Chapter 15: What I Expect of You.
More advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.
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(Angel's P.O.V)
When two evenly matched combatants meet in a clash of blows, the victor is most likely determined by speed.
Speed is king.
And that only becomes more apparent, more evident, undeniably so...when you're faster than your opponent by such a magnitude that even if you were facing an army, they would be outmatched.
The half second it took for Bane's men to pull the trigger, I had already counted out their numbers, found out each of their relative positions and blitzed through them so fast I wasn't even a blur.
In the time it took to blink, fifteen heads were flying in the air, thrown up by the force of my attack.
"Aaaand...scene."
My words coincided with the sound of bodies dropping on the ground.
"Young master, what should we do about Bane?"
Shade asked, causing me to turn around and regard the supervillain still contained on the block of red ice to my back.
He had his mouth open in an expression of pain.
"He betrayed me, let him steam in the Ice for a few hours."
I instructed.
Shade's response was to swallow the block of ice through its Shadow to prevent Bane from getting rescued. Fortunately for the latter, the chances of him dying through suffocation were minimal.
Red Ice was different from regular ice. It was porous as it existed in a unique state of both gas and solid, allowing oxygen to pass through it and carbon dioxide to escape.
I would deal with Bane later, right now, I wanted to test how strong the League of shadows were.
(General P.O.V)
A few hundred figures dressed in black were moving through the trees towards the factory from the surrounding forest.
Their passing was silent, not a leaf was ruffled, nor the scuff of a leather sole left on the branches.
It could be noted that they moved in formation, all following one person at the head.
The trees passed by in a blur and then as one, they all came to a sudden stop.
The reason why became obvious as the one at the lead, had their palm up, signifying the presence of an enemy.
A couple of hand signs and the figures broke off into three groups. One took the right route, and another the left, aiming to cover their flanks.
The last group was in the middle, they along the leader would move on ahead on a direct path towards the enemy.
That plan changed when a massive wall of fire bloomed above the treeline, in the direction the left group had taken.
Screams of pain could be heard as the League of shadows assassins were all turned into cinder.
The spectacle repeated itself when a wall of ice suddenly manifested in the direction the right group had taken.
It didn't take a genius to know that both groups had been killed.
"Shit."
The leader muttered.
"Scatter."
The order was carried out as the assassins created distance from each other, but made sure not to leave their colleague's line of sight.
The only sound became the crackling noise the fire made as it burnt the trees to their side.
And then mist begun to blanket the area from their front. It flowed through the ground like a carpet, obstructing the forest below from view.
The Leader was about to call for a retreat, when a shadow appeared from the mist.
"I really hope they sent more of you."
A young voice mused from the ground.
"I don't want this to end too quickly."
'It's him.'
The Leader thought.
'Attack. As. One.'
The Leader signed to the rest of the Assassins, and like a swarm of bees, every single one of them jumped at Angel just as he emerged from the mist.
With a dangerous glint in his eyes, Angel fell into a ready stance, smiling,
"And here I thought you would indulge me. But fine, if you want to die that fast, who am I to stop you?"
(General P.O.V)
The shadows swirled, depositing the red block of ice inside the special dungeons below the Young Master's summer mansion.
The mansion was located on the outskirts of a town called Greendale in Massachusetts, above a Leyline node.
Angel had turned it into his pseudo-lair. The presence of so much ambient energy in the air, and the fact no heroes were close by made it an ideal location.
Shade made sure the bars of the dungeon were locked and then sank into his shadow only to pop out through another in the kitchen above.
"Where's big brother?"
Only for a small voice to demand from his back.
Shade turned around and found Candie sitting on the kitchen island, an untouched sandwich still wrapped in a plastic plate beside her, and her teddy bear floating around her head shrouded in a green energy.
The Teddy bear was dancing.
'She's getting better with her telekinesis.' Shade noted.
"Young miss, how was school today?"
He enquired, moving towards the fridge. If she wasn't feeling up to the sandwich then meat was the go to. Her and Angel shared the same preferences.
"Boring."
The little girl replied, crossing her hands on her chest. The teddy bear mirrored the action.
"Angel said he'd be home to help me with my powers."
Shade could hear the accusatory tone in her voice.
"The young master is currently occupied."
He tried to appease her, adding before she could complain,
"How about I help you out with your homework before he gets here? That way you can have more than enough time to practice your powers."
The smile that lit up her face reminded him of his own daughter. Maybe a play date could be planned? He would have to ask the Young Master about it.
Shade knew how terribly lonely Candie could get. Having a friend her own age would only do her good. Especially now that things were about to get hectic.
This was the first time in the month following Savage's death that The Light had so openly attacked Angel.
Shade knew the Young Master had anticipated they would make a move and was prepared to face them head on.
Shade could only hope that when the time came, he would be as helpful to the Young Master as he could be.
Even though Angel had never assigned him to fight, Shade knew what the Young Master was trying to go up against.
But in the same vein, the Light had no idea what they were going up against.
-0-
-Infinity Island-
-Headquarters of the League of Shadows-
On an island shrouded in a perpetual mist, there was a collection of East Asian styled buildings built alongside the slopes of a hill.
On the massive courtyard infront of the main building were hundreds of shadows going through Katas.
Their movements were smooth and fluid, synchronized so that each kick was performed as one, each block raised in unison.
Above the staircase leading into the building was a platform on which a woman stood.
She was wearing a red leather top, with black hair that reached to the small of her back, and a Chinese saber with a red tassel on the pommel strapped to her hip.
She watched the shadows on the courtyard like a hawk, occasionally calling out orders or instructing them on what they were doing wrong.
Often when someone messed up, she would call for the rest to stop, before marching over and proceeding to 'show' the one that failed the Kata how to conduct them.
This usually involved a thorough ass kicking.
Above the courtyard, on the second floor of the huge building, was a balcony.
The balcony had a wide view of the entire front of the island, as well as the docks leading out into the ocean.
On this balcony sat a man.
The man wore green combat robes, had hair that was black at the top and white on the sides, a trimmed beard and sharp green eyes.
Beside him was a beautiful woman with similar green eyes, in a full body black attire, similar to the shadows on the courtyard.
Only where theirs were baggy, the woman's outfit clung to her like a second skin.
A tea set sat in between the two, although only one of them had a cup in their hands.
"Father,"
Talia Al Ghul, the Demon Head's daughter, spoke up.
"The team I sent failed their task to bring the boy back. I am yet to receive an update."
She stared at the steaming cup with a green liquid held in her hands, frowning before placing it down.
"We underestimated him."
"Yes. Yes we did."
Ra's stated, eyes still on the courtyard.
"The son of a snake is a snake. The son of a conquerer will act like one. He would be a good fit for the League of Shadows."
Talia sharply turned to regard her father.
"Father, surely you cannot be thinking..."
"We need to establish a connection with him, Talia."
The Demon's head told her.
"And if he's Vandal Savage's son, the only thing I expect he will be amenable to, is a relationship built on equal footing."
Talia ground her teeth so hard, she thought they would crack. She knew what her father was insinuating. The only way to build that kind of relationship was through marriage. And with Nyssa dead, that responsibility fell to her.
"I deserve the right to test him first."
Talia stated.
"I will only accept him if he bests all my top warriors. And me."
Ra's turned to look at his daughter.
"Very well. But if you lose, I expect you to do everything you can to satisfy his every wish."
His tone took on a darker note.
"I'm doing this for us Talia. The Immortal has faced down Gods and Devils and lived to tell the tale. Anyone poweful enough to kill him...is not someone we want as an enemy."
As their conversation continued, on the platform below the woman instructing the Shadows happened to overhear the talk between Father and Daughter.
Lady Shiva smirked as a glint of interest appeared in her eyes.
The Son of Vandal Savage huh?
The boy could be a good challenge for her daughter.