Chapter 71

"Huuuu...Haaaa..."

Scrolling through social media as he was using the leg press machine, Damian Wayne controlled his breathing.

A normal teenager shouldn't be able to lift the weight he put into the machine.

"Hmmm..."

He found something interesting. It was an advertisement for catching criminals in exchange for prize money. A non-government organization was funding it.

Tap.

Just in case, Damian saved it on his phone and bookmarked the ad.

-The next morning at school-

As he entered class, the room's atmosphere suddenly became tense. Damian already got used to this setup but what he was wondering about was the usual stares coming from Nathan's former clique turned enemies was non existent.

In fact, their bodies might still be able to feel the pain they received last friday from Nathan. Proven by the somewhat visible bruises on their faces still.

Damian didn't know if he should be happy about it or not but he couldn't care less anyway and proceeded to sit on his seat next to Nathan who was already there.

"Hey." He greeted Nate and for the first time ever, he nodded.

Damian's eyes widened.

"Sit down and don't act too surprised." Nathan arrogantly said.

He shrugged and proceeded to sit.

"Did your mom do anything about your problem with your coach?"

"Yeah. She talked with him and got a deal out of it."

"What was it?"

"Coach said that I should stop doing underground fights."

"That's it?"

"Well... he said if I ever get in trouble again..." He glanced at the back where the bullies were and they avoided his stare. "I can freely defend myself. Just defend."

"That's great!" Damian patted Nate's shoulder. "But what about the money you need for your family?"

"...Mom said she'll figure it out because that's her responsibility. Plus my older sister is working now too..." He casted his eyes down. "But I don't think that's enough."

"I got a proposition for you then." Damian said to him.

"If you're thinking about giving us money like some charity case then I refuse."

Damian sighed. "Too much pride in you. But I guess that's just how us warriors are. Anyway, I wasn't going to give you any money." He shoved his phone near Nate's face and grinned.

"What is it?"

"You're gonna make money through this."

----

"Okay, let me get this straight. I walk up to those guys, I let them make the first move, and then I retaliate." Nate said as he put on a pair of gloves.

He was wearing a red leather jacket and a gray hoodie under it.

Him and Damian had gone to an alley near a gang hangout after school.

"Simple, right? I was going to make you wear this," Damian took out a mask from his pocket. "but it was a good thing your coach told you it was okay if it was self defense."

"So, I'm the only one doing this? Not you, because you are still not allowed to fight."

"Yes. Maybe I'll help if you need a diversion."

"Can I ask why?"

"You're interested now, huh? I'll tell you if you can finally accept that we're friends."

"Forget it." Nate waved his hand off and started stretching. "Let's do this." He punched his palm and started walking to where the gang was.

----

"That wasn't too hard, was it?" Damian said with a smug smile as him and Nate walked out of a building.

"Speak for yourself. I did all the work." Nate replied as he massaged his shoulders.

"At least we don't get to split the money now."

"Yeah..." Nate said as he grasped his bag where he put the reward for the captured criminals. 'I can definitely help out mom for at least this month's bills now with this.' He thought to himself.

"We need another way to transport them next time. It's too conspicuous dragging around multiple men in bondage. It felt like we were slave traders or something of the like." Damian said as he made a thinking pose.

Nate chuckled. "Thanks... Damian." He thanked Damian genuinely."

Damian just looked at him with and sniggered to himself without replying anything.

"I gotta go home." Nate said.

"Mmm... it is a little late in the evening I suppose." Damian replied as he looked at the dark sky.

They then started walking towards the nearest train station.

----

Allison Murtaugh. Eighteen years old. Running towards the train station where there could be other people.

She was being chased by a rival gang that claimed the place she accidentally passed by on as their territory.

Glancing at the back, she found the smiling faces of the rival gang as they chased her with their weapons.

"Goddammit! What was I thinking!" She cursed at herself for being distracted when she decided to follow her former friend from high school. She was glad to see her doing okay but was also jealous of the life she was living which was very far from hers.

Allie could feel her tired lungs as if they were about to fall out of her chest any moment. But she kept pressing on. The word "warrior" engraved in her heart and mind by her family kept pushing her in every situation in her life. From her father who was a boxer, and her mother who was an immigrant.

She gathered every last bit of her strength that she has left to running on the stairs of the elevated train station.

After reaching the top, she jumped over the gate and found herself inside the station.

Hoping for other people to be there, but she only found two.

She didn't know if it was a fortunate situation or not because the two people she found at the station were her brother and his classmate.

"Haa...Haaa..." She put her hands on her knees and forced herself to breathe in as much air as she could to prepare herself in case she needed to protect her brother from the hoodlums that were coming.

"Allie?" Nate Murtaugh tilted his head at her and narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Nate...Haaa... You gotta get out of here. I screwed up and they're coming. I'll hold them off so you two can escape."

"Huh? What are you talking about who's coming?"

Damian, sharp as ever, could feel the slightest tremor coming from the stairs where Allie came from. He just stood there and furrowed his brows. "Be ready, Nate. They're after your sister."

Nate glanced at Damian before looking at Allie again. This time, behind her was a group of people multiplying in numbers.

"How many are they?" Nate said with a serious tone.

"What?" Allie asked

"Ten? Twelve? Fifteen?"

"It's more dangerous this time. These people brought weapons with them." Damian said.

"Will you help me or not?!" Nate shouted at Damian.

"Tch! I guess I have to say goodbye to that motorcycle..." Damian muttered and got ready.

"No! Don't! They're after me!" Allie shouted at them.

"I know they're after you. That's why I'm going to help-"

A black blur suddenly flashed before their eyes.

All of a sudden, Damian who was just next to Nate a second ago was now in front of them and charging at the group of people that was after Allie.

Nate widened his eyes and panicked. He hasn't seen Damian fight without holding back yet and charging into that many opponents with blunt weapons was idiotic.

But soon, he changed his judgement.

Damian dodged a bat that was swung a him by bending his body backwards and sliding with his knees. Without losing any momentum with his charge, he punched a guy's stomach and immediately got up from his kneeling pose.

A pipe suddenly entered his peripheral view but he dodged that as well and grabbed ahold of the arms that was holding it. Twisting the arm, dislocating the youth's shoulders.

Allie looked at Nate with disbelief from what she's seeing. But Nate was in shock as well.

Both of them snapped out of it when few of their opponents charged at them.

They began fighting as well. Nate weaved and bobbed like a normal boxer but he also does grabs to incapacitate his foe which should be illegal in the ring, but this was a street fight.

Allie was also holding her own fighting a guy with brass knuckles. She used to train with her brother when their father was still alive but when she was growing up, she realized that punching wasn't enough. She secretly learned a bit of muay thai as well.

Closing in on her opponent while bobbing and weaving, to a distance where a punch can't be thrown, but she can throw her elbows and knees.

They both had a hard time facing three opponents at once but they were able to manage with just a few bruises at most.

Both of them winded out, they readied themselves for more opponents, but none charged at them.

All they saw was Damian, lifting a guy with his collar. Grinning as he did it.

With six other unconscious gang members laying down on the floor surrounding him.

"Damian?" Nate called onto Damian.

Still smiling from the adrenaline he got from fighting after being dormant for so long, he couldn't hear anybody.

His blood was boiling and everyone can sense that he was about to kill the guy he was holding.

Until a hand patted his shoulders.

"The outsiders?" Nate blurted out.

Three figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere and got behind Damian.

Damian glanced behind him and noticed the three vigilantes.

He snapped out of it and threw the petrified gang member to the wall.

Bang! Thud.

"What happened here?" The woman that used to be robin asked them.

"W-We were-"

"I was being chased by these guys and these two helped me." Allie cut Nate off.

"Why?"

"I'm..." She gulped before she continued. "I'm a member of their rival gang."

"Hmmm..." The huge hooded man groaned.

"I know you have your reasons, but you should get out of that immediately." The masked man said.

Unbeknownst to them, these two were the perfect people to give them advice about the gang life.

"Y-yes..." Allie immediately said. She plans to quit and get a real job eventually. Just until they could pay their back payments.

"And you..." The masked woman turned to Damian. "You should keep that bloodlust in check."

Damian locked eyes with her. He's pissed because in his mind, he controlled himself pretty well.

"Why should he keep his bloodlust in check?"

Out of nowhere, another voice rang in the background.

All of them became wary and searched where it came from.

"Mom?" Damian muttered to himself but it was loud enough for the three members of the outsiders to hear.

"Be careful. It's Talia." Warned the masked woman to the two.

They narrowed their eyes and kept their senses alert for any incoming attacks.