Thea arrived just in time to witness the scene by the lake. She wasn't ready for a tearful sibling reunion melodrama just yet; she wanted to test the mettle of these individuals first.
She pulled up her hood and adjusted her goggles. While facial recognition could be surprisingly poor sometimes, like how Superman or Supergirl could fool people with just glasses, Thea felt it wasn't foolproof. She added a layer of shadowy concealment over her face, making her features indistinct. Even Malcolm, let alone Oliver, who hadn't seen her in over a year, wouldn't recognize her now.
"Isn't it rude to stare like that? Be careful you don't strain your eyes!" Thea's enhanced vision instantly located the figure spying from the woods. Without alerting the pair below, she circled behind the man and addressed him with pointed sarcasm.
The powerfully built man was none other than the future Deathstroke, currently Slade Wilson. He had a complicated relationship with Oliver, the man currently occupied in the water with the woman一part mentor, part friend.
Caught in a fit of jealousy and startled by the voice behind him, Slade reacted instantly, spinning around and slashing downwards with his blade.
"Nice swordsmanship," Thea commented, nodding slightly. Slade wasn't purely a traditional martial artist; he was a mercenary. His bladework was direct and efficient, fully utilizing his strength, speed, height, and reach. The downward slash was powerful and imposing.
Even if Thea wielded a sword herself, she couldn't replicate the specific feel of that strike. Slade didn't shy away from firearms, integrating pistols and rifles with traditional melee weapons. But stranded here on Lian Yu, firearms were unavailable. Fortunately, his skill with cold weapons was considerable.
He was proficient in the Filipino martial art Kali and had honed his skill to a peak level.
While Kali's swordsmanship might not be considered the most profound or complex style globally, Slade's deep understanding and vast experience allowed him to apply it with devastating effectiveness in combat.
Thea felt a flicker of excitement. Finding opponents who could truly match her current skill level was rare. She couldn't exactly fly to Gotham every day to spar with Batman. Encountering this renowned fighter today was a welcome opportunity. Forgoing magic and her mechanical arm, she engaged him using only her combat skills.
Thea swiftly dodged the descending slash, drew her sword, and countered with a thrust towards his throat.
Slade hadn't expected this shadowy figure to be so skilled and fast. He quickly drew his second blade from his back to parry the swift attack.
"Who are you?" he growled, perplexed. How could someone with such sharp skills be on this island?
Thea ignored him, her sword weaving like a viper, striking towards several vital points on his body.
Annoyed at not getting an answer, Slade pressed his advantage, using his superior height and strength. His twin blades slashed left and right, clashing fiercely with Thea's sword.
Thea hadn't followed Bruce's path of mastering countless martial arts一127 styles were beyond her focus. She had trained in perhaps twenty or so. While highly intelligent, she hadn't reached Bruce's peak human potential; learning too broadly risked diluting her mastery. Bruce's method suited him alone.
Therefore, she hadn't specifically trained in Kali. Initially, she parried and blocked, analyzing his movements, familiarizing herself with his style, and probing for weaknesses in Slade's technique.
Slade, a veteran of countless battles, naturally recognized her intent. But age had only sharpened his skills. He cycled through his core Kali techniques twice without variation, his twin blades a blur, aiming to overwhelm his opponent quickly.
Thea found it somewhat amusing. The foundational Kali techniques, originally developed for sticks due to the lack of readily available metal for blades in their region of origin, were adapted by Slade for dual swords. He had significantly increased their lethality through his application.
However, that was the extent of it. Tempered by the battle in Gotham and trained by Batman, Thea was now among the world's top martial artists. While perhaps not ranked at the very top, she could see the repetition in Slade's attacks. She began leveraging her superior agility and deep understanding of combat principles, dodging left and right, trying to disrupt Slade's rhythm.
Though Slade wielded his Kali techniques with mastery, Thea soon found an opening. Slade used his left blade defensively while executing a horizontal slash towards Thea's neck with his right. It was a decent move, particularly effective for practitioners of smaller stature. However, due to Slade's height, the slash came in slightly high.
Thea ducked instinctively, easily avoiding the blade. Before he could recover, she spun, gripping her sword with both hands, aligning her blade against his.
With a sharp cry, she sliced clean through his sword. Slade suddenly found his right hand empty. He knew he'd been tricked; his opponent's superior weapon had been held in reserve until this critical moment. He watched helplessly as Thea flicked her wrist, her sword tracing a half-circle towards his eyes.
"Stop!" a woman's voice cried out. Though urgent, the voice retained a gentle, refined quality.
Thea had already noticed her and Oliver rushing over. While those two seemed to enjoy their 'communing with nature' moments, they weren't oblivious to their surroundings. Slade had been shouting during the fight – partly his combat style, partly, perhaps, a call for backup.
Hearing the commotion, the pair had scrambled over, apparently finished with their lakeside activities.
Seeing Slade in imminent danger, Shado yelled and drew her bow, firing an arrow in an attempt to distract Thea and even the odds – a classic "relieve the siege" tactic.
Faced with an arrow clearly inferior in speed, power, and technique to her capabilities, Thea smirked slightly. She changed her thrust into a slicing motion, forcing Slade back. Then, turning towards the incoming arrow, she extended her left hand, seemingly delicate, and effortlessly plucked the projectile from the air.
"Who are you?!" Shado demanded, looking somewhat dishevelled with wet hair, clad only in dark undergarments. She eyed the mysterious opponent with apprehension. Though unfamiliar with the League of Assassins, she recognized the arrow-catching technique – she had seen her father, Yao Fei, use it. Could this be one of father's enemies? she wondered anxiously.
Thea glanced at Shado, who was wearing only her underwear, and found it slightly amusing. Her eyes couldn't help but linger on Shado's modest chest. Finally, someone smaller than her. Surrounded daily by the likes of Laurel and Catwoman with their ample figures, Thea felt considerable pressure. This girl, though, had a balanced, slender frame and smooth skin. Thea wondered how it might feel to touch her.
She then looked at Oliver standing beside her. Honestly, Thea felt a pang of disappointment. His movements were sluggish, his gaze unfocused. He was a far cry from the future Green Arrow, significantly less capable even than Tommy, who was currently playing rookie hero back in Star City.