't even bleeding.

Even knowing that she was baiting me, I still approached her; bending down, I checked her condition. As soon as my hand touched her face, her eyes snapped open. She grabbed my arm and flipped me over, locking my arm with her legs in an armbar.

"Give up, Bruce. It's my win," she said with a smug smirk, tightening her hold on my arm.

"If you're not fighting dirty, then you're not fighting at all. Good job, Selina. You listened." I pressed the pressure points on her legs, making them go numb. She reacted quickly and let go of my wrist, but this time I grasped her by the collar as I lifted her up and threw her.

She tried to flip in mid-air to land on her feet, but with her legs numb, she failed miserably and crashed hard to the ground.

"You did well, Selina. The only thing you lack is experience," I said as I knelt down and released the pressure points on her legs.

"Thanks, Bruce, for everything," Selina said, wrapping her arms around me.

"You're welcome," I said, patting her back and trying to pull away, but she clung to me tighter.

She was getting more and more clingy lately.

"Bruce, I'm really sorry. I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm truly sorry. Please don't leave me. I'll do anything you want. Please... don't hate me," she pleaded, her voice trembling as she shivered.

"Selina," I said softly as she looked up at me, tears streaming down her cheeks.

With a sigh, I wiped her tears away with my thumb.

"I don't hate you. If I did, you wouldn't be here. It's just that I had to focus on things that will help me in the future. You saw it yourself—this cave, my suit, the serum that gave you powers. These things take time—the time you want from me, but I'm almost done. I promise we will spend more time together from now on." I gently patted her head, and she nodded with tears in her eyes and a joyful smile.

Not gonna lie, it's getting kinda annoying to constantly comfort her because she thinks I don't like her. I wanted to use her as my personal thief, not be used by her as a damn psychologist.

"Okay, get up. We need to talk." Getting up, I offer her my hand. Taking my hand, she got up as well, and then I led her to a corner of the cave, more specifically the place where she stored her stolen goods.

"Why?" I asked, pointing at the diamonds, luxury watches, and gold bars. "You know you don't need to steal anymore, right?"

At first, she looked guilty and avoided my gaze.

Seeing that I was not budging, she put her hands on her head and said, "Tehe, I'm just a girl," while sticking out her tongue.

"-_-"

"I know I don't have to steal anymore, Bruce, but it's just that it has become some sort of habit. I used to steal to survive, and now that I don't need to, I still crave it. It feels like an addiction, maybe an obsession. I don't know. I just can't stop myself after seeing those shiny and expensive things. I just want them," Selina said as she grabbed handfuls of diamonds and looked at them as if they were the most precious things that ever existed.

"Stealing them has become something like an instinct for me, and it got worse after my transformation. If anything, there is your fault in it too, you made me like this," she said, gaslighting me back.

Using my tactics against me, I must admit, it was an outstanding move.

"Selina," I said her name flatly.

"Yes?" She tilted her head with an innocent smile on her face, trying to look cute.

"Get the fuck out."

I decided to overlook her 'habits.' After all, she wouldn't be Catwoman if she weren't a thief.

***

"Uncle, I called you here to ask for a favor," I said to Philip Kane, my uncle and current CEO of Wayne Enterprises, as we sat inside Thomas' study.

"If it's in my power, of course, Bruce."

"I need you to arrange a meeting with all the board members at Wayne Enterprises."

"Why do you need that?"

"It's time; I'm taking Wayne Enterprises back."

"Are you sure, Bruce? You are still young. You can and should enjoy your youth before jumping into the corporate world because once you do, it will eat you from the inside out and take all of your joy. I don't want that for you, Bruce. I don't want you to turn into those cold, heartless monsters just yet," he said, giving my shoulder a gentle pat.

"I appreciate your concern, Uncle, but you don't have to worry about me. I understand the dangers of the business world, and I'm prepared for it, so don't fight me on it."

It's not like I was going to be running the company; Eden will handle all of that.

"You're just as headstrong as your mother," Philip said with a sigh as he got up. "Wayne Enterprises is your legacy. I'll let you know when the meeting is set."

"Would you like some tea, Mr. Kane?" Alfred asked, but Philip declined, saying he had other business to attend to before leaving.