Institute Of War
Summoner's Rift
The crowd roared with anticipation. It was a musty summer evening as Shauna Vayne peeled a sweat soaked strand of hair away from her eyes. She sat alone in a rare, abandoned section of the audience hall, overlooking the Fields of Justice. Her heart skipped as she watched Caitlyn kneel down, preparing to take a shot at an injured Vladimir. As the bullet cracked through the air, the hemomancer melted into a puddle of blood, effortlessly dodging the shot. The audience exploded with excitement as Vladimir's body reformed from the crimson pool. He performed a dramatic bow towards the sniper as she cursed, jumping to her feet, only to have a knife stuck into her back. She fell to the ground at the feet of Talon, Noxian assassin. Vayne raised an eyebrow towards the viewing crystal. Talon was an interesting subject. He fought with the typical brutality of a Noxian, but he seemed to have something on his mind. Something that separated him from ruthless warriors like Darius, who was currently swinging his massive axe, cutting a stone tower to rubble.
"Exciting match, Shauna?".
Vayne glanced up to see a figure dressed in Summoner's robes looming over her. "Vessaria Kolminye. Didn't expect you down here." Few things surprised Shauna Vayne anymore. It was a luxury someone in her profession could not afford. But the High Summoner herself, slumming it in the cheap seats, was more shocking to her than any monster she'd seen in years. Possibly more dangerous as well.
Kolminye smiled. "Well, Shauna, I do take an interest in the League Of Legends. I'm a bit of a big supporter, you could say."
Sarcasm wasn't one of the things Vayne had expected either. "But, you haven't answered my question. Is it an exciting match? Piltover and Noxus...some very powerful champions involved." Vayne's eyes darted back to the viewing crystal, now displaying Jayce dispatching of a pack of wolves with his hammer.
"Yes." A curt reply, but she knew the High Summoner already had all the information she needed. Asking was a formality.
"But you aren't here for that, are you? " The High Summoner's tone was calm, yet strangely menacing. "Business always trumps pleasure for you, Shauna Vayne." Vayne's leather gloves squeaked as she tightened her grip on the arms of the seat. "No, you're here to gather information." Vayne said nothing, keeping her eyes locked firmly to the crystal. Kolminye was toying with her, and she was not in the mood to play along. "But, on who, I wonder? As the crystal's image changed to the Noxian team, grouped up in their base, Kolminye began to probe for answers. "Vladimir, perhaps? He can't control himself much longer, can he? You'll need to put him down, before someone gets hurt. Or maybe LeBlanc? A talented black mage like her...but so fragile. A single bolt, between the eyes or through the heart, and the world would be rid of her twisted schemes."
Vayne stood up, retaining her calm demeanor, but sweating beneath her cloak. "I think I've had enough of this match."
"Oh, but Shauna, the fight is just about to start…"
As both teams approached the lair of the Baron Nashor, the crowd's energy rose to a fever pitch. The Piltover squad was first in. Caitlyn began to lay traps, as Jayce and Vi turned to face the worm, laying a barrage of powerful impacts on the beast. Ezreal was warping himself around the pit, checking for the Noxians' approach. Their 5th teammate, the free agent Twisted Fate, stood in the bush outside, steadily shuffling the deck in his hands. The Noxian team was upon them in moments. Talon let loose a torrent of blades from his cloak, causing Twisted Fate to back up into the pit. A well placed shot from Caitlyn knocked Darius back, clutching at the net that had emerged from the bullet, trapping the massive warrior. Jayce nodded at Vi and ran away from the Baron, deploying an Acceleration Gate. "Charged!" he shouted, firing several bolts of electricity from his versatile weapon. The barrage of electric shocks, combined with a quickly recovered Twisted Fate's cards, kept the Noxians back as Vi pounded away at the hulking monster with her metal fists. As the beast sagged, it let out a weak roar, clearly near death. But as Vi wound up for a finishing blow, a golden chain appeared from the air, wrapping around her arms and forcing them to her sides. With a mischevious cackle, LeBlanc had appeared. But it was a miscalculation, as the Baron was not quite dead. The worm roared and lashed out, striking LeBlanc with its massive head. An audible crack rang out as the mage's limp form collided with the pit wall, hard.
The fight raged on, Vi now breaking the chains and finishing the Baron with a powerful uppercut, but something was wrong. Vi dashed over to the other end of the Baron pit, nearly tripping over LeBlanc's limp body. "Jeez. Always forget those take a while to go away…" Vi stood, patiently watching the corpse to await its fade into the Nexus. But nothing came. Blood continued to spill from LeBlanc's body. "Guys? Guys?" The Enforcer's voice was uncharacteristically frightened. There was a sudden flash of light from the Noxian base, a loud humming, and a fizzle. The glowing Nexus had powered down.
Vayne was immediately shocked by the sudden reaction of High Summoner Kolminye. Her face was pale, her eyes fraught with shock and horror. She had never seen the High Summoner this upset. "Stop! STOP!" she shouted, magically amplifying her voice. The crowd, and the champions on the field, evidently heard her, lowering their arms to look up, as if questioning their summoners. "This match is over. Stop. The Noxian Nexus has malfunctioned. Something is...awry."
Vi kneeled next to the corpse, which was continuing to soak the rocks with blood. Vladimir strode in behind her, raising a hand. Vi raised her voice, as if to stop him, but thought better of it as the Hemomancer exchanged blood with the body, closing his eyes as if concentrating. He jerked his hand back, ending the transfusion. "It is as you feared." His tone was surprisingly blunt, lacking any of Vlad's usual flowery speech patterns. "LeBlanc is dead. Permanently."
