10: The Proposition [1]

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"Fill the blade with your strength Wayne!"

The swords clashed against each other causing the sound of metal ripple down the hill.

I looked at the woman in front as my chest heaved up and down, I was panting for air while beads of sweat trickled down my face, I bit my inner cheeks as I felt like there was a vacuum trying to rip my heart from the inside.

Even with an enhanced body, fighting constantly for 4 hours straight puts a lot of stress on my body. This wasn't a simple fight like the one with the savages, I have to use both my mind and body simultaneously, so I couldn't help but smirk as I saw Sandra, she was in an equally exhausted state, I could see that her movements have become way slower since we started.

Her red tank top was bathed in her sweat, the black sweatpants tucked in due to the wetness and hugged her legs perfectly while I had nothing over me other than black track over my legs.

I gripped the hilt of the sword as I gazed at her, I took a moment and crouched down and moved closer as I noticed she was trying to catch her breath.

The swords clashed once again and this time I made her step back, I could clearly see she was struggling under my strength but she wasn't the one to give up or lose her wits on a momentary defeat.

"Stop trying to win and do it already!" She roared while doing a sidestep, she pulled her katana back and slashed from above while I dodged it by rolling to my right.

I stopped rolling and as I was about to get up, I jerked back as her katana pointed to my face, I frowned at the long shiny blade before tilting my head to look at Sandra's face.

"You have lost." She said, a hint of pride behind her words as she let out a sigh but my next words made her question that decision.

"Did I now?" I smirked as she gazed at my figure in confusion but before she could understand what I meant, I threw my sword at her face.

She didn't expect it but still parried the blade perfectly but by that time I had swept her legs with mine. I snatched her blade as she fell on her side but right before she hit the floor, I enveloped her in my arms.

Sandra stared into my eyes as I held her close, her arm wrapped around my neck while I held her tightly by her hips. her head next to my chest, she was the beating of my heart as we found ourselves at an impasse.

"I won." I muttered without any sort of emotion behind those words.

"I suppose you did." Sandra replied in a low growl. "By throwing away your strongest weapon."

I leaned closer and pulled her up, she landed on her feet and pushed me away as she walked out of the arena, I followed behind her.

"The blade was not my strongest weapon, I am." Her steps halted at my reply, she turned around with her eyes narrowed sharply.

"I'm sure we can all agree on that." I blinked at the sound of Ra and my eyes darted towards the steps beside us as an old figure climbed it up.

"Master." Sandra slightly bowed.

"Ra's." I called out without bothering about the customs.

Right after Talia left me in my chambers, Sandra summoned me to the arena. My training for the day started with climbing a hill with weights tied to my limbs.

Considering how our first interaction ended with me in a cave filled with cannibals, you may have guessed how my training went with her.

Sandra was far stricter than any of the Masters Bruce had trained under, she became more and more demanding every time I completed her tasks and finally called for a duel.

Ra's sighed heavily as he looked at the looming clouds high in the sky and gazed down at us.

"Sandra, leave us." He ordered, Wu-san gave a bow and turned around, her eyes glancing at me one last time before she left the arena.

Ra's turned around and began to walk away, his hands tucked behind his back, his shoulders tensed and his face curled emotionless.

"Would you take a walk with me Bruce?" He asked. His eyes looking over to me hopefully, I reached for my jacket hanging over a bar and covered myself as I followed beside him.

Ra's and I exited the arena, strolling along a trail that led away from the city and up a hill. Upon reaching the hill's summit, my eyes were drawn instinctively to a mansion on the far right, nestled on the opposite side of the hill. It exuded a Victorian-era charm, or perhaps even an older aesthetic.

Ra's paused his steps, fixing his gaze on the picturesque sunset. The red sea shimmered beneath the orange sun, while the horizon gradually swallowed its fading light.

"It's a sight not many get to witness." He mumbled as he looked at me with a smile. "You are one of the very few I shared this with."

I smiled in return.

Ra's exhaled, his face returning to its stoic demeanor. His eyes shifted from the sunset to meet mine. "Tell me, Bruce, do you know when the League was founded?"

I blinked at the sudden question and began to reminisce about the days when Bruce was gathering information about the League. Most of what he found were mere rumors about its existence, while some were conspiracy theories. But Bruce was never one to dismiss conspiracies outright. Confirming an approximate date, I answered.

"I wasn't able to find the exact years of its origin." I replied honestly. Ra's didn't seem disappointed by my answer; he simply raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to continue. "However, I did come across mentions of the League in documents dating back as far as the 12th century. So, if I had to guess, I would say the League has been around for about seven hundred years."

Ra's al Ghul smirked, apparently satisfied with Bruce's deduction.

"You're right." Ra's confirmed.

"Before I founded the League, I was born into a tribe of Chinese nomads in the Arabian peninsula." The old man explained, his mind seemingly transported back to those days.

"I was a physician and a warrior, but my reputation as a healer earned me more recognition than my skill with a blade. Soon, the Sultan heard about my work and summoned me to be the royal physician. That's where I met my first wife, Sora."

Ra's continued, and I listened intently. It had been a while since I'd read about characters like Ra's in comics. Backstories like his weren't fresh in my memory, so this was a chance to learn more about him.

"The Sultan's young prince was a troublesome youth. His eyes were always on Sora. Despite my repeated denials, he remained fixated on her. He was impulsive and headstrong. One day, he fell gravely ill, and the Sultan ordered me to find a cure." Ra's rubbed his forehead as if recalling a tiresome memory.

"I rode across the deserts for days in search of a remedy, and eventually, I found something beyond what I had hoped for."

"The Lazarus Pit." I interjected, earning a smile from Ra's.

"Yes, but by the time I returned, it was too late. The prince had already passed away. Yet, the Sultan was insistent on resurrecting him. Consumed by grief, I obeyed his command and took the prince's lifeless body, along with my wife, to the Lazarus Pit."

"What happened?" I inquired.

"The prince was revived, but he returned as something less than human." Ra's answered with a grim expression. "The Lazarus Pit possessed the power to restore life, but I failed to understand its side effects. While it resurrected him, it also drove him to madness. He emerged from the pit as a vessel of chaos, indiscriminately killing anyone in his path, including my wife."

I remained silent as Ra's took a deep breath, attempting to compose himself.

"With no other choice, I was forced to end the life of the mindless creature he had become. However, the Sultan sought vengeance for his son's death, and he condemned me, along with others, to be cast into the very desert where I had supposedly taken his son's life. Though I should have perished beneath the scorching sun that night, I was saved by my clan."

Ra's clenched his fist and stared at the darkening sky.

"I enacted my vengeance upon the Sultan, bringing ruin to his kingdom. Yet, afterward, I felt an emptiness—no one to love and nothing to live for."

"I despised the Lazarus Pit, convinced that it had cursed me with immortality. I roamed the earth, engaging in one war after another, hoping to fill the void with combat."

Ra's turned to face me and grinned.

"But eventually, I comprehended the truth. The Lazarus Pit doesn't drive a person mad; it amplifies the inner darkness within them. I was the only one to conquer that darkness." He smiled proudly, directing his gaze toward me.

"Until recently." He added, referring to my victory in the Lazarus Pit trial.

"I understood my purpose. From the day of my birth, I had been fighting for it—battling against the inherent evil that all men carry. This evil has scarred the earth time and time again. That's when the League came into existence—to put an end to this evil and restore balance to the world."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I inquired, genuinely curious about where he was heading with his narrative.

"Because the repeated use of the Lazarus Pit is taking a toll on my body. I have at most a few more decades before I succumb to its effects. That's why—"

Ra's placed his arm on my shoulder, giving it a fatherly pat.

"I wish for you to be my successor."

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A/N: Check out the riddle.

answer for the previous: A Clock.

Throw your stones at me like I'm gay on Saudi Arabia.

Suggest me some good songs to hear while I write.

Comment your thoughts about the chapters.

Have a great day. ┌⁠(⁠・⁠.⁠・⁠)⁠┘⁠♪