A full moon hung low over the marsh, like it was put there just to give the inhabitants some company throughout the long night. It brightened up the moss, it rebounded off the trees and streamed through the windows of the cathedral’s bell tower, beckoning Kit to come out and play.
The huntress had been dutifully ignoring the summons all night but Gus refused to follow her example. With all the playfulness of a living puppy he'd yapped and danced around until Kit finally sat up. “What in the name of all creation has gotten inta you?” She asked in exasperation, knowing full well he had ample reason.
Gus responded to the question by attempting to lick her face and continued undaunted when he discovered for the umpteenth time that he couldn't anymore. More than anything, this was at the heart of their discontent.
As a spectral being he couldn't touch the corporeal, and she couldn't touch a spirit. They couldn't play fetch, train or do much of anything these days. The dead had no need to eat or sleep and with her unfinished business being finished, it was getting harder and harder to find a reason to get up.
The pup wandered over to her bow and armor and gave one last pleading whimper. 'Maybe Gus has himself a point.' Kit mused. 'He always was the smart one after all...' With a reluctant grin in the hound's direction, she finally relented. "Alright, alright… Come on you. Lets go see what kinda trouble we can get into."
After dusting her bow and quiver off, Kit donned her armor and clomped down the spiral staircase with a very happy Gus hovering right on her heels. “Hello? Anybody home?” She called out when they reached the cathedral proper, looking for signs of unlife.
Soul had been resting - well, 'resting' isn't quite the correct term - in the confessionals for a bit. He liked it there. It was close, it was quiet, and the things in there just didn't seem to corrode. If he'd been able to move it, he may have used it as a weapon at one point. But no matter.
When Kit came downstairs, he opened the door and poked his head out. "Oh, hey Kit. And hey Gus!" He rather liked Gus - quite a curious puppy. "Look like you're heading out. Find someone else connected to your death?" he asked, crawling out of the booth and stretching reflexively.
All are equal in death; it's just that some people are more equal than others.
Kit looked on as Gus went bounding over to Soul's side the instant they heard his voice. The pup's happy tail wagged out a greeting and he seemed relieved to finally make contact with someone.
It was unfair to be jealous and she knew it but that didn't stop the familiar lump from welling up the back of her throat. If she could get back to the realm of the hunt... but then, she'd tried that already and come up short.
Kit cleared the gravel from her voice and planted her eyes firmly on the stone floor before responding. "Naw, nothin like that. Gus just wanted some company I think." It took a little while but eventually she managed to swallow her pride and pose the question she knew she had to ask. "Hey, would you mind playin with him or somethin? I... well I cant exactly do it myself and its a real pretty night out."
Soul kneeled down besides Gus and scratched him behind his ears, chuckling a bit before glancing up at Kit. Seeing her distraught, he stood up and smiled at her request. "I'd be glad to; it does look like a beautiful night out. And also, don't worry." He stood besides her and briefly patted her shoulder, although he didn't prolong it for her clothing's sake. "I'm sure Gus loves you just the same, regardless of touching you."
He stepped back and stood to the side. "Any clue where we're going? Or are we just sticking to the front lawn?" he joked, a small smirk sparking across his visage.
All are equal in death; it's just that some people are more equal than others.
Kit couldn't bring herself to react to what he’d said about Gus, so she nodded toward the main entrance instead. “I don’t figure there is much we can do anywhere else. Might as well invite the neighbors over for a barbecue and make an evening of it.” she responded with a gleam of humor. Maybe while they played she could decorate the yard, make some skeletal lawn gnomes or something. The frogs would enjoy it.
However as they walked outside, inspiration hit her as surely as the cool night air and before even thinking it through; she blurted the idea out to Soul. “Hey, d' ya think I could practice draggin ya into the hunt sometime?”
The sound of her steady footsteps came to a halt as she realized she’d just asked to use her only two legged friend for target practice. “Crap, I didn't mean it to come out so… so… bad. See, the problem is that I tried going in without anybody along but I can’t figure out how ta make it work with just me. Even tried shootin myself in the foot one time but all it got me was a limp.” She explained with a sigh.
Soul paused besides Kit as she mentioned trying to drag him into the hunt, standing besides her in front of the cathedral. He turned and blinked a couple times before scratching his head a moment - he had to stop when he realized there wasn't much to scratch. "Erm...I suppose it would be okay for you to try. Just don't hurt yourself, and aim somewhere non-vital. I kind of need this orb." He thumped his chest briefly, smiling nervously.
All are equal in death; it's just that some people are more equal than others.
The huntress was already having second thoughts about her bright idea as she responded to Soul. “Well I don’t wanna hurt you either. Maybe we just ought ta wait and see what the boss thinks.” she responded as she dug her toe into a patch of moss. It was smarter to wait anyway, just in case something went wrong. Of course the smartest thing to do would be to admit her failure to Karthus and ask for help. Maybe she would do just that.
“Ya know, I even thought about tryin ta drag a critter in there once.” she continued to explain her reasoning to Soul as they started walking again, “But then I felt bad fer wantin to kill somethin just so I can go say hello ta my pack. It just don’t seem right, ya know?”
Gus ran out in front of them and went dashing through the brush like a madman. It made Kit smile to see him so happy. “Do you ever have ta practice with that thing? How do you do it?” She asked, nodding inquisitively toward the blade he wore.
Soul nodded. "Aight, sure. Better safe than sorry." He listened to her and smiled a bit, still walking deftly besides her. "I get what you're saying. We don't kill innocents, y'know. You're making a good call there."
As she brought up his sword, he paused a bit and went to draw it. With a quick motion, it slid out of its sheath so he was holding it in front of him. He gave it a slow swing before holding it out towards her, then lowering it to the ground. "Honestly? I'm the only one here who uses a sword. I'm fairly ok, but if you'd seen the actual strength of the Shadow Isles...I'm nothing." He slung it over his shoulder and smirked a bit. "But ever since Leviathan died, I've been looking for ways to train, but it's never good without someone to spar with."
All are equal in death; it's just that some people are more equal than others.
Better safe than sorry was right. As Kit eyeballed the sword Soul had draped over his shoulder, she did not relish the idea of being on the business end. Would it cut through her armor? She reckoned there was only one way to figure it out.
Her own bone armor held far too much sentimental value to risk without knowing for sure, so she held up a finger to Soul and hurried over to one of the nearby corpses. “I think maybe we ought ta test how bone will hold up ‘gainst that thing.” She explained as she quickly molded a test piece, making as dense as she had her own armor.
By the time she got through with it, the pieces were no longer bone shaped at all. They had taken on the appearance of a chest sized shield, somewhat malformed but still presentable enough to work for their experiment. Kit propped her creation up against a nearby stump and then turned to Soul. “Mind givin it a good whack or two?”
Soul nodded and held the sword out. "Sure thing." He walked up and held the blade up, swinging it abroad then back down with a loud cry. On impact with the thick bone, it splintered and wedged itself into the shield, a few shards of bone coming out.
"Seems pretty sturdy." He hefted his sword over his shoulder, the bone shield still stuck to it, before realizing what happened. Sighing, he held the bone up to his chest, where it started to bleach and become visibly brittle until he broke it off his sword with his bare hand. "Hope you weren't attached to that shield." He smirked a bit.
Blinking, Kit responded with a shake of her head. “Nope. I might a been though if my chest was underneath it.” The laugh she gave afterward was tinged with a hint of worry. 'Had the sword gone all the way through?'
The sound of bone splintering also brought Gus running back. He sniffed at Kit, Soul and then at what was left of the breastplate. Kit went over to inspect it as well. She nudged the pieces with her toe and one could almost watch her train of thought play out across her features. Finally she turned to Soul and shrugged. “Right then… Lets git er done.”
‘Best practice not getting hit or start runnin like yer ass is on fire.’ Kit told herself as she danced backward and took up a ready position. With his tail wagging, Gus looked up at her and then quickly fell in line. The pup knew this game. When his human moved left, he moved left. When she moved right, he moved right. If she dropped into a crouch he went belly to the ground right along with her.
Soul watched Kit as she fell back and got a ready position. He took a stance with his sword in front of him, watching Gus bounce around besides her. "So just want me to attack you then? Tell me when you're ready."
She’d never sparred with anyone before but the concept in her mind seemed simple enough. “Well I never pretended ta fight anyone before but I reckon that yer supposed ta try'n hit me with that thing and I am supposed to try’n keep from getting hit. Ain't that how it’s done?” She asked with a quizzical raise of her brow. Before getting an answer though, she shook her head and waved off her own question, as if to tell him to forget she'd even asked.
“This is about as ready as I’m gonna git so just uh… I guess just go ahead and do whatever it is yer normally supposed to do an ill git the hang of it eventually.” Kit said as she slid one foot behind the other and widened her stance. Her eyes remained locked on Soul, just as Gus’s eyes remained on her, both of them watching, waiting for the sword slinger to make the first move.
Soul nodded and charged forwards, giving her plenty of time to react. He swung his sword up in a slow arc, making sure it wasn't going fast enough to injure her as he brought it up in a steep arc from her hip to her shoulder before he made contact.
All are equal in death; it's just that some people are more equal than others.
The impact wasn't as bad as she'd expected it to be. Kit had to wonder why as she moved to get out of sword’s reach again. Had the armor done the trick? A quick glance downward showed her that it hadn't even scratched the surface which was odd. The blade should have done something… unless Soul was going easy on her.
The huntress stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips, leveling a disgruntled frown at her sparring companion. “Soul! Are you babyin me? We’re supposed ta be practicin and the enemy ain't gonna let up like that." Gus barked out his agreement and then the two of them took up a ready position again.
"Swing that sword like ya mean business this time!” Kit heckled, urging him to give her his best shot with a beckoning motion.
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.
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