Ionian Nights- Part 1
When one of the Ionian Coucil is assassinated and others kidnapped, Karma must work with both Ionian champions and several others to discover just what is happening in Ionia on these cold, desolate nights...
This story contains: Violence, Murder/PG-13 situations, Death, Minor use of original characters/concepts, Ionian-based story telling.
As the CB doesn't have a chapter system yet, I'll likely just write each part in a new post and put them all together at the end. Until they create the chapter/writing system and I can more adequately group these together.
###Part 1
Karma couldn't sleep.
It was a small little quirk of hers, but she liked being around people. It made her feel comfortable. Knowing there was a guard outside her room, snuggling up on a romantic partner, even passing out at her seat in the council after an arduous match in the League. But tonight she was alone in her large bed: No guards, no romance partners, nothing.
As the duchess, Karma's room was a bit larger than others. Easily enough to house an entire family, her room was rather barren. A small couch in the corner. A dresser for her clothing. A large window and balcony that let her see the grand sky, valleys, rivers and mountains of her cherished Ionia. Slowly, the tanned woman rolled over, shifting in under her blanket, trying to get comfortable.
Peace just didn't come, however. One hand reached up, combing through her short hair as she decided to just sit up. Slowly, she swung her feet to the side of her bed, sitting up as she sat semi-hunched on her plush bedding. Her eyes wandered to the headstand of her bed, twin serpents swirling above her to "ward off evil dreams and spirits". Even if the serpents were supposed to do that, not much could be done when she wasn't asleep.
Karma took a deep breath and paused, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes and sat there. Something was...off. Just not right. Yes, she couldn't sleep and she didn't like being alone but there was a nagging feeling in her chest. As if something just wasn't right. One hand came to her breast, pressing to her heart as she gazed inward to see what the problem was. As the duchess did this, the grand room of hers seemed to shift. From the inky shadows, a figure crept, barely noticeable save for the gentle light of the moon.
Body clad in dark blue, fingers reaching down to brush against the grip of what seemed to be a dagger. Step by step it moved closer, silently unsheathing the knife as the masked figure moved upon Karma. Said figure was nearly upon the grand bed now, turning the knife in it's hand to aim downward. For all intents, this man or woman wanted to plunge that dagger deep into Karma's spine.
"It's rude to interrupt someone when they are sleeping,"
Before the figure could realize Karma had noticed it's presence, Karma's jade tattoos sparked with unearthly power. In a blink the woman stood, turned on her heels, and fired a searing bolt of pure, concussive power. Purple and jade set the room alight as the figure was sent flying backwards. Unchecked by the League's restrictions, Karma's mystic powers were far more dangerous and far more disorienting.
This figure slammed into the wall, cracking the wooden boarding as it fell to the ground. "Now that you have my undivided attention, perhaps you can explain to me why you were brandishing that weapon of yours?" Karma moved upon the figure, her jade and purple light swirling betwixt her fingers. Yet as the duchess moved upon her prey, the figure stuck a hand into a pouch on the side of his belt, pulling out something akin to a dry and light-brown root.
Before Karma could even stop him, the figure pulled down his mask (This figure apparently being a man) and swallowed the entire root. Three feet away, the man was writhing in agony, clutching his chest and hitting the ground with a thud. Two feet away, the man began to vomit sand, eyes leaking sand, every bit of him turning into those grains of dust. One foot away, there was no longer a man. Now it was just a pile of sand vaguely in the shape of a human. Karma cursed under her breath, putting out the fire.
"Shurimian Burial Root. Someone obviously didn't want to leave witnesses..." She sneered, arms crossed. Not moments later her door burst open, Ionian guards flooding into the room. Karma sighed, realizing that the man hitting the wall must have roused suspicions or at least bothered someone. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she muttered, adjusting her nightgown so she looked a bit more respectable.
The guards fell to their knees, bowing before the duchess. "Duchess, we have urgent news to bring you. The-" One of the guards, who seemed to be the captain, paused in his tracks as he saw the mound of sand with human clothing. "So someone tried to attack you as well, m'lady?" At this, Karma's eyes widened. There had been other targets? Who else could that be?
"I need information, now," she said. Karma reached over for her byōbu and pulled it, shading herself from view in front of her dresser as she looked for something she felt more comfortable walking around in. "Champions? Citizens? Do we know who ordered this?" she interrogated, glaring at her clothing as she stripped her nightgown away.
"The...council, m'lady."
Karma froze, hand wrapped around a garment. "Take me to them at once."
Karma and her new-found guard squadron moved down the halls, Karma leading the way while every single Ionian was on alert. Luckily, the quarters of the council were in closer proximity to themselves than they were to her, so perhaps things might have gone better?
Upon reaching the four grand doors, that statement was obviously false. Two of the doors were torn off their hinges, one clean off while the other was hanging by a single latch. The other two were open but it was clear the lock had been torn right off. One room's entrance was blocked by two guards while a mighty figure stood by the entrance that was torn completely off. At least someone had been alright.
Standing there, being wrapped in bloody bandages around his torso, was Ryota. One of the council members and the self-proclaimed "Shogun of Ionia", he seemed to be the most capable to fight off his assassin and had apparently done so. He turned, long black hair shifting as his eyes spied Karma. Forgoing continued medical treatment he stomped over to Karma, wounded but still standing tall...about six foot six inches tall to be exact.
"Ah, Lady Karma, how I was worried. I should have known no mere assassin could crush your spirit or-"
Karma angrily raised a hand. "Save your pitiful flirtation, Ryota. Now is not the time,"
Ryota was taken aback but nodded. Ever since he had joined the council at the conclusion of the war, Ryota seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with Karma. Rumors circulated that he was pining for her hand in marriage to gain a larger sway on the council. Most of the time, Karma found him an acceptable if overbearing ally. "Well, m'lady, four assassins invaded our rooms just as the guards were altering shifts. By the time they arrived, I had already dispatched my foe."
Karma nodded, peering into Ryota's room. The assassin, dead on the floor, had a massive gash down his chest. A testament to Ryota's effective but almost noxian-level combat prowess. "Could keep him alive now could you?" She muttered, Karma's arms crossing under her bust. "What of Shinji, Ozawa and Kouga?" Karma turned back to Ryota, looking for answers.
The shogun sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Ozawa and Kouga are missing but there was definitely a struggle. Shinji, on the other hand..." Karma didn't need anymore information. Pushing past Ryota she moved to Shinji's room, one hand rising and producing a small flame to spy the area.
Even with the verdant hue, the room was darker than it should be. Two bodies lay upon the wooden floor, one clad in the dark blue cloth Karma's assailant had been clothed in, the other in a white gown so dreadfully soaked in blood that it looked black. Karma glared, stifling any sort of gag or nausea she may feel at this. Ionia needed a strong leader, not someone weak in the knees. "Murder-suicide. Someone wanted the council dead but didn't want their hand noticed in this," Karma spoke, leaving the room as the guards and Ryota awaited her command.
After a deep breath to clear the stench of death from the air around her, Karma set her commands in motion: "Guards, keep this under wraps and clean these rooms after they are thoroughly inspected. I don't want the citizens of Ionia panicking that our nation has been attacked," With that command, the guards nodded and set off to quickly inspect the crime scene before fixing the rooms up.
Next, Karma turned to Ryota. "As the only council members who survived, we have to be active in our research. I need you to compile a list of every single enemy Ionia has within our borders. It's possible this was an outside mission but I have my suspicions." Ryota pressed a hand to the unbandaged side of his chest, marching into his room to don his armor before completing the command.
Finally, Karma took the solemn walk back to her room. She moved to a small desk she kept near the corner of her domain, opposite of the couch, and gathered parchment and her quill. With only a single, flickering light to keep her focused, Karma began to pen letters to any and all Ionian champions she could trust:
Champion,
*I require your assistance. All able-bodied champions please report to the Chamber of the Council within the Placidium at once. This is a grave emergency and I am requesting every single champion to come to Ionia's aid along with your own. I urge you to keep this as secretive as possible, as the citizens of Ionia should not know of the dangerous situation we are currently in.*
Duchess Karma
Late into the night Karma penned each note, not even having the time to personally address each champion. For what seemed like hours she wrote the notes, sealed the envelopes and made sure that the messenger was sent off to deliver them.
As the sun rose, Karma lethargically stumbled back to her room (heavily guarded now) and fell upon her bed face-first. Tonight had been one of the most stressful nights of her life as the Duchess of Ionia and, from the look of things, these nights were only going to get more and more difficult...
End Part 1
