I decided not to go home. As the clock ticked past one o'clock, my beloved was definitely at the sorceress's, so I had to go there, too. I just have to make a stop first. I turned on the radio, tuning it to the local news, and turned confidently toward the bridge that connected Gotham to the mainland.
During the trip, I listened to current information in an attempt to understand where public opinion was headed regarding the incident with the First, but to my great surprise, I realized that it wasn't headed anywhere... The town was living its usual life, and the two high-profile events of yesterday seemed to be of little interest today. It was as if all the residents had decided to cosplay Peter Griffin with his catchphrase: "Oh, my God. Nobody gives a shit."
Honestly, I'm amazed at the twists and turns of this universe and the perception of the locals. It's like, so what if someone was killed on live TV yesterday and robbed a bank for the first time? Besides, the monetary organization was practically unharmed, because all the values were insured against such cases, and an ordinary murdered person in the eyes of most journos is a complete nonsense, worthy of mentioning only in a small obituary column.
The theme of the appearance of another Joker (the third one, if you count the original), of course, was a bit of a mess, but, unlike my case, connected with the return to the bosom of law-abiding citizens, the clown prince of the underworld, behaving like a crazy maniac, looked quite logical, perfectly fitting into the overall picture of the world. Of the new reported only that the girl accompanying the psycho, very similar to Harley, is actually Elizabeth Gaston, who disappeared a few days ago. Well, I guessed something like that after watching the broadcast from the bank.
About the attack on the beauty and pride of Gotham (we're talking about billionaire Bruce Wayne, if anything) there were literally a couple of phrases, which boiled down to the fact that everything is fine and the philanthropist is not badly hurt, because today he visited the mayoral candidate connected to the devices, whose condition is no longer a cause for concern. But not a word was said about the owl assassin who came back to life and escaped, as if someone is carefully filtering the information, and I even have a guess as to who it might be.
Any adequate person will wonder what can interrupt yesterday's serious news, because it is necessary to clog the airwaves with something, and the answer will be simple: the arrest of forty-three members of the "Quiet Gang", whom Batman had dealt with... No, he is definitely not human! I thought that the Grim Mouse just beat them up and left them lying in the tunnels, but to arrest them is really cool. Two-thirds of them will be released by tonight because they won't have anything on them, but some of them will be in Blackgate after the trial, which means they'll lose their influence, which means the ones who got out will have to sit on their asses in their lairs so that other gangs don't take over the territory.
Maybe today, following Bats's example, I should go out and fight, too. I'll test the potion at the same time, because for some reason I don't want to experiment on myself...
Busy thinking, I didn't notice how I got to the right place. It was a good thing that the car had four-wheel drive, otherwise I could have gotten stuck in a rut at the entrance, which was hidden by a decent puddle. There was still a picnic table in the clearing, and the trees growing around it made me feel dreary.
Having stroked the sleepy Sahark lying on the passenger seat, who had not fully recovered from the anesthesia, I got out of the transport, shivering from the penetrating November wind. Depressing. Damn, it's also slippery because of the recent rain. To avoid falling, I pull out my cane, which serves as an additional point of support, and walk to the edge of the woods. I hope the monster will come on its own and I won't have to call out to it.
It was already the tenth minute, and still no word from the local forest ranger. Eh, it was coming to that. I take in more air in my chest and...
"Swamp Thing!
No answer.
"Swamp Thing! Swamp Thing, damn you!
Shit, I feel like an idiot. I turn around and see the monster's belly button in front of me, the weapon slamming into it on reflex.
The world froze in a delicate equilibrium. Even without the funny memories, my brain was working at full speed, looking for a way out of a tricky situation.
There's only one adequate option: I put a shocker on the foe and tear my claws to the exit of the forest, where this monster-beast won't get me. Stop... There is a dog locked in the car!
Hell, I don't give a shit about mana consumption. I fire a fireball, and while the local Greenpeacean puts out the flames, I grab the animal in a pile and reel him in. Let's go.
Faith, will, imagination. Holding my breath, I weave the frame. Swampy stares at me with his red eyes. I'm halfway done. Swampy continues to stare. The frame is ready and begins to slowly fill with mana.
"You don't care that there's a cane sticking out of you, do you?
"Mrh..." he scratched his stomach near the wound. - What's all the fuss about? The forest likes silence.
"Ha-ha, I was making a fuss because someone didn't show up. I don't know, you should have at least left your contacts," I made a small effort, and the gadget left the monster's body with a soft slurp, and the round hole tightened, disappearing without a trace.
His body seemed to be made of some kind of thick, jelly-like slime. I wrinkled my nose and started cleaning the cane, pulling out a couple of tissues.
"Call me when you're near the forest. The forest can hear. Don't make any noise," the monster said, watching me calmly.
"Now I'll know. All right, why am I here? It's seven days till Grundy wakes up. Am I correct in assuming you know where he's lying?
"Yes. Over there," he raised his hand, pointing east. - Deep in the mire. It's bothering Les.
Okay, if it's deep and boggy, that's not good. Preemptive attack even with equipment will not be possible, so we are working on the option with an ambush.
"All right, that's taken care of. You do realize that for Grundy's final resting place, his body will have to be destroyed, which only napalm, uh, heavy fire will do?
Swampy froze, covering his eyes.
"No, Les wouldn't like that," he stopped after ten seconds, focusing his gaze on me.
"And how do you propose to deal with an immortal?
"Take me away from the forest and use heavy fire?" The conservationist asked, looking at me as if I were a moron. It was odd that he was able to do that, given his almost complete lack of facial expressions.
"And you can't argue..." I sank into thought, working through my options.
So, if Alastor is knocked out by the potion before the revenant awakens, then Grundy will lie quietly and peacefully in the depths, from where he can't be reached, and because of the binding to the body, he won't go beyond the edge and will awaken as soon as the potion is over. So it's simple. I set up an ambush with Harley at the exit of the forest on the straight line between the descendant of the killers and the lay of the undead monster. This choice is due to the fact that Grundy is unlikely to think of going straight to the bridge leading to the city. Further even simpler: as soon as the target is a little away from the swamp, I activate the gas cylinder, sending the man to dreamland, and while the zombie is frozen, going into hibernation mode, pour napalm on him. That's good.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I sighed, coming back to the real world and seeing Swampy's face in front of me, who had to sit down a little.
"You smell nice," the green-gray wonder said.
~Slap~
A palm collides with my face, executing a savory facepalm.
"No, I understand everything, but if a beautiful girl sniffing me I still somehow agree, but when it's done by a swamp monster, no offense - it's a statement of fact, I'm not satisfied with such a thing. Do you understand?
"Mrh," he snorted, straightening up, after which he covered his eyes.
Suddenly his body was covered with a strange ripple, and I hurriedly stepped aside, fearing I might be doused in swamp sludge.
The silhouette of the conservationist floated in waves, some of the moss and cassock falling to the ground, and the rest of it retracting somewhere inside his body. Instead of the unsightly marsh plants, large green leaves resembling ferns sprouted. The monster was rapidly losing size.
"What's wrong with this universe, and why do my adventures sometimes look like kringe porn?" I asked a rhetorical question with a heavy sigh, looking at the changed monster, though it was hard to call it a monster now.
The Swamp Thing had turned into a natural dryad. And no, it wasn't a copy of Ivy. The resulting two-meter-long creature couldn't exactly be attributed to the human race, since it was made entirely of plants, but now I could say with certainty that the Swamp Thing was female. Wide hips, narrow waist, mounds of breasts, thin neat facial features, vines sticking out of her head to form a lush hairstyle.
"Is that better?" Swampy asked in the same masculine voice, leaning over slightly to be on the same level as me.
"Fucking... No, it's fine though, leave it like that," I replied after thinking for a bit.
The dryad had an exotic appearance, and I was sure I'd be attracted to her, and then Harley would come along. I shuddered at the prospect.
The creature continued to stand practically at attention, staring at me with reddish eyes.
"Can you tell me what I smell like?" I asked, remembering Zee's similar reaction.
"You smell like the Heart of the Forest," his rough voice was a stark contrast to his handsome appearance. Should I ask him to change it? No, no, no, no, Jay, put those thoughts out of your head.
"Beautiful... And what does Heart of the Woods smell like?
"You can't explain it in words, you can only feel it," she replied, confusing me even more.
That's it, enough impressions for today, I decided to wrap up, but before that I found out exactly where Grundy lies. Well, how exactly, the error of plus or minus a kilometer, but even this information will allow to organize a normal ambush on the path of the immortal.
Sakharok was sleeping sweetly in the car, and the whole movement passed by him. Oh, he's lucky. Well, except for a broken paw and a missing owner...
I carefully closed the door, started the engine, and drove away from the clearing with a little slip. I glanced at the rearview mirror, which reflected the still figure of the conservationist standing in the shade of the trees.
"B-r-r, that's creepy," I shake my head, turn on the radio softly, and focus on the road.
***
The black wrought iron gates of Shadow Peak swung open welcomingly after the enchantress's call. Raindrops drummed cheerfully on the roof of the vehicle, and I watched in amazement as they shattered against the invisible shield film surrounding the runes drawn in the courtyard. Well, logically, it was salt, albeit charged with magic.
"You bought a dog!" As soon as I crossed the threshold of the mansion, a blond, cheerful electric dog appeared beside me, looking with interest at the dog, which I had to carry in my arms along with a bag of food bought on the way. - Why?
"This is Saharok, a dog of an acquaintance of mine who was kidnapped by owl ninjas.
"So pretty," Harley took the pet by the muzzle. - Who's a good boy? You are! Who's a good girl? Я!
My assistant clearly missed me, and as soon as I put my four-legged friend down on the floor, I was immediately subjected to a cuddle session.
"You two get laid," the sorceress said sternly as she watched the warm meeting from the side.
"Oh, can I? Uh, do you want to watch or participate?" The blonde stared suspiciously at the mistress of the mansion.
"That was sarcasm. Harley, I know perfectly well that you understand, so finish it. We still have a seal to draw," she turned around and headed back into the building.
"What's the seal?
"Scanning, because the final stage of potion synthesis doesn't require supervision, we've been doing it for most of today. I'm sick of it," my favorite said, still holding me in her arms.
The illusionist was rightly concerned that the dog might damage the lines of the seal. While we were working with Leroy's pet, Harley briefly reported on the morning's work. It should be said that the girl really did her best, having fulfilled almost all the items from the note left on the nightstand, although most of them were optional. My faithful assistant paid off Natalie's debt to the USO, re-flashed another miniature camera and two microphones for surveillance, modified the walkie-talkie to receive the police wave, and even began chemical analysis of Strange's medications, having immediately discovered one oddity.
Amnesiac, judging by some signs, was an organic substance, and purely theoretically it was not capable of causing short-term memory lapses. The girl had wondered all morning how that could be, until she remembered magic! Zatanna confirmed that the viscous translucent liquid that looked like saliva belonged to some magical creature that owned the school of the mind, but she couldn't say exactly who it belonged to. The liquid hypnosis was completely lost, and there was nothing to be found out except for the opiates it contained.
Eh, sad, of course, but at least we'll soon have a five-liter tank of gas that sends a man to a safe knockout.
***
I straightened up tiredly, getting up off the floor. I could see what Harley had meant about the drafting being a pain in the ass. The scanning seal was located in a dedicated room, thirty square meters in area. The entire floor should be covered with ligature symbols, clearly following the instructions, but the problem is that the seal was multidimensional, and the same procedure should still be subjected to the walls, three meters high, as well as the ceiling ... For a day's work we drew at best one tenth of the required amount, but I was pleased, because it turned out not only to memorize a lot of interesting combinations of runes, but also to listen to a fascinating lecture on the magic of illusion performed by a charming sorceress.
"Zee, what does Heart of the Forest smell like?" I asked in the late afternoon, as we moved smoothly into the living room, where we settled in with cups of tea and cake.
"Uh, I don't know. Magic, maybe?" The illusionist suggested, stroking Sugar lying next to her on the couch.
The dog had already fully recovered from the anesthesia, but he was in no hurry to misbehave; mostly he just lay there, sighing sadly, as if realizing that he was unlikely to see his master in the near future. Zatanna decided to let him out of the room when she saw him in such a state, and now the pet practically never leaves her side, always asking for affection.
"I visited Swamp Thing today to clarify some points about Solomon Grundy. She sniffed me as well as you did and said the smell was similar to Heart of the Forest.
-I didn't sniff you," the brunette's cheeks flushed. -Sometimes it's easier to absorb magic that way.
"Let's say. So what's the deal with the Heart of the Forest? I haven't seen that defined in the books yet.
"Hmm," she covered her eyes, thinking. - It was odd that Swampy had brought up such a comparison. The Heart of the Forest is a small breakdown from Nature's blueprint. Humans, even with a direct connection to this dimension, simply can't have such a coloring, only gods, and that's not a fact.
"Yeah, I thought that was weird, too. Well, I guess the seal will clear that up. We didn't spend all this time on it for nothing, did we?
"I've wanted to do something like this for a long time, but I couldn't get around to it because of all the concerts. - I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, but I've never gotten around to it because of all the concerts.
After tea, we went to the potions room, where the modified spirit communication potion was already ripening and had been converted to a gaseous state. Scanning the sorceress did not reveal any deviations from the set parameters, so now it's up to the tests, with which there were some difficulties. All the people present in the mansion were not fully human, and it was desirable to check the effectiveness of the tests on people, so that there would be no problems with Alastor. That's where my idea for a night out came in handy. After a little thought, the sorceress gave her permission and even quickly riveted a simple amulet, beginning to glow dimly near the owner of the blood dripped into a small notch in the center. In essence, it was a severely reduced search spell, which could not even be used to determine the direction, but it could be used to check whether a person was alive or dead from the point of view of aura, which was the main focus of the revenant.
"Thanks for your help, Zee," I thanked the girl before leaving.
"I didn't miss a beat," she smiled. - Harley, you're a pervert, but you're a great chemist. There are so many recipes that can be reworked now, and they're much more effective.
"Heh, ask around," the blonde looked a little embarrassed.
My gaze shifted to the seductive legs in stockings... Or rather to the dog sitting next to them.
"Are you sure you can keep an eye on Sugar? It's not like it's a magical construct.
"I'm sure.
"Well, look. We'll be sure to report back tomorrow.
"Don't take too many risks.
"No, I can't do that," Harley couldn't take it anymore, and, quickly closing the distance, raked the brunette into her arms.
What am I, the last one? I come over and hug both girls too. Hmm, and Zee didn't resist much now, more for show than anything else.
At home, Natalie welcomed us with the traditional news: the renovation of the main building was finished and the mansion was now completely at our disposal. Since we no longer needed to let the manager in and out every day, we would see her when the underground base was completed. After escorting the woman to the exit, our splendid duo immediately began to prepare for the night's foray, but our activity was interrupted by a sudden intercom call.
"And who was it that brought them there?" I grumbled, pulling up the camera feed. - Alfred?!
"That's right, Mr. Arkham. May I come in?
"Of course!" I press the gate open button and go to greet the night guest.
The elderly man looked a little worried, but despite this, he behaved with the dignity of a true gentleman, not refusing the offered tea.
"So, what happened?" I asked, staring intently at the butler sitting at the kitchen table across from me.
"Master Bruce is gone," Alfred replied with a heavy sigh, looking sadly at the pair of us.