Chapter Forty-Three:
Oliver Queen ascended up the mountain to Nanda Parbat. Bitter weather, cold winds, the works, blew down onto the determined young warrior. Yet, nothing would stop Oliver from achieving the destiny the budding young warrior trained for. Oliver spent the last few days visualizing the end of Ra's al Ghul and visualizing all of the goals. Oliver's confidence brimmed to a moderate level, but not a level which would lead to certain death as Ra's would pick the young man apart.
"So, are you ready?"
Talia and Nyssa stood by Oliver's side. The two ladies made the trip to Nanda Parbat many times in the past and would make the trip many more times in the future. However, everything was different, very different, as it turned out. The two Daughters of the Demon walked alongside Oliver, past the gates, towards the guards. The guards parted ways.
Something was different on this day. The trio moved forward. Oliver stepped where Ra's al Ghul seemed to be laying in wait. Not just laying in wait, but laying in wait for Oliver. Ready to coil and spring like some kind of ever present viper. The chills blowing down Oliver's spine increased and for a second, Oliver almost wondered if this task could be pulled off.
No use in turning back down. One way or another, Oliver would know if this would work.
"Oliver Queen, you have returned to Nanda Parbat."
"I feel that it's time to lay down a challenge. Both of your daughters have judged me worthy."
"Do you think that you are truly worthy of being my heir?" Ra's asked.
Oliver knew now was the moment of truth. "I know I am more than worthy of being your heir. I am beyond being your heir."
Seconds passed as Oliver waited for the right moment. Ra's stared Oliver down without blinking. A tactic which had been used numerous times to shake numerous people, but damn if Oliver was going to let that particular tactic achieve its desired purpose.
"I am worthy of being your successor," Oliver said. "I challenge you for a duel, for the rights of the League."
Ubu, Ra's ever present and extremely loyal minion minion, stared Oliver down like some kind of mortal sin had been delivered. Ra's, on the other end, observed Oliver like some kind of curious.
"I have centuries of experience over you, do you think you have a chance in taking the League from my hands? If Sandra put you up to this...well….we'll see if her faith would be rewarded."
Sandra, Lady Shiva's true name, although not one the Deadliest Woman alive acknowledged. Oliver stared directly into the face of the Demon and did not blink. Nyssa and Talia, standing by Oliver's side wondered what their father's reaction would be.
Ra's broke out into a wide grin, going from ear to ear.
"You have some bravado, boy," Ra's told Oliver. "I accept your challenge. But, despite my daughter's interest in you, do not think that I will go easy. Any fight for the League is one to the death. There is no prisoners taken. Do you understand?"
No emotion passed Oliver's face. "Yes, I understand."
"Very well," Ra's responded. "We fight at sunrise and the last man breathing will become the League."
"Master, you cannot think…."
"Ubu, remember, you do not presume to tell me what I should think," Ra's sharply told his servant.
Ubu slumped down against the wall. A look of completely hatred spreading towards the man's face. Directed towards Nyssa, towards Talia, and towards Oliver as well. Oliver did not even blink and focused directly on Ra's al Ghul.
"Let's prepare," Talia told him.
To be honest, Talia never thought the day would come. A small part of her hoped her father would give up and fade away with grace, but the Lazarus Pits were an addiction. Oliver stretched, warming up for the battle. Everything had been focused on the battle, scary as it was.
"You know there's no comeback, right?" Oliver asked after breaking out of the trance the powerful warrior slipped into for several minutes.
"I know."
"You know, I'm going to have to take your father's head."
"I know!"
Talia did not mean to be so sharp with Oliver. The twisting feeling in the bit of the Daughter of the Demon's stomach grew in prominence. To be honest, Talia hoped that Oliver would come out ahead in the battle. Because, as Nyssa reminded Talia earlier, Oliver's success or failure would determine whether or not Nyssa and Talia would live or die.
The two daughters of Ra's al Ghul threw everything behind Oliver.
"And we must destroy his body upon his defeat," Nyssa said. "Because there is the Lazarus Pit. And there are loyalists out there who will resurrect him through the Lazarus Pit."
Oliver swallowed, the knowledge of Ra's mystical pit coming to the forefront. It brought Ra's back from certain death and as Talia mentioned to Oliver, the pit brought the Demon back one two many times from Death.
"Win," Talia said. "You have to."
"And of his loyalists…."
"They will either follow or they will fall,' Nyssa said.
Nyssa leaned in and gave Oliver a very passionate kiss. The kiss lasted several minutes before Nyssa pulled away. Talia, not to be outdone, moved in and did more of the same.
"Win," Talia repeated. "You have to for the sake of the world's future."
And more personally to Oliver, the League would give the resources to save Starling City. Although now, Oliver had been coming to the conclusion about how messed up everything had been.
One of the guards moved into the room. Talia and Nyssa placed hands to blades, ready to lash out at the guard. But the guard said nothing, staring down at both of the women.
"It's time."
Oliver rose up and followed the guard, with Nyssa and Talia following. The time for reckoning was here. Oliver, Nyssa, Talia, the entire group walked outside, slipping from the shadows.
"You will win," Nyssa told him.
Oliver knew, and walked up to Ra's al Ghul. The imposing and powerful warrior, ageless and dangerous, stood at the edge of the mountain. The wind blew just as Ra's slowly turned around.
"I saw great promise in you, boy."
A flare of anger shot into Oliver's mind at being dismissed as merely a boy. Yet, Oliver, refused to rise to the bait of Ra's al Ghul. Rather, a deep breath came through Oliver. Channel the Mirikuru, but do not let it overwhelm.
"But, it's obvious that something in you has changed, which has made you rabid," Ra's said. "I'm curious to see why Lady Shiva wished to throw you at me...but I'll deal with her...and your other companions when this is done. Laurel, Sara, the Amazon they will pay for your arrogance."
Nyssa stiffened at the implication of Ra's coming after Sara. Oliver did more than stiffen.
"Are we going to talk or are we going to fight?" Oliver asked.
"Not in the mood for pleasant conversation before you die?" Ra's asked. "Very well...take your blade...I will remove it from your hand and kill you with it soon enough."
Oliver took the blade. The cold steel empowered Oliver. The power flowed through Oliver's veins.
"Now."
Oliver lunged forward. Ra's showed years of experiences by blocking the first shot, and casually nailed Oliver in the chest with a couple of punches. Oliver deflected the blows. Ra's moved around and went for an attack to the side of the neck. Oliver blocked the attack and came back with a swing. Ra's avoided the attack by shielding the neck area.
Every move from Oliver had an answer from Ra's. To be fair, Oliver saw Ra's moves coming, most of the time. Ra's raised some welts on the side of Oliver's neck by getting in a couple of shots.
Precise, calculating, and calm, Ra's al Ghul reminded all watching who had been worth of leading the League of Assassins.
"No matter how strong you are, you still need oxygen."
Ra's wrapped an arm around Oliver's throat and tried to choke the young man out. Oliver grabbed Ra's fingers and dislocated them to break the hold.
"And you need a grip to take that sword away from me."
"Pain is merely an illusion, boy," Ra's said.
The second time Ra's called Oliver that, in an attempt to rattle the young man. But, Oliver, refused to allow Ra's to get the upper hand. The two charged together, with Ra's dodging the attack and going for a sweep. Oliver caught Ra's and knocked the man down with a furious swipe.
One decapitating blow, had been avoided by Ra's. Ra's came back, and tore the sword away from Oliver's chest. A swinging attack caught Oliver and almost rocked the young man over the side of the cliff.
Ra's ripped the sword out of Oliver's hand. Oliver blocked the sword swipe, deadly, with bare hands. The two struggled, fighting over the sword, and almost tipping over the side of the down.
"They backed you, and you let them down," Ra's said. "What do you intend to do now?"
"Win."
Oliver let go of the sword, only to plunge a concealed dagger into the chest of the Demon. Blood spurted out of the ageless man. Ra's breathed in heavily and swung the sword at Oliver. Oliver dodged the attack and stabbed Ra's between the shoulder blades with the blade. A third stab severed the arteries in Ra's right arm.
"Very good," Ra's breathed. "Very…."
Oliver buried the dagger into Ra's chest several times, stabbing the man over and over and over again in a violent rage. A green glow of Oliver's eyes swam over with rage.
"You are the one," Ra's said. "Let my blood anoint you!"
Blood splashed Oliver's body. Ubu made a movement to save his master, only for Talia to sever the tendons in the man's legs with a well placed arrow shot. Talia kicked Ubu in the face and deposited the man over the side of the mountain like an old newspaper.
Ra's arms spread, in a crucifix like pose and offered himself up as a sacrifice. Oliver reclaimed the sword and swung it to seperate Ra's head from his body.
Blood spilled everywhere, Ra's severed head rolled to the feet of several shocked followers. Oliver, covered in their old master's blood, turned around.
Talia, breaking out in a smile, turned to the shocked waters. "The Demon is dead long live Ra's al Ghul."
Oliver took the ring off of the corpse of Ra's al Ghul. Talia walked over and took the ring from Oliver. For a second, Talia looked at the ring, considering it.
A second passed, and Talia slipped the ring onto Oliver's finger. The new Ra's al Ghul's hand held up in the air, for everything, as the decaying body of her father laid on the ground.
Out at sea, Oliver, Talia, and Nyssa sat around, a fire. In the midst of the fire, the burning body of Ra's al Ghul had.
"We will spread the ashes to every corner of the globe," Nyssa said. "And secure the Pit to ensure no loyalists try anything with them."
"Good," Oliver said. "We need to weed out the men and women who were loyal to the man, and not the cause. And kill them."
"Yes, it will be done," Talia said. "My father once took pity on an enemy, and made him his prisoner. That man became a menace and a threat to the world, named Damien Darhk."
"Another mistake that will be corrected," Oliver said.
The body of the former Ra's al Ghul burned to ashes. Oliver, still covered in Ra's blood, looked into the fire. Tonight, the first step towards a greater mission had been enacted. Although they had a long way to go.
This is the final chapter of plot for this story, although I have two more chapters of shameless smut to offer you before we wrap things up for this volume.