Author's Note
Chapter 2 wasn't an easy chapter to write. Everybody knows Rivens judgement, so I decided to put some other stuff within it. Oh and the names...It's a nod to Salvadora11 and ‟Guiding Light". Awesome Fanfic3
Chapter 2
Shadows of the past
The sound of marching boots filled the air, accompanied by the clatter of heavy armor and tumbling from some wagons filled with supplies. The thick and dense fog hung deep in the valley and blocked the sight of the soldiers. They could barely see a few meters in front of them.
But what they saw, gave them a chill in the back. Not far away the bodies of dead soldiers were piled up. Noxian and Ionian soldiers...there was no difference between them in death. Some were heavily wounded while some others were disfigured horribly. They were witnesses of the cruel effectiveness of Zaunites war machines.
It seemed that the thick fog, tried to hide the scene before them. But the stench of mud and decay stung in their noses and wrecked this meaningless try. One of the marching soldiers was Riven, officer of Fury Company and poster child of the Noxian armies. She gritted her teeth. Another valley and even more dead. She did not know, what the other soldiers we're thinking but she didn't take notice of it anymore. Their unit has orders which they execute without questioning. There will be a time to think about everything, but this time wasn't now.
The brown mud made a disgusting, smacking sound for every step they made. Riven looked down and between the whole dark brown, were small rivers of a red liquid. She felt a pang of nausea, but forced it out of her head.
'Focus' she thought. 'Focus is everything.' With one hand, she stroked over the green glowing runes on her blade. A rehearsed gesture without a real purpose, but it helped her so collect her thoughts.
'Only the strong survive. And always remember! You can only accomplish one thing at a time. In the midst of a battle many different things can happen. So stay focused then you will survive longer!' Riven heard the barking voice of her drill sergeant in her head. It was strange. She didn't remember the man very clear, but his instructions were burnt in her head.
'First the mission. That's important right now', Riven thought. Their mission was clear: They should catch up with the 42nd company and reinforce them. After that, there combined forces will push deeper into enemy territory. But the track which the 42nd left behind was...messy. The Zaunites war machines weren't called ‟melter" for no reason.
‟Why they don't surrender? That would reduce their pain", said a voice behind her. It was Dassel. A giant of a man, but with a bit lack of brainpower. When he didn't train, he usually talks about food.
‟Well...as if anyone of us knows. Can't tell ya", answered Krim with his heavy slum accent.
‟Psst...be silent. We don't know what awaits us here", said Sal. He was one lucky bastard. Didn't matter how grim the situation was, he could always get out of there somehow.
‟Any intelligence, Captain?", asked Ardus. A smaller man in the same age as Riven. His ability of dual wielding swords and other weapons we're unchallenged in the whole company.
‟Nothing. After 42nd crossed this valley the Ionians fell back", Riven replied and looked over her shoulder to Ardus.
‟I don't like it..I don't like it at all. It's far too quiet", he replied and Riven just nodded.
‟Stay sharp", said Brite another giant of a man. He wielded a powerful, mighty two hand axe. But he was very silent, to hear him talking was...unusual.
The High Command didn't expect such a hard resistance. They expected that the peace loving Ionians surrender under the military juggernaut of Noxian armies and Zaunite war machines. But instead most of them fought fanatically to stop the Noxian onslaught. Before a few days Riven experienced it by herself. Fury Company had attacked a small village. Noxian intelligence reported not a great military presence in this area, but the fight was nevertheless hard. And even though that the civil casualties increased by every hour and day, the Ionians didn't surrender.
Riven was impressed by their spirit and strength. But...nevertheless this wasn't the battle Riven had trained for. A battle was a test of her own strength. Only the strong survive, there was no place for weaklings and cowards. But...the Noxian High Command counted on Zaun's death machines. Far too many battles were won because of them. For Riven it felt wrong. But she was a Noxian soldier so she followed the orders.
The path the company took was called the Coeur Valley. This valley and path was one of the few, Zaun's war machines could take to pass the region of Shon-Xan. Before a few days the Ionians made a desperate last stand to stop the rolling army of war machines and soldiers. But Noxian spies and agents had reported this to High Command long before and ample countermeasures were taken, even before the melters arrived at the scene. Nearly the complete Ionian force was killed during the fighting.
‟Someone's coming!", said Ardus and pointed in front of them. Riven raised her hand and the unit stopped. A girl emerged from the fog, a couple of years older than Riven.
She mumbled something: ‟No..no...not more...please..stop." She fell to the ground and started weeping.
‟You two..get her", Riven ordered two soldiers while Ardus seem to be nervous.
‟What is it?", Riven asked silently, looking over her shoulder.
‟I can't tell...", he replied and shook his head, ‟Nevermind!" Riven looked at him with a puzzled expression, but then shrugged and looked forward.
Handling civilians was a chore for most of the soldiers. But it was tiring. Even though some companies were off to taking care of the civilians in the conquered territories. The two soldiers stood by the young girl, each of the was hoping the other one would take the lead.
‟Hey! Come on...we don't ha...", said Riven before a red mist appears before her. The girl had made a motion, too quick to catch up with the human eye. The two man fell to the ground. Dead. Riven stood there, completely still for a second. Then she realized it. She looked to her right and some of the supposed to be dead bodies, stood up again. Their eyes were very much alive. The whole fight for the valley was nothing more than a distraction. She recalled a conversation back in their camp. 'Hmpf...our spies are too carefully. That wasn't an army of Ionians. Not even half of the force they had reported.'
She yelled: ‟AMBUSH!" As the Ionians charged into battle.
‟They taken over our rear guard!", yelled some Noxian soldier before being stabbed by an Ionian sword.
‟Cover our back for fuck's sake! Don't let them surround us!", yelled Krim. Screams and clashing of weapons filled the air.
‟Fall back! Defensive positions!", screamed Riven while she drew a distress flare from her belt. Green light illuminated the entire valley, gave the scenery something unnatural.
She raised her sword as one Ionian attacked her. With a loud clang their swords clashed. Riven yelled and green runes on her sword started to glow. With another scream she released the energy in a Ki Burst. The Ionian stumbled and Riven used her chance and attacked. The man was cut in half with one swing of the mighty blade.
She looked around her. Dassel and Brite were fighting against three Ionians at the same time, while Ardus, Sal and Krim fought on par with their opponents.
'The strong will prevail', Riven thought and attacked another Ionian. ‟For Noxus!", she yelled and other soldiers answered. ‟For Noxus!" ‟Forever strong!" Riven wasn't this kind of person who surrender. When the Ionians win this battle, they won because they deserved it. But Riven wouldn't go down without taking a few more Ionians with her.
But slowly, her unit began to crumble. They were outnumbered and surrounded. For a brief moment Riven wondered how long they had lain here amongst the dead. Her arms getting heavier with each swung off her sword. She was bleeding from several wounds.
'At least..I die in the Noxian way', she thought before a bright flash and explosion erased everything else. A bright ball fell down before them, sending Ionians flying. At first Riven didn't realized what that was. Another one fell down, closer to her unit. Noxians and Ionians were hit equally.
‟That can't be...", said Ardus, while watching. Riven could see the horror in his eyes. Another ball was coming down, directly behind him.
‟WATCH OUT!", Riven yelled. Ardus looked back and before he could react, was hit. Riven looked directly at the explosion, could barely see anything. Then she felt something on her leg, a hand was grabbing her. She looked down and saw Ardus. His whole body and armor was burnt, his once friendly face, nothing more than burned flesh.
He moved his lips: ‟Get...out of..her...Riv.." He lost the grip around her leg and his head hit the ground. Then he was gone. Dead. Rivens mind was about to break. She couldn't understand it. Her mind refused to accept and understand it. There own artillery was firing at them. Zaun's war machines has opened fire on their own troops.
‟What...the fuck...?", said Riven silently and fell on her knees. She had never shown any feelings nor did she show any weakness. Her whole world was falling apart. She could feel tears ran down her cheeks. ‟Why...? Why...?", she repeatedthis one word. Over and over again. Then...she could hear some loud voice.
‟P.C.! Get the fuck out of here!" That was Dassel's voice. She felt a hand, which grabbed her back and then she flew. Dassel had thrown her, hard she hit the ground and looked back. Dassel, Sal, Krim and Brite...then three bright balls fell into them. Her brain couldn't take it anymore and she passed out.
She fell down in the circle of light. Tears running down her cheeks. She tried to stop them, but she couldn't. At least she didn't sob. She had lived with these memories for so long, had relived it over and over, but never so intensely like this time. Until today she never understood the true meaning behind this. She never understood why Noxus depends on Zaus chemical weaponry instead of his own army. And she never understood why they had opened fire on them.
‟Why I didn't see this coming? Was I so blind?", she asked herself. Riven tried to collect herself. She wiped her cheeks dry from the tears and looked up. The weeping girl stood before here, covered in blood and dirt.
Her voice sounded out of place as she asked: ‟Why do you want to join the League Riven?"
‟I..." She could barely speak. The memories were stuck in her head. She saw the dead Fury Company. The people which followed and trained with her the whole time.
‟Why do you want to join the League Riven?", the girl asked again. Impatient.
‟I don't know! I don't fucking know..." She banged her fist on the ground. Riven has carried these memories with her, closed deep within her. They were something she couldn't, she wouldn't share with anybody. ‟I still love Noxus and the Noxian way...but my whole life was a lie to that point. I...want to fight again. I want a purpose in my life again! But I will do it on my own conditions!"
‟How does it feel to expose your mind?", the girl asked once more.
‟Expose or not...it changed nothing", Riven replied and looked up. Only to find...nothing. The girl has suddenly vanished and she was alone in the great halls. She heard some rumbling behind her, as the doors opened for her. She tightened the grip around the hilt of her broken sword.
'My spirit is not lost', she thought and the green runes glowered a bit. 'I'll show them..the true Noxian way. Your deaths...will not be in vain.' And with that she stood up. She felt some sort of reassurance washed over her.
‟Welcome...to the League. Riven, The Exile", said a male voice as Riven leaved the Halls of Reflection.