Zed held tight to Syndra and pulled her with him as he switched places with a shadow, instantly transporting the both of them to Ionia. He had barely managed to grab hold of a shadow through the portal Syndra had mustered. The pair fell to the ground with a thud in the cold, cracked temple where Zed and his ninjas trained. The sound of metal scratching rock sounded through the quiet building as Zed rolled over onto his side and propped himself up to look at Syndra, making sure she wasn't hurt after the interaction with the shadows.
Syndra looked at Zed's face, seeing concern in his eyes and smiling as she breathed deeply. That was not any kind of magic that Syndra performed often and even attempting it tired her out immensely. Syndra previously described magic to Zed as a muscle. Without regular use, it becomes more difficult to do when you need it. There were also magical elements that mages were just naturally more gifted with than others. For example, Syndra was particularly gifted with dark energy and telekinetics. She preferred to combine the two by amassing dark purple orbs out of energy magic and moving them with telekinesis. She was certainly not well practiced at creating a rift between Ionia and Zaun through which Zed could interact with a shadow..
"You okay Syndra? The shadow didn't do anything to you did it?" Zed was worried as he looked over Syndra for cuts or bruises. Despite his best efforts, he tended to weaponize any shadow he interacted with. Naturally, he would shape and mold his shadows into tactical advantages in fights and when not properly focused, he could do the same while out of combat. When Zed interacted with a shadow in the way he had to in order to switch places with it, the shadow had to take on the form of Zed himself, and that included functioning weapons. The combination of Zed's violent control of shadows and the fact that he knew there were actual knives in the dark mass with which he just swapped places worried him.
Syndra reached over and stroked Zed's cheek, "I'm fine, Zed. I'm just tired. Don't worry."
Zed smiled as he looked up at the temple around them. It appeared to be abandoned, but he knew better. This temple was actually filled with the Order of the Shadow, Zed's private army of ninjas. Zed stood and helped Syndra to her feet, looking out over the ruins. "My friends, I have returned, come out!"
With that, through doors and hallways flooded masses of warriors. The master of the order grinned, quickly put his mask on and led Syndra to the top of the stairs inside the temple to the altar, as his ninjas took their places below him. It only took a few moments before the temple looked quite full with hushed chatter echoing off the walls.
"My pupils, my warriors, my friends," Zed started, looking out over the crowd of ninjas, all clad in various versions of Zed's own armor. They all wore gray and red, but some had swords or axes rather than wrist blades. Some had short capes or bandanas, as well. The only thing that was absolutely certain was that none of them had a mask like Zed's. "We have come quite a long way together. It was five years ago that we left that temple in flames and chose to blaze our own path together. We chose freedom, we chose power, we chose absolution! We will not waver when the time comes to strike! We will not have mercy for the wicked! We will not let the light shine and continue to blight this wretched world! Together, my brave soldiers, we will bring about a new world order; one without the Kinkou and one without the tyranny of the Eye of Twilight!"
All of a sudden, a hush fell over the group of ninjas, as they listened closely to what came next. Zed looked over to Syndra, who nodded encouragingly, "My beautiful queen and I have brought good news. Shen, the last Eye of Twilight is dead! He had no heir, which means we will never be burdened by their scum again!" For a moment, the group stood in utter silence before a cheer broke out over the crowd and applause sounded through small temple.
"Now, now!" Zed called, quieting the ninjas, "We will march tonight on the Kinkou temple and scrub their kind from this world! Who is with me? Who is willing to risk their life to reclaim the temple in the name of the future- our future?! Who is wants to end the era of balance and bring about a glorious new age of order?! With Queen Syndra by my side, we will bring about a future with no war, no conflict, and no destruction! Who is with me?!" Immediately, the ninjas at the foot of the steps yelled and cheered, clapping and calling out in agreement and excitement! With that, Zed turned to Syndra with a grin on his face, pulling off his mask and pulling her in for a hug. Syndra wrapped her arms around Zed and smiled, closing her eyes and relishing the sound of their new future.
The following morning, Yasuo and Riven emerged onto the docks to find a boat prepped and ready for them. One of Jarvan's servants stood at the end of the rickety wooden dock waiting for them. Together, the pair walked to meet him. Yasuo took particular reverence with this area. It was here where he had his final confrontation with his brother Yone, which culminated in the latter's death. That memory still pained Yasuo and he looked away from the place where he vividly remembered striking his brother down. In doing so, he turned his glace over at the harbormaster's box where the old man looked through his thick lenses at Yasuo, a man he recognized. They had only spoken once but Yasuo remembered the harbormaster too, and nodded as he passed.
Riven looked over at Yasuo as they drew near to the servant and noticed his shudder and nervous glancing. "Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine Riven," Yasuo replied curtly as he continued on. "I'd rather not talk about it."
Riven raised her hands defensively, "I was just asking, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Just let it go," he muttered as he came to a halt in front of the servant, dressed in Demacian blue and yellow. "Hello, is this the boat?"
He nodded, "Yes sir, this is the boat Prince Jarvan ordered us to give to you. Can I just have your names to confirm that you are who I'm supposed to give this to?"
"Yeah, Yasuo and Riven," Riven replied with a smile.
Quickly, the servant checked a note in his pocked and then smiled at the two, "Perfect, you know how to sail it, I assume?"
"Yeah," Yasuo confirmed, "I can sail it." After several years of off and on sailing with his friend, Sarah near Bilgewater, Yasuo had become quite adept at naval navigation and steering. With just a glance at the schooner before him, Yasuo knew that he would easily be able to pilot it. "Can you just tell us about this navigator we're supposed to use?"
"Ah yes!" the man spoke up, "Absolutely. Here it is." He handed Yasuo a little box with a grid on it. It had two Xs and a blinking dot on it. The Ionian stared confusedly at the technology, never having seen anything like it before. "Just got these last week! See?" he asked, pointing at the dot which was placed directly next to one of the Xs. "That is where we are, the X. And the dot is the boat! You just need to steer it so that to dot goes to the other X, okay?"
Yasuo nodded, "Sounds simple enough. Just go from one X to the other."
"Just like that! Now I've got to run! Have a nice trip!" He shouted as he dashed off the dock.
"Oh, we won't," Riven chuckled to herself, watching him go.
"Ready Riven?" Yasuo asked, standing aside for her to board the boat, his focus falling back on the spot on the dock where his brother had died.
"Yes, I am," Riven agreed, moving past him and pulling him after her by the sleeve onto the boat. She looked straight into his eyes and spoke sternly. "Look, clearly something is going on and you don't have to tell me, but I need to know you can focus, okay?"
Yasuo nodded and pushed her hand away from his arm. "I can handle myself. Just worry about yourself, okay?" With that, Yasuo made his preparations and together, they set sail.
The trip was long but both travelers actually enjoyed the company of the other after a while. Yasuo told Riven stories about growing up in Ionia and offered more details on what wind training was like. Riven listened carefully and hung on every word, privately laughing at how wise the words on the wind technique sounded, despite coming out of the mouth of a drunk.
Riven returned the favor with her own stories about the brutal Noxian training she underwent from the age of four. Yasuo was astonished to hear about some of the brutal beatings and horrible training that the woman he was just getting to know must have seen and felt.
But after a few hours, the conversation died out and Yauso was left to silently steer the boat forward as Riven stood to the side, watching the fog grow steadily thicker around them.
A few more hours passed before Yasuo spoke up, "Riven, you want to take over for a few minutes?" Yasuo inquired, offering up the steering to Riven and stepping away.
"Sure, I guess." Riven shrugged, moving over and grabbing the large wooden wheel firmly in her hands and taking the Ionian's place.
"Good," Yasuo nodded, stepping back and pulling out a half empty bottle of whiskey and taking a swig. "Just keep it straight. On this course, we'll end up right near where I landed last time, which I think is the same as where you landed."
He then raised the bottle and held it out to Riven, "You want a drink?"
"No, thanks. One of us needs to stay sober; gods know you won't." She almost wanted to laugh but then remembered that it was actually true, which was sort of sad if she was being honest with herself.
Yasuo however, laughed loudly and leaned back on the edge of the boat, stretching his arms out and bringing them back in for another drink, "You're learning. Good for you, but I still think you're nuts." Riven sighed, "Whatever. Fog's rolling in, and the navigator says we should be hitting shore any moment now."
"What do you think we're looking for when we get there?" Yasuo wondered. Having only been there once, he didn't know the Shadow Isles well at all.
"I think we can find some good information on an old friend of ours," Riven replied, a sly grin curling at her lip as she tried to make Yasuo guess who she was thinking of.
"And who would that be? I killed Thresh and we have no actual friends over here." Yasuo avoided making the comment that he was about to make, 'you have no actual friends.' No, Riven didn't deserve that right now, he thought.
"A man who played a key role in Thresh's schemes." Riven looked ahead into the thick mist, with memories of the terrible island flooding back to her. "Yorick..."
"Oh good," Yasuo groaned, "The hunchback of the dead. He stalked me for months, you know? Not his biggest fan."
"You and I both know he's the only person we're going to be able to squeeze any information from," Riven told him, keeping her eyes peeled for land in the thick fog.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he sighed, looking forward into the mist with Riven and taking another gulp, nearly draining the bottle. "Didn't that coward run as soon as I saw you come out of the jungle?" He laughed as he remembered the way Yorick repeatedly ran from confrontation, "I guess a reunion wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I can introduce him to some of my new tricks."
"New tricks?" Riven asked, raising an eyebrow at the comment.
"Of course! Did you think I'd learn nothing from five years as a wandering vigilante?" In fact, Yasuo had picked up a few new tricks, particularly new wind abilities! After becoming empowered by Thresh's souls, a slight hunger was triggered in Yasuo to gain back the powers that Thresh had drained it from him. Through hard work, Yasuo was able to achieve nearly the same level of power, and some new abilities he had never been capable of before.
"I thought you would have just sloshed around from bar to bar," Riven teased.
"Well that too," Yasuo said with a wink, finishing his whiskey and tossing the bottle over the side of the boat into the water.
"Ugh, Yasuo!" Riven growled, "Was it really necessary to throw your bottle into the water?"
"Well sure! Why not? Worst case scenario, I killed some sort of demented ghost fish. Win-win, right?" Yasuo smirked and stepped towards the bow of the boat and looked intently into the fog. "That's it!" He exclaimed, "Land! I see it!"
The excited feeling was quickly quelled by an overwhelming sense of dread that came with these horrible islands. Again, Yasuo and Riven were returning to the largest island of the small archipelago. It featured a long beach that lead the way up to a dark, thick jungle, teeming with vines and strange sounds and creatures that haunted the shrouded path.
"So you think Yorick is here?" Yasuo asked as the boat slid to a halt on the sand.
Riven nodded in response and silently stepped off onto the silent shore, a glint of green on her sword and nothing but focus on her face. "Let's go, Yasuo."
Author's notes: Thanks for reading another chapter of Legacy of the Shadow! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought!
Review Question: Ryder, there you are again! I've never seen anyone try so hard to poke holes in a story! Haha You, my friend, are relentless. What is this, the third or fourth time you've done this with one of my stories? So again, I have an answer for you. You asked why Yasuo, an Ionian, does not know about Zed and his ninjas because they, too, are Ionians. The answer is this: Zed and his ninjas are a little-known offshoot of an already secret organization, the Kinkou. Both organizations are secret and originate from the far side of Ionia, quite a long way from where Yasuo was raised. (So they're not posting wanted ads and current roster lists in Yasuo's town square) In addition, Yasuo might have heard of the Kinkou after the temple burned 5 years ago but he had already fled Ionia in pursuit of Riven just before that occurred. Even if he was there for the destruction of the temple, there is no way he would have heard of Zed, only the Kinkou. Ionia is a big place, not everyone knows each other. But honestly man, thanks for the reviews. It's fun to have people following along so closely and I appreciate each one. I hope you enjoy what's up next!
Next time on Legacy of the Shadow: Zed and Syndra finish their preparations and begin their assault on the Kinkou temple while Yasuo and Riven try to find and confront Yorick for answers.
Catch ya next time