ectoberhauntw5
day 24- here there be dragons
tw- character death, but does it really count?
summary- once there was a brother and a sister who could turn into dragons
ao3
ectoberhaunt25 masterlist
Long ago in a land far away, there lived a brother and a sister whose family had been blessed long ago by the gods. Their ancestors had been gifted two golden amulets with the ability to allow the wearers to take on a dragon form.
The family had long been known to be great defenders of their town and the surrounding area from the supernatural creatures that plagued the kingdom’s borders. But when a foreign kingdom invaded theirs, killing the king and queen and oppressing the people, young Dorathea and her twin Aragon chose to journey toward the heart of the kingdom. They had never journeyed so far, but they believed that together they’d be able to free the people from the cruel tyrant that had taken control.
And they did. Together they organized a rebellion, working to weaken the enemy forces who used monsters to keep the people afraid. And when the final battle came, together they fought bravely, fending off enemy soldiers and the monsters they controlled.
But it was Dorothea who fought the enemy leader who also had the ability to shift. Later, Aragon claimed that he had been chasing down enemy forces.
And when finally the battle was won the people wished to honor crown Dorathea queen for killing the rebel leader. But she demurred, claiming that both her and her brother were to thank, and that really they had only been defending their home. She said they did not need a reward, but then Aragon stepped forward proclaiming that they would be happy to rule the people, to continue to protect them. And so the people crowned Dorathea and Aragon as their monarchs.
There was peace in the kingdom then, but it was not to last.
Aragron grew arrogant and cruel. He forced the people to pay him large fees for protecting them, causing many to live in poverty. He would not listen to Dorathea who pleaded mercy on their behalf.
Whenever she could, she would bring the people food from the castle even though it made her brother very angry.
But the people loved her, and they praised her kindness. They began to speak against Aragon and wish that Dorathea would take over as the sole monarch.
Aragon heard and grew jealous. The advisors he had gathered around himself whispered in his ear that Dorathea was plotting against him, that he should not let such treachery stand. They told him that a true leader would not let someone try to take power from him.
The placed a vial of poison in his hand and told him that only one sip would be enough to kill her.
So he invited his sister to tea. She was delighted, believing that finally he would listen to her pleas to lighten the people’s burden.
He smiled as he poured the tea and handed her a cup. And when she began to choke and claw at her throat, he remained seated. When she had stopped moving he rose from his chair and entered the room where his advisors were waiting.
“It is done.” he said, and the cheered for him, saying that now he would truly be in control, and that he would rule for many years.
An advisor brought out a bottle of fine wine and they raised their glasses to him. He smiled as he took a sip, but then he began to choke.
From across the table his advisors merely grinned at him.
ectoberhaunt25
day 23- lyre and pyre
tw- character death, fire
summary- everyone was going to know her name
ao3
ectoberhant25 masterlist
She takes a deep breath as she waits in the green room.
She’s finally made it. She’s so excited, but also wracked with nerves. She bounces up on her toes a few times.
“You’ve got this.” she whispers to herself. “You’ve been working for this for so long. You deserve this. You’re going to do amazing. They’re going to love you. Everyone is going to hear your voice.” she continues to whisper reassurances to herself.
She turns to the rest of her team. “We’re gonna rock this!” she tells them, both to encourage them and herself. They grin back at her. This will be their first big performance.
Finally, one of the stage hands comes up to her. “You’re up next. Go wait in the left wing.”
She nods and grabs her instrument. She breathes in deeply one more time, before making her way to the left wing. She watches as the previous group bow to the cheering crowd before they exit stage right.
She breathes in deeply again as the event manager announces her name. She wrinkles her nose slightly, something smells off. But there’s no time to think about it. She runs onto the stage, grinning as the crowd cheers. Most of them have never heard about her, but they’ll remember her name after this. The rest of the band files in behind her, taking up their own positions.
“Hello Atlanta City!” she calls, strumming her guitar, and the crowd cheers.
She feels her nerves fade away as she starts her team backing her up. She plays three song, the crowd cheering even more wildly after each. They’ve started to shout her name, and it feels wonderful. They’ve made it. She’s made it.
She grins wide and is about to start the next song when there’s a loud boom from her left. She turns to look.
There is fire crawling up the curtains. The crowd is screaming. She turns to run toward the right, but there is another explosion, bigger this time, and she is flung off her feet. She crashes back down onto the stage, hitting her head. Her ears are ringing and her vision is blurry. There is smoke and screaming everywhere.
She tries to get to her feet but starts coughing. There is so much smoke she doesn't know which direction is which anymore.
She crawls around until she finds the edge of the stage. She lowers herself down, staying close to the floor. The sound of flames is like a beast roaring, almost covering the sound of screams as people try to find the exits.
There is another explosion and the sound of a crash. She stares at where a part of the ceiling just collapsed, timbers engulfed in flames.
She starts crawling faster in the direction of where she hopes is the exit. She runs into people who’ve collapsed and aren’t moving. She tries not to look at them. She thinks she sees the edge of door, a bit of flashing red light above it. The exit.
But there is another booming crash, the air fills with dust, and she starts violently coughing. She is so hot, her skin feels like it’s burning, her eyes are streaming from the smoke. She looks ahead, but she can’t see the exit anymore.
She feels hopelessness wanting to take hold, but she won’t give up. She’ll make it out of here. She’ll survive. The world will hear her sing. The world will know her name.
But there is another crash and this time debris falls on her. She cries out as something knocks her onto her back. She can’t tell what it is, only that it is too heavy to move on her own.
She tries to call out, but only smoke enters her lungs. There are flames all around her now. She doesn’t want to die, but the fire is licking closer. Out of the corner of her eye she sees her hair catch fire.
No, she thinks horrified. No. No. Nonononononononononononono!
She can’t die! Not now! Not when she was so close to fulfilling her dreams.
She cries out, desperate, but knowing no one is coming. Tears stream down her face from fear, from pain, from knowing she was so close.
Mercifully, she blacks out before the flames reach her face.
When she opens her eyes again, there is green everywhere.
She doesn’t know where she is, she doesn't know how she got here. All she knows is one thing.
Soon the world will hear her play. Soon they’ll all know her name.
ectoberhaunt25
day 21- barbarian
summary- the ghosts whispered amongst themselves
ao3
ectoberhaunt materlist
When Phantom is crowned king, the ghosts whisper amongst themselves. They know he is a halfa. The whole Realms felt it when he was created. But they don’t know much else about him except for rumors that he might be some sort of protector spirit. They know he is young, only a few years dead, though they can all sense a power growing deep within him. They know he will be more than a mere spirit of the deceased when he comes into his true power. He has mostly kept to his own end of the Realms.
And that is what they whisper about. Because while it is not uncommon for those newly born into the Realms, whether Spirits or Other, to stay near where they first gained consciousness within the Realms, most soon wander, exploring the Realms and finding a place where they feel they belong. Though perhaps, his staying in one section has to do with him being a halfa. He does, afterall, according to the rumors, spend a large amount of time in his Living Realm.
But what they whisper about the most, is where he comes from.
For the newly crowned king, the young spirit, comes from the Cursed Wastes.
The Cursed Wastes is an area of the Realms most stay away from. It has few civilizations and is mostly ruled by an assortment of beings staking claim on their own little area. These beings tend to be stronger than usual and are said to fight for fun.
This area of the Realms is also where ectoplasm tends to be at its most wild, forming blob-like creatures and animal-like ghosts. It is an area where a ghost could grow strong if they could survive the pressure of the ectoplasm in that area.
But most denizens of the Realms stay away from the Wastes since the inhabitants can be quite territorial and tend to have strange abilities.
That the young king comes from this area is certainly intriguing. It explains his strength which allowed him to defeat Pariah Dark, but it also causes many to wonder how strong he must be to survive the Wastes as a newly dead. By all accounts, he is a baby by ghost standards.
But the Realms denizens have heard how in the Wastes even the young are taught to fight, that it is a form of play.
And while some fear that the new king hails from the lands many consider home to barbarians, or at least ghosts who are a little on the crazy side, others remember the stories of him defending his home and his fraid.
From the Yetis of the Far Frozen, who make their home in the Wastes but who are regarded as healers by all, they hear stories of his kindness.
Even the Watcher of Time himself vouches for the youngling. And what an honor that is, to have the Watcher of your Path look so fondly on you.
The Observants do not like him, but that just affirms for everyone that the young king is good. The Observants would never like anyone they can not control.
They wonder what kind of king, this child, will be. They pray he is a good king and that he rules for millennia. They believe he will be, for why else would the Watcher vouch for him? And secretly they are glad that he hails from the Wastes, for being raised in a land renowned for its fighters, who will be able to dethrone him?
ectoberhaunt25
day 17- off the rails
fandom- dp x dc
summary- the Justice League board a mysterious train
ao3
ectoberhaunt25 masterlist
Batman stands before the main members of the Justice League, glaring at John Constantine.
“You said you had a way to go after Anti-Monitor?” he growled. They had been trying to figure out how to go after the universe destroying villain, and Constantine only spoke up now..
Constantine sighed, twirling an unlit cigarette. “Yes, in case you’re deaf, I do have a way to get to whatever dimension he’s currently holed up in.”
“And why didn’t you say something sooner?” Batman responded, gritting his teeth.
He gave Batman a look. “I’ts not exactly a normal way to travel, but the bloke owes me a favor.”
Batman resisted the urge to smack Constantine. “Well, how do we use this method of travel?”
Constantine stood, “Well if all of you blokes are ready, I can open up a portal. But,” he glared at them all, “we will be using a method of interdimensional travel. You’ll probably see some strange looking beings.” he narrowed his eyes even more at them. “Don’t talk to them, don’t look at them, don’t interact with them if at all possible. Got it.”
“Hn.” Batman grunted and the rest of the League nodded.
“Great.” Constantine said, a sarcastic smile pulling at his lips, as he turned away from them. He walked up to the wall of the meeting room, pulling out a piece of what looked like green chalk. When he pressed his hand to it, it glowed bright neon green. He then pulled out a sleek black card the size of a credit card. Bruce could make out what might be words in another language. Constantine pressed it to the glowing symbols. The symbols flashed red, and Constantine cursed. He glanced at the before grumbling under his breath. He pressed his hand to the symbol again, muttering what was probably another spell. The symbol flashed blue condensing into a small dot that then grew into a line, stretching from floor to ceiling.
Batman stiffened as the mechanical voice rang out, echoing and full of static.
Then the line separated in two that moved in opposite directions, leaving a glowing green doorway between them.
Constantine gave them another look. “Don’t interact with anything.” He said with a glare, then stepped through the glowing green door. The rest of the League members glanced at each other before following.
Batman blinked as he adjusted to the sudden change in location. He glanced around what looked suspiciously like a train car. Bright lights streaked by the windows and strange creatures sat on the seats. He could see the other JL members glancing around nervously.
Some of the other passengers looked like slightly transparent humans or animals. There were also more alien looking creatures and blobs and creatures that hurt his eyes to look at. He tore his eyes away from the other passengers to look at Constantine. Constantine who was looking rather nervous. Batman narrowed his eyes at him.
As he was about to question the most frustrating man he had ever met, a being popped into existence next to them. He looked like a slightly see-through version of an old-timey train conductor, if one ignored the three eyes, the horns growing from their head, and the extra pair of arms.
“T̷i̵c̵k̴e̸t̷s̸?̷” the being said, the language understandable, but somehow grating on Bruce’s ears. He was just glad that at least they could understand what the being was saying.
“Ewadoreal!” Constantine said, his best innocent smile fixed firmly on his face. Unfortunately, it just made him look a bit crazy. “You see, we were in a bit of a rush.”
Ewadoreal’s glow started to turn slightly red.
“But we’ll purchase them now!” Constantine added on quickly. He pulled out what looked like a coin purse from one of his pockets. “How much?”
Ewadoreal narrowed their eyes at Constantine. “P̷͙̉a̵͉͛s̴̺͘ś̷͕s̶͖͛?̶̠͛”
“Ah, come on, you don’t need to see my pass. I can pay. Just tell me how much.”
Ewadoreal’s form flickered. A monstrous winged, dragon-like creature being superimposed over the train conductor for a second.
“Okay, okay,” Constantine said, raising his hands. “I’ll get my pass out.” he grimaced as he pulled out the black card he’d originally held to the symbol in the Watchtower.
Ewadoreal took it, examining it before hissing
Constantine winced.
“C̷̗̘͚͍̓̎͋ô̶̖̹͕͜n̶̢͈̣̣̾̈́̊̾ŝ̴̭̠̭͆ͅẗ̴̝͎̇̏̊ä̷̛̞͍́̒̕n̸͈͌t̴͉̟͖̟͐̐͌̀í̸̖̲͚͇̈́̈́n̸̺͛͊̈́̅e̷̮̤̓̿́̆!” they growled, their voice becoming more staticky.
“Heeeyyyy…. Long time no see.” Constantine drawled nervously, and the rest of the JL tensed. Clark took a step forward, and Barry opened his mouth. Thankfully, Diana jabbed Barry in the side before he could say anything, and Bruce sent a glare at Hal before he could open his mouth. Thankfully, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman had more tact.
“Though I’m not sure whether to be surprised or offended that you don't already have my pretty face memorized.” Constantine continued brazenly, and Bruce fought the urge to smack the magician upside the head.
Ewadoreal sneered. “Y̶o̵u̷ ̷m̴o̶r̷t̶a̷l̸s̵ ̷c̵h̵a̶n̸g̸e̴ ̴t̴o̴ ̵o̴f̵t̷e̸n̷,̷ ̴a̷n̵d̷ ̴y̸o̸u̸ ̸m̷a̵s̷k̵ ̴y̶o̴u̶r̴ ̸s̶o̶u̴l̵.̷” His sneer turned into a smirk. “P̶h̸a̸n̸t̴o̸m̶ ̴w̴i̵l̷l̶ ̵b̷e̸ ̶s̸o̵ ̶h̴a̶p̴p̸y̵ ̸t̴o̵ ̵s̵e̵e̷ ̷y̷o̷u̵ ̵b̵a̵c̶k̵ ̴o̴n̸ ̵h̵i̷s̴ ̸t̵r̵a̷i̴n̴.̷”
“Now, Ewadoreal, you don’t have to tell Phantom we’re here. I can pay you a a little extra. I’ve even got a few artifacts—”
“Ë̶̞́̚ṋ̵̹̲͛̾ò̸̞́u̶͇̟̟͗̿g̵̨͔͍̓̐h̷͙͒͝!̶̬̃̚͜” Ewadoreal cut Constantine off. “Y̷o̸u̶ ̴w̸i̸l̷l̸ ̴c̶o̵m̵e̸ ̴w̸i̶t̴h̸ ̸m̴e̵ ̷t̵o̶ ̵s̸e̸e̴ ̸t̴h̸e̴ ̸b̸o̵s̶s̵,̷ ̴o̷r̸ ̶y̴o̴u̸ ̴w̸i̸l̸l̵ ̵b̵e̸ ̴t̷h̴r̸o̸w̶n̶ ̸o̷f̷f̶ ̵t̶h̴e̶ ̴t̴r̸a̶i̷n̴.̸” His smile conveyed just how happy he’d be to carry out his threat.
Constantine winced. “No need for that.” He shrugged, trying to come across as casual. “We’ll go see the boss man. It’s been a while since we’ve chatted.”
Ewadoreal just smirked before heading off toward the end of the train car.
Constantine glared at them all. “We’re about to meet an extremely powerful being who could squash you all with just his pinky. So for the love of all things holy and unholy, don’t say a word. Don’t even look at him if you can avoid it.” Then he turned and followed Ewadoreal down the hall, the rest of the League following behind.
Batman was already planning the lecture he’d give Constantine about properly explaining what he was planning on getting them into. It would include powerpoints!
The followed Ewadoreal until they came to a door much fancier than its surroundings. Ewadoreal stood to the side of the door and motioned them forward.
Constantine took a breath before opening the door and calling out. “Phantom! Long time now see! How’ve you been?”
Bruce followed behind him into an office-like space with someone seated behind a desk.
“That’s a kid.” Flash said from the doorway.
The being’s, Phantom’s, eyes narrowed and he flaked his hand causing the door to slam in the face of the other Leaguers.
“Forgive him, Phantom, he’s an idiot. He was just trying to compliment you on your young appearance. Afterall—”
“Constantine.” Phantom cut Constantine off. “What are you doing on my train?”
“We’re just trying to get to Dimension 39X, not causing any trouble. Promise. Besides,” Constantine continued, and Bruce wished he’d shut up. “You owe me.”
“I owe you?” Phantom said with a raised eyebrow.
“For taking care of that demon from the Sacarda Dimension.” Constantine said, shoving his hands in his trenchcoat pockets though his expression betrayed his nerves.
“The demon you brought on board?” Phantom asked, crossing his arms. “The demon that damaged two of my train cars?”
“I can pay you.” Constantine continued, ignoring Phantom’s last statement.
“With what? Last time you were here you offered me a piece of your dirty, ragged, torn apart excuse for a soul.”
Constantine winced. “Come on, man. No need to insult me like that.”
“And you brought guests.” the being continued. “Including that insolent speedster who disrupts the order of my train every time he enters the Speedforce. He’s racked up quite the fines. The only reason I haven’t hunted him down myself is because there’s a certain being out there who rather likes your speedsters. Though now that he knows about the train, I can charge him every time he boards.”
Constantine cleared his throat. “Well, we do need to be on our way. So, if you don’t mind…” he said, gesturing toward the door.
“Not so fast, Constantine. We still haven’t decided on payment for you and your bodies. Not to mention what you already owe me, and the fine for boarding my train despite knowing for a fact that I’ve banned you.”
“Ah, well…” he glanced at Bruce. “We have plenty of money.”
“And what would I even do with money that only works in your dimension?” Phantom raised an eyebrow.
“I have some… artifacts?” Constantine continued, obviously not pleased with the thought of handing any over.
“Hmmm.” the being titled their head looking toward the door. “How about… a favor.”
“A favor from me?” Constantine clarified.
“No. A favor from each of you.”
Bruce was about to protest, not wanting to decide something like that without discussing with everyone it would affect, but Constantine stepped up quickly, extending his hand.
“Deal,” he said, shaking the being hand.
“Constantine!” Bruce said, stepping forward. But before he could say anything else, Phantom waved his hand and he found himself with the rest of the Leaguers and Constantine outside the room.
He turned to glare at the magician, but again before he could say anything there was a long mechanical yet staticky beep followed by a voice saying, “J̶e̷n̷ ̵S̴t̷a̴c̶i̶o̶ ̵X̴3̸4̷Z̴1̵*̴3̸–̷H̸W̸.̸ ̸B̶o̷n̷v̸o̶l̷u̸ ̷a̴t̷e̶n̵t̴i̵ ̵l̶a̷ ̵s̶p̵a̸c̸o̴n̶ ̷i̵n̴t̵e̶r̴ ̷l̶a̸ ̶t̸r̶a̷j̸n̸o̸ ̷k̵a̵j̵ ̷l̸a̸ ̶k̶a̸j̷o̷.̶”
A glowing doorway appeared on the side of the train.
“Oh, look. Our stop.” Constantine said, stepping through quickly.
Batman growled as he followed, the rest of the JL behind him.
As soon as this was over, Bruce was going to force Constantine to watch so many presentations and do so much busy work the magician wouldn’t have any free time for months!
zalgo text
1- ‘atentu la breĉon’ which is Esperanto for ‘mind the gap’
2- tickets
3- pass
4- Constantine
5- You mortals change to often, and you mask your soul
6- Phantom will be so happy to see you back on his train.
7- Enough
8- You will come with me to see the boss, or you will be thrown off the train.
9- ‘Jen Stacio X34Z1*3–HW. Bonvolu atenti la spacon inter la trajno kaj la kajo.’ which is Esperanto for ‘This is Station X34Z1*3–HW. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform’
ectoberhaunt25
day 16- siren
summary- Danny never believed in mermaids
ao3
ectoberhaunt masterlist
Danny stares over the boat’s railing. The water’s too murky to actually see anything, and he doesn’t know how he let his parents convince him to join them on their latest voyage. He stares at the device that was set up prominently on a table at the center of the deck.
It’s supposed to attract merpeople. It’s what they’ve been focused on developing these last several months. He rolls his eyes. He’s known his parents are crazy for a while now. There’s no evidence that mermaids existed beyond the typical folklore. But they remain convinced that merpeople were real. They claim that when people drowned at sea their spirits became corrupted and they turned into monstrous creatures of the sea, hell bent on making more people like them.
His parents are convinced that if they could just capture a merperson then they’ll be able to figure out what caused the change and maybe even how to prevent it. But from all the weapons they built, Danny knows his parents are more focused on hunting down the imaginary creatures.
He sighs, turning away from the water. His parents are busy on the other side of the boat. They’re staring into the water, waving other devices around. They’ve got a net gun and a harpoon gun close at hand. They always do when they’re out on the water.
Danny really, really wished they hadn’t convinced him to come out here. They’d promised to take him to the planetarium if he came along to help. He doubts they’ll remember.
But then the boat rocks and Danny stumbles, holding on to the railing to keep from falling. On the other side of the boat his parents are shouting excitedly, grabbing for their weapons.
Danny grimaces. It’s probably just a whale that bumped into the ship or something. It’s happened before. He staggers over hoping to defend whatever poor creature they’ve mistaken for a merperson this time.
“Danny!” his mom calls out. “Come help us! Quickly! We’ve got something!”
Danny hurries over, seeing them struggling to pull up the net they’d shot out. He helps them pull, thinking that he’ll probably have to free whatever poor creature they’ve accidentally caught.
They drag the creature onto the deck, and at first it’s hard to make out what it is. Danny’s no expert on sea creatures, but as his parents exclaim in excitement and run off to get who knows what, Danny gets a better look at the creature.
He inhales sharply when he makes out the creature’s features. Its head looks like a cross between a cow and an elephant with a long nose and tusks. It has two front legs and a long serpentine fish tail. But it’s the creature's eyes that snag Danny’s attention. They’re staring at him, strangely intelligent for what looks like an animal, even if it’s one Danny’s never seen before, even if it’s one he didn’t think could possibly exist. The creature is staring at him, and Danny doesn't think he’s imagining the fear or the desperate plea for help.
He turns to look over his shoulder. His parents still haven’t emerged from below deck. He takes out his pocket knife, and the creature tenses for a second before Danny starts sawing away at the ropes. He works quickly until he can free the creature from the net. It pushes itself up on its front legs, and Danny can only stare as it reaches out with its trunk and gently lays it on his head for a moment before it launches itself back into the sea.
Danny stares after it before he quickly shoves the net into the water. He hates the idea of polluting the ocean, but he doesn’t know how he’ll explain the cut net to his parents. It will be easier to lie and say that the creature started thrashing and fell back into the water.
Then his eyes snap to the device his parents made. Is it actually what attracted the creature? He goes to the device, looking it over. His parents will surely notice if he does something to try and disable it. Could he toss it and the small table overboard and claim the creature knocked them off when it was trying to get free? It doesn't sound very plausible, but Danny’s parents have always been distracted.
He doesn't want his parents to trap any other creatures. He has no idea what that thing was, but he knows his parents would have probably hurt or killed it. Danny doesn’t want that, not for something that looked so intelligent.
He makes his way over to the device, hefting it up in his arms. It’s surprisingly heavy. He looks again toward the door that leads below decks, wondering what’s taking his parents so long. He hopes whatever it is keeps them distracted for a few more minutes.
He carries the machine toward the back of the boat where there’s no railing so he won’t have to lift it as high to toss overboard. He hears a door slam open and jerks around his foot slipping on a puddle of engine oil his parents didn’t bother to clean up. He tries to steady himself, but with the heavy machine in his hands he tips over the edge and into the water.
The water crashes over his head and the machine sparks. Danny has a brief moment to think about how he’s always heard not to let a plugged in hair dryer fall into your filled bathtub because it could shock you.
Then there’s pain, and he tries to scream, but his lungs fill with water, and his vision is going dark. He tries to thrash to the surface, but his body is tingling and won’t respond. His lungs force him to take a breath, but only water rushes into his lungs. His head slams against something, the boat, he thinks but then the black spots take over his vision and consciousness fades.
When he opens his eyes again, he is cold, it is dark, and he can tell that something is very, very different.
ectoberhaunt25
day 15- needle
fandom- dp x dc
tw- injuries and minor suicidal thoughts
summary- Danny is injured and doesn't know where he is
ao3
ectoberhaunt25 masterlist
part 6 of br
When Danny next becomes fully aware he finds himself on a rooftop of a tall building. Dark clouds swirl overhead, and the sound of traffic and sirens comes from below.
Then he becomes aware of his various injuries. He knows he needs to get some of them sewn shut. With how injured he is he’s afraid that his ectoplasm won’t be able to heal him in time if he keeps bleeding. But would that be so bad? His sister… his friends…
He’s all alone, and it’s probably only a matter of time before the GIW find him again. He has no way to get back to the Realms unless he goes to Vlad which he swore he’d never do, not after he saw the man cause the destruction of everything Danny cares about in that alternate timeline.
So, he’s stuck here in the Living Realm.
He needs to treat his injuries. He needs to find out where he is, and he needs to decide what to do next. He pulls himself up, looking around the rooftop where he finds himself. He staggers along the edge of the building, looking for a fire escape. He doesn’t want to use his powers if he can avoid it. He’s too afraid the GIW might be able to track him. Who knows where the GIW are, or how sensitive their scanning equipment is.
He doesn’t want to go back.
He resolves to use his powers as little as possible, and to definitely avoid transforming into Phantom.
He also can’t shake the fear that he’s already inching towards that terrible future. His fraid is gone, and his parents Jack and Maddie are dead. Vlad might decide to take revenge by siding with the League and the GIW again. The JL might listen to them.
All of a sudden the future he’s fought so hard to prevent, seems on the verge of happening. Maybe he should do the world a favor and let himself bleed out. But something keeps pushing him forward. Who knows, maybe Vlad thinks he died too.
He finds a rickety fire escape and slowly makes his way down, wincing as every step jostles his injuries. When he reaches the ground, he finds himself in a dirty alleyway full of overflowing trash bins. He wrinkles his nose at the stench. Though, he supposes, it’s not as bad as the stench of his own burning flesh.
His eyes land on a small shop on the other side of the street. It looks like a general store so they’ll hopefully have a few first aid supplies, or at least a needle and some string. Danny’s not picky. That is, if they even let him into the shop.
He looks down at himself, grimacing at the dirty and torn blood stained clothes he’d found himself in when he’d transformed into his human half.
Oh, well, nothing for it, but to try. He crosses the street and steps into the shop, the little bell above the door jingling. The cashier doesn’t even look up from his phone. Thank goodness for minimum wage workers.
He browses the aisles until he finds a tiny medical section. He’s honestly surprised at the variety. It’s a small section but it carries gauze, needles and thread, various types of bandages, rubbing alcohol, and several other medical supplies Danny doesn’t know the name for. He grabs a package that contains a needle, thread, gauze and some alcohol wipes and heads to the counter.
He sets the items on the counter and the cashier only gives him a brief once over before turning away and scanning the items. Danny bites his lip as he searches his back pocket for the cash he knew he’d shoved in there before this whole ordeal had started. Surprisingly, he finds more money than he remembers putting in there. Definitely more than enough for the burger and fries Danny had been planning on buying from Nasty Burger.
He grabs a granola bar as well.
When he leaves the store he makes his way back to the rooftop where he’d found himself on originally. There isn’t much light, but at least there shouldn’t be any people.
He peels his shirt off and winces at the sight of his torso. He’s lucky his major…injury… was stitched up haphazardly by the GIW after their latest “investigation” before his friends showed up to free him. He doesn't think he would have survived that kind of open wound. Instead he focuses on sewing up the smaller gashes the GIW hadn’t bothered with. He wishes he could take a shower to get rid of all the grime and blood, but that’s not even remotely possible right now.
Maybe later, when he’s feeling a bit better he can briefly use his abilities to sneak into an unoccupied hotel room and shower. For now, he uses the alcohol wipes to get as much as the blood and grime cleaned away from his injuries. It doesn’t do much, but hopefully it will be enough to stave off any infection while his body works on sealing the wounds.
He can sense ectoplasm in the air which should help, though it probably won’t help very much with how polluted it is. The city must not have a very good connection to the Realms so any ectoplasm that gathers from deaths stays stuck here, festering and congealing in dark corners seeping into the buildings, and leaving dirty smears on people.
He sighs, looking around. He could probably spend the night here then look for a better place in the morning when there’s more light. He’s just about to lay back when he hears something from the roof of the building next door.
He peaks around the roof’s AC unit to see two people fighting on the opposite roof. It’s a blur of movement for a few minutes, but then one of the figures comes out victorious. The figure stands, pointed bat ears on display, and Danny swears under his breath.
ectoberhaunt25
day 14- burst
fandom- dpxdc
summary- Danny felt like he was about to burst from nerves
ao3
ectoberhaunt25 masterlist
part 15 of DLM
Danny inhaled shakily, standing outside Bruce’s office. He felt like he was about to burst with nerves, but he needed to do this. He needed to tell him.
Finally, after psyching himself up for five minutes, he knocked.
“Come in.” Bruce called, and Danny slowly opened the door and stepped.
“Hello, Danny.” Bruce said, smiling. Danny fidgeted, and Bruce frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Umm..” Danny started, rubbing his hands together and biting his lip. “Well…” he looked away.
“Danny.” Bruce said quietly. “Look at me.”
Danny glanced up, and Bruce smiled gently at him. “Go ahead and take a seat and take a few deep breaths.”
Danny did so, feeling himself relax slightly. “I didn’t—” he exhaled shakily, “I didn’t escape from the GIW on my own.” he said in a rush. “My… my friends and sister broke in and freed me.” Danny continued quickly, looking down at his lap. If he said it fast enough maybe it would hurt as much. “I was out of it. I don’t— I don’t know what happened to them. After they freed me, the next thing I remember is flying to Gotham. I don’t–” Danny bit his lip, shutting his eyes tightly and clenching his fists.
He gasped slightly when he felt something take one of his hands. His eyes flew open to see Bruce, kneeling in front of him, gently taking Danny’s hands and uncurling his fingers from where his nails had been biting into his palms.
Danny continued in a whisper. “I don’t know if they made it out.”
Bruce was silent for a moment. “We have teams searching GIW bases,” he said. “If they’re in any of them we’ll find them. And we’re going to Amity soon. If they escaped they’ll probably be there. And if they’re not then we’ll have the GIW databases which we can search for any mention of them. We’ll find out what happened.”
“And if they’re…” Danny trailed off unable to finish the thought.
“Then we’ll help you through it, and the GIW will suffer the consequences.” Bruce answered his voice somehow hard and soft all at once.
Danny nodded jerkily. “Okay.”
Bruce smiled at him before standing and pulling Danny to his feet. “Let’s head to the kitchen, I’m sure Alfred has some tea and cookies we can have.”
“I thought we couldn’t have cookies till after dinner?” Danny asked following behind Bruce.
Bruce just smirked at him. “I’m sure we can manage to get our hands on him.
Danny grinned up at him. “I’m not sure I want to risk Alred’s wrath.”
“Hn.” Bruce grunted. “Good point. But I'm sure that if you’re the one to ask him he won’t be able to refuse.”
Danny grinned. He could still feel all the fear and anxiety burrowed deep inside his chest. But knowing that there was someone who was going to help him, someone he could lean on, made the burden a little less heavy.
Soon they’d be in Amity. Soon he’d find out if his friends and sister were still alive. He desperately hoped they were.
