Author's Notes: well with spring brake right around the corner im glad I could put this up just in time for everyone whom enjoys this story to do so with free time on there hands. Lots of big walls of text in this. Sorry about those but I had difficulty grasping the chaos of a team fight without them. Thank you all for your reviews and criticism, I thrive on it and would like more. Enjoy.
Chapter 10
Ancient Stirrings
Celene shifted her fingers against the wooden counter of the shop. Rain drops pounded aggressively against the Ionian's hood. Celene inhaled softly, taking in the smell of wet grass, dirt and pine trees. She stole a look over her shoulder. Everyone on her team looked upset and uncomfortable, except for Nami. The mermaid sat on a cushion of magically animated water. She straightened her arms over her head with a squeak, shifting on her cushion towards Graves.
"What's wrong?" The Tidecaller asked. Celene wasn't sure about an age, but she was sure the mermaid was young, perhaps as young as Lux. Graves looked at her sideways. The announcer welcomed them just as Graves opened his mouth to answer.
"It's wet," the outlaw said flatly. Nami didn't seem to understand what the problem was. Considering she was practically a fish, it made since she wouldn't. The mermaid looked completely at home in the sheets of rain. A bolt of lightning streaked across the monster's vision, illuminating the battlefield with a deafening crack. Celene eyed Riven as she began to descend the steps towards the Nexus. The Exile bit her lip and covered her eyes after each blast without fail. Celene paused, looking at the Exile over her shoulder. Riven huffed, as if pushing away the memory of a bad dream, hauling her soaked white hair out of her face with her fingers.
"Riven?" Celene called worriedly.
"I'M FINE!" Riven screamed. Celene blinked in surprise, frowning at the white-haired woman. Riven glanced around. Her team was staring at her, even Graves looked worried. She straightened up, releasing a cross between her signature sigh and a deep exhalation. She looked straight forward towards her lane. "I'm fine. We need to move." Riven said, her tone commanding. Irelia narrowed her eyes, marching off towards the jungle. Nami seemed to "float" away on her cushion. Graves jogged beside her sideways, watching the odd sight. Celene remained where she was, watching Riven force back a shiver. The monster gripped her brooch, undoing the clasp and sliding it from the fabric of her heavy cloak. She pulled the cloak over her head, ruffling her hair that instantly became pinned to her head by the rain. Celene tossed the heavy brown cloak at Riven.
"You're going to get hypothermia," Celene said flatly she paused briefly, looking at the golden object tossing it to the exile. Riven caught it nimbly. The two exchanged nods. Riven turned on her heel, whirling the cloak around her shoulders she securing it. The Exile heard the familiar whoosh of the Ionian dematerializing, made all the more obvious as the blue flash reflected off the sheets of rain. Riven drew the hood, noticing no part of the cloak was wet. It must be enchanted, she thought, taking off towards the top lane and the blood.
"Riven, I'm worried, you're not yourself- I can feel it through the tether," Kathrine said gravely in the back of Riven's head. Riven shook her head, sending droplets of water everywhere.
"I don't like thunder. It sounds like Zaun Melters," Riven said aloud, hoping the sound of her voice would calm her nerves. They told her in training the strong aren't afraid. Riven bit her lip. She was alive. She survived the chemical attacks that invalidated all the strength of her platoon and herself. Either they were wrong, or the system itself was broken. Riven pushed the thought from her head.
"I can't say I understand, but there are no Melters here," Kathrine replied. Riven rolled her eyes. She didn't need to be comforted like some child. Maybe I do? A small thought poked in the back of her mind. The thunder echoed across the battlefield again. Riven flinched, clearing her head with a vigorous shake
"I'm aware," Riven said aloud again. She blinked. "I just see the faces." She rounded the soft bend at the edge of safe territory. Past curtains of water, she could make out her enemy. The woman looked very agitated, shifting from leg to leg. She spotted Riven and cracked a smile. A chance to release the stress, Riven guessed. The woman slammed her fist into her palm; the sound was carried away by the rain. Riven slowed her breathing, preparing for battle.
"Minions have spawned!" The announcer boomed, somehow managing to be just as loud over the raging storm. Not long now, Riven thought to herself.
–
Celene wiped her eyes. Part of her regretted being sympathetic. She internally scolded her selfishness. Celene had no problem working someone over to make things easier on herself. She had stolen hundreds of times, but when the other party was Riven, it didn't feel right.
Her enemy levitated roughly seventy feet from her, rain falling around her as if she had an invisible umbrella. Her long white hair flowed idly in the wind as she eyed the monster with obvious eagerness. It looked like the woman could barely wait to fight. A lot of people in the League seemed to be like that, Celene noted in the back of her head- more pointless information. She was clearly very powerful. The three obsidian black spheres that rotated around the woman made Celene's hairs stand up. She smiled.
"You feel that?" Beyal commented over the tether. Celene smiled.
"Yep. Her magical presence is strong enough to trip my sense of touch. She's special- that's only happened once since I got here," Celene replied in her head. She wiped her hair out of her eyes.
"When was the other time?" Beyal asked.
"Lux's laser," Celene said mentally. Her eyes ran her opponent over. A feeling of dread hovered in the air. This was going to be hard. Celene pressed her mouth into a thin line as her mind wandered into dangerous places. No I shouldn't, if it comes to that I'll settle for losing, the Ionian thought to herself. She blinked the rain from her eyes, reasoning that she didn't have the ability at the moment, regardless-compassion had taken that. The Ionian cracked a small smile.
"What are you talking about?" Beyal asked, her thoughts leaking over the tether. Celene felt her smile expand at her own carelessness.
"Never again," Celene whispered cheerfully. Her lips peeled back into a grin, exposing her teeth. The shifting of clothing brought itself to her attention. A thin line of minions marched its way into the land with robotic organization.
"I don't like her eyes," Beyal said, spotting Celene's red flag. Celene made sustained eye contact. The woman floated a foot off the ground, choosing to peer down at Celene in a predatory manner instead of looking straight at her. The woman's eyes glowed a bright violet. As the minions clumped up, she motioned with her hand, her face contorted for a moment in effort. With a crack, a black sphere of magical energy appeared in the middle of the minion wave, sucking in all the rain within ten feet of it. The minions caught in its formation seemed to shatter, crumpling and turning to ashes. Celene whistled a single note in admiration. This was some very complex magic, but a bit too complex to be practical. Though the results were intimidating, the same could be achieved with a simple blast of mana-fire and with considerably less effort. Celene extended her arm, spearing a minion, not removing her eyes from the mage.
The dance continued peacefully for several minutes, neither mage really testing the other. Syndra would annihilate the minion wave in one swift motion, leaving Celene to pick off her minions as they approached. Neither was gaining any ground. Celene's minions met Syndra's again. The dolls began clubbing each other and casting pathetic spells. Syndra raised her hand flashily over her head and the wave died with a loud crack as her minions advanced around the new hovering sphere of magical energy. Syndra whipped her other hand forward, a violet tether latching onto the orb. She yanked it behind herself and hurled it at the Ionian. Celene inhaled and vanished, the sphere passing through where she had just been. The Ionian reappeared within several feet of the mage. Her chest burned. Tendrils erupted from her hands, darting towards the mage. Syndra reacquired her, sweeping her hand. A wave of violet energy sprang from her fingertips, easily brushing aside the snaking tendrils. Syndra smiled triumphantly with a "Ha!" Celene smirked back at her, waiting for her to act again. Neither made a move, the pair just stared at each other. Celene could feel the demon in her chest warming her through the chill of the rain, her breathing accelerating. The demon poked at the back of her mind ambitiously. What aptitude, imagine what you could do with that… She decided to ignore it for the moment- she would get her chance.
The farming had resumed. Syndra had a very obvious pattern; she would create a sphere, killing the minions in the process, then hurl the sphere at her enemy, only for it to be avoided lazily by Celene. All the Ionian had to do was wait. Syndra simply ignored the minions not caught in the blast from her sphere, letting them fall to Celene's own minions, while Celene wasn't being as wasteful. The mage was clearly a prodigy and she knew it- her movements were flashy and exaggerated. Celene decided to test her. The monster wondered how much concentration maintaining the orbs took. Syndra seemed to let them dissipate after a few moments. An experiment was in order.
"So where are you from?" Celene asked as her minion line passed her, meeting Syndra's. The woman eyed her before flicking her wrist, contorting her face. Celene acted, teleporting past the forming sphere within feet of Syndra. The mage raised her hands over her head after the cast as if performing on stage and dramatically opened her eyes just in time to see Celene's teeth close around her outstretched hand. The mage yelped in pain, less then gracefully ripping her hand free. Celene tasted blood. The mage cradled her hand for a moment looking at the Ionian in a brief shock before snarling and flicking her other wrist.
"Insect!" Syndra growled. Her voice had a magic echo to it. Celene disappeared again as a sphere formed right where she had been less than a second before. The monster's thin fingers wrapped around the horns on Syndra's headpiece, pulling them to the sides to expose her neck. Syndra was ready this time, clenching her fists and exclaiming, emitting a pulse of violet energy. Celene couldn't react, getting caught in the blast. The monster yelped in pain, feeling several of her ribs snap as it launched her backward. The Ionian pushed the pain out of her mind, disappearing before she made contact with the ground. She made a mental note not to grab onto the mage next time as she reappeared within striking range. Tendrils advanced on Syndra in waves. The mage effortlessly swatted them aside, Celene moved again, another sphere appearing where she was. Syndra acquired her, forcing Celene to move again as another orb appeared. Syndra tethered the first orb she had created flicking her wrist upon spotting the monster again. She is nothing if not predictable, though a slip up may just get me killed, Celene thought, disappearing to avoid Syndra's fourth sphere. The mage hurled the tethered orb angrily. She was flushed, breathing heavily and wore an expression like she was trying to power through a difficult math problem. The action seemed to slow. Celene counted seven spheres, including the three orbiting Syndra. One final test. The monster closed the distance with the mage, lashing out with her blue strands. Syndra swiped her hand forcefully in their direction. Celene smirked as the spell seemed to fizzle. Syndra snarled, floating backwards away from the barrage coming her way. The tendrils connected, puncturing the mage's leg as she turned to zip away towards her tower. Celene gave her arm a dramatic sweep, ripping the mage from the air and slamming her into the ground. A splash followed, covering Syndra in mud. Celene noted the woman wasn't wearing shoes with some sadistic amusement. She grinned, ignoring the pain that shot through her ribs as she twisted, flicking her wrist, Syndra was pulled from the ground as if she were a fish the monster had just caught. She swung her arm, pulling the mage through the air. Her smile grew as Syndra was slammed into the ground a second time with a yelp of pain, her headdress dislodging and imbedding itself in the mud with a dull splat.
"Why can't I.. AGHHH!" Syndra screamed in frustration, glaring tangible death at the Ionian. Celene caught one of Syndra's orbs dissipate out of the corner of her eye. The mage looked incredibly angry that her spell had failed. She flicked her wrist with a scream as Celene disappeared. She looked back at where she had been standing, confused, seeing no orb. Her eyes returned to Syndra. The monster gasped as she was ripped off her feet, the tendrils being pulled taught by the sphere that had materialized on top of them. Syndra clenched her fist. The sphere shrank erratically as if she was crushing it. Both mages were dragged along the ground. Celene spotted a glaring weakness in her strategy; the tendrils didn't detach, she had to retract them and the sphere was closer to her then Syndra. Syndra yelled in pain as the tendrils gored her leg, the orb pulling both mage and monster unceremoniously though the mud towards it in heaves.
"FOR IONIA!" Celene and Syndra turned their heads toward the offending bellow as Irelia burst through the reeds that blocked view of the river, just in time to ruin her plans. Syndra bit her lip, flicking her wrist at the charging Irelia. There was no fizzling this time as the wave of violet struck her, lifting her from her feet. Her levitating blades were unaffected, however, as they punched through the wave and rocketed the thirty feet to Syndra with blinding speed. Celene blinked as the mage was skewered by the four floating metal objects with a pained scream. Irelia snarled from her hands and knees, the blades twisted, electing another cry of pain, then ripped outward in an X-shape. Syndra collapsed into the mud with an agonized moan. Her orbs crackled and became misshapen before dissolving into mist.
"First blood!" The announcer boomed. Irelia looked blankly at Celene and pushed herself to her feet. Celene attempted the same, her broken ribs making themselves known now that she wasn't in danger.
"Potions," Beyal said flatly. Celene pulled one of the oddly shaped bottles from her belt. She swallowed the bitter red liquid eagerly and pushed herself to her feet. The rain washed over her body, removing the mud as she eyed Syndra's body. Any blood was being washed away before it could be spotted as the water pooled around the impression she'd made in the soaked earth, making it look as if the rain was burying her. Celene rubbed her burning chest with her hand, swiping at the minion wave with the other. Ignoring precision, she impaled each of the approaching minions numerous times until they all dissolved into ash, allowing hers to advance. She didn't need to say anything as the blue rings appeared at her feet. She stretched, excited for the rejuvenation of the fountain.
–
Riven bit her lip, allowing the nervous tick over the vivid memories each crack of thunder seemed to pull with its booming echo. She and Vi danced around each other, Riven jabbing a minion here, Vi clubbing one there. The two were within reach of each other in the thick of the pile of fighting dolls, but both avoided attacking the other. Riven gritted teeth, wondering why she was in the League in the first place. Why she continued to endure the horrors of combat. Why she was standing in the hollowing rain fighting a woman she had never met. The League's motto came to mind. Riven clearly remembered the night in Kalamanda when she had first seen it. The Exile had volunteered to wash dishes in the Rusty Pick Inn in exchange for a room. Inside the kitchen was a political poster featuring a summoner pushing apart a Noxian and Demacian soldier. Peace at Any Cost was inscribed on the bottom. Riven slashed down another minion, ducking the restless punch from Vi that followed. She endured so others didn't have to. She endured so Zaun chemical weaponry would never again rain down on undefended villages. She endured so the land need not withstand another rune war. It was all she could do. Riven felt herself smile softly, sidestepping a vicious uppercut. Her sword seemed to pulse. The Exile could feel its energy, and it felt her inspiration. The two were connected. It was her mirror.
"Riven, Irelia is coming," Kathrine spoke up. Riven didn't answer. She looked solemnly at Vi. The people, the idea, what was being defended and assaulted didn't matter. Just like it didn't matter in war- the stronger side would win in the end. She was nothing but an enemy. Riven was performing a manual service, a chore. Work constantly arose that needed to be done, but that no one wanted to do, like washing dishes at an inn. She was a protector, fighting to resolve the endless conflicts both petty and serious so no lives needed to be lost. The pleasantries of life could be shared after they returned to the Institute, but for the moment, she was an obstacle. Riven's sword pulsed, rapidly reforming into its original unbroken form with a blast of green light and an echoing crack. Vi looked at it shocked. The thunder cracked over the pair. The faces of Riven's old friends and enemies alike flashed through her head, clawing at themselves as their skin melted like wax. Riven allowed the images. it was her duty to carry the burdens of war so that the world would never make such mistakes again.
"Never again," Riven said solemnly to herself; her face stiffening, amber eyes boring a hole in Vi's forehead as she took an aggressive step. "NEVER AGAIN!" The Exile bellowed and lunged, the tip of her sword dragging through the mud. Vi returned from her moment of stunned confusion just in time to knock the blow aside. Riven's smile never wavered as she meet Vi's attempted counter with her blade. The dull thunk of metal striking stone was carried away by the rain as Irelia came charging from the bushes. Vi snapped to the fast approaching Ionian. Knowing should couldn't fight them both she turned and ran. Riven took off after her, rapidly gaining ground. She felt truly alive.
–
Celene slogged quickly towards sound of gunshots. Syndra hadn't returned to her lane since being killed, giving the monster the time to do a bit of roaming. The storm continued to rage over head, the sounds of pounding rain drowning out the loud sloshing the monster carelessly produced as she waded past the dragon pit. Celene could see muzzles flashes through the sheets of rain. A few more steps and shouts could be heard. The monster pushed her way into the reeds, sinking low against the water's surface. She inhaled. Celene had forgotten what it felt like not to have massive droplets of water constantly pounding against her head and shoulders.
It didn't look good. Graves and Nami were pushed back; Caitlyn and Lux sat comfortably in the center of the lane. The metagame the summoners always talked about was beginning to make sense. The champions sent bottom lane could reach each other from practically anywhere within sight. Standing up against other ranged bombardment without cover, healing, or shielding magic seemed somewhat impossible.
"What are you waiting for?" Beyal asked skeptically. Celene smiled, watching the shifting shapes through the rain and reeds. The monster doubted her ability to harm Caitlyn, at least with Lux protecting her. The girl's binding magic could prove dangerous. Celene's chest burned, the heat working its way to her cheeks. She found it hard to wait. The monster shifted impatiently. Possessing someone was beyond the realm of wanting anymore, she needed to do it.
Lux exclaimed, taking a step forward and hurling a light binding at Nami. The spell was clearly visible, shining through the rain. Celene exhaled and disappeared. Her thin fingers wrapped around the magazine of Caitlyn's rifle. The monster pushed the rifle off center as she ripped the magazine loose. Caitlyn yelped in surprise, stumbling back. Celene shoved, dropping the magazine to be buried in the mud. Caitlyn fell backward from her kneeling position, the long weapon pressed between them. The officer hit the ground, her hat leaving her head. She gritted her teeth and pushed against her rifle, keeping Celene's teeth away from her. The hot barrel of the weapon burned Celene's collarbone. The monster twisted, sliding her thumb inside the trigger guard with Caitlyn's index finger. The two scuffled on the ground. Caitlyn pushed hard against the rifle, trying to create enough space to kick the monster off. It wasn't working and Lux hadn't noticed, she was too busy exchanging spells with Nami. Graves ducked from the bushes, taking aim at the wrestling pair, he paused. Unable to get a clear shot he leaned and ran forward.
"Get off me! Lux help!" Caitlyn screamed, sliding the rifle up across the front of Celene's body, slamming the barrel into her chin. Celene bit her tongue. The monster yelped Lux's attention was called and clenching her fingers. The weapon went off with an ear ringing bang, narrowly missing the light mage. Caitlyn kicked Celene off with a loud yell and scrambled to her feet. The woman leveled the rifle as Celene regained her balance. The monster looked up only to see the barrel of a gun a foot from her face held by an angry, mud-covered sheriff of Piltover. The weapon clicked hollowly. Caitlyn blinked, pulling the trigger again. Again the weapon clicked. Caitlyn stole a glance downward at her trigger assembly, panic rising in her heart as the corners of Celene's mouth curled upward. The large banana magazine was conspicuously absent from the weapon's left side. Caitlyn looked desperately over at Lux. The Demacian beat her fists furiously against the sides of a large bubble that encased her.
The sheriff didn't have a choice; she lowered her rifle to her chest, spun on her heel and ran. "Come on now sheriff, if you do that how will i unzip your skin and wear you like a fur coat?" Celene teased, trotting after the sprinting woman briefly before appearing in front of her. The sheriff ran into her outstretched hand. The thin fingers closed around Caitlyn's neck as she was torn from her feet. Tendrils erupted from her back and hands. Caitlyn's rifle was quickly wrenched out of the way. The blue strands snaked up the side of Caitlyn's head, over and behind her ears into her muddy hair. More worked their way downward, encircling her wrists. Celene grinned wildly as she managed to pin the woman. The monster leaned in, her forehead touching Caitlyn's. The sheriff began to struggle frantically, knowing what was about to happen. Celene could hear gunshots and spells being cast behind her, Lux had gotten free but she didn't care. She smiled at the woman with heavy sigh, bordering on an excited moan as all the heat in her chest was released. Caitlyn screamed in panic. Her jaw popped as the tendrils wrenched open her mouth. Caitlyn choked, the writhing mass forcing its way down her throat.
Finally… Celene thought. Her vision began to fade into black. The struggling terrified woman beneath her curled up as the monster fell limply on top of her. Caitlyn kicked her away viciously, struggling against the mass of blue strands she was forced to swallow. Her bindings loosened but her body stopped responding as a wave of convulsions hit her. Her eyes squeezed shut gagging and choking as her body did everything in its power to keep the foreign invaders out to no avail. The last of the tendrils disappeared. Convolutions ground to a halt as an absolutely alien presence seemed to seep into the back of her head. It felt like oil on her skin. It was everywhere- under her skin to the tips of her fingers and toes, slinking into her memories. Caitlyn tried to scream. No sound came, only a smile that wasn't hers.
Lux ducked though the bushes, running frantically for her tower. Graves couldn't see her, evident by the shotgun blasts ripping through the tall grass. She could hear Caitlyn screaming. The Demacian threw her baton ahead of her. The spell strained. Lux huffed, her reserves of mana bordering on empty. The shield formed just as Lux burst from the bushes, looking over her shoulder to see Caitlyn crumpled on the ground, shaking as the tail end of a glowing blue strand slid down her throat and out of sight. Buckshot bounced off the spherical shield with a resounding crack. It held, being near the edge of Graves range. She caught the baton, refreshing the shield. Lux spun, sliding it to its end between her fingers and swinging her arm. The last ounce of her mana was called to bear with some effort for a final light binding. Graves dove less then gracefully out of the way as the spell sailed by. Nami yelped as the ropes of light burned her skin. Good enough, Lux thought, turning again and leaning into a full sprint. Lux huffed again, her hands meeting the cold wet stone of her tower. She jogged around behind it to break line of sight before limply sliding down against it to her knees. She was out of breath, tired, stressed, wet and freezing cold.
"Get me out of here..." She said out loud weakly. She was secretly happy Caitlyn had been taken instead of her. The idea of being on the receiving end of Celene's somewhat signature ability didn't excite Lux one little bit. The girl slammed the back of her head into the tower. What kind of Demacian are you?! She mentally scolded. Lux bit her lip, wanting to go back around the tower and engage. Her logic took over. She didn't have the mana to do much. Blue rings appeared around her feet. Lux slide upright against the tower, clenching her fists. She gave her baton a spin. She should have been watching Caitlyn more closely. "Where was the call on middle coming down?" Lux barked over the tether.
"Sorry Lux, Mark is having issues controlling Syndra, he didn't see Celene leave," Matthew said. Lux nodded. She wanted to win; she wanted to make her brother proud of her.
"Dammit," Lux muttered, the hum of teleportation magic in her ears.
Celene opened her eyes, spluttering. She shielded her new eyes from the rain and looked up. Caitlyn had amazing eyesight. Each raindrop stayed in vivid focus regardless of whether or not she looked straight at it. Graves leaned over her, his shotgun smoking. Celene looked up into the barrels before shifting upward to the man's face. Her lips curled upward softly. Graves looked rather shocked, cautiously leaning in and giving Celene a rough prod with the barrel of his weapon. "What in the nine hells are you?" The outlaw asked slowly, his voice somehow more gravelly than normal.
Celene sat up, silently cursing Caitlyn for wearing a skirt. "At the moment, I'm Caitlyn," the monster said, giving Graves a crooked grin. The outlaw blinked- Celene spoke without an accent. It was somewhat unsettling. The outlaw extended his gloved hand, which Celene readily accepted. Graves crushed her fingers as he hauled her out of the mud. He snuck a glance backwards at the approaching Nami.
"Well, uhh, that's unsettlin'." Graves glanced away from her, doing his best to look tough as he rubbed the back of his head. Celene suppressed a rabid giggle.
"Nice to meet you, again," Celene said, bending down to retrieve Caitlyn's rifle from the mud. Graves gave her a hard look.
"Celene, Syndra's coming," Beyal said. The tether shook, causing Celene to shiver. She shifted her eyes up the river. Graves nodded and turned to face the river as well. He squinted, unable to see what she was looking at. A pair of purple eyes pierced the veils of rain from beyond the dragon pit- nothing more than tiny floating specks. Damn, Caitlyn can see, Celene thought to herself. She felt around for where on her person the sheriff kept her magazines. After a moment of feeling and an odd look from Graves, she found them strapped to the side of her thighs. She held the rifle sideways, letting the rain clear off the mud. The monster pulled a magazine from the pouch on her right thigh, placing it between her breasts and grabbing the charging handle of the weapon. She gave the handle a few solid pulls, making sure no mud was caught in the machinery before retrieving the magazine and slamming it into the weapon. She pulled the charging handle a final time. The brass round was visible for a short moment before being pulled into the chamber. She pointed. The purple eyes drifted closer.
"Always trouble," Graves muttered, readying his weapon. Celene considered shooting at the woman, but the weapons experience she had siphoned from Caitlyn told her the rain would likely make her miss. It wasn't worth it. The monster caught movement out of the corner of her new eyes. Earth pushed herself to her feet, shivering uncontrollably. Graves whirled around, his weapon raised. Earth squeaked and put her hands over her head. A stream of panicked Ionian left her mouth. The outlaw paused, pointing open mouthed at Caitlyn beside him then at earth. Celene smirked at him.
"Earth, thank you for accommodating me, now get to safety," she spoke up in Ionian. Earth snapped her eyes to her, nodding frantically. She was clearly scared. The girl turned, jogging back towards the tower.
"I should walk her back; they may still think she's you. Besides, I don't fancy tanglin' with that woman." Graves said, turning on his heel and marching towards the tower.
"Gentleman, aren't you," Celene muttered as he passed. She raised her rifle, aiming at the approaching mage, deciding to try anyways. She pulled the lever on the rifle's side, causing the barrel to telescope to twice its original length. The lenses lining the barrel flipped up, providing surprising zoom. Celene whistled to herself. Not only did Caitlyn have amazing eyes, her hands were steadier then a surgeon. What little sway there was, Celene simply adjusted for. The lenses seemed to blur the image- raindrops appeared massive, the purple eyes were now much larger. Celene bit her lip, centering Caitlyn's wire X crosshairs slightly above Syndra's head. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her skin prickled. Celene thought nothing of it, assuming it was Syndra getting close.
"Demacia!" Lux's shrill voice came echoing from the bottom tower. Celene turned her head just in time to see a blinding white light. Death was instantaneous. Lux smiled brightly. Peering through the waving super-heated air in front of her, she blinked. The ground underneath the laser was dried and cracked, the rain just starting to wet it again. Hot steam filled the air from the droplets unlucky enough to be in Lux's way at just that moment. "Ahh, I love it when a plan comes together."
Garen pushed himself from his chair, raising his fist. "Good job, Luxanna!" Vayne looked at him, a smile crossing her lips as Caitlyn practically vaporized, taking Celene along with her. The older Crownguard checked to see that his chair was indeed beneath him still before sitting down.
The match continued. After her first death, Vi seemed to stabilize, as Irelia focused most of her attention on bottom lane. With constant visits from the Ionian warrior, Graves and Nami began to catch up. After constant pressure, Caitlyn and Lux were forced to retreat, allowing the bottom turret to fall. The team then caught Fiora, leaving the ancient golem camp by way of the river. As skilled as the duelist was, she stood little chance in a three on one and fell. Irelia, Graves and Nami managed to kill the dragon while Celene kept Syndra busy.
–
"Riven, the others say the team is shifting up your way. Vi's tower is our next goal. If we win a large fight at this point in the match, we could easily run away with a victory," Kathrine said, a hint of excitement in her voice. Riven nodded. The Exile began to strike down minions more quickly, allowing hers to push. Vi recognized the signs and backed off, putting ground between her and the minion wave. Celene pushed her way through the reeds, strolling into the lane as if walking through a park on a sunny afternoon. She gave Vi a nodding "Hello."
"How's the cloak?" Celene asked with a mischievous smile. Vi raised an eyebrow as the smiling Ionian made no attempt to kill her. The woman retreated quickly to her tower. She kept one eye on Celene, the other on the bush in case any more of the opposing team showed up.
"You're not getting it back," Riven said, sneaking a tiny smile at the Ionian, who faked a frown and stomped her foot. The Exile swatted down the last minion, her wave quickly pushing on the tower. Vi took a step back. The rest of blue team drifted into lane from the river.
"Vi, I would advise you to fall back and let the tower go, your team is coming," Marten said, judging from his tone he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Vi gritted her teeth, abandoning the tower to the other team. They were in a dangerous position. The blue team's combined ability made short work of the stone defender and they quickly advanced into the lane, encroaching on the lane's second tower. After what felt like ages, Vi's teammates trickled in to aid her. The first to come was Fiora. The Duelist glared at her, silently scolding the Piltover girl for allowing the tower to fall. Next to come was Syndra, earning a few worried glances from the opposing blue team, followed shortly by Caitlyn and Lux. A war of posturing began. Spells were hurled into the group of champions from both sides. Shots were fired, either missing or nicking, only to get healed away. Syndra made an advance on the purple team's tower impossible. The powerful mage instantly obliterated the minion waves that allowed safety in an advance. The duel continued for several minutes.
"What are we waiting for?" Vi snapped at her team, the Piltover girl itched to get her hands dirty. She wanted to ram the smiling Ionian's face into the dirt, more than tired of the girl's odd looks and smirks. Lux stepped in front of her, hurling a light binding in Irelia's direction. The woman stepped out of the way, made easy be the distance the spell had to travel.
"Nous attendons quelqu'un pour se faire prendre," Fiora said in a dismissive tone. The duelist despised newbies. Vi glared at her, her fists at the ready.
"What the hell does that mean!?" Vi barked. Fiora grabbed Vi's collar, throwing her with surprising ease out of the way of the mess of blue tendrils hurdling her way. Fiora smirked mockingly at Vi.
"Look out!" Lux screamed from behind them. Celene grinned, the tendrils whipped to the side. Fiora and Vi looked up. It was too late- the blue strands met Vi's ankles, knocking her feet from under her. The woman spun and hit the mud, with a grunt of surprise. Fiora attempted to vault over the assaulting strands, one barely catching the bottom of her leg. The Demacian landed and stumbled clumsily.
"Good enough," Irelia muttered, breaking into a charge. The rest of blue team followed, leaning into a sprint. Syndra flicked her wrist attempting to lead Graves with the formation of a sphere. The outlaw gritted his teeth and dived out of the way.
Nami twirled her staff. The raindrops stilled, hovering in the air for a moment before swirling into a whirling mass of growing water. She slammed the end of her staff on the ground. "Oceans spill forth!" The mass surged forward, quickly growing into a thirty foot wave. The wave caught up with her charging team, effortlessly rolling around her teammates. Gaps formed as it reached them, allowing them to safely pass through without so much as getting dripped on. Caitlyn blinked, unable to squeeze shots past the massive speeding wall of water. Syndra drifted to the front lines as the wave cast a shadow over the now-scattering purple team. The mage bit her lip, slamming her palm against the ground. A magical ring echoed into the afternoon, drowning out the roar of the wave. Syndra gritted her teeth, pitting her raw power against Nami's elemental aptitude. The mage pulled her hand from the ground, arching her back as she held her palm to the sky. The wave split neatly down the center, widening as the water was pushed off to the sides. Her team piled in behind Syndra. Vi stumbled to her feet just in time as the opposing team to collapsed on them. Graves skidded to a halt, sending a canister of smoke at Caitlyn. Caitlyn knelt down, tracking the canister. The sheriff squeezed the trigger, sending the canister wildly off course next to Fiora and Vi where it exploded in a white cloud thick smoke. Graves didn't let up, sending a blast of buckshot towards the sheriff as her sights returned to him. The shot deflected with crack off a well-timed shield from Lux.
Celene appeared above the sheriff's sights. Caitlyn hauled her weapon up to deal with the new high priority threat. The Ionian wrapped her fingers around Lux's baton as it magically flew back towards the light-mage. She disappeared again, reappearing off to Caitlyn's right and hurling the heavy rod at the back of Fiora's head. The duelist avoided it by sheer luck, ducking a sideways swipe at her neck from Riven's fully reformed sword. Celene blinked, teleporting out of the way as a sphere zipped along the ground, sending up a wave of mud and rocks as it flew through where she had just been, out of the fight and into the jungle. The monster filled the sheriff's sights, sending her perfect shot harmlessly out of the fight as Celene shoved her rifle aside. Irelia, Graves and Nami charged into the fray. A maelstrom of gunshots, spells and weapons striking weapons erupted as the teams wrestled with each other. Everyone that wasn't tied up made a bee-line for Caitlyn. A well placed hand-cast light binding prevented Irelia from collapsing on Caitlyn as the sheriff struck Celene in the stomach with the butt of her rifle. The monster vanished, avoiding a volley of magic spheres from Syndra. Irelia turned in her glowing bindings, her weapons intercepting a lunge from Fiora as Vi rushed in on Riven. Graves advanced slowly, sending slug after slug towards Syndra. The mage ignored him, swatting away the attacks with waves of violet energy from her fingertip. She narrowed her eyes, sending spell after spell at Celene with her other hand. Vi lunged at Riven, catching the Exile in a solid tackle. The pair tumbled into the white cloud of smoke as Irelia shook out of her bindings and engaged Fiora. The Duelist danced gracefully around the Ionians whirling blades, parrying each vicious strike with surprising ease. She advanced a step, forcing Irelia to step back.
Lux stumbled, a stray gunshot narrowly missing her as she sprinted through the chaos. She reached her goal, diving forward in a role and scooping up her baton from the muddy earth. The Mage returned nimbly to her feet, her mud coated baton falling level with Graves. The outlaw was solely focused on Syndra. The area around Lux dimmed noticeably as the baton began to buzz. Lux heaved, attempting to send her most powerful spell flying faster then was comfortable. The end of her baton pulsed with a blinding light. Celene appeared behind her, the Ionian's dirty hands on Lux's arm as if instructing her on how to aim. The monster kneed Lux in the ribs, pushing her aim towards Syndra. The spell fired in a blast of blinding light. Syndra spotted the baton bearing the haywire spell just in time. Raising both her hands, her palms facing Lux, she shot a blast of velvet energy as she put all of her concentration into deflecting the most powerful spell in the Demacian military. The two spells met with a crash, Syndra's easily overpowering her teammate's, sending Lux off her feet and tumbling into the grass at the edge of the lane. Graves saw his chance, firing again while Syndra was distracted. The shot connected. Syndra yelped in pain as the spray of buckshot embedded itself in her arm. No critical damage; Graves was too far away. Syndra spun to retaliate, summoning her fourth sphere next to the outlaw. Graves spotted it and dove out of the way. He looked up, spotting Nami knocking Caitlyn off her feet with a blast of water.
Celene's fingers wrapped around Syndra's headdress. The distracted mage failed to react as the Ionian's teeth closed on her collarbone. Syndra yelled in pain, reaching to grab the Ionian by the hair. Celene disappeared, leaving a blue tether coiled around Syndra's hand. Celene's feet touched to ground as she twisted, ignoring the pain in her stomach she sent the mage flying into Fiora, knocking the duelist off her feet. Irelia lunged, jamming her weapons into the Demacian's stomach. Fiora gasped, clutching the blades that pinned her to the ground and curling her legs. Irelia turned away from her, ripping the blades loose as she leaned into a charge for Caitlyn.
Syndra pushed herself upright. Stars flashed across her vision. Before she knew it, Celene was on her, the blue strands wrapping around the mage's limbs. The tendrils tightening around her fingers, making any attempt at casting useless. "Guess what?" Celene whispered into the mage's ear with an ambitious grin. Syndra gritted her teeth. "You lose." The monster didn't waste time as her forehead pressed against the struggling mages. Celene exhaled, tendrils exploding from her back.
"Stop her!" Caitlyn screamed over the chaos. The sheriff squinted, firing her rifle from her hip into Nami. The Tidecaller shielded her face with her arms, having no way to defend herself from the gunshots. Caitlyn fired again, her shots sending small scales and blood into the rain behind the Tidecaller. Nami fell to the ground, unable to control the aqua cushion she floated on through the trauma. Caitlyn turned her sights to Celene and the now gagging Syndra, ignoring the fast approaching will of the blades. The sheriff sent shot after shot towards the wrestling pair, it no longer mattered who she hit. Celene shifted, putting her body in between Syndra and Caitlyn's line of sight. Caitlyn gritted her teeth as Irelia closed in her, her blades whirling around he wildly like a saw.
"Stay STILL!" Vi bellowed as Riven ducked an aggressive swing of her gauntlet. The Exile countered, Vi stepped backward, leaving the smoke and narrowly avoiding the blow. The Exile reversed her swing, sinking into her signature combo. Vi ducked the second swipe. She gritted her teeth as the Exile redirected the momentum into a full force downward slash, intent on bring her heavy stone sword down on the Piltover girl's head. Vi had no time to evade, she put her gauntlets in front of her face. Stone clanged against metal as Vi caught the downward slash, halting the blow.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Vi gloated, gripping the sword. She pushed back. Riven found herself being over powered as Vi pushed down. She fell to her knees, her arms shaking from the strain. The Exile focused, sending a pulse through her glowing weapon. A blast of green light erupted from Riven's sword. Vi's gauntlets exploded in her hands, sending steam, scraps of metal and crystal everywhere. Vi took a step back, staring at her now exposed bleeding hands, wide-eyed. Her eyes shifted to Riven. The Exile got to her feet, her gaze burning holes in Vi's chest. Riven drew herself to her full height and inhaled. She brought her foot up, connecting with Vi's stomach. Vi doubled over, clutching her gut as Riven's knee connected with her nose. The bone snapped, sending Vi toppling backward in a crumpled heap.
"I don't kill the unarmed. Not anymore," Riven muttered, stepping over her to help Irelia.
Caitlyn backed away from Irelia. The Ionian's blades furiously tore at the net tangling her body. Caitlyn frowned, firing a single shot into the struggling Ionian. Irelia fell instantly, a hole just above her right eye. The sheriff pulled the magazine from her rifle, scrambling to find a new one.
The sheriff froze. A flash of blue light reflected off the veils of rain in front of her. Caitlyn felt a lump in her throat. She stiffened. The sheriff slowly turned her head, daring to see what was behind her. Syndra stood, her feet apart with her toes in the dirt. She flexed her fingers. Caitlyn just stared, knowing she was dead. Syndra's eyes emitted a soft blue light that reflected off the rain. She wore the most excited expression the sheriff had ever seen in her life as she stepped forward, blue tendrils spilling out of her fingers and back. The sheriff blinked, wheeling about to run. She made it several steps before one of the strands caught up with her, hooking her around her neck like a cane pulling an unsuccessful performer off stage. The strand tightened, removing Caitlyn's access to oxygen. She lost her balance, leveling her rifle with the mage as she was dragged along the ground. Celene gave her a leer. The barrel of the weapon bent with a creak of protest. The monster knelt down, placing her hands on either said of Caitlyn's face.
"Let me be cruel not unusual; I will speak daggers to thee but use none." Celene said softly in Ionian. She shifted her hands, holding Caitlyn in her left hand by her hair. She stood upright, eyeing Vi. Celene began to giggle, marching toward the crawling Piltover girl with Caitlyn in tow. The sheriff kicked, squealing as Celene dragged her, her hands clutching the monster's wrist.
"Celene... Calm down!" Beyal yelled over the tether. Celene cocked her head, severing the connection. She stepped forward and tossed the sheriff with ease into Vi. The pair tumbled. She threw her arms apart, spreading her fingers. Her new long white hair waved over her head in the updraft her magical presence crafted. Celene clenched her fists. The energy flowed so easily with this body. The monster hardly had to do anything at all. No thought was required to direct the flow of mana through her limbs. The rain falling around her evaporated instantly, eleven spheres screaming into existence around her in a ring. The dark orbs whirled around the monster erratically. Celene smiled, rising from the ground. The earth below her cracked and dented downward into a small crater as spheres merged into a massive black blob in front of her.
"Run!" Caitlyn choked, pulling Vi to her feet with new found vigor. Celene outstretched a hand, dipping a finger into the orb. The orb compressed to the size of a marble with a sickening crack. She felt the raw magical energy coursing through her body as she raised her arm and pointed at the limping sheriff. The tip of her index finger glowed bright blue, pulsing dangerously.
"Celene! They're unarmed!" Riven screamed. The monster didn't seem to hear her, her face twisting into what could only be described as ecstasy. Riven's feet moved before she even realized what was happening. She charged her teammate. Her body collided with Celene's, knocking her off her feet. The pair fell to the ground, Riven quickly pinned the monster who made no attempts to resist her. She stared blankly upward past Riven as if she weren't there. Riven gripped Celene's arm. The spell fired harmlessly into the sky. Every hair on Riven's body stood on end, her teeth shaking in protest of the discharging spell behind her head. Celene raised her off hand, placing it on the exiles shoulder. The touch burned, flash frying the Exile's Skin. Riven yelped, ripping the hand loose and slamming her forehead into Celene's. "ENOUGH!" The Exile bellowed into Celene's face. The monster blinked, her expression shifting from pure enjoyment to absolute shock. Riven frowned solemnly. The Exile leaned down, sliding her hands underneath Celene's new body and scooping her into a tight hug. Celene's cloak draped around the two women.
"I... I don't kno-" Celene began.
"It's okay," Riven muttered, digging her fingertips into the woman's back.
"Champions! Stand down," the announcer boomed. Riven looked up. She had never heard the announcer say that before. The ring of summoner magic caught the Exile's ear. With a whoosh, ten summoners appeared in a blue rune-lined ring on the ground. The ring dissipated and the summoner in front pulled his gray hood back. Marten stared hard at the pair of champions in front of him, his face not displaying an ounce of the spring everyone had come to expect from him.
"Everyone drop your weapons. The match is over," Marten said forcefully. Graves looked to Riven then back to the summoner before lowering his shotgun. Marten balled his fists, leaned forward, and marched to the edge of the shallow crater. He looked behind him at the group of nine summoners, the group exchanged faces, unsure what to do.
"You lot tend to your champions. If they are dead, revive them. The time constraints of the match are no longer in effect. Subdue them if need be," Marten said stiffly, Riven never expected his voice could carry so much authority. The group of summoners paused, looking at each other; Beyal shot a worried look at Riven.
"NOW!" Marten barked, the summoners flinched, splitting apart a hurrying off to complete their assigned tasked. The rain was easing, the storms edge inside as the sun once again appeared in the sky.
"Beyal, retrieve Celene's body," Marten ordered. The summoner nodded, hurrying off with the rest. Marten looked hard at Riven. The Exile frowned, pulling Celene into her arms. Standing up, she stepped out of the shallow crater and pivoted, setting Celene's new feet on the ground. Celene blinked tears from her eyes. Marten stared for a moment, seeing Syndra cry was something he never would have expected, even if it wasn't really her. Marten leaned in, putting his hand on her shoulder. Riven placed her hand on the other. Celene felt like a child.
"What in the name of Demacia happened?" Marten asked softly. Celene looked at him.
"I got carried away, it was so easy, it just-" She stopped herself. "It just happened." Celene choked.
Marten looked at her grimly. "It shouldn't have been able to. The Nexuses dampen the area. There was no way you should have been able to accumulate that much energy, let alone control it," Marten said, looking hard at the Ionian. Celene looked back, she felt overwhelmed. Marten smiled softly. "Being a terrifyingly powerful mage isn't against any rules. I do ask you however to try and keep control of yourself. I'm a mage too, I understand. Something similar happened to me when I was a teen, much to the misfortune of my father," Marten muttered. He straightened up, looking at Riven. "Thank you for stopping her. I was about to call for a still."
"A still?" Riven asked, tilting her head. Marten didn't answer.
"Elder Summoner! Everyone's alright, Caitlyn's a bit shaken, but she's okay," Beyal yelled from behind them.
"Thank fuck for that." Marten sighed. "Let's get everyone home."
"That bitch broke my gauntlets!" Vi screamed, pointing at Riven. The Exile gave Vi a look that could break down a door. She sighed, turning away from the yelling woman.
"I won't lie and say I understand what happened, but that wasn't you behind that spell... was it?" Riven asked. The question grated against Celene's ears as she competed directly with Riven's morals.
"It was me... Just part of me I try and keep contained," the Ionian muttered. She felt so guilty she could hardly stand. Caitlyn was a companion, someone she shared laughs with over meals. Celene lowered her head.
"This has happened before, hasn't it?" Riven asked solemnly. Celene nodded, opening her mouth to speak, but finding it dry.
"Yes. Though the last time it did it was much, much worse," she choked. The Ionian bit her lip.
Riven felt herself smile softly. "Well, be happy it wasn't that bad this time. When I was a child, people often told me I didn't know my own strength. It happens to all of us," Riven said softly.
Celene snarled, pushing the exile away from her. "But I do know my own strength! I brought it to bear against someone who neither deserved it nor could defend themself!" Celene screamed, thrusting her finger at Caitlyn. The Sheriff flinched. Everyone paused, staring at the monster. "Caitlyn had no idea what was about to happen to her, neither did Marten, and neither did you!" Celene bellowed. Blue tendrils began to creep from the Ionian's hands as she seethed. She was furious with herself. Riven looked at her blankly, her yellow eyes cutting deep pits into Celene's anger and filling them with guilt. The Ionian frowned, biting her lip and putting her face in her hands.
"I forgive you. No harm done. You however look like you badly need to lie down," Caitlyn spoke up from past Marten. Celene looked up at her weakly.
"Marten, teleport Celene and I to her room. Put her back in her body first, as well," Riven ordered, pulling the Ionian into her arms. Marten raised his finger, opening his mouth to argue. Riven looked at him for a moment. The summoner nodded his head and turned to his companions behind him and there respected champions. One of the summoners pulled Lux to her feet, his hands softly glowing with the fading aura of healing magic.
"Well, I think we should wrap this up. Celene, please hold still for a moment," Marten spoke up. The summoner raised his arms, blue electricity cracking between his fingers. He clenched his fists. The world disappeared. Celene felt a wave of nausea hit her as her stature changed drastically. She doubled over. A gloved hand laid itself on her shoulder. Riven frowned at her in limbo. The Celene couldn't look at her. The world rushed back, the hard floor of Celene's room slamming into her feet, Riven's sword striking the floor next to her with a clatter. The Ionian collapsed. Riven caught her, and she hauled the small woman upright, stepped backward, and sat her on her bed. The guilt overwhelmed her- what she had done to Lux, what she had done to Earth, all the people she'd hurt, all the meddling she'd done, all came rushing back with murderous intent. Celene wanted to die. She wanted to just lie down and die, but knew she couldn't. She was trapped. Riven wrapped her arms around the woman, unsure how else to comfort her as the dam broke loose. Celene gripped Riven's arm tightly, pressing her face into the crux of her elbow. Her features contorted and she screamed at the top of her lungs, screamed until they were empty and her voice cracked. Riven put her hand on the side of Celene's face.
"Celene, look at me. It's alright."
–
Caitlyn's feet hit the ground, the resounding thump of a summon landing repeated several more times. The woman shook her head.
"Officer," Marten said from behind her, the summoner knelt down beside the woman as she sat herself on the steps to the summoning platform. She was a complete mess, her clothing ruined, her hair a matted, muddy wreck. Caitlyn looked at him, acknowledging that he was speaking to her silently.
"You're alright?" Marten asked.
Caitlyn sighed, smiling. In truth she felt faltered by all the worrying. "Please, call me Cait. I'm fine, nothing different then what happens every time I'm summoned." Vi descended the stairs, looking over the pair of gauntlets on her hands. The League's retrieval and repair enchantments had done their job.
"Are all first days like this, cupcake?" Vi asked, slamming her fist into her palm. Everything worked, or at least everything the girl needed to.
Caitlyn smiled to herself. "Yes, Vi," the sheriff lied. "Marten, if you don't mind me asking, what's a still?"
Marten rubbed his chin. "A still is our name for the spell 'Fii.' It's very, very old magic used to stop the passage of time within an area. Depending on the size of the area, it may need to be performed by one to any number of mages in perfect synchronization. We cast a still during the war of Kalamanda," Marten answered.
"It was that bad, huh? It just looked like Lux's laser or something to me," Caitlyn said, smiling grimly. Marten shrugged, cocking his smile.
"We don't know, but better safe than sorry," the summoner replied.
The door to the chamber burst open, a junior summoner in sky blue robes stumbled into the room. "Sheriff Caitlyn!" the summoner stammered, out of breath. "A message from Piltover- they say it's an emergency," the summoner weakly held out a letter. The red ink seal caught the sheriff eyes. She pushed herself to her feet. The sheriff grabbed the letter hastily from the summoners and carelessly tore it open, pulling the slip of paper from inside. The letter fell to the floor as the sheriffs eyes danced over the swirling lines of text.
"There's been a homicide," Caitlyn said, the coldness in her tone catching Marten off guard. The sheriff glared at the hexagraph stapled to the letter. A slip of paper lay in a broken display case, a large C covering its surface. Caitlyn creased the letter, bent down, and slid it back into the envelope.
"I need to leave for Piltover immediately," Caitlyn said, urgency leaking into her voice. She looked over her shoulder at Irelia. Rain water dripped into the sheriff's face. "Irelia, your master's sword has been stolen."
–
Everyone looked on at the orb, stunned. Vayne bit her lip.
"What the hell was that?" Garen muttered. The Nighthunter didn't hear him. She was already on her feet, marching from the room. Vayne turned the corner, hopping nimbly over the banister and landing with a roll before whirling around. Summoners in the hall paused as the Nighthunter gripped the doorknob that led to the summoners' hall and slid inside. The library was in sight. Vayne ducked under a tall summoner's arm as he complemented a smaller, female summoner. Both exclaimed as she shoved them apart to fit past. Finally, Vayne reached her target.
The library had no doors, through silencing enchantments were in place over the archway. A yordle sat on a stool behind the desk labeled "information." He wore the sky-blue robes of a junior summoner. The yordle jumped, dropping his puzzle box as Vayne slammed her hands on the desk.
"I need everything you have on the League's protective enchantments. And access to a champion's reflection." The yordle flinched, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Vayne leaned in. "Now."
"Uhh, miss, uh, Nighthunter, you understand that all of that information is confidential, right?" The junior summoner said slowly, thoroughly confused. Vayne narrowed her eyes. "I can't just give it to you."
"This is important!" barked Vayne. The yordle flinched.
"What is all this racket?" The deep smooth voice rolled over both party's ears. The speaker staggered the words, making sure that one word was entirely complete before moving on to the next. Nasus stepped from between the shelves. The curator of the sands clutched a cookbook under his arm. He was dressed in a long flowing blue robe, a name tag marking him as a chief overseer of the summoners' library. "You are in a library, you know."
Vayne gave the yordle a scathing glance and whirled around. The Nighthunter marched up to the curator. He towered an additional four feet over her. "I need to access to some detailed information on the protective enchantments over Summoner's Rift as well as the champion reflection records," Vayne requested, her tone leveling. The curator, for all his near infinite patience, was no one to tangle with.
"I heard, as did everyone else here," Nasus said in his unique flowing manner. He knelt down into a crouch, still a foot taller than Vayne. "Now, why do you need this information? What has happened?"
Vayne sighed; finally someone was listening to her. "There was an accident during Vi's balancing match. Something happened that shouldn't have happened. The Elder Summoner stopped the match," Vayne said hurriedly. Nasus nodded in comprehension. He carefully turned each word over, making sure he didn't miss anything.
"I see. Well, I regret to inform you that a condition is in place to prevent access to that information except in emergencies. Tell me, Vayne, is the stability of Runeterra at stake, or was this... accident an issue of misconduct between champions?" Nasus asked slowly.
Vayne thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to phrase herself that would allow excess. She knew Nasus would double check everything she said, so lying was out of the question. She bit her lip, realizing she didn't have much.
Nasus straightened upright upon seeing Vayne's somewhat defeated expression. "I see. I'm sorry, Nighthunter, it is against my duties as guardian of this meager archive to permit you access to the information you supposedly require," Nasus said slowly, motioning behind him towards the largest collection of books and knowledge in Valoran. "I will forward your request to the elder summoner's council. Perhaps they can help you. You are, however, welcome to anything behind me," Nasus said, turning his back on her. He opened the cookbook under his arm. Nasus began thumbing through its pages rapidly, attempting to find where he had been before he was interrupted.
Vayne bit her lip. There was no way she could get the information she needed from here, and given her reputation, Nasus would do everything in his power to keep her away from information as private as reflections. She could attempt to break into the storage room, but if Nasus sent a request for her to view the information, the Elders would know it was her. Vayne turned away from Nasus, marching back towards the help desk. She was being self-defeating, the information she needed was probably here somewhere- she just had to look.
"Excuse me," Vayne said softly. The yordle slapped his now-solved puzzle box triumphantly on his desk. He crossed his arms, standing on his stool.
"How may I help you?" He smirked. Vayne sighed.
"Where would your books on monsters and demons be?" the Nighthunter asked. She felt foolish.
The junior summoner massaged his chin before pointing with his short arm off into the depths of the library. "Probably under mythology," he said cheerfully. Vayne nodded and whirled around.
–
Syndra floated in absolute silence. Her mouth sat in a thin line. She was in no mood to be meddled with. How had she done it? That small Ionian had used her own magic more skillfully then she could, harnessed her power better than she could. It should be impossible, but it had happened and it felt incredible. The Dark Sovereign stared straight ahead at the wall. She hadn't moved a single muscle since her summoning back. Everyone else had left- everyone but her summoner, ordered to stay by Marten. He was supposed to watch her. The man was on the tall side, built like a brick house with a square jaw and large hands. But, despite his size, he chose to stand on the exact opposite side of the circular room. People fear what they do not understand, Syndra muttered internally. She was wasting her time. She could be at the celestial fortress, attempting to tailor her skills to match what she had seen today, or… The Sovereign moved, floating towards the door to the chamber.
"H-h-h-ey, wait a second, Syndra!" The man straightened up, closing the distance between them. Syndra whirled around in the air, her purple eyes burning the man. He was considerably larger than her, but he still flinched.
"Follow, and you will cease existence," Syndra said flatly, floating from the room. Her position above the ground allowed her remarkable speed. She reached the final champion hall in less than ten seconds. The Sovereign looked blankly at heavy oak double doors. They vibrated and flew open, striking the walls with an echoing bang. Syndra wasted no time, passing door after door until she found the proper one. The Sovereign looked at it. Riven's eyes snapped upward to the door as Celene's deadbolt undid itself. Her lock clicked and the door flung open, slamming on the wall. The Exile reached for her sword. The weapon jumped from her lap, clattering to floor, scrapping along underneath Syndra's bare feet and into the hallway behind her.
"Where is she?" The Sovereign asked calmly. Riven curled her fingers. The exile realized fighting would be useless; she hardly stood a chance, even with a weapon- the woman could kill her with a nasty look. Riven straightened up.
"She's in the bath. She said she thought you would show up." Riven said dismissively. The woman made her enormously uncomfortable. The Exile's skin prickled as Syndra eyed her, checking for lies.
"Where?"
"She's in the bath-" Celene appeared in a blue flash, pulling her cloak around her dripping body. The Ionian silently thanked Marten for his gift, eyeing the intruder. "Was," Riven corrected her self. Syndra cocked her head. Riven was lifted from her feet and flung into the wall with a crash.
"That is ENOUGH of that. What do you want?!" Celene spat. Her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying. Anger leaked into her voice.
"She is below one as powerful as you." Syndra said, scoffing at Riven. "The ability you displayed on Summoner's Rift," Syndra leaned in, "show me."
Celene looked hard at her. The monster could feel the tendrils creeping out of her fingers under her cloak. She pulled her cloak more tightly around herself. Her eyes narrowed. The blue glow intensified as Celene felt herself seethe. Syndra narrowed hers in return, growing impatient. Riven felt wind on her skin, coming from the monster, but there was no wind. The air was utterly still. A smile crept onto Syndra's face as she felt it to.
Now? A tiny voice in the back of Celene's head asked. Celene inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.
"No." The sensation stopped. The monster opened her eyes, calmly regarding her intruder.
"Leave."
"Teach me how. Possess me again and show me! How did you do it!? I need to know!" Syndra said, raising her voice.
"You felt it; this is not a battle you can win. Leave," Celene said flatly. The calmness in her tone was unnatural.
"You will lose much that you hold close if you don't teach me," Syndra snarled. She looked directly at Riven. The Exiles hairs stood on end. She didn't move, refusing to admit she was scared.
"But you will lose everything. You don't understand. Memories of you will be erased. Your fortress will cease to exist as your legacy dies without a whisper. It will be like you were never born," Celene said, her tone absolute seriousness. Her hand left her cloak; tendrils snaked around the monster's legs and across the floor like vines as she pinched the sides of her brooch. The two stared at each other for a long moment. Syndra floated an inch or so backward.
"I see." Syndra glared. "Come find me, should you understand your rightful place," The Sovereign spat. All at once the woman dissolved, her body turning to ash from the feet up. The ash swirled in the air. Celene's window flew open, the glass panel shattering as it hit the top of its frame. The cloud of ash was sucked out, disappearing in the evening air and disappearing from sight.
"Riven," Celene said, her tone commanding but friendly. The Exile released a stressed sigh. She looked up at Celene. The monster stared blankly out her doorway. "Are you alright?" Celene asked coolly.
"Yes, I'm unharmed," Riven answered, pushing herself to her feet. The Exile could feel a bruise forming on her shoulder from where she had hit the wall.
"Please leave me alone, I need to reevaluate myself," Celene stated blankly, removing any trace of emotion from her voice. Riven looked at her. The Exile sighed, she understood. Getting to her feet she walked to the door, wrapping her fingers around the knob. "Riven." Riven paused, door in hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much for accepting me for what I am." Celene looked at the Exile flatly, choking out the end of her sentence. The Exile managed a smile and pulled the door shut with a soft click.
Author's Notes: I always did like Syndra a lot. I just wish she displayed the power she was all about in game better. I think I did a pretty good job here and though pitting her against Celene was very hard to write and had to be reworked a few times it was also very fun. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this as much as I did. As always please tell me if I made any mistakes so I can fix them. Thanks!