AN: yeah, I managed to bother to make an author's note :) Thank you for all your awesome reviews, they have really been a great inspiration, although, I may have disappointed you with this chapter, by introducing a few new characters, haha :) Anyway, have fun with the long chapter, and please review, it makes me want to write more :D
- Barakiel
Truce
Riven's POV:
Riven grips her onyx blade, sunlight ricocheting off the raised sword as the multitude of enemies rapidly close in on her.
A sphere of transparent emerald encases her, and a dull clang is heard as the closest soldier's short sword rebounds off its newly formed surface. Riven slices upwards at a man in front of her, arcing her blade around in a single movement, striking two others and parrying a third.
Suddenly, she catches a brief flash of silver and red above her. Moments later, the three men near her collapse onto the callous terrain, dead.
The familiar figure lands next to her, his short sword and arm's blade held defensively in front of him. His dark eyes meet hers, and he nods briefly.
Singed's eyes widen in astonished resentment.
"Talon?"
The assassin offers Singed a hard silence, turning to dash into the midst of the unprepared soldiers. He is nothing but a blur of steel; a flurry of blades as he seamlessly takes down foe after foe around himself and Riven. The young warrior is speechless, riveted to her standing place as she observes his swift handiwork.
Thoroughly impressed with the one-man army, Riven watches as Talon lashes out at a soldier with his sword, his right arm simultaneously whipping behind him to deflect a blow to his back.
Nice. She quirks an eyebrow at the impressively executed action.
Backflipping to avoid both a right hook to the head and a blow to the knees from behind, Talon twirls, plunging his blades into both attacking soldiers.
Yet Riven is drawn back to the battle as she detects a familiar, acidic stench. Senses suddenly fully alert, she jumps away from the source of the smell and spins to her left, barely a second before Singed rams into her, tossing her into the air behind him.
Her eyes widen from the unexpected assault, but she transitions into a backwards flip, landing on the cliff's edge in a crouch. Her eyes are bitingly cold.
'You really shouldn't expect me to go down so easily, Zaunite,' she grinds through her teeth.
'Oh?' The alchemist grins lopsidedly.
His hand closes around a sickeningly green potion, hurling it at Riven with unexpected speed. Yet she twists sideways, dodging the projectile and running straight for Singed. His eyes narrow, and he reaches behind him for more concotions.
Ducking and dodging left and right to avoid the chemical barrage, Riven continues towards him, undeterred.
She slashes upwards, severing the leather belt which binds the chemist's concoctions to his back, and a deafening crash is heard as the colossal lime-coloured vial smashes to the ground.
Singed's eyes widen in unpleasant surprise as she roughly kicks him into the rapidly expanding pool of toxins.
He cries out in pain; the poisonous mixture enough to kill any other grown man. An utterly repulsive smell begins to overtake the atmosphere, both parties beginning to cough and splutter.
Talon's POV
Talon presses his scarf around his mouth and nose, ducking under the swipe of one of the two remaining soldiers and hastily running for the cliff edge. He can see Riven following suit, yet she is clearly hindered by the poisonous gases, seeming to stumble as she makes her way towards him.
He dives off the edge of the cliff, safely rolling onto a ledge below and hastily navigating to the base of the rock wall. Above him, he can see the small figure of Riven, stumbling down each ledge as she fights against the effects of the poison.
He manages to throw shurikens at the men chasing Riven, and, as she finally reaches him, he begins to guide her across the ledges. Eventually, they reach the ground, and he lifts her over his shoulder, breaking into an unnaturally fast run.
After they are a few miles away from the loose soldiers, he slows down, but keeps walking through the trees. Looking up one, he starts climbing up the branches to sit in, laying her down on a branch.
Riven's POV
After a couple of minutes of clear air, Riven starts to recover, straining to open her eyes. She jolts awake, surprised to find herself in a tree.
She sees the mysterious assassin, Talon, standing on top of the top tree branch and sharpening his multiple blades on his elongated one. Changing her line of vision, she notices the distant outline of a building.
How unexpected.
She sighs, then jumps down and heads toward the structure, hearing Talon land in a thud beside her, rolling to break his fall, then walking next to her.
As the duo reach the door of the wooden building, Riven gazes at a painted sign which hangs from its roof.
'The Black Eagle.'
Talon jerks an eyebrow. 'An inn, here?'
He grasps the dulled, metal handle, pushing the door open. As Riven and he step inside, they are met with the drone of voices and a warm draft of air. A small bar stands to the side, bulky wooden tables seating numerous patrons, whilst a spiralling staircase leads to the second storey.
They make their way towards a fairly empty table, sitting down on opposite sides of its benches. A silence is held between the both of them, and Riven allows her eyes to drift yet again. To her left, a small group of Demacians is conversing over dinner, whilst the table to her right seats a beautiful, nine-tailed lady, seemingly wooing a young man with ease.
Talon suddenly leans forward, firmly planting his left hand on the table.
'So soldier, tell me why Singed and his lackeys are after you?'
The unexpected question causes Riven to tense.
'It's Riven. Why do you want you know?'
'That doesn't matter, girl. I want some answers. Why else do you think I bothered to save your skin?"
Her interrogator leans back, solidly holding her gaze as she stares him down, undecided on whether to tell him or not. Out of the corner of her vision, the warrior notices the fox-girl eye Talon with interest.
'Of course, I could just end this here if you wanted,' he intones.
Rolling her eyes, Riven opens her mouth to speak, but is cut off by a flash of glittering teal in front of her.
Sidling up to Talon is the nine-tailed lady, adorned in a scarlet and silver dress. She giggles sweetly, ignoring her completely. Two silky, pointed ears emerge from her ebony, free-flowing tresses which reach her waist.
The perfect picture of beauty.
The assassin turns to look at her, unfazed in the slightest.
'What is it?' He asks, slightly annoyed at the untimely interruption.
The girl flutters her eyelashes flirtatiously, sparkling amber orbs gazing into his.
Ahri's POV
'Hey there, cutie.' She smiles seductively, reaching a hand out to brush his chin lightly.
The hooded man bats her hand away, sending her a flat, annoyed look.
Undeterred, she snuggles up to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
'Stop it.' He deadpans, glaring at her.
Intrigued, Ahri stares at him. Rarely had she encountered a man who was not smitten by her beauty. This one was certainly different.
Trying again, she tugs on his sleeve lightly. 'Come with me for a bit?'
He looks behind her, and doesn't say anything before whispering into her ear.
"There are about ten soldiers following either you, or me. I just thought I'd let you know." He says quietly before sitting down and closing his eyes in mock annoyance.
She turns around to spot them, eyeing the group in question with some curiosity.
"I can handle myself, but I can take care of others... better." She almost purrs in anticipation, smiling foxily.
He shakes his head.
"They're resistant to magic, and after us. You have no need to get involved, seductress." He coldly replies to her, lifting himself off of the table.
She suddenly grabs him by the arm, a bit of caring in her eyes.
"Be careful..."
He rolls his eyes, and walks past the guards, scowling at them, and, when he exits the inn, they all follow him. The soldier girl with him quickly gets up, and gives her a look.
"You did this, mage."
Ahri is surprised at her tone.
"Hey, what the hell did I do to you?"
"Get out of my way." Riven replies bluntly as she barges through her, rushing towards the door.
What a rude person. Still... That man, he's special to shrug off my gifts like nothing, and, without him, I'd probably be dead... She ponders to herself for a while before rushing out the door to follow the two.
Riven's POV
Riven's boots pound over the dirt ground as she dashes after Talon and the group of soldiers hotly pursuing him. With the soldiers barely twenty metres ahead, she sees the assassin spin around suddenly to face the incoming enemies.
He dodges a blade swipe to the face, instantly taking out the two frontmost men with one swipe of his armblade. Barely a second later, a third cries out, having fallen victim to his short sword. The man's enemies pause in their tracks, fear now evident on their faces.
The corners of Riven's lips curve upwards.
This guy really is quick, huh?
Now having caught up to them, she vaults into the air, bringing her massive sword down hard and fast on the unsuspecting men at the rear. She slams into the ground with brute force, slashing downwards and to her right to take out the two at the back. The enemies now alerted to her presence, half of the remaining soldiers turn to face her, whilst the other three remain on guard against Talon.
Riven briefly flashes a glance at her enemy-turned-ally, who smirks deviously.
"Piece of cake."
No sooner than the words are out of his mouth do their enemies dash forwards on both sides. Yet just as the warrior ducks to avoid two attacks and deflects a third from her back, she detects a soft whoosh through the air and the sparkle of luminescent blue.
However, it is unwise to turn her head away from the battle. As she parries a second strike from above her and lashes out at a man with a spear, she hears Talon growl in annoyance as he deals with his own enemies.
"Hey, mage! What are you doing?"
Ahri answers him shortly, her voice devoid of its seductive charm.
"I don't even know you, and you're willing to risk your life to save mine? What, do you think I'd let you handle this by yourself?"
Finishing off the last of her enemies with a single strike, Riven can almost hear Talon roll his eyes.
"You must be joking, fox. Don't underestimate me."
The body of the last remaining soldier crumples to the ground. Sheathing his sword, the assassin stalks towards her.
"You know magic is useless against them, so don't make yourself a liability."
The danger gone, Riven watches Ahri huff cutely, folding her arms. She looks up at him from beneath her lashes.
"Oh, alright then, good looking. See you back at the inn." The foxy girl winks at him.
Another flash of blue and she is out of sight.
Well, doesn't she change her attitude quickly? Riven ponders to herself.
Meeting Talon's gaze, she nods at him briefly and turns, making her way back to the Black Eagle as he follows.
Ahri's POV
Her fluffy snow-white tails waving behind her, Ahri enters the inn.
"For a good looking guy, he's very blunt isn't he?" She thinks, a little irked by the encounter, but nevertheless surprised by his indifference.
Harsh and straight to the point. That's certainly new.
Sauntering up to the bar counter, the mage sights a muscular, iron-clad man who is about to leave the inn. He is armed with a long sword. By the design of his armour and his navy cape, he seems to be quite a high ranking soldier, Ahri guesses.
The foxy assassin decides to try her luck, stalking up to the beefy man flirtatiously and battering her eyelashes at him.
"Hey - " she begins, but is suddenly cut off as the man clamps down onto her arm. He forcefully shoves her against the adjacent wall, his eyes cold and with malicious intent.
"WHERE are my men?" He hisses.
"Uh…" Ahri stutters, completely unprepared for his reaction.
"You know what I'm talking about, girl. I saw you follow that exile and the assassin out the door, so start talking." His grip tightens around her forearm.
The fingers of Ahri's right hand curl slightly as she summons her orb and hurls it towards the man's chest – yet he is completely unaffected by her attack. He grins.
"Nice try, witch, but magic isn't going to get you anywhere."
Darn it, I should've known.
The man's lip curls into a sneer as he reaches to draw his sword with his free hand. Now with little chance of escaping him, the young mage begins to struggle against his grip, uneasy.
Yet the creak of a heavy wooden door is heard, causing the Noxian to turn his head towards the source.
Talon's POV
Talon walks through the noisy inn's door, the wooden floorboards creaking under his dark leather boots. He can hear Riven trailing closely behind, massive sword resting on her right shoulder.
That was too easy.
"You! Scum!" A voice shouts roughly from the corner of the bar.
The assassin jerks to face the muscular soldier who has issued the insult. A Noxian senior officer, by the looks of it. His eyes shift slightly to the left, where the mage girl from earlier is pressed against the wall, a sword halfway to her throat.
Talon groans.
That girl really knows how to make a nuisance of herself. Regardless, this could prove to be interesting.
His pace quickens as he strides up to the brawny man, Riven following suit.
"You'd best let her go now." He says evenly, pointedly staring at the fox like lady, who eyes him with gratitude.
"Did you just threaten me, boy?" The man scoffs.
"I was merely suggesting what's best for you. But yes, I was."
"You're a cocky brat, aren't you?"
"Hmph."
"Suppose I'll humour you then, brat. I'll take you on, one against one, no armour or weapons. If you win, the girl goes free. Of course, if I break every bone in your body, then both her and your companion die. Fair?" The man grins deviously.
"Two lives at risk for one? Hardly, but why not? I accept." Talon smirks at him, ignoring the fox-girl's protests.
"You're a bastard, Talon," the feminine voice behind him mutters indignantly.
"I'm not going to lose, I'm sure you know."
"You're still a bastard."
Not bothering to turn to face her, he begins to remove his silvered armblade, then unbuckles his short sword and belt. The dull clang of metallic items hitting the floor tells him that his enemy is mirroring his actions. Behind him, both girls stand in anticipation of the fight.
He finishes unbuckling his cape and breastplate, and reaches into his pants pockets to pull out three knives and a couple of shurikens. He adds them to his pile of weapons, then fishes out four more short knives, kunai, and a foldable hunting knife.
Sitting down to pull off a boot, Talon glances upwards shortly. He notices Riven staring incredulously at his fast-growing pile of sharp objects, while his opponent taps his foot impatiently, already finished disarming.
He inwardly grins in amusement.
Just for show, he tips his boot upside down and shakes it, allowing another knife to topple out, and does the same with his other one. Then he gets to his feet, staring at his opponent confidently.
"Let's begin then."
The older man lunges at him with a roar, the whole inn quieting down and ceasing their activities to look at the pair. Talon easily sidesteps him, seizing the officer by his shoulders and flipping him head over heels. The man grunts as he collides with the floor, rolling to his feet and jumping away from the assassin, now more cautious. They circle each other, Talon with a cocky smile on his face, and the soldier with a sneer.
"Quick, aren't you, kid?"
"No, you're just slow."
The man growls, and lunges for him again. This time, the assassin ducks under him, using his enemy's momentum to slam him into the floor and pinning him to the ground. He straddles him, sending punch after punch hurtling towards the man's face.
The Noxian manages to catch his fist as he prepares to hit him again, pulling Talon towards him to return the favour. However, he twists his head to the right, just evading the blow. Sharply elbowing the man in the stomach, he delivers a final, solid blow to the winded man, knocking him unconscious.
Ahri's POV
The bulky figure of the Noxian officer lies on the floor, unmoving, as Ahri watches Talon stand up and dust himself off. As he seizes his knives and equips the rest of his armor, he turns to walk towards her and his companion.
"Pathetic. You'd think that a high ranking guy like him would be a little harder to take down," he mutters as he reaches the pair.
The female soldier in front of him glances at him, raising an eyebrow but smirking.
He turns to Ahri.
"I told you that you were a liability."
"Sorry…" She fixes her eyes to the floor, embarrassed.
"It doesn't matter, anyway. Those soldiers were a joke, even for Noxians. "
"Still, you helped me out twice, even though you didn't know me." Ahri gives him a sincere look, all traces of flirtatiousness gone.
"Thanks, uh…"
"Talon. And this here is Riven," he intones, jerking his head towards the warrior.
"I'm Ahri." The mage smiles.
Surprisingly enough, Talon responds with the hint of a smile, but it vanishes as quick as it arrived.
"We really should leave, Talon. We've caused enough of a disturbance around here," Riven interjects.
"Agreed. Let's go." He regards as he pushes open the twin doors to the inn and walks outside, looking around.
"There should be an Ionian town in the distance; it should give us an overview of the whole valley." He mentions, casually twirling a shuriken around his fingers.
Riven looks at him.
"How do you know that?"
"Just something I learned in my endeavors."
Ahri smiles broadly.
"Let's go then, mister." She says teasingly, before walking off in the direction of the hill.
Riven rolls her eyes, and follows her reluctantly. Talon sighs, catches the shuriken in his palm, and follows them both after inspecting the area.