Chapter One: Welcome to the New League
"Victory!"
The blue crystal reading the word hung in the air above the broken Nexus of the enemy, Champions resting around the rubble. A small arrow clicked continue and the screen turned blue. "Good game" spread around - honors given to those who deserved it. As people left the game chatroom, Para leaned back, a small smile curling at the corners of her lips. Victory was hers once again.
It had been on an upswing in the past few months. Her luck on League of Leagends, that is. Her life? That's another story. Eyes flicked to the phone in antisipation, but she sighed, shaking her head. Annoyingly it also shook some of her copper hair into her eyes. The butterflies in her stomach turned a little towards frustration and she had to force herself to sigh again. There was no need to get angry. Right? It was normal for boyfriends to not talk to you, right?
Breathe in, breathe out. In case of more stress: repeat.
Para sat herself up more in her chair, bare feet dangling to barely touch her toes to the ground. She wasn't a child - not at 25 - but she was short. An inch under five feet, short was a good term for it. A small laugh escaped her lips and she turned her eyes back to her screen. It was her fifth win in a row with Gnar. The little yordle seemed to be grinning at her in the picture of him on her League screen. Short wasn't the only thing they had in common - his rage was similar enough to hers that she felt like she could relate to the wild thing. She clicked out of the screen, heading to her summoner profile. As she clicked on the small icon, a pop up cancelled the process.
"You have been chosen!" It said, large letters surrounded by a fancy boarder. Was it a stupid ad? The offical markings were in place, and there was a big League of Legends icon in the center of the frame. Eyebrow raised, Para clicked on the only button availible to her on the new screen.
"Accept"
The screen of her computer went black and she swore. Okay, maybe it wasn't as offical as she thought it was. She tried to move her mouse and nothing happened. Ctrl+Alt+Delete did nothing. Esc did nothing. Angry now, she stood up, reaching out to grab the computer monitor with both hands, mouth open to yell. Before sound could escape her throat, a huge beam of light came roaring out of the screen and engulfed her.
All she could feel was heat. It seared through her body, as if her blood had been replaced by fire. She was blinded by the light, and it was as if the light had a sound strong enough to make her deaf. Sound was reduced to a humming sound, and was it just her or was it getting louder? It built up and soon she felt like she was going to scream from the pressure. Suddenly, as if hit by something, it all went black.
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Was she dead? No, she could feel her toes. She wiggled them - or what she could only assume was them - and they felt like they were there. Confusion overwhelmed by relief that she was still alive, Para made her best attempts to wiggle her hands, feet, legs, nose - any body part that listened to her. It seemed like it took hours for her to gain feeling back into her entire body, but she was still blind. Blinking only revealed further black, and she let her hands fumble around on the ground to try and find something. Anything. As she crawled forwards a bit on her hands and knees - feeling what felt like stone beneath her - she was caught by surprise when the light suddenly returned.
Yelping, Para lifted her hands to her now in pain eyes, letting them settle before she peaked through her fingers. There was a light coming from a torch on the side of the wall - wait, a torch? Who used torches anymore? Where the hell was she? She stood up, looking around the room she was in. It was made of smooth stone bricks, the shine of their polish flickering in the torch light. It was a large enough room that a corner was still left in shadow, so thick she couldn't see into it. Para walked towards the torch, cautious to get too near. As she got closer, she could see the flames slowly start to change their color. They went from a soft orange and red and seemed to almost heat up, turning blue and white. The light in the room got more intense, but something seemed to be preventing Para from stepping away. Her hand reached out, her steps still continuing. She tried to pull her hand down and walk away, but she couldn't. There was something driving her body and panic was starting to settle in. Finger tips brushed the cool metal handle of the torch and in that instant the flames returned to their normal color. Blinking, starting to shake a little, Para took the entire torch in her hand.
"Shoo shoo? Bahnah!"
Para screamed as the whatever yelled laughed, spinning around and dropping the torch. Her body backed itself up against the wall, pressing up against the hard stone. The torch rolled across the smooth floor, and before it hit the corner of shadow it was stopped. A bone boomberang halted the torch, placed to block its path. As the owner of the weapon stepped forwards, Para felt her heart trying to explode out of her chest.
He looked up at her with dark eyes, the light flickering in them to show a level of unique intellegence. Purple tipped orange ears twitched as he glanced her up and down, nose twitching and tail dusting at the ground behind him. Gnar stepped towards her, bending down to grab the torch on his way. He had no grin on his tusked face, but a softness to him as he approched. There was no rage, only curiosity. His weapon was only barely held in his hand - there was no sign that he was trying to attack.
"Where am I?"
Was this real? How the hell was the standing before a Champion? A. Real. Champion.
No.
There was no way this could be real. But then again, how could she explain the light? How could she explain the torch? Para pinched her arm and felt pain, so that meant that this wasn't a dream. The creature didn't listen to her question, and instead got closer to her. There was finally a smile showing on his face, and as she tried to get herself tighter against the wall, he held out his hand.
Para looked at his hand. Inside of it was not the torch, and it was not an empty paw. Instead he held out his boomerang, made out of jaw bones. His weapon was being...presented to her? Para shook her head, confused and apprehensive. She tried to shuffle her way slowly sideways down the wall, tried to get a little further away from him and towards somewhere she could be careful. The yordle followed her, tail twitching a little. He stopped in front of her, closer this time, and held out the weapon again.
"Graba!" He shook the weapon a little, almost trusting it at her. Para shook her head, scooting down the wall a little more.
"I don't know how to use that..." Could he even understand her? Gnar's ears flicked back a little, and Para's heart rate started to rise. Why was he getting upset? She was the one who was kidnapped and shoved in this strage room. "I don't know why I'm here. Why do you want me to have that? I'm a Summoner, not a Champion. I'm not even...sure if this is real..." As she spoke she tried to gain more distance between her and the Champion. This was...she didn't know what this was. If this was real, she was now terrified. Gnar could kill her. In an instant if he wanted to.
Gnar jumped towards her and she yelped, backing herself into a corner. The gentle look from his face was gone, and his fur was starting to darken. He trust the weapon at her and she braced herself as she went to grab it. Before her fingers touched it, Gnar threw it to the side of the room. It came right back to him with a sharp sound and he held it back out to her. She reached for it again and he bounced away, his fur turning lighter as he laughed. She was starting to get angry now.
"If you don't want me to have it, why offer it?" Why was she waisting her time trying to talk to him? He didn't understand her. If he did, he chose to ignore her. Before she could react, something hit her hard in the leg. She yelled, hands going to the spot and eyes flaming as she glared at the yordle. He was grinning at her, a playful light in his eyes. He lifted the weapon again and threw it once more. Para saw it coming this time and dove out of the way, letting out her breath heavy as she hit the ground. Gnar laughed when she belly flopped onto the ground, making his way over towards her. She stayed on the ground, getting herself ready to move quickly. When the edge of the boomerang entered her vision, she quickly reached out and snatched it from the yordles grip.
He made a sound of surprise and then anger as she jumped up and tried to run to the other side of the room. She heard his paws running after her and then was knocked down as something large hit her in the back. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of her. She blinked through her hair, looking to the side as much as she could. As she did, she started to shake. Large clawed fingers held her down, red and blue fur covering the limb that she could only assume was attached to a Maga Gnar. Hot breath hit the back of her head, and she could smell the meat on it. The fingers tightened around her and lifted her to his eyes, her own widening and she stared into the soul of the beast. His eyes were dark with rage, and Para could watch the restraint he was forcing onto himself. His breath was strong enough to move her hair and hot enough to make her start to sweat, panting heavily. He wanted to smash her into the ground. He wanted to throw her at the wall. He wanted to-
"GNAR!" He roared at her and Para yelled from the strength of the sound, unable to cover her ears. Uncontrolled rage bubbled up through Para and she did the only thing she could think of.
"PARA!" She roared back at him as loud as she could. The gigantic yordle blinked at her, and then the grin returned to his face. He dropped her and she let out a gasp, watching as the rage left him and he returned back to his normal size. Gnar walked over to her, quickly grabbing to boomberang out of her hand. In a quick motion he used one of the teeth on it to cut his palm. Para backed up a bit, but before she could get more than a few inches from him, he reached out and grabbed her hand. A rush of pain hit her palm as he cut it, but it was replaced by the throbbing heat as he clenched his wound onto hers.
She could feel power surging from somewhere, and stared in wonderment as a blue mist started to rise from Gnar. It swirled around him and made its way to her, filling her lungs and pores and making her body hum with energy. As fast as it appeared it was gone, and Gnar stepped back from her. The boomerang was in her hand now, and she glanced at her palm. It was healed - the only sign of the wound was a light blue scar. Gnar grinned and bounced back into the dark part of the room without a word.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" She scrambled after him, but within a few steps she was hit by a jolt of pain. It hit her again and forced her down onto her hands and knees. Para's vision was starting to fade, turning back and red as she felt wave after wave of pain hit her body. She tried to move, tried to drop the weapon, but she couldn't. She felt as if every fiber of her being was on fire, ripping her to pieces and putting her back together again. The pain was so intense she felt her mind slipping away into blackness. When a stronger wave of pain hit, she screamed and let her mind slip away into nothing.
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She was really sick of passing out. It seemed to be the theme for the day. Or had she really been asleep that entire time, and she's just now waking up? Para groaned, rolling over and reaching out a hand for the possibility of a pillow. There was nothing but cold stone. Blinking her eyes awake, she was instantly met with a headache and back pain. She winced, reaching a paw up to-
Paw?
Para rubbed her eyes, headache gone in an instant. She look down at her - those are paws. Paw hands? Clawed...paw...hands...Her ears flicked back and she yelped. A shaking paw - hand?! - reached up and met fur. And then it met the long ear attached to her head. Her now furry head. Shaking even more, Para turned herself so she was on all fours. Did the floor seem closer now? And what was that feeling at the base of her - a tail. Para looked between her arms towards the wall behind her and saw the limb there, swishing softly against the stone. From the light of the torch it was hard to see the color of her fur, but she definately was not the same as Gnar. Was that black? Or brown?...She couldn't tell completely.
Okay, so that wasn't a dream. Or she was drugged and tripping balls. Or this was real. She could feel panic start to rise, but it was stiffled quickly. Instead, she felt adrenaline enter her system, forcing her to stand up on her - those were paws too. Breathe in, breathe out. She took a step and had to place her arm out for balance, the shift of her tail causing her to wobble. This might take a little getting used to. Sighing, Para stood in place and focused on her tail. It took a minute, but after some intense breathing and trying not to cut the thing off, she finally got it to go where she wanted when she wanted...mostly. It would trip her occasionally, and sometimes the flicking and moving was slightly out of her control. The same went for the ears.
Speaking of ears - everything was louder now. She could hear the slight sounds of other rooms, of footsteps and the very muffled voices of people talking. She could barely hear the skitter of the possible mice in the walls, but that was a far step compared to where she was before all of this. Her nose twitched at the scent of the torch, lips curling up slightly over her new enlarged canines. Sticking out her tongue, she opened her mouth. They added new weight, and she could feel the sharp edges of her teeth. Frowning slightly, Para looked around her once more. She was alone still, and was still in the same room. Great. Now what. She was teleported into the computer, turned into a yordle and now left alone?
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Her voice startled her, coming out with a growl to it that hadn't been there before. Her ears twitched as a humming sound started. It got louder and louder, and in a flash of light someone stood before her. Para yelped, dropping to all fours and instinctivly reaching for the boomerang.
"It's okay. I'm not here to harm you. Please, put down the weapon so we may speak."
She turned to him, eyes narrowing as her ears pinned back. There was a heat inside of her, building slowly but surely. Her hand tightened around the weapon.
"Why should I speak to you now? You kidnap me, shove me in this room, probably drug me! - and you want me to calm down and speak to you!?" Her body started to heat up, her vision focusing but blurring at the same time. Her tail twitched and waved angrily against the ground, lips curling into a growl, "Where the hell am I, what the hell was that and who the HELL ARE YOU?!" She roared the last words, letting the rage tear into her. She couldn't feel the pain of her body shifting, and her vision filled with red as the room got smaller. Or was she getting bigger? She panted, lowering her muzzle down closer to the stranger and putting her head between her shoulders.
The stranger stood there, and with her larger eyes she could see him better now than before, even with the red hues. His cloak covered the upper part of his face, but the shadow covered the rest. It was long, buttoned with silver clasps and decorated with silver boarders on the sleeves and hood. He faced her, lifting his hands to remove his hood. An older man stood before her, his silver hair and long beard braided and decorated with beads and jewels. An aura rose up around him, and it was a shade of blue that penetrated the rage in her eyes.
"I am Tairyn. I am a Summoner, and you are in the Hall of Legends. That 'thing' you saw was Gnar, who is an actual Champion, who is part of the actual League of Legends, who gave you his actual powers." He moved his hand and a blue light swirled from it. A chair appeared next to him and he sat, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned forwards, "We did not kidnap you. You clicked accept."
By this time, the rage had left Para and she transformed back into her new smaller self. She sighed, running a paw through the fur of her head and over her ears, "I can't believe this...how can I believe this? League of Legends is a computer game. It's not real."
Tairyn smiled softly, leaning back in his chair. He motioned to the torch on the ground, "Can you touch that? If so, then isn't it real? Magic is real. This place is real. If we had warned you, would you have believed us either way?" Another motion, another blue mist, and a scroll and quill appeared.
"We have an opportunity for you - right here and right now. You were chosen by Gnar to become a Champion for your very own Championship against other people like you." At her look of shock he grinned, "Yes, you are not the only one. Every Champion picked someone just like you - someone they liked, or played them well, or who spoke to them in ways we will never know. They gave them their powers, their abilities, their strengths and their weaknesses. So now, because Gnar chose you, you are a prehistoric yordle with the rage gene. Your weapon is the boomerang he gave you."
Para walked over to the weapon, picking it up and staring down at it. It felt natural in her hands - as if it was meant to be there. Looking up at Taiyrn, she frowned, "I don't know how to use this. And I don't know how to fight. Half of the people you guys picked don't know how to fight like this, or at all."
"You will learn. Your Champion gave you some of their memories - mainly on their powers and their capabilities. It will still take time to get used to them, but we have something designed to make that easier on everyone. You have a while to get adjusted before you must fight." She opened her mouth to speak and he raised his hand " There will be a ceremony that will explain more in time." Tairyn stood up, dusting off his robes and lifting his hood again, "However..." He paused, grabbing the scroll and quill, "If you don't want to do this, you can sign this and go back to your life. You will be safe, that I promise. Champions do not die while under our care, even in Summoners Rift. Well, not forever at least. I can guarentee your safe return home when your part of the Championships is over."
He held out both hands to her. In one was the scroll and quill and the other was empty.
"If you go home, you will not be able to change your mind. If you come with me, you will not be able to change your mind."
Breathe in, breathe out.
She took his hand, her paw small against his. A smile crossed the Summoners lips and he waved his hand. A blue and white swirl of magic appeared before them, and in the mist she could see the gates of a large stone building. Tairyn pulled her into the mist, keeping her close. It made her head throb and she felt like she was going to get sick. As her body was about to revolt the spinning stopped. They were before a large stone wall, the iron gate at its genter looming before them in sunlight. Banners with the League insignia were waving in the warm summer breeze. The grounds were lush and green, and there was the sound of life everywhere. As Para stood there with her mouth wide open, Tairyn laughed and motioned to the gates before them.
"Welcome to the League of Legends!"
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Para was in denial. There was no way this was real. No way. As they walked through the massive gates, it was obvious that she wasn't the first to arrive. Other Summoners in cloaks stood by every new Champion, some looking excited and others reserved in their postures. She could name off a few Champions as she walked by, but the height difference made things more difficult. She could see an Annie - this small girl, clutching onto a teddy bear that Para had grown to respect. There was a Braum - weilding a massive dark oak door; a lions face carved into it, roaring at those who passed by. As she tried to keep up with Tairyn, her tail waving behind her, she could almost feel the stares of the others. Para clutched her hands tighter to the boomerang, the bone almost humming with a feral warmth. Tairyn paused their travel through the courtyard, greating a different Summoner, which gave Para a chance to look around.
First thing was first - what the hell did she even look like? Left paw black, right paw white. Okay, so black and white minimum. After more look over, she came to a conclusion that made her laugh so hard she dropped the boomerang. Tears in her eyes, she got herself under control as Tairyn spoke.
"Is everything okay?" He seemed very confused about the laughter, and she couldn't blame him. Everyone was looking at her funny. Para snickered and twitched her ears with a grin.
"I look like a calico. Why do I look like a cat?"
Tairyn himself laughed a little at that, "We wanted to give everyone a unique look to their Champion style. For Gnar...well...some sort of cat was fitting at the time. I wish I could say I could change it, but I can't. You still have your gold earings though." With a smile he turned back to continue his conversation with the other Summoner.
She was in leather clothes - much like Gnar - but this time it included a sports bra-like top. The leather was dark brown, but looked like it had been dusted with gold that would never come off. Tairyn had been correct on the earrings - two in the left and one in the right. There was a gold band on each of her wrists that seemed to fit so well that they were never going to come off. So far not bad...still look like a cat though... Para giggled a little at the thought and managed to get her looking around over before Tairyn was done with his chat. There were neatly trimmed trees, beautiful flower beds and the pathway was smooth cobblestone that swirled up to the main building in front of them. It was a large almost castle like building, with stained glass windows and bright banners. There were two large doors, open wide to allow people to freely go back and forth.
As she finished sight seeing, Tairyn turned around and smiled down at her.
"You were the last to arrive, so it looks like I won't have time to ease you into everything. I'll take you to the ceremony, and then I have to leave you. This way." They walked through the main doors - the giant wooden things standing many feet above Para's head. The inside was huge and lit with torches, the lights bouncing off of metal, jewels and the crystals hanging from the ceiling. Champions gathered around as Summoners dropped them off and walked away. Tairyn turned to face her as everyone in the main room adjusted themselves to get a good look at the stand before them on the top of the stairs.
"I have to leave you now. You'll see me again, but good luck until then." He turned and left through the doors they came in and Para swallowed the lump in her throat. She turned towards the massive group and walked forwards slowly, trying to find somewhere she could sit that was high above the heads of the others.
"Need help?" The deep voice made her jump a little, but the hand around her middle almost caused her to yell. The leather gloved limb picked her up, placing her on top of the massive door shield she had seen before. She blinked, looking up to her helper and grinned. Smiling down at her was a golden haired, stunningly hansomed man; his blue eyes bright and kind.
"Thank you. What's your name?"
"Leo. I'm Braum's pick. What's yours, little yordle?" He gave her a gentle scratch on the top of her head and she batted him away playfully.
"I'm Para, and I'm Gnar's, so I'd be careful if I were you. Don't want to make me mad." Para made a face at him and the gentle giant laughed. She could see why Braum would choose him.
"I'll be wise to that, little spotted one. Did you know you have a pure white spot around your right eye? I think I'll call you MoonEye." He laughed at her protests, and then lifted a hand to hush her as the crowd grew silent. Para grumbled and twitched her tail a little, but turned her attention with the others. A man clad in a white robe stepped up to the podium, raising his hands to silence the crowd before him. Whispers continued to race around the room as the Summoner lowered his hood, and his dark eyes seemed to burn through the entire room. His eyes were sharp and black, while his thin wire body released an aura that caused Para's hackles to rise.
"Welcome, new Champions, to the League of Legends." He motioned around him as a cheer broke out among the crowd, "I am Cassro, and I am the Summoner in charge of this event. Now, I know some of you are still very confused about what's happened to you, so hopefully we can clear up your minds so you can focus on the fights ahead."
Cassro waved his hand and a purple mist rose from it. The power swirled and raced up towards the ceiling - exploding into a burst of light when it reached the top. Champions made sounds of awe and shock, gasping as the mist turned itself into a giant sheet of light. In the mist they could see the usual over view of Summoner's Rift, going from the blue Nexus to the red.
"League of Legends is not a game. As you fight from your world, your Champions fight in ours. Now we are giving you all the chance to be your own Champions. You were each picked by the Champion who gave you their powers. We, the Summoners, did not influence or change their choices. Not all Champions chose to lend their powers, so you will find that some picks are missing." While everyone looked around and tried to figure out who was missing, Cassro raised his hand again to silence the masses.
"I'm sure you are all eager to practice and figure everything out, so let me make this quick and clear," Cassro leaned forwards and the air in the room became thick with energy. The hair stood up on every part of Para's body, and even Leo shifted uncomfortably behind her, "This. Is. Real. When you are in your battles on the Fields of Justice, you are injuring and killing a living being. Yes, you are respawned. We promise you will return every single time in full health of body, mind and soul. This does not mean that you will not feel the burn of Annie's fire, or the pierce of Kalista's javalins - I promise you will feel it."
There was a panicked murmer starting around the room, and Cassro had to raise his hands yet again to silence the crowd, "This pain is only temporary, and you get used to it within time. Remember, you are Champions now! You are not your average being anymore. This is what you put your Champions through every time you play - it is time for you to earn the right to call yourselves Summoners! You will grow, learn and fight as hard as you can, and then one team will be crowned as the Masters of the Rift!"
Everyone let out a cheer and all of the fear in the room disappeared. Cassro watched as the crowd roared, but Para could see a few of the darker robed Summoners stirr with unease. This may not be as popular with the locals as it was with the new kids. Letting the cheers fade a little, Cassro called for silence once more.
"Things will be more different than you are aware of. We will give you a week to practice on the Rift and other Fields. In the mean time, we have your premade teams posted on the wall over on your left. These were made before the Champions picked, so please do your best to work together. These teams were created to balance each other and counter the other teams well - no team is worse off than the others. All ranks are mixed with those who may not even be level thirty. From this point on, your rank does not matter, for you are all new here."
Before Champions started shuffling off, Cassro spoke once more, "I will give you a word of warning - there is to be no fighting outside of the Fields of Justice. You can not respawn if you die in this Hall or any of the attached grounds. Be careful who you create conflict with - we can not be everywhere to watch you. No off you go. There are Summoners to direct you to your team sleeping quarters once you all get aquainted."
With a wave of his hand the crowd started to scramble over towards the wall. A strong hand steadied her as people bumped into her and Leo, and Para smiled up at the large man. He smiled back and picked her up to put her on his shoulder. Paws holding onto his armor for balance, she was able to see more of the room and the Champions around her. There were a lot of people in this room. They got to the wall, and Para lifted herself higher onto Leo's head to look at names.
"I found you, MoonEye." Leo laughed, the sound echoing through him like a drum, "And guess what? We're on the same team. Look's like you won't ever have to worry about big crowds for a while." Para jumped down onto his shield, looking at the list he was pointing to. Gnar top, Heimerdinger mid, Shyvana in the jungle, Braum as support and Varus as ADC.
"So we need to find the rest. I wonder who they are..."
"Or what they look like..." Leo frowned a little as he spoke, picking Para up onto his shoulder agaian, "And from you, I can assume that gender doesn't mean anything." That did raise a good point. They didn't really know exactly what they were looking for. Leo took them both out into the coartyard, where other Champions were standing around looking or bunched up with the parts of their group they found.
"Are you guys Gnar and Braum?" A soft male voice spoke from behind them, and Para scampered her way up Braum to look at the new comer. He was holding the tell-tale Varus bow, with dark blue and black crystals covering his hands and forearms. The blue went up his arms like veins and ended at his exposed neck. The silver vest her wore showed his chest and stomach, and black leather pants covered the rest. His hair was bright white and in long braid, the tip as blue as the crystals on his arms. Leo clasped him on the forearm and was grinning.
"That we are. I'm Leo, and this is MoonEye-ow! This is Para..." Leo glared at her and she couldn't blame him. She'd bite his ear harder the next time he introduced her as MoonEye. He shook it off and smiled back down to the Varus, "What's your name?"
"I'm Captain, pleased to meet you both. Have you seen any of the others?" At their head shakes he chewed on his bottom lip, looking around them, "Should we find somewhere to sit and wait?" A shy smile, "This bow is a little more awkward than I thought it would be." They all chuckled and headed over to a set of wooden benches at the side of the courtyard. As they sat, Para jumped onto the ground and fiddled with the boomerang.
"So...I have to ask...Did...you know you were going to become a yordle?" Para blinked, ears twitching. She sighed, jumping up onto the bench and continued to play with the bone weapon. Captian sat next to her a little awkwardly, as if he was worried he had upset her.
"I don't mind it. I like having a tail and I've always wanted be to be an animal...but Gnar doesn't speak our language. He couldn't tell me anything. It seemed like he wanted to play, then he attacked me...then I don't even know what happened..." Para looked down at her black and white paw hands, "Next thing I knew I woke up like this in the same empty room." Captian looked down at his hands. chewing on his lip, and it was Leo who spoke next. His voice was soft and deep, with a little bit of pain to it.
"I was in a bare room - probably like you. Braum was waiting for me there, just holding onto his door. He told me he was proud to fight with me, and that I should have been born in the Frelord. I was the passionate, strong soul he was looking for. Then he handed me his door and it changed into the lion you see now."
He thudded his fist onto the door lovingly, but then his expression darkened, "I was in the military. United States Marines. Went from the field to desk work in four years thanks to a shot to the back. Could still walk...but it wasn't the same. Couldn't keep up with the boys...Braum took away my injury - gave me his strength. I owe it to him to fight as hard as my body and soul will let me..."
Captian was silent for a little bit, and Para tilted her head as she glanced up at him. He was worrying on his bottom lip again, hands wringing together.
"Whats wromg?" The yordle jumped onto the table behind them to get closer to him. Captian looked confused and sad, his bright eyes dark with emotion. He was staring at his crystal covered hands and the bow, still saying nothing. Leo and Para made eye contact and the Support shrugged. Before they changed the subject, Captian's soft voice spoke up.
"I have no clue why Varus picked me. I'm not...seeking vengence or revenge. I'm not guarding anything or anyone. I was in a room with just myself and his weapon. I touched it and bam," He lifted his arms, "I looked like this when I woke up, with a massive headache and a Summoner staring down at me." Captian frowned, leaning back against the table as he played with a fringe of hair. He was silent - lost in thought probably. As if the universe was asking for a change of subject, a new voice broke the silence, causing the three to jump.
"I think you guys are waiting for me." They all had to look down to find the owner of this voice. He was a yordle as well, with small green round glasses, a green bandana and a face full of light brown mustache and beard. The rainbow tie-dye shirt he wore bore a large yellow happy face, and in his hand was a wrench that had seem some use. The male grinned up at them through his facial hair, extending a hand.
"Sickle at your service. Heimer pick and mid lane expert." Sickle? Para squeeled and jumped off the table at the yordle. He was caught by surprise, the arm Heimer was known for popping out of its position. It looked like it was coming out of his head, and smacked her to the side lightly. Para caught herself with a bounce and laughed, tail wagging.
"It's Para! I didn't think we'd be on the same team!" Sickle embraced her with a sound of surprise as Leo and Captian grew confused. She grinned sheepishly and put an arm around the other short person in the group, "Sickle and I are friends on League back in..the non-magical world I guess." Sickle nodded and was starting to build a massive grin of his own.
"Heimer over explained everything for me. Twice. It took me three tries to get him to actually stay on subject for a few minutes." He ruffled Para's fur and ears and chuckled, "I'm glad I'll actually be able to keep an eye on you. You'd be in trouble without your solo partner." Para bopped him on the head and laughed, bouncing away onto Leo's shield, "Anyways, we only need one more, right?" The team nodded and Sickle moved to sit on the bench with them all.
More groups were forming as they waited, and quite a few of them had already headed towards their dorms for the evening. The sun was starting to set, leaving a radiant sunset in its wake, andf the shadows enhanced the views around them. The sounds and scents of night were starting to stirr, while a Summoner lit all of the torches in the courtyard. Para could watch as team after team gained more members, but soon a figure parted the crowd and approched them.
She was almost as tall as Leo, easily twice as tall as Para. She had dark brown hair that hung in a braid to the back of her knees. Pointed ears stuck out to the side, and a pair of gold dragon horns game curving from her skull. Bright green eyes looked to them, a slight smirk tilting the side of her narrow face. She was glad in dark green leather, skin tighter to her body and that covered everything from the collarbones down. The leather was covered in gold plates on her shoulders, hips and legs - spikes coming from the sides. Her stomach was covered in gold leather belly scalesthat ended at a hip piece. It was much like Shyvana's original skin, but instead of red and gold she was in forest green and gold. The weapon she held was different too. Instead of the weapons being made of something to look like a dragon's head, this one was an actual green dragon head - split in two to form the left and right weapons. The teeth were real teeth, and it had real scales. Instead of an eye, however, the socket had been hollowed and green flame flickered out instead. The tip of her braid even had a golden spike on the end of it.
"I'm Rifka, your Jungler..." Her voice had a husky purr to it, almost making you want to get closer to her. It definately caught Captians attention. At his wide eyed look, Rifka laughed, "Easy there. I'm here to fight with you, arrow boy, nothing more." Para snickered and stood up on the bench, smiling up at the dragon.
"I'm Para. Our Support is Leo, ADC is Captian and mid is Sickle. I'll be our top lane. So, I guess this means we are all here? Should we head to our dorm room-thingy?" They all agreed and moved back into the main hall, following the lines of other groups. A summoner was grabbing a group and taking them up a massive stair case. Soon it was their turn, and Leo put her on his shield so she wouldn't get trampled. Sickle was already at the head of the group, so excited he wasn't even saying anything. He was bouncing with enough energy for all five of them though. Captian was silent next to her and Leo, while Rifka practically glided behind them. The stairs started to wind as they passed floors, and they continued going even higher. About ten floors up, their guide halted them and unlocked the door.
Inside was nothing but fantasy. There were five beds large enough to hold two of Leo, their blankets looking fluffy and soft. Candles and torches lit the very open room, while glass doors were open to allow them to go onto a balcony. The drapes were blue and silver, and went with almost everything in the room. A fresh bowl of fruit had been placed on the table, and that was the first thing Para attacked.
Were these amazing berries even from her world?! She was lost in fruit heaven as their guide spoke, "Practice opens up on Summoner's Rift tomorrow morning. We will only be allowing one team at a time, but you are welcome to anywhere on the grounds while you wait. If you need anything-" He handed them each a small blue crystal on a silver necklace chain, "You can use this to ask for a Summoner. Have a good night." With that he was gone, closing the large wooden door behind him.
Para lifted herself from her bowl of awesome and looked to her team. They were all looking at each other as well, and she felt like it was finally sinking in.
"This isn't a dream...is it..." Captian was the first to break the silence. It seemed as if they sighed together, and it was Sickle who responded.
"No, it isn't. We've been given a chance that we never believed could ever exist. Instead of being afraid of nervous, let's own it. Seize the day and all that fun crap. Instead of worrying, let us get some sleep. We have no clue what is going to happen tomorrow, and we need our rest." With that he picked a bed and crawled in, putting out the torch next to him. Leo nodded and moved to do the same, his voice calling "Good night" before the light went out. Rifka was silent as she crawled into bed, shifting a couple times before she removed the golden plate armor and set it next to her on the floor.
Putting the boomerang on the pillow next to her, Para jumped up onto the bed. It was just as soft as she had hoped it was. Fluffing the blankets into a nice little nest, Para curled herself up and covered her face with her tail. Forgetting the torch, she sat up and went to put it out. As she did, she noticed that Captian was still sitting on the foot of his bed, hands on his knees and eyes down.
"You should sleep, Captian." Para curled herself up once more, and within a minute the last torch in the room was out. Silence hit the room as the sounds of night took over, and soon she was able to let her mind drift off into bliss.
Sickle was right. They had no idea what was going to happen.