"Teacher, times have changed!"
Bane clenched his fists, the crackling of his knuckles echoing through the room like electric sparks.
Ra's al Ghul raised an eyebrow at that, then lowered his head and chuckled. "I suppose they have. You kept all the Talons outside because you wanted to kill me yourself, didn't you? Then I'll give you a chance-a chance to fight me in earnest." The old man rose and walked toward a wooden cabinet in the corner. He opened its doors, and a cloud of dust mixed with the smell of mildew hit him in the face.
He bent down and carefully lifted a five-foot-long iron box from the bottom.
"When I rescued you from prison and brought you into the League of Assassins, it was indeed because I valued your fighting skills. But I never expected you to resent my brainwashing and control so deeply that you would turn against the League."
Bane gave a contemptuous smile without confirming or denying it.
"But since you've come to my door, I have no reason to avoid a fight. Do you remember this?"
Ra's al Ghul opened the iron box and shook out a high-collared cloak.
How could Bane forget it? Back when he had been trapped in a flooded cell, barely clinging to life, Ra's al Ghul had appeared before him wearing that very cloak.
The old man, now shriveled and scrawny, had been so tall and imposing in Bane's memories.
Ra's al Ghul fastened the cloak and took a slender sword from the box. This had been his standard equipment in his youth, the symbol of the leader of the League of Assassins.
"Yes! That's it, Teacher! When you unleash your full strength, you become worth killing!"
Outside, the Talons stood watch in the rain, including the four