The fight with the three beauties of Nanda Parbat was gaining momentum. I'd taken quite a beating during the battle. For example, my shoulder, slashed by al Ghul's sharp blade, was oozing crimson blood, smearing my already tattered clothes. Thankfully, it didn't last long; the blood quickly stopped flowing, thanks to my accelerated regeneration. But my shoulder still ached. I dodged Cassandra's deadly katana, but was immediately dealt a satisfying blow to the gut by her mother. The damage wasn't severe, but it sent pain throughout my body, which was already quite annoying.
Having crossed blades with Thalia, I was once again caught in her octopus grip, once again rendering me immobile. She pinned me for a second, which would have been enough for her companions to land a few well-placed blows on me.
Which is precisely what they intended. But I learned quickly from my mistakes, and this time their combo misfired. I managed to break free before the warriors attacked.
"Alex," the Demon Head's daughter addressed me. "Are you really so uncomfortable with my embrace that you always try to leave it?"
"Oh, Mistress Talia, I'm worried about you. You shouldn't let me get so close to you; I've read the Kama Sutra, after all." Having skillfully dodged a swing of Sandra's daughter's blade, I quickly retreated a few steps and took a deep breath.
"Okay, it's time to end this," I said, not taking my eyes off the League assassins.
"End?" Shiva asked angrily. "It's only just beginning..."
"I would certainly be glad to chat with you longer, esteemed ladies, but unfortunately, my friends are waiting for me, so please allow me to take my leave." I bowed slightly, extended my hand, and snapped my fingers.
The green pool, which had served as a constant presence in this cave for centuries, evaporated in an instant, leaving not a single drop behind.
What happened could be described as a trick by the greatest illusionist in history, worthy of even the deepest amazement and praise of the Supreme Mage of Earth. Three pairs of eyes widened in silent shock.
The girls stood rooted to the ground, their gaze shifting from the empty pit to me, and from me to the pit. They couldn't even imagine that I could steal their Treasure right from under their noses. They couldn't wrap their heads around this turn of events.
"H-how?! This is impossible!" Talia said, controlling herself and gritting her teeth.
"This can't be! You are twenty meters from the mystical waters of Lazarus," Sandra said, not wanting to believe what was happening. "How does your spatial pocket work?"
Cassandra, unable to speak, simply turned her head incessantly, glancing from the pool to me. How sweet she is.
"Let me tell you a secret... A light touch is enough for me to move the object I choose straight into the spatial storage," I began to explain the principle of the inventory.
"But how then?" Lady Shiva mumbled, not understanding what exactly I wanted to say. "You didn't touch the water!"
"What makes you think that? Before you arrived, I had time to run my fingers through the green liquid, wondering what would become of me if I dipped my hand into the healing waters of the Lazarus Pit."
"You mean..."
"Exactly, I don't need constant contact with the object; just touching it once is enough, and I can retrieve it later if I wish."
After all, the inventory is quite useful, as is its function, which I described as the right to deferment. According to my intelligence number, which is currently 84,I can delay the transfer of someone marked by touch to a spatial pocket for 84 minutes. So +1 to Intelligence equals +1 minute to the delay.
"It doesn't matter what you took," said Thalia. "You'll never be able to leave here. We won't let you escape from Nanda Parbat, especially with the treasures you stole."
"Ha-ha, you're funny... I'd be happy to chat longer, but time is running out. Bye," I waved goodbye. Dodging Cassandra's sharp blade, I rounded the young League assassin and ran as fast as I could for the cave exit.
The girls, not wanting to let me go, rushed after me. Unfortunately for them, I was significantly faster. But I wasn't eager to start a marathon with dangerous individuals. So, as soon as I jumped over the threshold, I immediately walled up the entrance to the League of Shadows' shrine, blocking it with concrete blocks.
Now they won't be getting out anytime soon, and I won't have to worry about beasts wanting to rip my skin off. Without slowing down, I ran up the stairs and, on the go, pulled the GLM glasses out of my inventory, contacted my rescuers, "Hello, people! How are you doing?"
"Alex!" shouted Barbara, almost breaking the built-in speaker in the glasses. "Where are you? Why didn't you contact us earlier?"
"We were worried about you." Bordeaux said with relief, clearly lifting the burden of worry from her shoulders.
"So get your ass here!" said Katana, very displeased about something."Do you know how uncomfortable it is for me to fight with the blade that is in my hand now? Quickly came here and returned the soul eater to me!"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm on my way. How are you doing?"
"Everything is great, we're finishing off the last batch," Batgirl said, a little out of breath. "If you saw what's going on here, you wouldn't believe your eyes. You know, I'm already starting to get scared for the future of Gotham's criminals."
"Is it that bad?" I chuckled quietly, covering my mouth with my hand, guessing what she was getting at.
"Believe me, you've never seen Batman like this," Gordon noted ambiguously.
"It's okay, Barb, you'll be the same soon."
"I don't know whether to be happy or cry…"
"We can all do it together, I give you permission," I said cheerfully, passing the stairs.
"Where are you now? How long do we have to wait for you?" asked Yamashiro. Judging by the scream coming from the speakers, she only broke someone's bone.
"I'm halfway there, I'll be there soon," I replied, turning the corner of the winding passages, trying not to slow down. I was ready to run further, but in the middle of the wide corridor, a tall, powerful figure blocked my way.
A man of oriental appearance, about forty years old, stood with the unwavering bearing of a seasoned warrior. His black eyes assessed me with restraint and evenness. They read authority, a complete awareness of his mighty strength and the wisdom of the centuries.
"Guys," I called my friends on the other end of the line. "If I'm not here in five minutes… wait some more!" Having disconnected the connection,
I put away the holographic glasses and directed all my attention to the new formidable enemy.
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