The Warning
A League of Legends Fanfic
Jax swung his brass lamppost, striking the abomination that was Fiddlesticks in his unearthly maw, sending the walking scarecrow flying into a tree a few meters back. But the demonic being lashed out, sending a volley of glowing crows striking and scratching at the cloaked man. Jax let out a roar of pain as they clawed and bit and then dissipated as the dark magic wore off. When the spell broke and Jax had the time to look about, Fiddlesticks was nowhere to be seen.
"This does not bode well…"
The scarecrow didn't take his time, launching another hail of magically imbued crows towards the unsuspecting Jax; but he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. The weapon master sprung backwards, dodging the clawing and pecking of the infernal murder. However, the being wasn't prepared for what came next. Fiddlesticks burst in through the confusion of the crows, swinging his scythe furiously at the other champion. Jax's eyes widened behind his mask as the scythe connected, cutting deeply into his arm, splitting skin and muscle, blood pouring from the wound.
A wild cackle escaped Fiddlesticks wide mouth as he continued to lacerate Jax with more and more fearsome blows. But Jax held, parrying enough of the attacks that he would still be able to fight without the Summoners returning him to his base with the other chosen fighters.
"Tch! Unhallowed bastard!"
Jax let out a massive flurry of blows, charging the abomination, laying strike after strike to the skull and torso of the infernal being. One even looked like it was going to take his head right off. Had the being not been held together by magical bonds, it probably would have been.
Fiddlesticks made feeble attempts to block and parry the blows, but to no avail. Even an attempt to run away, but Jax's incredible abilities allowed him to leap right in front of the scarecrow. Jax ducked underneath a scythe sweep, driving the butt end of the lamppost careening into the chin of Fiddlesticks. The force of the blow sent him sprawling backwards. And in a burst of light, he was gone. Defeated. But something wasn't right. Jax couldn't shake the feeling of something ominous and foreboding. Carefully, his trained eyes scanned the jungle around him; he wasn't in good enough shape to deal with another champion. A rustle was all it took. He darted back towards his base. A deep laugh bellowed throughout Summoners Rift, and suddenly, Jax knew who it was he should fear. And he had right to be afraid. The horror of the Shadow Isles burst through the brush, a 10-foot tall ethereal centaur glowing with blue flame that went by the name of Hecarim, charged forth, swinging his great spear at Jax's flank, but he dipped and rolled underneath the swing. But that slowed him down, enough so that Hecarim caught up to him in a flash. He tried to dodge the trampling hooves but he could only do so much. One caught him in the ribs, and another on his bicep and lower leg. A bellow of pain escaped him and the spectral horseman stopped his trampling, rearing up, he strode backwards until he was looking Jax in the face.
A wicked smile seemed to appear on the helm of the beast, as he reached down and picked up Jax with his free hand.
"The people of this realm are doomed to a fate worse than you could ever imagine, mortal."
The voice was low and ominous, and deeper than the lowest pits of hell. It sent shivers up Jax's spine. Just looking at the spectral being, blue flames sparking and shimmering a sort of deathly heat he could not bare.
"You're full of yourself."
Jax grinned beneath his mask, even though he truly thought he was peering into the devils eyes. A grin crossed Hecarims unearthly visage.
"We shall se, wont we? Mortal."
The spear sheared through Jax's stomach and the man disappeared. He had been given a warning, one he did not intend on keeping to himself.
When Jax was summoned back to the field of battle, he found one of his allies recovering from an encounter, and by the looks of the puncture wounds in the dive suit; Cho'gath was their cause. But the hulking machine man seemed chipper enough, so that meant one of two things: he had defeated Cho and had just teleported back to freshen up, or he sent the nether-being running with it's tail between its legs.
"I see yours went worse than my own,"
Nautilus had a voice as deep as the ocean where he had been changed. This was obviously due to of the melding of his suit and his human form, but it didn't make it any less fearsome. The being was once human, an explorer in The Realm, but a freak accident involving a deep sea dive and a magical nexus exploding beneath the waves caused him to be fused with his hulking suit, imbuing him with dark magics, and yet, allowing him to retain whatever humanity he had. Though he was a gentle giant outside of the field of battle, standing easily two or three feet taller than Jax, and four feet wider. On the battlefield he was a force of nature, and one not to be trifled with.
"It was that newcomer. The demon horse."
Jax said dryly. It was a well-known fact, even with his recent arrival, that Hecarim had made a name for himself as a fearsome combatant. And the titles were well deserved.
"I figured as much. He's been causing quite a fuss within the League. Some say he's better than you." Rumbled the hulk, "Is it true?"
The question flustered Jax a bit, but he didn't hesitate.
"Nobody's better than me, and don't YOU forget it."
Nautilus chuckled. "The tallest blade of grass is always the first to be cut down."
"And what's that supposed to mean, Tin-Boy?" Jax growled.
The giant beings red oculars glowed brighter beneath the helmet.
"Just that you should show some humility every now and again." The beings armor clanked and clunked as he heaved his weapon, his anchor over his shoulder and began to trudge off. Jax grumbled for a moment, and then spoke up.
"Hecarim said that this world will fall, and that there are more like him coming. Do you believe it to be so?"
Nautilus halted in his tracks, turning his massive helm to look over his shoulder at Jax. When he spoke, it was as if the ocean itself was speaking to him, and its waves were calm, but not in a good way. The kind that only came before a storm.
"There are many beings within The League who foretell the coming of some band of devil-beasts, or hoard of beings from the nether realms. Some say they all speak of the same thing, that they're all interconnected and fall under one sole hand, which threatens the world, as we know it. Maybe they are each the sole hand of which I speak, who gathers armies and horrors, the likes of which we couldn't even begin to conceive; Mordekaiser and Hecarim are only examples of such beings, with commander-like stature and a feeling about them which isn't quite right. But whatever it is they are here to foretell, I can assure you nothing good will come of these beast-men and hallowed shells. The protection of the realm is the entire reason The League of Legends was created. So let these hoards come. Let them attack in waves and hoards and battalions and armies. Let them come and make even the slightest attempt at taking this world for their own ghastly ambitions. They will not win. And Jax, do you know why that is?"
The speech had made Jax tremble, his hands were shaking just thinking about the whole ordeal, but he spoke up, slightly broken and yet confident.
"Why?"
The metal man seemed to grin beneath the helm. "Because people like you and I exist. For every evil, there is a good. We are those good men, Jax. And we aren't the only ones. Anivia sought to protect her home by joining The League, Skarner seeks to aid his people's resurrection, Volibear wishes only to prevent such things from happening at all. For every evil within the League there is a good. If the world was made to be taken by unruly, unjustified malevolent monstrosities, then so be it. But it is because of people like us, that it will not fall without a fight."
Jax smiled and nodded to the being, humbled by the words of the heroics of the hulk.
"You're a better man than I, Nautilus."
The being chuckled, turning his head and jogging off.
"No Jax! You just don't see your humility yet!"
As Jax watched him trudge off, he too had to go back to fighting. But with a new dogma in mind; He would no longer fight for the sake of some summoner who decided to bring him to battles for just the sake of who will win a small dispute. No, it would be for justice. For the sake of the entire planet. It was no longer about him anymore, it was about everyone else.
Hecarim huffed out a puff of blue flame, cutting down the peon-like minions in his wake, when he heard something in the jungle.
"Do you come back for more, mortal? Have I not told you your puny existence is all for nothing?"
Something hard collided with the back of Hecarims flank, and he reared, turning around just in time to see Jax, spinning his brass lamppost in his hand, then get into a prepared, fighting stance.
"That may be, but we wont be going down without a fight!"