Delicate fingers trailed along the leaves of a few lush plants guarding the edge of a vast meadow. The sun beat down upon the greenery, full of spirit and vitality, and a warm, sweet breeze carried the aroma across the plains. Sandaled feet walked along the multicolored patches of flowers dotting the brilliant viridian sea in small clumps, being careful not to damage the fragile petals. Birds chirped as the winds carried clouds through the sapphire sky. Riven sighed.
Ionia was truly a beautiful place. It had been so long since she had truly been here she had almost forgotten the natural beauty that had cast a spell over the island nation. So many of her memories focussed on the mud and blood soaked plains, green trampled by boots, birds silenced by the screams of death and war and conflict. But here, in this single moment of time, she was enveloped in the spirit of the land, and embraced by the life she had nearly wiped away in her blindness.
It had been over as week since she had arrived at the Kinkou temple and taken up temporary residence there. It had been only a small time since the invasion of Demacia by the Shadow Isles. More conflict and bloodshed...but here, a world away, the world seemed strangely disconnected from that conflict. Had Demacia been so calm and serene when Ionia was being demolished by war? It was a strange thing to consider now, in this place...
She walked through the grasses until she came to a hill sloping down and away from the forest. She had needed to get away from the temple for some time. It was strange being surrounded by the students. They kept staring at her and whispering to one another. It made her feel incredibly uneasy for obvious reasons, and so, she had left to go for a walk, her travels bringing her here to this clearing far separated from the civilized parts of the island.
With a sigh, Riven lowered herself to the ground, her back easing itself across the soft, warm grass. The sky and the plains stretched out before her into the distance where a mountain rose, capped with white, and the breeze blew softly through her silver locks. As she breathed slowly and relaxed, her inner turmoil seemed to lessen, and she felt more at peace than she had felt in a long time. Her amber gaze closed, and she focused only on the quiet sounds of nature around her, content in knowing she was the only person for miles...
Post by The Animal Spirit on Oct 10, 2013 1:48:58 GMT -5
"What are you doing here?"
Udyr loomed over Riven's face, glaring daggers at her. How the beast man was able to be that quiet was a miracle in of itself. Perhaps the only thing more surprising fact was that she could not detect the aura of primal fury that usually signaled his presence.
"Why do you lay yourself down?"
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
If Riven had not been so fully focused on the sounds and happenings of the world around her as opposed to thinking inwardly in meditation, she might have completely missed the Spirit Walker approaching. The man's feet over the grass were nearly as silent as Shen's over the forest floor. However, the gruff man's voice was a surprise, and her eyes snapped open to meet his, although they were upside down in her perspective.
"Spirit Walker?" She blinked. She would have asked him why he was here, but that wouldn't answer his question. It was likely that she had wandered into his territory by accident, or, perhaps he had been following her... She had gotten the feeling she'd been being watched over the last day or so.
"I am here for many reasons." She answered the man as she pulled herself to her feet to stand in front of the master combatant. "And I was trying to enjoy the peace and quiet of this field by resting." She paused a moment, gathering her thoughts before she spoke again.
"How long have you been following me?" She couldn't believe the man had merely been passing by and happened upon her in the field. His appearance had been too sudden. The man must have had a reason for showing himself now...
Post by The Animal Spirit on Oct 10, 2013 2:37:13 GMT -5
"Long enough." Udyr's face seemed to display his usual stoic demeanor, but his voice carried tones of anger in it. "It was pathetic."
The only warning of attack Riven would receive was the sudden shift in his aura, the acrid heat scratching at her throat as he aimed a fiery punch at her solar plexus.
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
The sudden shift in the man's aura was the first indicator of his intent, but Riven's intuition felt out the situation beforehand. Something about Udyr had been off. His voice, his mannerisms, this was not a friendly visit.
His fist shot toward her chest, but she was ready. Her thick gauntlet rose up and intercepted the blow, knocking her backward, though her feet maintained their grip and balance upon the ground. Her eyes flashed.
"I am not your enemy, Spirit Walker... Stand down." Riven's voice was strong. She knew battles between champions were things that were not looked highly upon by the league outside the fields. Even though the fields were closed for the time being, she was still a champion, as was the beastman before her.
Post by The Animal Spirit on Oct 10, 2013 17:54:03 GMT -5
"Stand down?" Udyr let out a roar of frustration. "You wish for us to stand down? You will tell us to stand down, and expect us to do as such? Shall we roll over for you as well, and allow you to claim victory?"
The beast man slammed his palm onto the ground, igniting the grass and sending the flames racing about them like wildfire. Sweeping his hands up and about, Riven could see the fierce winds that he was creating by his motions, and with a large sweeping motion, sent an inferno hurtling towards the Exile. "You talk, and talk, and talk! That is all you do! All you do is talk, while everyone around you acts, lives, breathes! You see others look at you, judge you, and you cow! You see their faces, and you become unsure! You are unable to sway people with your words, so you lay down and rest!"
Udyr would use the inferno as a cover for him to race forward and attempt to rip out Riven's throat with his bare hands, dragging the flames behind him due to the speed he moved with. "Rest is only for the dead or the accomplished! Which are you?"
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
Stand down? Udyr let out a roar of frustration. "You wish for us to stand down? You will tell us to stand down, and expect us to do as such? Shall we roll over for you as well, and allow you to claim victory?
The beast man slammed his palm onto the ground, igniting the grass and sending the flames racing about them like wildfire. Sweeping his hands up and about, Riven could see the fierce winds that he was creating by his motions, and with a large sweeping motion, sent an inferno hurtling towards the Exile. "You talk, and talk, and talk! That is all you do! All you do is talk, while everyone around you acts, lives, breathes! You see others look at you, judge you, and you cow! You see their faces, and you become unsure! You are unable to sway people with your words, so you lay down and rest!
Udyr would use the inferno as a cover for him to race forward and attempt to rip out Riven's throat with his bare hands, dragging the flames behind him due to the speed he moved with. "Rest is only for the dead or the accomplished! Which are you?
Flames roared free in tandem with the beastman's words. Riven flinched at his outburst. Her hand gripped her blade out of instinct. The heat licked across the ground and she threw herself to the side to avoid the burst of fire the man had hurled at her. She didn't want to fight him. She had no quarrel with him, no reason to bring him harm.
"Stop this madness!" Riven shouted as she landed, her heart pounding in her chest from a wide array of mixed emotions. Uncertainty, worry, fear, anxiety, all swirled through her with the adrenaline. "I don't want to fight you!! You are NOT my enemy!"
As the Spirit Walker thundered toward her, parting the licking tongues of orange with his arm outstretched, ready to strike, a pulse of force would tear free from Riven. It was a Ki Burst, meant to halt his advance. It was weaker than it was on the fields, not enough to stun, but enough to knock him back somewhat. The reason?
Riven's heart and will were not in this fight. "I've done what I can! I can't fight an army of blind patriots alone! What would you have me do? Charge to my death!?" Riven stood her ground, sword in hand. "All I can do is gather support for the cause, try to make them see they path they walk is the wrong one."
Post by The Animal Spirit on Oct 10, 2013 22:21:16 GMT -5
The ki burst made the beast man grunt, pausing him for the briefest of moments, allowing his fingers to miss her throat by a hair. The wind that howled from his strike would leave 4 bloody scratches, the only evidence of his attack.
"So what if we are not your enemy? So what if you do not want to fight us? We are going to kill you if you do not fight. You and all of your ambitions will crumble because you gave up. Gather support, try to make them see, try, there is all of that talk: Try. You do not try in life. You do not attempt. You do, or do not, that is it. How will you convince them when you dare not show them your conviction? Why should they listen to you when you don't show them why they should? You exhibit nothing but the whimpers of a crippled bird, waiting for the ravens to pick at your bones."
Udyr's eyes hardened, his muscles bulged. His gi slipped off of his chest as the fires started to swirl about him, revealing a large burn scar on the dead center of his chest. When he spoke, Riven would notice that his personal pronoun had changed. "If you try to live, I will kill you. If you try to win, I will kill you. I was defeated by the elemental aspect of Fire itself, Brand, and he throws his lot in with the Noxians. How can you ever hope to achieve your goals if you are all empty words, all empty promises, as broken and decrepit as the blade you still childishly swing about? How do you expect people to look up to you if all you do is cry about hardship?"
Udyr stomped the ground as a demonstration of his strength and created a mini crater from the impact.
"You people, with your big words, with your flowery speeches, disgust me. Your resolve has wavered. You are not fit to be called a human if you think now is when you should rest when you still have work to do."
Udyr raised his right fist upwards, then punched the ground. The resulting shockwave doused the flames, bent and cracked the nearby foliage and ripped the grass out from its roots. Riven would feel the impact hit her stomach, her knees go weak from the sheer intensity of the strike's force. Yet, she would know that Udyr rarely, if ever, postured or showed off his strength, he would always, always go for the kill. Every fight to him was a fight to the death unless stated otherwise. He did not pull punches, he did not gloat, he would simply act.
That meant Udyr was preparing her for his incoming onslaught, and if one punch was able to do such destruction, a direct hit would spell instant death for her.
"Live or die: Your choice!"
With that, Udyr lunged at her once more at a blinding speed, swinging a karate chop diagonally in his attempt to slice her from her shoulder to her hip.
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
The unleashing of power from Udyr's first warning shot slammed into Riven with enough force to knock her back and away across the meadow, lines of red dotting her body from the barely halted force of his first attack. As she pulled herself to her feet, the Spirit Walker's words echoed in her head. Her teeth gritted and her hand clenched tight around the handle of her broken blade. Was she really so pathetic?
All my life, i struggled to be strong. Endless strife, never thought of right and wrong No fear of pain or death Expectations I transcend To what end? To what end?
She had joined the League of Legends in an attempt to find something for herself, a path to follow. She'd felt so lost before, but on the fields, she found a meaning for her blade again, a stage upon which she could help to enact real change over Valoran, for Noxus. She could save them from themselves, show them her strength by defeating their toughest warriors on the fields in combat. And yet, now, with the League on hold to deal with recent happenings, she had lost what she had once found. Again, she was lost...
All is changed, doubt is my reward Mind is dazed, shattered like my sword Is my life so far a waste? Can i find a way to mend? To what end? To what end?
But, the Spirit Walker was here, now, and would kill her if she did not stand her ground and fight. With her death, all hope for a saved Noxus would die as well. The Raven would win, and Valoran would be plunged into a darkness filled with death and strife not seen since the Rune Wars. That path would start here, now, if she fell. As much as she did not wish to cause more harm than she had already done, even though more bloodshed, more red staining her hands was the last thing she wanted for herself, for anyone... She had to fight, and more than fight, she had to win.
Violence to end the Violence.
Noxus had trained her to fight. Life had given her the strength to survive on the streets of Noxus' slums, and climb her way to the top. No, she corrected herself. Her will had given her the strength, and she had doubted herself, doubted her ability to do anything, change anything, for too long.
There is no other way.
I'll find a way, to heal my broken wings I leave my past behind, free of my sins I'll rise again - to strength!
As the Spirit Walker spoke and gathered his strength, Riven would pull herself to her feet. Her blood stained the ground of Ionia beneath her feet once again as she stared down Udyr, roiling with a force she had never seen before. It scared her, made her heart pound to be facing this unknown. It made her feel...alive. For the first time in years, Riven the Exile...felt truly alive.
Leave doubt behind. No more hesitation. No looking back.
Riven's eyes flashed emerald and streamers of ki flowed from her body, her blade crackling with intent as the full shape of the broken weapon was traced through the air. Years ago she had died on those fields with her comrades. Her heart, her spirit, had existed in a twilight, acting more by instinct than true life, floating through life like a ghost. But now, as the form of the Spirit Walker moved to strike her down, on those very same green plains, the land that had taken everything from her...chose to give it all back.
"I am awakened."
Udyr charged as Riven erupted. A geyser of green shot into the air above the field, kicking away grass and shearing through the layers to the earth below. Wind poured from her form, ripping the plant life asunder in every direction. The cap that had been placed on her willpower, her drive, had only been cracked and momentarily moved aside by her time in the League. Temporary bouts of strength had coursed through her veins, awakening a shadow of what COULD be. In that moment, the plug did not give way. It shattered.
Riven's amber eyes glowed with the might of her resolve as Udyr closed. She did not run. She did not stand aside or back away. Instead, as he moved, she stepped forward, her right arm gripping hold of her blackstone runeblade, the blade's form being completely restored by the energies unleashed, and in one single swing, met the power of the Spirit Walker in a tremendous clash.
It was said that when champions of the League fought, it made headlines. Jax and Gragas had once made a ruckus in Noxus due to a bar brawl. Malzahar and Kassadin had clashed once as well, doing great damage before they were apprehended. And, when Sejuani and Olaf had fought in Freljord, the landscape itself was changed by the might of their powers, and shook the glaciers themselves.
The sound of the clash would echo through the land for miles, crackling arcs of green snapping into the sky. Udyr had been right in both ways. Part of Riven died away in the release of power, while another clawed its way through the darkness and regret that had permeated her heart, and gave birth to a new life.
Post by The Animal Spirit on Oct 11, 2013 1:49:27 GMT -5
The beast man of Ionia expected to rend flesh from bone as his hand arced through the air. The geyser of emerald ki, despite the harsh winds that accompanied it, he ignored. His trajectory would not change, he would not back down no matter how grandiose a display she showed, all that mattered was if she would die on this field or not.
His hand swung down, and instead of meeting flesh, his forearm struck the edge of an monolithic blade. It did not cut his arm off, like one would expect, and Riven would feel vibrations similar to hitting a block of steel rumble through her fingers, but trickles of his blood would flow down the face of the sword, the white flames that his body conjured causing the red liquid to boil and hiss instantly.
The beast man of Ionia did not stop here, however. He pulled his arm away and glared at her. Instead of retreating, Udyr would step in towards her, attempting to hook her knee with his calf while firing a jab with his left hand, his right arm poised and readied to defend his right side. Each strike, each movement would send a howl of wind, crack the ground, and make his flames burn brighter.
This was far from over.
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
As Udyr glared, Riven's eyes narrowed and flashed once more with emerald. Then, the vision of her before him distorted and disappeared, hidden behind a torrent of ki that thundered forth from her body. It was as if a bomb had gone off where Riven had been standing. The ground beneath the both of them was ripped and riven apart, chunks of sod and plant material being thrown through the air like so much trash in the wind following the tremendously powerful Ki Burst.
The energy would attempt to tear into the Spirit Walker, rending skin and muscle from bone in its intensity, if it hadn't carried enough force to lift him from his feet and throw him across the meadow like a ragdoll. It was hard to remain standing, to brace, when the very ground upon which you would hold fast was ripped away by the very onslaught you wished to withstand. The force would impact the beastman's chest and surround his body with intent. He could FEEL the power and determination ebbing and flowing through the ki as it struck him. If he had any doubts about Riven's purpose in holding off his attack, in fighting, he would have no more.
The might of her resolve flowed through her body, empowering it, strengthening it against attacks. Her will WAS her armor, and as the Ki Burst was launched, Riven would swing her blade from right to left in a powerful horizontal arc, pulling it across the space between the two champions. If Udyr somehow managed to weather the tremendous power of her Ki Burst, the first strike of Broken Wings would aim to strike home a powerful counter-blow as he recovered...
Last Edit: Oct 11, 2013 19:04:31 GMT -5 by The Exile
Post by The Animal Spirit on Oct 18, 2013 14:00:00 GMT -5
Tenacious. The beast man was a tenacious man, to budge him from his path, no matter the obstacle, was a damned near impossibility. As the ki blast went off, Udyr stood his ground with his arms raised in front of him. The ground and sod exploded all around him, the raw energy threatening to separate flesh from bone, and if he were any lesser, it would have at least made him bow, if not kill him outright.
As the dirt cleared up, the damage that he had sustained could finally be seen: He was pushed several meters away with his sandals leaving deep imprints of his refusal to move, most of his clothing had been torn to shreds save for sections of his hakama and his fundoshi, his muscles twitched with an unnatural cadence and both of his arms had been dislocated, his wrists twisted awkwardly. With a loud *SNAP*, his limbs rearranged themselves, and the howl of wind and fire followed in his wake.
Fire seemed to continually flow and burn from his being, making them resemble the wings of a phoenix with the sudden, vicious wind that whipped about him started to feed it, as he raced towards her strike. Udyr in a single fluid moment ducked underneath it, almost kissing the ground like a snake, then pushed against the ground. He then launched himself into a devastating uppercut aimed at Riven's solar plexus.
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
Udyr weathered the massive Ki Burst like a champ and came back asking for more. Riven swung, but the animalistic monk ducked the swing and fired forth a thunderously powerful strike directly into Riven's chest. Leather armor would do nothing to stop the torrent of power that was unleashed. The only reason Riven went flying, instead of found herself impaled on the extended arm of the beastman was because of the enormous amount of Ki that raged through her body.
Up and back she went, tumbling through the air as a trail of crimson snaked from her mouth. Her vision blurred and darkened at the sides from the force and she could hardly breathe. So intense was the strike to her chest Riven felt her heart flutter and beat irregularly, ice moving through her veins temporarily from the sheer blunt trauma. Much harder and it was possible Riven could have suffered cardiac arrest.
She endured, but she knew she would be unable to endure many more hits like that one. Her will was strong, stronger than her body's ability to withstand it. If she held back now, she was going to die. Udyr would punch and punch until nothing was left but a broken corpse. She could not fall here, not now. If she died, it was going to be on her terms... Never again would she allow an outside force to govern her destiny, her fate again.
Is this all that my eyes were bound to see? The bitter end awaking irony?
The sky ablaze, accelerating. Infinity intoxicating...
As she reeled from Udyr's blow, time seemed to slow as it often did for those in a state of absolute concentration. The sky above her was filled with clouds that had gathered from the primal forces at work. Lightning crackled through them, the beautiful day warped by the two powers clashing below. It was a surreal feeling. Her body had been sent into a kind of shock as she floated back and away through the air, farther than humanly possible in most situations. Then again, Udyr was no mere human...then again, neither was she...
Dream of a dream that you will never live. The final sleep forgets to forgive.
Her thoughts drifted to the fields of Coeur. They weren't far from this place. She had returned there only briefly during her trip, and encountered the demon Aatrox. There among the dirt, the scarred and war-torn soil, lie the remains of her family, the only one she had ever known. More than that were the souls and spirits of the fallen, each one dead because she had not been strong enough to make a difference before. Here, again, she was being tested, her life on the line...
Closin’ my eyes this sky is fading. Your memory reverberating...
Riven closed her eyes, the sky fading from view. Her memories would always follow her.
Just you and I, Up in the air, Becoming painfully aware, Of what is out there, Bidding farewell, To our past, our present and our future…
The dead would still be dead, haunting her thoughts, her every action. But right now, the sword in her hand, the willpower she felt in her heart... That was all she needed. Her eyes snapped open, emerald pouring from them as she surpassed any and all safe limits to her abilities, cranking everything to maximum.
Even if promised worlds exist... The time is now, remember this!
Never hiding! Never lying! Sun burning my eyes, I am not crying!
Always smiling! Never breaking! Fly towards the sun holding your hand in… …this final sky!
Riven spun to face Udyr, the blade in her hands howling with unbound might, then Riven exploded with force in midair. Her Ki threw her down through the sky like a meteor falling to earth, her battlecry echoing from the mountains in the distance, spinning downward with such force that the air itself cleaved in twain as she went. It cried out, white vapor trails splitting on either side of her blade, looking almost like white wings...
The impact force would tear apart the ground like tissue paper, energy crackling like a wildfire, directly above Udyr, Riven's blade intending to slice the beastman in half with every ounce of her will. Her drive, her desire to overcome was focussed down into a single point, condensed into a single cutting force, all brought to bear on Udyr's defenses. Before, her Ki Burst had been powerful, but in all directions. With all that power brought to bear at once, even the beastman would find it hard to overcome. Even the aftermath of the strike would prove incredibly dangerous...
A deep furrow would be torn into the earth below, as if a giant's blade had been brought down upon the ground. Udyr had told Riven to fight, and to fight like her life depended upon it, or he would kill her. Riven had done just that, struck with all she was, her limits broken and her body being heavily damaged by the very power she wielded.
But, she would win. Or die trying...
Last Edit: Oct 19, 2013 1:46:29 GMT -5 by The Exile
Post by The Animal Spirit on Nov 1, 2013 16:21:55 GMT -5
Udyr watched Riven fly from the impact of his strike, and as he did, he spoke once more. "This is all? This is all you offer, to all of those you trampled upon?"
A light chuckle escaped his lips, he shook his head. "What is your ambition, Broken Bird? What are you willing to do to achieve your goals? Will you lie down and let life pass you by, or will you stand against opposition? How many more bodies will you have to trample? How many more of them will reach up, grab at you, and you succumb to them because it is the easier path?"
He took a stance, and looked up at Riven, preparing to launch himself after her. "How much blood on your hands cry out because of your dishonorable actions?! How much longer will you listen to their wails, and demand that you, the taker of their lives, do something meaningful with your being? To give purpose to their death? How much longer will you flop on the ground, crying and mewling, expecting others to look up to one who is BROKEN?!"
The Ki then stifled his flames, and made him grin. The vapor trails that followed Riven, it made Udyr ready his stance. "SHOW US THE WILL THAT CAN CLEAVE A MOUNTAIN'S WORTH OF AN OBSTACLE! DEFY ME!"
As Riven fell towards him, Udyr shot his hands upwards. The moment her reached the height of his fingers, his hands clapped together and grabbed her blade. The beast man's intention was to stop her with only brute force, but as his muscles buckled and collapsed, they both saw that she had bypassed his first line of defense.
Riven's sword crashed down towards his face, his hands holding onto the sides of the blade and attempting to stop it with all of his might. Riven would feel the edge slice through the center of his nose, split his lip, break his front teeth, crack his chin, and proceeded to cut into his skull. The blade stopped short of cutting through bone by what felt like half a millimeter.
Udyr's face gushed blood, but his determined glare would match Riven's. His knees buckled, he fell to one, but still held the sword in place. If he moved his hands, she would cut his skull in half. This was checkmate, as far as Riven could tell.
"Is that...all? Ha ha ha..." Udyr licked the blood from his torn lips. "If you were in our position, what would you do? Would you beg for mercy, release your hands, and expect the other to not slay you? What do you do, when there is no hope of winning? What do you do in the face of adversity?"
The beastman would then start to rise, his biceps bulging and his loud grunts echoing. Fire started to envelop him once more. "You get back up. You spit in their face, because until you draw that last breath, your dreams, your ambitions, can never be extinguished," he said as he stood up to his full height, his arms shaking from the strain. With a bestial roar, Udyr tossed the blade away from his face and took a fighting stance once more. "Who are you? Are you an exile? Are you a broken bird, are you a child crying for how things are unfair, or do you have dreams? Ambitions? Are you a follower, or do you lead?"
Despite his life-threatening injuries and the blood still gushing from his face, Udyr was still ready to fight. "Can your might make the heavens weep in envy? Can your strength part a mountain? What can you do, as a mere mortal? What are your limits? Are you defined by your limits, or by your actions?!"
Udyr took a moment to spit out a huge clot of blood and roared, "I am UDYR! Who are you?!"
The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
The blade was hurled back along with herself, damage being done, a line being carved into the earth at Riven's side from the intent that still held fast to the heart of the weapon. The beastman's words spoke volumes. He knew who he was. Every ounce of his might, his spirit, was driven by that knowledge. Her spirit was driven by the spirits of everyone she had ever failed. To them, her life was forfeit. She fought not for herself, but for them, and they deserved more than what she could ever hope to give, but she would still give everything she had.
The power of the will was infinite, unending. For one such as Riven, her desire to never give up was greater even than her body's ability to contain it. Literally, her mortal frame was what held her back at every turn. Mortal bodies were not meant to contain and channel desires of such strength. Such things were reserved for deities, persons greater than simply flesh and blood. But Riven struck those boundaries each time she pushed herself too far, her body paying the price. Her blade had carved through the flames and power of the Spirit Walker, but at great cost to herself.
Her lungs burned with internal injuries. Blood vessels degenerated from the power unleashed. To fight like this, to try and contain something infinite, to mold it, was killing her. The pain was a pain unlike any she had ever experienced. It was a pain that burned into the very core of her essence, her spirit itself. Still, even at her peak, it was not enough. She needed more. She needed to be more, become more.
'...Please... Hold together for one more strike...'
'They...need you... Noxus needs you...'
Her body was already beginning to fail on her. She had never fought this hard before, pushed so far beyond what her limits were. She could not fail now. No matter what it took, no matter what the cost, she could not fall. For Fury Company, for the Ionian bodies on that field, for Noxus, for Valoran itself...she had to keep going. One more...that was all she had left, all her body could take.
She would have to make it count.
Riven gripped her blade as Udyr asked her who she was. She was herself. That was all she would ever be. Names were meaningless. She was Riven, and all that entailed, but more than that...she was her blade. She was her will, her spirit. She was the fallen and the risen. She was a beginning and and ending. She was death, and she was life. She was...
Her eyes flashed and the air between the two fighters distorted and warped. Riven's body seemed to disappear in a brilliant star of blinding green. Her voice tore through the battlefield as she opened her body to the total infinity of her will. The ground quaked and shook, and the air trembled. Broken chunks of rock strewn across the battlefield cracked and shattered, being eroded away by the sheer might of Riven's will alone. In all her terrible power, in all her humanity, in all her ability to destroy and unmake, her past, present, and future, she was, above all else, one thing.
Hope.
She was the hope of a nation. She was the hope of the fallen. She was the hope of those who could not fight for themselves. She was the fallen star that Swain prayed, hoped, never rekindled its might and rose again to strength. She was the bird with broken wings that dared, hoped, to mend them and soar higher than she ever had before if given the chance. She was hope personified, and she had a name...
"I am Riven, the Hope of Noxus!"
Both of Riven's hands flew to her blade as it swung. Two hands, twice the power, twice the intent, twice the force. Every ounce of her spirit, her will, poured through her blade into a single attack, the biggest expression of power she had. Her valor steeled her body against the onslaught of its own spirit, her Ki Burst channeled into the blade to increase its power even more, as all of her infinite will surged forward into a single tremendous strike.
Her Wind Slash.
The magnitude was higher than anything Riven had ever produced before. Her Ki tore forward with her intent shaping every curve and warp in the weave. The ground before it was literally unmade by the sheer desire and resolve of Riven's willpower. The attack howled as the air itself cried out as the slash tore it asunder. This was everything Riven had. Everything, with nothing left out. She had poured every part of her body's physical integrity into the attack, every drop of willpower and resolve, every iota of Ki. Reality itself seemed to warp and bend with the sheer force of will made manifest by Riven's slash.
All of that power, force, intent and resolve, would bear down on Udyr's readied form. It's strength was impossible to measure with arbitrary measurements of force. It was a concept, a desire, given form, shape, and purpose. No mere armor or shield would defend against the ability in its entirety. This was the true power of Riven, of her hope, her drive and passion. The Spirit Walker had wanted to see what the exile carried within herself.
He had asked her if her might would make the heavens weep and shake with envy. The ground trembled under his feet and the air shook and quaked. He had asked if she could part a mountain with her strength. Udyr's face had been cleaved to the bone, and the Wind Slash that rocketed toward him would shear through any natural obstacle in its path like tissue paper. THIS was her limit being surpassed, broken, her mortality being riven by her infinite will. This was her action, her intent.
Welcome to Maelstrom, Original Characters, Summoners and Champions alike. We are a divergent setting roleplay forum for the ever-popular MOBA by Riot, League of Legends. This means we are based in Riot canon, but your characters' actions can have a real, lasting impact on the world. Together, the Maelstrom community endeavors to bring the League of Legends setting and characters to life through collaborative storytelling and meaningful development. We welcome you along for the ride.
Hang out in a citystate, visit the Institute of War, explore the uncharted recesses of Runeterra. Whatever you decide, good luck, have fun and happy writing.
hello new skin yes. gonna work out some kinks but let me know what you guys think. it's not all that flashy but i didn't really like the tabs so the side bar is back. oh and the cbox has also made it's appearance. -rurin.
Maelstrom was created by Swain. Written content is copyrighted to their creators on this site. The skin is created by Wolf and mini-profile template by Kuroya of Gangnam Style. The board and thread remodel is by Kagney and has been heavily edited by Rurin. League of Legends is owned by Riot Games. Maelstrom does not claim ownership to any images used unless stated otherwise.
cbox
Chat box has been removed for the time being. Please contact me at Wyerden@gmail.com, or skype name DearCryophoenix with for any questions or concerns.
