It was morning when Rengar woke up. The sun was shining, beaming through his window. The streaks of sunlight landed on Nidalee, still asleep nestled into his chest. He had an arm around her as he slowly stroked her glistening black hair. She was purring lightly as she slept and Rengar couldn't help but smile.
It's been nearly a year since that demon attacked the Kumungu, and now it's almost time to fulfil his promise. Winter is ending and as it leaves, the Lunar Revel will begin. The Festival of Fire in Ionia will be taking place soon and this time, Rengar will be there together with Nidalee.
Nidalee stirred as she slowly woke up and she was greeted with Rengar's grinning face staring right back at her.
"What's so funny?" she asked with a small frown.
"Just admiring the view." he replied with a smirk. "We should get up, we need to meet with Ivern today."
"Mmm later. Right now..." she deliberately slowed her speech as she climbed fully on top of Rengar, "I think it's my turn to admire the view." She said with a seductive grin, as she slid a hand down his chest and stroked his abs.
Rengar wrapped his arms around her and swung her to the side, eliciting a small yelp from the huntress. He grinned as he towered over her.
"Be careful what you wish for." He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her neck.
A few hours and a river bath later, Rengar and Nidalee arrived at Ivern's cavern. Zyra was around tending to all the plant life while Ivern and Daisy were playing with the animals.
Ivern looked up to find Rengar and Nidalee walking in and a smile immediately plastered his face.
"To what do I owe the pleasure? It's not every day that my favourite cats number 1 and 2 come to visit." inquired Ivern.
"I've come to ask for some information. How do we get to Ionia?" Asked Rengar.
Ivern's smiled faltered slightly but not enough for anyone to notice.
"Ah yes the Lunar Revel. I remember the humans love that time of year there. It's a little difficult to get there because you'd have to reach a port first and then catch a boat to Ionia."
The three of them sat down in Ivern's grove surrounded by plants and animals. Ivern himself was playing with a snake that was wrapped around his arm. It was a King Snake and apparently it was the actual king of the snakes.
"That would take too long, how did my dad get to Ionia? He would always leave only a couple of days before the festival."
"Your father used something called a teleportation stone. The magic infused in it would teleport you to a set location. Hold on I have something for you."
He waved his hand and grew a small tree out from the ground. In the trunk of the tree, there was a hole with a grey stone inside. It was engraved with runes all around which glowed purple. Ivern took it out of the tree and presented it to Rengar.
"This one belonged to me. It will take you to Omikayalan." Ivern paused for a moment then hummed, "There may or may not be some misunderstanding if you suddenly appear there though... Ah yes take this little guy with you."
Ivern wagged his finger at the little guy and told him what he needed to tell the inhabitants of Omikayalan. It nodded and unfurling from Ivern's arm, slithered over to Rengar.
"He's called Serp. He'll be taking a holiday at Omikayalan while you guys enjoy the festival. Don't forget to bring him back with you unless he wants to stay there." Ivern chuckled.
"Are you coming with us?" Nidalee asked.
"Oh I would love to. I haven't been back to Omikayalan in centuries. However there is someone I need to see. I'll probably be gone by the time you get back. Don't be alarmed."
Centuries? I'll need to ask him about it later.
"Okay then, we'll leave tomorrow."
"Oh yes, here take this." Ivern skipped over to a little bush and pulled something out. Two somethings. They were water skins.
"These were made from the hide of a shagyak. Some hunters killed it long ago. The stopper is fashioned from its tusks. I've filled it with your favourite catnip for the celebrations. As I recall you can't have a festival without drinking."
Rengar roared in laughter as he took the skins. "That you can't. Thanks old man."
Meanwhile in Ionia...
Inside a temple shrouded in shadows, a man sat cross-legged in a meditating stance. He wore silver armour with red cloth beneath. He also wore a helmet, grilled where his mouth is and had slits where his eyes are.
The sound of running footsteps was heard as another man, clad in black cloth armour approached and stopped next to him, bowing in respect.
"Master, there is a letter addressed to you."
The man in red slowly opened his eyes revealing the bright red glow and took the letter. He then held his hand up in a dismissive gesture and the man in black left.
He inspected the letter, just in case but seeing the cursive writing of his name at the front, he knew who the sender was.
Why would she, of all people, send me a letter?... She must be desperate...
Opening the letter he read the contents:
Zed
Know that if I am resorting to ask this of you then it is of the utmost importance. As you know a month ago Khada Jhin escaped his prison. Unfortunately he is not the only one missing. The Kinkou Order is in panic. Shen, Kennen and Akali have disappeared and the temple is surrounded by a dark, powerful aura and all members have been instructed to stay away.
I feel an evil disturbance coming from the temple and I fear that history may be repeating itself. Loathe as I am to admit this but you are by far the most skilled at reconnaissance in Ionia. Please investigate the temple because you know as well as I, that should what almost happened all those years ago come to pass, then even your life is forfeit. Our differences are meaningless in the face of such a fate. With the Blood Moon so close, I fear the worst.
~ K
Zed sighed as he got up. He attached his bracers and tested the retractable arm blades, tucked away the letter and set out.
Why do I have to help those fools. Tch.
It wasn't far from the Shadow Monastery to the Kinkou Monastery, especially for Zed. Slinking through the shadows of the trees, he drew nearer to his destination and he began to sense an awful aura emanating from the direction he's heading towards.
He stopped atop a tree branch to gain a better vantage point to investigate the temple. It was difficult to see but he could've sworn that the temple had a pale red glow to it.
Unbeknownst to him, inside the temple a masked hooded man had his hands up in front of him commanding a stream of red charms. These pieces of paper formed a circle and as the red mist swirled into the center, an image appeared. The image was one looking downwards at Zed from behind him as he perched on top of the tree branch.
"Let's go greet your brother shall we?" asked a voice in the darkness.
The monastery seemed abandoned, after all there was nobody there. As such Zed deemed it safe to have a look inside. The moment he set foot within the perimeter, he had to jump a step back in order to avoid a shuriken aimed at him. The shuriken lay embedded into the ground with little red sparks dancing around the metal.
It's that little rat... But something's off...
He looked around for the attacker until his eyes landed on the three figures standing atop the roof. They were enveloped in a red mist and wore white masks of different facial expressions. The three of them jumped down from the roof and began to walk towards Zed.
Zed was on edge. These three were undoubtedly the Kinkou Triumvirate but their auras are far too different. Also they are acting strangely. Usually they'd have tried to kill him multiple times by now, not walking slowly towards him.
"What a pleasant surprise. What, pray tell, does the Master of Shadows want with the Kinkou Order?"
"Come out you coward, what have you done to them?"
"Oh nothing severe. I'm merely borrowing their bodies for a bit. Why do you care anyway? Well whatever the reason, you'll be dead soon enough." The voice rang in the air as it seemed to come from all directions. It was difficult to pin down where the voice came from.
"I do believe that these three hold quite the vendetta against you. Go get 'em boys... And girl." amended the man.
Instantly the three ninjas lurched forward towards Zed. Shen was wielding both of his blades, Ionian steel in his right hand, and the spirit blade in his left. Shen attempted a diagonal cut with the steel blade but Zed dodged it easily. It was followed by more slashes with both blades but a combination of dodges, blocks and parries meant that Zed was left unharmed.
Soon Kennen added his lightning shurikens into the mix. Zed was doing pretty well evading both Shen and Kennen's attacks, until Shen attacked with both his swords simultaneously. Zed was forced to block with both his arm blades but as his arms were occupied Kennen threw a shuriken straight into his back. Although the shuriken itself did little damage as the cut was shallow and barely pierced his armour. The main issue was the lightning. The red bolts of plasma spread throughout Zed's body and his body tensed. This caused him to drop his guard for just a moment but it was enough for Shen to use his swords to push Zed's arms wide leaving his chest open for a powerful kick.
Zed was thrown backwards and rolled along the ground, reeling from the kick. He was dazed but he forced himself to rise. Sensing a projectile, he combat rolled to the side to narrowly dodge a kama which replaced his head at the spot on the ground.
An instant later a woman in a white robe with red decorations rushed to the kama. In the same movement, she tried to dropkick Zed whilst picking up the kama in the process, however Zed had already seen this move performed before, and easily twisted his body to the side to avoid the strike. He grabbed her leg, spun her around and launched her at a tree.
She tried to get up as she smashed a small cloth bag onto the ground. It erupted in a cloud of red dust as she disappeared within. At that moment a streak of lightning arced across the field straight towards Zed. He narrowly dodged the blast as he threw a shuriken back at Kennen. He wasn't let a moment of reprieve however as another shuriken wreathed in red sparks flew towards him. He wouldn't be able to dodge it in time so instead he chose to block it with his arm blade. The contact allowed the lightning to trace along the metal of his arm blade and propagate through his armour. The jolt from the shock was enough to stun Zed momentarily. Before the enemy was able to take advantage of this time however, Zed melded into the darkness and finding Shen's shadow, he took it over. Usually he'd be able to force the shadow to strike its owner mercilessly, but upon attempting that here, he felt unnatural resistance. The red mist concentrated around the shadow and he felt a threat emanating from it. Immediately Zed withdrew from the shadow, reappearing on one knee.
That man's giving them more power...
Seeing that he could not win this fight, he chose to retreat instead. Akali dashed towards him and threw a kama but he had already melted into the shadows. As he reappeared a few metres away, still on one knee, he tried to catch his breath for a moment. He didn't get the chance as he instantly felt someone's aura behind him and instinctively he slunk back into the shadows just as Shen swung his sword down. Zed's body was replaced by a shadow clone and Shen's sword passed straight through. From a distance Zed commanded his clone to slash at Shen and he wasn't quite fast enough to fully dodge. The blade of shadow slightly chipped the mask that Shen wore.
Zed decided to stay in the shadows longer and move further away lest the Kinkou Triumvirate chase him down. Although it was physically draining, he persevered. Feeling like he made it a safe distance away, he appeared out of the shadows and began to walk slowly.
Zed chose not to return back to his monastery because the situation at hand was as feared. The Blood Moon is rising and the storm is coming.
Regaining his energy, Zed expertly hopped through shadows and utilised backstreets to let him reach his destination sooner and without detection. Finding the residence he wanted, he transported himself through the shadows to get inside. He found a woman kneeling in meditation as twin jade dragons circled each other in the Mantle of Decorum on her back.
Sensing his arrival she turned around to meet him. Even though she was expecting him, she still felt uneasy being in the same room as him.
"Found them." he said brusquely.
"Are they alright?" she asked.
"No. You were right, the Curse of the Blood Moon has taken them. The entire Kinkou Monastery seems to be the base of their operations. They have a leader, it's him." he replied.
"So it's come to pass again... We'll need all the help we can get now that he's on their side..."
"I did as you asked, now answer me this: why did you ask me, of all people, to do this?"
"Like I said in the letter, you're the best at-"
"Don't give me that bullshit." interrupted Zed. "We both know Yi and that monkey pet of his are capable enough for this mission. Yet you asked me to look for Shen. Knowing full well that if I find him I might just outright kill him."
"But you didn't." replied Karma with a small smile.
"More like I couldn't." retorted Zed. "The curse is empowering them."
"Even so, you held back didn't you?"
"Enough. You're being naive if you think that after all these years, you can still save me." glared Zed, as he promptly turned and disappeared into the shadows.
"Not naive... Hopeful." sighed Karma.
Back in the Kumungu...
Nidalee was sitting in her old den with Rengar's arms around her. It was comforting. She thought that she ought to visit her family before they left.
It was still painful to revisit that place. Every time she looked upon the makeshift graves in front of her den, she couldn't stop the memories from resurfacing. The helplessness still gets to her sometimes. She couldn't do anything as she watched while her family was taken from her, she couldn't do anything but watch as Rengar was almost taken from her as well. The desperation was overwhelming, it made her feel so powerless.
Every time she would feel this way, she would then remember: there is someone right here whom she cares about, who also cares about her. His strong comforting arms hugged her tightly as if the notion of letting go meant losing her forever. Every time she came back here, he would be there to console her, ease the pain. Healing from this is a process, it happens slowly. Back then Nidalee had taken care of Rengar while he healed, now it's his turn.
"We should head back soon. Just think. This time tomorrow we'll be in Ionia. I'm sure the forests there will have so many new beasts to hunt." said Rengar, trying to take her mind off of things.
"Yeah... I guess." she replied half-heartedly.
"Come on, I know you're more excited than that! Think of the festival! You get to... Actually what do humans do at a festival? I've never been to one. All I know is that there's food." he said rather sheepishly.
For the first time that evening, she smiled. It was a delicate but genuine smile. It looked like the slightest touch would shatter it, but she was truthfully amused by Rengar's confusion, and so very grateful that he was here.
"Well we'll find out tomorrow won't we?" said Nidalee with a slightly stronger smile.
Rengar's smile was the one to falter this time. It was slight but she caught it.
"What's wrong? You don't want to go to the festival?" asked Nidalee somewhat worried.
"It's not that... It's just... I've never interacted with any humans besides you and my father. I doubt they'd be comfortable in my presence. I don't even know if I'd be comfortable with so many of them around me, in an unknown territory with unknown creatures." spouted Rengar.
"No way. Could it be? Is the great Pridestalker scared?!" teased Nidalee. Rengar just snarled playfully at her as she giggled.
"The unknown always makes me uncomfortable, especially now that I have more than my own life to worry about." he spoke sincerely.
The sincerity silenced her giggles, as she watched him stare up at the sky. To bring him out of his thoughts she planted a passionate kiss on his cheek.
It worked to bring him out of his wandering thoughts and as he stared into her eyes, he smiled and said, "I love you, I don't say that enough."
"I don't need you to say it. What you do proves it more than words ever could." she affirmed. "Just... Promise that you won't ever leave me..."
"I promise. I will stay with you no matter what. Now let's go, we still have a trip to prepare for."
Standing up, the two made their way back to Rengar's den. They made their preparations for the trip, after all there wasn't much to prepare. Other than weapons and their usual clothing, they don't have anything else to bring. So they just went to sleep in an effort to get up early the next day.
"By the way Rengar?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you too. So thank you. For everything"
"Any time." he smiled and placing a kiss on her forehead, they drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Alright then, first chapter! Hope you all enjoy!
P.S. In the coming chapters there's gonna be a lot of champions involved, I think most of the Ionian champions plus others are going to be relevant and it's gonna be my first time managing so many characters. Please forgive any mishaps or discrepancies I might overlook and as always criticism is welcome! ^.^