Arcane: A Stroke of Death [Male Reader]

XVI. Hell is Empty and All the Demons Are Here

Jayce was kneeling over the body of the deceased child, clearly remorseful. (Y/N) could tell he hadn't killed before - and the first one was always the hardest.

"You didn't have a choice," Vi said. "He knew what he was signing up for."

"We're done here," Jayce said, standing up.

"Not even close," (Y/N) said. "This is only the beginning. Silco is still out there somewhere, and he'll come back stronger than before if we don't keep going."

"Do you not understand? I am part of this now! The next parents who get a message their kid isn't coming home... I don't even know where to take it. Do we just leave him here?"

You've always been a part of this," Vi countered. "You just never had to look it in the eye. One dead kid? There's hundreds more where he came from, thanks to Silco, and thanks to people like you who stuck their heads in the dirt."

"This is over," Jayce said, grabbing his hammer.

"Not for us," (Y/N) said, drawing his staff while Vi raised her gauntlets.

Jayce looked at the gauntlets. "Take those off."

"Make me," Vi said, clearly ready for another fight.

"I can't let you leave with them."

"Then I guess you'll need to kill a couple more trenchers."

Jayce sighed and walked off. "You won't make it alone," He called back.

(Y/N) and Vi looked at the giant tank of Shimmer. She raised one of her gauntlets, and he raised his staff, tapping the two together before swinging them both into the glass chamber.

"What Jayce said about making it alone..." Vi started. "Do you think he's right?"

(Y/N) collapsed his staff. "Yeah. But I have a plan for that."

"Which is?"

"You've got a score to settle with Silco's second-in-command. Taking her off the board will make it easier for us."

"And you?"

"I'm gonna pay Penguin a visit."

Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, was sitting on his throne in the Iceberg Lounge, flanked by four of his guards and Firefly.

Firefly had returned late the night before, soaked in water and going on about Deathstroke. Penguin knew that Electrocutioner, Deadshot, and Copperhead had all been taken down by his former assassin but hadn't expected Firefly to be beaten.

Now, it was his last stand.

Penguin had chosen the Lounge to be his fortress, surrounding it with his men and weapons he doubted Deathstroke could get through.

He had been waiting for nearly an hour when a scream suddenly came from outside, followed by gunshots, followed by more silence.

Deathstroke was in the Final Offer now, and Penguin had no way of knowing where he was. He was a ghost.

Penguin's heart rate began to increase. Where was Deathstroke?

The doors to the Iceberg Lounge burst open. Penguin's guards raised their rifles and fired into the doorway, while Firefly retreated and lit his flamethrower.