Sinister: Noxian Diplomacy

A Tool For Noxus

The steed slowed its steps as they neared the empire. It smelled the air of the putrid odor omitting from the moat ahead. It circles around the empire, stretching as far and as wide as the Howling Abyss. Katarina remembered vaguely the last time she saw her city's borders when she left. Noxians never looked back when they left, not even a quick glance. But now, the eroding walls came into view along with the soldiers perched along the top, ready to strike as they saw her approach.

They were armed and ready to fight this intruder of theirs. One of the guards called off, but the four that blocked her way from entering the bridge stiffened with their swords drawn and signaled her to get off of the steed.

"Remember me?" she said, flicking her crimson hair off her shoulder. They saw the scar etched on her eye and lowered their weapons. One of the men lowered his head in respect as the others stared at him oddly.

"Miss Du Couteau," the man said through his thick beard. "You have someone waiting for you."

Before she questioned it, the hairs on her neck stood. She shot venom as she saw the shady figure move after leaning on the inner side of the gates. A woman whose eyes were amber as honey and lips set with a devilish grin. She raised her staff along with her free hand as if inviting the Sinister Blade into her arms. What a sickening notion. Katarina gripped the reins of her steed which were still held within her hand tightly and stepped back subconsciously. "Why are you here?" she spat.

"The same reason as you, dear." Leblanc said flatly. Her 'friendly' gesture had not come successful to Katarina but transferred itself to a smaller grin of the same nature. "Come along now, you wouldn't want to keep him waiting now would you?"

She obeyed without a word, for now. The men paid their respects to the Sinister Blade as she passed them, knowing her solely by her name within the empire's gates. A feeling pitted Katarina's stomach as she walked along the bridge with Leblanc. She has fought against the Deceiver several times in battle, few times coming back to the fountain with barely enough strength to breathe. She was cunning to the bone, always tricking those less intellectual than herself. Katarina was not so easily fooled but in this position she had no escape. She was no more than a mouse being led into a trap.

Peering down at the murky water, Katarina saw what appeared to be human skulls in the water. They were hardly noticeable but were visible enough to grant chills down her spine. They called to her with such intensity that her mind shot warnings as she moved along but kept her uneasy self-hidden under a mask. Demacians and Noxians fought here before and countless were killed. No doubt those were of Demacian origins, as the remains were ivory enough to have been worn of flesh over the years. She recalled that in the olden days of public executions, they dumped the headless corpses along with their severed body part in the moat to scare off intruders. Their intentions worked obviously, even to a member of the house that approved of this.

With a gulp she continued, her hands to her blades.

"Come along now, it's not safe to travel alone here." Leblanc said, noticing Katarina's slowing pace. The assassin disregarded the other woman's remark, as dumb as it was.

"I should know," she retorted. "I was raised here."

They reached the doors of her old home and upon waiting for them to open, Katarina's nostrils were filled with foreign scents. The mansion –as it was- had large dark wooden doors with brass hinges and creaked open to allow them to enter. There was only one man at the door who stared at the ground beneath his helmet, avoiding contact with them both.