Sett led us back into the luxury filled chambers, and signaled for his servants. The servants hastily ran across the hallway, and unhinged a painting from the walls to reveal a dark secret alleyway. Irelia rolled her eyes in dismay.
"Step through into the lair of the underworld." Sett laughed proudly, and gave Irelia a light punch on her shoulders, which must have still hurt judging on Sett's size. Ahri gave the alleyway an ominous nod, and Master Yi shook his head in disgust. Yasuo simply shrugged, as if years of being on the run had him accustomed to the acts of crime.
We walked through the hallway, into a dimly lit room with members of Setts gang making smuggling preparations here and there. They nodded respectfully towards Sett as we passed, hauling numerous boxes onto a large boat in a shallow waterway. I scanned the boxes the thugs were carrying, and noticed they were filled with Ionian loot.
"This is vile." Irelia hissed indignantly, as she glowered at a crate full of green leafy vegetables, no doubt filled with local Ionian herbs. A pair of thugs picked them up and hauled them onto a ship, no doubt headed to Noxus.
Even Ahri showed her disapproval, and she glared at Sett when she noticed a caged winged guardian in the corner. The great beast, its fur stained with soot and grime, growled at us sadly before retreating to a dark corner in its cold steel cage.
"Sett!" Ahri growled, her gold eyes flashing dangerously towards the gang leader. "How could you! I knew you exported Ionian goods but I would never have thought you would go this far! This is an actual guardian."
"Yes yes, I know." Sett said carelessly. "It's not as if it's being sold for fights or anything. Some rich Noxians are just looking for exotic pets. If I sold them to arenas Ionia wouldn't be happy would it."
"Ionia would have crushed you a long time ago if it weren't for your vastayan heritage." Ahri said firmly. She frowned, barely suppressing her anger as her cheeks clenched together. The marks on her cheeks shone ominously in the darkness of the carven. "If you are going to keep this up Sett, I'm going to tell your mother."
"Woah woah." Sett laughed uneasily, as he signaled to his henchmen. "Look. Ma doesn't need to know bout this okay?"
Under Ahri's pressure, Sett finally agreed to set the guardian free as well as declining the export of exotic Ionian creatures. Ahri gently stroked the animal's fur before four burly men picked up the cage, and carried it back through the painting towards the outside. Sett pointed us towards the boat, and the six of us climbed in as the henchmen finished loading the last of the smuggled goods into the boat.
"Alright." Sett yelled, as the crew of the boats raised the anchors. The boat started to drift down the water way, floating towards a crack in the walls. The waves grew larger as our boat drifted into the ocean. A few crewmates scrambled around the boat, raising sails and attaching lines as the Ionian cliff rose menacingly in the night sky behind us. A gentle wind blew on the sales, and the boat lurched forwards. The craft skimmed silently through the water as the Ionian coast line drifted further and further away from us, until at last we were venturing through the great Guardian Sea of Runeterra.
Ahri, sitting on a wooden bench atop the highest decks of the ship, signaled for me to come closer and join her. I waddled over, and sat down beside her. Smiling, Ahri pulled me closer to her, and I lay in her lap while playing with one of Ahri's long braids. The crew below had settled down from their earlier hustling, and were playing cards while chatting. Master Yi and Yasuo were practicing swords on the deck as Irelia watched. A few metallic clangs would echo through the twilight as the sun slowly set. I yawned, and Ahri gently stroked my hair as the sun finally fully submerged into the sea. The moon rose, and all was dark except for the light casted by the light casted by a few lanterns in the night sky. Sett and a crew member stepped near the edge of the boat, and emptied a small satchel of coins into the ocean.
"Ahri," I said, pointing towards Sett as he stuffed the empty bag back into one of his coat pockets. "Why did Sett dump money into the sea?"
Ahri laughed, and hugged me tighter. Although I couldn't see her, her joyous laughter still warmed me.
"It's an old ocean tradition." Ahri explained. "They are paying the ocean's tithe."
"So like tax?" I asked.
"No, not exactly." Ahri answered. "It's just an old tradition that most sailors follow. Supposingly, paying tithe will ensure you a safe journey through the ocean. The sailors of Bilgewater observed this tradition quite strictly each night before they sailed out to sea to hunt ginormous sea monsters. If you don't pay your bill to the sea, a titan will rise from the depths and sink your ship, along with you in it. They even had a song for it."
Ahri gently covered me from the chilly night's wind with one of her tails, before taking a deep breath. Then, she started to sing. "Red tide out, red tide in. Hook 'em up, carve 'em true, strip 'em down, guts to skin. But always pay the Lady her due, or the Titan of the Deep will come for you!"
Ahri's soft, pleasant voice carried the melody of the poem through the ocean winds. Although the lyrics of the song suggested it may once have been used by savage and brutal pirates, the version she sang was as if the poem was simply another nursery rhyme. I yawned as Ahri finished the last few words to her song.
"Bilgewater sounds quite interesting." I commented. "Can we ever go there?"
"It's quite an interesting place, that's for sure." Ahri laughed. "Though it's quite dangerous too. Not only are its waters surrounded by both regular sharks and sea monsters, you'll hardly find anybody you can trust in Bilgewater. A fox would have to be quite slick to hold its own there. Do you think you are up to the task darling?"
I shook my head. Ahri smiled in the dim light.
Suddenly, a shout was heard from a crew member on the deck below. Ahri and I stood up, and we saw another light in the distance, swiftly approaching us. A clunk sounded to our left, and Sett revealed himself with a lamp in his hands.
"Alright." Sett said, and pointed towards the cabin below. There's a hidden bunker below the floorboards. Yi, Yas and Irelia are already there."
"What?" I asked. "What happened?"
"Noxians." Sett laughed. "They're coming to check our cargo to let us cross. It'll be quick. Now hurry up."
Ahri and I hurriedly rushed below deck, and one of the crew members held open a floor board for us to drop down into a small compartment below. Ahri jumped in first, and I followed suit. The crew member closed the floor board, leaving us in complete darkness. Ahri summoned her Orb of Deception, illuminating the surrounding darkness with an azure glow to reveal Master Yi, Irelia and Yasuo, sitting on bags of grain. Irelia held a finger to her mouth, signaling us to stay quiet.
A scuffling sounded from above deck, and we heard the clumping sounds of footsteps as a Noxian stepped onto our ship.
"Ah, it's the beast boy." An unfamiliar voice growled. "What you got?"
"The usual." Sett replied gruffly from above. "The silk, meats, herbs, got a few exotic plants as well. Take a look."
"Alright, whatever." The voice that must have been the Noxian replied. "I'll clear you with the others to let you pass."
"What?" Sett growled.
"Oh don't worry." The Noxian replied. "Don't know why but Grand General's been lax about smuggling lately. He doesn't care no more."
"And he said this openly?" Sett questioned.
The Noxian must have shrugged, as we heard no response from above. The clanking of floor boards sounded again, followed by another much more distant clank as if someone was stepping onto another boat. At last, Sett lifted the floorboards from above to let us out.
"Alright. You guys better get some eyes shut." Sett told us. "It's all smooth sailing and we'll hit Noxus by sunrise."
As the boat was quite small, Ahri and I decided to sleep in the room beneath the floorboards whereas Master Yi, Yasuo and Irelia found lodgings elsewhere.
"Alright sweetie." Ahri told me as I laid down beside her, and she wrapped her tails around me to keep me warm from the ocean night's chills. "Sweet dreams. It'll be a long day ahead of us."
I yawned, and wished Ahri good night. Ahri extinguished her orb, shrouding us in darkness. With the gentle swaying of the boat in the sea combined with the warmth of Ahri's tails, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
No dreams haunted me that night, and I awoke to the steady sounds of conversation. I opened my eyes, and saw that Yasuo and Master Yi had climbed down to the room. A small lamp illuminated the room with a dim light. The two swordsmen both had their weapons drawn, and were deep in conservation. Ahri was in a seated position, listening in though her tails were still positioned around me so as to not disturb me from my dreams.
I sat up, and Ahri's tails flinched. She looked over, and smiled at me. The streaks on her cheeks were illuminated from the dim light, almost giving off a glow of their own like the moon would reflect the sun's light. Her golden eyes gleamed warmly.
"Ah, you're awake." Ahri greeted me, and moved her tails so that I could fully sit up. "Hello little one. It's around five in the morning. Have some breakfast."
"Morning." I yawned, and stretched my arms before standing up to grab a seat on a nearby sack. Ahri handed me a plate of bacon and eggs, which I took with thanks before digging into hungrily. "What are we doing?"
"Greetings. We are comparing our swords." Master Yi spoke up. He had taken off his helmet to reveal long black hair, a pair of observant eyes, as well as tanned, asian skin. If he was from my world, he might have been Chinese or Japanese. With his now ungloved hand, he carefully polished his sword with a piece of cloth. The shape of the blade resembled that of a dao.
"How come it's no longer green?" I couldn't resist asking, and pointed towards the sword. Master Yi's sword, which I had clearly remembered to have been glowing a sinister shade of green two nights ago, was now just sitting there with a regular metallic colored blade like any other sword.
"My blade channels the power of the Spirit Realm when I will it to." Master Yi explained, wiping a few bits of dust off the edge of his sword. "It is the art of Wuju."
Yasuo frowned. He twirled his own sword, a massive katana like weapon with swirling runes engraved upon its handle. "Why are you so keen on sharing now? The Wuju order wasn't so generous with their knowledge when I was a child. Though I must say, I still think the wind technique is superior."
"As of now, I am the last remaining master in the art of Wuju." Master Yi shook his head sadly, before looking up as if coming to a conclusion. "The art of Wuju must be preserved."
"What exactly is the art of Wuju?" I inquired, producing my own sword as I wanted to feel included in the swords gang. Master Yi carefully examined my blade with a curious look.
"The Wuju art's foremost principle is to obtain absolute spiritual awareness of one's self and one's enemy." Master Yi began. "It works quite similarly to the powers of the Vastayashai'rei, with the only difference being the degree of power used. With Wuju style, you are able to channel spiritual magic into your weapon."
"Vastaya-sie'ra…" I tried my best to pronounce the word, and turned to glance curiously at Ahri. "Does that…"
"Yes darling." Ahri laughed, understanding my question before I was able to finish it. "The Vastayashai'rei were my ancestors. They were a race of gifted humans who first tapped into the powers of the Spirit Realm in order to defend the First Lands against a race of giants. Their descendants were known as the Vastayan."
Master Yi nodded appreciatively. "Quite true. The magic of the Spirit Realm is also ever so powerful. A true master of the Wuju arts is able to cut through any armor, no matter how tough. My blade is crafted by Master Dorian, the very best mortal weapon smith, perhaps in all of Runeterra. Yet, it is still just a tool. I can use any sword to strike just as hard."
"Technique, ha! What a waste of time." A jest sounded from above, and I looked up to see Sett holding the floor boards open. Irelia was standing besides him, a grim expression on her face as she surveyed something in the distance.
"Up you guys go." Sett announced. "We're here. Noxus by daylight."
Alr they're in Noxus. It's gonna get real.
