11 Trust
The next night, I headed out into Gotham City once more. Perched on a rooftop, I surveyed the streets below looking for signs of criminal activity. I sensed a presence nearby letting me know I was being watched - likely Batman keeping tabs on me from the shadows. I gave no indication I noticed and continued my patrol.
Eventually, I found myself on the roof of a warehouse through the skylight I could see a gathering of people loading up a truck. According to Katou, these trucks contained Illegal substances aka hard drugs.
I decided to make my entrance dramatic, crashing through the skylight in a shower of broken glass. As shards rained down around me, I landed in a low crouch atop some stacked crates.
The criminals whirled in surprise, reaching for their guns. But I was faster, sending one of my chained daggers sailing out in a wide arc. It wrapped around the barrel of the nearest thug's pistol and with a hard yank, I ripped it from his grasp.
His comrades opened fire but I leapt and flipped through the hail of bullets with acrobatic grace. Getting in close, I struck pressure points to disable their gun hands, leaving the firearms clattering uselessly to the floor.
Pressing my advantage, I engaged the disarmed goons directly. My chained daggers flew wildly as I ducked and wove among them, the blades flying through the air targeting their limbs.
One muscular enforcer came at me wielding a lead pipe. I wrapped the chain around it and pulled hard, wrenching it from his hands. As he stared dumbly at his empty grip, I flipped over him and delivered a perfectly aimed strike between his shoulders, paralyzing him.
Soon I stood surrounded by unconscious men. None had landed a blow on me. With a satisfied smirk beneath my mask, I was about to carve my signature 'L' on a nearby crate when I sensed a presence land silently behind me.
Turning, I came face-to-face with the Dark Knight himself, cape fluttering in the night breeze. "If you're going to operate as a vigilante in my city you need to show me that I can trust you."
"Your city huh, what exactly do you want me to do for you to trust me?" I asked
"Two months ago you seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Where did you come from and what exactly are your powers?"
I tensed slightly when I heard Batman's question, It was true that if I wanted Batman's trust I needed to reveal some information about myself but I was unsure how much to reveal. There were benefits to allying with him but also risks in exposing too much.
I crossed my arms, choosing my words carefully. "I'll be honest - I'm not from around here. But my reasons for being in Gotham are my own. As for my abilities, let's just say I have a very particular set of skills. Skills that I aim to use for good."
Batman's eyes narrowed, clearly unsatisfied with my vague response. "That's not good enough. If we're going to work in this city, I need to know who you are and what you can do."
I weighed the options quickly in my mind. On one hand, telling him the truth about my powers could get me on Batman's good side, as well as the resources of the Justice League. But it would also make me vulnerable if he ever turned against me or was compromised.
The cynical part of me whispered to hold back, keep your secrets close. But my instincts said I could trust the Dark Knight, at least tentatively. Having him as an ally rather than an obstacle would be invaluable.
"Alright, no more games. I'll tell you my abilities, but going in depth will have to wait until there's more trust between us. For now, let's just say I can use a unique kind of magic, And hope to use them to help people. As for my identity, my name is... Eli Adler, but I doubt you'll find any information about me."
Batman's expression was unreadable. But after a moment contemplating this new information, he gave a slight nod.
"Magic...that would explain the diverse combat skills you've displayed," he muttered.
"Just remember trust is a two-way street," I said even though I pretty much knew everything there was to know about the man behind the mask. Still, this is a necessary move that will allow me to gain a bit of the paranoid man's trust as well as hopefully bring me closer to my goal. Only time would tell if I had chosen correctly.
"Now, I assume you didn't seek me out just for conversation. What did you need?" I asked, moving the discussion forward.
Wordlessly, he held out a slip of paper. I took it and read the address written in an elegant scrawl, along with a password making me raise an eyebrow.
"Go there tomorrow morning at 7:45 sharp," Batman said before firing his grapple gun and disappearing once more into the night.
I committed the note's contents to memory before incinerating it with a spark of runic fire magic. So, he was ready to bring me into the fold it seemed.
...
Returning to base, the three Heroic Spirits materialized in front of me.
"Was it wise to give Batman so much information about yourself?" Scathach questioned.
"Like I said to Batman, trust is a two-way street I can't expect him to trust me If I don't in turn place a small amount of trust in him as well," I said
Scáthach crossed her arms, looking unconvinced by my reasoning. "Hmm, perhaps. But men like him thrive on secrecy. He gives away little yet demands much."
I nodded thoughtfully. "You have a point. However, the events of this world are centered around the team and the league so I need to be close to them to know what's going on."
Katou spoke up next. "I agree that is a wise course of action."
"And don't forget we have the potential to get access to more catalysts through this partnership as well." I reminded them
"Wise plans, Master! Together, we shall overcome any obstacles ahead!" Seemingly feeling left out Artoria gave a cheerful nod. We spent the rest of the night preparing, and planning for future events.
...
At precisely 7:45 the next morning, I found myself in front of an old phone booth. Walking inside I entered the password into the number pad. After a flash of light, I found myself in a completely different location standing in what I assumed was the inside Mount Justice, which I had to admit was pretty cool. Looking around I quickly spotted Batman standing in the center of a large circle.
Noticing my arrival he turned to me and spoke, "Welcome to Mount Justice."
