5: The League Of Assassins [3]

I look around the pit and all I see is looming darkness, pitch black. The flashes of spectrum from the torch illuminate a better part but it won't be consistent and won't be long until it runs out of juice.

I take in a long breath collecting myself, trying to extend my senses to get an idea of what's out there but surprisingly I can't feel anything.

'It's the structure, your focus is getting bent back, blocking yourself out from concentrating on a specific spot, we are either in a tunnel or a dome, stay silent and try to lower your presence as much as you can.'

Yeah, yeah, sure, totally possible, it's not like I'm carrying a ball of fire in my hands.

'Throw the torch away or find a stand.'

I sighed, mentally exhausted at his words and walked ahead, waving the torch as I made my way.

I tried to raise the fire to take a look at the ceiling in case I was stuck in a tunnel but I couldn't find the roof.

I felt a cold breeze above my cheek and my steps halted briefly as I heard footsteps following closely behind.

'We are not alone.'

I should have turned around to find the origin of the noise but decided against it as I felt like it was an obvious trap.

'We don't have an idea about the premise, keep moving.'

Bruce urged and I followed without complaint, I kept walking for a while without minding the multiple steps behind, they were still far but they have increased in number and their distance is decreasing every second.

After a few minutes of walking I stumbled my foot against a layer of sand brick, I lowered the torch and found a small staircase leading up to a pyramidal structure, possibly an ancient altar of sorts.

I turned around one last time and just for a moment caught a glimpse of a black silhouette before it escaped from my view.

'Move faster, they are close.'

He didn't need to say twice as I was already on my way up the stairs, I skipped steps and ran up while keeping a note of both the sides.

The final layer of bands came undone as the torch glowed brighter, I have a maximum of 3 minutes before I lose the light and I don't really want that. Whatever they are, I'm sure their eyes have already adjusted to the darkness, they have an advantage and I don't want to give them anymore.

I stopped running as I reached the top of the stairs and stood on an oval platform, it was a stage with a broken black square, Greek writings on its sides and center, confirming my previous suspicion of this place being an altar.

'Get closer to the center, stay on top and get ready to fight, our chance of winning has just increased.'

It was common knowledge to have and hold high ground in a fight, I turned back and waited patiently for whatever was coming up but instead of footsteps I began to hear growls.

'Step back and calm your breathing.'

I stood over the altar and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the upcoming fight and just as I breathed out, I sniffed the air back at the hint of a familiar scent.

I looked down at the sides of the altar and they had a water way but filled with black liquid, I knelt down and dipped my fingers into the dark fluid before sniffing it.

'Oil.'

"Fuck it"

I dropped the torch inside it as flames bursted up, the altar had a connection with the rest of the structure and the fire seemed to spread, illuminating the edges of the building and before long I found myself inside a huge domed arena.

""Garhhh!!""

My eyes darted away from the spreading fire and landed on the shabby figures kneeling on the stairs while trying to cover their eyes and growling at the fire.

They roared at the light and tried to fight it but when they found it was useless, they turned their anger towards me.

While they rushed towards me in rage, I was able to get a fine look at them, they were all humans except I couldn't find any traces of intelligence behind their eyes.

All of them were naked with their hair grown into a thick layer, their skin was blackened, their nails were overgrown and all their teeths were turned into sharp canines, they'd only resemble humans figuratively.

I sidestepped from the incoming slash and caught it's neck, there was no misdirection or feint, they attacked me out of pure instinct and possibly hunger.

I clutched its neck tighter without bothering about its cry and smashed its head against the ground, cracking it further in the process.

I looked around and saw three of them come closer. I used the one I caught as a shield to push them back but it didn't help a lot as they pushed me back with brute force and tried to take a bite of my arms.

"Arghh!"

I locked my stance and forced the savages against the small bridge of the altar as fire consumed all its sides, they kept resisting but I finally managed to make them step back and pushed them into the fire.

While they were screaming in agony I turned back to the stairs, they were ineffective in the fight but they countered it with their numbers.

I counted at least 30 of them and many more were coming from the caves and tunnels connected to the arena.

This is going to be a long fight.

'Behind you.'

I turned around smashing my fist against one's face, breaking it's jaw in the process as I pushed it back down the stairs.

.....

Ra watched silently as the young man fought against the savages, he narrowed his eyes as Bruce pushed a multiple of them into the flames.

He had been observing Wayne for a while, even before he extended an invitation to the League of Assassins and the kid always had a hesitation to deliver the finishing blow.

Bruce Wayne was deeply traumatized by the death of his parents, and he could never bring himself to take a life. This aspect greatly disappointed Ra, who believed in the saying, 'A golden blade isn't worth anything if it's blunt.' Despite Bruce's impressive skills and unwavering determination to better himself, his unwillingness to deliver a fatal blow cast a negative light on him in the eyes of the elders of the League. They saw his moral hesitation as a weakness and a hindrance to becoming a true and effective warrior.

A sentiment that Ra shared but right now, Bruce didn't seem to be bothered about the moral value and was pushing these savages to their deaths without remorse, even if he thought them as mindless brutes, it was still a big leap on his morality and it impressed Ra.

'Good, he is improving.' Ra nodded in acceptance.

His eyes moved away from Wayne and landed on the savages, they were once a foolish group of rebels occupying this city before he took over.

He had planned to finish them for good but it was his daughter, who suggested turning them into prisoners and leaving them in the pit to starve but with time, they have turned into a group of cannibals.

Killing the weakest ones and resorting to cannibalism for survival truly reflects the dark reality of the world, something that Ra despises witnessing. It's precisely this grim state of affairs that compels him to take action and strive to bring balance and order to this chaotic world.

"I suppose you wanted to test his capabilities?" He turned back and asked Sandra, who was watching Bruce fight against the half-men with a smile on her face.

"Well I didn't expect him to find the arena this soon, I thought he would at least take an hour." Sandra replied without hesitation and looked at him in doubt. "Did I push him earlier than you intended master?"

Ra stayed quiet for a moment before answering. "No."

"I would have been disappointed if he wasn't able to handle this." Ra mentioned with pride.

"But he would break." Sandra quipped. "Eventually they all do."

Ra's mouth slowly curled up into a petite smile and his brows raised high, his eyes following along Bruce's figure with interest.

"Time will tell."

- - - - -

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