"We're too late... Riven was slain," echoed Lee Sin's summoner within the depths of his mind. The monk exited the mouth of the river just in time to see Wukong wiping the bloodied end of his staff on his cuff guard. The monkey king turned and faced Lee Sin to size him up before giving any more reaction than faint involuntary surprise. Just as he did, Lee Sin watched as Riven's beaten form was bathed in a bright light until her entire body glowed with a powerful white radiance that would have forced him to look away if he had been seeing with normal vision. A second later the light ended leaving no trace of the exiled warrior.
"What are you looking at, monk? You're blind, ohahaha!" Wukong taunted. Lee Sin shifted his blindfolded gaze towards the king and tensed his muscles. He could feel the fear behind Wukong's facade.
"How could I be too late?" he thought to himself as well as the summoner guiding him, "I responded right as you told me to." The monk took a deep breath and planted his left foot hard into the dirt before him. "I promise I'll avenge you, Riven."
"Wukong is hurt. He's trying not to show it," the summoner added. The monkey king shifted his stance and flipped his weapon around in hand a couple times before ending the maneuver with it positioned at his back in preparation for combat.
"His arm is bleeding, more so due to his increasing blood pressure. He fears me... just as well."
Lee Sin's summoner remained silent to allow him the sanctity of a cleared mind. He took in a deep breath hardly paying attention to Wukong's following taunt.
"What's the matter, cripple? Hurry up and fight me! I almost feel bad for the one sided fight, but I'm sure-"
Lee Sin stepped forward with his back leg to face sidelong opposite the direction his body previously contoured. With a focused, vocalized exhale, Lee Sin shot out his right hand in the motion with extended thumb and forefinger. A wave of resonating sonic energy blasted through the air disrupting Wukong's vision of the monk completely for a split second. He couldn't even finish what he was saying before the force collided, stole the words straight from his mouth, and made him take several steps back.
Wukong's defenses were lowered just long enough for the monk's signature follow-up. His enemy targeted with foolproof accuracy, Lee Sin pushed off with all of his force in a round house motion leading with his right foot. The extreme power fed off of Lee Sin's inner fire with enough strength to carry him all the way to his opponent in mid-air.
The king recovered just in time to hear Lee Sin's battle cry before the blind warrior's booted foot found a solid connection with his chest. The momentum between the two bodies swapped instantly. Lee Sin landed on his feet in Wukong's place while the injured one lost hold of his staff and was sent barreling backward. He landed with a lengthy skid and several rolls before stopping completely face down in the chalky dirt. More angry than anything, Lee Sin's target immediately rose to his knees and faced the approaching monk with a snarl.
"I wasn't ready you blind bastard," Wukong spat while wiping a bit of blood from his lip.
Lee Sin calmly approached the kneeling combatant and readied his foot for a finishing blow by bringing it up above his waist ready to crash down on the monkey's head. The attack was thwarted however, Lee Sin should have anticipated the retaliation considering Wukong hadn't made the effort of recovering his stance. Before the typhlotic one could react, the flexible metal pole Wukong fought with shot out from under his legs and struck Lee Sin's raised ankle. The monk lost his balance, a rare thing indeed, and landed on his back with a harsh exhale.
Wukong would not relent with this opportunity. Grabbing his weapon once more and gripping it tightly, he leapt into the air while ignoring the pain his body complained of and shot the end of the staff forward in a spearhead attack aimed for Lee Sin's chest. The staff found only dirt.
Lee Sin had rolled to his right to dodge the crushing blow. As a follow-up he quickly brought his knees towards his chest, coiling his muscles tightly, and released the energy using the disciplined kinetics to land back on his feet in a single maneuver. The martial artist was not finished there. Going right back onto the offensive, Lee Sin threw himself in a backwards spin with his right leg extended level with Wukong's chest. The kick connected flawlessly though this time the force was much less than the previous.
Wukong was forced to step back once more swearing under his breath. He stood unmoving, weighing his options while glaring Lee Sin down as the monk returned to a solid stance showing no signs of injury. He then realized that waiting around would only earn him another heel in his ribcage. He would have to fight offensively, but carefully. The king took a steady breath to focus his mind while remembering various quotes from the one who tutored him in the ways of combat.
Lee Sin's lips curled into a knowing smile. He could tell Wukong was trying to center himself but he knew the monkey king was much too inexperienced for that. Childish and hotheaded, Wukong wouldn't be able to change in the middle of a battle. Not to mention that his whole change of tactics stemmed from fear and one could not have a balanced mind when apprehension clouded your psyche. The futility of Wukong's actions gave Lee Sin the confirmation of his victory.
The first strike was given to the king out of curiosity for what he would attempt, or maybe it was simply pity. Wukong needed to be humbled.
The monkey king began with a fluid strike from his upper right. Lee Sin sensed the move with his second sight and parried by redirecting the momentum using his right forearm. Wukong quickly pulled back having not fully committed to the attack and went for a thrust parallel to the ground and level with his stomach. His target was unharmed yet again after spinning so that the staff rolled off his abdomen. Wukong didn't even see the backhanded fist coming from Lee Sin's completed revolution. The king's vision went blurry as he stumbled off to his right. Before he could even catch his footing he felt another jarring kick to his lower back which put him face down in the dust once more.
Lee Sin didn't let his target recover this time. Just as Wukong moved to rise to his knees the monk placed his left foot in the center of the king's back and forced him back into the dirt.
"Have you forgotten what Master Yi has taught you countless times? Or is your ego truly larger than your mind, Wukong?" Lee Sin calmly accused.
Before the king could turn his head and respond with more haughty words, the ascetic warrior inhaled sharply, brought his vertical right hand in toward his chest, and swiftly rushed the charged appendage straight down to the center of Wukong's back after having removed his foot. The resulting strike sent out a shockwave of tangible crimson energy in all directions. Wukong cried out in pain with what little air he had left before it was cut short.
Lee Sin stepped back and let his hands hang down to his sides. His enemy's body remained unmoving, but Wukong was not dead. The weaponless warrior could still sense a heartbeat. No, it was two heartbeats, and both of them were in perfect sync with each other. The monk blew a hard breath through his nose and smirked. He turned to face towards the enemy lane. Not far from the unmoving Wukong was a second monkey king. This one was crawling, hurriedly too, and transparent to the average vision.
"Invisibility," he thought. "He's going to try and run away. Oh how Riven will love to hear about this."
Lee Sin started off in a casual walking pace toward the real Wukong. Not even bothering to turn and see him, the monk's opponent scrambled to his feet and hobbled off in great haste while clutching his abdomen in pain. His other hand loosely carried the monkey king's legendary staff in a sad attempt to keep it from dragging through the dirt and scraping away its dignity.
Wukong still didn't notice his doom following close behind. He was running out of time with his deception but the sanctity of his tall purple gemmed tower was now in sight. His lips curled upward in satisfaction with the close escape. The invisibility began to fade, but it didn't matter, he was home free. And then the fallen king felt a hand on his shoulder.
He stopped all movement. The monkey king dropped his staff, closed his eyes, and sighed as the cloak of deception ended. Wincing, he stood straight up and prepared to accept defeat.
"Fine. You got me."
Lee Sin responded in kind, "Give Master Yi my regards."
Lee Sin steeled his muscles and took in a short breath. His final strike happened in a flash. The warrior exerted a similar energy from before now emanating from his entire body with its fiery hue. His left boot slid out behind him leaving a small trail of flames in its wake before Lee Sin jumped up and delivered a powerful 360° kick fueled by the unbridled rage of a dragon. The clear victor of the engagement landed with cat's feet and slowly turned to take his leave.
Behind the blind monk, Wukong's body was sent flying through the air headfirst in a spiraling motion like an expertly loosed arrow. The king met his end when he collided with the cold hard stone of the tower he was tasked with protecting. The foundation of the great monolith shook and growled in protest as its base structure was disturbed. Pieces cracked and fell away until the entire tower shifted and leaned into the lane. With a roaring protest, the turret doubled over the section where it had been hit and met its demise by shattering into hundreds of pieces on the dusty lane after an exaggerated descent.
"The tower was destroyed as well," echoed the voice in Lee Sin's mind clearly amazed.
"Yes it was," Lee Sin responded aloud as he pushed his way into a thicket of tall grass. "That was my goal."
"You planned all of that!?"
"Riven deserved vengeance. I made sure of that, and one way or another the tower was going to fall by my hand." The tall grass hardly bothered Lee Sin as he stepped through the thickest part of it. Eventually it gave out into a clearing that hardly affected the jungler's view of the world. Again, the sun was nowhere to be found. Massive gnarled trees stretching higher than one's ability to see the top populated the dense forest once more. The grass was wet with an eternal dew gifted from the excess glistening moisture the large timber gathered and then delivered to the coniferous flooring.
Lee Sin sucked in the refreshing air and started off into a casual jogging pace headed deeper into enemy territory. The broken terrain felt much more familiar to him than the wide open lanes. He ran up a slanted hill and stopped at the trunk of a massive tree. From there the hill gave into a steep drop several feet down. Lee Sin's legs easily absorbed the shock from the landing after advancing the quickest way down: jumping.
"I should summon you more often," mused the summoner.
Lee Sin smirked.
Further the blind monk tread deeper into the lively forest. Shifting his direction slightly south, the woodsman dodged and dipped through a mess of low hanging protrusions from several cluttered trees with great trunks that could fit the length of several men standing at arm's length.
"Stop! ...Wait," the voice resounded suddenly. Lee Sin came to an immediate halt near a tree only twice his width. Behind it was another rocky cliff face that looked like it hadn't been disturbed in decades with the amount of moss and growth invading its crevices.
Lee Sin drooped his head to the side listening, waiting. "...What is it?" he whispered, "...I sense nothing nearby. Not even a heartbeat."
"...It doesn't have a heartbeat."
The monk furrowed his brow in confusion behind the red wraps around his eyes. "What doesn't have a heartbeat?" he pondered briefly. Lee Sin's musings were interrupted by an earth quaking rumble that shook the surrounding trees. Perhaps he would have even been thrown off balance were it not for his expertly trained physique and stance.
Away from the tree he stepped looking in all directions trying to pinpoint the origin of the rumbling. Only a few steps out, the trunk he had rested by moments earlier suddenly exploded into thousands of shards that rained down on the monks exposed skin. The splinters hardly pierced his skin but Lee Sin shielded himself anyway with his forearms. He couldn't stay put for long. The half of the tree, more like everything from a few feet from the trunk and up, came crashing straight down in a slow, groaning descent. Deftly he dove to the side and used the subsequent force of the fallen timber crashing into the forest floor to springboard into a taught front flip before landing on his feet nearby. Lee Sin turned back toward the splintered trunk to face his next enemy.
The cliff face behind the tree wasn't a piece of the terrain at all, though it looked the part. The bulk of the rocky mass grumbled and groaned with age old earthen tremors as it rose even higher into the dusky air supported by a pair of wide leg-like formations underneath. Similar appendages extended from either side and formed into arms, hands, and even a few digits, all of them made from the same mossy stone. In the center of its entire hulking form sat a pulsating blue crystal, the locus of its power that kept the construct together.
Lee Sin bumped his eyebrows and gave a short hum. "The golems seem to get bigger with each passing battle inside the Rift."
Golems are slow, much slower than master martial artists. The obvious truth was subsequently demonstrated as Lee Sin dashed off toward the monster leaving only a dug in footprint behind. Rocks shuttered and dirt poured from the hulking golem as it turned slightly to face its attacker. Lee Sin leapt onto the previously destroyed tree and pushed off the soft timber to propel himself straight toward the construct with his fist coiled parallel to his shoulder and ready to deliver a powerful blow.
The pile of stone could do little else other than complete a step backward to defend its core. Lee Sin's advance was then forced to land lower than it should have away from the vibrating crystal. The monk's fist gave off a faint green aura before it collided with the sheeted layer of stone and dug deep into its depths.
Lee Sin grabbed hold of what he could with his other hand and found toe holds for the tips of his boots in the crevices. His target was just barely within reach above him but he could do nothing whilst elbow deep in rock. With his free arm the offensive fighter reached up for the crystal and barely touched it with his fingertips. Just as he did, a massive stone hand collapsed onto his back forcing the air from his lungs and putting an unreasonable strain on his entire body from the sudden burst of kinetic energy.
The golem peeled the puny parasite from its chest held in its steadfast grip. Its victim struggled as hard as he could but he could not break the earthen hold. Into the air it brought its clenched fist, Lee Sin squirming within, and then descended with twice the speed.
Lee Sin was finally freed from the golem's grasp only to plummet straight into the thick grass below. The mushy soil damp with dew cratered slightly to the monk's body if only to tell the story of the force required to have even formed it.
Battered but still functioning, Lee Sin sucked in a forced breath and willed his muscles to bring him to a sitting position. He used the last of his temporary second wind to dive forward underneath the monster's legs. The golem's fist replaced Lee Sin's previous spot in the grass only mere seconds afterward. The resounding shockwave knocked its foe up off of the ground interrupting his motion to gather himself between the golem's legs. Lee Sin's back smacked into the rocky undercarriage but luckily he would be left only with light bruising.
Lee Sin landed on his stomach looking back the way he had come just in time to witness the fist rise from the dirt leaving an even deeper imprint than he did. His body ached all over eliciting a pained wince from his throat. Still, the fighter hadn't the time to lick his wounds just yet. The rocky stubs passing as feet on either side of him suddenly lowered a few inches. Like a spring, the bent legs released the heavy energy they built up and shot up from the dirt about a foot into the air.
The jungler nearly protested aloud the incredulous feat the golem exhibited. He would have to save the complaints for later though, his own pent up muscles released to propel him forward headlong into a roll just as the golem came crashing down to the earth into a sitting position. The resulting force was so powerful that Lee Sin's recovery was extended against his will sending him flying forward upside down and flailing about. The fallen log Lee Sin had leapt from at the beginning of the battle was first to put a stop to the monk's flight with a conclusive thud.
Cool dirt pressed into Lee Sin's cheek as he barely recognized that he ended up on his chest after colliding with the timber. He was too busy counting his blessings after having so narrowly dodged being squashed into the ground.
His wounds were starting to pile up, Lee Sin could feel each and every one of them. His body was steeled for battle, disciplined to take such inhuman punishment, but another hit like that and he knew it would be over quickly. This battle needed to end soon, he couldn't be wasting time with a monster in the forest when a war was being waged on the outside.
The thought of Riven's demise flashed through his mind.
Offense was the only solution here. Lee Sin pushed himself up with his hands and breathed in a strong breath through his nose. His legs found the earth underneath him and soon returned the warrior to his feet. His muscles felt the strain yet his iron will kept him standing. Ready to take the initiative, Lee Sin assumed another limber fighting stance and faced the golem over his left shoulder.
The rocky construct had just made it back to its usual stance revealing a deep hole underneath where it had planned to crush the puny jungler.
Lee Sin took the next move. Whipping around into an aerial spin, Lee Sin kicked out with his left foot and shot forth a resonating sonic wave. The machination of Lee Sin's will crashed into the golem's pulsating gem with dead on accuracy and enough of a punch to make the golem step back with one foot to steady its top heavy self. Small cracks rippled out from the impact site in all directions along the monsters form.
Just as the monk landed on his feet he continued the attack by leaping into similar spin just as he had done before. This time, by force of unrestrained conviction, Lee Sin powered through the air with his foot extended tracing the positively angled path the sonic wave had taken. Lee Sin's short war cry echoed off the rocky body just before his strengthened foot, enshrouded in a fiery red aura designating the power behind it, collided with the golems power source in the dead center of its chest.
The thunderous attack resulted in a booming explosion that sent stone splinters and rocky shrapnel flying in all directions. Still completely in control of his movements, Lee Sin exited the hollow husk of the golem out through the back side and glided through the air riding off the last of the momentum he had built chasing his sonic strike. He curled into a front flip and landed a couple yards out on his own two feet. Stepping forward to disperse the last of the momentum, Lee Sin finally came to stop and sighed with relief.
Another shockwave resounded behind him. Lee Sin looked over his shoulder to watch as the golem, now missing most of its rocky filling, collapsed on itself into a pile of rubble.
The victor sighed a "Whew," once more and started off into a casual walk to work off the dwindling adrenaline. A moment later he came upon the golem's core he had kicked through its body. The dying gem flickered with the last of its life half covered by grass and caked with mud.
Lee Sin stepped up to the core, brought up his foot, and crushed the magical gem with his heel. Sparks sputtered and squeaked underneath for a few seconds before a calm silence returned to the surroundings.
Wisps of soothing green magic poured out from underneath the monk's foot and encircled his body fully. All at once the magic enclosed and absorbed into he who freed it from the golem's container.
Instantly Lee Sin was able to draw a full breath. His wounds closed, the bleeding scrapes he hadn't even paid mind to halted their flow, and his whole body overall felt much lighter. The golem conqueror smiled with the reprieve before continuing his journey southeast.
"That was... impressive..."
Lee Sin had nearly forgotten about the summoner tethered to his consciousness. "It could have gone better," he responded half-heartedly. The rest of his attention was focused on sensing his surroundings, it'd been but a couple minutes from the last jungle encounter and another was bound to happen at any moment. Lee Sin was anticipating as such especially when he took his first step into another spread of tall grass.
"I nearly used my magic to flash you out of there. But then... you just kept getting back up ready to fight some more. I cannot fathom how you do it," the summoner praised.
"I've grown used to it," Lee Sin explained keeping his voice low as he crept through the brush, "At this point I'd have to considering how many times I've fought-"
A dry, throaty yell pierced the air just before something landed on Lee Sin's back. The monk was forced forward but he kept his footing. A stinging burn roared to life in his shoulder after a secondary growl loosed from the assailant on his shoulders.
Lee Sin reached back with gritted teeth and grasped the first thing he found – a cold, scaly arm. Tearing the small crude blade from his shoulder along with it, the blind warrior heaved the scaly beast forward over his head and into the ground ahead. The enemy bounced and skid off into the brush where it remained undetected.
Another sting caught Lee Sin's calf before he instinctively moved to dodge the full force of the cut. The monk looked over to barely catch sight of a figure disappearing further back into the tall thicket. Their small heartbeats were identifiable now but the thick grass made it difficult to move after them. The resumed growling signified a follow-up attack—Lee Sin had to reposition this encounter before the tiny beasts bled him to death. The puncture wound on his shoulder was already producing a steady stream down his chest.
This fight couldn't be waged within the brush. Lee Sin abandoned his defensive, rooted posture and made a mad dash forward and to his right. The growls chased him with increasing zeal but the warrior didn't sense another jumping ambush. Soon enough he was back out into the open and rid of the intrusive brush.
The path he had taken dumped him into an outcropping with high walls of impassable tree, brush, and stone on his right flank. A small fire burned near the center of the back in the half oval. Behind it stood Lee Sin's next opponent, a large humanoid lizard with blue scales clad in strapped leather armor and brandishing a chipped metal blade with a squared wooden shield in its clawed hands. The beast hissed lowly and flicked its forked tongue menacingly while focusing its burning glare onto the man who would dare invade its territory.
Lee Sin stared back with his special gaze and eased into a prepared fighting stance with widened feet and fluid arms held horizontally to his torso. Just as he suspected the ambushers from before stepped from the bushes he had come from hissing and squawking with anticipation. They too were lizardfolk, though much smaller, yet equipped similarly to their apparent leader.
Waiting around had become too much for the little ones. The first broke out into a charge with its bloodied knife held high and a guttural growl passing as a warcry. Its partner followed behind several steps squawking and hissing encouragements to its ally.
Taking note of the advancing master lizard taking gradual steps with a raised shield, Lee Sin focused on the one who would be upon him first. The monk hopped backward away from the enemy and shot his left foot high above his waist just as the lizardling came into range. Before the unintelligent mongrel could take a stab with its pitiful weapon, Lee Sin dropped his foot downward and planted it directly on top of the attackers head driving it into the ground with a bone-snapping crunch. For good measure, Lee Sin quickly used his other boot to kick the beastling's shoulder twisting it around so that its chest pointed upward towards the forest canopy while its head remained face down in the soil.
The second lizardling hardly seemed to notice the emphatic snap of its partners neck as it too charged with reckless abandon.
Lee Sin hadn't forgotten about the real threat edging closer with its wooden defense. He stepped off the skull of the already dispatched foe and shifted away from it about a foot. Just as the second lizard monster lifted its blade up high to attack, a leather boot struck its scaly hand lobbing the weapon through the air to skid through the grass harmlessly upon landing. The stunned beast couldn't react before Lee Sin's hand enclosed around its neck silencing its prepared squawk. A fist collided with its face knocking out what little coherent sense the monster had and leaving it dazed.
The warrior lifted the beast into the air and threw it overhead. Without missing a beat he spun, jumped, and kicked the lizardman just as it dropped into range pitching it through the air towards the massive scaled monster.
Clawed feet dug into the earth as the big lizard brought up its shield to defend against the living missile. However, it wasn't prepared for the force behind the collision. The little lizard crashed into the wooden shield with enough power to shatter it into a burst of splinters. A roar rumbled from the conscious foe as it turned away to shield its eyes from the splinters, a thick bit of shattered shield sticking from its now gushing eye socket.
Lee Sin dashed forward taking the offensive just as the monster shed the broken shield and kicked aside the mutilated corpse of its fallen ally out of sheer rage. The move proved detrimental as it simply allowed Lee Sin's fist a perfect shot at the lizardman's ribs. Roaring with anger, the lizardfolk swung out with its free fist trying to target Lee Sin with its one good eye. The agile monk merely sidestepped and punched again into the other side of the sword wielder's ribs. The lizard nearly doubled over but instead commenced a full bodied rotation in an attempt to sweep the unarmed fighter off his legs using its tail. Lee Sin jumped up to dodge and then landed into a half-crouch, then he shot up into a powerful uppercut colliding with the tailed beasts jaw.
The lizardman back stepped and squealed in pain as it brought up its claw to its now blood spewing mouth. A maze of uneven teeth made for a terrible circumstance for the tongue residing inside, the lizardman painfully discovered.
The blind warrior didn't relent. Lee Sin continued the assault by delivering a devastating blow to the scaly monster's diaphragm after reeling back his fist to build up enough power. Again he struck at the ribs with one, two, and then three punches, the last resulting in fracturing bone. The lizard swung diagonally out of panic with the blade it carried. Lee Sin mirrored the slash's arc with his body allowing to pass by pointlessly.
It was time to end the fight. The monk drove his left foot into the lizardman's right kneecap causing it to tilt that direction once the kneecap snapped backward. Next Lee Sin spun and delivered his left heel into the monster's sternum, this time it doubled over trying to scream with breathless lungs, broken ribs, and a profusely bleeding mouth. Leaping into the air, Lee Sin dropped his left elbow square onto the back of the monster's neck forcing its entire form onto the ground. The physically blind one executed his foe by kicking the scaly beast's head snapping its neck and releasing it from its suffering. As the Rift's magical embrace slowly disintegrated its body, green wisps of magic rose from the blue lizardman's defeated form and embraced the victorious champion standing before it.
Lee Sin stepped away from the illuminated corpse and took a knee to assess his situation. Again his wounds suddenly halted their bleeding and the gash on his shoulder seemed almost fully healed. The monk sighed in the state of alleviation. He was quite grateful for the healing, though it seemed the lizardman's gift was much more than that. The crouching warrior noticed familiar red runes revolving around him staying low to the ground. There were four of these magical red stones about the size of an open hand, each one of them bearing a glowing sigil. Lee Sin felt a chill run up his spine as he heard a calm hissing and a low, passive growl echo through his mind and then vanish. Somehow he felt as if the great lizard warrior he had just defeated was congratulating him, the red gifts bestowed upon him serving as a sign of respect from warrior to warrior in graceful defeat.
The monk rose to his feet and turned back to see that the corpse of his opponent was gone. Not the sword it wielded nor a single drop of blood remained. At last he could rest. His duty called for his presence outside of the forest but it would have to wait, for now the monk sat down in the grass upright with crossed legs. His thoughts cleared, his mind recuperated with silent meditation.
The peace was relaxing. While not magical, simply forgoing all thought and focusing on the sounds of the forest was enchanting. It soothed one's body and mind even if it was simply a powerful placebo. Birds twittered high above, a mouse skittered nearby under the veil of foliage, and the wind gently rustled the leaves. Then a man's voice called out.
"You're fast, Lee Sin, just as always. Frankly I should have anticipated you being here."
Lee Sin eased his way back into full consciousness, looked up toward the newcomer, and matched the voice to a face. At least, half of a face; the man's nose, mouth, and single braided beard were revealed but his eyes were hidden behind a helmet glowing with a seven-goggled gaze that glowed a soft light green hue. The revealed lips were curled into an easygoing smile.
"Master Yi," Lee Sin called out as he rose to his feet. His face too couldn't help but smile at the situation. "Maybe you're just finally slowing down."
The goggled man shifted in place, his grey gilded robe swayed slightly. On his shoulder he brought up and rested the back of a lengthy long sword that glowed a fiery yellow-green tinge.
"Come now, Lee Sin. I'll accept that I should have arrived here before you, however, do you truly believe my edge has dulled?"
Lee Sin planted his feet into a solid stance and smirked. "Show me that it hasn't."
The swordsman swung his blade out before him and then held it pointed to the ground off to his left. The brilliance of the weapon demanded Lee Sin's attention with the sleek aura it exuded. Blind or not, Lee Sin would know his obligation to respect the weapon.
Dramatic tension flexed Lee Sin's muscles into high alert as Master Yi stepped forward with an agonizingly slow descent of foot. As soon as his sole contacted the short grass the bladesman disappeared entirely leaving behind a faint, blurred trail of his form.
Lee Sin, despite employing the use of his second sight, couldn't hope to match the speed of this master warrior. Playing defensive was his only option, the awesome agility Yi wielded had the potential to bring him victory with one swing. Lee Sin knew Master Yi however, and he knew him well. Another man may have been cut down in this split second offensive but Lee Sin was much too hardened a combatant.
The blind monk acted on a gut feeling and spun out to his right finishing the maneuver by taking a knee in the damp forest floor. His left arm came up horizontally and shone with a bright green complexion giving the appendage the consistency of the strongest steel. When Lee Sin was able to comprehend the events that had transpired he found the paper thin edge of Master Yi's weapon pressing deeply into his forearm. Somehow he had managed to survive the instantaneous onslaught. Lee Sin chalked it up to having seen the great Master Yi in combat before many times.
The bright goggles peeked to the side of the flaring sword that didn't get any further than merely resting against the outermost skin of Lee Sin's arm despite the force applied. Yi's approving expression seemed out of place for life or death combat.
"Your blinding speed cannot unnerve the already unseeing," Lee Sin challenged from his stoop. His stall for time allowed him a breath's moment to plan a counterattack. Fighting unarmed versus a weapon known to cleanly slice through sheets of metal was incredibly strenuous—a single miscalculation would bring a swift death.
"Those who are blind often see the most," Yi agreed with a nod. "But not everything can be witnessed by one man alone."
Suddenly, the yellowish glow surrounding the master's weapon burst out angrily, flaring brightly, then returned to its normal fiery dance. The only difference was that now the blade glimmered coolly with a sky blue intensity.
Though the expulsion of light didn't affect Lee Sin's blind vision he still felt a pang of alarm overtake his plans for action. He felt a hot stream of blood pour out from underneath the sword resting against his empowered arm, pool up and bathe the extremity with thick crimson, and then trickle steadily down to the forest floor.
Scorching pain blazed through his arm, encircled his shoulder, and screamed at his mind for a solution. Disciplined and in control of his body as he was, Lee Sin temporarily ignored the alert and instead replaced the thoughts with ones of awe. His energy from within kept his defending arm shining solidly with bracing magic yet Master Yi's sword was cutting through as if it were the softest flesh. More blood poured from the wound as Lee Sin involuntarily winced and shifted his arm slightly, the bladed edge pushing so easily deeper into his arm.
Master Yi remained unmoving yet fully aware that he could take the monks arm with the slightest effort. Instead he stared into the small gemmed circle of metal hanging between Lee Sin's eyes on the red cloth that blinded his unseeing gaze.
Lee Sin inhaled sharply and shook of the creeping thoughts that edged at his mind. Unlike another's, the thoughts instantly dispersed leaving Lee Sin in complete control. Master Yi was giving him a second chance and throwing that away would be both disrespectful to his longstanding friend and detrimental to the goal of winning the bloody game taking place on the Rift.
His push back into the fight started by removing the deadly edge from his ineffective defense. Lee Sin took a gamble first by simply retreating the bleeding arm back to his body. The red river intensified as soon as it left Yi's sword but it did not slow the monk. Before his opponent could punish Lee Sin's disadvantageous position, the blind one turned his fault into a gain. The pained left hand thrust into the ground after the floored combatant twisted his torso around to the side and swung his body in a full circle leading with an empowered foot looking to sweep Yi off of balance. The master chose to dodge the blow rather than try anything more by leaping straight up and bending his knees to allow Lee Sin's attack to fulfill its circular motion unhindered. Just as Yi's plated boots touched the ground, Lee Sin's leather ones were finally flat against the grass once again a short distance away from his adversary.
"Dodge every blow, if you fail even once you will be killed, my friend," Master Yi advised. Lee Sin felt the flow of his fighting stance return and allowed his muscles to limber up. The warning was rather obvious.
Yi gave one final command after flicking the blood from his blade off to his flank, "Defend yourself!"
The swordsman shot forward with an overhead slash powered by enough speed to negate the opening such a move would create in his defense. His target was forced to hop backwards out of self preservation which meant he also could not counterattack, not with Yi's follow-up arching slash from left shoulder to right thigh. Another back step avoided death for the bleeding target. Instead of winding up for a third slice, Yi shot out with the length of his blade that would have skewered Lee Sin's stomach.
Ever aware of the offense, Lee Sin spun on his heel ninety degrees and sucked in his gut letting the blue weapon strike forward with its flat side just inches from his abdomen. Before Yi's attack came to a stop his blind adversary had lifted his closet foot threatening for a reprisal. The booted heel connected with Yi's wrist that gripped the hilt of his blade and sent it and the sword swinging out wide to the swordsman's left leaving him rather defenseless.
Lee Sin loosed a vocalized exhale and drove his palm into Yi's chest forcing him to retreat several steps. The resulting strike exploded outwards with a manifested crimson energy. Playing into his aggression, the monk followed a single step and fluidly drew a horizontal line through the air with the same hand he had used to take Yi's breath. A bolt of crimson rushed forward and exploded through the master's entire body on impact. The swordsman grunted from the sudden burst and tried to bring his sword in close to defend. Strangely he found that his muscles felt weak and unresponsive, everything seemed to move much slower than it should.
The onslaught didn't end there. Lee Sin pressed on and swung his balled fist straight into his foe's diaphragm. The swordsman doubled over the hammer-like hand and grunted involuntarily. Lee Sin raised his elbow aiming to drive it into Yi's back but was interrupted when the crippled blademaster threw his weight forward knocking the monk backward with his shoulder.
Master Yi recovered to a hunch still feeling the effects of Lee Sin's debilitation, though it was beginning to wane by the second. Still weak, Yi slashed outward from left to right with his sword but couldn't find the strength to recover completely and instead staggered a couple steps to the right. Luckily for him, Lee Sin was forced to retreat backward to avoid the edge of the glowing weapon that had now died back down to its yellow-green hue.
He couldn't let his opportunity fade. Lee Sin quickly closed the gap and went for another punch, this time it was underhanded and aimed for Yi's exposed kidney as he struggled to regain his footing and face his opponent.
Yi was ready this time. He was no stranger to combat, a single loss of control in a fight was no reason to recklessly try to regain it. It would have to come fluidly meaning it required focus. The quickest way in this case meant merely dodging the blow that probably would have taken his ability to stand for far too much longer than he could afford.
Like calm water, Master Yi shifted in place in synch with all of his muscles. Lee Sin's fist brushed harmlessly along his coat putting them back to back. The debilitation wearing off, Master Yi even managed to reverse his sword and jab it backward to impale Lee Sin. For a moment it felt as if he succeeded only it had simply been wedged between the monk's side and his arm. The duo leaned into each other's back, their muscles tensed and awaiting the others next move. Just as Yi's strength returned Lee Sin noticed the intangible red runes encircling him had faded. The master swordsman had fought through the agonizing slowing effect the runes caused on top of Lee Sin's own attenuating afflictions he'd delivered. The monk nodded in silent respect for the warrior's stunning endurance.
When neither budged for long moment, Lee Sin's voice broke the silence. "You're resilient, Master Yi."
Yi cocked his head, the back of his helmet lightly tapping the top of Lee Sin's bald skull. "Why do I get the feeling you keep associating the title 'Master' with old age," he questioned with a smirk.
Lee Sin smiled and turned his head to the opposite shoulder Yi was angled toward. "Let's see. You were one of the first to see the creation of the Institute of War, you now have a student you're passing on your signature style to, and in fact you've tutored many including myself over the years. You're old!" he teased.
Master Yi chuckled genuinely and let his helm fall back against Lee Sin's head as he looked to the canopy of the forest. "Ahhh that does make me sound old." Yi hummed in contemplation for a second before continuing. "Speaking of my student, I heard you slew him in the northern lane not long ago."
Lee Sin nodded with his response. "Indeed I did. Does this disappoint you?"
"No, not in the slightest. Wukong's arrogance is rather frustrating, and even though I've taught him most of my ways regarding the fighting style of Wuju, it is because of his attitude towards the world that he will not be able to grow. In no way do I expect him to be able to defeat you, not in his current state." Yi nodded conclusively with a brief hum. His lighthearted voice returned after a short moment of reflection. "In fact, I would appreciate it if you extinguished the fires of his ego again. He could use that a few more times." Yi cracked a wide smile as he began to envision the upcoming conversation with his student.
Lee Sin chuckled and then took in a deep breath then exhaled wistfully.
"Well," Master Yi began after the pause, "Is it time we finished this?"
"I suppose it is. Loser pays for a meal?"
"Always," Yi confirmed. "How's your arm?" he then taunted jokingly.
Lee Sin had almost forgotten amidst the adrenaline of the previous exchange. He looked down to find that the bleeding had certainly slowed but the deep gash had bathed his entire arm in blood so much that he couldn't even see the color of his own skin underneath.
"It's alright," Lee Sin responded sarcastically. "You think you can move normally now so we can finish this fairly?"
Yi smirked. "Panic in times of stress will only lead to further dismay. Even when sapped of my strength I did not abandon caution."
"Mmm. I take that as a yes?"
Master Yi grunted positively and recovered his sword. Rather than use it offensively, Master Yi slammed his back into Lee Sin's pushing him away and setting a reasonable distance between the two. The bladesman wheeled around and held his sword in front of him readied for one last engagement.
Lee Sin dug his boots into the grass and prepared to take the first move. Despite the wound on his arm he was relatively unharmed and ready to end this battle. Now that Yi's sword had returned to normal he could afford to block with his safeguarding magic, the only catch being that if Yi employed the use of that Wuju ability again he would not be so merciful.
The monk rushed forward eager to battle yet still fully aware of the reality of the situation. His fists clenched and brightened with the familiar green aura before clashing with Yi who worked his sword into a parry. Lee Sin's left knuckles collided with the edge of Yi's blade resulting in a clang akin to a pair of steel weapons colliding in a heated battle.
The fist retracted just as its brother came bolting forward for Yi's chest. The bladesman reacted just in time to bring the flat side of his long sword up to intercept the fist. His other hand not holding onto the hilt braced the flat blade towards the end of its length. Another metal ring defined the strength behind Lee Sin's punch.
Yi held steadfast under the might of the blow but his forward foot retreated back to support the rest of his body as it absorbed the shock of the blind one's strike. A second after the force had been transferred, Master Yi turned the pent up energy back onto the monk by pushing it back through his fist. Lee Sin's defense was broken with his empowered fists knocked loose giving Yi the perfect opportunity to score a hit.
Yi was next strike would ring true.
Lee Sin couldn't recover in time to dodge all of Yi's counteroffensive. The edge of the swordsman's legendary weapon glanced across Lee Sin's torso from left shoulder and diagonally downward in a swift motion that would barely register to the untrained eye. Streams of the monk's blood didn't begin flowing until a second after the swing when Yi was pulling his sword back up to continue the barrage—a gruesome testament to the dangerous agility Yi commanded.
Bloodied steel rushed forward after recovering but it didn't find its mark. Lee Sin ignored the cold burn of slit flesh raging across his torso and managed a backhanded fist that smacked the singing steel away before it could impale him. A disciplined warrior such as himself could distinguish between debilitating wounds and injuries that could be withstood; this one, while grisly, would not be enough to finish him. And so with his preserved fighting stamina Lee Sin instantly switched into an attack. His free fist crashed into Master Yi's chest.
The master grit his teeth and exhaled sharply from the blow. Another fist found his stomach, his chest, the opposite pectoral, and lastly his chin once it had been exposed. Yi stumbled off to the side gripping his jaw looking desperately for the slightest reprieve from the monk's sudden barrage.
Lee Sin closed the distance with a raised fist but was forced to shift his momentum the exact opposite direction when Yi suddenly spun around in a far reaching horizontal slash. Hot blood rushed forward from the sudden tensing of his abdominal muscles but he was safe from further harm this time.
Master Yi built upon the flow of his push by spinning sidelong into a powerful vertical strike at a seemingly impossible velocity. The blade crashed into Lee Sin's strengthened arm. Again he was safe yet the boon empowering his fists shook and threatened to dissipate from the raw power it defended against. Yi repeated the motion once more before Lee Sin could change tactics. This time Lee Sin felt a pinch in his wrist where the blade met—a small cut lined parallel to the gash from before was left behind as Yi pulled his sword back for another attack.
Whistling wind followed the arching blade as Yi descended from a leaping strike. Lee Sin barely had enough time to block with his other arm—dodging was simply impossible with Yi's incredible agility. The resulting force from the blow broke Lee Sin's stance and forced him to the ground. The Wuju master continued his assault with strike after strike after strike, each one seemingly faster than the last though the speed of any of the swings were hard to gauge themselves. Lee Sin could do nothing other than keep his lacerated arms up in defense and wait out the barrage. If his arms were to fail and a single strike slipped through Lee Sin would sooner comprehend waking up in the Rift's respawning platform than anything else.
At last, Yi's strikes slowed. The bruising wounds he'd suffered throughout their entire fight began to take their toll and Lee Sin could tell. The sword wielding warrior kept up the onslaught of slashes but Lee Sin was beginning to piece together a plan. He'd have to quick; quick for the sake of his arms as well as the small window of opportunity.
Lee Sin seized his chance.
Just as Master Yi pulled back to strike at his opponent once more, Lee Sin's boot suddenly shot out and swept the swordsman from his stance. His body went nearly horizontal mid air, his limbs swung wildly in an instinctive reaction to try and regain composure for a generous landing.
Lee Sin was faster this time however. In an instant he was back on his feet already spinning into an attack before Yi even began his descent. The monk yelled a powerful "Eku!" battlecry and delivered an immensely powerful immolated kick at the end of his recovery straight into Master Yi's back.
The swordsman's body was sent flying backward until he crashed into the hard trunk of a tree with so much force that he bounced back the way he'd come, landed and rolled several feet, then halted completely.
Lee Sin knelt, regained his heavy breath, and quickly assessed the wounds he had sustained. The hundreds of slits on his arms created a mosaic of bright and dark red from his wrist to his elbows. The enchantment that willed his limbs into sustaining the strength of steel was fading rapidly but luckily it had lasted long enough to keep his arms mostly intact. He'd bled a lot, but until Lee Sin's body exsanguinated to the point of shutting down completely he'd keep fighting with all the strength he could muster.
In the near distance Lee Sin noticed Yi's body struggling to lift him from being face down in the dewed grass. Lee Sin's first thought was to be impressed—impressed that Master Yi even survived such a blow. The master was defeated however, all that was left to do was to end his suffering.
Lee Sin grunted back to his feet and stepped slowly toward his foe. Master Yi had found his way to his knees but there would be no more counterattacks. His sword lay before him in the grass glistening with the clear drops of moisture and streaks of Lee Sin's blood. Yi gripped his chest with one arm and used the other to support himself from falling over. His breathing was ragged, so much that it sounded like he was trying to suck in the air through a reed. Despite it all, the master managed a wide smile towards his friend as Lee Sin halted and stood a couple yards out.
"One of... the very... first rules of... combat," Master Yi called out with what little air he could achieve. "So old that... merely mentioning it is... much too cliché... especially... for your skill... as a warrior."
Lee Sin stopped him right there. "You can tell me after the battle is over. I'll deliver your defeat, seeing you this way is disheartening."
And so Lee Sin worked up the last combo that would finish off Master Yi. He took a steadying breath and lifted his boot a little ways off the ground in front of him. The monk spun one last time and kick out toward the crippled swordsman sending a distorted sonic wave blasting toward him. Yi hunched forward and took the blast with his shoulders which forced him backward but did not put him on his back. Lee Sin flew through the air with his foot outstretched ready to deliver the final blow.
The student should have considered the master's words.
With the very last pool of strength Yi had, so little that it would be the last move he could make, he leapt from his sitting position into the air with one knee held forward while the other leg hung below. Instead of descending back to the ground he remained mid air, levitating, and surrounded by a swirling shield of green energy. The blade before him was not forgotten; it too shot up and levitated vertically before its owner in stoic contemplation.
Yi began a chant—a slow, meditative mantra consisting of long drawn out syllables in a low pitched vocalization. The utterances echoed through the mostly transparent torrents of healing magic giving the master an intimidating yet at the same time oddly calming aura. Master Yi's sustained injuries began to lessen considerably at a rapid pace, the broken bones and puncture wounds reformed and closed themselves.
The process of the healing began and sustained itself even though Lee Sin was in mid flight toward his target. The outermost surface of the shield guarding the meditating swordsman within stopped and absorbed the shock of the collision from Lee Sin's foot. Briefly touching an oddly solid surface, Lee Sin shifted his body and backflipped off of the temporary barrier to land on his feet in slight disbelief.
Master Yi finished his curative recital and slowly lowered back to the earth. He grabbed the hilt of his blade from out in front of himself and swung it out to the side to get a feel for its weight now with reinvigorated muscles. Then, with a knowing smile, Yi stepped forward at a casual pace toward Lee Sin looking rather unharmed.
Lee Sin assumed a fighting stance prepared for yet another engagement though in the back of his mind he recognized the danger he was in. The difference in sustained injuries had shifted completely into Yi's favor. The monks fists clenched tightly, he would have to have the first strike.
Master Yi's blade flashed bright blue.
It was done. Lee Sin's muscles involuntarily released all of their built tension and relaxed. He stood up straight, sighed with dejection, and faced Yi with respect.
"Underestimation of your opponent, no matter how the odds may appear, will lead to your downfall."
Lee Sin nodded and gave a weak smile. "You're right. How careless of me." He chuckled a few times then extended his arms out to his sides. "Well you've won this one, take your victory."
"It was close. Apologies, dear friend," Yi stated before bringing his glowing blade up to his shoulder ready to run the monk through.
Before the final blow could be dealt, Master Yi's attention was caught by something soaring through the air above. He shifted in place and looked hard to try and identify the projectile through his enhanced, goggled vision. Before he could, the master's eyes widened behind his goggles and instantly his body tensed and shifted to jump out of the way.
Lee Sin had turned and tried and identify what caught Yi's attention but whipped back around to see Yi barreling out to the side. Just as he backstepped himself an abrupt explosion of electric energy quaked the ground from where Yi was standing. Lee Sin hopped backward and shielded his face instinctively.
Just as quickly as the explosion began it fizzled out into nothingness within a few seconds. Yi, however, was already headlong into another roll just before another similar explosion erupted from that place as well. Lee Sin, seeing that he wasn't the target of this sudden intervening force, took the time to trace the arc of the lobbed static energy to find none other than Xerath, the Magus Ascendant, tethered to the ground in the distance surrounded by a storm of arcane energy snapping and bolting off from his ethereal body and charring the grass around him.
A third burst of energy erupted from his form headed straight for where Yi was rolling. Now that he was revitalized, the master had the energy to shift his course just enough to avoid the brunt of the third explosion but the shockwave sent him rolling. The swordsman regained his footing just in time to find a harmless beam of energy thinner than the width of his pinky protruding from his chest. Yi had just enough time to trace the uneven bolt of static forward to Xerath before an enormous wave of electric magic rushed forward and consumed Yi's entire body.
The Wuju bladesman was left kneeling slightly paralyzed from the sudden burst of arcane magic once it dissipated. He grit his teeth and looked up to see this second foe approaching with a growing ball of magic formed between his electric clawed hands that, like the rest of his body, was made up of pure arcane magic that pulsated a bright sapphire blue hue.
Lee Sin stood his ground; getting in the way of the lexicon of raw arcane power would most likely result in his own death.
Xerath roared with primal fury and threw the matured orb of magic straight for Master Yi. Seeing that he could not hope to fight this battle, the armed warrior kicked on a burst of speed and leapt from his crouch into a sprint on the opposite side of the incoming energy sphere from where Lee Sin stood.
The monk watched as Yi fled the scene at great haste. He considered chasing for a moment but that was just simply the competitive warrior within talking. Lee Sin needed time to lick his wounds; Xerath's assistance preserved his life so that he may continue the fight.
The mage roared with unbridled fury as he watched Yi escape flawlessly. When the Wuju swordsman had completely left his sight, Xerath suddenly turned on Lee Sin and levitated towards him with angry sparks flying in all directions.
"You let him flee you useless worm!" the monolith roared. "I would not have spared your life if it didn't mean an advantage for Yi! I should kill you myself!"
An invisible shockwave expanded from the angered being forcing Lee Sin back a few steps. He lifted his arms defensively and tried to work up something to say. All of the scenarios in his mind however seemed like they'd just worsen the situation.
Luckily, perhaps, Lee Sin would not have to provide an answer to Xerath's rage. As if the battle on the Rift refused to settle down, another combatant stepped into the fight.
A black fog rolled in and enveloped Xerath completely removing him from Lee Sin's sight, even with his second vision. A dark cackle that sounded like the shadowy voice of Death himself amplified by a metal encasing echoed from the cloud. Lee Sin considered diving inside in an attempt to assist Xerath with this new onslaught but instead he opted to circle the cloud looking for any sort of sign of its creator. Alas, he could see nothing, and jumping inside the black fog would prove to be a terrible decision.
The cackling ceased and soon the furious screams of Xerath resounded from the center of the dark cloud. A few seconds later the screams ended and the wisps of black smoke began to fade. When they had disintegrated completely the resulting scene was of Zed, the Master of Shadows, standing over a corpse of collapsed arcane runes and fizzled magic. The assassin clad in sharp steel and red cloth retracted one of the twin claws attached to his arm from the mess of what was once Xerath.
Zed turned slowly toward Lee Sin and hummed into another threatening muse. The blades on his arms extended as he broke off into a brisk walking pace towards the monk. Two exact clones of himself made up completely of the smoke from before arose on both of his flanks and mirrored the quickened pace exactly.
Lee Sin, slightly unsure of the impending battle, loosed a sonic wave for the material Zed in the middle. Just before the wave collided with him, Zed swapped places with his shadow clone faster than one could even blink. The wave passed through and disrupted the shadow's form for a moment before it repaired itself and continued its gait. The clone switched places with Zed without losing a single step once again.
Unnerved, Lee Sin began a retreating backstep the way Master Yi had fled. The motion merely fueled Zed's bloodthirst.
"You cannot outrun your shadow," Zed threatened with cruel intent.
This battle simply couldn't be won, Lee Sin decided. The monk turned heel and broke off into a sprint for all he was worth. The foliage and bushes blurred into streaks of varying shades of green as Lee Sin dashed for his life incited by the desire of self preservation for his allies rather than actual fear. He ran blindly for a long while until he found an entrance into the river and the safety beyond. Lee Sin breathed a little easier as the terrain under his feet shifted from spongy grass to light splashes of cool water.
