Author's notes:
2022-02-25: Hey, a small update for the story. So far, it is only a preview. However, I should be able to finish it soon. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release.
2022-02-28: Hey, I have updated the preview, adding some additional text. However, I have failed to finsih it as of now. I will be trying to complete the chapter tomorrow, but I can't promise anything. Anyways, I hope you like it :)
2022-03-06: Hey, the chapter was finally finished.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-02-25]: A preview was released.
[2022-02-28]: The chapter was updated. I have added around 800 words, but it is still a preview.
[2022-03-06]: The chapter was updated, and its latest version was released as the final one.
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
References:
Stratovarius - Black Diamond.
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
Akali (a few moments later):
The bluish glow surrounding the tunnel's end could easily cause a shudder. But, it was only a prelude to the horror sealed inside the cocoon. The closer the white-haired woman got, the more details she could spot. The cocoon seemed to work like a stasis pot of sorts. Through its thick membrane, the twisted abomination of a human could have been seen. For a brief moment, Akali wanted nothing more than to pierce through the outer layer, killing off the thing held inside. Still, the generator located on the nearby shelf had its priority. The light system must have been restored.
"For the suck sake, do not try to pod out now!" the huntress cursed silently.
Within seconds, she found herself next to the old piece of technology. The still-blackout pink-haired officer was gently put down against the wall. Akali knew she was all too affected by the woman. She would not have been able to see her getting hurt. So, there was only one way for her to proceed, forward. So, without hesitation, she reached out toward the generator.
The process was slow and frustrating. Even though architecture-wise, the generator was ancient, at least by Akali's people's standards, it gave her some trouble. The frustration only grew as the sounds of claws grew ever closer. Not to mention that the pod seemed to react to their presence. The huntress could have sworn that it had started to occasionally tremble. It was a bothering realisation, to say the least. However, the white-haired woman first needed to deal with the damned piece of technology. Then, she would fight against the world. Nothing unusual for her. Or, at least, it was a lie she kept repeating to herself.
Finally, the generator started to flicker with its own light after some time. If the situation had been any better, the huntress would have allowed herself to wipe out the sweat of her brow and sigh loudly. But, unfortunately, there was a massive task ahead. Yet, there was something that could have been done prior. Akali reached out for her trusted blade and slashed effortlessly across the pod. At first, the attack seemed to miss the mark on the cocoon. However, the membrane started to slit apart after just a moment, pouring down disgusting gall that previously filled its insides. Its stench hit Akali's nostrils soon enough, nearly immediately causing the reflux. Nevertheless, the white-haired predator fought it off.
The abomination's frame had been slashed by the woman's blade as well. Even if the creature had survived the initial hit, it would have died soon. The inflicted damage was too severe for any lifeform known to Akali. With the cut spreading from the right collateral of the creature to its left hip, the frame was basically slashed into massive chunks of meat. These pieces were held in place only due to the support of tentacles-like structs attached to them. Only a single, brief glance was spared to the corpse. After all, something still tried to make its way toward the women.
As the light system came back online and the panels started to glow, the threat was immediately spotted. The strange and disturbing pack prowled toward Akali's at the very edge of her vision. A heavy gulp unintentionally formed deep inside the woman's throat, making it tricky to breathe. The pack consisted of deformed abominations that once could have been humans. Most of these had long lost the ability to walk on two legs. Instead, they were moving on all four. Though some of these had been crippled in the past or had additional limbs attached. Regardless, these were abominations. They needed to die. Maybe in death, they would have finally been freed from that cursed facility.
As the host of zombie-like creatures got, closer and closer, more and more disturbing details were revealed. The mixture of salvia, blood, gall was slipping through the widely parted mouths of the monsters. These creatures did not seem to be coordinated at all, as some of them occasionally bumped into one another, causing the pursuit to slow down severely. Additionally, at least some of these were blind. The hollow, empty, whitened eyes seemed dead, moving slightly or not at all.
As Akali's grip tightened on the weapon, a heavy sigh was allowed to sound. Even though visibly exhausted, the woman would fight. So, instead of running away, she tried to relax and empty her mind, allowing instinct to kick in.
"Keep it cool," Akali uttered to herself, deep inside her consciousness. "Just… allow your body to work on its own. No more overthinking, no more hesitation. Allow your natural killer instinct to deal with these savage monstrosities," she allowed the internal talk to last a few moments later.
Once it was finished, the time for bloodshed arose. The huntress fixed her slightly glowing, crimson-red eyes onto the abominations. To some extent, the tiny remnants of her humanity pitty them. However, it was not the time for thinking. The first step taken was slow, yet it only marked the moment of change. For, the huntress no longer control her frame. The predator nature kicked in, carving for blood.
Wide grime of satisfaction appeared as Akali charged into the mob.
Irelia's POV (at the same time):
The pink-haired woman was wakened up by a cacophonic mix of growls, whines, and flash shredding. Her eyelids started opening lazy as if she laid in her own bed in the morning. But unfortunately, it was not the case. Regardless, the coldness of the wall slowly crept in through the woman's armour. It was an unpleasant sensation, to say the least. After some time, it forced the officer to peer open her eyes.
The first few moments were confusing, to say it mildly. The pink-haired woman did not remember being dragged into a tunnel of sorts or cavern. So even though the source of these noises was nearby, Irelia opted to look around first. Her sides were looked upon nearly instantly. There, she had found the old yet working generator and the slashed pod that stank. Some frame could have been inside, yet the details were fuzzy. She would have to come closer to investigate it furtherly. And… for that, there was no time as of now. So, after what felt like an eternity, Irelia finally focused her sight straight forward toward the cacophony source.
There, the pink-haired officer found Akali fighting frenzy. The huntress seemed a blur, moving, reacting much faster than an ordinary man could have. Her deadly prowess was on full display. In any other scenario, it would have brought awe. However, one glance over the monstrosities the white-haired woman faced was enough to tremble. A small voice in the back of the head assured Irelia that these were once human. It would have been a massive understatement to say that these experiments had borne disgusting outcomes.
It took the officer a couple of moments to stand up. All of her muscles seemed stiff, exhausted beyond measure. But nevertheless, she needed to push forward. She would not have allowed Akali to fight alone, not if both of their lives were at stake. It would have been a selfish act to observe the huntress shedding blood.
Irelia wanted to shout toward Akali, saying that she was fine and ready to assist. However, it would have been an ill decision. After all, with all attention fixed on the white-haired woman, the officer could cause some heavy damage working around that fact. So, she opted to stay quiet, calm, and collected in the end. As her blades were fastly coming back to life, she pressed on. She attacked with determination covering her beautiful face and the two long swords in her hands.
The first abomination did not even notice the pink-haired woman. It simply died, slashed into 3 chunks of stinking meat. Then, the mental momentum was used to carry on. Her insanely sharp blades pierced through skin, fat and bones with ease. It was a slow yet bloody slaughter.
Nevertheless, the huntress remained in the blaze of glory. If their roles had been reversed, she would have doubted to be capable of fending off that many opponents. Yet, for the snowy-white-haired woman, it seemed effortless. To some extent, Irelia was not sure whether Akali knew she was being helped. The huntress was in a trans, some sort of a berserkers rage.
The fight continued for the better part of the next few minutes. At times, the pink-haired officer had gotten worried that the abominations tide was simply endless. It had seemed as if 2 monstrosities were ready to take the place of each slain one. To some extent, that period could be a literal example of the Sisyphean effort.
Still, the last pitful human abomination was slain, chopped into cubes at some moment.
Akali's POV (a few moments later):
It took time for the huntress to snap out of the trance. Even though it was a blessing to stop perceiving the world for a few moments, it had its limitation. As Akali's sight began clearing out, she spotted the mess she had caused. The outcome of her martial prowess was undeniable and yet horrifying, to some extent. She found herself standing in the middle of the puddle of gores, blood, and other liquids, possibly gall. Around her, the remnants of her enemies laid, chopped, slashed, torn apart.
It did not take much for confusion to kick in. The huntress felt out of place, driven from the events mainstream. The price for the salvation of the berserker rage must have been paid.
"Akali?" the white-haired woman heard Irelia's voice. "Are you… are you alright?" she asked, her voice filled with fear.
"I am not so certain of that," the huntress replied, her voice hoarse. "Though it matters not now. We better get moving, for these were not the last subjects. Come, we must push further, delve deeper. Rengar must be lurking somewhere there."
"I don't know," the officer hesitated for a moment. "You seem exhausted. Maybe… it's not the wisest decision to continue this crusader now?"
"I do not think you understand our current situation, do you not?" Akali stared at the pink-haired woman. "Let's speculate for a moment, shall we? Even if my ex-mentor is not here, we can not leave now. We have woken something that was set to be forgotten. So as much as I would love to say that I do not care, I really can not. It would be near impossible to track down Rengar with these abominations wracking havoc across the undercity. So, we either need to find the source and eliminate it or make sure that none of these will leave the complex. Do you understand me?" the white-haired woman asked, narrowing her crimson eyes and coming closer.
"I think so," Irelia responded, sighing heavily. "It means that we're going down, doesn't it?"
"Do you expect me to reply to that question?" Akali uttered, annoyed. "Move on; we have work to take care of."
Without waiting even a single moment, the huntress pushed forward. Even though Akali denied herself any rest, convincing her mind that she was fine, in reality, she was not. That detail could have been easily seen. Her usual graceful walk was gone. Instead, the white-haired predator was limping straight ahead like a wounded animal. It might have been an exaggeration, but it is what Akali felt. Usually, her steady walking could have been described as flying. But, now… it was all but gone. Still, regardless of her state, the huntress had a goal in mind, a destination she needed to reach.
Akali had managed to take around 60 steps before she heard the officer following her. For the pink-haired woman, this whole situation must have been far more challenging to deal with than for the predator. After all, Akali and her kind could be regarded as machines programmed to kill. And… there would be no objection to such a statement. The white-haired woman could have said it with certainty.
Soon enough, the women reached the end of the tunnel. Considering the size of the host that had welcomed there, it was oh-so-easy to see the worst-case scenario fulfilling. However, to Akali's utter surprise, they did not spot any immediate danger. The light system fully back on was a welcome change of narrative. Still, there were places where the darkness was in complete control. If the huntress had guessed, only the bottom levels were affected by the power outage.
As Akali moved closer to the edge, her curiosity got better of her. So, she started to look around, seeking something that she found herself unable to correctly name. Even though Irelia did not utter a word, the huntress knew the officer stayed a few steps behind her, waiting to move on.
"It seems you start learning, Irelia," the white-haired woman thought. "Maybe someday you will be a valuable asset for me."
It took Akali around a minute to finally find what she sought. A similar control room could have been located in the middle of the level just below her. Maybe, there she could learn a little more about the dirty secrets this facility held. And thus, the decision was immediately made. The huntress wanted to get to that control point or even needed to.
"Let's move," Akali ordered, uttering the words aloud. At that moment, she completely forgot about their mental connection. "Another control room is nearby; we might learn a bit more there," she informed the officer.
"Ok," the pink-haired woman replied with hesitation. "But… what do you expect to learn there? The complex schematics are what you're looking for, or?"
"I do not know," the white-haired huntress replied honestly. "I have a feeling that I need to go there. I feel like there is something for me to unveil."
"I don't like this idea, not at all," Irelia opted to comment. "As you've said, our role here is to make sure none of these abominations gets out. I'm pretty positive that we can accomplish it without delving deeper into the facility's history."
"What if these were only a beginning?" Akali responded with a question of her own. "I do not think that going gun-blazing ahead will do as any good. I refuse to believe that your kind abandoned this facility because a few specimens like these had gotten out. There must be something hidden underneath. But, the longer I think about this place, the more I come to the conclusion that Rengar wanted us to get here," she added, taking a few steps back. "I do not think he is here. Rengar might be toying with us from the shadows like a puppet master."
"So… we're delving deeper, I guess."
"Yes, we are going to the bottom of this facility," the huntress responded even though she did not have to.
Then, the silence was allowed to take back its reign. The predator did not move for at least the next minute or so. Even though the goal had been set inside her consciousness, she simply could not muster the strengths needed to press on. Instead, her crimson-red eyes looked around cluelessly, slowly as if without a purpose. Although Akali tried to explain this strange occurrence, sadly, these were all lies. She was not looking for the invisible enemies, hiding everywhere; no, it would have been too good if it had been the reason. But, sadly, the reality was much more straightforward, human; she was too afraid to take another step forward.
"What's going on, Akali?" the officer muster enough courage to ask. "Why don't we proceed?"
"Sorry, I got distracted," the white-haired huntress swiftly lied. "Sorry. Let's move on; there is no saying how long will this generator work, so we better hurry up."
It was oh-so-easy for the predator to lie. After all, she knew all too well that she would have to be the driving force for their duet to succeed. The pink-haired woman was terrified, but she trusted Akali to lead them through this messy situation. And thus, the huntress needed to remain calm and calculated. Her own doubts and feeling could not be allowed to manifest. The wavering sensation must have been quashed, contained.
After a few seconds, Akali took the step forward. Even though her mind was filled with conflicted thoughts/feelings, she needed to press on. As the white-haired woman began walking down the stairs, the hollowed sounds arose again. There was no doubt that more monstrosities were awaiting them, currently lurking in the onyx-black darkness.
Thankfully, their short stroll toward the control point had been uneventful, aside from the constant growling coming from below. But, as expected, the entrance to the room was in bad shape. Frankly, it would have been an understatement, as the door was practically ripped from its frame. In addition, the punch/claw marks were visible on the door's surface. Alongside these, some gall and blood remnants were smeared, filling the various holes. But unfortunately, the situation did not look much better once they had gotten inside. Considering the amount of blood left on the floor, walls, and ceiling, someone must have been devoured here, piece by piece.
"Can you look around?" Akali asked a moment before kneeling beside the evidently damaged console. "It might take me a moment or two to get this piece of crap to work correctly. In the meantime, it would be appreciated not to be ambushed all of a sudden."
"How much ground do you want me to cover?" Irelia asked.
"Not much," the huntress replied nearly immediately. "Just go outside the control room and walk around it. There is no need for you to delve deeper. And remember, if you spot anything, do not play a hero under any circumstances. Just go back. It will be far easier for us to defend this place than to fight off the abominations in the open field. So, please, do not try to put yourself at risk. Understood?"
"Understood, ma'am," the pink-haired officer sighed heavily. "I'll be back in a few," she uttered toward the huntress.