Author's note: Hey look I'm on time :)! Hope you like the chapter and, uh, please don't kill me.
On a serious note I do have to say this, cause so far this story has been pretty lighthearted and mainly, well cute and fluffy :P. But this chapter is a fair bit darker. Please be aware.
Warning: Character death.
Blomgrun had been midway through telling Poppy about his and Evangeline's first trip to the shining city when his ears picked up a low buzzing sound he had not heard in years: a high pitched flutter just within the range of yordle hearing that filled his heart with dread.
Moving more swiftly than his size would indicate, the big, grey yordle drew Whomper from his side; smashing the arrow out of the air before it could hit him.
His daughter jumped to her feet in surprise over the sudden attack, but the bushy yordle simply motioned for her to stay low. Hesitantly she obeyed, pulling the satchel containing their hard work close to her chest.
"You know," Blomgrun's ostensibly casual words carried a steely undertone, his voice loud enough to be heard by those obviously near, "I haven't been friends with a scout all these years without picking anything up. You may find robbing us to be more than you can handle. So I'll give you one warning: go and pick on someone your own size."
Two figures emerged from the shadows. Dark grey cloaks covered most of their forms, but the hardened faces and warlike attire underneath screamed Noxian. The two yordles stiffened; Noxians so far into Demacian territory was never a good sign.
Catching sight of their increased tension, the closer of the two grinned a smile devoid of warmth. "Oh we're no mere bandits I can assure you. So we'll give you a warning. Hand over the helm and your deaths will be swift."
Blomgrun's grip on his hammer tightened. "I don't think so."
Faster than either assassin expected, he'd cleared the distance between them. The one with the bow went down fast, unable to defend himself in time. The leader of the two however, managed to catch the hammer with his sword. The weapon broke under the mighty swing but it gave the man enough time to twist out of the way.
Discarding the hilt, he drew two smaller daggers. Twisting around the rhythmic swings, he tried unsuccessfully to get a hit on the yordle. But despite their size difference, Blomgrun's persistent, strong blows left him no openings. Only the Noxian's speed and experience gave him the ability to continually dodge the strikes let alone try and attack back.
Their stalemate ended as a scream broke the bushy yordle's concentration.
"Poppy," Blomgrun's head swivelled towards his daughter, only to grunt and pull back as one of the daggers found purchase in his side.
He dropped to his knees, clutching the wound, but only for a moment. Fuelled by the fear for his daughter, he forced himself to his feet and swung for the back of the assassin. The cloaked man went down, not fast enough to dodge the unexpected strike.
Across the clearing, Poppy struggled in the grip of the second Noxian that had snuck up on her. One of her fierce kicks managed to connect with his stomach, kicking the wind out of him and causing him to let her go. Before he could recover, the older yordle rammed into him, sending him sprawling.
Pulling the girl to her feet, Blomgrun yelled, "Run!"
They took off into the forest, away from the road and the assassins that blocked it.
The pair barely took notice of the branches and leaves that struck them in their rush, more focused on putting as much distance between them and the pair of Noxians as they could. Poppy clutched the satchel like a lifeline, while Blomgrun had a death grip on Whomper. His breaths continued to grow shallower as the wound in his side burned.
It was deep and rapidly bleeding. If he didn't clot it soon he would most likely collapse from the blood loss. Still, they did not have the time for such actions; the assassins would not be far behind, and with a fresh trail of blood to follow they would quickly catch up to them.
Making a decision Blomgrun slowed to a stop.
Seeing that her father had stilled, Poppy skidded to a halt, "Come on dad! We have to keep moving!"
The big yordle shook his head, "I need a moment to stop the bleeding. You go ahead. I'll catch up."
The blue teen shook her head stubbornly, "No way. I'm staying with you. Those men will be here in no time and you'll need all the help you can get. Otherwise you could be killed!"
"Exactly," Blomgrun grunted. "Chances are they'll kill us both if they catch up, which is why you need to go. We cannot let them get that crown. Nor am I willing to put you in any more danger. At this rate I'll only slow you down. But if I stay, it'll give you time to get away."
"No!" Poppy's eyes glittered with tears, "I am not leaving you! And you can't make me!"
"Poppy," the blacksmith's voice held a note of steel. "In all my years, I have never disappointed a customer. I have never not delivered a commission. Would you really have me start now? Would you really have me break my word now? On what may be my last piece?"
The girl looked as if she'd been struck, "That's not fair."
No, the bushy, grey yordle thought grimly, but if it saves your life…
"I can handle myself. And I'll catch up as soon as I can. I promise."
"Alright," she choked out. "You better."
Backing of a little, she still hesitated, even as the sound of running footsteps and crackling undergrowth drew closer.
"Now go!" the smith shouted at her.
With one last devastated look, Poppy took off, clutching the satchel.
Grimly, Blomgrun turned to face the way they'd come. Shielding himself behind a nearby tree, he silently readied his hammer.
Sure enough, not a moment later, the two Noxians ran through, the first taking the hammer in the stomach and knocking him down.
The second assassin turned to help his companion, but was waved off.
"Go," the leader snarled, "get the girl. I'll deal with this."
Poppy ran. Tears blurred her vision, obscuring her view of the incoming foliage, but that was the least of her concerns. Her heart burned, telling her to turn around and go back, but she couldn't stop; not with the sound of pounding footsteps following her, too heavy to be her father's. So she ran; trying to push herself faster as the steps drew closer and closer.
The sixteen-year-old screamed when a figure lunged at her. On Instinct, she grabbed a fallen branch nearby and swung it with all her might at the incoming assassin. Fingers grasped for her, snagging her locket but nothing else as her swing pushed the man away, breaking the necklace in the process. Poppy barely noticed. Instead her focus remained on the cloaked human as he went down with a thud.
As the Noxian continued to lay motionless upon the ground, Poppy found herself hesitating. Indecision over whether to go back or run flew through her mind, paralysing her to the spot. A moment later her mind was made up for her as more footsteps sounded and she turned to take off again.
Even as she moved, however, she knew it was futile. She couldn't keep this up forever. She needed somewhere to hide. But where?
The hammer came smashing down towards the Noxian assassin with enough force behind it that it would have crushed him had he not moved at the last second. Rolling to his feet, the rugged man feinted to the left before lunging at the yordle's right side.
Blomgrun was like a brick wall however, quickly deflecting the blows. All the while he continued to force the Noxian back, determination radiating from his blue eyes. Despite his immense will-power now however, he knew it wouldn't last forever. He was still losing blood. So for both his and Poppy's sake, he needed to end this fast.
The assassin had realised this too; and as Blomgrun's attacks became more ferocious the man's movements became craftier. Sensing the bushy yordle slowing slightly, the Noxian slowed in turn. And this time, as the hammer swung at him, he twisted ever so slightly, falling backwards with the motion without taking the full force of the weapon. This deception allowed the assassin to strike fast at the yordle's unsuspecting and sluggish back.
Blomgrun let out a small cry of pain as the blade slid between his shoulder blades. His hammer dropped from slack fingers as numbness spread through his body, causing him to collapse. The world around him grew fuzzy and slow as the yordle struggled to stay conscious.
As his vision wavered he heard the assassin speak. "As much as I'd love to stay and see you bleed to death; I've got a crown to collect." And with that he vanished from the grey yordle's slipping sight.
Just as the big yordle thought he'd pass out, a familiar scream brought his senses back.
"Poppy," he groaned, gritting his teeth as he pulled his body up; his hammer used more as a crutch than a weapon. Once on his feet, he pushed forward once more. "You will not touch my daughter."
Grey cloak swirled around the man as he ran, the thrill of the hunt surging through his veins. True, this job was taking a lot more effort than expected, but half the fun was when the victims tried to fight back. Yordles in particular were surprisingly tenacious. Despite being such a small and friendly race, they almost always fought back with ferocious vigour. Most did not have the skills to hold him off for long but it never failed to amuse him how many managed to get some good hits in before they went down. That said, this fight was starting to wear thin. This pair was more talented than most. If they didn't wrap it up quickly there was chance that the crown would slip out of their fingers for good. And failure in Noxus was not something to take lightly. At the very least it would cost you your reputation and your job, and at the worst… well, that was better left unsaid.
Catching sight of his partner pulling himself off the ground just up ahead caused the assassin to sneer. With a few more strides, he was close enough to pull his companion up by the collar of his cloak. "Where is she?"
"I'm sorry," the archer's eyes widened. "She hit me and got away."
The other man's eyes narrowed. "You mean to tell me," he drawled out slowly, "that you lost the crown because you couldn't keep up with a small, female yordling?"
Before he could answer, the assassin slit his partner's throat. "Pathetic."
A small gasp drew away his attention. Scanning the area around him, the man couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary, but he knew what he had heard.
"I know you're here," he called. "Why don't you save me the trouble and just come out."
Nothing stirred.
"Fine, be that way then. I'll just find you myself." Slowly he began to move, searching the area. Before he'd gotten more than a couple of steps however, a roar sounded behind him.
Just in time, he dodged the furious swing of Blomgrun's hammer. Both knives clattered out of reach as he dove to the side. Raising his head, the Noxian's eyes narrowed: he'd had enough of their persistent resistance.
As he found his feet, his hand closed around the nearest weapon and he subtly hid one of his deceased companion's arrows up against his arm. Matching snarl for snarl, the assassin dodged the yordle's next incoming blow before striking. Swift as a snake he buried the arrow with deadly accuracy into the blacksmith's heart, killing him instantly.
Almost in slow motion, the yordle's body toppled backwards, hitting the ground with a finalising thud.
The man stood, kicking the downed yordle spitefully before throwing back his head and laughing. Finally, he thought, the high from killing rushing through him. It was what he loved best about being an assassin: the death. Watching as his victims futilely fought back before the inevitable end was fun, but watching the last desperate vestiges of life fade from their eyes was so much more satisfying. He couldn't dwell on the ecstasy for long though; not when he had a job to finish.
Grinning at the surrounding forests he called out, "Looks like daddy's dead girly. Might as well just give up now. No one's coming to save you anymore." He started looking around again, trying to goad a reaction, any reaction, out of the child he knew was nearby. "It must feel horrible, seeing your own father killed before your very eyes. All he was trying to do was save you. And in the end, it won't mean anything: because very soon I'll find you, and then I'll kill you too. And then all your hard work, and all your father's work, it'll all have been for nothing."
Nearby, curled within a hollow between a towering tree's roots, Poppy lay with shaking hands clamped over her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
Daddy! The desperate cry was at the tip of her tongue. She wanted to scream and cry but she couldn't give away her position. Instead, she continued to hold as still as she could, silent tears streaming down her face from fear and sadness. As the voice drew closer, she pulled back, trying to suppress her shaking and quiet her shuddering breaths.
"You know he cried out for you; last time when he stayed behind to try and protect you and I stabbed him in the back. I thought I'd finished him then; most people that injured can do nothing but bleed to death but not him. No, that stubborn bastard just wouldn't lay down and die. At least, he used to. Seems like I just needed to be a little more direct. But don't worry, I'll make yours quick."
After what seemed like an eternity, the man moved away and Poppy couldn't help but softly release the breath she'd been holding.
The Noxian, for his part, was growing agitated; the earlier elation turning into impatient nervousness. He was by no means superstitious, but no man of his profession hung around dead bodies for too long. Not only were you more likely to get caught, but there were too many tales of Kindred and other undead monsters drawn to the dead for even a sane person to linger unnecessarily. With one last snarl, the assassin figured the girl was long gone before taking off himself.
Poppy stayed still for a few more agonising moments before she couldn't stand it any longer. Crawling towards her father's prone body, the blue girl let her tears fall freely.
"Oh daddy," she sobbed, throwing herself over the slowly cooling form. Beside her, the satchel containing the disastrous crown lay forgotten, while on the other lay her father's beloved hammer. Neither got any attention, the young yordle's grief solely focused on her father. Tears fell endlessly down her face and onto the still figure beneath her, but the blacksmith did not stir and her cries did nothing to ease the shattering her heart was doing.
A snapping twig caused the blue girl's head to shoot up, catching a quick flash of black and white. A flare of fear shot through her; perhaps the assassin was coming back. The thought stirred up a surge of determination in the girl. She would not let her father's actions be in vain. She would get that helm to Demacia. Even if it was the last thing she did, nothing would stand in her way.
Rising to her feet, the teenager gathered both the satchel and the hammer before, with one last look, she continued on.
Her pace was slow but steady. She had lost the path ages ago, but with her compass she'd managed to continue in a north-western direction, towards where she knew the capital of Demacia was. Her pace remained steady through the night, knowing that if she stopped, she might never start again.
As the dawn rose and lightened the forest around the yordle girl, she came upon a small clearing. The sickly-sweet smell of rotting fruit filled the area and, in the centre of the clearing, rose a huge stone statue. The gargoyle, made of blue and yellow stone, kneeled with its sad head bowed and its giant wing sheltering the area in front of it.
Poppy had no idea why someone would build a monument like that here, but frankly, she didn't care. Right now, she felt inexplicably safe. So, as the exhaustion and grief threatened once more to overcome her, she let it; curling around her items near the statue as she let the bliss of nothingness take her.
Well, that was some chapter huh.
I'll give you guys one fun fact before I go back to my hidey-hole.
Fun fact: I took Poppy's mum's name, Evangeline, from 'the Princess and the Frog' movie. For one it's a beautiful name and two, I really liked the thought of her being like a star watching over but distant from her family.
See you in two weeks time :).