The adventures of Fang in the League of Legends.
Chapter 25: The dead blaze of the death knell.
I awoke to the feeling of something lying on my chest. I stretched my right hand and then I stretched my right before leaning upwards slightly to see that Kezia had curled herself up on my chest and wrapped herself in her tails. I gently pushed her off and got up out of the bed. I walked over to the window which presented a bright day with a cloudy sky. The air was warm but nowhere near as warm as it was last night. Grabbing my clothes off the chair I went to take a quick shower before Kezia woke up so that I can get some breakfast before leaving. After I left the shower I went downstairs to get something to eat. I looked in the fridge and noticed some cheese slices which I took and put in between two pieces of bread to make a sandwich. I headed upstairs and found that Kezia already woke up:
"Yo. Morning." I said while taking a bite of my sandwich.
"Morning." She said while stretching. This act made her figure stand out even more than it already was which made me avert my gaze to something else. She obviously noticed this and asked me:
"Something catch your eye?" She said while pushing her chest outwards.
"…no…at least nothing new." I stated humorously. She pouted at this and grabbed the pillow which she then threw at me hitting me square in the face.
"What a way to ruin a good morning." She said angrily.
"I was kidding. Don't take it too seriously." I said laughing slightly.
"You're going to have to do quite a bit to make it up to me then." She stated.
"Such as?" I inquired.
"Well for one make me breakfast. Then we'll discuss your punishment." She said sticking her tongue out at me.
"Haha, fine what do you want for breakfast?" I asked.
"Just…something like that sandwich you have there…please." She said with an uncertain tone.
I was a bit confused as to why she used that tone but I didn't delve too much into it. I went over to the kitchen once again and as I entered I noticed Miss Fortune sitting on a chair eating some eggs. Now this would be normal if it wasn't for the fact that she was topless. I turned on my heel and was about to leave when she asked me:
"Why be embarrassed. It's not like I'm the first pair you've seen." She said casually.
"Nonetheless it's not exactly polite to walk in on a topless woman eating breakfast." I replied looking in the opposite direction.
"Even when they don't mind?" She asked.
"Your morals are slightly different than mine." I stated.
"Still, I don't mind so get whatever you need from the fridge." She said as she stood up and walked over to the sink. Since she was facing away from me I turned around and walked over to the fridge and made another sandwich for Kezia. I finished mine and began to head back when Miss Fortune asked me:
"You're leaving soon?"
"Well we want to be home early today so it'll help if we went on the trip a bit earlier." I explained.
"Oh ok then. Just tell me when you're leaving. I'll see you off." She said slightly disappointed.
"All right…just…put something on though." I requested.
"Fine fine..." She said annoyed.
I headed back to Kezia to find her completely dressed and brushing her hair. I walked up to her and put the sandwich down on the desk:
"Here you go. Enjoy." I said.
"Thanks." She said before cautiously taking a bite. I didn't fully understand her reaction. After she swallowed the piece she let out a small sigh of relief. Even though I've been with her for a while I still didn't fully understand this woman:
"So are you ready to head out?" She asked me while eating her sandwich.
"Pretty much." I replied as I grabbed my coat off the chair and I put my sword by the left side of my waist.
"Then after I finish this sandwich let's go." She said as she took the last bites of her sandwich.
We both headed down the corridor and saw Miss Fortune (who was wearing something on top this time). As we walked up to her she said:
"It was an interesting evening. I hope to see the both of you again sometime."
"Sure thing. Just call me or send me a letter if you want to meet up." Kezia said happily.
"All right. See ya." She said as we opened the door outside and left.
The warm and calm wind was really nice to feel on the skin and as we headed down towards the shipping yard there were brief gusts of ocean breeze which made everything better. We walked down in silence. We both admired the surrounding area, I looked out towards the sea which looked really calm and looked as if it invited people to swim in it and to sail in it. Kezia on the other hand was busy looking over the market stalls which were selling various fruits which were reflected in Kezia's golden eyes. I instantly understood that she wanted to get something to eat so I looked in my pocket to see if I had any spare change left over from last night. I fumbled about a bit and managed to take out a few gold coins which glistened in the sunlight. Kezia's ears twitched as soon as they heard the sound of the coins clashing against each other. She turned around and looked at me with the cutest expression she could muster. I didn't have much of a choice then and we headed over to the market to see what we could get with the loose change that I could spare:
"So, I have ten gold coins that I can spare which won't go towards the payment for the trip. Pick anything you want within that price range." I said looking around to see if there was anything I wanted myself.
"Hmmm…I'll take a look around. Don't leave this spot." She replied as she ran away into the crowd of people. I exhaled as soon as she was out of sight and rather than standing around doing nothing and looking like a complete idiot I walked up to one of the market stalls and looked at what they were selling. Most of the stall was covered in various types of fish and fish related goods except for one square part which was selling tablecloth and kitchen utensils (presumably special utensils to eat fish). Before I could inquire as to why the utensils were there I was pulled out of the group of people surrounding the stall and dragged deeper into the market at high speeds. As soon as we stopped I noticed Kezia standing in front of me pointing towards a caramelized apple. I sighed and asked her:
"Really? Nothing traditional from this place?"
"Well apart from the large amounts of fish there isn't really a tradition to this place…well the alcohol too but you get the idea." She said with a smile.
"Oh well. How much is it?" I asked.
"Nine gold." She said.
"Well at least it's within the price range." I pushed my way through the crowd and when I eventually reached the owner of the stall I asked for one of the apples. I handed him nine gold pieces before taking the apple and carefully working my way back to where Kezia was standing. I walked out of the crowd and handed the apple over to Kezia who instantly began to lick it...strangely. I looked at her with a questioning look and she replied with an innocent one. We both headed further down the docks and eventually reached the touristic attraction that was gathering quite a bit of attention. The creaky floorboards did a very good job at supporting the large amount of people that were constantly traversing it and I was surprised that they were still holding despite their condition. Me and Kezia both walked up to one of the ticket salesmen and asked:
"How much for a ticket for two?" I asked casually.
"One ticket is seven gold pieces lad." Said the salesman. A rather large and round man who probably had many years of experience piloting a ship. More giveaways were given by the multitude of tattoos that he had on both biceps and on his cheek. Also the fact that he was missing a leg which was instead replaced with a cutlass (of all things, probably a speedy repair job) and had a multitude of scars affirmed my suspicions. I handed over the money and he said: "Enjoy yer trip." With a small laugh. I nodded and walked onwards onto the ship. There was a multitude of people, tourists and locals, who were doing various things. Some were gambling in the corner of the ship, some were talking, some were drinking and others were simply looking out at the sea. Me and Kezia both found a spot on the staircase where we sat down and waited for the tour to start. After a while the ship left the docks and began to sail through the ocean. I looked in between the railing out into the sea and saw how the sun's rays danced across the waves which were gently being disfigured by the wind. The beautiful scene seemed to catch the eyes of many people but when Kezia stood up and went up the stairs, I thought that I was dreaming because the sight that was presented before me was one that I would never have imagined to be able to see in real life. Kezia was looking over the railing out into nothingness and as the sun softly outlined her figure the wind shifted her hair into one direction as her golden eyes reflected the aquatic blue of the sea. She shifted her gaze towards me and giggled when she noticed me admiring her beauty. She gestured to me to come over so I got up and walked up to her. Standing to the left of her I asked her:
"You're enjoying the view?"
"It's beautiful. I already noticed that you were enjoying the view. Both of them." She blushed as she covered her face with her tails.
I also blushed slightly at that remark: "It's hard to decide which one is better though…" I said pretending to be in thought.
"…meanie…" She said quietly.
"Heh. So what do you wanna do when we get back?" I asked.
"Nothing special…probably lounge around all day before I get summoned for matches again." Kezia replied in a dreamy tone. Guess the ocean was a bit mesmerizing.
"Hey! I can see the caves now." I exclaimed.
Kezia woke up from her daydream instantly: "Wha-Really?" She strained her eyes to focus on the rather small sight of a group of rocks in the distance: "Oh yeah…awesome. I wonder how much time we're going to get to spend there?" She inquired.
"I didn't bother asking." I replied with honesty.
"Well whatever, at least we get to do something other than drink or fight." She laughed softly.
"Haha yeah…" I said as I looked towards our destination.
After a few more minutes of plain sailing, flirting and general banter the ship finally reached our destination. The Bilgewater caves. Although it wasn't near as beautiful as the caves that you can find in Freljord (according to Kezia) they still had a very interesting vibe. We were given an hour and a half to wander around and explore as well as a map of the caves to make sure that we didn't get lost. Me and Kezia both headed down the route leading into the main chamber of the cave. There was a small amount of artificial lighting included as most of the area was illuminated by the water and the crystals that were imbedded into the cave walls. Going further along the path which was beautifully illuminated we were both amazed at the structure and the rough beauty of the cave and its crystals. After a short while I noticed a small pool of water which radiated with a larger luminosity than the other and my curiosity peaked when I noticed a splash sound resonating from that area. Walking over I knelt down and found that there was a beautiful silver fish living in the water:
"Hey Kezia come and see-" I turned around only to find that Kezia wasn't there anymore: "Heeehh….where did she run off to now…" I sighed as I headed back along the path that we just came from. I could have sworn she was with me just a second ago…either way I needed to find her since it'd be a pain in the ass to get left behind. I walked around calling out her name a few times only to hear it resonating through the caves for what seemed like an infinite distance. The other tourists probably took other routes to enjoy the view hence the reason why me and Kezia were by ourselves. Just as I was about to call out one more time I felt something grab my arm (again) and drag me down a small path that I failed to notice before. After a short while I was pulled up to my feet and I already guessed who it was because the appendage that grabbed my arm was white and furry which could only mean one thing: Kezia. As soon as I brushed my pants off from all the dirt and dust that accumulated while I was being dragged along the floor I look at Kezia's grinning face with an unamused look. I already guessed what she wanted to do while we were not within public sight:
"No." I said sternly.
"Oh come on…I went through all that effort to get you here in a secluded place…" She said seductively,
"I'm not what you'd call ready for this…" I replied still a bit unamused,
"But I am." She said as her tails flailed about wildly behind her.
"You really are a push girl." I said as I leaned against one of the walls with my arms crossed.
"What can I say, it's in my blood." She replied innocently.
"Either way, I don't mean to hurt your feelings but I'm simply not ready to make that kind of step." I explained.
"Hurt? I'm not hurt, in fact it kind of makes me happy when you say these kinds of things. It makes me understand that you care about me and our relationship more than you make it seem." Kezia explained while blushing profusely.
"So why do you keep making these advances?" I asked genuinely interested in the subject seeing as how she had a deep understanding of my thought process.
"Well…I don't really know. It's more like an urge you know?" She said innocently.
"Makes sense…" I mumbled to myself.
"Either way, now that that's settled…I guess we could continue exploring." She said while scratching the back of her right ear. This action made it twitch reflexively.
"Now that that's out of the way let's go." I said with a smile.
Exploring the caves further we came across a few interesting animals and plants that weren't seen anywhere else and we came across certain areas which were made out of pure crystal and whatnot. Eventually we noticed that we had to start heading back as the time remaining was close to fifteen minutes. We went back along a different route which showed us a different color other than the aquatic blue that we were exposed to constantly. Along the way we saw a few of the other tourists which made us feel reassured that we were heading along the right path. Eventually we reached the entrance (or exit, however you want to call it) of the cave and we headed back up onto the ship. During this time I noticed that a there were a few storm clouds heading towards us so I hoped that we would get back to the docks before the storm hit. After finding a place to stand and admire the still sea I noticed how the waves started to become more choppy and active due to the oncoming storm. As soon as everyone was on board the ship started sailing, it seemed that the captain didn't want to deal with a storm and much as any of the passengers and so he started to sail as soon as he got that chance. Leaving the caves behind Me and Kezia sat down on the floorboards and rested our backs against the guardrails. Everything seemed fine and luckily we were escaping the storm quicker than it could catch up to us so it seemed that we wouldn't have to deal with any of the rough conditions that fishermen sometimes have to deal with. That's when I started to notice out of the corner of my eye certain things floating by. At first I couldn't tell apart what they were and that's when I began to realize that the speed of the ship was slowing down. I got up and walked over to the front end of the ship to see the reason for the decrease in speed. As I peeked over the edge I saw that there were more, larger, ice blocks getting in the way of the ship's course. I recalled the warning that we were told about yesterday evening: "Fucking great…" I mumbled to myself as I hung my head down. I walked back to Kezia who looked at me with a confused expression:
"Remember that warning that the girls gave us yesterday?" I told her.
"The one about disappearing ships?" She asked still confused as to where the conversation was headed.
"Yeah that one, remember they mentioned something about ice?" I asked her.
"Umm…oh yeah. That there were traces of ice found nearby where the ships disappeared." She said as she stood up.
"Well guess what we ran into." I said as I pointed towards the front of the ship.
"Great…" She said sarcastically while preparing a small orb in her palm.
"Whatever the case is, I doubt we're going to have an easy time going home." I said as I looked towards the oncoming storm. I figured we had three minutes at best before it hit. The ship continued to veer around the floating ice blocks while me and Kezia were prepared to fight whoever, or whatever it was that would come on board. Soon raindrops started to fall and there was still no sign of whatever it was that would attack us. The ship began to rock violently from side to side as the waves became more aggressive and after a few more minutes the storm us directly on top of us. Most of the tourists took refuge in the ship itself while me and Kezia looked around carefully. Maybe I was overthinking things and that this was ice that was leftover from a previous attack. As I began to think of various possibilities I felt something cold behind me. I instinctively dodged to the side and a swung my blade at the assailant and instead of having my strike connect I was blocked by a small wall of ice. I backed up a few steps to see an old man…maybe fifty years old at most, dressed in a white robe and carrying the whitest blade I have ever seen in my life. Kezia sent one of her orbs at the man who froze it with the tip of his blade which shocked both me and Kezia. Being able to freeze spirit energy wasn't something anybody could do…let alone so quickly:
"And you are?" I asked suspiciously.
"You don't have to concern yourself with that boy." Said the old man coldly.
"A personality befitting of the blade…how typical." I said as I lunged at him hoping to provoke some form of reaction. Before I could land a hit a wall of ice was once again erected in front of me blocking me from successfully attacking. Before I could regain my footing the wall changed its shape into a multitude of ice spikes, each shooting in my direction. I dodged the best I could in mid-air, twisting my body to avoid any fatal hits. I managed to escape with only a few scratches:
"What's the rush boy? Don't you want to live out your full life?" Said the old man mockingly.
"Not if I run into annoyances like you all the damn time." I panted: "Kezia, go get the other safe, I'll keep this sack of bones at bay." I said with a smile.
"Geez, you keep doing this to me you know…fine." She said angrily: "Just don't die alright?" She looked at me worryingly.
"Like hell I'll die." I said before standing up straight and preparing for another attack. As Kezia began to head towards the lower decks the old man sent a large amount of ice pieces flying her way. Before I could react she turned around and melted the ice with her fox flame allowing me to relax a bit. As she disappeared into the depths of the ship I asked the old man once more:
"Mind telling me your name at least? I dislike fighting people without a name."
"…As I said it's of no importance to you, I will dispose of you and continue on with the mission." Said the old man coldly.
"Regardless, I'll at least want to know the name of the man who killed me." I was starting to get slightly annoyed.
"Mordecai, my name is Mordecai. And since I was courteous enough to tell you my name, I at least want to know the name of my victims." He said in a conceited manner.
"Fang, Fang Reversi." I said with a serious tone.
"Reversi? It seems that my catch has been greater this time around…" He said slyly.
Without warning an ice spike began to grow out from underneath me, I dodged given the small delay and sent a dark requiem as a counter attack. The attack was once again blocked by the wall of ice. The location of the battle was highly disadvantageous for me, a fight on a ship in the middle of the sea in the middle of a storm against an ice mage. I knew that my odds weren't the best but I wouldn't go down without a fight. I sent another dark requiem in his direction before void stepping behind him. Anticipating this course of action he sent a collection of ice shards flying in my direction which I managed to block. Neither ranged nor melee attacks work on this guy…I could use nocturne of shadow but that would destroy the ship. But there was probably a limit to how many walls he can put up at one time, and there had to be a limit to how many attacks they can withstand. I had three courses of action left…deciding to go with the safest option first I began to send out a flurry of dark requiems, hoping that at some point the wall would break. To change the pace of the battle I began to void step around the ship to send attacks from different sides but it didn't seem to change much in terms of damage. Instead I prepared one of my strongest Iai's to try and break the wall. Using my Iai of lust I managed to form a large crack in his defenses but as soon as I was done with the attack I was met by a collection of spikes heading straight for my face. I dodged all but one which got my right in the shoulder. The ice added an extra bit of pain when I detached myself from it as it became jagged like an army dagger at the top end. At this point I understood that nothing simple would work against this guy, I'd have to pull out that technique…:
"You're one hell of a swordsman I'll give you that." I said with annoyance.
"Likewise. Nobody has lasted this long and managed to cause such extensive damage to my shield." Mordecai said in a slightly praising, slightly mocking tone.
"Either way, it goes against the grain to suggest this but…what do you say we wrap things up here?" I suggested.
"That's not such a bad idea…I'm a busy man after all." He said seriously.
I exhaled deeply and prepared myself: "Midnight requiem, first verse: Sorrow." As my aura enveloped me I felt a surge of power. The same power I used to escape Noxus…I couldn't maintain this form for too long but it might give me the edge necessary to defeat Mordecai:
"Hmm…it's not complete…" Murmured Mordecai.
Paying no attention to his musings I rushed forward with a large array of attacks, trying to get him to slip up at some point. As my attacks landed the expression on his face changed. Instead of being one of confidence he held one of worry now. That means that my attacks were probably affecting him. I sped up and continued to attack him. Eventually the shield broke and he was forced to dodge my following dark requiem which gave me a chance to get close to him. He drew his blade and we both began to exchange blows. Carefully focused I blocked and counter attacked as best as I could and managed to land a few light scratches on his cheek, shoulder and neck. After a short while we clashed swords and began to duel in a test of strength. Although he was no slouch I managed to push him back and regain some distance. I sent out another dark requiem and dashed towards him, giving him little space for counter attack. Just before I reached him I noticed a sly smile form on his mouth as he murmured something once again:
"Zamoroz, Snegurochka."(Freeze, Snegurochka (Santa's helper in Russian mythology))
In once instant I was suspended in mid-air without an understanding of what happened. I looked around for an explanation and I saw how the attack which I sent out earlier was frozen solid, and one of the spikes protruding from the wave of frozen energy had impaled me through the stomach. I coughed up a bit of blood on the ice as it retracted itself from me. Falling to my knees I held my hand close to my wound, my vision was getting blurry but I wasn't ready to give up yet. I staggered as I stood up and my hand began to shake:
"You are a good fighter…but nonetheless you lack connection…one who does not know his own blade cannot hope to defeat me…" Explained Mordecai.
"What do…you mean?" I panted while coughing up a small amount of blood.
"You amplify your damage by forcefully injecting your aura into your soul…but that is the incorrect way…" He said as he slowly walked up to me. As soon as I stepped forward to try and get in range a multitude of spike rose out of the ground impaling me through my shoulders, the side of my stomach, arms and legs:
"You have fought a good battle…but the result was inevitable." He said as he retracted the spikes and sent out a multitude of ice shards in my direction. The momentum of being hit by the fast moving projectile while in the air sent my flying into the guard rail on the other side of the ship. I began to lose consciousness as I heard a familiar voice shout:
"FANG!" Kezia who was standing at the entrance to the lower decks of the ship screamed at the sight of her lover being bloodied to such a point.
"Oh? You're still here. I'll have to get rid of you as well it seems." Just as Mordecai was about to command his ice to impale Kezia he felt a heavy weight crushing on him. He turned around and instinctively formed a large, spiked shield to block the incoming attack. The entire left portion of the shield was destroyed and Mordecai's left shoulder was badly damaged. He looked up and saw Fang, completely impaled through his left lung hanging off of one of the spikes:
"What was that…was that..him? He's more dangerous than I thought he would be…I should get rid of him." Mordecai thought to himself. He brought his shield to the edge of the ship and hung the unconscious Fang over the edge:
"Wait…please stop…" Kezia pleaded.
"Don't worry…you'll join him soon enough little miss." Mordecai said as he retracted his spike which caused Fang to fall into the raging ocean. Kezia dropped to her knees as tears began to form in her eyes…she couldn't believe what was happening. She would never have imagined Fang to die…let alone lose such a fight, against a rivaling swordsman. As Mordecai lifted his blade and sent a wave of ice in Kezia's direction he stopped just before it hit:
"Mordecai…stop." The female voice spoke in his mind.
"Why…they're going to ruin everything if I let this one get away." Said Mordecai in his mind to the female voice.
"I'm ordering you to stop. There is…a situation here for which I need your assistance." The female voice commanded in an angry tone.
"…All right…But if we get the league chasing after us it's your fault." Mordecai replied distastefully: "Consider yourself lucky…or unlucky. I will spare your life today…but pray that we never meet again fox." Said Mordecai coldly before disappearing leaving Kezia on her own on the ship…
Meanwhile elsewhere…
Everything is black…I can't see anything. Is this death? No…I can still feel warmth from inside of me…Where am I? Is this the ocean… I thought to myself as I floated through the darkness. I couldn't even make out my own hands when I brought them to my face. After what felt like an eternity I landed softly on my back on a surface. I stood up…the pain was gone? Maybe this really was death…but then why do I still feel warm…I walked down the unknown path ahead of me. Another thing which confused me was how I was able to breathe underwater…and how I was not running out of air…more and more confusion befell me the further I travelled when I saw someone in front of me…sitting down on what I guessed was a ledge. I walked closer to the figure and asked it: "Who are you?" It felt strange speaking normally underwater…that is if it was underwater:
"XXX XXX XXX" The figure replied.
"What?" I was confused. I saw the figure speak but I couldn't hear it speak.
"XXXX XX XXXXX" It said again.
"I can't understand you…who are you?" I asked. The figure stood up and turned around. The area around him lit up into a white bright light and I managed to hear something that it was saying: "My name is-" Is all I managed to figure out before I opened my eyes once again to the sight of the inside of a tent. I blinked a few times and tried to stand up only to be met with incredible pain all over my body: "What the hell was that?" I thought to myself as I tried my best to stand up again. My whole body was covered in bandages and next to me I saw a collection of old, bloodied bandages. I pushed through the pain and limped towards the tent's exit. I opened the flap and I was met by the sound of nature. I didn't know where I was or what happened in the time that I was unconscious but I would try to find answers. It took a short while for my eyes to become adjusted to the sun and soon I was able to make out the surrounding scenery. A forest. A forest with large trees. There was a campfire in front of a tent and I managed to make out a figure sitting next to the small river. Wherever I was, I wasn't in Bilgewater anymore…
A.N: I will try to get longer chapters with more content out after this one. I just wanted to make up for lost time with these two, sorta short chapters. Please enjoy reading the rest of the story. ^_^