Ducard led (Y/N) onto a mezzanine level stacked with boxes and bottles. Ninjas poured powders into packets, mixing compounds.
Ducard took a pinch and threw it down, causing a small explosion, which elicited a flinch from (Y/N).
"Advanced techniques of Ninjiutsu employ explosive powders."
"As weapons?" (Y/N) assumed.
"Or distractions. Theatricality and deception are powerful agents." He gave (Y/N) some of the powder. "To be a great warrior is not enough. Flesh and blood, however skilled, can be destroyed. You must be more than a man in the eyes of your opponents."
(Y/N) tossed the powder, creating a small explosion.
—-
On a frozen-over lake, (Y/N) and Ducard, dressed in battle armor and wielding swords, circle each other. Ducard struck at (Y/N), who deflected the blow with one of the silver gauntlets that contain three hook-like objects. Ducard skidded to the left, re-arming himself. (Y/N) took a step sideways, causing the ice to creak beneath him.
"Mind your surroundings," Ducard said. "Always."
(Y/N) swung at Ducard, only for his blow to be deflected by Ducard's own gauntlet. (Y/N) slipped right and gave a short thrust, allowing Ducard to catch his sword in the hooks.
"Your parent's death was not your fault," Ducard began. He twisted his arm and sent (Y/N)'s sword sliding across the ice. "It was your father's."
(Y/N) furiously swung at Ducard with his gauntlets, blows that Ducard parried. They locked, with Ducard's sword inside (Y/N)'s gauntlet blades.
"Anger does not change the fact that your father failed to act."
"The man had a gun!"
"Would that stop you?"
"I've had training-"
"Training is nothing! The will is everything! The will to act. Your father trusted his city, it's logic. He thought he understood the attacker and could simply give him what he wanted."
(Y/N) calmed down, slowly separating from Ducard.
"Your father did not understand the forces of decay. Cities like Gotham are in their death throes. Chaotic, grotesque. Beyond saving."
"Beyond saving?" (Y/N) questioned. "You believe that?"
"It is not right that one must come so far to see the world as it is meant to be. Purity. Serenity. Solitude. These are qualities we hold dear. But the important thing is whether you believe it. Can Gotham be saved, or is she an ailing ancestor whose time has run?"
Ducard struck at (Y/N), who crossed his forearms before sliding between Ducard's legs across the ice to where his sword lay. He spun around, catching Ducard's foot and bringing him down. (Y/N) stood, and thrust his sword at Ducard's throat. He stopped inches from his neck, smiling in triumph.
"Yield," (Y/N) commanded.
Ducard shook his head. "You haven't beaten me. You've sacrificed sure footing for a killing stroke."
Ducard tapped the ice beneath (Y/N)'s feet, cracking it and plunging (Y/N) into the water below.
—-
Later, (Y/N) sat by a fire, rubbing his arms to ward off the cold. Ducard sat across from him, slowly feeding the fire.
"Don't rub your arms," Ducard advised. "Rub your chest. Your arms will take care of themselves."
YOU ARE READING
Not A Hero (MCU x Reader x Dark Knight Trilogy)
Fanfiction"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." (Y/N) (L/N) watched his parents die when he was just a boy. Now, years later, he becomes...
