Shortly after his speech, Zed once again rebuckled his wrist blades and checked to make sure the shuriken holsters were full. His nervous heartbeat pounded harder than was normal. Although he would never show a sign to those around him, including Syndra, he admitted to himself that he was in for quite a fight. The battle ahead was likely going to be as difficult as his confrontation with Shen. Although none of the remaining warriors possessed Shen's skill, there were several who should be feared, namely Akali. She and her ninjas held nearly double the numbers that Zed had at his disposal. His soldiers trained specifically to fight against Kinkous over the last few years, but there was no doubt that his numbers would be thinned by the end. However, Zed had a plan that hopefully would leave him with many soldiers to spare. He would likely need them.
Syndra paced around the room in back of him, once again twirling her miniature orbs between her fingers like marbles. She glanced over at Zed and noticed his hunched shoulders and feverish checking and rechecking of his weapons. She could tell, even though he did not admit it, that he was nervous. She could understand that, but then, what had she to fear? She had personally fought off more soldiers on her own than the entirety of the Kinkou Order!
A long time ago when she fled Ionia, a legion of Ionian soldiers followed her and eventually forced her to do battle. She decimated them. Although she didn't want to, the Ionians had chased her to the coast and attempted to execute the mage, thinking her to be the newest corrupt, dark mage of the land. In slaughtering them, Syndra knew she proved them right, but she didn't want to be evil! She never wished them harm! She simply put herself ahead of them. She viewed her own survival as more important. The soldiers she fought were not even a challenge. They were sloppy and ill-equipped to deal with her onslaught of magic. They never stood a chance.
However, Syndra considered as she paced, the Kinkou are very well trained and their ki senses might make them less susceptible to her magic. Heightened reflexes can definitely make a difference when in the split second between life and death. Syndra started to feel slightly nervous, as well.
"Ready?" She asked, looking over to Zed who was tightening his straps for the fifth time.
Zed fussed with the buckle for a moment and then turned, "Yes, I'm ready to end them. Let's get the others."
Syndra nodded and together they walked out to greet the ninjas who were out and ready in the center of the temple. Zed again climbed the stairs to the altar and gazed out over the sea of grey and red. "Let us begin."
Riven and Yasuo trudged up the beach side by side, swords in hands as the fog bore down on them from above like a veil over the island. Each had a mental image of what they were looking for. Yorick was a relatively short man with a huge hunchback. He wore green and brown rags and his favored choice of weapon was a shovel. However, most noticeably, he wore a lamp over his head that hung and lit the way wherever he went. Back in the days when Yorick was following him, Yasuo was able to spot him in the distance a few times by the lantern.
Yasuo tugged his tattered old cape around himself and gripped his sword tightly in its sheath, ready to unleash it at a moment's notice. Riven didn't bother with a sheath. She held her sword in hand, the runes on it glowing softly, causing the appearance of a gentle aura around it in the fog. "Oh the fond memories…" Yasuo sighed sarcastically.
Riven smiled and took the lead as they reached the jungle, using the blade to light the way in. "Good times huh? You and I must recall them differently." Riven was haunted by the islands upon which she stood now. Her brief time living here, being tormented by evil things and monsters of nature she could not speak of had changed her. This place stuck with her long after she left in her nightmares and in her resolve to ensure the world be as much the polar opposite of the Shadow Isles as possible. But actually, they had imparted a sort of strength to her. It is hard to be afraid of anything when you have experienced the source of fear itself. Having spent several days in this jungle before, nothing back on the mainland scared her in the slightest. Just two weeks after leaving the Shadow Isles, she marched right into Noxus to threaten Grand General Swain and be formally exiled from the city state. In a way Riven had found something very valuable in this dark, desolate place: her courage.
Riven's fingers started to tingle in the cold air as they entered the cover of the jungle. There was no sign of life anywhere and she started to wonder if they would be able to find Yorick at all. However, three hours into wandering the jungle in large circles, her worries were put to rest by the faint glow of a lantern.
Yasuo put his fingers to his lips and gestured for Riven to go around the front while he flanked Yorick from behind. "No tricks this time," Yasuo whispered. Riven nodded and made her way around to some shrubbery just to the right of where Yorick stood, as Yasuo moved around back to his left.
"Well hello there Yorick," Yasuo sneered, swiftly sliding his blade across the neck of the hunchback.
Yorick was very calm in the situation, dropping his shovel and raising his hands but, as he did, a burst of red smoke blasted out of thin air and with it came a ghoul that Yasuo was all too familiar with. With swift speed, Riven dispatched the new enemy, decapitating it in a single move of her weapon. As Yorick stared in horror at his little monster's body gently floating its way to the dirt in two pieces, he came to realize the situation he was in.
"So you're here for revenge?" He gulped, fear sweeping over him.
"Shhh!" Yasuo soothed, "You have no idea why we're here." Yorick seemed to relax slightly as Yasuo removed his blade from his throat, but was immediately caught off guard by the firm kick the Ionian planted in his back to follow. Yorick crumpled to the ground, his lantern coming unhinged and rolling a few feet away before coming to a stop. "We're here for answers, you slime."
Riven nodded and stepped up her sword, illuminating her figure in an incandescent green. "Do you know anything about ninjas?"
Yorick's breathing stopped for a moment and his eyes grew wide. "N-ninjas?"
Yasuo smirked, "See? It's that kind of response that leads me to think you do know something." He pointed his sword at Yorick's face, letting the tip of the sharp weapon linger mere centimeters from his nose.
"Believe it or not," Yorick spoke slowly, "We are on the same side when it comes to the ninjas." He adjusted himself into a sitting position against a tree and Yasuo followed closely with his sword, not giving him an inch of breathing room.
Riven laughed, "No, I do not fathom that you and I could be allied. This one is trouble enough," she pointed out, gesturing to Yasuo.
"No, no! I know who the one leading these ninjas is: Thresh… Thresh was anticipating this leader's rise," Yorick managed, stumbling over his words, his nervousness evident on his face.
Yasuo's inquisitive expression turned to one of total loathing, the wind starting to pick up around them. "Talk fast, you've got limited words left as it is. Who is he and why did Thresh know about him?"
"Alright! Alright!" Yorick pleaded, pressing himself back against the tree. "His name is Zed and he is the reason for everything that happened to you: why Thresh took a liking to you, why you collected souls for him, why everything ended the way it did five years ago. Zed is the key to everything and I will tell you why..."
Author's notes: Well this was a short one but I hope you feel sufficiently teased for what comes next. These last few days I've mostly taken as a break from writing and I may or may not extend that break a little bit. The next chapter holds contents such that it cannot be written briefly without horribly butchering the scenes which obviously I am not going to do. This means that the next chapter may take a little longer to come out. I would put my estimate for 3-7 days rather than 3-5 like normal.
Next up: Zed and Syndra actually battle for control of the Kinkou temple and Riven and Yasuo get to the bottom of why Zed is and has always been so important.
See ya next time