Author's notes:
2021-06-10: Hey, I would like to present a short preview of the very next chapter of the story I'm currently working on. Please, let me know whether you like it or not, so I could adjust and get better with time. 2021-06-21: Hey, I'm really sorry that it took so long to finish the chapter; however, I have had quite a lot of assignments lately. As I have mentioned before, I'm near the end of my 2nd degree, so my time is currently a little bit of a problem. Still, I'd like to apologise for not finishing the piece earlier. I don't know when the next piece of any story will be released. I will try to write something as quickly as possible; however, it will depend on how much time I will have available for myself. As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :) Changelog: Schedule for the nearest future: Bonuses' section: *bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D ** It is possible for me to change the schedule a little. So stay tuned for the upcoming information.
[2021-06-10]: A preview was released.
[2021-06-21]: An entire chapter was released.
1. Last Christmas (finishing up the story).
2. Prisoner of Your Eyes (next chapter).
3. Black Diamond (2 next chapters)/(possibly finishing the story).
4. The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (2 next chapters).
5. Alone (2 next chapters)/(possibly rewrite).
6. My home is where my heart lies (a long, possibly 10k + words chapter).
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
A story regarding KaiKali (aka Akali x Kai'sa).
Sometimes it's just better not to know (possibly rewrite).
Kiss the rain (more than likely rewrite).
Whispers in the Dark (extending beyond 2 chapters story).
Story of one lost soul (translation of 2 of my old texts - previously written in polish).
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
End of author's notes.
"Remember, have little to no time," Talon reminded, lowering his voice to a barely hearable whisper. "We better split up; that way, we have at least some chance of finding the dagger. Katarina, use your blades only if it's necessary," he added, fixing his gaze on his foster sister.
"Pfff," the redhead scoffed. "As you want, brother," her response was oozing with venom. "Have fun with whoever is that bitch you're going to fuck," Katarina added venomously, passing next to her foster brother.
"We'll have a serious conversation after this escapade," the dark-haired man uttered quietly.
"These are only promises; you're not posing any threat to me!" the bloody-red-haired woman responded whilst getting closer to the door.
By the look of things, it seemed that the door had been installed here years ago. More than that, it had not been maintained ever since. The ubiquitous humidity that was present here severely weakened the oaked wood the door had been built of. The red-haired assassin was positive that a single kick would be enough to break them into pieces. Still, she remembered what her brother had told her. With a quiet sigh, she stopped, listening. For a couple of moments, she was just waiting, trying to hear someone passing by the door, yet, no sounds had come.
"It seems no one's around," she told Talon. "Want to proceed, or just sitting on your arse her?" she could not deny herself a chance to mock him.
"After you, my dearest sister," the dark-haired man uttered emotionlessly, readying himself.
"Pfff," Katarina scoffed. "Quit that shit; it isn't even funny anymore," she added.
"Has it ever?" Talon replied with a question of his own.
"Fuck you! We're going in," the redhead ordered.
Within the next few moments, she opened the door, trying to make sure to do so as quietly as she could. Thanks to some Gods ruling above them, the lock mechanism and hinges had not creaked. The change was wordlessly welcomed by the pair of assassins.
"I'm taking the left side," the bloody-red-haired woman uttered. However, when she turned around, her foster brother was nowhere to be seen. "Fuck you, asshole," she allowed herself to curse under her nose.
Without anything better to do, she proceeded with her plan, taking the left side of the corridor. It felt as if she was in a maze of some sort; every turn seemed identical, identically leading to nowhere. With time, it started to annoy the red-haired woman; the frustration was only raising and raising.
Dim light was cast by jewels embedded in the walls. The cold was overwhelming, slowly creeping in, taking any signs of life away. They seemed abandoned, left behind, locked up, lost in time. The feeling was challenging to describe; however, something wrong could be literally felt, something entirely out of place.
The more she pushed forward, the more it became apparent that she had been caught in a web-way of corridors. Noxian assassin could have sworn that she had already passed the wall with 3 long shreds, markings on it. Suddenly, as if someone shook her up, the realisation came. She immediately fixed her gaze upon the wall, inspecting the markings.
She could not muffle the quiet gasp that left her throat. The engraved lines awfully resembled the clawing marks; and… if it had happened to be the case, Katarina would have rather been somewhere else than to meet the 'thing' responsible for that act. Something was evidently messed up here. And, frankly saying, the assassin would not want to be part of that 'something'.
The sounds of the heavy boots began echoing from up ahead. Even though the redhead couldn't tell the distance between her and the source of the sounds, she tensed. Someone or something was coming. She panicked. It should have never happened for an assassin as experienced and famed as her, yet here she was. The nearby surroundings were scanned in a matter of a fraction of a second. There was a door on her left; she could potentially hide in the room behind them. Without much thinking, she began fulfilling a relatively simple plan.
Noxian completely disregarded the panic attack that overtook her. If the distance between her and the door had been slightly longer, she would have bumped into the wooden frame with enough force to breach it. Thankfully, it was not the case. The impact, even if noticeable, opened the door whilst leaving it mostly intact.
Katarina did not dare to look behind herself once the door had been closed. She remained on high alert, every single muscle in her body ready to counteract if the situation required it. The woman could feel her heart intense beating; she could feel cold sweat running down her chin. The room she had sealed herself in might have had an only entrance. If the events had unfolded wrongly for her, she would have been trapped here without a way out.
She froze, trying to enhance her hearing sense as much as possible, trying to catch the sounds of the approaching person. The assassin did not have to wait long. The sounds of heavy boots reached her only a couple of moments later. Then… she heard the conversation.
"I'd strongly suggest finally dealing with the 'monster' held here, Sir," the feminine voice sounded. "It's getting harder and harder to keep it underground; it has already torn 4 keepers to shreds. 3 of these poor people met their demise this week. With all due respect, we can't keep it here any longer, Sir."
"I've read these reports, Aline," the familiar manly voice responded. "It pains me that the decision is beyond my reach. I'll need to persuade the king's council before we can even try to kill it. And… sadly, it won't be an easy feat to achieve; these ministers are the bunch of elderly men who have already forgotten how the blood taste," the man provided a brief explanation. "However, I can assure you of one thing, Aline; I'll do everything in my might to get permission for this 'monster' immediate extermination."
"I can't ask for more, Sir," the female soldier replied with noticeable awe in her tone.
"Aline, how many time have I asked you to call me by my first name?" the officer asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "We're all servant of Demacia; we're not so different. Our blood had been shed in numerous conflicts; our lives are being thrown away just to buy another day for our great nation. I regard all of you as my brother and sisters; in many ways, you're far closer to me than my real family," he added, lowering his tone slightly.
"I know, Sir… Garen," Aline responded, swiftly correcting her mistake. "However, you're still the leading officer for all of us. It's difficult to kill or disregard habits," she tried to explain.
"It's perfectly understandable," Garen responded. "Still, I want you to see me as a man, as a brother standing side by side with you; it's my goal; quite frankly, one of many things that I swore when I picked up my sword for the very first time."
"You're already a legend, a role model for many, Garen," the woman assured Demacian champion. "You've changed so much; you've given you blood, sweat, and tears for our nation. We can't ask for a better leading officer. And… we're willing to follow you even if it means charging into the abyss," Aline explained confidently.
"And… I couldn't have asked for better soldiers to fight by my side," Garen uttered, allowing a short burst of laughter to sound. "You're giving me strengths to fight for a better future of Demacia; you're the catalyst for me."
"These… words… are unexpected, Garen," the female officer mumbled. "Nevertheless, they're welcomed."
The further part of the conversation was cut off by the loud growling coming from nearby. It was immediately followed by the unpleasant sounds of claws scratching the stone. One thing was evident, the 'monster' was nearby and was about to start its hunt.
"Aline! Stand behind me; we'll be needing reinforcements," Garen's voice sounded once again.
Katarina allowed herself to wait for a couple of additional moments, trying to regard her current situation. At least from her perspective, the best-case scenario would be the 'monster' attacking the Demacians. Sadly, it was not a guaranteed outcome.
The maze-like corridors were filled with cacophonic sounds within a few next seconds. Thanks to some being seated above them, the creature opted to hunt down the pair of Demacians. Such events unfold left the redhead assassin with many possibilities and chances. With a quick rush of hot blood, Katarina decided to leave her temporary hideout; it was high time for her to resume the search for the dagger.
The bloody-red-haired woman no longer had to regard her actions. She could run straight ahead, not caring about the sounds she would make. Such an opportunity was quickly taken advantage of. Without a moment of hesitation, the door was opened, and the assassin began running. She chose to run in the opposite direction the sounds of a chaotic fight were coming from.
It would be difficult to say how long the run lasted. The Noxian assassin quite quickly came to the same conclusion as earlier; the entirety of the damn level was a freaking maze. Every single corridor, every wall seemed to be identical; it was making it really challenging for the woman to reach her destination. Just like earlier, her frustration quickly started to get out of control.
"Fuck!" the redhead allowed herself to yell. "Who was the fucking masochist that built that fucking maze!?" she continued to shout on top of her lungs. In any other situation, such an extreme outburst of emotion could have been a costly mistake; however, it was not one of such cases.
"I assume you didn't have much luck in finding the dagger?" the sudden sound of Talon's voice made Katarina jump.
"Can you act like a normal person for once?! Fucking idiot!" the bloody-red-haired woman started to shout her complaints.
"I'd strongly suggest you stop shouting," Talon uttered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I'm not the one to place a blame onto," he added in a low voice. "You've equally fucked up."
"Wait… does it mean that you didn't find the damned dagger as well?!" the woman assassin asked angrily. "Where is it?"
"It's not here, at least no longer," the dark-haired man responded stoically. "I've managed to find out that it was moved according to the Crownguard's family order. As a part of the exchange, they moved Garen here. Unfortunately, I don't know the reason behind it," the man explained.
"I've had a pleasure to obtain this piece of information," Katarina scoffed. "Apparently, there's a creature held here; they're calling it simply, 'monster'. I overheard the conversation between Garen and some officer named Aline. Sadly, it was cut off prematurely by the sudden attack of said 'monster'," the redhead uttered, rolling her eyes in discontent.
"Let's move out of here," Talon stated. "We won't obtain any additional pieces of information here; it's pointless to waste our time then," he added with a heavy sigh.
"Was the sex at least decent?" Katarina started to mock. "You've done nothing; you're useless!" the woman continued to spit venomously.
"I see that you're not willing to learn out of your own mistakes," the dark-haired assassin growled. "I've overcome you once; it won't be difficult to replicate it," he threatened.
"You're all about talking!" the redhead mocked again. "You're making threats; however, they're nothing more than some sort of promises that will never be fulfilled," she spat. "You're just an imposter who lacks the guts to do the job done!"
"Quite a contrary," the man uttered emotionlessly, his voice cold as ice. "Between two of us, I'm the one who's always sealing the case; your arrogance and disregard of rules have already costed you dearly. Must I remind you who made this scar of yours?" he started to close the distance between them.
"Cut your shit, Talon!" the bloody-red-haired woman shouted. "You're the reason for all of my problems. Maybe, it's high time for me to kill you and resolve all of them?!" the woman challenged her foster brother.
"You're a madman sometimes, Katarina," the dark-haired man replied. "You have potential to become one of the best; however, as I mentioned, your arrogance will be your downfall. If I were you, I'd choose my allies and enemies more carefully."
"As if you're able to beat me," Katarina scoffed, then mocked her brother. "I'm better; father knew that; everyone knows that. It's quite simple, actually. I'm of noble whilst you're just a whelp taken straight out of the slums. You can't change that. And… deep inside, you know that too," the woman continued to mock, flashing mischievous smiles.
"I'm sorry, but you're talking too much, my dearest sister," the foster child of Du Couteau's house uttered emotionlessly. "Maybe… just maybe, one day you'll finally understand and stop throwing your fists at everyone," he added before vanishing.
Taking by surprise, the redhead did not manage to counteract. Before she could do anything, she felt a strong punch reaching her left cheek. The sheer force of it threw her into the nearest wall, making her lose her consciousness as a side product.