(Gale POV)
You know, I never imagined I'd spend a day surrounded by ninjas, but then I never assumed I'd be reborn with amazing magical powers—but semantics at this point.
As I sat and waited for any of them to start moving, I looked directly at Talia, and with a slight smirk on my face, I simply said, "So how should we do this? Will you come at me? Should I come at you? Shall we come together? Ooh. At the same time?.."
In the next second, a sword came down at my neck again, which I blocked using the katana I had taken from the man on the ground, and in the same downward motion, I proceeded to slice into his thighs, causing the man to fall to the floor, muttering in pain.
Sitting back down, I simply shook my head in disappointment. "Come on, at least show me something interesting. I've just spent the last couple hours shopping with my sister. I need some stimulation here…"
My senses then picked up five guys about to come at me from various angles, to which I simply rolled away while taking out one of the legs of one of them. As he fell to the ground, screaming in pain, I picked him up and grabbed his arm and proceeded to slam him into the other four.
As they went tumbling to the opposite side of the roof, I simply sat back down. This feels like bullying to me.
"Look, if you guys aren't gonna take this seriously, then I'm not gonna take this seriously… Now I imagine you guys wanna keep your legs, so if you guys can declog, we can talk about this like reasonable adults—" Immediately as I said that, another ten of them tried to shoot at me, to which I simply moved my head slightly to the right as they were all aiming for the head… At least they weren't that stupid.
"Swing and a miss, I see. Zero points… now my turn." I then started dashing towards the guys that tried to shoot me, and as they started firing with their automatic weapons, I pulled a Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and began spinning the swords in my hands. Truly, humans from the Age of Gods from the Fate universe are just plain broken, because even without using any magic, I could almost see the bullets moving in slow motion.
To put it in perspective, Lancelot alone is able to fight armies without using magecraft, and I do admit while I am nowhere near his level of skill or physicality, I'm definitely getting up there… As I deflected the bullets, some managed to hit some of the other ninjas around me, and as they went down, I thankfully managed to redirect the bullets into lower areas like the stomach, as I didn't exactly want to kill them.
Besides, if the Demon's Head wanted a show, I'm going to give him one… Makes me wonder if he's chuckling in his evil lair eating popcorn or something.
As I reached the five guys that were trying to shoot at me, I sliced their hands off, and as the weapons fell from their now-severed hands, I picked up each of the automatic rifles and dismantled them right in front of them—other than one… And as I closed my eyes, I decided to make this a little fun for myself. As I reached into my pocket, I pulled out the small mirror I had and decided to have some fun with this.
"You know, you guys are trained decently well. I'll give you that. But even with the cloaking tag and the ninja skills, y'all are just normal humans." In the next second, a shot rang out, and I managed to hit one of them directly in his dick.
As he fell, screaming, along with the others on the floor, the rest of them de-cloaked, and what was once a group of 40 men has now been whittled down to less than 20.
I could tell from the slight shakings in their hands that they're scared—other than maybe Talia, but I could see a slight shaking in her eyes… As I took another shot, another one of the guys went down.
"Why are you all standing there doing nothing?! Attack him!" As Talia yelled at this, they all popped smoke bombs in order to distort my vision, but I didn't need it. Since they're now technically hidden enemies, my invisible sense began to go off. I could feel instinctually as one of them tried to slash my right arm, to which I simply pulled a Michael Jackson and leaned backward. As I grabbed the man's left arm, I punched his elbow, breaking it, and then grabbed his head and slammed him into the ground before spinning him around me like a top.
While doing this, I managed to take out three other guys… I really shouldn't be enjoying this so much… but maybe it's just fulfilling that my training has had physical results. At least eight blades began to swipe at me, and as I took two more katanas from the fallen men, I placed them both in front of me, blocking all eight strikes.
They immediately tried to slash my stomach, to which I simply dropped one of the swords directly into the path of where they were trying to hit, diverting the slash. As I then stepped onto one of their blades, I kicked the man in the face, and using him as a platform, I jumped backward to try to get some distance. Given the fact that there were still six of them on me, they tried to take some potshots with their small pistols, and again I deflected the bullets.
Deciding to be a bit cheeky, I threw one of the katanas in my hand into one of their guns, causing it to explode… And as the other men were focusing on the fact that one of their guns exploded, I took the opportunity to slide under all of them, knocking them over before immediately slamming all of their heads into the ground—or the roof of the mall, in this case.
As I checked their pockets for anything good, I found a couple more pistols, as well as some flash grenades…
Their numbers are now lower than 10, and as I stared all of them down, I looked above and saw my father staring down at me along with my sister, and I immediately started glaring at my sister as she's sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner and eating popcorn… while my father just gives me a slight frown.
Taking a deep breath, I immediately return my attention to the assassins. "Well, it seems that the show is over. I'm going to be finishing this now. Don't blink."
(Talia Al Ghul)
I have lived decades and trained for that amount of time. Since I could walk, I took my first life when I wasn't even out of childhood. Being raised by the Demon's Head is by no means a laughing matter. Every day was a test and a challenge to not only fulfill my objectives but to stay on my father's good side.
I still bear the scars of my failures. They are not many, but they are there… I do not often question his wisdom, but when I look into this thing's eyes, I see that we aren't even a threat… The medallion meant to see if he was able to use magic hasn't activated, so he's doing this purely out of his own physical might.
Even my supposed-to-be beloved isn't this coordinated nor this fast… As he immediately rushes all of us, we all start shooting with our automatic weapons, and he simply deflects the bullets while smiling as if this is some normal activity.
What could make him this strong? Has he somehow activated his meta-gene? Is he the product of some kind of physical gene therapy? How could such a thing be possible?
I was told to watch his eyes to see if they changed color, but they remained that same blue. And in those eyes, I could see that we aren't even worth remembering…
"You know, if you guys are gonna zone out, I might as well just end this now." And then, in a split second, he's already in front of me, aiming a fist at my stomach. I try to dodge, but it seems like that was a feint, as a kick immediately lands on my right leg, and I could feel the bones begin to crack.
As I fall to the ground, I look upwards and see him tearing the rest of my men apart, but thankfully Father was right on one thing—he isn't aiming to kill… he still holds that same weakness that he does.
Yet every instinct is screaming that this is wrong… I've never felt so humiliated. This was merely a show to him, some kind of entertainment like a gladiatorial match. But we're the slaves, and he's the gladiator. As he pops one of the flash grenades on his belt, he doesn't even look away as he rushes through the flash and smoke and cracks the remainder of my men over the head with the butt of his blade.
His speed and strength are impossible… I look toward the drone that my father has following us, and I do not know what I fear more—continuing this foolish battle or suffering my father's wrath… I can see Solomon and Zatara looking down on all of us… My fists clench so hard they begin to draw blood as I remain on the ground with my foot unable to be moved.
As I look back up toward him, I find him standing right in front of me, and as he bends down, I immediately try to pull a gun from my waist. As I do so, I aim it directly at his chin, and with a smile, I pull the trigger—until I realize I couldn't move my hand.
As he holds my hand, I see his eyes boring into me—those eyes judging me… "This is just sad… this feels like bullying children… but given the fact that you guys are used to fighting Batman and not me, I'll give you a pass."
"Take it seriously, you foolish cretin!" As I try to use my other hand and reach for a knife, he lifts up one of his legs and slams it down on my hand. I grit my teeth and try not to scream in pain while he just looks down on me.
As he looks down, he sees that he has some blood on his pants, and it wasn't from any injuries on his part. Yet I could see his expression grimace. "Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of this fabric?… Whatever. Are you done watching, Father?"
And from behind me, I hear a voice. "Yes, I do believe I am… Now, Miss al Ghul, you are going to explain to me why you're trying to harm my son…" As I try to say anything, all of our weapons then turn into bubbles before our cloaking tech is changed into metal bindings.
The men who have had their legs sliced into and their hands severed find that their hands are being reattached… I looked on in horror, reminded of how strong an experienced sorcerer is.
In a last effort, I take the small dart that I've held in my mouth and try to spit it out towards the monster in human flesh, and as he catches it, he then flicks it right back into my leg… I can feel the poison already beginning to run through my system, and as I feel my veins begin to burn like they're on fire, I'm unable to scream as a gag is placed over my mouth.
I look up—just toward the 14-year-old child who has managed to best some of the best the League has… But as I look upward, I see Solomon begin to carve something on my forehead… and what was once a subtle pain becomes a burning sensation.
From behind the mask, I hear a distorted voice. "I do not appreciate you trying to harm my mess of a son. Consider this a parting gift from me… now begone from my sight."
In the next moment, the sorcerer's son walks up to me and slams his fist into my face, and I know nothing… other than the pain in my skull.
(Gale POV)
"Well, that was certainly an interesting way to end a shopping trip… What do you think, Z?"
The question was met with my sister giving me a deadpan stare.
"Bro… you just took down 40 guys without using any magic… it felt like something out of an action movie. Like one of those old flicks Mom and Dad used to watch… But tell me, how did you do the whole deflecting bullets with the sword thing?"
I chuckled at my sister's blatant disregard for the violence, but given how they are basically the scum of the earth, they aren't really worth caring about.
"It's just part of my natural skills, sis… By the way, Father, did you get rid of the drone?"
At that moment, my father taps his hat and a suction begins to emit from it and immediately traps the drone that was trying to fly away.
As he smoothly puts the hat back on his head, he smiles, while I just wonder if he actually enjoys the Looney Tunes aesthetic…
In the next moment, however, he immediately puts his hands on my shoulders while spinning me around to check for injuries. "Are you all right? Have you taken any bullets? Any slashes?"
I shake my head. Other than the blood on my pants, I suffered no injuries.
[+200 CP Achievement: Defeat Talia al Ghul]
[400 CP Banked]
Nice to know you still care. And as my father calls Batman to take care of this, I can almost hear him trying to keep calm with the endless questions…
My sister then looks me up and down with a more concerned expression. "Are you sure you're OK? I've never actually seen you fight before… Is this how it usually goes?"
Shaking my head, I put a hand on her shoulder. "Not most of the time. It's mostly when dealing with the more lethal types. More often than not, you'll find yourself getting thrown through buildings, then getting slashed or shot at… Why, are you interested?"
My sister looks down with a more thoughtful expression. "To be honest I… I don't know. I think I want to try. But is Dad gonna go for it?"
Chuckling to myself, I ruffle her hair, which she doesn't really appreciate too much. "Don't worry. If anyone can convince Father, it's you. The one you're gonna have to worry about is Mother…"
I could almost feel my sister's hope begin to deflate as she begins to understand the gravity of trying to convince our mother to allow her to fight crime.
Looking toward my homunculus, he nods to me before returning to Avalon. And as Zatara gets off the communicator with Batman, he sighs to himself before taking both of us into a deep hug.
"I'm glad you're both safe, and proud of the fact that you were willing to call for backup. However, my son, do you not believe your fighting style is a bit too barbaric?"
"Not in the slightest. Besides, all of their body parts are still in one piece, so you can put them back together. And if not, that's what limb replacements are for…"
My father takes a deep breath before nodding his head.
"Well, let's head home. By the way, daughter, we are going to be talking about you spending months' worth of your allowance on designer clothing."
I could see my sister try to beg me to back her up on this, but I immediately go into the teleportation spell and disappear before I could hear her scream at me.
Sorry, sis. This is a battle you must fight alone…
((Ra's al Ghul POV)
As I see the feed from the drone cut out, I find myself experiencing a myriad of emotions. For one, I feel anger over my daughter's complete and utter failure to learn of the identity of Solomon… On the other hand, after seeing the entire confrontation, I find myself even more intrigued by both Solomon and Gale Zatara. His movements speak of years of training, yet all the data we have on him shows that he has no record of combat training.
But somehow he managed to dismantle some of my most highly trained assassins, like an adult playing with children… Before I can call anyone else, one of the screens in the room comes down.
As I recognize who is calling me, I slightly narrow my eyes in annoyance…
Vandal Savage… An enigma even to myself, and as the screen begins to show his visage, I cut the video.
"In all of my years, and all of our years of cooperation, I never expected you to be this foolish… You know of our protocols when dealing with the children of our enemies…"
I simply scoff. I myself believe that if we took a more active role in dealing with the progeny of our enemies, we could strike an emotional blow that they could never recover from.
But in this case, I do realize I have made an error. I have underestimated the target. "Let it be known that I did not expect this level of experience from one so young. Even now, I can see that his skills match—and may even surpass—the Detective."
I could almost feel the ghost of a smirk on Savage's face. "It seems that my blood has passed down more purely in this child than the others… But even now, I myself find this situation baffling, yet simultaneously intriguing… For now, however, I would focus on our operations in Santa Prisca. I assume you've already prepared to silence those that have failed."
As I pick up a burner phone, I press a button on it, activating a signal. Within each of the assassins—other than my daughter—within a few minutes, each of their hearts will stop… The League cannot handle failure, and I shall personally punish my daughter for her own humiliation.
"It's already done… I will have Sportsmaster and Cheshire make the deal with Cobra… Ra's ou—"
"Not yet… I am only going to say this once, and I do not like to repeat myself: leave the child alone. He has proven that he is not Solomon… Leave a basic spy team and move on to our more important operations."
I slightly grit my teeth, as I am not too thrilled with being so disrespected.
But for now, our goals align. And as I slightly nod, Savage cuts the call and I immediately grab the chair I'm sitting in and toss it against the wall. And as it shatters, all I can see is that child smiling down at my daughter's defeated body… He has potential… But for now, he has earned his respite..for now.
(Gale POV)
After my mother tried to ambush me to make sure I was OK, I made the family dinner, which they all appreciated. But as my father's communicator begins to buzz, he looks down and sees that it's not Batman.
As he accepts the call, I hear a familiar speedster's voice. "Hey Mr. Zatara, is Solomon there?"
As he looks at me, I put my mask on, which disguises my voice. "I'm here, Kid Flash. What is it that you require?"
"Great! You see, me and Superboy are going to be exploring our new HQ. Wanna join?"
Looking at my family, I see my father giving me a nod.
"…I agree. What time will this tour take place?"
"Great! We're getting set up tomorrow morning… Sending the coordinates now… Trust me, man, this place is awesome! But gotta run!"
Before I could even say anything else, he hangs up the call.
And as my father chuckles, I simply shake my head with a slight bit of amusement… I have wanted to check out the Cave. It's a necessity for being in this universe. If you're going to go to Young Justice, you're going to see the Cave… and I'm curious if Miss Martian has already arrived, as I wish to question her on the magic of her people…
But for now, I simply enjoy eating dinner with my family, which mostly includes my parents trying their best not to devour their food, while my sister doesn't even try to keep up appearances… Cooking perks for the win.