Chapter 2 - A New Destination
The sunlight. It woke me. Damn, I forgot to pull the shades over that window last night. I groaned, sitting up and glancing at the clock on the wall. One in the afternoon. I suppose I could wake up now.
I dressed slowly, eating a breakfast of eggs and bacon before walking into the map room. I smiled. One of my favorite things to do, perhaps even more than exploring itself, was plan the next venture, finding a place on the map where something looked interesting - or perhaps where there was nothing at all. I traced the line of the Ironspike mountains south of Piltover, down toward Noxus, out toward the howling marsh. I was always traveling far from home. The mountains themselves probably held something of value... perhaps somewhere closer this time?
I held put my hand against my face, considering where exactly I'd go. I'd heard that in the southwestern part of the Ironspike Mountains, there was an altar devoted to an ancient Noxian God of War. I huffed. Ancient people and their Gods.
I caught myself and laughed mildly. Modern people and their Gods. I stood up, leaving the map there, packing some clothes and equipment for the excursion.
The mirror distracted me. My image stared back at me, wearing the green jacket I had chosen today. I needed to shave - something I didn't often have to do, but it had been weeks. Frowning, I walked into the washroom and cleaned my face, careful not to cut myself with the razor.
Just when I was drying my face off, the back door opened.
"Heimer?" I asked, folding the towel.
"Negative." Said a female robotic voice. Orianna. I furrowed my brow. She was easy enough to talk to, but impossible to read.
I walked up to her and said, "Hello, Orianna." I said, watching her. The Ball floated behind her - I was under the impression it was somehow watching me.
"Hello Ezreal. Heimerdinger sent me to check on you. He told me that he is occupied at the Techmaturgical Institute today. How are you?" She asked. The look on her face, I would guess was supposed to be concern, but it seemed more like indifference.
"I'm doing well. I'm going to go exploring, in the Ironspike mountains." I told her, looking into her eyes. I looked away, going to fold up the map and put it in my pack. Her alien gaze was a little too much.
"Very well. Be safe, Ezreal. I will tell Heimerdinger of your intentions." She told me, her voice echoing slightly around the archive room.
"Thanks." I said, nodding politely at her.
"You're welcome, Ezreal." She responded. I continued putting clothes into my pack, but I stopped when I realized that she wasn't moving, glancing up at her.
"Ezreal, my father told me I should attempt to be open about my... emotions." She said, her voice sounding somewhat more friendly. Was that nervousness I detected?
She continued, "I wish to tell you that I've admired you since we met, and I hope everything goes well on your travels. You actually attempt to communicate with me, the other champions I know practically ignore me."
I felt my stomach in my throat. This was terribly awkward. I couldn't tell what she meant, exactly. Did she... like me? In what way? Was that even possible? I could feel myself blushing.
"...Thanks, Ori." I said, looking up at her, but unable to hold her steel gaze for long. I looked at the ground, bringing my hand up, running it through my hair. I heard her approach, and I looked up again.
"May I embrace you, Ezreal?" She asked. I froze for a second, but then decided that I might as well.
"Sure." I responded, moving to hug her. She embraced me back. I expected a near vice grip, but she seemed to be aware that I was a human, and her hug wasn't as crushing as it could have been. It was just literally cold.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose when I felt Orianna's cold lips on my cheek. Her eyes were closed, I noticed, not unlike a human girl. If I wasn't blushing before, I was most certainly now. I separated from her slowly, not wanting to alarm her.
"Please be careful, Ezreal." She said. I was unsure what to say or do for a while - I could still feel her lips on my cheek.
I smiled nervously, saying, "I'll try. Thank you for your kindness. I'll be back in a week or so."
Orianna nodded and said, "Farewell, Prodigal Explorer." She turned with inhuman grace and walked out of the back door.
I shivered, conflicted. Did she even really feel anything, or was she attempting to act on her father's suggestions?
I can't let my mind get dragged down that path. Shaking my head and picking up my pack, I walked out of the door, locking it and walking on without a second thought.
On my way out of town, a few people waved to me, some calling my name. They must have recognized me from watching those matches I participated in from the Institute of War. I waved back, wondering what they thought of me, if they knew that I really didn't serve a higher purpose when I fought in the League of Legends.
The road on the way out of Piltover was smooth enough. I stopped by the exit of Piltover, wondering if I could find anyone heading south toward Noxus, or the Mogron Pass. I could leave after hitchhiking with them for a couple hours and just head west, to the supposed site of the altar.
"Where you headed, boy?" A carriage driver said to me gruffly. I took him as a no - nonsense kind of individual, so I responded to the point.
"South. I'd only need to go with you until we reach the Ironspikes." I summed up, showing him a few coins.
The driver took a look at the currency and nodded, saying, "There's spare room in the back. Just don't touch anything." He pulled on the reins for the lead horse, causing the others to lower their heads as well. He was hauling what was basically a miniature storage room on wheels.
"Thanks. Here. I'll give you the other half when we're there." I told him, handing him a few coins. He nodded.
Opening the door, I wasn't surprised to see the place piled to the ceiling with boxes. I walked the few steps I could manage to the corner of the room, placing my pack down and sitting next to it.
"Boy, you awake back there?" A gruff voice said. I opened my eyes, realizing I was clutching my pack. I looked up at the cab driver.
"Yeah. Thanks. We here?" I asked him, picking up my pack, standing up as much as I could in the back of this wagon. Walking out of the door, I stretched my back. The dust stirred as I jumped out of the wagon.
"Aye. Just at the Ironspike Mountains." He said, stroking his beard a bit.
"That we are. Here's the rest." I said, reaching into my pocket and handing him a few more coins. He looked at them briefly and nodded, pocketing them. I started walking west, the fields quiet as I traversed them at a modest pace. Stopping not far from where I had been dropped off, I made sure to paint my face, under the eyes, to help with the sun.
I glanced at maps of the area, hoping I had made the correct notes earlier as to the location of this Altar. Considering I was north east of their location, I'd likely have to travel over some mountain passes. Goat trails, that kind of thing. Or walk through a few caves. Nothing I couldn't handle.
It was midday when the elevation started to rise. Luckily, it wasn't that hot outside ... at the same time, it might grow cold when I arrived near the destination.
From previous experience, I knew that the large mountain spiders and wolves near Noxus would sometimes attack travelers, so I readied my mystic bow from the amulet I stored in my glove just in case I had to use it. Usually I just had to fire a mystic shot or an essence flux and they would disperse.
When it grew dark, I donned my goggles. The night vision let me find a good place to set up camp; a clearing to the side of a goat trail. A few skinny pine trees circled the area. Cautiously, I cleared the ground for my tent, setting up afterward.
I was glad I had slept earlier on the ride there, so I'd be more likely to wake if anything approached the tent, taking note of the shape of the clearing. I used mystic shots to break up some of the trees around me, gathering them into a pile, lighting a fire later using my glove. I remember when I taught myself to do this long ago, when I was very young, in the tunnels under Piltover. A smile lit my face as I heated up my rations, eating them when they were ready.
Cleaning up the food and making sure the fire was cold, I went to sleep.
Waking up with the dawn, I set out early. I stopped along the way, finding some ancient carvings and tracing them in my travel journal. They depicted some hulking, armored figure walking on this very path. He looked sad, always being portrayed looking downward, his face unreadable. The carvings were fairly detailed and expansive, despite being so old. From what I knew of ancient Noxian lore, this very figure could be an image of that war God himself.
I picked up the pace, knowing I was getting closer. I froze, seeing smoke rising in the distance. Other travelers? Not likely. I readied my glove.
It took me the rest of the morning and into the afternoon to arrive at the former campsite. The smoke was gone, but I could see the ashy remnants of the campfire on a granite shelf of the mountain. It extended a good ten or twelve feet before dropping off sharply, clearly caused by some quake years ago. I paused, examining the place from my trail, higher up on the mountain. There wasn't a tent there. Whomever had made camp had likely moved on.
"...think she's gone." said a gruff voice from below. I knelt, obscuring myself behind some brush. Looking over it, I saw two men in Noxian military garb looking over the campsite, searching for clues.
Behind them, a figure approached. I saw her platinum hair glinting slightly in the afternoon sun, her fragmented sword held tensely in her hand. She wore strange clothes, tight and black, displaying her feminine curves very well. A tight breastplate and shoulder guard completed the ensemble, along with her gauntlets, all in a black and red coloration. This girl looked familiar. Perhaps a champion in the League? But why was she here?
With practiced grace, I saw her lift her sword to her side, swinging it in a circular motion, jumping toward the soldier ahead of her. She cried out only as she was about to strike him, knocking both of them back with a devastating rain of blows. I watched closely. She knew what she was doing. Her outfit was very close to the soldier's in color and design, which is why it was so puzzling. I struggled to remember her name, wishing I paid attention more to League matches.
The way she nearly danced around the soldiers was beautiful to watch... the only thing that brought me back to reality was the very stark contrast between her grace and their blood spilling onto the granite. She knelt at their sides, closing their eyes respectfully and folding their arms over their swords on their chests. She was whispering something now, but I was too far away to hear. A rite for the dead?
I looked down briefly to retrieve my pack - I had set it down earlier when I saw the soldiers. I looked up.
She was gone. I looked around me and stood up. The shelf was a wide, open spot along the trail, she really didn't have many places to go…
I heard footsteps behind me, and then... everything was black.
