I need to write more consistently. I feel disjointed from my own story sometimes. Sorry if the writing isn't as good this time. Please leave me a comment though anyways!
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The world came in spurts of color and clarity. Snaps of reality in an otherwise dark and empty void. A flash of a pair of piercing green eyes. The smell of pine trees. The feeling of intense pain throughout his body. It all came in rare moments until finally, consciousness flooded his mind.
For a minute, Talon merely left his eyes closed, lying on what he assumed was a bed, gauging his surroundings. Another presence was nearby. He could hear the quiet sighs of breathing. Stretching his limbs, he felt out his body, groaning from the results. Everything hurt. Even barely moving, he felt a sort of heated pain course through his body.
Ignoring this, he attempted to sit up. A stab of pain in his abdomen quickly brought a hiss to his lips, but he managed to straighten up anyways. Talon quietly surveyed his surroundings. It seemed he was in a small single unit bedroom. It was sparsely furnished with only the bed, a dresser, and a stuffed armchair.
The soft snore was coming from the occupant of said chair. Settled haphazardly between the two arms all Talon could see was a mess of red tresses and splayed limbs. Not wanting to wake her, Talon gently pulled the covers off himself as he silently swung his legs over the side of the bed. However, the pain forced a small grunt.
Katarina's head bobbed up, bleary eyes still unfocused. She looked up at Talon swaddled in bandages with his eyes staring from between brown strands of messy hair. There was a moment of complete stillness. But then with a rush of movement, Katarina was hugging him, her face pressed into his chest. For his part, Talon awkwardly put his a hand on her shoulder, as she mumbled into his body.
"Kat, I can't understand a word you're saying," He winced at her grip, "And you're going to make me bleed through the bandages."
She pulled away instantly, worry all over her face. "I'm so sorry. It was just such a relief to see you awake after all this time."
"How long has it been?"
"Five days."
Talon groaned upon hearing this. Pushing off the bed, he rose to his feet, his legs shaking slightly from the effort. "Talon, you should stay in bed. I wasn't sure you were going to live. I'm not even sure the poison is gone. Your heart even stopped for a minute!"
Smirking, he ignored her as he pulled his cloak off the dresser. "Only a minute? Not even a personal record." Her scowl was all he needed to push past her into the kitchen area. "Besides, I've missed too much already. Five days is far too long to be idle."
"Relax, our troops have already been redirected. The council members still loyal to us are…. Mostly dead, the others have been turned. We have no chance to politically oppose Swain." Almost as an afterthought, "Riven has not been outed with us. It seems Swain doesn't know about her."
"Good, let's use that to our advantage. When can she get here?"
"Actually, she's arriving tonight."
Talon raised his eyebrow at the fortune, "Then let's get ready. We're going to have a lot to discuss."
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After finally finishing showering and shaving, Talon paused in the mirror to apply new bandages. He prodded at the newest additions to his quilt of scars. His arm was healing decently well, but the puncture between his ribs still refused to stop bleeding. Probably a byproduct of the poison. He wouldn't be at his best for a long time.
With only minor grunting, he managed to pull his clothes on. Upon leaving the bedroom, he heard a commotion in the dining area. Wooden boards creaking under his feet, he crossed the doorway into the room. Seated at one of the wooden chairs, talking with Katarina was a certain white haired warrior.
Her head bobbed up at his entrance, "Talon, i'm happy to see you alive." A small strained smile adorned her face. Her eyes didn't meet his and her entire body seemed tense.
"As am I." He smirked, ignoring her state. "But now to business. We have a lot to discuss with certain recent events."
"Yeah," Riven nodded solemnly, "Many changes are currently happening. The purges are one. All of the leaders and troops not loyal to Swain are being rooted out and blatantly killed in the streets by Darius."
Katarina and Talon exchanged a glance, "We've also heard of martial law being declared. Rationing of food, work camps being set up, a strict curfew enforced, and it's only getting worse."
A frown creased Riven's face, "That's true. And Swain is searching for you. Relentlessly. The Du Couteau manor has been entirely burnt to the ground. He's offered a reward for Talon's head, blaming him for the death of Marcus Du Couteau."
Talon clenched his fists at her words. "And what about Katarina?"
"Nothing for her. Perhaps Swain wants her alive for her support."
Katarina snorted, "As if he would ever get that."
"Nevertheless, he's stripping Noxus to find you. It's only a matter of time before he starts broadening the search. But in the meantime, it looks like he is preparing for war."
"Quite." Talon agreed with a clenched jaw, "We'll need to move fast to try and stop this."
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After a sleepless night, the three Noxians rose from the clustered table where they had deliberated all night. At this point, there was hardly any speaking. Riven and Katarina mounted horses while Talon went back inside to change his dressings.
Upon reaching level ground off the mountain, the two woman split without a word. Cantering down a small game trail, Riven continued down for about an hour, before abruptly switching course.
At this point, she had her horse going at a full gallop. Her face was set in a hard blank expression as Noxus rose in his view. Arriving at the gate, she was quickly ushered deep within the confines of High Command.
Finally gaining admittance past a knot of Noxian guards, she made her way into a lavish office in the eye of the mountains skull. Upon her arrival a tall figure turned toward her. A large grin split his face as his dark eyes met her. The crow on his shoulder cawed at the new arrival.
"Ahh Riven, do you have a report for me?"
Talon's final words to them before they separated echoing in her mind. "It's vital we follow the exact steps. One mistake here and we all die. And Noxus with us."
Shutting all of that out of her mind, Riven began, "I know where Talon is, sir."
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Around dusk was when they came. The first sign was the hush of the normal bustle of the forest. A certain quiet before the storm. At the change in atmosphere, Talon gave no indication of change, rather he calmly walked to the back of the house. Swiftly, he untied his horse a post and began to take off to the right of the house towards dense forest.
The horses hooves churned up grass as sped forward. Both of their breaths came in clouds of warm air on the chilly night. One from exertion, one from adrenaline. The whistle of an arrow gave way to the whack of it colliding with his horse. Talon was forced to jump clear as the beast collapsed beneath him. Despite his injuries, he came out of the roll sprinting for the forest.
However, much to his dismay, armored figures rose from the underbrush directly in front of him. A dozen more quickly rode in behind him, cutting off his retreat. He took out the sword at his side, his only weapon.
"Well, are we doing this or what?"
The sound of laughter sounded out at his words. A truly monstrous figure pushed forward. Odd bits of armor covered his purplish skin as he strode forward. His laughter caused the crown serving as his jaw to move up and down.
"We have no need to fight you Blade's Shadow." His voice rumbled, "You're already on your last leg."
The giant pointed a finger at Talon. The archers around him loosed a volley. Talon jumped out of the way but still took a few hits. Each impact was like a hammer pounding into his flesh. Looking down, he realized the arrows were flatheaded, non-lethal.
This realization came just as a set of bolas lashed to his legs. Cutting down with the sword, he only managed to get to his knees just as another volley of arrows flew in. A couple hit the wound on his side causing his vision to swim as the wound opened again.
Talon could only stare up from his knees as Sion paced forward, towering above him. He was already seeing double before the haft of the axe thunked into his head and blackness took over.