Chapter 5: Training Under The League of Shadows
Training Compound: High in the Mountains
They stood at the peak of Dawn in the complex observing as the sun rose. "Do you still feel guilt over your godfather's death?"
Harry glanced at his mentor, a serious expression on his face, and went back to watching the sun at the horizon.
"My anger outweighs my guilt."
Laying his hand at Harry's shoulder and turned him around, leading him back inside the house.
They stood on the ice, ready to begin sparring.
"You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. I will teach you to confront it. To face the truth."
They circled each other as they weighed one another.
"You know how to fight six men; I can teach you how to engage six hundred. You know how to disappear; we can teach you how to become truly invisible."
Harry brought his hands up to block the kick from his assailant before returning one of his own. A grunt was heard as the 2nd assailant, in ninja uniform, managed to land a hit on the man in the ice. There was a level of difficulty from his 2nd assailant but the other, Lacour, seemed to be completely at ease as they continued, he continued his assault on the young man.
Harry was supposed to fight for an hour without falling into the ice or yielding (Merlin knew how difficult that was!). He took a step back to avoid a tripping kick before swiftly getting in close and uppercutting the 2nd assailant, knocking him out of the fight.
His mentor managed to sweep the young man to the ice, but it still didn't budge despite some cracks forming from it.
"Mind your surroundings. Your body must be able to react at a moment's glance."
Harry came close into his opponent and attempted to get in some quick-fire punches at his mentor, before, following it up with a front kick that was easily blocked.
Lacour tried another attempt at sweeping the kid from his feet once again: at which Harry quickly jumped above the attempt and managing to land gracefully and advancing forward in an attempt to end the fight with his momentum from the jump.
Harry feinted a left punch, managed to land a hit with his right and added a sweeper kick. To his surprise, his mentor had foreseen it and quickly reacted: pulling him to the ground and getting in close to strike the ground close to his head.
"Yield?"
Quickly nodding, not wishing to fight anymore.
Tomorrow we return back to the complex.
Harry and Lacour walked along the corridor in the training duplex.
"… truly invisible."
"How can I become invisible?" he asked uncertainly.
Lacour spoke some unknown language before a member of the League dropped from above them in a true statement of stealth as Harry couldn't have sensed anyone above him.
"A ninja understands that invisibility is a matter of patience and agility."
Hanging on to each word that was spoken, Harry was the picture of a captivated student ready for learning.
They continued the stroll before Lacour stopped in front of a locked door. Unlocking it, he beckoned the green-eyed man in. He walked to a cabinet in the room and took a bowl that seemed to be full of black seeds.
"Ninjitsu employs the use of explosive powders-" he took a bit of the powder before throwing it to the floor close to Harry's feet causing a mini-explosion, "-as weapons… or distractions. Theatricality and deception are powerful agents; you must become more than just a man in the mind of your opponent."
Harry took a snippet of the powder, trying its explosiveness in the ground.
Lacour made his way out of the room, gesturing to follow him: they journeyed on heading to another part of the facility as Harry gawked around.
They came to a stop in front of a man in a cage being lifted to a dais.
"Who is he?" Gesturing to the man in the cage.
"He was a farmer who thought to take his neighbour's life and became a murderer, now he is a Prisoner."
His eyes wide and fixated on the man, he asked, "What will happen to him?"
Cold and slowly watching Harry's reaction.
"Justice… crime cannot be tolerated; criminals thrive on the indulgence of society's understanding," he said in a cold monotone.
Harry and Lacour faced off on the fragile ice floor. The area was wide enough for the two of them to fight.
His mentor threw off his dark cloak and revealed a man clothed in a black tunic and long loose fitting variation of cargo pants, bound together with a rope at his waste. His face displayed his confidence. He slowly drew a long sword from his belt slowly, the blade made a hissing whisper as it was removed from the sheathe. On both hands he wore sharp, sturdy gauntlets. He slowly got into a Fool's Guard stance. All the while, Harry was holding Lacour firmly in his gaze, trying to figure his opponent out.
Harry was wearing a maroon long sleeve shirt and loose-fitting black pants. On either hand he had sturdy metal gauntlets.
"CLANG!"
"CLANG!"
The sharp clanging sounds could be heard as the swords of the two men clashed hard.
A hiss could be heard as Harry swung his sword hard at Lacour's head only for him to dive under it with ease.
A crack could be heard in the ice, as his mentor turned his back on him, and he walked away, Harry's face was scrunched up in focus.
"Your Godparents' death was not your fault…," Harry took advantage of this and charged; however, it was not to be. Lacour swung his sword, just in the nick of time to deflect the strike; Harry not deterred in the slightest renewed his strikes.
Lacour parried with one of his gauntlets and the blade clashed against the metal strapped to Harry's arms with a shriek that sent sparks flying into the air. Holding the sword in his gauntlets, he caught the gaze of his mentee and completed his statement," - … It was your Godfather's," he said with conviction laden in his voice. The clung of the sword hitting the ground as Harry dropped his sword and roared seeking to instead attack his mentor with his bare hands The Elder man was quick, and uppercut slashed at the hand-to-hand warrior, attempting to catch Soren from stem all the way to stern.
A drop in the younger man's defence shone through and Lacour quickly took advantage of it. Swiftly grasping Harry's gauntlet and using it as a pivot to flip the man to the ground in a show of strength and agility.
"Anger does not change the fact that your Godfather failed to act."
On the ground, panting and angry he replied, "That man had a gun."
Letting go of his hold on Harry; he asked, "Would that stop you?"
"I've had training."
"The training is NOTHING! – "
Quickly getting in on Harry's defence and swung the sword with power straight at his head.
Only holding his gauntlet worn hands in a cross shape saved him but the force of the strike pushed him back on the ice and back down on the ground, ass first.
"—Will is Everything!"
Letting Harry gather his wits and get up, he watched him with a cold gaze.
"The Will to Act," he continued in a calmer manner.
Harry however said nothing and glanced at Lacour: only to run in a charge at him.
Lacour simply readied his sword and went for the swing, Harry ducked and slide down on the ice, just enough and the blade passed a hairs breath from his face and ran for his sword that lay on the ground.
He just had enough time to pick the sword and bring it to his face before a sword immediately clashed with it: with enough force to send him down, were he not already on the ground.
Quick thinking on his part, he did a quick sweeper at his mentor's feet, surprisingly sending him to the ground.
Getting up with the speed of a cheetah, he got up and held his sword at his mentor's head.
Not helping the smug smile that attempted to break on his face he cheekily asked, "Yield?"
Amusement clearly in his eyes, his mentor replied, "You haven't beaten me. You've sacrificed your footing for a killing stroke."
Only having time to glance at his feet before Lacour tapped the ground under him with his sword. All he knew was cold as he fell to the icy waters.
Author's Note: Thanks starboy454 for the reviews.
Please like and review, tell me your opinions on the story. As I'm sure some of you have noticed I will be using the Batman Begins movie as a reference. Currently I will be having exams for some 3 weeks and until they're over I won't have time to update. But after that I will try updating at least once a week. Open to suggestions on the villains Harry will face back in London.