Caitlyn was not happy. It was one thing to wake up early for work. It was another to be woken up by a call in the middle of the night detailing a murder that was going to take place. Caitlyn could still remember it vividly.
Caitlyn shot up in bed, hearing her Hextech Comms device buzz. She answered the call, prepared to unleash a torrent of colorful remarks on the caller's choice of timing when they spoke into the communications device. Their voice chilled her to her bones.
'Today, at exactly 1:47 pm, I'm going to kill someone right in front of Piltover's Academy. I will snap their neck and stab their heart and I will leave and nobody will notice me. Stop me if you can. If you can't, we'll be seeing each other more often.' and then they hung up. Caitlyn was beyond awake at this point, rushing to get ready and head for Vi's house to wake her up.
They got to the town square by noon and stayed there. Vi was on ground duty and Caitlyn was up on the rooftops scanning the streets through the scope on her gun. The two had set up a ground and air perimeter as well as put more precautions into place than were probably necessary, but Caitlyn knew something was wrong. The man's voice. It was cold, devoid of life, of anything. He wasn't killing out of bloodlust or boredom. It wasn't fun and he didn't want to be caught. He wanted to test her, and she'd be damned before she let him murder someone over something so trivial.
They waited. Caitlyn was counting the seconds in her mind. By the time they had prepared and gotten into position, it was already 1:46:53. It was going to happen. 54. It was coming. 55. 56. 57. Here it was. She trained her eyes on the streets. 58. 59. A scream. An ear-splitting, bloodcurdling scream. Caitlyn saw a woman with groceries spilled on the floor. Her head was turned at a 180 degree angle and there was a knife in her chest. She crumpled to the floor. Caitlyn shouted over her comms device, and Vi rushed to the scene. Caitlyn whipped back and forth, desperately scanning the crowds. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing. How was it possible? Caitlyn checked the time. 1:47:05. Within the span of five seconds, someone murdered this woman gruesomely and got away when Caitlyn and Vi knew exactly what was going to happen ahead of time. It wasn't possible.
"Cupcake?! What the hell was that!?" Vi shouted.
"I don't know!" Caitlyn shouted back. "I was watching the whole time! It was like she just… died."
"People don't just die, Cupcake. You must've seen something!" Vi responded.
"That's just it. I didn't. I must've been damn near burning a hole in the street by how hard I was looking. There's nothing, no one."
Vi sighed in exasperation. "How did they do that?"
"I wish I knew, Vi…." Caitlyn slumped to the roof of the building she was stationed on. "I wish I knew…."
Later that day, Caitlyn and Vi fell into chairs at their office in a huff.
"You informed the family, Vi?"
"Yeah. Sister was devastated, brother asked who did it, and her husband just sat there staring at the floor."
Caitlyn sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "Damn it."
A knock at the door.
The two looked over, and Vi grabbed her gauntlets. They were both on edge today, and even despite that, there had been plenty of people trying to take them out from the source.
The two officers approached the door, opening it slightly.
"The look on your face tells me he got you, too."
Caitlyn opened the door fully with a breath of relief. "High Councillor Kolminye. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"I think you know. I've sent couriers to the rest, but the one I sent to you came back lost. Twice. I've requested your immediate presence at the Institute of War. Pack your things, you'll be out of office for a while. I'll meet you at the train station." And, with that, she walked away.
Caitlyn and Vi knew they were being summoned by the Institute. But this wasn't any normal summons. The fact that the High Councillor herself showed up meant trouble enough. They looked at each other, worry apparent in both of their faces.
"Ah, Piltover's Enforcer and Sheriff. I'm glad to see you're both here." the Summoner spoke with a deep voice, full of respect. "Right this way if you please. The High Councillor will be in shortly. Oh, and the chair is for you, Sheriff Caitlyn."
Caitlyn looked around and her eyes bulged. She entered a room shaped like a circle with a massive table. She moved to the open spot, sitting in a chair with Vi standing behind her protectively. On the opposite side of the table, Kennen was standing on his chair with Shen and Akali standing behind him. On her right, Volibear sat on the floor with Sejuani behind him, patting Bristle. Karma was also sitting at the table to Caitlyn's left with Irelia standing over her shoulder. Lastly, between Kennen and Volibear, Quinn sat with Garen and Poppy behind her, Poppy standing on her leaning hammer to give her some added height.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sejuani barked as Caitlyn sat. "We've got Piltovans now, too?"
"Be patient, Winter's Wrath." the deep-voiced Summoner spoke again. "She is ready." He turned, opening the door for High Councillor Kolminye. Recognizing the woman holding such a powerful position, Sejuani promptly stopped talking.
"I have brought you all here for a reason." the High Councillor said with a seriousness about her that left the entire room latching onto her every word. "One hundred and seventeen days ago, someone left a note written in blood on the wall of my room at my house. How they managed it, I still do not know. However, the note was clear. It foretold that, today, the writer would make contact with five Champions from the League of Legends on territory you know to be your own and make you rethink that knowledge. Caitlyn and Vi were to be told of a murder in advance only to fail at catching the murderer."
Caitlyn clenched her jaw. She noticed Vi behind her closing her fists.
"Kennen, Shen, and Akali were to be infiltrated at their headquarters only to lose an important scroll and still be unable to even see the infiltrator."
Caitlyn looked towards the Triumvirate, but they didn't show any expression. Kennen, however, seemed the slightest bit guilty.
"Volibear and Sejuani were to be outmatched in strength without managing to land a single blow on their opponent."
Volibear showed no emotion, but Sejuani's eyes burned.
"Karma and Irelia were to fail to protect many Ionian citizens not but a few feet away."
Karma lowered her head and Irelia closed her eyes.
"Lastly, a target was to be discovered by Poppy, passing the information to Garen, who set Quinn and Valor to track them. Unfortunately, their target stayed at least two steps ahead of them at all times, ultimately killing ten innocent citizens and escaping."
Quinn's eyes hardened and Valor shuffled a bit on Quinn's shoulder. Poppy stiffened behind them and Garen opened his mouth, eyes accusing. "High Councillor, if I may, these people, while proven fighters of the League, are not privy to Demacia's goings-on."
The High Councillor closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "True. These political matters are typically kept quiet. Unfortunately, in this case, something connects these tragedies in a most unpleasant way." She opened her eyes, staring at each Champion in turn. "The murderer Caitlyn and Vi failed to catch, the fighter who took out Volibear and Sejuani, the scroll thief who escaped the Triumvirate, the one who caused the Ionian massacre, and the target Quinn and Valor failed to track are all the same person."
Silence.
"You…" Quinn was the first to break the silence. "You can't be serious. He was unseen. Completely under wraps for weeks. I was tracking him for almost 49 hours straight at one point and he still kept ahead of me as though he knew when I did and didn't sleep. Someone able to keep such a low profile can't possibly be strong enough to take out these two!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the two Freljordians.
"You don't understand, Wings of Demacia." Sejuani muttered.
"No, I don't think you understand, Sejuani." Quinn rose her voice slightly, standing up.
"And who the hell gave you the right to say my name?! Show some respect!"
"Respect? That's rich coming from-"
"Finish that sentence and I'll have you-"
"ENOUGH!" The High Councillor shouted.
Silence.
"Caitlyn, Volibear, Quinn, Karma, and Kennen. This target was testing you all. It seems you five are the marks. I brought your allies along to keep some semblance of peace, however I am now questioning that decision. In reality, however, you five are the only ones he will show himself to. We know this figure to be exceedingly fast, extremely powerful, very smart, and absolutely merciless. He managed to evade every swing of Irelia's swords, withstand all of Karma's spiritual attacks, and murder nineteen innocents in Ionia all at the same time. He managed to upend Sejuani and bristle with one hand and send Volibear flying with a palm strike from the other. He ran down the streets of Piltover, twisted a woman's head backwards, stabbed her in the heart, and escaped within five seconds. He managed to hide under Demacia's Wings watchful eyes for weeks while murdering ten innocents and giving nothing away to his identity. He was able to infiltrate, steal from, and escape Ionia's very own Triumvirate in their own dwellings. And here's where it turns south. We went over some trackers and sensors in the areas during these happenings. No magic was used during any of these events aside from your own."
Caitlyn froze. She glanced over the others and, although they were quick to recover, only the Triumvirate were not shocked.
"You have got to be kidding me." Quinn said, pacing and running her fingers through her hair in exasperation.
"I wish I was, Quinn." the High Councillor said softly.
"He was playing with you all, but he's also providing us a chance to stop him. It's up to you. Now, I'm taking the five of you off match lists for a while. I want this man caught. Unfortunately, I cannot help you. He's already proven to me that he will know if I do so and, when I do, it will all be over. I wish you five luck. Now then, Shen, Akali, Sejuani, Irelia, Poppy, Garen, and Vi. If you would please follow me out, we all have important business to get to, I'm sure. I'd like the five of you to stay and figure out how to stop him."
Caitlyn looked up to see Shen and Akali gone. Everyone else was following the High Councillor out. Behind her, Vi placed one of her massive gauntlets on Caitlyn's shoulder. "Take it easy, cupcake. It'll work out."
Caitlyn nodded appreciatively, but she wasn't so sure…. When everyone else was out, Karma spoke up. "I'm sorry for your losses. It can't have been easy. But that's why we must stop him. Especially if he's chosen us."
"Well, I have chosen you, so I suppose you must stop me." Caitlyn couldn't even blink fast enough to process what happened. There appeared to be no time whatsoever between when he wasn't there and when there was suddenly a small Yordle standing on the circular table they were all sitting around. He looked to be about 3'6" in height with custard colored fur. He had bright blue eyes and wore a necklace with a dragon on it. He had a burnt orange shirt with black pants and black shoes.
Milliseconds later, Kennen was there and the other Yordle was a step back. "You're fast, Kennen. I would know. But you're not fast enough." Kennen merely glared at the other Yordle, watching him. He seemed to know they couldn't catch him. Caitlyn looked around, noticing the same thought in the others' eyes. By that time, Volibear was on his feet, Karma was holding an odd stance, Quinn was already equipped with her crossbow, and Valor's wings were spread threateningly. Caitlyn noticed even she herself had habitually reached for her rifle.
"What do you want?" Volibear growled.
The Yordle smiled brightly. "Ah, the bear talks. Ooh! Ooh! Can you do a little bear dance for me?" The Yordle clapped gleefully, hopping from one foot to the other.
Volibear snarled. "I will do nothing of the sort. Now tell us what you want from us."
"Bah, you're no fun. I want you all because you're my connections. See, the Institute of War is all about war, yet they don't ever really go to war. I wanna change that.."
"Explain yourself." Quinn demanded. Valor squawked.
"Well, that'll be a story. Feel free to try to kill me while I tell it." He looked around. Nobody moved. "Any takers? No? Okay then. Obviously, I'm a Yordle. I was born in Bandle City and then my parents moved to Ionia to seek a peaceful life. I was bored out of my mind there, so they introduced me to a wise woman named Karma. She was the one to try to calm down my spirit or some jazz, but she failed, which was a first for her."
Caitlyn and the others looked over, noticing Karma's face was pale and stricken. "No…."
"Yeah, that's me by the way. Anyways, she did find something in me that worried her. A power. The power of the Cardinal Spirits, to be exact. I have the speed of the Southern Crane. I also have the strength of the Western Ox. I have the wisdom of the Eastern Dragon, and I have the passion of the Northern Tiger. And, with these powers come elements. The Crane's fire, the Ox's stone, the Dragon's wind, and the Tiger's ice."
As he said each, a part of his body merged with the element. His right arm turned into fire, his left arm turned into wind, his right leg turned into stone, and his left leg turned into ice.
Suddenly, he was normal again. "And that is when Lady Karma suggested I be taken to the Freljord to be seen by an oracle Ursine who knew much more than she did on the Cardinal Spirits' power. That Ursine's name was Kaaga."
Now, it was Volibear's turn to flinch.
"Oh, my bear does remember. How wonderful. I was taken to this oracle, who explained that most people have a 12% affinity to one spirit tops. I had a 100% affinity with all four, meaning I had access to a fifth element. Lightning. Honestly, Kennen, when I said you were fast, I wasn't kidding. My Crane speed or lightning alone could probably stand a slight chance against you, but that's debatable. But I have both. Sorry. Anyways, this oracle attempted to take my power since I was a very small child and wouldn't know how to handle it. When I involuntarily lashed out, the oracle's good defender Volibear clawed the tip of my right ear off when I had no control over my actions." the Yordle glared at Volibear, who averted his gaze. The Yordle scoffed. "So they decided to call over Kennen. The two of them might've been able to train me in lightning, which was primarily the cause for my instability and lack of control."
Kennen didn't do much, but Caitlyn's sharp eye caught a slight widening of his eyes.
"Oh, so you remember, too? Goodie." The Yordle smirked. He must've had a sharp eye to see Kennen's reaction. Caitlyn had years of training and she barely caught it. "These two trained me for a year. Eventually, they gave up and left me to fend for myself. I made my way wherever I could, where I landed in Piltover. I was a small orphan with nowhere to go. I assume that's why I was target for a kidnapping by a criminal caught by our very own Sheriff of Piltover."
Caitlyn suddenly remembered.
"Yep. Once again, me. Caitlyn caught the criminal, but I had tape over my mouth and she didn't come looking for me. I was there for a day and a half before I finally cut the ropes around my arms and tore the tape off. By that time, I was discovered by a Noxian soldier who retired and moved to Piltover. She took me in as one of her own. Told me jokes, got me food, took me to see movies and to the park, just as a normal kid should. But when word of a Noxian spy in Piltover got out, Demacia's Wings came to solve the problem."
Quinn sighed. She seemed to know where this was going. Even Valor lowered his head.
"One thing went wrong. They got the wrong one. Analise had just enough time to cast a silencing spell on me and lock me in a footlocker before Quinn and Valor broke down the door and slaughtered her in the name of the law when she merely tried to explain herself. So, now that the five of you have led my life to nothing but misery, I think you'll play a game with me now. Here are the rules. The five, errr, six of you must stay together at all times. If any of you split up, you all lose. If any of you tell anybody else what's happening, you lose. If you ask for help, you lose."
"Why would we agree to this game of yours?" Volibear snarled.
"Well, if you lose or decline my game, you die." the Yordle smiled brightly.
"You can't kill us that easily." Quinn defended.
"Oh, but I can. See, you all have Soul Marks courtesy of yours truly."
Karma looked up sharply. "You can't!"
"Too late, hun. Already did. Now then, I'll leave your first clue. Oh, and before you think you can trick me, I'm always watching." His eyes glowed with dark intent and he was gone. Where he was standing were carvings in the wooden table.
"First, what are Soul Marks, Karma?" Quinn asked.
"They are, in simple terms, tethers on your soul that can be cut at any time by the one who marked you." Karma spoke. "At any time he feels, he can cut our lifelines, killing us instantaneously. The spell takes millennia to master. The only ones who know how to use it are probably Aurelion Sol, Syndra, or Jax."
"Wait, Jax?"
"You'd be surprised how powerful he is." Kennen spoke for the first time.
"How do we get rid of the Soul Marks?" Volibear asked.
"We can't. Unless he removes the spell or dies, we're in trouble." Karma muttered gravely.
"Lovely. Alright then, let's play this stupid game. Can anybody read the markings?" Quinn asked, looking around.
"I've only seen markings like these once." Karma said as she studied them. "Aurelion Sol dug markings similar to these in some dirt with his claw once before erasing it and flying off. Maybe he knows?"
"But we can't ask for help." Caitlyn said.
"True, but he never said we can't ask people questions." Kennen said.
"Loopholes are beneficial that way." Quinn chuckled. "Let's go."
Volibear took a massive paw and slammed it into the table's center, punching out the section with the markings.
Valor nestled on Quinn's shoulder and the six made their way out of the conference room and down toward the main lobby of the Institute of War. They approached the front desk, where some high ranking Summoners were helping a number of people. As the group of five Champions approached, however, they quickly moved their attention to them. "Uhm, yes, can we help you?" one asked.
"We need access to Aurelion Sol's living quarters here at the Institute. It's a matter of life and death on a massive scale." Volibear urged gruffly.
The Summoner's eyes widened before he quickly grabbed a key and handed it to Quinn. They thanked the Summoners, turned on their heels, and ran. They made their way up the stairs a number of floors before they reached a floor with one door. This door led to all of the dorms. The key unlocked the door and it opened to Aurelion Sol's door. They stepped inside, quickly losing the ability to stand. They floated in what seemed like space.
"Aurelion Sol! If you can hear us, we need you! It's a matter of urgency!" Quinn shouted.
Suddenly, Aurelion Sol's massive form materialized in front of them. "What do you mortals want?"
Kennen's eyes narrowed. "We need you to translate this."
Volibear promptly held up the broken piece of table to Aurelion Sol, who shrunk to their size, peering closer. "Where did you get anything written in Dragontongue?"
"Dragontongue?" Caitlyn asked.
"It's the language of dragons, but… we rarely write it. In Draconic culture, if you write Dragontongue, you must destroy it afterwards. If you don't, you are cursed to never speak again."
"But a Yordle carved this." Karma said.
"Impossible." Aurelion Sol scoffed. "No mortal can comprehend Dragontongue, let alone understand it enough to write this."
"What does it say?" Kennen pressed.
"It says 'From fire to stone to ice to wind to lightning, I breathe fluidly. Chaos will bend to my will. Learn my name or perish.'" Aurelion Sol spoke.
"Learn his name?!" Volibear shouted. "We're nothing better than his playthings at this point!"
"There's not much we can do, though." Kennen said.
"Wait…" Aurelion Sol spoke softly. "Get rid of it!" he shouted.
"What?" Karma asked.
"NOW!" the dragon reached out a paw and grabbed the table piece. With his other paw, he created a black hole and dropped the table piece into it before sealing the void. Then, the whole of space that they seemed to be in shook as if hit by an earthquake.
When it stopped, Aurelion Sol glared at the other five. "I don't know who wrote that, but they're powerful. Maybe as powerful as Syndra or myself. Whatever you're getting yourself into, prepare yourselves well. This Yordle appears to know more about magic than I do, and I was there since the first breath of creation."
The gravity of the situation hit them like a sack of bricks. Aurelion Sol actually seemed to be afraid.
"Leave me." he dismissed them with a wave of his paw, teleporting them back to the main lobby of the Institute.
"Now what?" Volibear asked.
"Now that." Caitlyn pointed behind the other four.
On the wall of the main lobby, in large letters made of fire, said "Bandle City. It's where I grew up after all."
"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?" Caitlyn asked.
So, I hope you liked Chapter One. A few notes. First, if anyone's wondering, I kind of took the idea of the August Celestials from World of Warcraft for the Cardinal Spirits. So... yeah. Another note: I absolutely SUCK at updating stories. Chances are I won't drop this one forever, but it's very possible updates could be anywhere from a day in between two chapters to a year between two chapters. I have no idea. So if you want a regularly updated story, I recommend not getting too attached to this one. Last but not least, yes, the weird mystery Yordle seems really really OP as Aurelion Sol is scared of him, but I have plans. All I can say is trust me, he's not going to be able to just win every fight. Well, he is, but that'll change. So if that's the only reason you dislike it, feel free to stick around. Or not. I'm not really good at this whole selling the story thing. Anyways, if you liked it, awesome, if not, oh well. Can't please everyone. But I do hope you like it. Back I go to cry over not being able to marry Rytlock Brimstone.