Chapter 2
Knowing that Shaco was involved didn't necessarily make things easy.
The jester was notorious for being elusive, and not even Vayne was sure she'd be able to hunt him down. It was going to take a lot of effort, at the very least, especially in areas where he'd most likely be... places where she wouldn't exactly be welcome, like Noxus or Zaun.
There was the possibility of cornering him while he was on site on the Fields of Justice, but Shaco's presence was almost entirely limited to fights when he was summoned, at which point he swiftly fell off the face of Runeterra to wherever he hid himself.
But she was going to do it, damn it, even if it meant it took years.
... Or the following afternoon.
Caitlyn poked her in the side to get her attention from where the Night Hunter had been dutifully servicing her large crossbow's drawstring. "You have a visitor."
She didn't need to look up to know who it was. There was only one person who had any real reason to visit her. She... just really didn't want to talk to him right now.
To be honest, it was because she felt guilty. The moment she had learned that Shaco had been present during her parent's murder, all other thoughts had been dashed from her head, including a promise to talk about "us", in her desire to begin information gathering on her latest quarry.
Even then, she knew it was an excuse to avoid that talk, but it had been a convenient one.
Kato, at least publicly, wasn't going to make it an issue, a broad smile on his face as he pulled to a stop at her side. She finally brought herself to look at him, and returned the smile, standing to address him. "Good day."
He kissed her on the cheek, drawing a round of sly giggles. "Have you got about thirty minutes? Grand Summoner Laitwell is requesting your presence."
That turned the giggles into concerned groans, a reaction that was often justified. While Vayne had learned there was far more to the costume designer then what met the eye, for the rest of the champions of the league, all they knew was the costume designer, and that the results of his efforts were not always something to envy.
"Is he? What disgusting outfit does he have planned for me today?"
Kato grinned knowingly, "Actually, I think you'll like this one."
Vayne sighed, and said, "Then lead on. Let's get this over with."
When they had left the lodge, Vayne felt more comfortable getting to the heart of the matter. "I take it your master isn't entirely pleased by our exploits last night?"
"Displeased?" Kato said thoughtfully, "Not really. He's disappointed I didn't do more exploring of the sanctum after I scryed into your parent's murder, but no, he's not particularly upset. He does want to talk to you... and before you ask, I'm not sure why."
"So, you told him everything, then."
"That was part of the deal he and I have, yes." Kato admitted. "I told you that much yesterday."
Vayne's lips pursed. He had indeed said something to that effect, but in her burning desire to discover details on her parents' murders had set the information aside as unimportant at that time. She didn't like people knowing those details, especially Grand Summoners like the man who called himself Lavin Laitwell.
She knew that was an alias, of course, as well as his true identity, the supposedly missing High Summoner Reginald Ashram. She also admitted to herself that the man likely already knew Vayne's past as it was, and that getting upset over it now was pointless.
Of course, that also led her right back to questions about the man who was the source of her vexing affections. Kato was by no means the usual apprentice summoner. She had personally seen him perform arcane skills that would easily put him on par with any fully recognized arcanist, not to mention unique traits like what had been displayed last night in Fiddlestick's chamber.
Kato himself seemed to know little about just why he had earned Ashram's undivided attention. He found it an annoyance, being held back intentionally for reasons that he apparently wasn't allowed to know, at least, not yet. It was the lack of answers for his questions that made him so eager to help Vayne find answers to hers.
They found themselves at the Institute of War for the second time in roughly twelve hours, but this time there were no illusions to be had. However, when Vayne resigned herself to surrendering her weapons, the guard captain declined. "Grand Summoner Laitwell requests you be armed, Miss Vayne," he declared, handing back her wrist-mounted crossbow.
That got a rise from the Night Hunter's brows, and Kato's expression told her that she wouldn't find any clues from him. Slipping her hand back into her weapon, she decided not to argue or question the order. They were going to let her have her weapons? She wasn't going to complain.
"The Grand Summoner isn't in his office, Apprentice Kato," the guard explained further, "He's in North Summoning Chamber Four."
Even more perplexing. What would he be doing there? Vayne had an idea... but would the Grand Summoner actually assist her in such a fashion after the stonewalling he had done before? She took off at full speed, Kato quickly on her tail. While he had the longer stride, she had the endurance that came from years of training, allowing her to reach their destination first.
"Ah. There you are," Grand Summoner Laitwell declared cheerily upon her emergence into the chamber. "I was worried my apprentice would... distract you. Kato, do be a dear and wait outside while Miss Vayne and I complete our business."
Vayne had no interest in Laitwell's little games, because what she had hopefully expected was indeed the truth... Shaco, the Demon Jester, bound by Laitwell's summoning, and held in place by pale blue magic chains to a simple chair in the center of the chamber.
"Yes... yes... about time you finally show up." Shaco chirped maliciously. "As much as I love the accommodations, I don't so much like waiting for the entertainment."
Vayne was instantly suspicious, "Why are you helping me now?" she demanded.
"My reasons are my own," Laitwell answered, the humor now gone from his voice. "I'd suggest you not test my good favor with your questions."
Now that was more what the Night Hunter had been expecting.
"Will someone start threatening me at least?" Shaco groaned.
Vayne stopped in front of the jester. "I won't give you the pleasure. You're bound by summoning, which means you can't disobey the summoner's order, and you know it. I also know that you don't want to be here, so you can save yourself time just answering my questions rather than have the Grand Summoner here repeat everything I ask."
Shaco regarded the Night Hunter with that broad, emotionless grin. "You smell different when you're awake."
"Spare me," Vayne said with a roll of her eyes. She was quite well aware of Shaco's attempts to disconcert people.
The Demon Jester cackled, "You don't need to ask, because I already know what you want. You want to know what I was doing in your home all those years ago, who hired me to kill your parents, and you, why they stopped before they could find you, and why your family was targeted in the first place. It's a fairly long tale. Care to sit down?"
"I'd rather stand."
"Suit yourself," Shaco said dismissively, "Truth is, it wasn't my choice, though I would have done the job just for fun. I was summoned to perform the task by a Noxian summoner, who as I understand was under the authority of the departed General Darkwill.
Our orders were simple, find Brucius Wayne, dead or alive. Much like you, little girl, he hid, better than your mother. You had been warded, so my summoner couldn't find you, and she was hoping that luring you out would give us the means to get to him. I found him first. He hee. You should be thanking me. I saved your life."
"So my father was the target." Vayne said simply. She already knew that based on the scrying done last night. "Why?"
"That wasn't my place to know. Your father was the target, and that we were to provide him to General Darkwill, dead or alive, preferably dead."
Laitwell interrupted, "And it was on General Darkwill's order, you say."
Shaco shrugged, "That's what the summoner said. I personally wasn't there."
Vayne's eyes turned towards the Grand Summoner. It would seem that her next interrogation would be with him. "Who was this summoner?"
"Her name was Narithe. pretty powerful to be able to control me."
Laitwell nodded. "I know that name. She's still on the Noxian roster, but she hasn't officially summoned for the city-state in several years. Very old, would not have surprised me to hear she had passed on. Do you have any other questions, Miss Vayne?"
"Not unless Shaco would happen to know where Narithe is right now."
The jester shook his head. "If I did, the hag would already be dead. No one gets in the way of my kill." He eyed Vayne with blood-thirsty intent. "No one."
"Get rid of this clown," the Night Hunter snarled, disgusted by the Demon Jester's continued attempts at mind games.
Laitwell's distaste was equal. "Gladly," he declared, snapping his fingers. With a flash, Shaco and the magic chains vanished, leaving nothing but the chair. He rested his chin on his hands, fingers folding in front of his mouth in thought. "Well, that adds some threads to the events of history."
"Explain yourself," Vayne demanded.
The Grand Summoner eyed the Night Hunter warily, internally debating the merits of including someone the League of Legends deemed "dangerous" into what he knew. Eventually, he decided her association with his apprentice deemed it necessary. "How familiar are you with the story of the Lady of Nightmares?"
"She was a Noxian Princess, capable of manipulating the fears of her targets." Vayne replied. "It's believed she died shortly before the end of the Rune Wars and the establishment of the League of Legends and the Institute of War."
"I have reason to believe Acene, the Lady of Nightmares, didn't perish in the Battle of the Diamond Bluffs. How, I am unsure, but I am reasonably certain she did."
"And why do you say that?" The Night Hunter asked.
Laitwell's eyes drifted to the closed door of the summoning chamber, where Kato was presumably waiting on the other side. "How familiar are you with the appearance and binding of Nocturne?"
Vayne was very familiar with that story. Nocturne was one of the beasts she frequently tested her skills against, and would have destroyed the shade herself had she possessed the power. "About the only thing I don't know about Nocturne is where it came from."
"One of Acene's powers was the ability to conjure shades from the ether. It's a unique power that has only manifested one other time, with Nocturne. Few know who created that shade... I am one of those few. My apprentice."
Vayne's eyes flew wide. She didn't even want to believe that.
"Not of his conscious volition, if it eases your mind any," Laitwell explained. "He doesn't even know. It had been an unfortunate circumstance of experiments into the mind unlocking latent talents that awoke in Kato's nightmares. If anything, it was my fault, as I was the one who had probed his inner fears. At any rate, Acene's powers manifesting in Kato isn't something I am willing to say occurred by chance. Combine that with the physical similarities, and I am more than certain that Kato is Acene's son."
"Which would explain the Black Rose interest in him," Vayne noted. "A potential heir to the throne that they could use to return to power in Noxus. But what does that have to do with my father?"
"I'm not entirely certain, but the Black Rose garnered a ledger, believed to be a possession of your father's, which is apparently how they made the connection between Acene and Kato. I do not know what this ledger entailed, only that something within it linked Acene, Kato, and your father. It is interesting that General Darkwill sought your father's death at the same time... presumably for the same reason. It also brings new light to something else that occurred shortly after."
"And what is that?"
"The invasion of Ionia. The sort of conflict this Institute had been formed explicitly to prevent. Knowing what I do now... I wonder if General Darkwill did as well... that Acene still lived, and found her way to Ionia, where she birthed a son. Something interesting for me to consider."
The thoughtfulness from his voice vanished, and he got back to business at hand. "At any rate, if you wish, I can issue an edict for Narithe to appear at the Institute of War... though I can't promise she'd answer."
Vayne didn't like that idea. "I'd rather just hunt her down in person."
"I'm sure you would," Laitwell retorted. "Nor will I stop you from trying. Just... be careful. Narithe isn't some paltry arcanist, even in her advanced age."
"Why the concern for my well being at this state?" The Night Hunter scoffed.
"Because my apprentice fancies you, and I know the affection is returned to a degree you might not be willing to admit to," Laitwell said candidly. "As much as I have tried to shield him from a good many things, I'd rather not see him hurt unnecessarily."
Vayne pursed her lips in irritation, mostly because she found she understood what the Grand Summoner was saying. "I won't ask for any assistance hunting Narithe, even if you could provide any. Your conscience can remain clear. As for what will happen after I find her... I make no promises."
She left the summoning chamber without further word, ready to start her next hunt, when she found herself frozen by the sight of Kato, leaning against the far wall, his expression resigned yet annoyed. "I trust your meeting was enlightening?"
Vayne thought carefully about her response. "I did, in fact. Your master had summoned Shaco for me."
"Thoughtful of him. I wonder what he got out of it."
"I wonder that myself," Vayne replied. That wasn't exactly a lie, as there was no doubt many things the Grand Summoner had left unsaid during his musings. "But I've decided to concern myself with what I got out of it. The hag who attacked my family is named Narithe, she's a summoner with ties to Noxus."
"And you have your target then."
"I do."
"Do you need help finding this woman?"
"I should handle it myself. I am going after a registered summoner of the Institute, and I intend to kill her when all is said and done. It will likely make some very powerful people very angry."
Kato didn't like that idea, nor did she expect he would. But at the same time, she needed to sort out some of the things she had discovered about this man. Even if he wasn't at fault for Nocturne's creation, Laitwell was convinced he was the son of a Noxian tyrant with condemnable powers. That wasn't something Vayne could ignore. What if Nocturne wasn't the last monster to come out of this man's head?
What if it wasn't the first?
"Well, I would tell you to be careful, but I've already seen your work." Kato said, putting on a pleasant face that they both knew was fake. He was furious that he was being left in the dark, again. "Take care of your business, I'll be waiting for good news."
He held out his hand, as if trying to demonstrate a peaceable air, and Vayne took it with a nod, until she felt a jolt of power that shot up her arm. Her eyebrows narrowed in accusation, because she knew that feeling. It was a binding, used by summoners to link them to champions. What was even more irritating was that this particular step was but the last in many. He had been binding herself to him, without her knowledge, likely over the course of several days.
"You're not the only one who can be discreet," Kato said simply. "And now I can be of aid to you, just in case."
"How dare..." Vayne began angrily.
Kato interrupted her with an aggressive hiss, "I'm tired of being left in the dark. I'm used to not being told a good many things, but I can at least be less than useless. From now on, when you do something, I will know about it. Because, damn it, I care about you and your safety, especially when you are hellbent on hunting down people like Shaco and Noxian summoners."
Vayne's eyes darkened, but any angry rejoinder she might have had would have been wasted, because Kato spun about and left quickly, not even attempting to hide the annoyance in his body language. She rubbed her right arm absentmindedly, even though any sensation from the binding was long gone.
She was so used to the world being black and white, of being entirely self-sufficient and not even encouraging anyone inside her circle, much less letting them in. And now... it made her head hurt trying not to think about.
At least her work wasn't confusing. She could lose herself in that for the time being.
She dismissed Kato's ritual easily enough. He was hardly the only summoner to have a connection to her. And unless he had access to a summoning chamber with all the bells and whistles, it's not like he was going to be able to yank her away from wherever.
A bit more troublesome was his ability to telepathically "sit on her shoulder" so to speak. The vast majority of summoners didn't bother with such an ability, mostly because they had up to a hundred such links. But in Kato's case, she was no doubt the only such link he had, and he would likely be watching her quite closely. But she supposed even that wasn't so much a problem, at least at the moment, as he knew exactly what she was doing and planning.
She could have the binding annulled, hell Laitwell likely would have done it discreetly. But... she kinda didn't want it removed, as utterly stupid as that sounded. As much as she should be wary of Kato and his supposed power, as inconvenient as it was to have someone who could literally be just a thought away... she also liked the idea of someone feeling so strongly about her that they wanted to be just a thought away.
Vayne exhaled heavily, shaking her head to clear it as she memorized the results of her research. There was still some staking out to do, but she discovered a potential avenue to find and corner Narithe outside of Noxus. It turned out the summoner had business in Zaun every month, and during that commute, she was vulnerable.
The Night Hunter had her opportunity. Kato can go ahead and watch. Maybe it would be good for him... to learn what happens to arcanists who cross the line into darkness.
