Chapter 4- Eden
The cloaked figures of Azraels stood before the gates of Eden. They were rather large and imposing figures in the Crimson and Gold armor. Their swords standing at attention ready for any that might try to cross its gates uninvited. There were but a few that ever have survived Eden's gates, and those that do never leave. It was a paradise made by the Demon's Head Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's loved to watch those few try to break through and meet the Azraels in battle. Should the Azraels fail to defeat their challengers they die. Ra's was very specific on that point. Only a mere 20 people have ever made it into those walls. Of those that made it in most were Nomads who see Eden for what it is; the explorer's paradise. The terrain was converted desert into lush green land; trees full of ripening fruits, and of course a menagerie of animal life from all over the world. This was another reason Ra's believed that only survivors should enter the lands. The animals roamed freely among the grounds of Eden, and more than one of his dwellers has been mauled to death by something that he couldn't deal with.
Ra's stood inside the mobile citadel of Eden. He looked around the grounds and saw tigers on the hunt for their dinner. He smiled and turned his back to the scene allowing the tigers to go unimpeded by his audience. He walked further into the heart of the citadel and looked at his trophy case. In there was the head of St. Dumas. Ra's stared at it with blank expression.
"Does he still fascinate you that much father," asked the voice of Talia, the daughter of Ra's.
"No my daughter, it's merely just seeing the symbol that for centuries made maniacs out of the sane."
"The dead symbol, but people do strange things father. We've seen it before many of time."
"Yes my daughter we have. People outside of Eden do it everyday with the heroes of yesteryear. The Churches based on the Justice Society and the Justice League. They've all found themselves immortalized by the masses. And even by their one time enemies."
"I've been thinking about paying a visit to Gotham and seeing Brother Joker personally."
"After all this time you're still in love with the Detective. I had hoped that he'd be far from your thoughts now daughter."
"Never totally father, but when I think about the broken body of his on top of that infernal building placed up there by those people that he protected for so long...I know it's a sign of weakness father, he could have ruled them. Still, it was a mark of character that he never let such thoughts in his mind."
"I suppose that the minds of the young are unknowable to someone who has lived so long. I remember my youth quite well, but I also remember knowing that I'd never let myself suffer those pains again. I wish I could spare you yours daughter."
Talia lowered her head and bowed out gracefully to attend other duties. Ra's turned and watched her leave. His eyebrow arched in a somewhat questioning pose. As she went out of his sight he turned his attentions back to St. Dumas. The two's eyes locked on one another. Fixated and though Dumas had been dead since centuries past, he still showed the look of disdain.
"You probably think me a fool, don't you Dumas? Never telling her that the Detective isn't the one on that cross in the middle of his now dilapidated city. I suspect she knows, but I don't think she knows truly what happened to her "beloved"."
Ra's turned his back to Dumas walking towards his impressive sword collection. He picked up the cutlass that sat sheathed and he drew it. He started shadow fencing, though not overly seriously. His mind flashed to the past and the present. He thought hard on the Detective. In the 100 years that Batman has been gone Ra's has never forgotten him, nor would Talia let him. It wasn't that his daughter was being defiant to him; it was the love for the man she knew. Though he knew the Detective did love her he also knew that he would never requite it the same way. As these thoughts hit his mind his blade started to move more precisely. He remembers the battles with Batman to the letter.
Ra's focused on the Icon and Luthor. He never found much use for Superman. He thought him inferior to the Detective. As to Luthor, well to talk of Superman is to talk of Lex Luthor. The two were mutual thorns in each other's sides. Often Ra's sat and thought of the evils Luthor committed in the name of bringing down the Man of Steel. And knew of his quest to obtain the garb of the fallen Icon. Luthor was idealistic, and Ra's was well aware (like any genius of his caliber and someone who knows the greed of the human heart) that he wanted Eden. Luthor had been sitting on Santa Prisca for so long that he almost grew roots. Ra's knew however that this was only because he wanted to give a target a focal point of attack. Luthor would be long gone from there while everyone else suffered the wrath of the industrialist. And when the island went, plans would be set in motion that would no doubt effect every major power on the map and thoroughly destroy the minors. This made Ra's smirk a little. Luthor had been so dependant on his genius of technology that he didn't believe there was a thing he could really do to stop him. Luthor sentries would be useless flying into Eden because the moment they did the tech in their suits would be fried leaving a bunch of dead men. As to the few that survived the plummet, the occupants and Azraels would kill them. No, Luthor would have to do better if he wished to stop Ra's and gain control of Eden.
His sword gallantly moved through the air. There were many of enemy put to the blade of Ra's and those that were didn't survive, save the Detective. It was through the Detective that Ra's met another interesting and brutish man; Bane. Bane and he played chess while he stayed at the Demon's palace. An intellects game and he admitted that Bane played well. He also helped to build the Wheel of Plagues, and became Ra's' Ubu for a time. Ra's heard many stories of him before his employ, and how he ruled the Gotham night for a time. He knew that this man broke the Detective. A masterstroke of his was watching Batman for weaknesses as the inmates of Arkham Asylum ran amok through the streets. Once Batman had been physically and more to the point mentally worn he beat him on his own territory. Ra's gave Bane credit for the defeat, but little else. Ra's didn't believe in Bane's strong-armed tactics. It was good for bodyguards and sentries but not for a well thought man. Bane could've been so much more had he not become greedy and split Luthor's company.
Bane set foot on the shores of Africa with 200 well-trained men. They were clones of him, modified so that the treacherous part of him would be removed. He told them that a full frontal assault would lead to death, but to sneak attack with fighters spread out around the walls of Eden, that could take the battle. Ra's remember the intelligence reports well. The sweeps Bane's army did on the jungles were thorough to be sure, but they were not thorough enough. One of the surviving assassins came back with the report of the army. This gave Ra's the full opportunity to see the Azrael's in action.
He allowed the army to reach Eden and a few more of his assassin's died. Ra's didn't want to give the game away to his enemy. They'd finally got to the walls and they scaled them in no time at all. On the other side they saw the beauty of what Ra's had protected. Bane could understand why a man would want such a garden. It was a matter of pride in oneself, and it also was a mark of character to show the power of ones convictions. When the Azraels appeared he knew full well what Ra's would do to protect it. Bane waded through them only to have more and more pile on. His army soon was ripped to pieces as each Bane clone was given special attention. Bane, battered and bloodied, was dragged to Ra's to judge him personally.
"Who sent you here Bane? Who sent you here to die?"
"I was sent by no man. Bane took the resources he needed and came here to take your pride from you."
Ra's crouched down to stare the bloodied mess in the face as the Azraels held him into place. "Didn't work quite the way you had planned, did it brute?"
"Give me the opportunity Demon and I will rip your heart from you."
"Are you seriously challenging me Bane? You who took knee to the likes of Lex Luthor would challenge me to a duel?"
"Do you fear you might finally taste your death aged Demon?"
Ra's went to his swords and dropped a cutlass at the Bane's feet. He removed his cape and stood there giving the order for Bane to be let go. Bane looked at the sword and grabbed it fast just barely blocking the blow Ra's tried to inflict.
"You must never hesitate brute, you of all should know that."
Bane swung the blade at Ra's chest, which never made its target. Ra's stood there blank in face and skilled with sword. Bane's natural calm composure started to lose its grip. He tried to center and focus himself, but the blows of the Azraels rattled him a bit more than he'd anticipated. They started to wear heavy on him and made him off-balance. Ra's just watched as Bane used up the last of his energy and fell to his knees."
"You realize that you are defeated. Instead of the graceful death you could have had, your final coup de gras was made when you were in no condition to battle has earned you shame."
"I will die proudly Demon, at least I died fighting."
"No brute, you died on your knees at the feet of your betters instead of rising above them. That's what you were always doing, wasn't it Bane? Rising above those that would suppress you? You would have been better off to accept your fate and stay in that infernal prison."
Ra's stood and looked down at Bane's face. Bane stared him in the eye and Ra's saw the spark still there, but in the forefront was defeat. Ra's swung the blade and it connected at Bane's neck and severed his head from his body. He stood over the body and grabbed his head. He pulled Bane's mask back over his head and he packaged it. "Send this to Lex Luthor, he'll want to know that his template is going to be more useful where he can always watch him." Ra's wrote a note and placed it in the basket with Bane's head and it was sent.
The body was taken to the Lazarus Pit and it was burned horridly to non-existence. Ra's then walked into a chamber that now sat above the pit and saw the face of a boy. He looked at the young one whose powers were growing in intensity.
"Young one, rise."
"Master, why must I do this? It's painful if I do it too long."
"Because when our dreams are realized you will live in Utopia. It is beautiful beyond all our imaginations, and it because of the power of the Lazarus Pit and your control of the Magnetic Spectrum that has made it so."
The young boy smiled at the thought of open spaces. The child was the product of the Order of St. Dumas. It was an experiment on some of the potential Azraels to make them more powerful. In a new day and age the Order wanted to make themselves the absolute rulers of the planet. Ra's had seen the devastation that one of these Magnetic controlled Azraels could have and decided that the Order had finally outlived its usefulness, unless under his control.
Gathering forces from the League of Assassins and his own daughter they stormed the last vestige of the once proud Order of St. Dumas. The battle went on for some hours, but thanks to the skills of the League they eventually brought down the active Azrael. Unfortunately it took half of their forces to get him, but once their defender had died the Order folded under in no time. The monks came to Ra's and told him that his blasphemy would not go unpunished. Ra's had them slaughtered and their bodies thrown into the vile chemicals that made the Lazarus Pit. Talia looked at the bodies around them and walked up with the head of the dead Azrael in her hand.
"The Order of St. Dumas is yours father."
"It only took the destruction of half the world to do it. But at least my point was made to everyone. I could defeat the Order, and the world learned that the only way to survive is to be the one with skill and determination."
After that day, Ra's studied the notes of the Order and gained full knowledge of the project and how they worked many others. With slight modifications of his own, soon he started to create the Azrael Guard. They were deadly killers, and made superb guards for his Eden. And it seemed only fit to make these plans come to life since the death of the heroes. "It takes the end of one cycle to begin another," Ra's thought to himself. Knowing the story of what happened in Gotham, and that it wasn't truly Batman nailed to the cross, he sent several agents to retrieve the real Dark Knight Detective. He knew him to be alive somewhere in the world, but where was another story. He'd often wondered if he was out in Africa waiting to try a coup to stop Ra's "Fiendish Plans". Ra's knew however that if that were the case he would've tried stopping him long before Eden was ever created.
Ra's broke out of his concentration and sheathed his sword. As he looked over Eden again, he started to consider that his immortality had been wearing thin upon his mind. It wasn't his health; it was first rate, but more or less his state of mind. So much happened to him over his life, and now that his plans were being realized he found himself in a great deal of contemplation. He'd been like this many times before in his existence, but now it seemed that it happened more frequently.
"Have I lived my life to its fullest? I have few enemies in this world, and they aren't that dangerous to me. Luthor might still surprise me yet, and Vandal Savage will dare to cross me if he survives the Industrialist. I dare not think that this is my last days. I was failing in health before, even through the Lazarus revivals. Now that the Magnetic fields have been changed to a higher level and the treatments provide full restorations and restored me a great deal of my youth I wouldn't like to think that this gift is so short lived."
Ra's walked into Eden and started looking over those few that were granted entrance. He saw one that sat on the bank of a river where at one time there was none running through this desert. The man looked up at the Lord of the Land and gave a half cracked smile and just returned his face to the waters.
"Enjoying another beautiful day in paradise, Mr. Ghul," the man asked.
"Of course, it has been my life long dream to see this."
"Dreams, the ultimate star on which we wish upon and hope it's listening."
"I don't believe that a second. It's a fool who wishes for dreams instead of making them."
The man smiled again. Ra's raised his eyebrow in questioning to this reaction.
"Do you find something amusing about that, sir?"
"Not in particular Mr. Ghul, I find the point of view refreshing in point of fact."
"What is your name?"
"Xavier Weston, I'm known in circles as the Nomad."
"I know everyone that's come into Eden, and I don't remember your entrance."
"Head's rolled from your Azrael detail, and I must admit that the ninjas were particularly fun to deal with. Still, entrance wasn't that hard Mr. Ghul."
Ra's clicked his fingers and 5 of the Elite Azraels appeared in the area. The Nomad didn't bat an eye as they came to hall him into the mobile citadel of the Demon. They closed in on him and the Nomad took no stance other than to ready his walking stick. The lead Azrael found himself in a bad situation as the Nomad pried the stick between his attackers breastplate and tossed him into the river. He turned to the other 4 and stared at them awaiting the next challenge. Their swords ignited into a blaze of fire and they rushed him. Nomad killed all 4 of them. The first suffered a broken neck, the second got part of his throat armor broken into his windpipe, the third his spine was broken in several places, and the last met his fate with a sharp point in the Nomad's walking stick in the eye socket. After all this he turned his attention back to the waterlogged fighter. The Azrael managed to jump out of the river current. Ra's stood there and watched in silence, and nodded in approval of this man's fighting skills. The Azrael jumped into the air and tried to kick the Nomad only to have his ankle broken and his mask ripped from his face when he landed. The Azrael looked up in some confusion as this man stuck his face into the waters of the river. He thrashed around but finally oxygen gave way and he floated up the river. The Nomad returned to his seat at the bank.
"Impressive Weston, you know how to fight well."
"When one gets challenged by the best martial artists in the world, one learns to fight well. But I prefer to out think my opponents."
"You out thought the Azraels then?"
"One need not have to when their choreography was all preprogrammed. The best fighters of the world could take them in a fight, were in not for the numbers you keep of them these days. But who trains them? Who gives them their fighting technique? He should be killed."
"The best of my armies train them."
"Sad, they seem not to want to lose their position to these guards. I could however train them for you. They need to be their best, otherwise you have glorified hounds."
"Your tongue could earn you trouble Nomad, I'm not in the habit in having subordinates of my lands talk to me thusly."
"Understandable, but my offer still stands. I will train them if you so wish. Call it my gift to one who gave me a place of quiet contemplation."
Ra's turned his back and looked back over his shoulder. "I will consider it, but you will be more respectful to me in the future. You're a fine warrior, but that's where the showering of compliments end."
"Of course Mr. Ghul."
In all this time Ra's had seen some of the finest in warriors come into Eden, but it wasn't the unthinking brutes that made it in, it was that select few that were skilled of the mind as they were of physicality. Nomad would be dead now under any other circumstance if it weren't that Ra's partially agreed with him. He'd noticed that the training that the Azraels were receiving wasn't up to standard.
"I shall have to talk to their "trainer" about such messy work."
Ra's stormed into the training center as the Azrael's trained. He saw them move in unison to the movements of their teacher. The teacher stopped and bowed to his master. Ra's stood there with no movement to acknowledge him, or any sort of pleasant look upon his face to show approval.
"Master, it is always a pleasure to have you visit during our humble sessions."
"Humble. How appropriate to my visit trainer."
"Master, have you been displeased by our work?"
"To put it in mild terms, you've understated my feelings. The Azraels are an elite force, and seemingly they've been made less."
"Master, they are but mere fleshy robots."
"As are you when put into those terms. These are specially grown and entrusted to you to teach them how to fight with their minds as well as their fists. And here I find that you've made them as the Order of Dumas did. Programmed machines."
"Master, is that not what you wished for? A sentry of no real intellect."
Ra's drew a blade and put it to the throat of his assassin. He got the snarling look of a man possessed on his face as the assassin's look went to that of great terror.
"I told you that these were the line of defense to Eden. Robots anticipate only things they are programmed to; a warrior needs his wits about him so to change with the opponent's movements. If you do not know that and anticipate my thoughts or interpret my meanings differently then you are of no use to me." Ra's pulled the blade across the assassin's throat. The man fell to his knees and though he was just slaughtered by his Master, he still saluted him proudly.
Ra's turned to the Azraels with disgust. He stared over their ranks as they stood there staring back at him. Ra's walked out looking again around the garden as one of his servants ran up to him.
"Master, is all alright?"
"No it is not. I was assured that everything was as a well-oiled machine. I see that this information was in error. Even you came too late, I could be run through now with as slow responses as I've seen today."
"Shall I fetch Ubu sir?"
"You will not, he's amongst the League of Assassins collecting the strongest for mating. I think I am getting the full idea now. While my daughter and Ubu are with me my people will act so well, but with just me they fall apart."
"No Master, we never think that. We'd die before we'd ever think such blasphemy."
"I'm not convinced of this. Bring me the strongest of the Azraels."
"Yes Master."
Ra's went and pulled his cutlass from its sheathe once more then gave the order for the chimes to be rung. Talia, Ubu, and all those that served the Demon's Head came running to the citadel. Ra's stepped out bare chest and looking fit as ever. He looked over the crowd with harshness.
"It has come to my attention that many of you may believe me too old to continue my lead over these lands, and indeed over you. To those that think such things, I make you an offer of grand stature. You may rule this land if you can defeat me in single combat. Who amongst you is brave enough for this challenge?"
No one stepped forward. Ra's looked over the crowd. The Azrael he requested stepped forward. He looked at this specimen and nodded.
"This Azrael was personally trained by my daughter to be my citadel guard. Unlike the rest, this one is potent and can think." Ra's swung his blade at the Azrael who quickly defended against the blow. Ra's squared off with the massive protector. The Azrael soon leaped into the air and activated the bundai daggers hidden in his gauntlets and fired one of the flaming blades as Ra's. Ra's stood there and let it get closer and deflected it with his cutlass.
The Azrael spun in air and decided to come at his master again with a sharp kick. Ra's moved out of the way of it and swung his sword to meet the calf of this brave warrior. The Azrael adjusted and his foot landed on the flat of the blade and sprung himself back into the air like a ballet dancer in mid performance. The Azrael pulled his blade and it erupted into a beautiful flame. He swung it at Ra's. Ra's nodded as the challenge seemed worth his time.
The others stood and watched this ancient ruler fight this fit warrior. Xavier Weston nodded as he saw the techniques of ages flow through this master. The spectators just looked in amazement that such dexterity still remained in the old hands of the Demon's Head. Talia and Ubu knew all too well that this man was a force to be reckoned with. Talia especially knew that these displays were good for these people. They feared Ra's and though Ra's knew that no one truly ever thought less of him, he had to show them a physical display when laxness became evident. She had told everyone in Eden many of time that her father didn't get this much without the ability to fight for it. It was in these times that they saw just how much he'd fight to keep it.
Ra's let the Azrael land upon his feet. He raised his blade and the Azrael met him in stance. Both swung and a power of wills began. The movement of each blade ended with the clash of metal and a brilliant flame eruption from the blow. Ra's crossed the Azrael's blade blow for blow. He changed his style for a second to a more devious fighting stance. When the blow connected this time, Ra's let his blade bounce off and when the Azrael wet to meet it with his own Ra's swiped the Azrael's leg. It bled profusely, and Ra's smiled.
"First blood to me Elite, can you match this?"
To the Azrael's credit he didn't let the cut bother him. He twirled the blade to meet his Master's head on. The blade clashed above their heads and they held them there for quite a bit of time. The Azrael pulled away first and swiped at Ra's. Ra's met the blade and the Azrael did an air-cartwheel jumping to his side and the hot blade met Ra's chest leaving a burn across it. Ra's nodded in approval. He knew now that his fun had ended though. It was time to make the example of this Azrael that left its mark upon his skin. The Azrael went to strike Ra's' mid section and Ra's met the blow stopping it dead and then spun the blade with lighting speed and it connected to the neck of the Azrael. The head flew into the crowd and one of the assassins caught it.
"This was an Elite. Not some sheep to the slaughter. This man could protect Eden from invasion. I wish you to know however that no matter the invader, your Lord and Master will always triumph."
The crowd cheered for their Master even through their fears. Talia, Ubu, and even Xavier Weston looked over the crowd knowing that Ra's had them.
"I am he, who is Ra's Al Ghul, you are my subjects, and Eden is our home. Let the land be bathed in the blood of our enemies and populated with the strongest."
The cloaked figures of Azraels stood before the gates of Eden. They were rather large and imposing figures in the Crimson and Gold armor. Their swords standing at attention ready for any that might try to cross its gates uninvited. There were but a few that ever have survived Eden's gates, and those that do never leave. It was a paradise made by the Demon's Head Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's loved to watch those few try to break through and meet the Azraels in battle. Should the Azraels fail to defeat their challengers they die. Ra's was very specific on that point. Only a mere 20 people have ever made it into those walls. Of those that made it in most were Nomads who see Eden for what it is; the explorer's paradise. The terrain was converted desert into lush green land; trees full of ripening fruits, and of course a menagerie of animal life from all over the world. This was another reason Ra's believed that only survivors should enter the lands. The animals roamed freely among the grounds of Eden, and more than one of his dwellers has been mauled to death by something that he couldn't deal with.
Ra's stood inside the mobile citadel of Eden. He looked around the grounds and saw tigers on the hunt for their dinner. He smiled and turned his back to the scene allowing the tigers to go unimpeded by his audience. He walked further into the heart of the citadel and looked at his trophy case. In there was the head of St. Dumas. Ra's stared at it with blank expression.
"Does he still fascinate you that much father," asked the voice of Talia, the daughter of Ra's.
"No my daughter, it's merely just seeing the symbol that for centuries made maniacs out of the sane."
"The dead symbol, but people do strange things father. We've seen it before many of time."
"Yes my daughter we have. People outside of Eden do it everyday with the heroes of yesteryear. The Churches based on the Justice Society and the Justice League. They've all found themselves immortalized by the masses. And even by their one time enemies."
"I've been thinking about paying a visit to Gotham and seeing Brother Joker personally."
"After all this time you're still in love with the Detective. I had hoped that he'd be far from your thoughts now daughter."
"Never totally father, but when I think about the broken body of his on top of that infernal building placed up there by those people that he protected for so long...I know it's a sign of weakness father, he could have ruled them. Still, it was a mark of character that he never let such thoughts in his mind."
"I suppose that the minds of the young are unknowable to someone who has lived so long. I remember my youth quite well, but I also remember knowing that I'd never let myself suffer those pains again. I wish I could spare you yours daughter."
Talia lowered her head and bowed out gracefully to attend other duties. Ra's turned and watched her leave. His eyebrow arched in a somewhat questioning pose. As she went out of his sight he turned his attentions back to St. Dumas. The two's eyes locked on one another. Fixated and though Dumas had been dead since centuries past, he still showed the look of disdain.
"You probably think me a fool, don't you Dumas? Never telling her that the Detective isn't the one on that cross in the middle of his now dilapidated city. I suspect she knows, but I don't think she knows truly what happened to her "beloved"."
Ra's turned his back to Dumas walking towards his impressive sword collection. He picked up the cutlass that sat sheathed and he drew it. He started shadow fencing, though not overly seriously. His mind flashed to the past and the present. He thought hard on the Detective. In the 100 years that Batman has been gone Ra's has never forgotten him, nor would Talia let him. It wasn't that his daughter was being defiant to him; it was the love for the man she knew. Though he knew the Detective did love her he also knew that he would never requite it the same way. As these thoughts hit his mind his blade started to move more precisely. He remembers the battles with Batman to the letter.
Ra's focused on the Icon and Luthor. He never found much use for Superman. He thought him inferior to the Detective. As to Luthor, well to talk of Superman is to talk of Lex Luthor. The two were mutual thorns in each other's sides. Often Ra's sat and thought of the evils Luthor committed in the name of bringing down the Man of Steel. And knew of his quest to obtain the garb of the fallen Icon. Luthor was idealistic, and Ra's was well aware (like any genius of his caliber and someone who knows the greed of the human heart) that he wanted Eden. Luthor had been sitting on Santa Prisca for so long that he almost grew roots. Ra's knew however that this was only because he wanted to give a target a focal point of attack. Luthor would be long gone from there while everyone else suffered the wrath of the industrialist. And when the island went, plans would be set in motion that would no doubt effect every major power on the map and thoroughly destroy the minors. This made Ra's smirk a little. Luthor had been so dependant on his genius of technology that he didn't believe there was a thing he could really do to stop him. Luthor sentries would be useless flying into Eden because the moment they did the tech in their suits would be fried leaving a bunch of dead men. As to the few that survived the plummet, the occupants and Azraels would kill them. No, Luthor would have to do better if he wished to stop Ra's and gain control of Eden.
His sword gallantly moved through the air. There were many of enemy put to the blade of Ra's and those that were didn't survive, save the Detective. It was through the Detective that Ra's met another interesting and brutish man; Bane. Bane and he played chess while he stayed at the Demon's palace. An intellects game and he admitted that Bane played well. He also helped to build the Wheel of Plagues, and became Ra's' Ubu for a time. Ra's heard many stories of him before his employ, and how he ruled the Gotham night for a time. He knew that this man broke the Detective. A masterstroke of his was watching Batman for weaknesses as the inmates of Arkham Asylum ran amok through the streets. Once Batman had been physically and more to the point mentally worn he beat him on his own territory. Ra's gave Bane credit for the defeat, but little else. Ra's didn't believe in Bane's strong-armed tactics. It was good for bodyguards and sentries but not for a well thought man. Bane could've been so much more had he not become greedy and split Luthor's company.
Bane set foot on the shores of Africa with 200 well-trained men. They were clones of him, modified so that the treacherous part of him would be removed. He told them that a full frontal assault would lead to death, but to sneak attack with fighters spread out around the walls of Eden, that could take the battle. Ra's remember the intelligence reports well. The sweeps Bane's army did on the jungles were thorough to be sure, but they were not thorough enough. One of the surviving assassins came back with the report of the army. This gave Ra's the full opportunity to see the Azrael's in action.
He allowed the army to reach Eden and a few more of his assassin's died. Ra's didn't want to give the game away to his enemy. They'd finally got to the walls and they scaled them in no time at all. On the other side they saw the beauty of what Ra's had protected. Bane could understand why a man would want such a garden. It was a matter of pride in oneself, and it also was a mark of character to show the power of ones convictions. When the Azraels appeared he knew full well what Ra's would do to protect it. Bane waded through them only to have more and more pile on. His army soon was ripped to pieces as each Bane clone was given special attention. Bane, battered and bloodied, was dragged to Ra's to judge him personally.
"Who sent you here Bane? Who sent you here to die?"
"I was sent by no man. Bane took the resources he needed and came here to take your pride from you."
Ra's crouched down to stare the bloodied mess in the face as the Azraels held him into place. "Didn't work quite the way you had planned, did it brute?"
"Give me the opportunity Demon and I will rip your heart from you."
"Are you seriously challenging me Bane? You who took knee to the likes of Lex Luthor would challenge me to a duel?"
"Do you fear you might finally taste your death aged Demon?"
Ra's went to his swords and dropped a cutlass at the Bane's feet. He removed his cape and stood there giving the order for Bane to be let go. Bane looked at the sword and grabbed it fast just barely blocking the blow Ra's tried to inflict.
"You must never hesitate brute, you of all should know that."
Bane swung the blade at Ra's chest, which never made its target. Ra's stood there blank in face and skilled with sword. Bane's natural calm composure started to lose its grip. He tried to center and focus himself, but the blows of the Azraels rattled him a bit more than he'd anticipated. They started to wear heavy on him and made him off-balance. Ra's just watched as Bane used up the last of his energy and fell to his knees."
"You realize that you are defeated. Instead of the graceful death you could have had, your final coup de gras was made when you were in no condition to battle has earned you shame."
"I will die proudly Demon, at least I died fighting."
"No brute, you died on your knees at the feet of your betters instead of rising above them. That's what you were always doing, wasn't it Bane? Rising above those that would suppress you? You would have been better off to accept your fate and stay in that infernal prison."
Ra's stood and looked down at Bane's face. Bane stared him in the eye and Ra's saw the spark still there, but in the forefront was defeat. Ra's swung the blade and it connected at Bane's neck and severed his head from his body. He stood over the body and grabbed his head. He pulled Bane's mask back over his head and he packaged it. "Send this to Lex Luthor, he'll want to know that his template is going to be more useful where he can always watch him." Ra's wrote a note and placed it in the basket with Bane's head and it was sent.
The body was taken to the Lazarus Pit and it was burned horridly to non-existence. Ra's then walked into a chamber that now sat above the pit and saw the face of a boy. He looked at the young one whose powers were growing in intensity.
"Young one, rise."
"Master, why must I do this? It's painful if I do it too long."
"Because when our dreams are realized you will live in Utopia. It is beautiful beyond all our imaginations, and it because of the power of the Lazarus Pit and your control of the Magnetic Spectrum that has made it so."
The young boy smiled at the thought of open spaces. The child was the product of the Order of St. Dumas. It was an experiment on some of the potential Azraels to make them more powerful. In a new day and age the Order wanted to make themselves the absolute rulers of the planet. Ra's had seen the devastation that one of these Magnetic controlled Azraels could have and decided that the Order had finally outlived its usefulness, unless under his control.
Gathering forces from the League of Assassins and his own daughter they stormed the last vestige of the once proud Order of St. Dumas. The battle went on for some hours, but thanks to the skills of the League they eventually brought down the active Azrael. Unfortunately it took half of their forces to get him, but once their defender had died the Order folded under in no time. The monks came to Ra's and told him that his blasphemy would not go unpunished. Ra's had them slaughtered and their bodies thrown into the vile chemicals that made the Lazarus Pit. Talia looked at the bodies around them and walked up with the head of the dead Azrael in her hand.
"The Order of St. Dumas is yours father."
"It only took the destruction of half the world to do it. But at least my point was made to everyone. I could defeat the Order, and the world learned that the only way to survive is to be the one with skill and determination."
After that day, Ra's studied the notes of the Order and gained full knowledge of the project and how they worked many others. With slight modifications of his own, soon he started to create the Azrael Guard. They were deadly killers, and made superb guards for his Eden. And it seemed only fit to make these plans come to life since the death of the heroes. "It takes the end of one cycle to begin another," Ra's thought to himself. Knowing the story of what happened in Gotham, and that it wasn't truly Batman nailed to the cross, he sent several agents to retrieve the real Dark Knight Detective. He knew him to be alive somewhere in the world, but where was another story. He'd often wondered if he was out in Africa waiting to try a coup to stop Ra's "Fiendish Plans". Ra's knew however that if that were the case he would've tried stopping him long before Eden was ever created.
Ra's broke out of his concentration and sheathed his sword. As he looked over Eden again, he started to consider that his immortality had been wearing thin upon his mind. It wasn't his health; it was first rate, but more or less his state of mind. So much happened to him over his life, and now that his plans were being realized he found himself in a great deal of contemplation. He'd been like this many times before in his existence, but now it seemed that it happened more frequently.
"Have I lived my life to its fullest? I have few enemies in this world, and they aren't that dangerous to me. Luthor might still surprise me yet, and Vandal Savage will dare to cross me if he survives the Industrialist. I dare not think that this is my last days. I was failing in health before, even through the Lazarus revivals. Now that the Magnetic fields have been changed to a higher level and the treatments provide full restorations and restored me a great deal of my youth I wouldn't like to think that this gift is so short lived."
Ra's walked into Eden and started looking over those few that were granted entrance. He saw one that sat on the bank of a river where at one time there was none running through this desert. The man looked up at the Lord of the Land and gave a half cracked smile and just returned his face to the waters.
"Enjoying another beautiful day in paradise, Mr. Ghul," the man asked.
"Of course, it has been my life long dream to see this."
"Dreams, the ultimate star on which we wish upon and hope it's listening."
"I don't believe that a second. It's a fool who wishes for dreams instead of making them."
The man smiled again. Ra's raised his eyebrow in questioning to this reaction.
"Do you find something amusing about that, sir?"
"Not in particular Mr. Ghul, I find the point of view refreshing in point of fact."
"What is your name?"
"Xavier Weston, I'm known in circles as the Nomad."
"I know everyone that's come into Eden, and I don't remember your entrance."
"Head's rolled from your Azrael detail, and I must admit that the ninjas were particularly fun to deal with. Still, entrance wasn't that hard Mr. Ghul."
Ra's clicked his fingers and 5 of the Elite Azraels appeared in the area. The Nomad didn't bat an eye as they came to hall him into the mobile citadel of the Demon. They closed in on him and the Nomad took no stance other than to ready his walking stick. The lead Azrael found himself in a bad situation as the Nomad pried the stick between his attackers breastplate and tossed him into the river. He turned to the other 4 and stared at them awaiting the next challenge. Their swords ignited into a blaze of fire and they rushed him. Nomad killed all 4 of them. The first suffered a broken neck, the second got part of his throat armor broken into his windpipe, the third his spine was broken in several places, and the last met his fate with a sharp point in the Nomad's walking stick in the eye socket. After all this he turned his attention back to the waterlogged fighter. The Azrael managed to jump out of the river current. Ra's stood there and watched in silence, and nodded in approval of this man's fighting skills. The Azrael jumped into the air and tried to kick the Nomad only to have his ankle broken and his mask ripped from his face when he landed. The Azrael looked up in some confusion as this man stuck his face into the waters of the river. He thrashed around but finally oxygen gave way and he floated up the river. The Nomad returned to his seat at the bank.
"Impressive Weston, you know how to fight well."
"When one gets challenged by the best martial artists in the world, one learns to fight well. But I prefer to out think my opponents."
"You out thought the Azraels then?"
"One need not have to when their choreography was all preprogrammed. The best fighters of the world could take them in a fight, were in not for the numbers you keep of them these days. But who trains them? Who gives them their fighting technique? He should be killed."
"The best of my armies train them."
"Sad, they seem not to want to lose their position to these guards. I could however train them for you. They need to be their best, otherwise you have glorified hounds."
"Your tongue could earn you trouble Nomad, I'm not in the habit in having subordinates of my lands talk to me thusly."
"Understandable, but my offer still stands. I will train them if you so wish. Call it my gift to one who gave me a place of quiet contemplation."
Ra's turned his back and looked back over his shoulder. "I will consider it, but you will be more respectful to me in the future. You're a fine warrior, but that's where the showering of compliments end."
"Of course Mr. Ghul."
In all this time Ra's had seen some of the finest in warriors come into Eden, but it wasn't the unthinking brutes that made it in, it was that select few that were skilled of the mind as they were of physicality. Nomad would be dead now under any other circumstance if it weren't that Ra's partially agreed with him. He'd noticed that the training that the Azraels were receiving wasn't up to standard.
"I shall have to talk to their "trainer" about such messy work."
Ra's stormed into the training center as the Azrael's trained. He saw them move in unison to the movements of their teacher. The teacher stopped and bowed to his master. Ra's stood there with no movement to acknowledge him, or any sort of pleasant look upon his face to show approval.
"Master, it is always a pleasure to have you visit during our humble sessions."
"Humble. How appropriate to my visit trainer."
"Master, have you been displeased by our work?"
"To put it in mild terms, you've understated my feelings. The Azraels are an elite force, and seemingly they've been made less."
"Master, they are but mere fleshy robots."
"As are you when put into those terms. These are specially grown and entrusted to you to teach them how to fight with their minds as well as their fists. And here I find that you've made them as the Order of Dumas did. Programmed machines."
"Master, is that not what you wished for? A sentry of no real intellect."
Ra's drew a blade and put it to the throat of his assassin. He got the snarling look of a man possessed on his face as the assassin's look went to that of great terror.
"I told you that these were the line of defense to Eden. Robots anticipate only things they are programmed to; a warrior needs his wits about him so to change with the opponent's movements. If you do not know that and anticipate my thoughts or interpret my meanings differently then you are of no use to me." Ra's pulled the blade across the assassin's throat. The man fell to his knees and though he was just slaughtered by his Master, he still saluted him proudly.
Ra's turned to the Azraels with disgust. He stared over their ranks as they stood there staring back at him. Ra's walked out looking again around the garden as one of his servants ran up to him.
"Master, is all alright?"
"No it is not. I was assured that everything was as a well-oiled machine. I see that this information was in error. Even you came too late, I could be run through now with as slow responses as I've seen today."
"Shall I fetch Ubu sir?"
"You will not, he's amongst the League of Assassins collecting the strongest for mating. I think I am getting the full idea now. While my daughter and Ubu are with me my people will act so well, but with just me they fall apart."
"No Master, we never think that. We'd die before we'd ever think such blasphemy."
"I'm not convinced of this. Bring me the strongest of the Azraels."
"Yes Master."
Ra's went and pulled his cutlass from its sheathe once more then gave the order for the chimes to be rung. Talia, Ubu, and all those that served the Demon's Head came running to the citadel. Ra's stepped out bare chest and looking fit as ever. He looked over the crowd with harshness.
"It has come to my attention that many of you may believe me too old to continue my lead over these lands, and indeed over you. To those that think such things, I make you an offer of grand stature. You may rule this land if you can defeat me in single combat. Who amongst you is brave enough for this challenge?"
No one stepped forward. Ra's looked over the crowd. The Azrael he requested stepped forward. He looked at this specimen and nodded.
"This Azrael was personally trained by my daughter to be my citadel guard. Unlike the rest, this one is potent and can think." Ra's swung his blade at the Azrael who quickly defended against the blow. Ra's squared off with the massive protector. The Azrael soon leaped into the air and activated the bundai daggers hidden in his gauntlets and fired one of the flaming blades as Ra's. Ra's stood there and let it get closer and deflected it with his cutlass.
The Azrael spun in air and decided to come at his master again with a sharp kick. Ra's moved out of the way of it and swung his sword to meet the calf of this brave warrior. The Azrael adjusted and his foot landed on the flat of the blade and sprung himself back into the air like a ballet dancer in mid performance. The Azrael pulled his blade and it erupted into a beautiful flame. He swung it at Ra's. Ra's nodded as the challenge seemed worth his time.
The others stood and watched this ancient ruler fight this fit warrior. Xavier Weston nodded as he saw the techniques of ages flow through this master. The spectators just looked in amazement that such dexterity still remained in the old hands of the Demon's Head. Talia and Ubu knew all too well that this man was a force to be reckoned with. Talia especially knew that these displays were good for these people. They feared Ra's and though Ra's knew that no one truly ever thought less of him, he had to show them a physical display when laxness became evident. She had told everyone in Eden many of time that her father didn't get this much without the ability to fight for it. It was in these times that they saw just how much he'd fight to keep it.
Ra's let the Azrael land upon his feet. He raised his blade and the Azrael met him in stance. Both swung and a power of wills began. The movement of each blade ended with the clash of metal and a brilliant flame eruption from the blow. Ra's crossed the Azrael's blade blow for blow. He changed his style for a second to a more devious fighting stance. When the blow connected this time, Ra's let his blade bounce off and when the Azrael wet to meet it with his own Ra's swiped the Azrael's leg. It bled profusely, and Ra's smiled.
"First blood to me Elite, can you match this?"
To the Azrael's credit he didn't let the cut bother him. He twirled the blade to meet his Master's head on. The blade clashed above their heads and they held them there for quite a bit of time. The Azrael pulled away first and swiped at Ra's. Ra's met the blade and the Azrael did an air-cartwheel jumping to his side and the hot blade met Ra's chest leaving a burn across it. Ra's nodded in approval. He knew now that his fun had ended though. It was time to make the example of this Azrael that left its mark upon his skin. The Azrael went to strike Ra's' mid section and Ra's met the blow stopping it dead and then spun the blade with lighting speed and it connected to the neck of the Azrael. The head flew into the crowd and one of the assassins caught it.
"This was an Elite. Not some sheep to the slaughter. This man could protect Eden from invasion. I wish you to know however that no matter the invader, your Lord and Master will always triumph."
The crowd cheered for their Master even through their fears. Talia, Ubu, and even Xavier Weston looked over the crowd knowing that Ra's had them.
"I am he, who is Ra's Al Ghul, you are my subjects, and Eden is our home. Let the land be bathed in the blood of our enemies and populated with the strongest."