Chapter 8 – Conflict

Veils of clouds and smog slowly encroached on the skies above Summoner's Rift. While it had been somewhat cloudy that day, a dark power had spread throughout the clouds, expanding them and turning grey to black.

In the middle of the clouds, on wings of death, Plagueis' gaze scanned the battle below. Two lights below were the center of his attention: one was golden, and originated from the woman he intended to tear limb from limb. The other was from a young girl with blonde hair, dressed in silver light armor and carrying a wand.

No doubt this child was the so-called Lady of Luminosity. Plagueis had inquired Nocturne about the girl a few matches ago; the Eternal Nightmare's opinion of the girl was spiteful at best. Yet there was something else the dragon had noticed between her and the Radiant Dawn… a sort of affection between the two. Yeessss…

Plagueis snarled with anticipation. The dragon entered another black cloud, and a crash of thunder echoed again as the dragon's shout continued to twist the sky.

...

Light shimmered through the air in a concentrated pulse as Lux swung her wand at a small purple-robed creature, striking the creature directly in the head with her attack. The minion was launched back a short distance onto its back before its body faded away, a small piece of magical power entering Lux's body as her reward for the kill. She felt her power grow ever so slightly; it would take a lot more than just a few minions to restore her power to its fullest.

As Lux turned to the other minions in the wave, she lightly released her wand from her hand, which proceeded to spin near her palm, releasing a ball of distorted light to engulf four more of the purple creatures. Her Lucent Singularity hovered in the middle of the minions for a moment before Lux closed her hand, causing the ball to explode in a flash of light magic. The minions nearby were blown away by the blast, fading from existence as their power entered Lux.

It was then that Lux heard a familiar whistling noise, one she did not enjoy hearing. From the corner of her right eye, she saw a putrid blade rocketing toward her, one of Noxian design: an Acid Hunter missile.

Before Lux could ready a shield to block the shot, a shimmering golden blade came down on the missile and shattered it. Leona quickly stepped in front of Lux, taking a defensive stance.

"Lux, please be more careful!" said Leona.

"I could've blocked that!" Lux replied.

Before Leona could respond, a second Acid Hunter flew in her direction. Leona again struck away the bladed missile with her sword, sending it careening into the ground.

Lux couldn't help but give the paladin an annoyed look. Even now, Leona continued to be overprotective of the blonde, insisting that she accompany her in the southern lane. This had left Ashe to take the center lane against Leblanc, something the Frost Archer did not appreciate. Leona barely even let Lux get two meters from her without insisting that she follow. Looking out for her safety was one thing, but this was overdoing it, Lux thought.

On the bright side, facing a lone Urgot was better than facing Leblanc, especially since the two women outnumbered the Noxian executioner. The mechanically reanimated horror stood under the shadow of a large statue with a purple crystal staff, covered by the turret's field of fire from any close-range attacks. In such a position, Lux knew Urgot would be very difficult to attack without wandering into the turret's range, while he could fire at them from a distance with near-impunity.

Urgot made a guttural groan as his right arm released another Acid Hunter, again aimed at Lux. But again, Leona's blade met the projectile and struck it down.

"Resistance persists…" Urgot wheezed. "Altering attack profile…"

Urgot's left arm raised as he launched a green canister from his mechanical claw. The Noxian Corrosive Charge spiraled as it careened toward Lux and Leona.

"Get back!" Leona shouted, raising her shield to the incoming projectile. The shield opened as sunlight surrounded the paladin.

The canister smashed into the ground near the two, exploding in a burst of acid and tiny pieces of shrapnel. Lux barely managed to surround herself with a barrier of light as the acidic wave washed over her and Leona. Upon contact with Leona's aura, the acid almost instantly evaporated, unable to breach the intense solar shield. Yet with Lux, the acid quickly began to eat away at the barrier. A few droplets leaked through, nearly searing Lux's left foot as she quickly moved away from the acid.

Again raising his right arm, Urgot said, "Target locked. Commencing termination…"

Another Acid Hunter fired from Urgot's arm, this one traveling in an arch to strike at Lux from above. The homing missile smashed into Lux's barrier, shattering it as Lux shrieked. The force of her breaking barrier caused Lux to stumble backward, falling to the ground on her back.

Before Lux could recover, she heard another Acid Hunter whistle through the air. It was too fast; she would never avoid it.

The sound of the blade shattering filled Lux's ears barely a second later. She looked up to see Leona had blocked the missile with her shield.

"Stay down!"

More Acid Hunters flew through the air, yet each met either Leona's shield or her sword, unable to breach the paladin's defenses. From behind Leona, Lux saw Urgot moving sideways on his four crab-like legs, trying to find a better angle to shoot from in trying to hit her. But no matter how much Urgot moved, he couldn't get an angle that Leona wasn't covering.

Lux then realized that Urgot was getting closer to them. He had foolishly left the protection of his turret.

Scrambling to her feet, wand in hand, Lux said, "Leona, move!"

Slashing aside another missile, Leona stepped to the side as Lux swung her wand forward, releasing a ball of light at Urgot. Too late, the Noxian realized his mistake as the Light Binding spell struck him, the magic rooting him to the ground.

Leona immediately rushed toward Urgot, slashing aside another Acid Hunter that Urgot fired in defense. The Noxian immediately followed the failed shot with an energy blast from his left arm, this one striking Leona's shield and sending a surge of debilitating energy through her. Leona fought the sensation of weakness with a shout, leaping toward Urgot with her blade ready to strike, even as the Noxian's Terror Capacitor projected an energy field around him.

Leona's blade met Urgot's shield, sending energy crackling between the two. The paladin struggled as she attempted to send the blade through the Noxian executioner's black heart, while Urgot's left arm charged for another shot.

"Surrender, Urgot! You can't win!" said Leona.

"Must… punish…" Urgot replied, his arm now fully charged and aimed at Leona.

Just before Urgot fired a second blast, another ball of light struck him, directly hitting the Noxian's left arm. The mechanical limb short-circuited as it fired its blast off course, sending it into the ground.

"S-System… overload…!"

The barrier surrounding Urgot shattered, sending Leona's blade plunging into the Noxian's chest. Urgot groaned in seething anger as his body failed him, his mechanical legs buckling under his weight. Green ooze seeped from his body as Urgot fell to the ground, growling as death claimed him.

First Blood.

Panting heavily, Leona slowly withdrew her blade from Urgot's chest, and watched as the Headsman's Pride vanished in a swell of blue lights, his soul spared oblivion by the Summoners. Leona sighed as a surge of magical power entered her body, strengthening her.

"Nice work, Leo!" Lux said gleefully. "We showed him!"

Leona turned as she said, "Let us hope we will find similar success against the dragon."

Lux nodded in approval as Leona walked toward her. But then, a second later, Lux heard a rustling from the river, and turned to see the grass shaking wildly.

In an instant, a blur of dark blue fur and gold-plated claws scrambled out of the foliage. Warwick snarled as he made a beeline for Leona.

"LOOK OUT!" Lux shouted.

Leona turned just as Warwick pounced at her, making the paladin shriek as the werewolf sent her crashing to the ground. A moment later, Leona screamed in pain as Warwick's claws sank into her flesh between her neck and left shoulder. Adrenaline rushed as Leona tried desperately to force Warwick off her, pressing her sword arm against his neck, but the werewolf would not relent in his assault, his fangs snapping mere inches from Leona's face.

And through his snarls, Leona heard Warwick's sadistic laughter as he relished in the scent of her blood, and the sound of her painful screams. Yet it was her struggling that gave him the most pleasure; he enjoyed it most when his victims fought vainly to survive him.

"GET OFF HER!" Lux screamed, swinging her wand at Warwick.

A blast of light smashed into the werewolf, sending him hurtling a few meters as he released his death-grip on Leona, tumbling as he hit the ground. Still in pain, Leona struggled to stand as Warwick wildly went on all fours, his bloodlust overriding any sense of reason he had. Warwick lunged again, but Leona was ready this time, shouting as she swung her shield at him. The shield met the werewolf's gold-plated claws, releasing a burst of sunlight as Warwick was sent back again.

But as Warwick landed again, stunned by the shield blow, Leona stumbled onto her knee, her vision becoming blurry. She had lost a good deal of blood, and who knew what could have been coating the werewolf's claws. She urged her body to stand up, watching as Warwick, who had recovered from her blow, charged again.

"DEMACIA!"

A golden gauntlet connected with Warwick's jaw, stunning the werewolf briefly as Jarvan IV swung his blade toward him. Warwick recovered and leapt back, avoiding the lance.

"You'll not lay another filthy claw on her, beast!" said Jarvan, readying his lance to battle Warwick.

Snarling, Warwick answered, "You will add to my feast, Prince of Demacia!"

With that, Warwick's hands suddenly sprouted with magical flame, which he directed at Jarvan. The Prince shouted in pain as the Ignite spell engulfed him, as though his insides were on fire, yet his body did not burn.

The prince suddenly smirked as he said, "I do love a challenge, mongrel."

Infuriated by this, Warwick howled as he rushed forward, intent on murdering the prince before he finished off Leona. The werewolf's claws raked at Jarvan, who became surrounded by a shield of light. Behind the prince, Lux's wand spun as she focused on maintaining the barrier.

Just as the barrier broke, Jarvan struck, lunging forward with his lance. The weapon ran clean through Warwick's chest and out the werewolf's back. Snarling as his own blood pooled in his maw, Warwick vainly tried to swing his claws at Jarvan, but each blow came out weaker and weaker as life left the werewolf's body.

"Die now, Noxian dog!" Jarvan said as he ripped his lance from Warwick's chest, causing the werewolf to fall to the ground on his back. The prince then raised the weapon and plunged it into the werewolf's throat, finishing the kill. Blue light took Warwick's body a few seconds later, and a surge of magic empowered the prince.

Leona watched Jarvan's bloody victory as she held her own reddened shoulder, trying to stay conscious. She wasn't about to bleed out, but it was difficult for her not to fall over from the blood loss. Her amber hair was in a tangled mess on her shoulders.

"Leo, are you alright?" said Lux, who fearfully ran over to the paladin and knelt beside her.

"I… I'll be alright," said Leona. Then, turning to Jarvan, she said, "Thank you for your assistance, Exemplar."

"Think nothing of it, Paladin Leona," said Jarvan. "After all, it wouldn't be very prince-like of me if I had let that monster slay a lovely woman such as you."

As Jarvan laughed jovially to this comment, Leona couldn't help but be offended. The prince was either being a misogynist buffoon, or he did not respect Leona's strength in battle; neither was meant to be a compliment. The redhead let it pass, though; he was a Demacian prince, after all, and they tended to have a rather lofty opinion of themselves.

A second later, Jarvan added, "You'd best return to our base and tend to your wounds, paladin. Don't worry – I'll look after Luxanna while you're gone."

With a slight scoff, Lux said, "You too?" This was followed by a groan of discontent from the blonde.

"Thank you, Jarvan," said Leona. "I'll try to hurry back as soon as I can."

Lux groaned again as she watched blue light surrounding Leona, warping her back to their base. It seemed the others weren't going to let her fend for herself this match, and she didn't appreciate having to be constantly babysat.

...

Leona slightly stumbled as her feet touched down on the spawning platform. Yet as she did, she felt a familiar, cool sensation wash over her body as her wounds began to magically heal. She sat on the floor as she gingerly touched her shoulder, watching as both the wound and her damaged armor began to repair. Despite all the times she had been to Summoner's Rift, Leona had never really gotten used to such magic.

Yet that was not on her mind at the time. A sigh escaped her lips as Leona thought of how quickly Warwick had almost bested her. If she couldn't defeat the Blood Hunter even with Lux backing her up, did she stand a chance against the Dragon of Desolation?

"It is not wise to dwell upon such things, Paladin…" said a deep voice, startling Leona.

Leona turned to Nasus as she said, "I don't appreciate you reading my thoughts, Nasus."

"My apologies. I merely seek to provide you with council, so that perhaps you may have the strength to face the foe lurking above us."

As Nasus' gaze turned skyward, so too did Leona's. It was far cloudier now than at the start of the match, yet Leona could not mistake a black mass that soared through them. Leona kept her eyes fixated on Plagueis, somehow knowing that the dragon was staring back.

"The Dragon of Desolation is formidable…" said Nasus. "Do not deceive yourself into believing that your battle with him is your responsibility alone. Though your power may be his bane, you are not."

For a moment, Leona didn't get what Nasus meant, but after a few seconds, the meaning sunk in: behind her holy power, Leona was still human, and thus vulnerable as a human.

"It… it is not your aid I worry over, Curator, nor that of the others…" said Leona. "I–"

"Trust in her, paladin, as she trusts in you. Alone, you are doomed. As one, we may yet defeat him."

Leona paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Thank you."

"I must return to my station. The Gravedigger continues to press his offensive to the north, and I must stem his assault. He is… more aggressive than usual."

Without another word, Nasus strode from the base back to his lane, while Leona continued with her recovery.

...

Vessaria stroked her temple as she watched the match through a crystal ball in her chamber. Twenty five minutes had now passed since the match had started; the Demacians, outnumbering the Noxians four-to-five, had destroyed three of the Noxian turrets, and were leading by several kills. But these were short-sighted victories…

There wasn't much time left before Plagueis descended.

Tapping a small crystal nearby, Vessaria watched as the crystal changed its view to focus on Leona, who again was recovering in her base's fountain. She had just helped Ashe in defeating Yorick and destroying another turret, but had been wounded in the process. The Gravedigger, it seemed, was gunning for her.

At that moment, another small red crystal began to flicker with light, on and off repeatedly. Vessaria tapped this crystal, changing the view to an image of Summoner Verge.

"High Councilor, all preparations have been made," said Verge. "The materials for the new barrier matrix have been assembled and are ready for activation."

"Very good, Summoner Verge," said Vessaria. "Remain on standby until our Champions can defeat the dragon's avatar."

"Yes ma'am."

With another tap, a second image appeared in the crystal. The familiar face of Jericho Swain met Vessaria's eyes.

"I trust the battle goes well, High Councilor?" Swain asked in his usual pragmatic tone.

"As well as could be expected, Jericho," said Vessaria. "Remember, when the dragon descends, I don't want to see your people interfering. We can't afford to have them give Plagueis any advantage."

"They know the plan, Vessaria. Though I would advise that you keep a closer watch on the Gravedigger. He cannot be trusted."

Vessaria nodded. As Verge and Swain's visages vanished from the crystal, which shifted back to watch Leona, Vessaria's fingers returned to her temple, continuing to stroke it. It was a habit of hers whenever she became nervous, yet few others knew of it.

In soliloquy, Vessaria said, "This will all be for naught if you fail us, Leona…"

...

Lux moved cautiously with each step she made into the Noxian jungle. Again, Leona had been separated from her, but for once in the match, Lux was alone. She had initially thought she would be relieved to get some time on her own in this match, but considering the timing, Lux suddenly regretted her previous desire.

A loud crashing noise made Lux jump with a start, grasping her wand tightly as she turned to the source. A moment later, a familiar, prideful voice made her calm down a bit.

"Still as pitiful as ever, Headsman!" said Jarvan. "You Noxians never learn!"

Lux sighed with a mix of relief and exasperation as she turned a corner. Jarvan was again rubbing in another victory atop his deceased opponent, Urgot, who lay in a broken heap of scrap metal and green blood as his body dematerialized.

Turning to Lux, Jarvan said, "Ah, Luxanna! You missed a good kill."

"I'm sure it was, your highness," Lux replied with the slightest sarcasm.

"And now for the spoils of battle…" Turning to the still body of a large stone golem, Jarvan reached for a sigil held in the ancient golem's chest. But before he touched it, he turned to Lux and asked, "A gift for the Lady of Luminosity?"

"Oh, well… I–"

"For me? You shouldn't have…" said a sultry woman's voice.

Just as Jarvan turned to the source of the voice, a magical set of chains lashed forward at the golem's body, smashing through it and grasping the crest it held. With the same speed, the chains retracted, bringing the crest back to Leblanc, who caught it effortlessly in her hand.

As the crest's magic was absorbed into Leblanc's body, Jarvan said irately, "Your timing is impeccable as always, Deceiver. But you won't live to reap the rewards!"

"How adorable, little Prince," Leblanc said coolly. "I would love to stay and play with the two of you, but… it's just about time."

Jarvan quickly began to rush at Leblanc, but only got a few steps before the illusionist vanished in a flash of light. Knowing Leblanc was long gone by now, Jarvan scowled as he turned back to Lux.

"Curse that Noxian harlot!" Jarvan snapped. "A coward to the core and without a shred of honor!"

Lightly giggling, Lux said, "You do know how to put them in perspective." Then, her laughs ending and replaced by a moment of worry, Lux said, "But… what did she mean by 'just about time'? Time for what?"

"Pay it no heed, Luxanna," Jarvan said as he strode toward Lux. "She is a deceiver; she only said such a thing to plague your mind. Keep your mind on the battle; we have much to do and little time in which to do it."

"I suppose you're right. We'd better get back to base. Leona will probably throw a fit if I don't–"

The sky above boomed with thunder, echoing all across Summoner's Rift. Looking up, however, Lux saw no lightning or flash of light in the dark storm clouds above. The black and gray shroud above billowed violently, as though the sky were on fire.

"…!"

Suddenly, Lux felt her legs suddenly become heavy as stone, her body weak. It was as though a foul presence were with her, weighing down not just her body, but her very spirit, tainting it through mere proximity. She had never felt anything so horrible before, even against Champions like Malzahar or Nocturne.

Lux trembled as she nearly fell to her knees, holding herself on a tree stump to stay standing. "Wh-What is this…? I…"

Grimly, Jarvan looked to the sky. "He comes…" said the prince, his formerly prideful tone replaced by a harsh demeanor.

A gust of wind rushed through the trees, making Lux yelp as she briefly lost balance. Jarvan stood strong, his lance at the ready as a shadow soared overhead.

Lux looked up as an ear-splitting roar came from above, making the very earth shudder in fear. As her eyes looked to the source, terror embraced her.

"Hear my voice and DESPAIR!" Plagueis shouted as he soared towards Lux and Jarvan, his fangs flickering with neon fire. A second later, the dragon roared as the flames surged from his maw.

Lux could barely scream before the dragon's dark flame was upon her.


Uh oh... Lux is in for it now... 0_0