Risk It All: Pair of Aces (ch. 8) (Patreon)

"I…" I flinched back, quickly throwing my hands up in surrender, marveling at who I saw in front of me. It was Batman. Batman. The Dark Knight in the flesh. I could barely believe it. As in, I could actually barely believe it. He was here, towering over me, the whites of his eyes narrowed into slits after I had just brutally taken down Black Mask for good. The ragged gasping he made certainly didn't help my case when I just about tripped over him.

Batman stepped forward, "You said he can't die from this?" Batman questioned, his voice gravelly, almost rough from disuse. I stepped out of his way, and I saw that Batman turned his attention to Black Mask, pressing a finger to his neck to take his pulse. He looked to me, his eyes narrowed, clearly expecting an answer.

It took me a second to gather myself. "He can't," I confirmed. How did I explain this? "It's… well, it's a technique. I put my Qi inside of him and it keeps him alive. For… forever? He's not immortal, at least I don't think so, but anything I do to him can't kill him." I explained, hoping that my theories and hopes would satisfy the Dark Knight.

Batman looked at me for a moment longer and I was really glad most of my face was covered. But… "The Triad is still in the warehouse, I-we need to make sure that they don't…" I trailed off as Batman stood.

"The Triad has been dealt with." Batman said. Oh. "You shattered his sternum, eight ribs, ruptured his lungs and heart, and shattered his spine at the T1 ligament. Outside of exotic methods, Black Mask will be confined to a hospital bed unable to move anything but his eyes, hooked up into an artificial heart and lungs." There wasn't an accusation in his tone. No hint on what he thought of that. I couldn't tell if he approved, disapproved, or simply didn't care.

Though, his listing out the injuries made it feel a lot more real. I just ruined the rest of Black Mask's life. There were worse fates than dying and I'm pretty sure I just inflicted one of them on him.

"I… can live with that," I told him, uncertain if the words were a lie or not.

"You think this is justice?" Batman questioned, stepping forward. This time I didn't flinch back.

"No," I answered. After hearing all of that, I wasn't sure the law would be on my side even if Gotham wasn't so corrupt. "But… he can't hurt anyone ever again. He can't kill anyone. And with him like that, no one's going to listen to him if he gives the order. I don't know if it was the right thing to do and I don't really care if it was or not. I just know he can't hurt anyone anymore." That was probably the wrong thing to say to a hero.

I'm so going to jail.

I reached into my hoodie pocket and pulled out the control device before presenting it to Batman. "It's for my drones -- they're shaped like pigeons and flies. And, uh, my laptop at my house has a bunch of evidence -- safe houses and fronts that I found out about." Oh, fuck. Did I clear my browser history? God, I hope so. "So… here."

Batman looked down at the device, his white eyes flickering to me. "Not going to resist?" He questioned and… honestly, the thought never occurred to me. He was Batman and I was me. Could I? Maybe? I wasn't the same stick figure that I was right out of the coma. I had the physique of an extremely fit teenager. With my skills… in theory, I could fight Batman. I might even win.

Yet, I shook my head, "No." If I had to put it in words -- That's not who I wanted to be. I didn't want to be the guy that fought against heroes to escape the consequences of his actions. I didn't want to go to jail. I didn't want to put my parents through that. I just… I knew I would regret it until my dying day if I tried to fight or run now.

Batman looked at me for a long moment before he tucked the device away. "Show me," Batman ordered, his tone brooking no argument. As in bringing him the laptop? That would mean I had to show him where I lived, but he was Batman. So, he probably already knew. And it would give me a chance to delete my browser history.

"Okay," I agreed, my head bobbing before my gaze drifted to Black Mask. "What about-?"

"The authorities have already been called," Batman answered before I could finish. I opened my mouth to question if they were here to arrest me or not before I heard the sound of squealing tires. Looking behind me, I saw a decently sized car rushing towards us. Dark blue, four wheels, some kind of truck. Only, when it came to a stop in front of us, the doors lifted up. Like a Lamborghini, or something, and revealed that it was anything but a generic truck on the inside. "Get in."

Right. My mom told me never to get in cars with strangers, but I'm pretty sure that didn't apply to superheroes.

Obediently, I slid into the passenger seat, idly noting that my baseball bat was already inside. The door closed when I was inside and I looked at the odd belt buckles before clicking them into place. Batman took a seat next to me, getting in the truck with well-practiced ease, and the truck sped off, leaving the docks.

"Your powers. What are they?" Batman questioned as he left the docks, and rejoined traffic. Only he drove like a madman. The car moved way too fast and I didn't hear the engine humming. If he drove like this, how had no one noticed before? Some kind of cloaking tech?

"I'm not exactly sure?" I hesitated to answer, wishing I had a more concrete one as I tried to not ogle the interior. "I recently learned that they have something to do with Qi. I, uh, got shot in the head. A couple of times. But that activated the Qi dormant inside of me, so I didn't die?"

Batman looked at me and that scared the shit out of me -- the speedometer said we were going ninety and the car was swerving across the street to narrowly avoid cars. "You're Ren Song," he seemed to realize, and I flinched, all but confirming it.

No hiding it now. "Yeah," I confirmed.

"You were in a coma less than a month ago. You're still supposed to be in the hospital, Gotham MD." It was kinda scary how he knew that.

I nodded, "I'm not really sure how, but I think either my Dad or my Uncle pulled some strings to put me on a list to say I was there. I thought it was to hide from Black Mask, but… now I'm thinking it was to make sure no one noticed how fast I recovered." I told him -- I wasn't sure if I should be so open. Especially since I just met the guy, but… if you couldn't trust a superhero, then who could you trust?

Batman made a noise of acknowledgment, apparently not needing directions as he headed for my home. Also really scary that he knew where I lived. "It was you who posted those videos," he voiced, correct in the assumption.

My hands clenched into fists, "Yeah…" I confirmed with a slow nod of my head. "It's- I didn't want the attention or anything, but it's how my power works. I'm still figuring it out, but I can earn something called Prestige by… well, becoming famous. Then I can use it to improve my body -- it's how I managed to go from a stick figure to fighting monsters."

Batman seemed to mull this over but said nothing before the car came to an abrupt stop. Right outside by building. The door opened and Batman looked to me. "Rooftop. Five minutes," he said, prompting me to nod and get out of the car.

Right. I looked to my building, sparing a glance at the nondescript… silver minivan? The hell? I didn't have time to ponder it because it drove off a second later. I guess that was how Batman got around the city during the day? Still, the idea of Batman and a minivan didn’t really go together. Nevertheless, I’m betting that my timer started ticking down so I rushed into the building. Stepping into the elevator, I took out my contacts and face mask, and flipped back my hood so I would look a little more normal.

Reaching my apartment, I headed inside to find that neither Mom nor Dad were where I could see them. Tiptoeing through the apartment, I headed towards my room and grabbed my laptop. A small breath of relief escaped me -- I had closed my incognito tabs. I was safe. I also didn’t have to explain I was clearing my internet history to explain why I was late. Snapping the computer shut, I tiptoed back through my apartment, only to pause when I heard harsh whispering coming from my parent’s bedroom.

They were both here. And I could guess what they were arguing about.

As much as I wanted answers, I didn't want to piss Batman off more. So, I walked through the apartment, and closed the door as quietly as I could, before heading up to the roof.

Batman was already there. His arms crossed over his chest. He didn't say anything, he just stood near the ledge. Menacingly. I approached, handing over the laptop. "It's all on there," I told him, making Batman look down at the laptop.

He stared at it for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, "You didn't have a thumb drive?"

Oh. "Uh, you only gave me five minutes?" I tried, slowly retracting the offered laptop. "I thought I wouldn't have time?" God, I was making an ass of myself in front of Batman. I wanted to die.

Batman's eyes darted up, at first looking to me, then behind me. I looked over my shoulder as well, just in time to see the door to the roof open. Revealing Dad.

Our eyes met, his face was blank, displaying no surprise at all. He carried himself… differently. I didn't know how to describe it as he stepped forward, letting the door close behind him. Dad was always confident in a laid-back kind of way, but looking at him now, it was like there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he'd win even if the world declared war on him. His gaze flickered to Batman, not offering any sign of surprise.

"Batman, Ren," Dad said, coming to a stop. I couldn't stop myself from gaping at him, suddenly at a complete loss for words. I thought I was ready for this conversation. I was wrong. "Would I be wrong in assuming that Black Mask has been dealt with?"

I opened my mouth, but the words didn't come.

Batman answered for me, "Your son put himself at great risk attacking a meeting between Black Mask and the Triad."

Shit-

My Dad nodded, his lips thinning, but he seemed unsurprised. "I suppose this would have happened eventually," he said, not sounding surprised. Just… disappointed. Not even in me. I expected to get chewed out, reamed for putting myself at risk and danger. There was no sign of it.

"You expected this?" Batman questioned, his tone sharp.

"Despite my severed ties, my family comes from a very, very, very long line of Cultivators. Seeking out danger and powerful enemies to harness our skills… it would seem it's an instinct ingrained into our biology now," Dad answered, looking to Batman, ignoring how I gaped.

Batman met his gaze, "Martial Arts Cultivation? I traveled much of Asia. I was led to believe that was little more than a myth," Batman remarked, his tone unflinchingly even.

Dad nodded, "For most, it is. Qi was once the foundation of all martial arts, thousands of years ago. As it tends to go, those with power hoard their power. Martial arts schools and styles became sects, which in turn became brutal places to weed out the weak and find the worthy to learn techniques belonging to the sect. Cultivation grew more insular and strict, while Qi use became less common, until it became nothing but a myth. Now, it’s even more difficult to practice with mass extinction of Spirit Beasts to train against as well as mystical herbs that were used until none remain." Dad began, explaining what was apparently a well-kept secret from the entire fucking world.

"Most modern martial arts styles are offshoots from mother styles born from Cultivation sects. I'm sure some of them harbor long-lost techniques, but they lack the Qi to use them," Dad continued, offering a thin smile to Batman. "Because of you being a foreigner, those well-kept secrets would have been even more secret to you."

Batman grunted and I mulled over that.

Okay. I… wasn't completely lost, but I was a little hung up on the whole 'Descendant of an ancient Cultivation sect/family/whatthefuck' "Dad, what… just who are my grandparents? I… look, I kinda get why you lied about them and I'm not, like, upset or mad or anything. I’m sure you had your reasons… I’d just like to know what they are.” I told him, and I didn’t notice the tension in my Dad until it eased out of him ever so slightly. A tightness in his face left, followed by a small sigh escaping him before his eyes flickered to Batman.

He seemed to come to a decision because he offered a small nod, “Ren… our family… for thousands of years, we have practiced the Heavenly White Tiger Fist,” he began, his tone so serious that I had to take the name seriously. “For generations upon generations, the style has been passed down, from father to heir, each time a little grander and more powerful. The Song family in China transcends China itself -- our family was there long before it had formed, and it will be there long after it’s gone.”

He took in a small breath, “That family was family only in name. It was a harsh, cruel, and brutal place. I was the heir to the family, the firstborn,” he informed, offering a small, bitter smile. “Only I lacked talent for martial arts. I was little more than an initiate by the time I was your age. It simply didn’t come naturally to me, Ren. However, my younger brother, your uncle, was a prodigy that comes once in a generation. Five years younger than me, but he was Fourth Stage in the Earth Realm… and one day, I overheard my parents conspire to kill me to make my brother the heir.”

Fuck. “Fuck,” I said the word aloud, thinking it was appropriate. I walked forward, not even really think about it, and threw my arms around him. Dad seemed a bit startled by the hug -- neither of us were particularly affectionate, but Dad didn’t normally drop bombs like my grandparents planning to murder him.

A moment passed before Dad returned the hug, and I felt him relax. “It’s fine, Ren. It was a very long time ago. In truth, it was something I long suspected. So, I resolved to leave. I met your mother in my preparations. However, my parents knew of my plans. They devised a test for me to earn the right to leave… it was designed to kill me to prevent me from ever challenging my brother. What they didn’t expect was for me to avoid it altogether. I set our ancient home on fire, planted a few explosives… I escaped with my life, but they banished me from China. I cared little. That is until you were shot.”

I let go of my Dad, stepping back and putting the pieces together. “Uncle said that my Qi saved me?” I questioned, earning a slow nod. That, if I had to guess, caught him off guard. I’m guessing my Uncle didn’t tell him that we were in contact, however brief.

“Our family has access to herbs, the few that were overused to extinction, that aid the body in healing. Between them and your Qi, you survived… then thrived,” Dad said, a sharp edge in his voice. “Ren, I’ve seen what you can do. To create your own techniques at such speeds… your grandparents will stop at nothing to take you.”

I shook my head, “Nah, that’s not happening. I already told Uncle I’m not going anywhere,” I told him, my voice firm. They could try. It felt like I traded Black Mask for a much grander, more powerful enemy, but I would beat them all the same.

Dad reached out, squeezing my shoulder, “We… will talk more of the subject later.”

“No, there’s nothing to talk about,” I insisted. “They tried to kill you. They can get fucked. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have grandparents.” Family meant more than just having the same blood and connected on a family tree. I’ve lived my entire life without my grandparents, and as far as I was concerned, I was better off without them. I didn’t feel even the vaguest sense of attachment.

Dad tried to argue, but it was clear to see that his heart wasn’t in it. “You will never realize your full potential with me, Ren.”

He wasn’t getting it. “I couldn’t care less. I’d rather stay here with you and Mom than fuck off to China.”

“Your mother won’t let you get away with that language,” he remarked, trying to be stern, trying to hide that he was relieved. Then he looked to Batman, and I realized that I had completely forgotten the Dark Knight was there. Watching. Right. That was a little bit of a whole lot of really embarrassing.

I looked to Batman, whose expression betrayed nothing. At least, the little that I could see didn’t betray any emotion or thoughts. I thought he would have more questions for Dad, but instead, he turned to me. “Black Mask has been dealt with. What do you intend to do now?”

That was the question, wasn't it? Black Mask was done for. I…

"Are… you not going to put me in jail?" I questioned, feeling the need for clarification. "I mean, what I did to Black Mask…" I confined him to a fate worse than death. If that ever happened to me, then I could only hope that someone would just put me out of my misery. I really didn't want to go to jail, but… deep in my gut, I knew you shouldn't be able to do that to another person and just get off scot-free. To inflict that kind of suffering on another person, regardless of if they deserved it or not.

Dad tensed while Batman seemed to consider it.

"That," he began and my breath was lodged in my throat, "would be highly hypocritical of me." He noted, his tone remaining even. "I can't say that I approve of the lengths that you went to, but I do understand why," he continued, not condemning me but not praising me either. "My issue is your lack of control. Crippling injuries are not an acceptable default option."

That was… very fair, I guess. Before I could dwell on it, Batman continued.

"You have potential, Ren, but vigilantism isn't something you can take a half measure with. It requires intense dedication and sacrifice -- not only will you be risking your life for others, but you’re also risking the lives of those you love," Batman continued, his voice deadly serious. "It's not something that you're compelled to do just because you have a power." He was trying to talk me out of it? Or was he just giving me a blunt warning?

I looked away, mulling it over. My gaze dipped to the laptop in my hands, peering through it to see the hours of video footage on it and the notes I made. There was enough evidence to shut down a mob. Or, at the very least, cripple it. Going through the evidence had been annoying and tedious, but…

I never considered myself a hero. Not even someone that had the potential to be one. Even after getting my power, I might have entertained the fantasy, but it never felt like a viable path.

Dad reached out and gave my shoulder another reassuring squeeze, "Make this choice for yourself, Ren. You don't need to worry about your mother or me."

I… already knew my answer.

"I want to be a hero," I decided, offering the laptop to Batman, meeting his gaze. It wasn't for the purest reasons. I didn't have some undying motivation to make the world a better place, or even a belief that everyone should be saved. Most people were assholes. Some people, the world was just better off without.

It all circled back to those four words -- wrong place, wrong time.

"You will regret that choice at times," Batman warned.

Maybe. "I think I'd regret it more if I walked away now," I voiced as Batman accepted the laptop. I did good in recent weeks. I had missteps and made mistakes, but I had also saved people.

"This life could kill you," Batman added, driving the point home. He was trying to strip away the glamour, the adoration of the idea of being a superhero. He was shoving the ugly truth in my face so I was under no delusions of what I was walking into.

I nodded, "Yeah… but… I'd rather die with no regrets than live with them." I responded, meeting his gaze as I squared my shoulders. A sense of peace seemed to fill me. Resolve. It wasn't bravery that led me to say these words, but more of an acceptance that I was a bit of a coward. In the end? Dying was easy. Life was fragile. Death was an ending that could come all too suddenly from absolutely anywhere.

Living? That was hard.

Batman's hands disappeared underneath his black cape. "I'll be in touch," Batman said, not offering approval or rejection of my choice. He simply turned on his heel, and in a fluid motion, he stepped onto the ledge and jumped off of it. A split second later, I saw him sail off into the distance, his cape serving like a glider.

I had just spoken with Batman. That was so damn cool.

"I'm proud of you, Ren," Dad said, drawing my attention back to him. There was a smile on his face and an expression of fierce pride. "No matter what you would have chosen, your mother and I will always be proud of you."

I smiled back. I believed him.

…

Time after the meeting with Batman seemed to slow to a crawl as the days ticked by. The fourth of July came and went, the event marked with some guy trying to blot out the sun before the Justice League stopped him. That had been mildly terrifying because apparently, people could just do that, but it was whatever. The Justice League saved the day, as they always did.

Now, days later, I found myself… feeling a bit adrift after my declaration. Batman hadn't reached out despite stating he'd be in touch. And without a looming threat hanging over my head, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself most of the time.

So, naturally, my ability ate up most of my time. With no threat hanging over my head, I could look into methods of gaining more Prestige and working on my stats in ways other than investing points into them. I might have shot myself in the foot a bit with the jump of fitness, but I could still earn a point or two here or there. It just took me a bit.

It also gave me time to mull over what I wanted to do to earn points. Batman had taken my control device, so the bird and flies were useless to me. I occasionally earned a handful of points from the videos that I had posted, the most popular having reached nine million views, but most of those seemed to be replays because I didn't get anywhere near the amount of Prestige I should have.

Nor for the news regarding Black Mask. I wasn't mentioned in any capacity -- Black Mask was put in the hospital and he would stay there for the rest of his days. Batman acted on the evidence and the Black Mask Mob was dismantled according to the news. Though, not many mentioned that because they were too busy ripping into Batman’s extreme brutality when dealing with a villain. There were even people protesting in the streets.

It was a little annoying to not gain any prestige from the negative attention, but I was more thankful than anything. And I felt bad that Batman was taking the blame for what I did.

But, that just meant I had to make it up to him by doing better. Which is why I found myself seated in front of a new laptop, a camera, and a microphone that was sitting in front of my face. All of it was purchased with my cash from my gambling days. On the screen was the editing screen of a video, my own voice echoing back to me to give the basic rules of Chinese.

It was one of a dozen channels I was planning to make. The goal was to generate passive prestige, rather than a video blowing up once, giving me a bulk amount, then fading into obscurity. I had a few options in that regard, with more options becoming available. So, I decided on instruction videos. First on how to speak Chinese, then I could move on to Korean when I had learned that language. I also had Barista to work with.

Each channel would be unrelated to one another, diversifying my audience. Some would do better than others, but the plan was to have a solid dozen different sources of passive prestige gain. So, the videos that I make needed to be something that draws in new people over time.

I had the market available to me, as well as the Tier 1 skills. Additionally, I had a grand total of 17,000 points to spend. I already decided that ten thousand was my bottom line -- that was the emergency fund. With the market, I could buy tools like flashbangs on the fly, or if I needed a basic skill, I could buy it. So, the seven thousand points were spent on two skills.

Teacher

T1R1

Learning a skill is difficult, teaching it to another is harder.

Coding

T1R1

The basis for all computer functions. The style and system might change, but they all share the same origin.

The former would benefit the tutorial channels I was making, while the second was both a skill I could teach and a skill that would benefit me when I was out doing hero things. Like hacking. In the past week, I made a handful of videos -- none gained much traction, but it was only a matter of time before I got my investment back. Then I could look into creating more and more accounts, further diversifying my audience until I was raking in thousands of prestige every day.

All I had to do was make sure that no one made the connection that they were all me.

Leaning back in my chair, I pressed the upload button and the ten-minute video began to process. Taking out my headphones and cracking my neck -- I needed to invest in an editing skill. Letting my head rest against the chair, I brought up my window and took stock of my situation.

I had an item roll available to me for completing the Quest of Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands. Additionally, I gained a free roll for being a ‘Burgeoning Hero’. I hadn’t used either just yet, wanting to earn more points so I could make a bet.

However, my attention was stolen when I got an email alert. Clicking on it, I saw an address and an order. A slow smile spread over my face as I leaped to my feet and my hand grabbed the bag that had been packed since the day Batman left. My suit, contacts, and drones were inside.

“Mom,” I greeted, stepping out of my room, spotting my Mom watching tv on the couch. “He reached out. I’m… I’m heading out,” I told her. Mom seemed to freeze for a moment -- we already had a talk about it, so both of us were waiting for this day to come. She seemed to swallow her worries to give me a soft smile.

“Be careful, Ren,” Mom said, giving me her approval for heading out. To be a hero. To do hero things.

“I will,” I told her, “Love you,” I added, heading out and locking the door behind me. I took in a deep breath, feeling light as a feather as I headed down to the ground floor. The address was nearby, and the instructions were seared into my mind. It was early in the morning, just turned seven-thirty, so the morning rush was alive. Yet, a few minutes later, I found myself in an empty alley that was marked with an ancient phone booth.

Following the instructions, I stepped inside and pushed in a series of numbers. I thought I would get vacuum tubed into the Batcave or something. What I didn’t expect was for my vision to go white before hearing a synthetic voice echo in my ears. I blinked a few times, clearing my vision, and found…

“Woah,” I breathed, stepping forward through a small entrance that revealed an open area that was surrounded with what looked like light brown stone. There was a huge… metal… thing that hung from the ceiling -- it was round in shape, matching a metal platform that Batman stood at the center of. It took me a moment not to ogle at my surroundings -- I had been teleported to Batman’s secret base?

Batman waited until I was done, meeting my gaze.

“Welcome to Happy Harbor.”