Chapter 1
Running swiftly through the woods, light seeping from the canopy of the forest, Vayne ran, the wind brushing her unkempt hair against her cheek, the crisp leaves being crushed under her boot. She heard a scream emanating nearby, causing birds to fly away from the trees. She strengthened her resolve even more so, sprinting with her crossbow at the ready. She stopped, the man ,whose screams were heard, lay limp on the ground. She sheathed her crossbow and eyed her surroundings before taking a quick peek at the corpse.
"Too late." Vayne thought, trying to find traces of blood.
She turned as she heard a subtle rustle of leaves, bringing her eye on the crossbow sight.
"No one's there..." She whispered, placing her crossbow in its sheath.
She walked briskly through the forest, her smaller-mounted crossbow on her wrist armed. Her footsteps as quiet as the eerie silence of the forest. She grabbed a hold on a branch, flipping herself and landing on the first and largest branch of the tree. She stood up slowly, her body supported by her slender hand on the trunk. She eyed her surroundings, the moon already at its peak.
"No more disturbances around..." She went, jumping down and rolling on the grassy ground. She walked serenely back towards her safehouse.
She shut the door and barred it as she hung her crossbow on the wall and unfastened her miniature crossbow. She fell onto the comfort of her soft, warm bed, her figure lying sprawled over the sheets. She didn't even bother to change her already damp suit, being already exhausted. She closed her eyes and let exhaustion wash over her.
"Vayne?" A knock on the steel door woke Vayne up.
She stood up, zipping up her suit. She grimaced as she moved towards the door, clutching her leg.
"What." Vayne said, trying to maintain an indifferent tone amid pain.
"It's me, Quinn." Quinn said, and upon hearing her voice, Vayne immediately opened the barrier.
"My, what a mess. What happened?" Quinn's voice filled with worry, brushing Vayne's hair aside and cupping her cheek.
"Nothing.. much." she said, pulling away
"What happened to the man you were supposed to protect." Quinn said as she placed down some plates on the table.
"He died."
"Explain." Quinn said, her tone forced.
"Cuts and bruises, no major injury." Vayne said, sipping cool water from glass.
"Then why did he die?!" Quinn said, almost shouting.
"No idea..." Vayne said coolly, not giving her anger any mind.
"Why did you... Fail" Quinn's stern gaze fixated on Vayne.
"The assassin was simply first." Vayne said, massaging her bruised leg. "Though, something quite extraordinary happened."
"What?"
"He had no blood. Absolutely none." Vayne twirled the water in her almost empty glass.
Quinn turned and faced the wall, her face red with anger.
"So what?!" Quinn said angrily. "What does his 'no-blood' situation have to do with this."
"I'm saying if you had a calm mind, you would've figured it out." Vayne whispered onto her ear.
"Figure out what?" Quinn said, finally sitting down and calming herself.
"We have one prime suspect." Vayne said, making her way towards Quinn, almost menacingly
"W-Who?" She said, scared of her assumptions.
Vayne moved closer until Quinn could feel her warm breath against her cool skin, goosebumps beginning to show themselves. Whispering onto her ear, she said softly, "Vladimir.."
"Vladimir?" Quinn asked questioningly. "Oh no. Don't you dare chase after him. You do not have authorization to capture him, much less kill him!" She said angrily.
"Oh, but I will. My sworn purpose as I joined the League; Purge evildoers and practitioners of the black arts." Vayne said coolly. "Why are you so defensive. You used to spur me on to finally complete my mission, but now... You've changed."
"I-I changed?! What about you?!" Quinn said frustratingly as she saw Vayne smirk slightly.
"Changed sides? Is the Dark side more fitting for the one who calls herself a Demacian?" Vayne's tone became more defiant; more provoking.
The mere thought of Vayne's smirk was revolting to Quinn, almost making her vomit. "Just stop it." She finally said, not wanting any further discussion.
Quinn wiped her and sighed, thankful as Vayne finally stopped smirking.
"You seemed quite... nervous." Vayne said, sharpening one of her knives which she took out of her belt. "Why so?" She inspected the knife under the dim lights.
"N-Nothing really..." Quinn showed a hint of a grimace at the way she held her knife.
"You sure?" Vayne said coolly, putting the knife down and caressing her chin with her index.
"Y-Yeah." She mewled.
Vayne stared longer, the sweat beginning to bead on Quinn's forehead. She retracted her small crossbow that was mounted on her wrist, prepared to shoot. She swiftly tumbled backwards as the door burst open, revealing Valor, with his talons ready to strike. Vayne, in a split second, shot her piercing bolt aimed for the bird's heart. But Quinn dashed and pushed the wrist of Vayne, making her lose focus. Valor shrieked in surprise as the bolt nearly tore through his right wing.
"No Vayne! Don't hurt him." Quinn said, extending a hand for Valor to roost on, and caressing his shiny and smooth coat of feathers. Valor cawed in satisfaction.
"Your bird... Almost maimed me." Vayne said, re-equipping her crossbow.
"He was only protecting me!" Quinn protested, ruffling the bird's feathers.
"Well, his 'protection' almost killed me!" Vayne shouted, her hair beginning to unfurl.
"It's not his fault!" Quinn shouted, tears almost falling like droplets.
"Then who's fault is it?!" Vayne said, with a finishing tone.
"Y-yours." Quinn stuttered from her suddenly shy demeanor.
"You dare have the guts to blame..." Vayne said, her temper shortening.
"For my Valor, yes. I do." Quinn said, reaffirming.
"You'd sacrifice me to save your pet, am I not right? That's how much you care about Valor." The Night Hunter said, finally sitting down, exhausted from arguing.
"No... no Vayne, it's not like tha-"
"Fine, I'll leave you and your precious Valor alone." Vayne's words felt like poison to Quinn. Their friendship had been broken into irreparable pieces.
Vayne spun on her boot, out the door, and slammed it hard. Quinn tried to run after her, but when she opened the door, she was long gone. Quinn entered again, Valor perched on her shoulder.
"Valor. Tell Jarvan that Vayne has betrayed us." Quinn said.
"Squawk?" Valor chirped, gently pecking her to show affection.
"Just because. Go tell him." Quinn caressed his feathers before letting him go with a parchment tied to one of his legs. She watched as Valor flew into the moonlight. "Vayne is a traitor of the Demacian kingdom."
"I'm going to hunt Vladimir down. For all the crimes he'd done." Vayne murmured to herself over and over again as she reached another safe house
She placed her heavy bag on the table, it creaking because of its old age. She took out knives, bolts, practically anything an assassin would need. She pulled out a small letter with the League's official seal in crimson wax. She began opening it slowly, taking off her shades.
"Dear Vayne,
You are invited to a banquet which is to be held at 8:30 PM, 5 days from this letter's date. Dress formal and leave all weapons behind, as this is a formal event and not a fight. All the champions are invited. Do not be late.
-League Council"
"I'm assuming Vladimir is going to be there." She thought to herself. "The party is still tomorrow. That should give me some ample time to prepare for my visit." She said as she counted the gold coins she had.
Looking down at her tattered clothes, she shook her head disdainfully. "No, no. This will not do. I have to find an alternative." She went outside into the Demacian hillside, the Temple of Muses conveniently situated at the foot of the hill. She was going to visit a dear friend tonight.
Lights sprayed out of the temple, indicating that someone was inside. She took a step forward, almost not realizing that there was a barrier that protected her and her home. Beautiful music poured out of her home like a river; it was almost enchanting to the ears. She stepped forward, only to be violently pushed back. She landed on her feet as she rolled because of her reflex. She rubbed her head, confused on how to get the attention of her beloved Muse. But her question was soon answered as the music stopped abruptly and the Maven standing above her, careful enough to stay behind the defensive field.
"Hello Sona." Vayne said, taking off her shades.
"Hello Vayne. What brings you here?" She said through telepathy, her message warm and caring.
"I need help." she said, shuffling her legs a little, which she doesn't do very often.
"What kind of help?" Sona asked, before shaking her head. "Please, come inside. We can talk more in the Temple."
Vayne merely nodded as Sona touched the barrier, creating a hole big enough for Vayne to fit in. They walked through white, pristine pillars. Finally reaching a huge chamber, Vayne went over to the sofa which was facing the fire which was mysteriously floating in the middle of the room.
"Welcome, Vayne, to my humble dwelling." Sona chimed in her mind. "So, what is this 'favor' you ask of?"
"Have you received a letter from the Institute?" Vayne asked, sipping tea from the cup she had gotten off the table.
"No, Oh my dear goodness. Have they forgotten about me? Have need I to remind them?!" Sona groaned in annoyance.
"I doubt they forgot, it's just that you live in a secluded area." Vayne said, putting her teacup back down.
"So, what's this favor about? Need I satisfy your cravings? Lust?" Sona whispered on her ear, her sultry voice filling her mind, causing her to shiver ever so slightly. Her subtle sway of hips mind-boggling as she, the Night Hunter, tried to focus.
"I just asked once, doesn't mean you should rub it in my face. I was desperate okay?!" Vayne said, pushing Sona away as she stomped her foot on the ground frustratingly.
"Awww, I'm sorry hun. Forgive me?" Sona asked sweetly as she hugged Vayne from the back.
"Fine." She finally agreed, her demeanor softening.
"So," Sona opened the topic again, stirring the cup of tea that was in her hand. "What of this favor you ask of?"
"I need new clothes, a dress maybe, something that's suitable for the occasion." Vayne said, already thinking of what she would look like.
"Oh, excellent!" Sona squealed in delight. "We're both the same sizes, I'll find something for you!" she said, her childlike attitude beginning to show themselves.
Never in Vayne's life had she felt as bored as now.
"Ooh, what about this color, or this?" Sona said, trying colors on Vayne, finding which color was best suited to her.
"Sona..." Vayne said softly at first, shaking her head lightly.
"What about this? Does the waist seem appealing? Not quite..." Sona babbled on and on, not giving Vayne any notice.
"Sona!" Vayne finally shouted, scaring Sona, making her drop all her pretty dresses fall flat on the tiled floor.
"Vayne... I'm... t-terribly sorry." Sona tried to say, her voice merely a sound of a squeak inside Vayne's mind.
"It's alright." Vayne said coldly, brushing off any attempts of Sona drowning her with sympathy.
"V-Vayne? Are you alright?" Sona asked, scared of what Vayne may do to her.
"Perfectly alright."
"A-are you sure?"
"Yes. I am fucking alright. Now leave me alone!" Vayne screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to let Sona go away.
"I-I'm sorr-"
"Just stop. Stop with the fucking 'sorry's." Vayne said as she forcibly grabbed a dress at random and left the Temple of Muses.
Sona knelt down, her mouth agape at what her friend had just said.
"Fucking bitch. She can't just give me a suitable outfit for the ball..." Vayne murmured to herself angrily as she headed towards the edge of the cliff, the moonlight reflecting against the silver of her bolts.
She took out the dress she took and looked at it, almost satisfied. "Perhaps, this may do." said she as she stuffed it back inside her bag.
Vayne then began walking towards the institute, her bag slung over her shoulder. She armed her crossbow.
"It's time I put my plan into action."
