Post by Master of Shadows on Dec 17, 2013 1:21:58 GMT -5
Zed remained completely silent as she spoke, behind the chrome mask his eyes simply watched giving no indication of what he thought of her speech. He did not feel for her, he did not consider her and him similar in the fact they were outcasts. Yet simply did not comment, he would not get into a discussion of who had the harder life, her story was of little importance to him. He had no use of her, her sap story only causing Zed to view her with disdain.
"What is preventing me from killing you now?" he questioned, the crimson orbs narrowing slightly, "Honor. How convenient a shield to hide behind, to justify your actions. In the end, no matter how you spin it: Honor, deception, truth, lies, it ends in death one way or another. What is the point of honor, when it has lead to more trouble everywhere I look. I keep my word out of mutual benefit with Noxus, because it is needed for my clan and the good of Ionia as a whole. This is what I believe, just as you follow your path, I follow my own."
"If I followed the path of honor, I would have been destroyed. I would have nothing if I stayed true to honor. So, tell me, why should I let honor dictate whether you live or not? Why should I let you live?"
"I am worth more to you and your allies alive and well, and present, than missing or dead. When the biggest outspoken voice against Noxus suddenly goes missing in the depths of Noxian allied territory, there will be every reason to pour light into your den of shadows." Riven's eyes narrowed.
"My death will gain you nothing but prying eyes into your clan. There are those who know where I have gone, and will know what has happened to me if I do not return. They will seek out explanations, and before you know it, investigations will uncover whatever it is you and your Noxian friends are planning." Riven frowned, her eyes still serious.
"The Grand General would not take lightly to one of his allies drawing attention to whatever he is planning. He thrives in back alleys where no one can see the skeletons in his closet." Riven chuckled darkly. "Why do you think he hasn't eliminated me yet? He has every sort of power one could think of to do so. The reason is because as soon as I disappear, questions start getting asked, people start looking. And he is at least smart enough to understand that fact." Her eyes flashed.
"I would suggest you keep that in mind before threatening me again, Shadow Master."
Post by Master of Shadows on Dec 17, 2013 18:32:54 GMT -5
"I do not see how you are worth anything to me, Exile." Zed sighed, "Already my clan and allies are seen with with disdain. Your disappearance would mean nothing to anyone. He has not eliminated you yet because you are not worth his time, you may believe he is underestimating you. But look at yourself." Zed made a causal gesture with his hand toward her, "You have no allies. You have no army. No one in Ionia respects you, you atone for past sins that will never be forgotten or forgiven. You are no threat, you are no thorn. You are but a sandfly, an annoying itch. Your existence is pitiful."
Zed glared from behind the mask, "I ask you again, what is stopping me from ending your life. You claim to be worth something, if so, what?"
Shadow people follow him everywhere he goes. Looking over his shoulder, the paranoia flows.
Riven's lips drew into a faint smirk. "You underestimate me greatly." She huffed. "And, you underestimate the vulture if you believe he thinks I am of no worth to him alive. If I die, I become a martyr for my cause, a symbol of Noxian strength, fighting for her beliefs until she was murdered by allies of the Grand General. Her word silenced by those too frightened, too cowardly to confront her in the traditional ways, striking from the shadows like gutter trash and common thieves." Riven's eyes narrowed as she stared at Zed, unblinking against his glaring assault.
"He could have killed me in the streets of Noxus, ordered my execution. He had the Hand there, after all. But, he did not. Because he knew that if he did, the political uproar caused would spark internal conflict that he could not handle when he was setting his sights to other interests...like gaining a foothold in Ionia...under the guise of an alliance of protection...when an outlying and seemingly peaceful village suddenly attacked..." Riven had seen the camps, seen the remains of the damage done. She'd seen the gathering forces and the commanders. "How utterly convenient, wouldn't you say?"
How much did Riven know about the happenings of that night? Reports in the post had detailed much of what was known, a force decimating a large part of the Order of Shadows' forces, from a village that had been close to the Order. But they were simple farmers, and did not have a large standing military. It made absolutely no sense, and anyone with a tactical brain could figure that out.
There weren't even signs of blood left on the battlefield, just corpses riddled with far more wounds than a human being should have been able to take without crumpling. The tabloids had called it a testament to Ionian strength under adversity, but Riven had seen her share of juggernauts and death... If the reports were true, and why wouldn't they be, the whole situation stunk of "fowl play".
This was why she had come to Ionia. To search for answers, allies, a path to follow. She had found the first shred of evidence to support her claims that something strange was going on. There were no names, no faces, but there were indisputable facts...and they did not add up to the story being told. It was enough to call everything into question. Her visit to the territory of the Order of Shadows had finally given her, after so long, what she had needed: a hint of proof.
"If I go missing in your territory, Shadow Ninja...that too would be 'convenient'." Her eyes did not leave Zed's.
Post by The Fist of Shadow on Dec 29, 2013 18:09:40 GMT -5
Outside of the temple, in the thick of the night, emerald eyes had been watching the temple the entire time. Watching, listening, even smelling, she knew the patrol patterns the Order of the Shadow ninjas were conducting this night. They had been observing for months, recording them.
Akali had shadowed Riven from a distance, and had watched her be captured, and from how long she had not seen the Exile, it seemed negotiations were not going well.
When negotiating for your life, people almost always had the same set of rules: Either entertain your would be killer, or give them a very good reason for why they should not kill you.
Akali could not assume any more. She was under orders, and she had to make a judgement call.
"The Fist of Shadow strikes from the cover of death itself. Do not impede the balance." (Temporary Champion)
Post by Master of Shadows on Dec 29, 2013 18:48:49 GMT -5
Patrols walked in groups of three through-out the temple grounds, their usual patrol paths always the same, no one had dared to infiltrate the Temple of Shadows since the Order had taken over. A place filled with masters of subterfuge and stealth, it would be near suicide to for anyone to attempt. Housing an army of Shadow Ninjas meant there was very little chance anyone would be even capable of traveling through the territory undetected by the many eyes that watched.
One however had managed to do just that. Though the Shadow Order had expanded upon the original temples layout somewhat in order to house many of the ninja that now practiced the shadow arts. The bones were still there, the original temple itself where the bulk of activity seemed to be still standing just as it had when the Kinkou had control. Ninjas trained within the massive courtyard as the sun had began to set, long shadows cast themselves over the temple grounds basking most of it in darkness. The sky was beginning to darken in the east, giving the patrols and advantage in the coming darkness.
Zed slowly rose from his position at the small table, his crimson stare never left the body of the Exile, "I slowly grow tired to speaking to you, you were a fool to come here without any aid, what did you expect to happen? We are ninja, masters of stealth and subterfuge, you must have known you would have been captured. What did you gain from coming here?"
Zed slowly rose from his position at the small table, his crimson stare never left the body of the Exile, "I slowly grow tired of speaking to you, you were a fool to come here without any aid, what did you expect to happen? We are ninja, masters of stealth and subterfuge, you must have known you would have been captured. What did you gain from coming here?"
"A headache..." Riven scoffed.
Silently, Riven berated herself. Why hadn't she asked for help? Was she too proud? No, that wasn't it. Did she believe herself so strong that she could single-handedly defeat a horde of ninja? If she could fight as she did against Udyr, she might be able to hold her own for some time, possibly defeat a good number of them, but she was not a battalion unto herself. With her recent battle with the Spirit Walker, her body was still damaged to some degree. Pushing herself beyond her normal limits would lead to even more damage and drain on her than normal.
No, she thought...the fight against Noxus was, at its heart, her fight, and dragging the Kinkou or others into her goals was dangerous, not just for them, but for the stability of Runeterra itself. So many had already been sacrificed, killed, because of her mistakes, for not being strong enough to protect them, for being weak-minded and not seeing the flaws in her ideals, or the ideals of Noxus. If there was blood to be spilled to save Noxus from itself, it was only right that it was her's... Even as the Shadow Master spoke, her eyes didn't leave him.
Zed pumped himself up, surrounded himself with his shadows and his ninja, but he was as dense as the material that composed her blade, which still sat in the corner of the room. The whole time she had been talking she had been contemplating avenues of escape. She was fast, mobile, and with enough speed she could reach her equipment before she sustained too much damage using her Ki Burst and her Valor technique. But as long as Zed was fixated on her, that prospect was much lower.
Even if she managed to hold off damage and gain her equipment, even if she kept Zed at bay, she would still have a horde of shadow ninja to deal with. She would be unable to fight at the same level as before. She understood, now, that to remain here would lead to her death. Zed didn't care that she was a champion. He didn't care that killing her would lead to a massive diplomatic incident. All he cared about was killing a trespasser on his land, and maybe removing a thorn in Swain's side, which would still cause problems.
To stay in this room was death. To fight was death. By herself, she had no hope of winning. But, if she was going to die regardless...she was going to fight. Her mind remembered those words that Udyr had spoken to her that day...
"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?!"
She was Riven, the Hope of Noxus, the Light of Noxus. The city state had created blackness across Runeterra for ages, and yet, for all that darkness, for all that death and sacrifice, she had been born. She had been created from that, to rise...no, to fly, above the rest of them. It was not what a soldier left behind that counted for them, but how they had lived. So, how was she to live? Would she crawl on the ground, beg for pity and mercy, or would she spread her wings and soar among the clouds of her goals? And if she died, at least she could say she lived every moment, every second, of her life trying to atone, to change the problems she had helped cause.
But until her last breath escaped her lips, she would never stop fighting. Zed rose, and so did Riven's gaze. She had no sword in her hand, but she still had fists, she still had Ki, and her spirit. The Spirit Walker would have laughed had she called herself defenseless. Though she was alone, she had the spirits of those who were lost at her side. Her amber eyes flashed as she met the crimson orbs of Zed, her hawk-like gaze leveled and reflected in his mask. She still had some fight left in her...
"Did you know, Shadow Master, that I recently defeated the Spirit Walker in one on one combat?" She paused a moment. "The same beastman that defeated the Eye of Twilight." Again, she allowed her words to sink in. "You hold all the cards, all the power here, and we both know I would not be capable of escaping alive should your order wish me dead...however, would you not wish to test your strength against the person who defeated someone that had defeated Shen?" She shook her head and sighed. "Killing me here, now, stripped of my weapon and defenses would remove a chance for you to test your strength against someone even stronger than the Eye, stronger than the Spirit Walker." She chuckled darkly.
"You wish me dead, but would not killing someone stronger than Shen and Udyr in front of your men, in front of the world, in one on one combat, not send a more powerful message than killing them in a dark room, stripped of everything?" Her eyes studied Zed's as she continued. "I am in your territory, in your grasp. I will not escape this temple alive should I even come close to winning, but wouldn't you rather have that chance, Shadow Master?" She continued to study the ninja. "The chance to know you could defeat someone stronger than the Eye of Twilight in combat?"
Last Edit: Dec 30, 2013 22:37:17 GMT -5 by The Exile
Post by Master of Shadows on Jan 5, 2014 3:46:44 GMT -5
Skepticism crossed Zed's mind as Riven spoke, Shen fought and lost to Udyr? For one, the two had no reason known to Zed to fight one another. As she continued to speak, her voice began to irritate Zed, his eyes narrowed, "Walking out with your bloodied severed head would have the same message, Exile." His hands slowly clenched into a fist, "Either way you die. If my clan felt I needed to prove my strength by ending the life of a wild animal backed into a corner, they would not follow me."
Shadow people follow him everywhere he goes. Looking over his shoulder, the paranoia flows.
"But would the world at large? You said yourself that you are an outcast, looked upon with scrutiny and doubt." Riven sighed and continued to watch Zed. "Killing me in a dark room, after your men have stripped me of armor and weapons, which I gave up as a sign of good faith, will prove nothing to anyone, other than you kill those who are made defenseless. I know you are stronger, better than that. And you'd still be throwing away your chance to test your power against mine." She raised a brow. "Are you truly not the least bit curious?"
Post by The Fist of Shadow on Jan 11, 2014 1:01:06 GMT -5
It was finally time for Akali to make a move.
There could be no hiccup. The Fist of Shadow timed it so when the darkness settled from the east, and the patrols turned around, she would be over the wall and heading into the temple already. She knew the layout better than the back of her hand.
Slipping past guard after guard, it would only be when there was no one about in the west wing that Akali would stop, and reach into her pouch that she had strapped close to her waist.
After Zed had dismissed the ninjas, Kahn would begin to patrol around the temple. Nothing interesting should really happen, he was unsure if The Exile was trustworthy of the information he possessed. If so then maybe he would be able to slip it somewhere that she could find it. Granted, he was in no position to do so as of right now. Perhaps when Riven was getting escorted out he could try something then....it would be risky, but he had not had a chance like this for months. Nothing was set it stone , but he was running out of time to decide. The ninja bit his lip in his mask as he continued to consider the risks and payoffs. As it stood...it seemed like it would be better if he withheld the information from The Exile and waited for more trustworthy ally.
He was drawn out of his thoughts as he entered the west wing by a female clad in a green garb with twin kama reaching into a pouch strapped close to her waist. His visible eye widened in realization, seems as though his prayer had been answered. Wait...what was she doing here? The better question is...did she recognize him as an enemy due to where he was? No doubt she realized that she was spotted, now it all came down to what she would do now that she saw him. The Lotus Hunter was not in the mood to meet the reaper so soon, especially killed if he was by an ally. Regardless of whether or not Akali made a move to silence him, he would shake his head and drop to one knee. He prayed that Akali did not reach him before the gesture was complete, and that she remembered what that gesture was.
His mind thought about the events to come..how far behind was the next patrol? Several minutes if there were lucky. Shave two off just to be sure, small window given the snag they had. Kahn had no idea why Akali was here...did she have help? Was this an attack? What was she doing here? As these thoughts crossed his mind, a rather cruel and ironic thought also appeared in his mind.
None of this would matter if Akali struck him down...he would just be a decapitated head on the floor. Funny, how seeing the ones who left him behind before might very well be his executioner. Oh well...it was her role after all. To carry out the judgement of The Eye of Twilight, and traitors were killed by a loyalist's hand.
Post by Master of Shadows on Jan 16, 2014 17:35:43 GMT -5
"You know I am better than that?" Zed raised an eyebrow slightly, "How longer will you sit and plead your case by trying to play on my ego?" He slowly walked toward her, "I am no fool Exile, we are ninja, we do not prove strength through combat in public view, we do not wear honor as a shield, an unarmed opponent is still an opponent and should be eliminated."
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong about something, or someone." She sighed and eyed the ninja as he closed. He might have been used to there being fear in the eyes of those he'd backed into a corner. Instead, what greeted his gaze were amber eyes filled with a strength and a flame, even now. "I hadn't pegged you for a coward..."
There was no way she was getting out of this with words. If even attempting to get the man to rethink his actions by calling attention to a chance to test his strength compared to Shen's wasn't working, nothing would halt his actions. There was only one way for this to end in his mind. That being the case, there was no reason for her to say anything but how she felt. Enough pandering to a fool, and a coward.
"I can see why you sided with Noxus. If all you can do is take down weakened targets, you clearly need all the help you can get." Her eyes narrowed. "I can see why Shen was the chosen one, and you were the outcast."
Post by The Fist of Shadow on Jan 23, 2014 19:02:13 GMT -5
While she reached for her pouch, she saw out of the corner of her eye the ninja. In a single fluid movement the Fist of Shadow was less than a breath away from him, her kamas circled around his neck and already biting into flesh by the time he fell to his knee and shake his head.
Akali stayed her hand, made a light, precise incision over his jugular with her kama, just a milimeter away from making him bleed out on the floor, then sheathed her kamas. It was a convincing enough wound.
She reached into her pouch with one hand and with her other grabbed his arm. Akali placed a handful of grape sized explosives wrapped by lotus leaves onto his open palm. The Fist of Shadow pointed at the support column, pointed at the explosives followed by him, and gave him a nod.
"Count to four, ignite, raise the alarm and lead them my way."
That was the only command she gave.
Akali flitted back into the darkness and ran eastwards. It was a bit of a detour, but Zed would check for footprints, she could not compromise his position.
Even then, she was scrounging the bottom of the barrel, everything had to be precise, but Kahn had managed to shave off a single second from her schedule. Excellent.
As she ran down the halls, Akali would reach into the pouch repeatedly and take out paper talismans that if translated from Ionian would read, "Flamewheel". The Fist of Shadow slapped them on the walls and pillars as she ran by them, creating a distinct path for her to run back down when she would have to escape. As the paper slapped against the wall, it would shiver and fade away, leaving only the ink behind, and in the darkness of the night, it would be nearly impossible to see them.
By the time Kahn would count to four, she was nearly at her destination. All that needed to be done was for the spark to ignite the distraction.
"The Fist of Shadow strikes from the cover of death itself. Do not impede the balance." (Temporary Champion)
Post by Kahn Hisan on Jan 24, 2014 23:16:38 GMT -5
Kahn felt the cold, uncaring, and emotionless steel circle around and bite into the skin of his neck. He thought it was too late, and was ready to accept death. Then it was removed from the back of his neck, and instead he felt it again creating a wound millimeters from his jugular. Looks like death would not claim him this day either. Once he felt the steel removed from his neck he would lift his head, and simply nod. He took the grape sized explosives, and reply with a simple word. "Understood." The lack of surprise did not concern Kahn, rather it was what he had expected from the Fist of Shadow. He watched her melt into the darkness, and began to count.
1...2...3...4.
As he was counting he began to scratch off part of the shell, revealing an adhesive material. By the time he counted to four he had arranged the explosives into a pyramid shape to maximize damage. He lit the explosives, and got rid of the match. That was more than enough damage to cause the wing to collapse under its own weight. Once the explosives had been lit, he would turn and make for the exit. He was outside of the wing, when he saw the next patrol. They seemed slightly confused as to why he was running toward them. The Lotus Hunter began to shout, but the sound of his voice was deafened by the noise the grape explosions made. The wing began to make a loud yawning noise as it struggled to remain standing, but the weight was simply too much and it collapsed with a loud crash. After the noise had died down and some of the dust had settled, Kahn shouted at the patrol before him, "Intruder! She is going after Zed! Follow me!" He would roar at the top of his lungs, alerting nearby patrols that were in range of his cry. A combination of Shadow Ninjas and Noxians began to follow Kahn as he led them around the collapsed wing. There was simply no way they could move through the obstruction without great difficult, furthermore trying to climb over it could lead to fatalities. This detour would give Akali the time she would need to complete whatever task she was assigned.
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