Chapter 49: It Begins

Chapter 49: It Begins

---

"It's just pathetic to give up on something before you even give it a shot."

– Reiko Mikami, (Another)

---

<(Omniscient POV)>

On a mountaintop filled with snow and ice, a lone man was standing with only a thin robe barely covering his body, unfazed by the unbearing cold that was freezing for the hundreds of black-clothed assassins working and practicing their techniques in front of him as he watched them all with a blank expression on his face.

If Bruce were here, he would be able to recognize this man as someone looking really similar to Liam Neeson if Liam Neeson looked like a murderous vampire dictator with severe psychopathic tendencies.

"Do you think he will pass Ra's? It has been a week and we haven't received any news from our spies, not even a single sighting." A buff-looking man standing beside the Liam Neeson lookalike asked in a low voice, filled with respect.

"It doesn't matter what I think Ubu. What matters is what happens. If he passes, we can move forward with the next part of our plan, if he doesn't, then I guess we go back to searching for someone else again." The man named Ra's answered.

"But, then what about the prophecy? The prophecy was clear about the glorious rebirth of the league under the new demon of the night, on the path paved by someone of the blood of the Wayne. If he somehow dies while..."

"He is not the only Wayne out there. There have been many Waynes down the years, most are dead but some can easily be brought back to life. You my friend underestimate the power of the Lazarus Lit and the sorcery the League possesses. Even though I do not personally like the dark arts, nor do I prefer them, the fact still remains that they still do exist with their immense potential and we can always use them if things ever become that dire." Ra's explained.

"I understand. I was foolish for thinking that the great Demon's head wouldn't be able to find a way out of a mere prophecy." Ubu lowered his head in respect, his eyes glittering with blind loyalty.

Ra's Al Ghul didn't say anything else and just stared at his men training. It had only barely been a week since he had given Bruce the test of finding and reaching this place. Normally, people can't reach this place even after months of exploration. This village, no, this small city was hidden from satellites due to its heavy cloud cover. Even planes and helicopters could not fly low enough to register this place in their scanners due to the unique positioning of the mountains around it. So, it wasn't a wonder that almost no one knew about this headquarters of theirs, the Nanda Parbat.

They themselves occupied only a portion of the massive mountain but it was more than enough for them. Their hidden city was strategically one of the most elusive places in the world and was one of the main reasons why he liked this city almost as much as his original base in the Arabian peninsula.

"I don't think we will be seeing him before at least a few weeks. After all, even I took more than two weeks to find this place on my own when I first heard of it from a priest of Rama Kushna about five a hundred years ago..."

"Whoosh" The sudden sound of a plane suddenly interrupted him as both he and Ubu looked at the sky in mild surprise.

"A plane in this area? Is it lost?" Ubu wondered aloud.

Planes flying through here would normally crash into the mountain if they flew too low. Only the best and most expensive military-grade jets could successfully fly well above these mountains and not get affected by the cold.

"Good. Then from today on, you will be my new student. Rest for today because, from tomorrow, your life will be a new type of hell, one filled with absolute discipline. Ubu, show our young billionaire here to the guest quarters and give him enough food and water. He will need it." Ra's said, ignoring Bruce's arrogant remarks. "Oh and I advise you to stop behaving like a spoiled child from now on, or your arrogance could one day make you pay a hefty penalty." He added.

"Me, spoiled and arrogant? You must be dreaming Mr. Dracula. I am the most humble kid billionaire on the planet. Anyway, I am quite tired, so, I'll need to have my beauty sleep. So I guess I'll follow you, Mr Buff." Bruce smugly replied with a helpless shrug.

Ubu didn't react to the insult, he was too trained to react to minor insults like these. He just bowed to Ra's Al Ghul and went towards one of the bigger houses, not caring if Bruce followed him or not.

"By the way, what do I call you? I don't think I can call you Dracula for the rest of my training period, can I, even though I really want to?" He asked picking up a small backpack attached to the base of the parachute as he prepared to follow Ubu.

"Call me Ra's Al Ghul or Ra's for short. Everyone here calls me that."

"Head of the Demon, cool choice for a name. I guess that's where the logo on your letter comes from." Bruce muttered aloud as he began to follow Ubu, not caring to prolong the conversation with the centuries-old assassin.

'His personality is a lot different than what was reported. Even his body language matched with his arrogant personality. His voice, his smiles, and his way of talking, all indicated the same thing. He is one of the most selfish, greedy, arrogant, and narcissistic people I have ever met and I have met quite a few.' Ra's Al Ghul thought to himself, a while after Bruce left, wondering how his subordinates especially one of his most capable, Lady Shiva could have reported such inaccurate information about one of the most important targets they were keeping tabs on.

'But still, that's good. Controlling him would be much easier now.' He thought with a small smile on his lips. He was confident that in just a few years he could mold Bruce to be the type of person he wanted, to shape him into the instrument he needed to further evolve the League, and perhaps for him to even be the successor that Ra's Al Ghul had been searching for so long.

Ra's Al Ghul would train Bruce with everything he had but he would also make full use of him when the time came even if that meant taking his body for himself in case the kid didn't turn out to be what Ra's desired for him to become.

But Bruce Wayne would serve his purpose nonetheless, as a tool for The League of Assassins.

---

(A/N: A major Batman villain appears in the next chapter. I am sure you all can guess whom.)

Don't forget to 'comment' and 'favorite' this chapter if you like it.

Also, you can check out my Pat-reøn page to read ahead or to support your fantastic author.

I have 12 chapters in advance there right now.

(My Pat-reon uses the new billing method which means if you pledge on the 15th of this month, you will have to pay again on the day you pledged, i.e., the 15th of the next month. So whenever you subscribe, you will get a whole month.)

/God_Doom

(replace the á with a)