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Zeductive  	A calm night, it would seem. The wind blew against the black sails, effortlessly propelling the boats towards the shore. A clear sky even, a very rare occurrence considering the storm that the island had been plagued with for the last week, allowed the moonlight to reflect off of the scarce metal parts in all of the ninja's armor but one, Zed. Standing on the bow of the vessel leading the soundless charge, countless others covering the top of the ocean behind it, and yet, not a sound was heard apart from the waves crashing against the wooden surface keeping the clan above water. One could even argue that it looked as if the Master of Shadows was at the head of a war battalion rather than the sharp blade in a piercing sneak attack, and it was true that he could easily take the stronghold with lesser numbers, but this wasn't to be a slaughter -- it was a takeover.[C]
Zeductive  	Since most of the defenses were turned towards the sea atop a modest mount not normally climbable from behind, the sandy beaches were unprotected from invaders, a mistake he would not make himself. Eventually and without any problems -- as expected -- the rather shabby ships reached land, tops fitting together like a puzzle to form a large timber platform allowing all of the warriors to disembark. Roughly 50 would perform the assault, the rest remaining concealed along the treeline that began a couple of feet from shore, waiting for the victorious signal. To Zed, it was never a question of whether him and his order could, it was a mere question of motives, and for this particular situation, the motive had been long set in stone: The band of fools that Shen had rescued had dispersed and began training others in these secluded locations, indoctrinating ninjas with potential in the art of restraint and balance, a fool's master.[C]
Zeductive  	Once all of the clothed feet reached solid ground, it was time to start. The group moved nimbly through the ground of the forest as to not rustle the treetops, lest they awaken the birds and cause a flock to fly, that much should be enough to raise suspicion from a bunch of cornered prey. On the back of one of the larger underlings was a large scroll, and that would be their entrance point, a technique their lesser parts certainly didn't even know was possible due to their ignorance of what they called forbidden, and once they had reached the foot of the steep climb and cleared the ground of bigger rocks, it was time to use it. "Let it down here." A command quickly obeyed later, the fabric was set on the clearer part of the floor, and after that, all others stepped away. It was blank. Simple. But, not just exclusively in their art, that only meant it was filled with possibility.[C]
Zeductive  	Normally, to cast something so simple, Zed would not require any materials, but it was necessary in this circumstance in order to keep it open, allowing others to use it as well as him. With one last exhale sounded through the metallic mouthguard of his mask, and he began casting with his hands, moving both together and against each other in a sequence everyone could memorize, yes, but not only did he have to cast the first six of the entry portal -- dark red runic symbols seemingly burning with no flame on the scroll, leaving a large hole without a bottom in the middle of them -- and these anyone could know, but what came next was the part that required mastery of the craft, discipline and normally years of training. Comparable to a wormhole, with eyes closed Zed could see the inside of the portal made and direct it, either through the ground or otherwise, towards what he wanted the exit to be.[C]
Zeductive  	Undisrupted concentration was a must, and with every sign formed with a combination of what was now both of his lower arms, he got a little closer to their entry point. Up through the rocky hillside, which admittedly took a couple of minutes, but eventually, the worked stone that formed the castle was reached. From there it was a simple matter of reaching the most suitable, less guarded corner and making the exit. Once that was done, the casting stop and Zed gave out one final order before jumping in. "Take as many prisoners as possible, death will reach only the unbending at the end of the night. Let no-one escape." Starting at that moment, there would be no works spoken until the job was done. Letting the lesser fighters to the underlings, the leader made his way through the shadows, taking out the guards that were in the way with a blow to the head.[C]
Zeductive  	By the time most saw the red eyes contrasting with a body made of pure darkness, they were already in no position to defend, and so, they went down effortlessly. Some tried without success, and some did not even see anything at all -- He would make note of both the former and the latter during his later sorting. His ultimate goal was the master's chamber, room to what the enemy order had deemed to be superior in terms of strength, loyalty, discipline, knowledge, and technique. Should any of the defeated wake up before it was time, they would find themselves immobile against the wall, subdued by their own shadow. They had that time to consider the potential they wasted by forcing balance upon themselves. Without many troubles, Zed found himself at the ornated door to his destination. As it turned out, the layout to this base was not unlike the one where he had trained and ever since made his stronghold, destiny changed with his own might within those very same four walls.[C]
Zeductive  	For this, however, he would change his approach completely, taking only the precaution of locking the door behind him. Not an assassination, no, the conflict within the master's chambers was a challenge. "Awaken!" Voice always distorted by the metal filter, it echoed loud enough to stop the sitting man from his meditation. He was dressed in a light blue color and the symbol for the Eye of Twilight was engraved on the back of his uniform, proof that he belonged to Shen's order. The only real difference in the casual attire of their order from rank to rank was the shade of blue, getting darker as the prestige went up. "Wh- The traitor! How did you get to here?!" Not very well composed for a leader, but the best ninjas were either aligned with the Order of Shadows, or refused to bow and met a swift end, so this was to be expected, as was a quick end to the battle that would ensue.[C]
Zeductive  	Zed offered everyone but the leader a chance to join his side, because someone needed to serve an example. Someone loyal enough to foolishness would never embrace the secrets. "You have more pressing concerns than my method of arrival." Already had the metal hidden blades above his fists descended for the first time that night, and, consciousness was about as much as he would offer in the coming duel. In combat, Zed lived up to his title of the Master of Shadows, moving fluidly, and from the first shuriken thrown at the man standing before him -- deflected with some degree of difficulty due to the amount of force it carried, even by the metal pole the man carried in his sleep -- to the other two figures of solid shadows that rushed the enemy down, only to disappear after a single instant of contact, leaving Zed standing behind the man, not one movement was wasted. Every was connected, and everything was without purpose.[C]
Zeductive  	His enemy could not withstand, and after a single second, wounds emanating black smoke appeared over his body, a bloody X carved out of the chest cavity, void remaining in the place the heart previously occupied. Lifeless eyes and marks of blood marked the room, and with one less thing to worry about, the long dirtied blades retracted back into his arms. "It is done." Next came the most important part, and for that, he unlocked the door and made his way to the balcony straight ahead, one that led to the patio. Already had several of his subordinates started to gather the leaderless enemies sporting various degrees of injury, all on their knees facing where he now stood. As time passed, more and more came, until all of them had. His men surrounded the prisoners, a show of force, all in expectation of his words.[C]
Zeductive  	"Rejoice! Today marks a great hallmark in all of your lives! Too long have you lived blind, some of you in fear of the repercussions that would come with pursuing the power that you were wrongly deprived of, but no more! I am here to offer you a choice: Live now under my guidance and receive might to rival the gods, instead of existing and wasting away at a cretin's demand, or die incompetent, potential unfulfilled and life wasted." Despite his usual quietness, Zed spoke with eloquence, arms raising with fist closed at the end, only to come down on the railing before he continued. "Stand, and live proud, or kneel, and die a fool." Some had begun whispering while he spoke, none daring to raise their voice enough to be distinguishable, but all ceased once Zed did. Slowly, with a little hesitance, some of them stood, the others, did not.[C]
Zeductive  	After a minute of decision, those standing were released and guided elsewhere, and those that chose to die met a gruesome end, only to be piled and burned later on. Unworthy of a burial, unworthy of a name, unworthy of living. By sunrise, a new stronghold had been claimed and his ranks added to, something that would repeat for as long as Zed's quest remained unfinished.[E]