Strike with Light

[batdweeb]

{Backdated: Can take place anywhere from July 1 to July 25, since he's going out on multiple nights.}

[ As dangerous as the Nox Carnival had been, it had at least given the Batman something simple to fight against. However, the satisfaction of helping clear the carnival of darkness had only gone a small way to alleviating the frustration of having been trapped in Freesia for months. ]

[ To that end, he'd stopped concentrating on his lost equipment and studying the city. Instead, the Batman would go out every other night and patrol Freesia, hunting down any Nox and Rifts lurking in the shadows. ]

[ They'd gone back to being roughly the size of rats and cats ever since the Nox Carnival, and both Nox and the Rifts they came out of could be dealt with in a literal flash. And since they were relatively easy to deal with so far, the Batman had felt justified in avoiding any citizens or other abductees that came out at night. Working alone was... simpler, right now. ]

[ Of course, complicating his attempts to fly under the radar was his magic. ]

[ As effective as it was against the Nox, bright flashes of light were very noticeable after dark, even from a distance. He had experimented with the visibility, changing the colors, trying to make it less glaring, but when a rat-shaped Nox was launching itself at his face, it was hard to be concerned with the obviousness of his attacks. ]

[ Eventually, anybody wandering around at night is going to notice those flashes of light in the distance. ]

Comments

[letteropener]

[Not many other people might think to notice a pony flying through the sky, particularly as she took note in turn of the flashes down below. But the rustle of air through wings as they flap has a noise, if a quiet one.]

[Also, it helps that Celestia isn't inclined to sneak up on anypony, so as she approaches the familiar figure, she calls out a greeting from up above.]

Good evening!

[batdweeb]

[Even if she were so inclined, it's hard to sneak up on the Batman.]

[The Batman stills as she approaches, his cloak falling about him and blending most of his figure in with the shadows.]

Your highness.

Didn't take you for a night owl.

[letteropener]

I have never had the chance before. Best to take it.

[She drops down quite gracefully, her shoes touching the ground and then taking her weight as casually as could be.]

Are you doing well, after recent events?

[batdweeb]

As well as ever.

[However well that is. Celestia may have noticed that the Batman isn't exactly expressive.]

Surely this isn't the first time you've been up at night?

[letteropener]

[Yes, she had gotten that impression.]

Whether I go out at night or sleep, the sun must always rise in the morning. So any late nights I put in only cost me, and thus my subjects. And certainly, distances didn't allow me to travel from Canterlot to other cities casually.

[batdweeb]

So you didn't leave home much?

[As he speaks, the Batman turns to walk on- he hasn't finished his patrol for the night- but he moves slowly, allowing Celestia to accompany him if she wishes.]

By the way, have you seen anything of the Nox whenever you've stayed out late?

[letteropener]

Not at night. When I did, it was usually quite formal, with a procession and a chariot and guards and all such things. [She shakes her head, then turns to his other, weightier question. Not that he has to fear outdistancing her -- she is a flying pony, after all.]

I see them here and there -- small ones, not particularly aggressive.

[batdweeb]

And what if you wanted to be alone?

[The Batman gaze drifts around the street as they walk, still on the look out for Nox activity.]

They come out more at night, and they never seem to be far from the Rifts they came out of, but I haven't been able to pin down any patterns as to where the Rifts will spring up.

[letteropener]

Being alone outside one's private chambers is not a prerogative of royalty. [On rare occasion, she could swing it, but not often, and not for long.]

Most likely, the Rifts obey some logic or pattern we cannot detect or perceive.

[batdweeb]

So we need more data.

[Which has remained the biggest problem since arriving at Freesia- not enough information, and not enough resources.]

Besides keeping track of their whereabouts, I've also been looking for any residue that the Rifts might be leaving after being destroyed. I've also tried studying the Rifts while they're still open, but the Nox are more aggressive the closer you are to the Rift, and my equipment hasn't been able to make heads or tails of the Rifts regardless.

[letteropener]

And I lack the necessary magic to do so -- well, that I would typically use. You have been given powers like mine, here, ones that stand in antithesis to the Nox... have you attempted to use them in the course of the analysis? It may at least provide us a sense of location and strength.

[batdweeb]

So far those powers hasn't been useful for much besides dissolving the Nox, or providing the occasional flashlight.

[Still, when the Batman frowns, it's more in a thoughtful manner than anything else.]

But then, I haven't dealt with anything quite like this before.

[letteropener]

Speaking from experience in the matter, a great talent is all about both its applications and its ramifications. The smallest powers are the most straightforward, but magic such as we possess runs deeper than simply 'making a light'.

You must simply find those applications and ramifications through experience, practice, and a little luck.

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Someone else is patrolling, and having a significantly less easy time of it. Sure, the Nox around the city aren't that tough, but Casey also doesn't have that much control over his powers still.

...And also the stupid things are shaped like rats, which he hates, and there's no joy in smacking a filthy diseased rat with a baseball bat if it just comes back. There doesn't even seem to be any crime on the streets he could handle.

There was something else though...Casey'd seen the flash of light come from some alleyway, which he was used to, but what he wasn't used to was some guy in a dorky bat spandex. A vigilante like himself, perhaps, but still in a black suit...Wait, did that make him one of the shadow monster's allies or something? He was using light, but maybe that was part of a clever ploy to trick him or the other warriors around here.

If the guy turned, Casey was prepared to duck out of sight as he peaked around the corner to watch. He'd have to tail the batguy somehow. He'd already done it once with a ninja, so how hard could this be?

[batdweeb]

[A small cluster of rat Nox were creeping towards the Batman, making strange, whispering noises. The Batman stayed still, one arm raised near his face, as the rats crept closer and closer.]

[They were nearly to the edges of his cape when the Batman stomped his foot, and a wave of light shot out along the ground. The Nox screeched, the smaller rats dissolving and the larger ones scattering in all directions.]

[One of them was scurrying towards the street where Casey was, and it was that one the Batman turned to watch as it hurried away.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[The rat stopped at the end of the alley to look very intently at something to the left of it, before running that way, and some scuffling sounds.

Casey tried very very hard not to let it run up his leg and then, when it did exactly that, he tried very very hard not to scream. It hadn't been as bad since he fought a guy called the freakin' Rat King, but phobias don't go away that easy. Which sucked.

He couldn't help the whine when he managed to kick the thing off, sending it flying past the opening to the alley and leaving him breathing much harder (and louder) than he realized he was.]

[batdweeb]

[The Batman's eyes narrowed as the rat Nox inexplicably had its attention caught by something to the left, and when it ran off he slowly moved forward, until the rat was quite suddenly flying past the alleyway entrance.]

[Even if the Batman hadn't had sharp enough hearing to catch that whine and the heavy breathing, the way the rat had been thrown was enough to make it clear he wasn't alone.]

[Casey would hear a sharp wshht! followed by a metallic clatter, as the Batman suddenly turned and used his bat-grappler to reach the top of a nearby fire escape.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Casey turned back to the alley just in time to watch the Batman fly up with his grappling hook. He would have to climb the thing, but there was no way he could climb the thing as fast as he'd need to to be able to tail the guy.

Unless he had a grappling hook. He made a mental note to make a grappling hook of his own once he could afford the materials.

Anyway, he could try to track the guy if he followed on the ground, watching for him to jump from building to building, but there was no guarantee he'd be able to do that long before he hit a dead end.

Fine, up the fire escape as quickly as he can. Let's hope his goalie gloves will muffle at least some of the sound.]

[batdweeb]

[The Batman glanced down, very briefly.]

[Once Casey was making his way up the fire escape, the Batman climbed onto the railing of the fire escape and up onto the roof of the building. The roof was flat, but for the various vents and air conditioners, and it didn't take long for him to sprint across and reach the opposite end of the building.]

[The buildings were close enough together that he didn't need a grappling hook to jump onto the next one.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[The guy was kind of hard to see in the dark, which...was probably the point. But Casey knew a thing or two about tracking things in the dark, a skill that came in handy when a turtle ninja was playfully sneaking up on him.

Casey ducked behind the stairwell on the roof to let Batman get a little bit of distance, and then moved to follow. Fortunately, Casey was good enough with roof-hopping that he can easily follow.]

[batdweeb]

[It would be a straightforward chase at first. The Batman would be running, with a surprising amount of silence, across one rooftop, then a quick leap and he would be running across the next, weaving around any obstacles in the way.]

[However, his speed would be steadily increasing the longer Casey chased him.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[The skates make keeping up with him easy - well, OK they make it possible, but Casey is able to keep up at least. He's no stranger to dodging stuff as he runs, and he's no stranger to speedy roof-hopping...

Which is probably why he doesn't expect to lose his footing on the edge of the roof. He's always been willing to sacrifice sure footing for the speed and ability to grind, but this time he just can't correct himself and falls backwards. There's a fire escape under him to keep the fall from being fatal, but he's gonna slam it hard either way.]

[batdweeb]

[The whirring and grinding of wheels against asphalt isn't loud, but it's one way for the Batman to keep track of someone tailing him. And when that same noise turns into a frenzied sort of scraping, that's enough to get him to look back.]

[For a moment, the Batman's heart is in his mouth as he sees Casey fall backwards- only a moment, before he remembers that he saw a fire escape before hopping onto this roof. But it's possible the person following him could still be hurt, so Batman hurries to the edge of the building to peer down at Casey.]

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Definitely not the worst injury he's ever suffered, but it still smarts, and he grunts painfully when he hits, the sound mixing with the clang and clatter of his stuff against the metal grate in a chorus of painful noise.

It takes him a few moments to put his jangled brain back together and pull himself up to a sitting position, but he won't be able to get any farther than that until the sting in the back of his head goes away and he can take stock of everything else that he hurt. He hisses and groans, rubbing the back of his head, and looked up. He can't gauge exactly how far he's fallen. The most coherent thought that surfaces through the haze of pain and head injury was that the guy must have gotten away.

...Or he could be peering over the roof to look at him. If he hadn't just banged his head, he might have an answer for that. For now he just squints through the stars he's seeing.]

[batdweeb]

[The Batman would indeed be peering down at Casey, kneeling on the edge of the roof, tensing, prepared to spring back if necessary. Fortunately, judging by the groaning and his position on the fire escape, Casey would need at least a few moments before he tried anything. If he could at all.]

[Casey's injuries were a higher priority at the moment, anyway. The Batman spoke:]

How's your head?