5

"You would have done better to rot in the Undead Asylum. Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable. We'll be Hollow before you know it. Hehehe."

Third POV:

In the middle of the night, shrouded in the darkness of the forest, three figures jumped from tree branch to tree branch in the Ionian jungle, headed to the side of the mountains. The light of the moon gave some view on those figures.

One of them was a well-built man wearing dark blue robes that covered most of his body except the arms, which were covered in gauntlets made of silver metal. He was wearing a mask with a metal star between his eyes, which seemed to be glowing. On his back were two swords, one covered in cloth and runes, while the other was a short katana in a normal sheath.

The second figure was a young woman, most likely in her late teens. She was wearing an outfit that was similar to the man, but green and without any metal. Instead of a mask, she was wearing a green bandana that covered the lower portion of her face. She had dark hair tied to a messy ponytail. She wasn't wearing gauntlets like the man, and her pants were baggy with a small bag on her waist near her back.

The third figure was the smallest one. He was barely half the size of a normal person. His entire body was covered with purple robes that were similar style to the man and young woman. His eyes and a couple of furry ears were visible though.

"So, Shen," the woman started speaking while jumping from tree branch to another. "Why are we in such a hurry?" she asked the large man since he simply told them to get ready and follow him.

"Haven't you been paying attention, Akali?" the smallest one of the group said, addressing the woman. "Noxian strays are here, and we're going to deal with them."

"I know that, Kennen," the woman- Akali -rolled her eyes. "What I don't know is why we're in such a hurry to get them," she added explaining her previous question.

The man- Shen -jumped to another tree branch before answering. "A few merchants were supposed to arrive at the village we just passed, but they didn't, and their path goes through the territory where the Noxians were spotted," he explained.

Both Akali and Kennen immediately understood the gravity of the situation. They increased the pace of their movement, matching that of their master. All three of them were hoping to reach their destination before any innocent blood is shed.

Moving closer and closer to the Noxian camp, they started hearing noises. The first thing they heard was a few screams, which set off warning bells in their heads, but then they caught the sound of battle.

The three finally reached the edge of the camp, all of them stopped, standing on tree branches to see what was going on. What they saw was definitely not something any of them was expecting.

Inside the Noxian camp, two figures were taking down Noxians right and left. Those figures were Ahri and Grey. The two traveling companions were fighting the Noxians while the Ionian merchants were hiding near their stolen carriages.

Grey cut down another Noxian before jumping towards three of them. Anchoring his dagger on the ground, the Undead Swordsman spun around swiftly, using his sword to cut down all three soldiers in one fell swoop.

Standing back up, the Abyss Watcher saw a Noxian coming at him, raising a battle ax. Grey swung his sword upwards, forcing the soldier to use his weapon to block. However, the strength that Grey put in his swing caused the Noxian to be left wide open for the Abyss Watcher's dagger to pierce his chest, stabbing him in the heart and effectively killing him.

Like before, whenever Grey killed someone, a dark silhouette of air would float from the corpses and vanish inside his body. Honestly, he didn't see a need to take any more Sovereignless Souls, mainly because he didn't see anyone that uses them since appearing on this land.

However, taking Sovereignless Souls was a part of the Darksign, so he couldn't exactly turn it off. Normal souls, in contrast to Sovereignless ones, need him to actually go to the body and take them himself and seeing no reason to do that Grey simply left the Souls in their corpses.

Meanwhile, Ahri jumped to the side, avoiding a Noxian bringing down his sword at her. The Fox Vastayan immediately created an orb of Fox-fire, and threw it her attacker's head, burning it and killing him.

Ahri's ears twitched as she heard a noise. Looking over her shoulder, she saw two Noxians attempting to jump at her from behind. The Fox eared woman created an orb of magic between her hands and swiftly turned around, throwing it at her attackers.

The orb struck the soldier on the right passed through him while the other soldier kept on moving. Seeing that he was finally close enough to strike her, he reeled back a sword to cut her down.

However, at that moment, the orb that Ahri threw earlier came back and passed through the soldier from behind, killing him in the process. When Ahri got the orb back, she couldn't help but smile a little.

This was the only way that she can regularly take Life Essence without absorbing the memories. The spell Ahri used is called orb of deception, something she made herself to help with battle.

The reason she doesn't see any memories is because the amount of life essence that the Orb of Deception takes is too low for any memories to be stolen, but still enough to boost her powers a little. Ahri was actually glad that she doesn't see memories through this technique, mainly because it would be just a distraction in the middle of battle.

Speaking of battle, Ahri remembered her current situation and went back to fighting by creating an orb of fire and throwing it at the closest Noxian. She immediately jumped back into the fray and started fighting beside the Abyss Watcher.

Shen, Akali, and Kennen simply watched from the tree branches. They can tell that the Noxians didn't stand a chance despite their numbers, especially since those numbers were dropping fast.

Currently, there were barely half a dozen Noxians left. Every other soldier was killed. The ones that were left were obviously looking for a way out. One of the soldiers tried to run away, only for Grey to suddenly appear and cut him in half from the waist.

Ahri threw her Orb of Deception at one of the soldiers, who tried to block it with his sword, but it simply passed through him, and came back, killing him in the process.

Taking in the power she received from the orb, Ahri used it to create two powerful fox-shaped flames and sent them towards two of the soldiers, aiming for their heads to get an instant kill.

Two soldiers were left, and both of them decided to do the smart thing, which is running away. However, when they turned their backs, a red blur swiftly passed by them, and both of their heads were cut off.

The three Kinkou members were surprised to see Grey standing where the last two soldiers used to be. They were honestly caught off guard by the speed they had just witnessed, and how accurately he managed to cut their heads off.

Seeing that no Noxian was left alive, the Abyss Watcher swung his sword, getting rid of the blood on it before strapping it to his back and putting his dagger on his waist. "You couldn't have just stayed out of this, could you?" Ahri scolded as she walked towards him.

"No," Grey simply replied, his eyes turning to their usual blue color before Ahri can notice the crimson glow.

The nine-tailed Vastayan sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. If it wasn't for her guilt, she would have walked away and left him to deal with this on his own. But, then again, if it wasn't for her guilt then she wouldn't be going to the Institute in the first place.

"Let's set those people free," Grey suggested as he started walking towards the bound merchants. Ahri hesitated for a few seconds before joining him.

Akali, being so high in the trees, wasn't able to hear what Grey said, and assumed that he was trying to hurt those victims. "He's going for the people!" she exclaimed jumping down.

"Akali, wait!" Shen tried to stop her but it was too late.

Akali, while falling from the branch, threw a few kunais, all aimed at Grey's back. Ahri heard something and turned around to see the blades heading towards her traveling companion. She didn't even have a chance to warn him.

however, that proved to be unnecessary, for when the blades came close, Grey swiftly pulled out his sword and turned around, swinging the Farron Greatsword and deflecting the incoming attack.

The Abyss Watcher looked at the person who tried to sneak attack him as she landed on the ground. the first thing he noticed was that she wasn't wearing the same armor as those Noxians he killed and that what she was wearing was obviously meant for stealth and assassination.

Before anything could be said, Ahri's ears twitched again and she had to jump back to avoid being struck by an electric shuriken. Kennen landed beside Akali, two more stars in his hands that were covered in electricity.

Grey gripped his sword while Ahri prepared some magic, both ready to continue fighting. "Wait!" However, Shen then landed between his two students and raised his arms. "Please, we mean no harm," Akali and Kennen were confused while Grey and Ahri kept up their guard. "We had just came in to make sure that those merchants are alright. we did not come here to fight anyone."

Grey kept holding his sword while Ahri mentally cursed. She recognized those people and can tell they're from the Kinkou order. If they figure out who she is, the fox Vastaya didn't doubt that they were in for more fighting.

Meanwhile, Shen was hoping not to engage in any unnecessary conflict because his student misunderstood the situation. He can tell that neither the Undead Swordsman or the nine-tailed Vastaya had any intentions to harm those bound merchants and that they were simply planning to let them go.

"Who are you?" the Abyss Watcher asked, still ready to kill these people. True, they didn't look like the Noxians, but a different set of clothes did not mean their intentions were different.

"We come from the Kinkou order," Shen replied, still raising his hands to show them that he was harmless. "We heard that there are Noxian strays here, and we came to make sure that those who travel through this route would be safe."

The Undead Swordsman remembers Ahri mentioning the Kinkou order when she explained the land to him. Apparently, they were one of the few things that kept Ionia in one piece.

Looking at Ahri, Grey saw her shrugging her shoulders, showing that she didn't see anything wrong with cooperation. While she was worried that they would recognize her, the Nine-Tailed Vastayan also knew that fighting would only make things worse.

Grey strapped his sword on his back, while Ahri seemed to stop building up magic. Akali put her weapons away along with Kennen as Shen finally lowered his hands. "Thank you," he said, appreciating that they decided to be peaceful.

"Since you're here, you can help to set these people free," the Abyss Watcher simply replied as he turned around and went back towards the people to start releasing them with Ahri following close by.

Akali and Kennen looked at their master, waiting for instructions. They saw him nod his head, giving them a silent message to do as they were told. Seeing that they get to help those people, they didn't see a problem with that.

The people were somewhat hesitant, but when they saw the members of the Kinkou order come to untie them, they seemed to calm down. Although, they still remained cautious of the other two, Grey more than Ahri.

After a few minutes, and many people saying 'Thank you', all the people were now free and were getting together with their families and friends. Grey and Ahri were waiting near the edge of the camp as the three Kinkou members were checking on the people.

"Why didn't you just walk away?" Ahri was tired of not knowing why her traveling partner did the exact opposite of what she told him to do.

The answer she got was not the one she was looking for. "I don't know," Grey replied.

"Is that going to be your answer for everything you do?" Ahri asked, frowning at the Abyss Watcher's seemingly repeated response.

Truthfully, Grey truly didn't know why he saved those people, or why he saved Ahri in the first place. Maybe it was his guilt for the lives he couldn't save, or maybe it was redemption for the lives that he took, or even maybe because he simply wanted to kill those men. He honestly couldn't tell.

His thoughts came to a halt when he heard a weird sound, two voices to be exact. One was a soft feminine humming while the other was a dark male chuckling. Looking at where the sound came from, he saw it came from where the Noxian corpses were.

For a short second, Grey saw two figures above the dead bodies. They vanished as soon as he saw them, but he did see that both figures were covered in fur. One being pure white while the other was pure black, and that was all he can see in that moment.

He couldn't think more on that because he saw Shen coming over with his two students. "They are all fine, aside from a few minor wounds. Thankfully, no one was killed," he said getting a nod from the Abyss Watcher. "You have my gratitude for helping those people, but what were you doing here so far in the mountains?" he asked.

"We were traveling," Grey replied. Ahri remained quiet, hoping to not draw attention to herself as she kept looking away. "We came upon this camp by accident on our way," he explained, avoiding mentioning their destination.

The master of the Kinkou nodded. Akali, who had been suspiciously looking at Ahri, leaned towards her master and whispered. "Shen, that woman-"

"I know," Shen was no stranger to the tales of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and he hardly thought that it was a coincidence that this woman filled its description.

The Eye of Twilight had already seen a few of her victims a long time ago while investigating with his father and his former friend, Zed. However, they were too preoccupied with trailing the Golden Demon, so they couldn't exactly spend time looking for her.

Of course, if this woman really is the Demon Fox, then Shen knew that a lot of innocent people died at her hands. However, she did save those people, so the least Shen can do is ignore her presence just this time.

What truly gained his attention was her companion. In all his years of leading the Kinkou order and even before that, Shen had never seen a Warrior like this. He couldn't recognize where the armor or the weapons were from.

There was also this dreadful aura that surrounded the Abyss Watcher. Looking into Grey's eyes, Shen couldn't help but compare it to looking into the eyes of a starving wolf that was ready to bounce on his prey.

"Are we free to leave?" Shen's thoughts stopped upon hearing Grey's question.

The Undead Swordsman wanted to make sure that the Kinkou members were not against them leaving, mainly because he didn't want to get into trouble with what is supposed to be the law enforcement in this nation… yet, at least.

"Yes, you may leave," Shen nodded. He wanted to know where they were going, but that wasn't actually his business. "Thank you again for saving those people."

The Abyss Watcher simply nodded and turned around to leave. Ahri felt relieved, believing that she wasn't recognized and was about to start following her traveling companions, intending to scold him, but then felt something poking her side.

Looking down, Ahri spotted a little girl, one of the people they saved. She had black hair tied into pigtails and was wearing a simple white dress. The girl was looking up at Ahri, looking a little hesitant.

Ahri was surprised that the girl approached her, but managed to hide her surprise under a warm smile. "Is there something you need?" she asked.

The little girl nodded and motioned with her hand for Ahri to get closer. The Nine-Tailed Vastayan knelt down, thinking the girl was going to whisper something to her. However, much to her shock, the little girl wrapped her arms around Ahri's neck and gave her a hug.

Ahri looked absolutely stunned. Her arms returned the hug out of pure instinct. She truly didn't know what to do. She was used to people acting in fear or something else negative around her unless her magic was used, with only one exception… well, two of them now that she thought of Grey.

The little girl let go after a moment and mumbled, "Thank you, miss," before walking away to the other people.

Ahri was still in her kneeling position, still comprehending what happened. After a few moments, she shook her head and stood up again. She saw that Grey was still standing there, waiting for her.

The Nine-Tailed Vastayan was grateful that he didn't seem to mention what just happened as he simply turned around and began to walk away. Ahri followed him as they went out of the camp before she pulled out the map and began to silently lead them.

When those two were out of sight, Akali turned to her master. "So, why did we let the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox get away?" she asked, confused that they didn't capture someone who is said to be so dangerous.

"We could not have made sure it was the same person as those stories, so there's no reason to capture her," neither Kennen nor Akali believed for a second that this is what their master was actually thinking.

Both students knew that the Eye of Twilight was simply repaying Ahri for saving those people. In all honesty, a part of them agreed, even though they still thought that they should have at least questioned where the two traveling companions were going.

"Akali, Kennen," Shen's voice gained their attention. "I want you two to go do some research."

"On the Demon Fox?" Kennen asked.

However, much to his surprise, the leader of the Kinkou order shook his head. "No, on the man that was with her."

"Glad I wasn't the only one who thought he was creepy," Akali commented. She had also noticed that scary aura around the Abyss Watcher, especially when he was holding his sword.

Shen ignored his student's comment. "Trail the path they came from and find out anything you can about him," the Eye of Twilight wanted to play it safe with this unknown individual.

The leader of the Kinkou order didn't believe that a man with gear that unique and skills like that in battle would remain unnoticed for so long, especially with the Institute of War making all kinds of warriors stand out.

Something was definitely off about the strange man, and Shen was intending to find out. After all, you can be too vigilant with people like Khada Jhin being free because of the Institute's protection to champions.

(A/N: Thank you for reading this.

First, I'm sorry if this chapter is just a filler, but it was a little necessary.

Second, about Shen letting Ahri go. Shen believes in Balance, so when Ahri did good, she had to receive good for things to be balanced out. Besides, can you really see him capturing her after she saved those people? Zed might do it, but not Shen.

Third, as I'm sure you noticed, Grey managed to get a glimpse of the Eternal Hunters. That will be explained in later chapters.

And lastly, in this version, you can clearly see that Grey is more emotionally conflicted and more undead-like than the other versions. I hope I got that right.

Again, thank you for reading. Please comment, review, and give me your thoughts on my story.)