Ionian Nights- Part 2
###Part 2
"Whenever you're ready, press your attack," Udyr spoke. The spiritwalker raised his muscular arms, adopting the stance that resembled that of a bear ready to maul it's target. Both him and his apprentice stood upon the balconey of a nearby temple at sunset, the glorious mountains of Ionia shielding the sun just enough for it's auburn light to appear just out of reach.
Standing opposite of Udyr was a far younger man. Long black hair in gentle waves flowed down off his head, held out of his hazel eyes with a single red headband. His outfit was that of a modified gi, white-and-red but without a right shoulder-or-sleeve. Nay, his chest and right arm were exposed whereas his left was covered with a flowing, almost ornamental gi. Besides that his leggings were fairly normal: wooden sandals with tightly bound white socks, followed by heavily bound cloth around his legs. His stance, in comparison, was far more open. Open palms, legs far apart, it seemed less like a combat stance and more of a peaceful stance.
As the sun sank just a bit lower, enough to put a glare in Udyr's eyes and cause him to lower his head, the young man went forth. However, rather than charging Udyr, his palms lit up with energy. A pulsating orb of pure energy shot out, making a gentle thump through the air as it rocketed toward the animalistic martial artist. Udyr, however, was no fool. In his bear stance, Udyr dashed far faster than any man of his size should, attempting to sprint around the younger man as more blasts of energy tracked him.
"Your Qi is weak, Utsusemimaru! Concentrate, do not assault me with a barrage of qi!" Udyr advised, already flanking Utsusemimaru on his left side.
"I'm aware, sensei!" Utsusemimaru retorted. As Udyr closed the gap, Utsusemimaru jumped high into the air, aiming one leg down at Udyr as the martial artist stopped in his tracks. Rather than dive right down upon him, Utsusemimaru spun his legs mid-air in wide, heavy arcs. Waves of qi energy slashed downward, crescent upon crescent bombarding Udyr while the force of his energy kept him suspended in the air.
After several rotations, Utsusemimaru peered downward, trying to see where Udyr had gone. In Semimaru's barrage, the dust around Udyr had been kicked up and masked where he would be. "Where are you, damn it..." Utsusemimaru questioned to himself. As he paused his waves of qi, the younger man began to fall from the air, foot just barely scraping the dust. This proved exactly the moment that Udyr had been waiting for. From the dust came a mighty hand, grasping Utsusemimaru's ankle. He had just enough time to look down, seeing the Spiritwalker's mystic pelt had shifted from the pelt of the bear to the carapace of the turtle, explaining how the man had weathered his attack.
"You need to LISTEN TO YOUR MASTER!" Udyr demanded angrily, bringing the arm that grasped Utsusemimaru down, forcing the young man to slam his back into the stone floor. So great was this slam that Utsusemimaru bounced once, the wind knocked out of his lungs as he struggled to turn in Udyr's grasp, aiming a powerful kick to the Spiritwalker's skull. Again, Udyr read this movement like a master. His free hand grasped Utsusemimaru's leg before slamming the young man down into the ground again, Utsusemimaru now flat on his back with Udyr releasing his ankles.
In a flash of sunset orange, the carapace of a turtle changed to the pelt of a mighty tiger. With this, Udyr's stance changed once more: His fingers dragged outwards in claw-like shapes and his form hunched over the fallen foe. Utsusemimaru turned his face to the side as Udyr brought his claw-like fists down upon him . . . before stopping mere inches from his face. Utsusemimaru panted softly, Udyr pulling back and stepping off the young man before offering one hand to help the younger man up.
"You are improving but again, you should listen to me when I give you advice, Utsusemimaru," Udyr crossed his powerful arms, watching as Utsusemimaru dusted himself off and adjusted his gi. "Had this not been sparring, you would no longer have a face."
Utsusemimaru sighed, bowing to Udyr. "I am sorry sensei. I get...worked up sometimes. It's difficult to manifest qi for me without putting heavy amounts of emotion into my strikes." Udyr, however, reached over and pat Utsusemimaru's back. This prompted him to push himself up to a standing position, about a head shorter than his sensei.
"Managing your connection to the spirit world is the most difficult thing many monks must learn to do. For what you display so far, you are performing at a fairly strong rate," Udyr insisted, nodding at Utsusemimaru.
"I hope I am not interrupting?"
Both Utsusemimaru and Udyr turned to see Karma, walking out to the balcony as the two conversed. Udyr pressed his left fist to his right palm, bowing before Karma. Utsusemimaru, on the other hand, ran right to Karma before hugging her tightly. "Karma! I was wondering when I'd see you again!" the young man exclaimed, Karma chuckling lightly and returning this hug. Utsusemimaru was one of few to survive Noxian monastery purges during the war and, in many ways, Karma was the closest thing he had to a family member.
"Easy, dear, easy. I'm here for Udyr, as happy as I am to see you," Karma said, Utsusemimaru letting go and nodding gently. The young man stepped to the side so that Karma could speak to Udyr in private, Utsusemimaru closing the door to the outdoor area and leaving the two to their privacy. Once gone, Karma's expression turned from a carefree and light expression to a serious, stern one. "Udyr, I vastly urge you to reconsider. You are a great spiritual leader in Ionia and for this your presence would be incredibly beneficial."
Udyr crossed his arms, shaking his head. As tall as he was compared to Karma, that spark in her eyes made Udyr feel far smaller than she was. Still, he stood his ground. "I am infinitely sorry Karma, but the Freljord requires me more than Ionia does. My boat leaves for the icy shores tonight and, as much as I'd like to help, I do not belong solely to Ionia," Udyr said, Karma giving him a stern look before sighing. Regardless of how useful he was to Ionia, she couldn't force Udyr to abandon the Freljord. Not with the current state it was in, anyways.
"I understand, Udyr. Again, I thank you for helping mentor Utsusemimaru, especially with his...condition," Karma said, nodding and bowing slightly to Udyr. "Is he showing signs yet or. . .?"
Udyr grimaced, turning to look at the sky. "His growth is exponential. Very soon the aspects will overtake him and display themselves, Duchess. Perhaps it is time to tell him of the inevitable?" Udyr questioned, turning to look at Karma over his shoulder. Karma sighed, shaking her head at this recommendation. "As you wish, but you cannot hide his birthright from him. Even I question how Utsusemimaru didn't question why he survived the purge when every other monk didn't."
"Perhaps you're right Udyr. . . if you aren't going to join us, perhaps I can use Utsusemimaru in your place?" Karma questioned, raising an eyebrow as the mountains began to block the sun entirely.
Udyr grimaced. "You are playing with fire, Karma, but it is something that must be done. I cannot spar with him forever," Udyr spoke. Karma nodded at this, assured in her path. Asides, those that people do not know of will be vastly useful in the coming days.
Utsusemimaru had never been inside the Placidium, much less the Council chamber. ESPECIALLY not with so many incredible figures. His eyes darted to and fro, trying to take it all in as Karma took her seat at the head of the grand table.
Standing in one corner were the Kinkou, all three of the balance-dedicated warriors remaining silent. Shen was in the middle, with Akali and Kennen flanking him on both sides. Just a few feet away, Irelia was speaking with Master Yi, Wukong waiting obediently by his master's side as they waited for Karma to begin.
Further to the side, Lee Sin was speaking casually with Jax while Karma began to sort her things. Standing beside her was some massive titan, easily the tallest person in the room, covered head-to-toe in ceremonial armor. "Guess that must be Ryota," Utsusemimaru whispered to himself as Karma gently tapped the desk to gather the attention of everyone in the room.
"Attention, everyone. I apologize for this gather being of such short notice, but the need is dire," Karma spoke. The only sound in the room was the gentle clop of hooves upon the grand title. Soraka had arrived late but far be it from anyone to take up a problem with her. "I suppose this is everyone?" Karma questioned, peering around the room. "As I expected, Ahri is not the least bit interested in Ionia's problems and Udyr is preoccupied with the Freljord. I'm sure you have all met Ryota? The military leader of the council?"
Ryota gave a slight bow as Karma motioned to Utsusemimaru. "This gentleman is Utsusemimaru, Udyr's . . . apprentice. He'll be filling in for the spirit walker while Udyr is occupied with the Freljord. Beyond that he will serve as an 'unknown' for our current situation," Karma added. It certainly didn't help to have the eyes of some of Ionia's greatest champions fixated upon him, causing the young man to shrink slightly in their gaze.
"Now, onto why I called you all here: As you are likely aware, three of the council members aren't here. This information does not leave the room but two of them, Kouga and Ozawa, are currently MIA. Shinji was killed. Along with this, both myself and Ryota were attacked the night before but fended off our assassins," Karma explained. The room was silent, champions looking left and right. "I have requested Ryota to compile a list of possible people who could do this, if he may?"
Ryota stepped forward slightly, setting down a map of Ionia. "Of all the possible candidates, we have a few who stand out. As Karma was attacked, it is clear that the culprit does not fear the retaliation of the Institute of War. As such, we have four very likely candidates," With that, Ryota put one finger on a dark splotch of Ionia. "Varus, who possibly may wish for revenge," Ryota then moved his finger. "Zed, hoping to remove problematic council members," Another move of the finger. "Yasuo, lashing out as Ionia considers him a threat," Finally, Ryota moved his hand off the map. "And Syndra, who is currently somewhere in the skies of Ionia.
With that, Karma nodded. "However, I still think we should consider new council members before we leave. It is more than likely both Kouga and Ozawa-" Ryota's words were halted as Karma raised one hand, silencing the Shogun with a mere flick of the wrist. Ryota appeared to grimace, though it could not be made out clearly due to his faceplate.
"That is why I called you all here. I have specific requests for each of you. Foremost, Irelia and Jax, I wish for you two to guard the palace and make sure nobody finds out about this. As you two are some of the strongest fighters Ionia has, you should be able to deal with any assassins who attempt to finish the job," Irelia nodded, bowing to Karma with great respect while Jax gave a lethargic nod. The grandmaster was never one to be too concerned with politics, after all.
"Shen, Akali and Kennen. I want you to accompany Utsusemimaru to the last known location of Yasuo. Here," she said, pointing at a small bay, "A small fishing village where the ronin was said to have been spotted drinking. Yasuo doesn't recognize Utsusemimaru so it should be easier to-"
"With all respect, duchess, I feel we should deal with Zed. We enforce balance, not guard unknown agents," Shen said, as flat and emotionless as he was always rumored to be. Karma, however, was not pleased with this.
Shaking her head, Karma pointed to the trio. "You three all have ties to Zed that make the status of this mission far too personal. The only persons I would not trust going after Yasuo are Yi and, if she had been Ionian, Riven," Shen nodded, emotionless as the other kinkou. To say that Utsusemimaru was intimidated by those three was an understatement. They were some of Ionia's first in the League.
"Master Yi, Wukong, Lee Sin and Ryota will attempt to converse with Zed at his base of operations. I urge all four of you to act with the utmost respect and peacefulness, as Zed can be extremely volatile. . . that goes double for you, Ryota," Karma gave a glare to Ryota, causing the shogun to nod firmly. He was one of the most aggressive ionians one could ever meet, but his role as Ionia's military leader might give him respect in Zed's eyes.
"As for Soraka and myself, we will speak with Varus. This is hardly the first time we have conversed with him and, as such, Soraka and myself are capable of not bringing any fighting into this situation," With that, Karma stood and looked around the room. "I must urge you that NO ONE let this information slip free. Ionia is still reeling from the induction of Yasuo, Syndra and Zed to the League. Knowing that they attempted something of this caliber could cause mass hysteria. Are we all clear?"
Everyone in the room gave a gentle nod, already moving to converse with their groups. "Good. This will take several days for all of us to go to our respective places and-"
"What about Syndra?" Jax interrupted, tapping his lantern on the ground. Karma turned to the grandmaster, her glare attempting to tell Jax that he shouldn't have interrupted her but those small aqua-colored dots giving nothing but an blank stare back at her grimace. "What? It's a legitimate question, Karma."
Ryota spoke up for this part, however, turning to Jax. "Syndra will be dealt with when the time comes. For now we are going to handle those that can be found easier than a grand, floating castle somewhere in Ionia's skies. Is that clear, Jax?" Ryota explained. Jax shrugged in response, content with the answer but not caring -that- much about it.
"Then we are in agreement. We all leave tonight and shall report back here as soon as possible. Any lingering remarks?" Karma questioned, looking around the room as nobody spoke up nor raised a hand.
"Very well. For Ionia, we leave tonight."
End Part 2
