14 A Passing Interest Or Something More?

(Bruce Wayne POV)

I was too late.

Looking over the footage from a camera near the bridge, I saw those men take Rockwood and leave. Still, what made it difficult was the fact that the boy went unwillingly, and while I was unable to see any footage before that, I knew he did not desire to be captured.

While the camera could only pick up video and not audio, I could make out what they were saying, and when Ra's threatened to blow up those schools, I sent Robin to check Gotham Highschool while I checked Gotham College and Gotham Academy and the boy's sacrifice was worth it as I found traces from disabled explosives in those schools.

The bombs themselves were missing, but there was enough residue to show that they were there, so while the schools were saved, the shadows took another. Satellite imaging showed a plane taking off from a private hangar outside Gotham City. However, after they made it across the Atlantic, someone hacked my satellite, and the footage was deleted.

Only a few could do this, with Lex being one, but the others would have less reason to aid in this kidnapping. But what is stalling me the most is trying to understand why they went so far for him.

 His history only shows a normal ancestry, but it does become a bit hazy around the 1400s, and the grandfather's identity on the father's side identity is fake. But there was not enough to find out who the grandfather was. But for now, until I can find the shadow's base of operations, the boy may be lost.

Placing my cowl on, I exit the manor from my underwater cave using the Bat Submarine to prepare for another night of patrol. Robin fell behind on some assignments, so Alfred forbade him from patrolling until he fished them, which won't take him long, but more drills will be needed in the future as balance is a key element to this mission.

He needs to be better than me, after all. 

After making it to the land, I ejected out of the sub and glided across the rooftops. I heard my police scanner talking about a gang war near the docks, so I diverted towards the skirmish, as this may be the start of something bigger. I can't save everyone, but I will be damned if I don't try.

I just hope Rockwood is not suffering at their hands right now.

(Nathan POV)

This was the best choice I could have made. I think to myself as I dodge another strike from Shiva as she tries to kick me in the stomach, to which I respond with a grab and subsequent throw using some judo as she redirects my momentum to throw me, but I make use of the pillar in front of me to leap off of and slam my fist into her face.

The blow left her disoriented as she wiped blood from her mouth and was then already moving while using smoke bombs to divert my attention and senses as these smoke bombs were laced with a type of slowing poison. And so, I actively slowed myself to show that I was being somewhat affected, as it was better to show more weaknesses for now, at least.

It's never good to let your enemies know your true capabilities. Always take advantage of the power of being underestimated, similar to those cultivation main characters like Gu Changge and Fang Yuan. I could never hope to become as cunning as Yuan, but I could give my best effort to try, and as I looked at my assimilations, my progress was showing.

[Loid Forger (Spy X Family): 98%]

[Taskmaster (Marvel Comics: Earth 616): 94%]

[Alex Mercer (Prototype 1&2) 27%]

I was so close to finishing two of my templates, and once they finished, I would slot Palpatine and Archer in their places as Palpatine, with his innate planning skills and administrative talent, not even mentioning his Midichlorian count, would be invaluable. 

Although, after finishing one more template, I would definitely be slotting the robot template and then probably Roku or Byakuran for his Sky Flames.

My thoughts are interrupted as Shiva makes her move and slashes with her sword, only for me to dodge and slam my fist into her right wrist, which causes her to drop the sword as I grab it and place it on her neck. As we stared at one another, I handed the sword back to her and bowed to Sensei as he nodded.

The fact that I was fighting her when she was younger and without chi or bodily enhancements was making this so much easier for me, but soon enough, my evolution will outpace her power and skills. 

Already, my adaptive resistance has made it so I am physically more resistant to her punches, as I could barely feel her blows after the past couple of hours.

My martial arts have also improved by leaps and bounds by simply sparring with her, and I would thank her if not during the fighting. She was trying to take my head off. 

The thing about fighting villains is that they are not afraid to use every single thing to fight you, and that is the best part, as unlike Heroes, they don't hold back, so you see everything they can do or at least as much as they can show.

"You have done well to improve with only 12 days of training. It seems my student Shiva has a new rival to learn my arts, but for now, I can see the poison affecting you. Initiate a return to your room, as we shall have a new training session in a few hours. You are dismissed, but Shiva remains here." I bow again and leave the room.

Thankfully, the walk back to my room didn't take too long, and on the way there, I saw Cheshire standing outside my door. I approached, and she saw my "wounds," she simply said, "You know it takes a lot of durability to get beaten up that much and still keep walking."

"And it most definitely takes such a discerning eye to tell the extent of my injuries when I'm currently bleeding. Truly, you have an eye for such details." She also scoffs at this as I enter my room, which she follows.

"You know, a teenage boy and girl entering a room is definitely not a good sign. Are you not worried about the others?" I asked as she stared at me, but with the mask, it was harder to tell what face she was making.

"If I'm old enough to wield a sword and kill a man while looking him in the eye, I can handle myself walking into a boy's room. But the question is, are you feeling self-conscious around me? "As she says this, she gets closer, and as she got in my face, I grabbed her and placed her back first on the bed.

The feeling of her body beneath mine was novel, to say the least, as it has been a while since I have been able to get this close to someone without them trying to kill me.

"I am unafraid to take you here and now, but I would not want Sportsmaster after my head, at least not yet. Do not play with fire, Cheshire." I let go as she slipped out of my grip and flipped onto the floor, but instead of appearing angry, she laughed slightly.

"Well, it's definitely nice to know that the Shadows hasn't taken away that fire in your eyes. I always like a guy that can take what he wants. But for now, that is all you will be getting from me. Although, don't think I did not hear that "yet" in the sentence, and don't make a promise to a girl that you can't keep. See ya around." 

Chesire then leaves, and I am left alone. I could feel Sportsmaster down the hall in the other direction, but he soon left as well.

So I was left alone, and as I took the book from Klarion on basic magic, I began to read it. While the script was Atlantean, I could see the words rearranging themselves with a red fire trail. I assume this is because Klarion knew I would not be able to read Atlantean, so I had to give it to the witch boy, as he did think some things through.

The book itself was written by the sorcerer Arion, an Atlantean who would go on to become a Lord Of Order, but this book only held the basics, such as how to sense and awaken magic potential, and mostly involved with using sorcery as a means to manipulate the world around you.

And it turns out that Logomancy, or the art of backward spells, is actually a good way to start, so placing my hand over the book, I tried to sense for any energy emanating from it, and as the book itself felt the pull from my will I sensed a new power awakens within me.

It was small, to say the least, barely a drop of water to form a small pond within my soul, but it was there.

"thgiL."(Light) I said and felt a small tug on my magic, but nothing. It simply refused to move, or more likely, it couldn't due to lack of usage. 

It seems I was not given the essence of the archmage, which definitely would have helped out here, but thanks to Blank, I could perceive and use Magic, but it would start off small, and since I had nothing to increase my overall talent in magic, this speed shall have to do.

So I tried again and again for the next few hours, trying to pull something from a small flame to a light in the palm of my hand, but I only succeeded in tiring myself out, which hadn't happened in a while. So, seeing as I only had a few hours more of rest, I put the book in my inventory and went to take a small nap.

(Klarion POV)

In all my time as a Lord Of Chaos, I had never seen something like this. The fresh meat somehow managed to form magic within himself, which should only be possible due to having the bloodline of a homo Magi, yet I felt magic appear around him and then disappear into him and then nothing.

And as I watched him try to use backward words to form basic spells, it was almost like watching a toddler try to take their first steps, and I do admit seeing the annoyed expressions on his face was definitely fun to watch. All that martial prowess isn't helping you, right now, is it?

The process of him trying to pull on the magic was interesting as it was like taking a hammer to a pane of glass, and he was trying to force the glass to reform itself after being struck by the hammer, but he did not have the technique to put it back together. 

However, what made it interesting was that I couldn't sense the magic once it entered him, as if he was some type of void that I couldn't see into.

Truly, this Mortal is different from the others. He even managed to make Teekl feel pain with that tofu of his, which I plan to give him from now on as a warning not to take food from strangers. But after he went to sleep, my boredom returned as I wasn't able to peer into his dreams or his mind, for that matter.

 The protections around him are fierce, like how a lover would protect their spouse but to a cosmic degree. On the first night, I saw him thrashing around as if he was having a terrible nightmare, and I so desired to see the pain and suffering on his face as I wondered what he saw, as it is through dreams we see things higher than ourselves and as the Lord of chaos dreams do not come easy to us.

So I wait and watch as my new toy runs on his little wheel, but what shall he do when he decides to stop running, I wonder?

The sheer number of possibilities causes me to laugh in utter jubilation for finally having something to take me from my boredom. I feel so great that I want to go to the nearest city and watch as the populace suffers from a week of bad luck. Yes, that sounds fun. I called for Teekl, and I teleported away while the toy slept, unaware of my presence.