Akali's heart threatened to shatter the ribcage that contained it. As much as it was nice to see her father again, dying regrettably didn't kill the fear that consumed her senses once more. There was no running from the eternal nightmare that was Syndra.
"You literally just won't die," Syndra wailed in utter frustration, balling her hands into tight fists. To feed her rage, Akali smirked even though her insides felt like they were being twisted.
Syndra was no longer in a mood to chit chat with her, if the materializing spheres were any warnings. The game of dodgeball resumed with Akali dashing this way and that, and Syndra relentlessly shooting her magic like bullets. The burning prick of fatigue struck her calves and lungs simultaneously, and worry inevitably nestled into her subconscious. Endlessly running wasn't possible on earth like it was in the afterlife, much to her disadvantage. However, the fact that the one second gap between Syndra's attacks was steadily growing by one millisecond was enough assurance for Akali to victoriously quash her nerves for the time being.
"Learn from the past and grow from it," her father had said to her.
Learn from the past? Easier said than done.
Despite the lethargy that Syndra was so obviously succumbing to, at the rate she was shooting, she would unequivocally hit Akali. Trying to buy herself just a few seconds worth of time, Akali threw down a blanket of smoke to makeshift a hopefully efficacious scheme.
Think! What would assassin Akali do? she asked herself. Assassins had little means of defense against magic and avoided direct confrontation unless the kill was secured, this much she knew. So, they would delve in and out of battle to tire their opponent , primarily using the surrounding resources or the environment.
The trees! The leaves would shroud her perfectly and the trees' monumental height would give Akali and eagle's eye of the entire clearing.
The muscles in her legs contracted for the long jump she would have to make. Out of the smoke, her body leapt agilely, so quick that an untrained eye would not perceive her movement. Akali's quadriceps burned as she jumped from the ground to a nearby tree. As she hovered ten feet above the ground, the rough bark underneath her shoes the only thing supporting her, she could feel Syndra's glare boring holes into her skull. Akali twisted her spine so that she could find the next tree trunk to jump to, and in a split second, she launched herself to the next tree. With the last bit of her dwindling energy, Akali flew to the treetops, hooking her kama around a thick branch and flipping onto another one directly above. She landed gracefully on her toes, knees bent outwards in an offensive position, and deviated her scrutiny to the clearing tens of feet below her, where Syndra mysteriously vanished.
It was not in Syndra's nature to stay silent for too long in battle; she much rather preferred a dramatic and ostentatious fight to showcase her terror-inducing magic. So, it did not strike as a surprise when, after a short instance of serenity, a high pitched whistle resonated through the air, creating a vexing ringing deep within Akali's eardrums. Instinctively, Akali snapped her head in the direction of the whistle and shifted her pupils into the peripheral zone. A black sphere about as big as a hand was hurtling towards her, exponentially growing with each second until it reached the daunting size of a human head. Heels dug into the branch, Akali contorted her body awkwardly, and the ball grazed her sides just enough to leave a searing pain and a probable bruise. A second whistle much higher in register than the first sibilated in her ears. The sphere missed Akali completely as if Syndra had blindly shot it, which was completely unwise because of her withering virility.
The true aim behind Syndra's attacks revealed itself shortly after. Akali's heart sank along with the branch supporting her, which dipped downwards dangerously. She began to cautiously inch her way to the stability of the tree trunk and actually was just an arm's length away. An audible, curt snap echoed shortly after, prohibiting all progress she had just made. Blood rushed to her head as she free fell from the sky-high treetops. Several twigs gave way under her weight before Akali finally realized she couldn't hook her kamas around a branch to security. The last method her brain could conjure, which was to bound her way down the tree trunk beside her, was quickly ruled out by the dull aching in her legs.
An idea popped into her brain, one her kamas would surely hate her for. Internally apologizing to her kamas for what was to come, Akali summoned all the brawn in her arms and drove her kamas into the tree trunk. The blade wedged into the bark, forcing her horizontal body into a vertical upright position. However, rather than stop right there, Akali planted her feet firmly onto the bark of the tree and dragged the kamas down and around the tree in a spiral formation to prevent the recoil that her shoulder surely would have suffered. Her body landed roughly on the terrain, to which her bruised side protested vociferously.
Meanwhile, as Akali was falling from the sky like a blazing meteoroid, she failed to notice Syndra lurking nearby, ready to pounce like a deprived lion. As soon as her getas touched the forest floor, a purple mass of magic was tearing through the air for her.
Still frazzled from her descent, Akali found herself bereft of choices. Her only means of defense were her kamas, which she had only ever used to attack. Still, she raised her blades in front of her chest protectively, and just as the sphere was about to puncture her chest, Akali sliced it so ferociously that the air created a loud whoosh against her blade. The magic faded into the air thereafter. Absolutely nothing, and she meant nothing, was more satisfying than the fact that Syndra's signature smirk was now replaced by subsequent shock. Her purple pupils steeled to mask the suicidal emotion, but the damage had already been done.
Akali stepped forward; Syndra stepped back. The tables had officially turned. Trying to dismiss her astonishment, Syndra threw out another bolt of magic, but it evaporated against Akali's kamas. The more frantically she conjured magic, the less the distance between the women became as Akali predatorily stalked her way to the sorceress until they were just a few feet apart. In a frenzied manner, Syndra balled her fist into a wicked punch, but it was fairly easy to sidestep. Akali jabbed her blade into Syndra's stomach, but the magician leapt back just in time to receive only a superficial laceration. Akali lunged forward once more, relishing the way Syndra stumbled clumsily on her heels.
The soreness in Akali's legs had subsided long ago, and she couldn't suppress the small smile that crossed her chapped lips. She leaned her torso forward, and the way Syndra's eyes widened told her that Syndra knew what was coming to her. Akali charged, picking up momentum as she lowered her body until it paralleled ground, with only one target in her tunnel vision. She watched as Syndra hurriedly summoned another sphere in preparation. Syndra drew her hand back, presumably to launch her magic into Akali's face, but Akali knew better. As she neared Syndra, Akali gathered all the energy she had and leapt over Syndra, who had thrown her magic prematurely and thereby missed. Akali swiftly turned around, swiping her kamas into Syndra's back. The cut drew much blood, but unfortunately that was all the damage that Akali was able to inflict.
Unexpectedly, Syndra whipped her body around to face her and pummeled a sphere into Akali's stomach as she began her descent. Pangs of excruciating pain exploded in her midriff as her body flew several feet backwards. The blow robbed her of oxygen, temporarily stunning her, but she recovered in the nick of time to dodge another attack.
Akali lunged forward again, this time flinging her kama at Syndra's head. She avoided it easily and looked at the kama on the ground behind her.
A sneer crept on her lips as she drawled derisively, "You have great aim-"
Turns out, the most effective way to silence Syndra was to give her a solid, walloping punch to the face. Something cracked, most likely her nose, and Syndra crumpled to the ground like a meteor. She cradled her nose, trying to stop the red river streaming down her lips.
Akali hovered over her body, her slender fingers tightening around her kamas in anticipation. There was nothing but alarm etched onto Syndra's face, nothing but outright terror, as if Syndra had never once considered the possibility of her death.
All great kingdoms fall, Akali thought darkly.
Her purple irises darted sideways rapidly before fixating once again on Akali's murderous mien. Something in those shifty eyes made Akali's instinct waver. Amidst her thinking, Syndra swept her feet underneath Akali's and tripped her, a childish tactic. The wind was knocked out of her as Akali landed flat on her back. Syndra scrambled from the ground and towered over her body. Hysteria seized Akali, rendering her immobile. All she could do was watch as Syndra called forth a ball of magic.
Her father would be so disappointed to see her again so soon.
As Syndra pushed her palm forward, Akali winced, preparing to face death once more, but the purple mass disappeared without a trace.
"What?!" Syndra all but shrieked acerbically, staring at where her magic had just been.
"Looks like you're out of magic," Akali smirked, leaping from the ground and tackling Syndra to the ground. She delivered another punch to Syndra's midriff, the exact place where the last sphere had struck her. Syndra hissed, before narrowly landing a right hook to Akali's face. While her attention was occupied, Syndra pushed her off, leapt ungainly to her feet, and took off running.
Coward, Akali cursed under her breath. Her hand touched the forming bruise on her cheek. This exact moment felt oddly familiar, but she chose not to dwell on the déjà vu. She strapped her kamas to her back and followed in Syndra's wake undoubtedly into another one of her dirty traps.
Akali pursued the flash of white hair to where, she hadn't an idea. They must have been venturing deep within the forest, because the sounds of rushing waters soon filled the air. The side of her body where Syndra had battered ached so much that to endure such vigorous running was virtually impossible. Akali dropped her head and rested her hands on her knees, inhaling as much oxygen as she could. Syndra also halted in her steps, but she was far worse off than Akali; running only exacerbated the deep gashes that adorned her body, but she still ambled away despite her blood loss. Akali stood upright and Syndra followed suit, flashing a taunting smile in her direction before running once again.
Akali contemplated what she was getting herself into as she hunted Syndra down. If she was trying to hide from Akali, she would have done so in the confines of the forest, where the trees provided much obscurity. But no, she was running up a very shallow stream and for idiotic some reason, Akali was following her. She couldn't tell if Syndra was running so slowly due to her blood loss or her imminent ploy.
The ground beside the river gradually rose until its height surpassed the treetops. The chirping of the birds was long gone; the only source of sound was from the river as her feet splashed throughout the chase. Syndra tossed another look of derision at Akali, which made her blood boil, and made a sharp turn. Akali slowed to a walk and poked her head around the corner. Before her was a massive pit, large enough to contain a mansion. In the center of it was a copper colored rock of some sort. A figure moved in her peripheral vision and her eyes found Syndra, tucked away in the corner of a crevice. Akali released a puff of air before trudging toward the witch, who was deep within the pit.
But a zephyr that reeked of rotten flesh stopped her. Her blood ran cold, and suddenly the reason why Syndra had led her here dawned upon her. Akali held her breath and turned her head slowly. Rocks weren't supposed to move.
This wasn't a bronze rock beside her.
It was a dragon.
Akali couldn't even expel a sigh of relief as she realized the beast was sound asleep.
Its size rivaled that of Baron's; hell, maybe it was even huger. Its rough scales were the size of her head, each one shimmering under the bright sunlight. The spikes that ran along the span of its spine could impale ten men like a human kebob. Akali had only heard stories of the dragon. Much like the Baron Nashor, its near-invincible strength could only be contained by the strongest of warriors, or at least that's what people had told her. Many warriors had tried and failed, if the number of skeletons that littered the pit was any indication. Her brain began to roam recklessly: if the two beasts fought each other, which would win?
The dragon's breath fanned over her once again, ripping her away from her reflection. Given Syndra's pitiful state, Akali had no doubt that she couldn't gain the dragon's vitality even if the legends were true. If Syndra wanted to get eaten by this dragon, then she would happily oblige. Akali crept softly outside the rim of the pit, but a mischievous snigger stopped her. Akali turned her head back where Syndra was still firmly lodged into the cracked wall. It seemed as though some magic returned to her, for one small but deadly sphere emerged in her palm. Her gaze travelled to the sleeping beast in the center of the pit, and Akali almost vomited with anxiety as she realized Syndra's grand scheme. Her legs hurriedly carried her out of the pit, Akali well beyond caring about the loud splashes her feet produced as they made contact with the water. Her stare was trained on Syndra, eyeing her every move.
The sphere flew into the air before making its way down the earth. It lightly hit the wyvern's eyeball before fading. Syndra snuck back into the rift, leaving a petrified Akali to deal with the aftermath.
Its eyelids slowly opened, revealing the lucid, golden irises underneath that looked like a snake's. It blinked a few times tiredly, and another warm breath washed over her. Hoping that it wouldn't perceive her movements, Akali silently tiptoed around the corner of the pit, her steps extremely minimal and obscure. Her freedom was a foot away, but something within her forced her to stop. Dared she not to turn around and meet the gaze of the beast whose attention she knew was transfixed on her puny body.
Loud flapping could be heard from miles away as the creature extended its wings fully in a satisfying stretch. Akali released a silent sigh and continued to work her way out of the pit, but a thunderous roar obstructed her advancement.
All logic seeped out of the neural networks in her brain, so the only thing she had left to rely on was her primal instinct. It screamed, "Run!" and Akali did just that.
Was she terrified?
No. That didn't quite capture fully the extent to which Akali wanted to defecate her pants.
Scared shitless? Yeah, that definitely could be it.
All logic seeped out of the neural networks in her brain. The only two options that she could think of, both of which wouldn't exactly have the most appealing of outcomes, were to hide, despite the fact that she was currently standing in a freezing (and more importantly exposed) stream, or to flee for dear life without looking back. Maybe in some alternate universe in which humans could outrun dragons that were a hundred times their size would Akali be able to escape with her life, but on this earth, that seemed less than likely.
Thoroughly condemning Syndra and her entire existence, Akali darted out from the pit and ran. Powerful gust-like tornadoes almost swept her off her feet; in fact, for a good second or two, her body was hovering above the water, but that didn't stop her legs from flailing midair. If she stayed with the river, the dragon would easily gain distance and swoop down for the kill. Maybe after she was fully digested in its stomach, it would regurgitate her bones and-
Stop, Akali mentally chided herself.
Something excruciating stabbed at her side, almost making her collapse altogether. It made her vision turn white and her head nauseous. Her attempts to ignore the pain and continue running proved futile, and Akali ground her teeth in both agony and annoyance. With one hand clutching her side tenderly and the other bracing herself on the stonewall, Akali limped down the expanse of the river until the wall slowly shrunk back into the ground, which meant the end of the stream was near.
A massive shadow loomed over her trivial frame. As if to underscore its undeniable superiority, the dragon released bloodcurdling screech, enough to make Akali's eardrums bleed.
No, this wouldn't do.
Akali breathed in until her lungs couldn't expand any further. Mental preparation was something she had lacked during these trying few days, and even now as she began to limp over to the river's boundary, where the entrance to the forest began, did it stubbornly linger. Trees she had no recollection of did little to obscure her from the keen eye of the beast circling predatorily above her, but Akali still staggered onward, her pupils never leaving sight of the feral animal.
Ourgh!
Her body jerked as pain shot up and down her spine. Resting her hand on an immediate trunk, Akali sought protection in her very trusty, camouflaging smoke. She leaned her back onto the rough bark and slid down until her bottom was situated on the dirt floor. She had nowhere to go. Only now did Akali truly let the mystery of her destination sink into her senses. Between the forest and Ionia laid miles of open and free terrain which ultimately meant even more visibility; waddling back to Shen and Kennen was therefore out of the question.
Maybe she could just wait in the forest until the monstrosity relented and flew back to its pit. Based on the way it began to gradually descend from the sky, that wasn't happening anytime soon either.
The only options Akali had left, she realized, were to waste away in the forest until the dragon left, which may as well have been never, or...
Akali cringed as she forced down a swallow in her parched throat. The wyvern's head, she curiously observed, shifted left and right, as if it couldn't see her through the smoke. As far as Akali knew, her smoke screen only worked on humans. Then again, Akali really never had encountered a formidable dragon whose presence was enough to paralyze the bravest of soldiers with fear, so it wasn't completely unbelievable that it really couldn't see her.
Instead of realizing that this kill was more trouble than it was worth like Akali had hoped for, the demon from hell swooped down to the treetops, just mere tens of feet above her. Its eyes were narrowed in annoyance or fury, neither of which reassured Akali to any degree.
The smoke was fading; if she was to do something, it would have to be now, when she still had an iota of protection from the mist. The choice between life and death required no thought. Akali unsheathed her kamas from their straps and latched onto the worn handles until her knuckles cracked. To even consider waiting for death after the different hells she had managed to crawl out of was selfish. There was no more running in fear of the world. Akali had stayed in Ionia to make a difference in the war, and that was a promise she intended to fulfill triumphantly.
Well, at least if the rumors were true.
Two powerful jumps and Akali had darted out of her only source of true protection. The titan's restless pupils revealed its effort to keep its prey in sight, but the one final leap landed Akali on the exposed nape of its neck. The fierce winds bit her cheeks as she awkwardly contorted her body to avoid being skewered by the large spikes on the dragon's spine. Its screeching roar as she safely landed almost threw off her equilibrium, but reflexively grabbed onto a spike.
The bronze beast plummeted straight towards the ground in an effort to heave the unwanted intruder off its back. The unexpected momentum from its rapid acceleration left Akali in a heart wrenching free fall. It increased its speed until Akali was right beside its slim tail; if it flew down any further, she'd have nothing to hold onto and really be stuck in a nosedive straight to the earth. Before it could slip away, she had no choice but to relinquish one kama and hastily wrap her unoccupied fingers around its rugged tail.
Akali's body burned as she rigidly clutched the dragon's tail with only one arm. That her body might physically give up before her mind made her heart sink and her thoughts perilously digress.
It would be easy to give up and to let go, to accept the fact that even though she tried ardently, she still failed the world. Not all heroines had favorable endings; her name would soon be added to the list.
The sweat that had accumulated in her palm loosened her gripe, demoralizing her waning spirit further. It was only a matter of time before her body physically couldn't endure anymore and surrendered to the exhaustion of everything. Somehow, in the thick of Akali's wavering resolution, her father's final words serendipitously slithered their way into her contemplations.
"I await your victory," his lips had mouthed before he departed for the afterlife. Her father was watching over her right now as she hung hazardously from the dragon's tail.
There was no way in hell she would shame him even more.
Understood.
Tears of distress and desolation dribbled down to her jawline, but the gales blew them away as she braced herself for the torment that would surely come her way. She grit her teeth as white flashes of searing pain scurried in her vision. Using what remained of her upper body strength, Akali biceps convulsed viciously as she endeavored to pull herself to safety with her one kama and crawl her way back to its neck like a rock climber.
The distance between the dragon and the ground was greatly decreasing, so the monster adjusted its alignment parallel to the ground. Assembling all the mental and physical valor and strength she had, Akali furled her tremulous digits around the handle of her weapon. There was everything to lose and everything to win.
With one final breath, Akali plunged her only kama into the dragon's vertebrae. As the colossus bellowed in suffering from its excruciating wound, Akali's brain was resolutely transfixed on the premonition of a moribund Syndra.
Syndra was moderately pleased with herself.
That was a lie. She was completely ecstatic. Who else besides her would have thought to lure that whiny bitch straight to the dragon? The horrified expression on Akali's face as she realized she had literally stepped into the monster's lair almost made Syndra howl with laughter. Now that the beast was doing all the fighting for her, Syndra could rest easy for a few minutes and then return to Ionia just in time to witness the end of the beginning. To think she had a whole world to toy with now!
A low hum reverberated in her throat happily as Syndra wormed her way out of the pit and flushed her face with river water. She could feel her magic slowly but surely replenishing in her veins with the tremendous aid of Baron's buff. The last time Syndra had experienced even a sliver of this power was when she had slain her previous master. An ugly scowl formed on her face as she remembered the pitiful man who fearfully tried to dampen her powers. She wondered how he would react to her newfound strength if he wasn't currently rotting in soil.
A distant howl resounded through the forest, causing several birds to flutter frantically from the treetops. The loud crack of tree trunks snapping was mellifluous music to her ears. The dragon was literally tearing down the forest to kill the despicable Fist of Shadow. Syndra released a gleeful cackle and sprung to her feet. Ionia eagerly awaited her. She stepped forward, leaving the forest behind.
But what a shame would it have been to have gone through all that work to kill Akali and not see her battered, lifeless corpse. The sun was still high in the sky, so maybe Syndra could spare a few minutes to relish in the death of her nemesis. Hopefully this time her demise was permanent.
Syndra tossed stray strands of her grimy hair behind her shoulder before searching for Akali's remains. It wasn't long until dozens of toppled trees impeded her pathing. She licked her lips in anticipation. The bloody carcass of the great Akali... perhaps Syndra would bring back her head as a souvenir for the remainder of the Triumvirate. The expressions on their faces would be absolutely priceless. Then, she would kill them and conquer Piltover next. Syndra leapt over several trunks, expecting Akali's body to be brutally crushed underneath one, but to her dismay, it was nowhere in sight. With curiosity and a twinge of worry, she ventured deeper into the woods, but her investigation was proving to be fruitless and ultimately Akali-less.
That changed within a blink of an eye. Her eyes saw what her mind couldn't process. The unmistakable carcass of the dragon was draped limply amongst the ground, its life presumably taken by the kama protruding from its neck. Blood gushed relentlessly out of its fatal wound. Standing atop its head and wordlessly scrutinizing its remains was none other than Akali.
She survived?
No, this wasn't Akali; rather, this wasn't the same person who was ready to faint from horror just moments ago. Gone was the apprehensive, frail coward who doubted her capabilities, replaced with an audacious warrior. A golden, fiery aura radiated from the Fist of Shadow, an almighty gift that almost forced Syndra down to her knees. Only now did Syndra realize she had gravely underestimated the potential of the assassin before her. Her throat bobbed with a nervous gulp as Akali bent down to savagely yank the kama out of the dragon's neck, spurts of blood saturating her crimson robes to an even darker shade. When Akali turned to face her, hell fell upon the earth. The untold fury in her normally placid hazel eyes terrified Syndra. For the second time that day, she truly feared for her life. The assassin trudged forward to her with both hands on her lonesome kama. Syndra's heart sunk with dread as each insubstantial sphere she hurled deflected off of Akali.
Her life, she realized, was finally drawing to an anticlimactic close.
Years of pent up rage fueled Akali as she menacingly strolled over to the quivering sorceress. The added vigor from the basilisk made her feel invincible; it was no wonder why Syndra actively sought out the Baron Nashor. Fear rolled off of Syndra in detectable waves, and the fact that her expressions betrayed all of her vulnerable emotions made this moment all the more enjoyable.
This was the feeling of untold power.
Akali's fingertips ignited in innocuous flames, but not from her newly acquired buff. All Kinkou warriors were required to learn basic spells before they were granted their respective titles. It had been years since she last used this particular spell, but it had also been years since someone had infuriated her to this murderous magnitude.
There was nothing left to say, especially since Syndra's horrified countenance spoke for her. In one fluid motion, Akali bolted behind the magician, whose reflexes kicked in much slower than before. She dug her knee into Syndra's back, a sick but satisfying crack ensuing. Syndra collapsed to the floor. In her palm formed her magic, but it melted on Akali's skin.
"I shall see you in hell," Akali uttered to a horror-stricken Syndra before placing her ignited fingertips over her heart.
Akali didn't smile even as the purple glow around Syndra dimmed. She merely just watched callously as the stench of sizzling flesh assaulted her nostrils.
The last thing Syndra saw before darkness was an enraged, vibrant blur of golden crimson.
And thus, Akali emerges victorious against Syndra. ;)
I waited until the last week to write everything, so forgive me if it's considerably shorter than the last chapter (which I ashamedly took months to write [because I was lazy and lacking incentive]).
We are slooooowly arriving to the end of this fanfic, but there's still much to be addressed, so stay tuned for the next few and final chapters. :^)
As always, I hope you enjoyed this segment, and as always, have a sunshiny day. :)