Justice League of America - Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant (best english novels to read .txt) 📗

Cassandra paid off her driver, and minutes later Jenny's fifteen-year-old Nissan compact was heading for the city limits. The springs in the passenger seat had worn out years ago, and Cassandra squirmed uncomfortably as they raced toward the freeway on-ramp at almost double the speed limit.

The flaming sword arced downward, with all of Peter's strength behind it.

Taken unaware, his bull-headed foe had no time to react. The gleaming blade sliced through the animal skins, biting deep into the shaman's flesh, sending him toppling to the sandy floor of Peter's imagined arena.

The monster rose on one elbow, its other hand swinging the razor-sharp stone ax it held. Peter's sword arced again, and the weapon went careening from the shaman's hand.

This is too easy!

Peter almost laughed as a flood of elation surged through him. To think he'd crouched, cowering and quivering as he tried to conceal himself in his own mind, terrified of this entity! And now he had it at his mercy.

The flaming sword rose and fell, time and again, splashing gouts of blood in the air. But Peter gave no quarter, and continued to hack frenziedly at the shaman's body long after there was any need.

Batman was beginning to wonder if he was fighting some minor image version of himself.

Every attack he launched was effectively parried. Karate, kick-boxing, jujitsu–his opponent seemed to know them all, and defended itself accordingly.

A brutal chop was deflected by a scaly elbow. A stunning chest kick was stopped by a cross-wristed block. Even aikido–a martial arts system that uses the attacker's strength against him–proved of no value. Only the occasional blow landed home, and then more by luck than by judgment. When it did, the creature made no sound and gave no sign that it felt pain.

By the same token, Batman managed to repel the lizardlike humanoid every time it became the aggressor. Booted feet and gauntleted hands warded off a succession of blows flung at him from every conceivable angle. When one of the beast's blows struck home, Batman grunted and rolled with the impact.

The confrontation was more like a ballet than a battle.

Almost as if we're perfectly suited to each other, Batman thought, failing to connect with a wild, swinging kick. He ducked under the inevitable counterattack, deflecting a punch with an upraised forearm. As if whoever controls this creature is providing only so much energy, and no more. As if he's conserving his power for something else.

It could only be the Stone King.

Batman ducked a flurry of punches, slipping open a pouch in his Utility Belt. He had something here that ought to give him the edge. His hand closed around a vial inside the pouch. Scarecrow's special fear gas might turn the fight in his favor.

But as Batman prepared to lob the vial, his foe struck. Its tail lashed out like a whip, the spiked knob at the end ripping painfully into Batman's arm. The vial went flying from his numbed fingers, landing on a patch of grass growing between the stones.

The Dark Knight didn't waste time cursing his ill fortune. He aimed a series of rapid kicks at his misshapen opponent, using the time they bought him to slide his bola from its pouch. Holding it firmly by the center, where the three thongs met, he started it spinning with a flick of his wrist Each thong was tipped with a small lead weight, the weighted ends singing as they quickly whipped up speed.

Extending his hand with the whirling bola in front of him, Batman lunged at his foe.

The weights thudded into the side of the beast's scaly head, one after the other in quick succession, with enough power to knock out a horse. The lizardman fell back, momentarily stunned, and Batman tried to press home his advantage.

Again the three whirling balls powered into the creature's head. But this time, it didn't react. Instead, with greatly increased strength, it delivered a savage backhand blow that sent Batman smashing against the pyramid's rock face.

Looks like there's something in my theory, he mused, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth. It came back at me like a powerhouse when it needed to.

Using the pyramid wall as a springboard, Batman backflipped to evade another smashing blow. A clawed fist slammed into the stonework with an impact that sent fragments of granite flying. Batman's hand snapped to his Utility Belt, trying to decide whether it had really been such a good idea to test his theory, after all.

J'onn J'onzz was faring little better against the creature that had gone for him. When he flew, it flew. When he landed a blow with Martian superstrength, the beast reeled, but recovered to strike back immediately. Similarly, when its slashing claws struck him, his near-invulnerability shrugged off the attack.

As if it's only trying to delay me, he thought.

The moon had come out from behind the clouds. The huge white disk cast an almost surreal light on the scene.

J'onn! Manhunter heard Batman's telepathic call.

They'd been aware of each other during their individual fights, but only peripherally, with all their attention focused on their opponents.

Manhunter risked a glance along the course, and paid immediately for his indiscretion as the lizardman struck him in the thigh. But he'd had time to see Batman retreating before the other creature's maniacal onslaught, its daws raking, jaws slavering, spiked tail twitching as it sought an opening for the kill.

This one's power seems to be wavering, Batman thought. Might be a good time to switch dancing partners. Batman used his wrist to block a chopping blow. Now!

J'onn had also felt a slump in his own foe's power levels, as if whoever was controlling it had more pressing business to attend to. Immediately, J'onn used one of the unusual Martian powers that were his birthright. He thought hard, and the light waves striking him responded somehow to his conscious will, bending themselves around him.