Chapter 9: Rift
That night, Talon dreamt of blood.
Blood, everywhere. Wherever he looked, crimson glistening in the dim moonlight. Yi. Katarina. Lee. Everyone he knew. All dead. Talon ran and ran, trying to escape. A cluster of trees rose up before him, dark and forbidding. He dashed into the thicket, running, running, never stopping. The forest whispered around him, telling of ancient secrets, but he didn't listen, didn't falter. Everything was red. Talon tripped, sprawling onto the hard, cold ground. The trees seemed to laugh at him, their leaves rustling against one another.
Grunting slightly, Talon stood. He was in a clearing, bathed in pale white moonlight. In the middle of the clearing stood a tall rock, almost the height of the trees surrounding it. A dark shape was rested against the side of it. Talon warily walked closer, his footsteps making no sound on the soft grass. The trees fell into an eerie silence as he approached the rock. As he came closer, the shape took on a definite appearance. A head, crowned by dark matted hair, atop a raggedly clothed torso, which was covered in blood from the jagged wound gaping from its neck.
Talon stood in front of the slumped and broken form of Kavyn, his emotions tumbling around like a whirlwind. 'What is it i'm feeling?' he thought numbly. 'Is it anger? Sadness? Regret?' As he stood there, still in the moonlight, he heard a small sigh escape from the lips of Kavyn's battered form. He was still alive. All of Talon's emotions evaporated as he dropped to one knee beside Kavyn, ignoring the blood rapidly soaking into it.
"T-Talon..." whispered Kavyn, his voice rasping like dry leaves. Talon gripped his shoulder, shaking it, as he urgently called to the dying boy. "Kavyn! Who did this to you?" Kavyn coughed, blood spraying out of his mouth, and smiled. It was a ghastly smile, a gruesome shadow of a real one. "Do you forget so easily, Talon? You did..." Kavyn's eyes rolled upwards, into his head, and he slumped forwards.
"No..." Talon whispered, clenching his fists. Kavyn's voice seemed to echo around him as he knelt there. 'How will you avenge me... when you were the one who killed me..?' Mocking laughter echoed around the clearing as his voice faded away...
Talon's eyes flew open. Gradually, he became aware that he was lying in a cold sweat. Sighing, he swung his legs out of bed and dizzily wobbled to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, using only cold water, and undressed. Once he had done so, he stepped in, flinching at the contact. The water flowed across his skin, shocking him awake, and temporarily washing away his fears. He stood there for a few minutes, eyes closed, letting the water trickle down his body. Eventually, he sighed, and opened his eyes again, turning off the tap. The water gurgled as it escaped down the drain, leaving Talon shivering in the chilled morning air. Quickly, he grabbed a towel, wiping himself down until he was completely dry. He crossed over to the foot of his bed, where his signature clothes lay waiting. He pulled on the undergarments, then his bladed cloak. When he was no longer cold, he padded barefoot to the kitchen.
Talon walked in, intent on making some breakfast. He opened the pantry and looked for something to eat. He reached up to get some cereal, but a pair of scarlet eyes flashed in his vision, sending a sharp pain through his head like a dagger. Grunting, Talon put out a hand to steady himself, until the pain had faded. 'Ow. What was that all about?' he wondered. Shaking his head, Talon instead reached for some tea leaves. Carrying them back into the kitchen, he dumped them in a kettle, which he filled up with water. He then proceeded to light the stove, placing the kettle on top of the flame to boil. As he leaned against the benchtop, he mulled over the events of his dream.
'So many dead... at least not people I've killed this time. So much blood... and Kavyn...' Talon gripped the edge of the bench as memories threatened to consume him. With sheer willpower, Talon tried to hold them back, but to no avail. The memories, so long locked away, flooded him like a tidal wave.
'A crowded marketplace... so hungry... fruits, stacked precariously... dropping Kumungu berries into his bag... a hand, gripping his wrist... wrenching it away... running... shouts of 'Stop, thief!'... a dark alley... tripping... falling... crashing to the ground... crawling to a rotten plank... pulling it aside... scurrying into the secret passage... crawling... crawling... crawling... dropping... a boy, about his own age, leaning on the wall opposite... heated words... two daggers... grabbing them... stabbing the boy... the body falling, like a ragdoll... tears for his friend... Kavyn.'
Talon became aware of his surroundings when a tear rolled down his face. He let it fall. Wiping his eyes, he stood, noticing the kettle boiling. Soundlessly, he turned off the stove and poured himself a mug of Ionian tea. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the warm scent. As he took a sip, the dull pain hammering his head gradually faded, until he was left feeling refreshed. Finishing the mug, he placed it in the sink. He was crossing back into the main room, when there came a knock on the door. Glad of an excuse to do something, he jogged over and opened the door. There, fidgeting nervously, stood a summoner. He jumped as the door opened, his purple robes fluttering alarmingly. Talon raised an eyebrow.
"What?" he demanded. The summoner stared for a while more, until the words registered. "What? Oh! Uh, you are needed at the summoning platforms. There's a friendly match between Noxus and Ionia, and you were chosen to be summoned." Talon nodded. "Ok." The summoner attempted to smile, and failing that, turned and scampered away. Talon snorted as he shut the door. Summoners. What a bunch of eccentrics. Well, at least most of them. Talon walked back in, grabbing his blades, and left the room.
About half an hour later, Talon arrived at the summoning platforms. He scanned the room, eyes narrowed. Summoners. Champions. More summoners. More- Ah. Talon made his way over to the familiar face of his main summoner, Selgar, who was overlooking Summoner's Rift. Selgar was one of the more esteemed summoners in the League, and was well known for his sense of humour. Talon arrived next to him, clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "Sel!" Selgar turned around, beaming as he saw Talon. He was in his mid-fifties, and his face was a map of smile crinkles. "Talon! What took you so long?"
Talon pressed his lips together. "Your messenger didn't tell me which Rift we were on." Selgar laughed, waving off the comment. "Don't mind him, he's just one of the new ones. And, if you ask me, I think he's a little in awe of you." Talon raised an eyebrow, keeping his face deadpan. "Well, I am one of the more awesome champions, aren't I?" Selgar laughed again good-naturedly. "I think I set myself up on that one." His face turned serious. "We've all been waiting for you, pal. Now that you're here, the match can begin." Talon nodded, and above his head, a monotone female voice sounded.
"Will all champions participating in the Noxus versus Ionia match please head to the summoning platforms." All the champions milling aimlessly around the room suddenly looked up, hearing the message, and started to filter into an adjacent room. Talon started to follow, keeping at the back so that he could observe his allies and enemies. His team seemed to consist of Sion, Morgana, Urgot, Swain, and himself. The enemy team had Karma, Yasuo, Udyr, Varus, and Lee Sin. Talon grimaced. He sincerely hoped he would not be fighting Lee.
Once through the first doorway, the corridor split into two. He followed to the right, where the Noxians were headed. After walking for another ten (or so) seconds, they came to a different door. There was a sign on the door, which read: CHAMPIONS ONLY. Swain, who was at the head of the group, shrugged, and pushed open the door. Inside, there were five stone platforms, which had glowing blue runes etched into them. Each of them stepped onto a platform, and waited.
About a minute later, they all started to glow, and felt the telltale tingling of summoning magic. Talon closed his eyes, and waited to be transported. A few seconds later, he was falling. He frowned, trying to rid himself of the queasiness that came with all summoning. After trying for almost a minute, he gave up, and submitted himself to the rest of the uncomfortable journey.
"Welcome to Summoner's Rift!"
Talon opened his eyes to find himself in the 'purple' spawning pool. His fellow Noxians opened theirs also, some wincing at the bright sunlight. They went to the shop and bought their items, then split into their separate lanes without a word. Talon shook his head, then walked over to the shop, purchasing a long sword and three health potions. Talon started walking up to top lane, when Selgar's voice sounded in his head. 'Heh, you bought the right items. What's that, like fifty-three times in a row now?'
Talon rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, before responding. 'How could I forget? You buy the same items every time.' Selgar's laughter rang around his head. 'True, true.' Talon arrived at the final tower, which stood guard like a lonely sentinel. He walked past it, and checked the brush, in case his opponent decided to try and ambush him. Satisfied that nobody was there, he settled himself in the middle of the lane, where he could see everything. The announcer's voice rang out from an unseen place. "Thirty seconds until minions spawn."
'So how have you been holding up lately?' asked Selgar suddenly. Talon pondered the question. 'Good, I guess.' Selgar sighed. 'Talon, I can tell you're lying. I'm in your head, remember?' Talon nodded. 'Yep. I remembered. How could I forget with you running your commentary every few seconds?' Talon sighed, looking at the reflection in his blade. 'The truth is, not well. My nightmares have been getting worse and worse. I hardly get any fulfilling sleep anymore.'
"Minions have spawned!"
'Sounds bad, man.' said Selgar sympathetically. 'Hang in there. You'll pull through.' Talon smiled gratefully. 'Thanks, Sel. I appreciate the support.' Although Talon couldn't see it, he could tell Selgar was smiling. 'No problem. That's what friends are for. Later!'
Without Selgar's constant stream of irrelevant comments, Talon suddenly felt alone. He was strangely relieved when the doll-like minions marched into lane. That relief lasted about three more seconds, until Lee Sin walked into the lane. Mentally, Talon groaned. This was not going to be pleasant.
The two of them started off pretty peacefully, both just farming minions. Occasionally, one or the other would throw out some harass, and then they would return to their routine of slaying minions. This went on for a few minutes, and still no first blood had been announced. Eventually, this mutual peace ended. Lee Sin threw out a Resonating Strike, which struck Talon. He ignored it, because it had been happening for the past few minutes. But then Lee followed it up with a kick, speeding through the air towards the oblivious Talon. Only when the kick connected did Talon notice the attack. Talon spun, his eyes narrowing, and slashed with his blade. Lee countered with a few punches of his own. Talon sent out a volley of blades, which raked through Lee. Lee then slammed the ground with his fist, sending out a shockwave which made Talon stagger. Talon disappeared, making Lee miss his next Resonating Strike. He reappeared behind Lee with his blade held up to strike. They both stood very still, rigid like a pair of wooden boards.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Lee quietly. "Show me your strength." Talon blinked, and suddenly it wasn't Lee standing in front of him, but Kavyn. His brown hair was as messy as always, and his tunic was as ragged as the day he had died. 'Died by my blade.' thought Talon numbly. He felt his vision blurring, and darkness seeped into the edges of his vision. Kavyn turned, his eyes sparkling with the same sense of adventure as they used to. Talon felt his blade drop to the ground, but he ignored it. He reached out to Kavyn, his lips trying to form a sentence. Kavyn tilted his head to one side. "Are you okay, Talon?" Talon trembled, and fell, into the waiting arms of the blackness.
A/N: finally, another chapter. sorry i got a bit lazy on you guys, i took a break and couldnt stop XD. anyway, im back again, and i apologise if anyone suffered from withdrawl. Anyway, enough of that, i know you guys dont care. I want to talk about the story. First of all, who is Kavyn? Well, if you dont know, read Talon's league judgement. Yes, he is a Riot character. Also, im sorta changing it up again like i did with Vayne's lore. So yeah. Next. The timeline is kind of awkward, because Vayne hasn't arrived at the league yet, but a bunch of others have. Just pretend that Vayne never came looking for information, but she will in the future. As well as that, im pretty sure there actually is no Institute of War. No summoners either. In this fanfiction, there is, because i kinda like that setting. So, what's next? how could i forget? ONTO THE RESPONSES!
ThatsNotWhatIZed: i kinda agree, i want to show his badass side, but you can judge this chapter yourself. Did it need more badassery, less, neither? thanks.
ThatsWhatHeZed: how many different accounts do you have!? Anyway, i dont really want to show him like that. I want to portray him as a loner. That sounds cruel.
Edgemans: Sorry, next chapter is another Talon. Just one more to go. I did the update too! Exactly a month later. thanks
iFireLightning: its ok if you suck at reviewing, as long as you actually review it. Im glad you love the plot, and i am trying to keep up a relatively good amount of work. thanks
RazorC: yeah, ive found myself warming to Talon as well. Im glad i managed to get Lee right! thanks
keep up the reviews please! and THANKS YOU ALL!
bbye