The End Of All Things (An Arrow: Season 8 Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: Back to Nanda Parbat

Nanda Parbat. Some days after the Hong Kong incident. 

Oliver and I walked into a large circle, with the remains of a smoking fire pit. Stopping at the fire pit, we both knelt to take a rest when we heard a noise behind us. And then we were taken by surprise by an unknown foe. This foe seemed to fight with an oddly familiar speed, but this foe had a hood on, so we were unaware of the person's identity. Partway through the fight, we all made eye contact, and the person in front of us was none other than Thea Queen, our youngest sister. She removed her hood, as did we. 

'Ollie?' she asked, then looked at me. 'Ellie?' 

'Hi, Speedy,' we both said in unison. 

We all sat by the fire, which was now hissing and crackling. Thea was sitting on one log, looking at Oliver's photo with him of Felicity, baby Mia, and myself, while Oliver and I sat on a log across from her. 

'Well, I'm guessing Mia's for Mom and not my Corto Maltese alias,' Thea quipped.

'Good guess,' Oliver replied. 

'She's beautiful, Ollie.' She handed the photo back to Oliver and he put it away. I gestured to the scar across her cheek. 

'Where'd you get that?' I asked. 

'Athena,' she said. I frowned. 

'Wait... so someone has the name of my alter ego? Huh, that's weird.' 

'We weren't expecting to find you here alone,' Oliver said. 'Where's Nyssa?' 

'Thailand, I think. I don't know. After we destroyed the Lazarus Pits, she said she had some League business to care for.' 

'You destroyed the Pits,' I said. 'Why didn't you come home?' 

'Pits may be gone, but the Thanatos Guild isn't. I have to take them down after what they did to Roy.' 

'That's fair,' Oliver replied. 'Have you seen him?' 

'He came back here after Star City. He told me what happened, how he killed those men and...' 

'He's dealing with his demons,' Oliver finished for her. 'He'll be back.' She sighed happily, looking at the two of us. 

'I missed you both,' she said warmly. 

'We missed you too,' I said with a soft smile. 

'But I'm pretty sure I'm not the reason why you came here,' she replied. 

'Last year, I made a deal with a cosmic being named Mar Novu,' Oliver explained. 'Recently, he came to collect his debt. He asked me to help him, but he's not very good at sharing information with the people he's working with.' 

'Sounds like somebody else I know,' she quipped, and I let out a quiet laugh. 

'You're not wrong, sis,' I replied. Oliver gave us a look. 

'I need to be 100% sure I can trust him, and I know it's a long shot, but I was hoping that Nyssa could tell me what, if anything, the League knows about him.' 

'Okay,' she replied. 'What are you not telling me?' 

'He's seen the future. He's seen me die.' The mood grew quiet - and sombre. 'It's soon, Speedy.' She frowned. 

'And?' 

'Take as much time as you need to be upset.' 

'Ollie, come on. You've cheated death more than any of us have by this point,' Thea replied. 

'This is fundamentally different from anything that we've ever dealt with before,' Oliver said. 

'Okay. Well, let's try to figure out what we're dealing with, but as I said, Nyssa's not here.' 

'Sara's not been able to help either,' I spoke up. 

'We've kinda killed off every League member, haven't we?' Thea asked. 

'I can think of one more,' Oliver said after a moment of thought. 

We walked through the forest the next morning. 

'I thought you guys were friends now,' Thea said. 

'Well... not exactly,' Oliver replied as we walked into a ring full of large stone monuments that looked all too ominous. 

'Well, this place isn't the least bit creepy,' I said. Just then several people in black rose, drawing their curved swords. We took them on with ease, Oliver and Thea using their bows and arrows and me using my daggers. Some of them were down, but not all. 

'Hold!' we heard a familiar voice. Oliver looked at her. 

'Your students used to ask questions first,' Oliver exclaimed angrily. 

'Talia al Ghul,' I spat, letting one of her guys go. 

'I have learned that hesitation often proves fatal,' Talia replied, coming into the circle, removing her hood. 'You should not have come to this place,' she added, looking at Oliver and me. 

'You owe me a debt. I'm here to collect,' Oliver said. 

'You come here in great peril,' she said, stepping up to us, and then walking past us. 'Especially you,' she added, this time towards Thea. 'Word of your exploits has travelled far. How is my sister?' 

'She's great. Vacationing. Working on a tan,' Thea replied sarcastically. 

'See you two survived prison,' Talia remarked, looking at the two of us. 

'Dr. Parker didn't,' Oliver shot back. 'Heard he was killed with a sword.' She made a face. 

'He received the justice he deserved.' 

'So you're back to your old exploits?' I asked. 

'With the League gone, this region has become quite unstable,' she replied. 

'And you think training a bunch of assassins in a place like this is gonna stabilise it?' Thea shot back. 

'I think it a wiser course of action than declaring a one-woman war on the Thanatos Guild,' Talia bit back. Thea opened her mouth to reply with a barbed comment, but Oliver spoke up instead.

'As much as I would like to have a debate, Talia, I need to know whatever the League might know about Mar Novu.' 

'That's an unusual name,' Talia replied with a frown. 'I'd remember it.' 

'If it helps, he's apparently some kind of cosmic know-it-all,' I chimed in.

'Well, such beings go by many names,' she replied, then turned her attention to Oliver. 'If I help you, I can consider my debt paid?' 

'Yes,' Oliver replied. 

'If the League has any information concerning this man, it will be found under the Karan Shah,' she replied. I replied. 

'Karan Sh-who what now?' I asked with a frown. 

'The League stronghold,' Oliver said. 

'It has since been destroyed,' Talia replied, 'but my father kept the League records in the catacombs, so with any luck, they're still there waiting to be found.' She walked past us. 'We leave at nightfall.' 

'She's still fun,' Thea replied with heavy sarcasm in her voice.