Shadow Monarch in DC

Chapter 532: A Deal with the Main Man - 2

The bar was in chaos the moment Lobo entered, Neon lights flickered in erratic patterns across the ceiling, casting shifting shadows across a menagerie of alien faces. Lobo sat across from Arthur and Raven, his leather jacket creaked with every movement, he downed his drink in one gulp, a concoction that would have killed a lesser being, and slammed the glass on the table with a grin that showed too many teeth.

"So, Shadow Bastard," he said, "Let’s say I find this Grail chick. What do you want me to do once I find her? You see usually I just kill my targets and bring their heads to the people who wish to pay."

Arthur’s voice was flat, his violet eyes fixed on the bounty hunter. "Well, just report back. Or you don’t really have to. I’ll find you."

Lobo laughed. "Oh no, you don’t." He jabbed a thick finger at Arthur. "I will not let you put a leech on me. I know how your power works, I fought you, if you don’t seem to remember. And you failed to kill me." His grin widened, his teeth gleaming in the neon light. "Hahahah!"

Arthur’s expression didn’t change. "Not how I remember. I did kill you, you just refuse to die." He paused. "And you failed to kill me, I wouldn’t call our ’fight’ a fight."

Lobo waved a dismissive hand, his grin never faltering. "As far as I’m concerned, I fulfilled my task. And I got the bounty." He shrugged, a casual roll of his massive shoulders. "Bats also paid me quite well to get the hell out of Earth. I refuse to remain there, that planet is dull."

Arthur’s eyebrow rose. "You were a prisoner, though."

Lobo’s expression shifted, he was a being who had never admitted defeat in his existence. "I don’t remember anything like that."

He turned to Raven, his grin returning. "Your boyfriend is lying."

Raven’s voice was flat, unimpressed. "Sure."

Lobo’s eyes swept over Arthur. "You know that Darkseid is trouble, right? You sure you want to mess with his daughter?" He leaned back, gesturing vaguely with a thick hand. "You don’t have enough women? Are you building a harem? The Supergirl and Miss Darkness over here ain’t enough for ya?"

Raven’s cheeks flushed, a rare moment of genuine embarrassment. "It is not like that!"

Lobo’s grin widened, his red eyes were almost glowing. "It sure is to me."

Raven’s jaw tightened, her composure reasserting itself. "Look! we simply have to find them. Especially that Dragon Monarch, that’s all."

Lobo’s expression shifted, the humor fading, he leaned forward, his massive frame casting a shadow across the table. "Yeah, well, the daughter of Darkseid is no problem for me. But this Dragon fellow..." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "Describe him. What does he look like? His race. Everything you know, I’ll need every little detail." His voice hardened, "I need information, because I have no fucking clue who this lord of dragons is."

Raven looked at Arthur.

Arthur was silent for a long moment, his violet eyes fixed on the table, his mind turning over the words he was about to speak. When he finally looked up, his expression was calm.

"Very few knew about his existence," he said, his voice flat. "This one is not from this universe. You are probably aware, but there is a multiverse out there. This one is formerly a human from Earth, a different Earth, a human just like myself." He paused. "Just as the name suggests, he wields an army of dragons. But they don’t follow him everywhere he steps foot. He keeps his army in different dimensions while he traverses the universe alone."

Lobo’s eyebrow rose. "So he’s a lone wolf? I like him already."

"Not exactly." Arthur’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping. "I cannot detect him, he wishes not to be found by me. And I’m sure he can’t detect me as well. But he knows Earth, so detecting me is pointless because he knows where I am."

Lobo waved a hand impatiently. "Sad story bohoo. Get to the point, will ya?"

Arthur sighed a long, slow exhale that seemed to drain the last of his patience. "You’ll probably notice that he emits a certain type of energy. One that is similar to my own."

Lobo’s brow furrowed. "And how the fuck am I supposed to.."

Raven’s hand rose, cutting him off. "Shhh."

Lobo’s mouth snapped shut, his eyes widening with surprise at the casual dismissal. "Did she just shush the Main Man?"He whispered that, looking at Arthur.

Raven’s eyes glowed faintly, the power within her stirring to life. Her fingers traced a pattern in the air, a spell of detection, of attunement, of connection. It settled over Arthur, then transferred to Lobo with a whisper of dark magic that seemed to vibrate through the very air.

Lobo’s eyes widened. His hand shot to his chest, his breath catching. "What did you just do?"

Raven’s smile was serene, "Currently, you sense some sort of energy from Arthur, aren’t you?"

Lobo looked at Arthur. His expression shifted, surprise was written all over his face. He studied the Shadow Monarch with new eyes, his red eyes narrowing as he processed the sensation.

"What kind of hocus pocus is this..." He shook his head slowly, his voice carrying a note of genuine bewilderment. "Pretty dark aura you got around you... not bad..."

Raven’s smile widened. "You sense that? That’s Primordial Darkness, some call it Great Darkness, you’ll be able to sense the same thing from this Dragon fellow. It will help you find him, this spell will only be active for three days at best."

Lobo was silent for a long moment, his massive frame still, his red eyes fixed on Arthur. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.

"Fine." He nodded slowly. "Usually I don’t need help. But I’ll agree to it, just this once."

He leaned back, his grin returning with renewed vigor.

"As for my payment.. I’ll take human precious stones."

Arthur’s eyebrow rose. "That’s it?"

Lobo laughed. "I forgot to mention it, but I bounty hunt for fun. Money is just something I use to refuel, arm myself, nothing more." His eyes gleamed with dark humor. "Even though I also don’t need weapons..." He cracked his knuckles, the sound like rocks grinding together. "You already felt my fist, Shadow."

Arthur’s lips curved, just slightly. "I did, you could use some training."

"So, are you going now?" Arthur asked.

Lobo shook his head, settling deeper into his chair. "No. Let’s have a few drinks, you seem like a decent fellow. I almost regret hunting you."

Raven sighed.

"It’ll be funny if you knew who put a bounty on your head." Lobo said.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed, the violet glow intensifying. "It was Darkseid."

Lobo mimicked the sound of a computer error, a sharp, buzzing noise that drew a few curious glances from nearby patrons. "Nah uh. Buuut..." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur, "I’d say he was the real one who wanted you dead. But no... it wasn’t him who directly hired me."

Arthur’s voice carried a note of genuine curiosity. "Who, then?"

Lobo’s grin was sharp, this was a secret he was clearly enjoying keeping. "I’ll tell you once this job is over."

Arthur’s voice was flat. "Damn it, I can’t even kill you and make your shadow answer instead."

Lobo raised his glass, the gesture theatrical, grand and he laughed.

"You can try and kill me later, but first, cheers!"

The glasses clinked, three of them, each carrying a different liquid