GOTHAM KNIGHT: YEAR THREE-VOLUME TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: THE LABYRINTH

After walking through this maze for hours, Batman began coughing as he heard a voice say, "you cannot escape this Mr. Wayne", "you cannot escape, your destiny", it said again. "This...this isn't really", he said allowed, using the walls to support himself. "Believe me, this is real", the voice responded through the speakers.

SOMETIME LATER, THE BAT-BUNKER:
"I'm going out there", Dick told After as he suited up in his Robin suit, "if Master Wayne has been taken by The Court, what makes you think that they're not going to come for you?!", Alfred responded, "it's a risk I'm gonna have to take, where was Bruce headed?", Dick asked.

A short while later, Dick as Robin had been searching The Bowery, and discovered the Batmobile parked in a back alley. He checked the car, however there was no sign of Bruce or Batman, so he proceeded to investigate the scene. Suddenly, Robin noticed a blood trail, as if someone was crawling, as well as a wire which looks like it could have been connected to a grapple gun. "Alfred, I think The Court really are involved in this. I'm gonna stick around to see if I can find anymore clues", Robin told Alfred using the comms.

MEANWHILE, UNKNOWN LOCATION:
Batman continued to struggle through the corridors, as he heard the voice say, "you look tired, why don't you drink the water ?", as he came facing a huge water fountain, with a large owl statue as its centre piece. "You didn't think we'd let you die just like this, did you ?", the voice said, as Batman slowly walked towards the water, which looked crystal clear, and fresh. "Nice trick", Batman said, as he looked at the camera, "and if it isn't ?", the voice responded, "I'd drink if I were you Bruce, if you want to survive the trial, that is". Batman placed his finger tips in the water, licking a tiny drop of it, however it didn't taste any different to normal water. He continued to drink the water, using his hand as a cup, and began to feel a bit strange after a short while, "you would...have killed me anyway", Batman said, as the voice
responded, "our intention isn't to kill you Mr. Wayne, like I said, this is purely a trial".

As Batman continued through this Labyrinth, he began to feel stronger, however something still felt off.

Proceeding further through the maze, he found a body, lying at the end of it. As he got closer to the body, he noticed that this body was wearing a Robin suit. His heart was pounding, racing towards the body, he kneeled down to see Dick, lying dead in his suit. Bruce closed his eyes,  trying to escape this alternate reality that felt so real, and heard the voice question, "what happens when you send the boy wonder to do a man's job?", "what are you trying to prove?!", Batman cried in anger, as he saw nothing but red as his eyes were full of rage and confusion.

After time had passed, Batman ran through the Labyrinth, until he discovered a metal red door, which he pulled the handle and kicked open. At the other side of the door, revealed even more of the Labyrinth, "didn't think it'd be that easy, did you ?", the voice said.

After even more hours of him walking the Labyrinth, he found another red door, which took him into a dimly lit corridor, which looked and smelled like an old mansion. After seeing nothing but the white concrete for hours, this was nice for Bruce's eyes and head.

As he walked through the corridors, he noticed it was lit up by candles, as portraits were hung up onto the walls. As he looked at the faces, they were of famous Gotham celebrities, until he came across one, a face he recognised, Alan Wayne, his great-great-grandfather. His great-great-grandfather was apart of The Court Of Owls?, he thought to himself, as he continued to look at the portraits.

Continuing to investigate, he found Talon armour on stands, all lined up through the corridors. He also noticed paintings of people who work for Wayne Enterprises, as well as his father, Thomas Wayne. This broke his heart inside, as he closed his eyes for a moment, turned away from the painting, as he didn't want to look at his father, if this was all true.

After time, he had searched every room, except one which led him to another Labyrinth, however this one was flooded, and Batman walked through it with the water up to his knees, however as he continued to walk, it on my got deeper.

As he finally reached the end of the Labyrinth, with the water reaching his chest, still behind able to walk through it though, he found, standing on top of the concrete wall at the end, a group of Court members, wearing suits and dresses, with the white masks. "Well, well, look who finally made it...you survived", one of them said, standing at the front, wearing a black suit with a red tie, next to a blonde haired woman, wearing a red dress. "Might wanna get this leak fixed", Batman responded sarcastically, "so this was it, you wanted me to join your cult just because of my ancestors and power?", he questioned. "Your father was a great asset to The Court, we're terribly sorry for what happened to him", the Court member replied. "Enough of the crap", "I want a meeting with the true leader of The Court Of Owls, the one who is behind everything", Batman ordered, "you will...one day", "in the mean time, we have one final challenge for you", the member told him. "Great, another game. And that is ?", Batman asked, "trial by combat", the member told him.

Sometime later, Batman had entered a large, grand room, surrounded by people wearing rich suits, dressed and the masks, while Batman entered the centre of the room.  Entering the scene, came several Talon's and Court members, "bring it on...", Batman told them, as he began to fight the wave of Court members. Giving one of the members in a white mask, a kick to the face, an elbow in the face to another, throwing a Batarang at another, destroying his mask, they all viscously attacked Batman. This was a survival of the fittest, however, his only major challenge was the Talon's. One of them leaped forward with a sword, as he caught it, punched him in the face with full force, disarming him throwing the sword past a few members into the wall. He noticed the way that some of the Talon's were getting backup was unnatural, as they sprung back up, inhuman like, so he decided to equip to Batarang's, hold them as weapons and go all in, destroying all these Talon's with all he'd got. Brutally snapping their skinny bones, and then unmasked one of them, revealing the face of an extremely old being, almost skeleton and zombie like, "what the-", he said, whilst suddenly he felt a force grapple him from his cape and drag him across the ground, as he reached the feet of a very similar looking Talon to who he met at Wayne Tower. "Batman, The Court Of Owls has sentenced you, to die!", the Talon told him, as Batman jumped up using his legs, got into a stance, as Talon now equipped two small knives, with his hands. As the two fought, more aggressively than before, with Talon actually stabbing him a few times, feeling the sharp, discomfort throughout his body, with blood dripping from him, everywhere he moved. Suddenly, Batman had a boost of adrenaline, as he charged towards Talon, however Talon took a step out, just dodging Batman,  "well, well, still some fight in you, I see", as Batman groaned, proceeding to swing punches at Talon, however he dodged them all, and then caught one punch with his fist. "Didn't you try that the other night?", Talon questioned rhetorically, seeing Bruce was severely weakened, and blood was all over the floor, "one a man full of vengeance, powerful, striking fear into the no gooder's of this city, and now...you're just a dead, weak man, like your Father", as Talon attempted to stab Batman again, Batman caught the blade with his hands, in a battle with Talon forcing it towards Batman, whilst Batman defended, forcing it away from him. Batman then sweeped Talon's legs, causing him to fall to the ground, as Batman climbed on top of him, constantly punching him in the head, stabbing Talon in the shoulder, and then punching him again, whilst then throwing the knife at an incoming Court member. Batman then proceeded to punch the half-conscious Talon, feeling very weakened, and after the fight, the remaining court members began to flee.

After the fight, Batman struggled as he held himself up, using the walls, and applied pressure on a stab wound, as he proceeded to walk the corridors of wherever this was to escape.

After he reached the end of the corridor, he discovered a room, made of stone, with a stone table in the centre, with stone gargoyles of Owl's on the walls.

Moments later, he found what looked to be a hidden staircase going upwards, meaning someone had not long came down here. As he walked up the stair case,  he entered what looked to be a mansion, very old, possibly abandoned, looking like a haunted house out of a movie it reminded Bruce of.

He had now entered the main mansion, as he used his grapple gun, to grapple out of the window, onto a building outside, whilst the glass shattered. Moments later, after reaching the rooftop, he recognised The Court base was underneath The Powers Club, an old abandoned mansion. Though, feeling exhausted, Bruce thought that they possibly wanted him to escape, because why didn't they send more Talon's after him?.

TO BE CONTINUED, IN 'CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: IN SEARCH FOR THE BATMAN'