Ionia has always been a land of wild magic, its vibrant people and powerful spirits seeking to live in harmony\u2026 but sometimes this peaceful equilibrium does not come easily. Sometimes it needs to be kept in check.<\/p>\n
The Kinkou are the self-appointed keepers of Ionia\u2019s sacred balance. The order\u2019s loyal acolytes walk the spirit and material realms, mediating conflicts between them and, when necessary, intervening by force. Born among their ranks was Akali, daughter of Mayym Jhomen Tethi, the renowned Fist of Shadow. Mayym and her partner Tahno raised their daughter within the Kinkou Order, under the watchful leadership of Great Master Kusho, the Eye of Twilight.<\/p>\n
Whenever her parents were called away, other members of the order stepped in as Akali\u2019s surrogate family. Kennen, the Heart of the Tempest, spent many hours with the young girl, teaching her shuriken techniques, and emphasizing speed and agility over strength. Akali was a precocious child, and soaked up the knowledge like a sponge. It became clear to all that she would follow her parents\u2019 path\u2014along with the Great Master\u2019s son and appointed successor Shen, she would lead a new generation dedicated to preserving Ionia\u2019s balance.<\/p>\n
But balance can be fleeting. The order found itself divided.<\/p>\n
A wayward acolyte named Zed returned, and clashed violently with Kusho, wresting power in a bloody coup. Akali fled into the eastern mountains along with Mayym, Shen, Kennen, and a handful of other acolytes. Sadly, Tahno was not among them.<\/p>\n
Zed\u2019s transformation of the Kinkou into the merciless Order of Shadow was almost complete. But, as the new Eye of Twilight, Shen intended to rebuild what had been lost. They would return to the Kinkou\u2019s three fundamental philosophies: the pure impartiality of\u00a0Watching the Stars<\/i>, the passage of judgment in\u00a0Coursing the Sun<\/i>, and the elimination of imbalance by\u00a0Pruning the Tree<\/i>. Even though they were now few, they would train neophytes to restore and grow their numbers once more.<\/p>\n
When Akali came of age at fourteen, she formally entered her Kinkou training, determined to succeed her mother as the new Fist of Shadow.<\/p>\n
She was a prodigious fighter, and mastered the kama and kunai\u2014a handheld sickle and throwing dagger. Though she did not possess the magical abilities of many of her fellow acolytes, she proved to all she was worthy of the title, in time allowing her mother to step down and help mentor the younger neophytes.<\/p>\n
But Akali\u2019s soul was restless, and her eyes were open. Though the Kinkou and the Order of Shadow had come to an uneasy accord in the wake of the Noxian invasion of Ionia, she saw that her homeland continued to suffer. She questioned whether they were truly fulfilling their purpose. Pruning the Tree was meant to eliminate those who threatened the sacred balance… yet Shen would always urge restraint.<\/p>\n
He was holding her back. All the mantras and meditations could quiet her spirit, but such platitudes would not defeat their adversaries. Her youthful precociousness turned to outright disobedience. She argued with Shen, she defied him, and she took down Ionia\u2019s enemies\u00a0her<\/i>\u00a0way.<\/p>\n
In front of the whole order, she declared the impotence of the Kinkou, all its talk of spiritual balance and patience accomplishing little. Ionians were dying in the material realm, and that was the realm Akali would defend. She was trained as an assassin. She was going to\u00a0be<\/i>\u00a0an assassin. She did not need the order anymore.<\/p>\n
Shen let her go without a fight, knowing this was a path that Akali must walk alone. Perhaps that path would bring her back one day, but that would be for her to decide.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh\u2014 Hey<\/i>! Bo\u2019lii!\u201d I cry out. \u201cCut me a little deep, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
I crane my head up and around from the wicker mat I\u2019m lying prone on to stare right into the eyes of the vastaya kneeling over me. I can feel the blood sliding down my back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about you be a little more careful?\u201d I add.<\/p>\n
Bo\u2019lii pulls his\u00a0qua\u2019lo<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0mulee<\/i>\u00a0away from my shoulder, the tools of a tattoo artist, like a hammer and chisel, made from serpent bone. Some use other animals or metal, but the serpent bones are just hollow enough to give the ink the fine line that a master like Bo\u2019lii demands in his work. A little more of my blood drips off the mulee and onto my back. He smiles, dabs it with a swatch of old linen and shakes his head. Then he holds up his hands and shrugs, as if to ask,\u00a0You want me to stop?<\/i><\/p>\n
The words don\u2019t come. Noxian soldiers took most of his tongue long before I began coming here, but I know him well enough to know what a look can say. His work is more than a fair trade for a little discomfort.<\/p>\n
And the blood? I can take a little blood. A lot, if it\u2019s not my own.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust clean it up a little, okay? I don\u2019t think we have much time,\u201d I tell him.<\/p>\n
Bo\u2019lii begins tapping the mulee with the qua\u2019lo and adding the ink. He has the best inks, rich colors made from crushed Raikkon wild berries and the enchanted flower petals found only on the southern faces of the Vlonqo cliffs. He is a master, and I am honored to be his canvas.<\/p>\n
I started coming to Weh\u2019le not long after I stopped listening to Shen. All those years in the Kinkou Order \u201ctreading carefully\u201d? No. Shen was wrong about that. About me.<\/p>\n
Restraint has never been my thing.<\/p>\n
I turn back around on the mat and rest my chin on top of my hands. Keeping my eyes trained on the door that leads into Bo\u2019lii\u2019s tavern. His place is clean, but the air hangs heavy with guilt. The tavern is home to a collection of thieves, rogues, and bad decisions. People come to Bo\u2019lii\u2019s to arrange a way out of Weh\u2019le. Out of Ionia. Because getting\u00a0into<\/i>\u00a0Weh\u2019le is hard\u2026 but getting out is even harder.<\/p>\n
Weh\u2019le is a phantom port, a hidden coastal village, protected by the mystical properties of Ionia. Unlike Fae\u2019lor, she doesn\u2019t welcome outsiders, and you won\u2019t find her on the maps. Should Weh\u2019le appear at all, it is always on her own terms, daring people into doing very dumb things.<\/p>\n
Most approach from the sea, dreaming of riches, discovery or maybe just a new start, only to have their hopes dashed in an instant. First, the shoreline that once called to them vanishes behind a dense wall of cobalt fog crackling with arcane power. The sea rises and falls violently before unleashing torrents of crushing waves. As the survivors cling to their splintered vessel, the fog pulls back for the briefest of moments, allowing them one look at the flickering lanterns of Weh\u2019le cruelly saying goodbye just before the water pulls them down to the bottom of the Breathless Bay.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t do anything about those people. Not my people. Not my problem.<\/p>\n
Bo\u2019lii stops tapping. I\u2019m here for someone else entirely.<\/p>\n
I feel my satchel against my thigh. It puts me at ease, although I would rather have it on me. From there, I could fire three kunai into three hearts on instinct. Three kills without a thought. Where it is now, I\u2019d have to think a little.<\/p>\n
I look up just in time to see the man come through the front door. He is flanked by three guards in their battle dress.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that makes it easy\u2026 I wonder which one I\u2019m supposed to kill?\u201d I mock.<\/p>\n
Bo\u2019lii laughs. He can still do that, even without a tongue. It sounds a little weird, but it\u2019s real. He shakes his head again, and does that thing he always does. With a series of hand movements and head nods he tells me to try and do my business outside this time,\u00a0after<\/i>\u00a0they leave his establishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know I can\u2019t promise that,\u201d I say as I check my satchel, and turn towards the din of the tavern.<\/p>\n
I pause at the doorway and turn back to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll do what I can,\u201d I say, before lifting the mask over my face. I don\u2019t mind them seeing me, but if they saw me laughing at them, I think it would be just too much.<\/p>\n
The guy with the guards\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0my people\u2014a high councilman from Puboe, a place not far from the Kinkou Order. But, like many, he sold out his people to the invaders for gold and safe passage to Weh\u2019le, and beyond. So now he\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0my problem.<\/p>\n
But this is as far as he will get. Sure, I could\u2019ve taken him out in his sleep at the inn, or when they made camp along the road to Weh\u2019le, but where\u2019s the fun in that? I want him to taste the salt air. I want him to feel a sense of relief before the end comes. But I also want the others to see him pay for his crimes, and know that this will not stand.<\/p>\n
Actions have consequences.<\/p>\n
I approach without a sound. His hands are shaking as he raises a mug of ale to his lips. His guards stand in his defense when they notice me. I\u2019m impressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNice to see manners around here for a change,\u201d I say with a smile they cannot see.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your business, girl?\u201d One of them asks through a plate of pitted and tarnished steel.<\/p>\n
\u201cHim,\u201d I say pointing with my kama. It glistens with hues of the magic it was forged in. \u201cHe\u2019s my business right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guards draw their weapons, but even before they can step towards me, they disappear in a thick ring of blinding smoke. The kunai begin to fly, hitting their targets with a satisfying flesh and bone\u00a0THUNK<\/i>.<\/p>\n
One. Two. Three.<\/p>\n
Footsteps.<\/p>\n
I send two more kunai in that direction. A clang of metal, followed by the\u00a0THUCK-THUCK<\/i>\u00a0of them ricocheting into the walls.<\/p>\n
More footsteps.<\/p>\n
\u201cAw, you\u2019re gonna bleed!\u201d I call out, flinging a single shuriken from my hip, and flipping across the room, following in its wake.<\/p>\n
I break through the smoke to see the last guard splayed out on the ground next to the door. The three prongs are lodged deep in his windpipe\u2014I can see his chest rising and falling ever so slightly. I grab him by the collar, raise him up, just to be sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost\u2026\u201d I whisper.<\/p>\n
At that moment, I hear a gurgling behind me. I turn to see the councilman through the receding smoke, bleeding out on the floor. His eyes are open, darting back and forth across the tavern, wondering what just happened.<\/p>\n
He looks so peaceful now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Akali’s Bio Ionia has always been a land of wild magic, its vibrant people and powerful spirits seeking to live in harmony\u2026 but sometimes this peaceful equilibrium does not come easily. Sometimes it needs to be kept in check. The Kinkou are the self-appointed keepers of Ionia\u2019s sacred balance. The order\u2019s loyal acolytes walk the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":8261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8262,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8260\/revisions\/8262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/entertainment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}