The Rakkor have a saying: The clouds will give way to the sun. It is usually said as a gesture of motivation, as just how the sun will eventually shine through a cloud cover, people will eventually overcome their problems one way or another. It is a society built on strength, but it doesn't have to be a cruel one.
"That is one of the differences between us and Noxus," Demos was telling them as he directed them towards the exit of the village where the mountain path continued up the peak. Irelia and company had politely declined an invitation to eat lunch in the village, citing their necessity to travel up the mountain as quickly as possible. Upon hearing their intent to rescue Veigar, the Rakkor had showed their consolation, but admitted they did not admire the work of mages as much as the prowess of traditional fighters. Towards Irelia they revealed a fascination with her style of fighting, the Hiten style a far cry from the brute force method the Rakkor chose to employ instead.
"To become one with your weapon," Demos commented in admiration, "is a task none of us have truly managed to complete. For us they are vessels which we use to channel our strength, but you have created a bond which exceeds any familiarity with our weapons we could hope to achieve."
"It is the vessel that channels her soul," Aureus agreed solemnly.
"That's how I would describe it," Irelia said, pleased with the characterization they chalked up. "I don't have to command my blades with my arms, only my mind. But I can still feel something there in my hands, like I'm still wielding it. It's a bit different from telekinesis."
"And may it serve you well," Demos replied as they reached the perimeter of the village. "Well, this is where we leave you."
"We'll see you soon, pointy-speary men!" Lulu chirped up in farewell.
"Godspeed to you two," Irelia saluted.
"Without pause." The short phrase, which she had heard Pantheon use as a kind of "signing-off," seemed to be commonplace among Rakkor society. And so the company split in two, the three women resuming their ascent.
"Do you sense anything clearer, Lulu?" Irelia asked.
Lulu closed her eyes in concentration. She didn't say anything for a while, which was odd when her previous location senses had resulted in information almost instantly. Eventually, however, she opened her eyes with a satisfied look on her face.
"He's pretty far up there! Maybe as high as the Solari! I wonder what he's doing there," she informed them.
Irelia didn't have the slightest idea. According to what the Rakkor told her, the Solari made their home on a rocky plain about a thousand feet below the summit. She doubted that the creature which took Veigar made its residence on that same plain, so it had to have its lair somewhere near.
"Perhaps the Solari will have more answers," she decided.
The Maven of the Strings floated on next to her. It looks like quite the journey. How long do you think it will take?
"I'm hoping to get there before sundown," Irelia answered her. "Especially considering that we're going to encounter the Solari, I'd like to talk to them while the sun is up. It would put them in a better mood to talk about anything as distressing as our case."
It's a shame, don't you think? Sona mused. The highest point on Valoran would have such a nice view of the night sky, and yet the Solari are the one society who do not wish to gaze upon it.
"It's pretty ironic," Irelia agreed. "I suppose the sunrises here would be equally as impressive. Leona's told me that the way they arrange the temples make it so that on the solstice, the sun's rays shine directly on the altar at certain times. There's some mystical glow that comes out of the temples supposedly. It would be nice to see if I ever had the chance to come here in the summer."
A contemplative chord sound rung through Irelia's mind, which indicated Sona was in deep thought. I do like the Radiant Dawn, but a few times I've shared the company of the Scorn of the Moon, and her take on astronomy is equally captivating.
Irelia didn't share Sona's interest for the woman who, to her knowledge, was branded a heretic by the Solari for attempting to bring the moon back into their belief system. "Diana is… an interesting case. It's not that I disagree with her expressing her ideology, but the way she goes about it is entirely insane. Leona is infinitely more pleasant to be around."
Do you enjoy the moon, though?
"It's beautiful," Irelia admitted. "I was never much of a stargazer when I was younger, though. For my father, it was always up as the sun rises and sleep soon after it sets. By the time it was dark I was so exhausted from training that I'd just drag myself inside to read a book by candlelight rather than sit outside and just look at the sky. Looking back on it, I guess, I could've done with a couple of those outdoor sessions."
I've always been a moon person, Sona confessed. I appreciate all times of day, but while the sun is so prominent in the sky, so glorified, the moon is just out there like a crystal ball. It's shrouded in mystery, but it always looks like it wants to tell me something.
"I never really understood why the sects split off into only worshipping one each," Irelia wondered. "I don't see the problem in enjoying both the sun and the moon, but I guess that's not something we should really bring up when we talk to the Solari elders."
They had reached a particularly wide cliff, where they could behold the midday sun on a cloudless sky shining light all over Valoran. Below them lay the circular foundation which was the Institute of War, and further along the horizon they could make out the city of Noxus, a dark layer shrouding the city despite the day's brightness. Irelia thought she could make out the faint outlines of the Piltover skyscrapers next to the ocean.
I wonder how Jax is doing, she thought to herself.
I'm sure he's alright. No need to worry your heart out, a foreign mind interrupted.
"Sona!" Irelia cried out loud, startling herself and Lulu, who merely shrugged and looked away, more interested in the types of rocks which made up the mountainside.
The maven put a hand to her mouth to hide her amusement. I'm sorry! Everyone seems to forget that they let me into their thoughts, so I've eavesdropped on quite a few things. I like to think I'm trustworthy though.
"Of course," Irelia replied. "You just startled me, that's all." She decided to take the conversation a more private direction, communicating with her thoughts because there were some things she didn't really want to let Lulu know.
I'm kind of lost without him, Irelia told the maven. He's the one who knows what to do, how we should approach these creatures. Even though none of the champions have actually encountered these things before, besides Kassadin, he didn't seem to be lost at all. Now I have to call the shots, and I feel like… I need him.
You give him too much credit, Sona responded. Well, maybe not too much, but you've done your part in all this. Don't forget yesterday. That accomplishment was all you.
Suddenly, Lulu piped up excitedly, pointing at a large statue which was carved out of the mountainside. "Look, fruitcakes!"
The other two women turned their gazes upwards to behold the figurine, a shining bronze color which matched the rock face of the mountain in which it was held. If memory served Irelia well, it was a representation of the first Avatar of the Sun, Solara, from whose name the Solari derived their conclave and their religion. Irelia estimated the statue to stand about sixty feet high, the figure holding a sword high above its head with a shield half the size of its body secured in the other hand. It looked to be almost animated, the sculptor showing a good deal of proficiency in giving their creation lifelike characteristics, as if the statue was leading an army into battle herself.
"We must be pretty close to the Solari!" Lulu continued. And she was correct, as when they got closer to the statue, they could see on the other side the towering golden gates which marked the entrance of the Solari settlement. Two watchtowers stood on either side of the gates, with a walkway placed high atop the ramparts so sentinels could see all in the valley below. Just like the Rakkor below them, they would have a sentry or two watching their entrance. The Solari would not be as welcoming and inclusive as the Rakkor, as they were a more monastic society keen on maintaining the sanctity of their surroundings.
"Who goes there?" a loud voice demanded as they arrived at the gates of the Solari. It came from a lower tower-like structure, a small post set within the rock about twenty-five feet high, with a small upraised roof which gave a floor at the top of the structure for someone to stand watch in.
Irelia stepped forward. "I'm Irelia, Will of the Blades, a champion of the League of Legends. With me are Sona and Lulu, also two champions. We seek entrance into the Solari conclave in order to search for a missing friend of ours."
The Solari sentinel scoffed. "To be lost up here, one must first be able to get up here. I assure you there have been no new presences who have entered the conclave in the past two weeks."
"He was taken! A black-winged creature seized him and we tracked it to the top of this mountain," Irelia explained.
Again, the sentinel was not impressed. "There's nothing up here but us. We made sure of that centuries ago. I acknowledge your status as champions, but that does not grant you a free pass to wherever you wish to go on Runeterra. The Solari conclave is specifically closed to all outsiders without specific business with the Order."
"That's absurd!" Irelia protested. "We're not going to interfere with any of your temples, or artifacts, or anything! We just want access to the mountain to find this creature and rescue our friend. He's a fellow champion too. You might have heard of him! Veigar? The Tiny Master of Evil?" Such an epithet was unlikely to help her cause, but she figured it was worth a try.
Her efforts proved futile, as the Solari wouldn't give a single inch of ground. "Sorry. The conclave is closed."
"You can't just -"
"I need not repeat myself." The words were thrown at them like an icy dart.
All of a sudden, Irelia could sense her surroundings brighten, even though the sun was already high in the sky on a cloudless day. "Is there a problem here?" she heard a kind, yet commanding female voice ask.
"Y-Your Radiance!" the guard sputtered profusely. "I did not expect you to come to the gates today! I thought you would be attending to your duties in the sanctuary or -"
"I am not an adolescent any more, sir," the woman responded. "You don't have to worry about what I'm doing every hour." From that distance Irelia couldn't quite make out her individual features, but it didn't take a genius to realize who had just chosen to join the conversation.
"Hey! Miss Leona!" Lulu waved, trying to get the auburn-haired woman's attention. Leona turned her gaze downwards, needing a moment before recognition passed over her face. "Irelia, Lulu, Sona, what a surprise to see you! I wouldn't think you'd make the journey all the way up Mount Targon."
"I would love to explain everything to you, Leona," Irelia called out, "but I can't exactly do that if your people won't let me in."
Leona turned to the sentry, her expression turning into a glare, magnified by the brightness of her armor. "Give them clearance. Consider it a personal favor from me."
"Yes, my lady," the man sighed as he opened the gates.
"Don't give me any more attitude, else I'll have a word with the chief elders about the conduct of some of our sentinels," Leona threatened.
The threat being an effective deterrence, the sentinel made a quick disappearance as the Solari woman indicated for the group to enter. The oak fixtures opened inwards, revealing a panorama of classical architecture, the pathway leading up to a myriad of buildings composed of marble columns which looked weathered by time yet still stood formidably as a testament to the permanence of the Solari. Leona met them once they had entered, dressed in the customary battle armor she wore on the Fields of Justice.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Leona apologized. "They've always been strict, but no one's quite been the same ever since… Diana. And when she was admitted into the League, it took a turn for the worse."
Irelia nodded in understanding. "I can see why they weren't too impressed with our champion status, then. It was quite a different reception with the Rakkor."
"I've found the two very different, although we are allies and share the same interests for the most part. But enough of me. Do tell me why you've come here. I'm fairly sure it wasn't just to say hi to me," Leona inquired.
And Irelia went on to explain the whole story to her, straight from the very beginning. It was a tiring story to tell, especially when it came to the parts directly involving Sona, but she managed to finish the tale to an incredulous Leona. "So we were wondering how much uncharted territory is actually up here," she finished.
The Radiant Dawn took a moment to process all the information she had received. Irelia knew that her story was unbelievable at one point and downright absurd at another, but she thought Leona would be one of the more reasonable ones to receive it. "There is a cave," she started. "A hidden grotto, in fact. It was where Diana used to spend her nights in reverence to the moon. When she fled the conclave, the confiscation of her belongings turned up a few maps where she was studying the Lunari civilization. We don't have much use for them, so I can pull them up from the archives for you. I'm fairly sure there's no other place on the peak where Solari eyes have not examined where any such creature that you described may be lurking."
"Thank you, Leona, that may be what we're looking for," Irelia expressed her gratitude.
"I'll be back soon with the scrolls," Leona informed them, turning to walk towards a large domed building, its emerald rooftop tiles reflecting the sun's light and making the top of the building shine like a beacon.
I felt… sadness in Leona's heart. The issue of Diana deeply affected her, Sona noted.
"It's betrayal." Irelia made no effort to hide the mirth in her words. "I can't imagine what I would do if another of the Ionian champions turned their back on their country. Leona must have been humiliated."
More like devastated, Sona corrected her. She didn't want to let her go.
Despite Irelia's insistence that the group was fine and could manage on their own, Leona decided to accompany them down a steep hill where the abandoned Lunari temple hid itself. She didn't feel it was right to bring a Solari into an environment filled with relics of a rival civilization, but the avatar of the sun showed no dismay towards her surroundings.
"We're talking about the life of another champion here," Leona had explained. "I don't think I would have it in my heart to sit back and withhold giving my assistance if I could help."
She had spoken like a true support, and Irelia came to the realization that she was now traveling with three champions who specialized in supporting. They would have her back for sure - but would she be able to do the same for them?
"It's just around this slope," Leona told them as they neared the destination. In a rocky alcove where vegetation had grown unchecked to the point where the branches of trees began to grow alongside the aged columns, one of the last remnants of the Lunari civilization stood in all its faded glory. Despite the thickness of the leaves obscuring her vision, Irelia could make out the mural of a crescent moon atop a worn-down temple roof.
"Wow, moon-lady's temple!" Lulu exclaimed excitedly as she navigated the uneven terrain and quickly disappeared behind a pillar in her efforts to investigate more.
Irelia sighed. "I guess we'll have to follow her in."
"Go on," Leona encouraged. "Don't worry about me. It's not like I'm allergic to the moon."
When they made their way into the temple proper, Irelia had to confess she was amazed by the depictions of the night sky and space which littered the walls of the temple. If nothing else, Irelia thought to herself, the Lunari were great artists.
So is Diana, Sona informed her.
One particular fresco caught Irelia's eye. It was a story told in multiple panels, and she followed what appeared to be a tale of the birth of a lunar goddess. She had been sent to the earth in the wake of a meteorite in the middle of a great war. A society had predicted the coming of the meteorite to be a sign of the heavens giving them fortune. Although they had been losing the battles, the goddess appeared among them to rally the troops. With a crescent-shaped blade, she led the soldiers to victory and saved the civilization.
"That is disturbingly close to the weapon I've seen Diana use," Irelia noted.
"I would go so far as to say it's the very same one," Leona answered sadly.
Her response shocked Irelia. "You aren't saying you believe in the Lunari mythology?" she asked.
"It's a very different story than what most people know about the Solari," Leona explained. "We did start out as a ditheistic society, and we shared the same gods. The sects diverged because there were those who believed they could harness the weapons of the moon to become a militarized society bent on conquest. Those who later became the Solari tried to remind them that our gods did not come to this earth to put us up above the rest. They only came to defend us, to make sure their followers would survive for centuries so there would always be a mouth alive readily glorifying their names.
"In truth, the Solari feared the Lunari. They did not want to think what should happen if the Lunari furthered their interests. We would've strayed from our ideals and lost the favor of our gods. It would've surely been the path to our own destruction. So in order to prevent that from happening, we had to take it upon ourselves." Leona closed her eyes sadly.
"You didn't…" Irelia said, fearing the continuation of the story.
"Our ancestors didn't want to do it. But our gods had warned us of their endless ambition. If we did not cast the first strike, the Lunari armies would have become an insurmountable force, a war machine we wouldn't be able to stop. So the Radiant Dawn back then led a crusade against our own brothers and sisters. They didn't want to slaughter their own people. But to the Solari, the Lunari had already alienated themselves.
"No Solari is proud of what they did hundreds of years ago. It was complete annihilation. You would call it genocide nowadays. But we hid all traces of moon worship from our society, and we embraced the sun, whose guiding light never calls us to war against our fellow human being. It extinguishes the demons inside of us. Its light protects us from all… even from ourselves.
"Diana did not know this when she first made her investigations into the history of the Lunari. The elders had told her of our concealed history, but she was too caught up in her own findings and refused to accept the fact that the Lunari could be evil in her eyes. Ultimately her pride got the better of her, and you've seen what she has become. An outcast. Naive and misguided, but an outcast all the same."
Leona's story rendered Irelia speechless. She had always agreed with Leona's viewpoint, but the revelation of the dark past of the Solari and Lunari complicated matters. Maybe it wasn't so black and white after all. But it was useless to reflect on the past when they still had a friend to save.
"The inner chamber is over here," Leona pointed out. "It's the last place we have to look."
At the end of the main room, a few steps prefaced a large ornate stone slab which signified a room behind it. It had already been pushed away, doubtlessly by the Scorn of the Moon, the only person to willingly step foot in the temple.
Do you sense something, Irelia? Sona asked worriedly.
"I have an uneasy feeling." Her blades wandered around her protectively. "But I've had it ever since I stepped foot in the temple. I would never feel completely comfortable here knowing the history of this place."
"There's something here," Leona agreed as she warily entered the inner sanctum. She pointed to a motionless figure lying on an altar. "That must be…"
"Veigar!" Lulu cried out, her voice full of concern for once. Before Irelia could call out to be careful, she bounded up the steps and went to the side of her friend. "Are you okay, buddy?"
The black-furred yordle didn't respond, despite insistent shaking from Lulu and even a slap in the face or two. Her little companion Pix flew up in Veigar's face, trying to elicit a reaction, but to no avail. "Why won't he say anything?" she asked in frustration.
Sona moved past Lulu, placing a hand on the mage's chest. He's breathing. Highly distressed, errant breathing, but he will live.
Irelia related the information to the others, but it didn't seem to calm Lulu down, who was more grumpy and impatient with him than worried. "Let's just get out of here quickly," she pleaded.
"I'm with you," Leona agreed, easily picking up Veigar's body in one hand. They were just about to head out when an ear-piercing shriek filled the chamber, echoing off the walls and causing all of them to close their ears in discomfort. Whirling around in an attempt to find the direction of the noise, Irelia looked with horror as she saw a black mass similar to the one which materialized out of Veigar's Event Horizon begin to form out of the wall itself.
Within a few seconds it took the shape of the winged creature from before. The dim lighting of the chamber didn't help Irelia's sight at all, but she thought it was a little bigger than before. She sincerely hoped that her eyes were playing tricks on her. But she didn't have any more time to muse, as it began to make a dive for Leona, who was carrying Veigar. The Solari was able to raise her shield in time to deflect the brunt of the blow, but she still staggered back from the immense impact and fell over with Veigar's body lying atop her. Sona quickly rushed to her side, and Lulu, now determined to make amends for what happened to her fellow yordle, issued forth a torrent of sparkling particles from her wand.
"Take this! And that, you good-for-nothing beast! Don't give it any mercy, Pix!"
Despite her efforts, the creature hardly seem bothered by her constant harass, and with almost a lazily backhand swing of its wings, threw her against a wall.
Not one to idly stand by, Irelia ran to the creature and ordered her blades to attack its wings, hoping to strike at what she thought were its most vital regions. But it was able to react quickly enough to her flank and sidestep the strike, bouncing back to land a blow itself using its claws. She was able to turn it away onto her protected shoulder blade, although the impact still caused her to stagger back. On the other side of the creature, Leona had gotten up and threw an image of her sword at the creature. When the golden projection passed through it, she quickly dashed in front of it, immobilizing it for a second. Before it could recover, she bashed it on the head with her shield, further stunning it and allowing Irelia to get a few good hits on it while Sona tended to their wounds, playing a motivating aria to empower them to continue.
It wasn't long, however, before the creature managed to extricate itself from the lockdown Leona had inflicted upon it and created some distance away from them, flapping its wings backwards and creating a tornado which the two women only barely sidestepped. Lulu, who had recovered her bearings this time, cast a protective shield on Irelia, who took the opportunity to once more dash to the creature. Predicting a side step, she pushed herself off the wall behind it and used her blades to ricochet towards it at a strange angle which prevented it from blocking in time. Immediately rotating her blades in front of her, she delivered a slash to its wings successfully this time, causing it to shriek in pain as it wildly spasmed, the injured wing smacking Irelia squarely in the face and forcing her to back off.
Turning on her, it chose a headlong assault, threatening to impale her with the horn on its head, but Irelia was able to throw one of her blades at it to intercept its trajectory as she rolled to the side, not tempting fate for a second. Deciding to alleviate some of the burden onto herself, Leona once again charged forward to meet it, her shield glowing in anticipation of its next attack as she aimed to bash it upon the head with her shield once more. On the other side, Irelia would not relent for a second, combining her blades into the likeness of a great sword and swung, clipping the creature's legs while it tried to maneuver out of Leona's range. Yet despite their success at landing a potshot here and there, they could do nothing to injure its endurance or threaten its vitality. Fortunately, Sona's constant encouraging tones ensured that they could match its toughness.
Still, despite their prowess as champions, the creature far outclassed them in terms of sheer power. Irelia had made a grave misstep in attempting to dance around the frenzy created by its claws and suffered a cut between the chinks in her armor. She was forced to retreat for a second to attend to her wounds - or rather, wait for Sona to cast a healing spell to rejuvenate her - and the creature took the time to take their scuffle to the next level. Surrounding itself with its wings, as if to encase itself in a cocoon. Unsure how to approach this different form, the women hesitated for a second, but soon they found themselves unable to see it, as darkness began to cover it completely, slowly radiating from the creature until it obscured their entire vision as it filled the room.
"What's going on?" Leona asked, clearly discomforted by the sudden darkness. An avatar of the sun was always able to have a guiding light around her, but even she seemed to lose track of everything in the blackness. Even under the effects of Nocturne, she could at least see around her, but being at a total loss for sight was certainly disorienting. Sona expressed similar concern in Irelia's mind.
"I remember this," she called out into the obscurity. "Don't stop moving! It's supposed to prevent you from being able to do anything." Remembering her previous encounter with the Dreamweaver, she shuddered as she remembered the slow descent into paralysis and inaction. Being restrained from moving, yet having her mind fully aware of what was happening, was a terror to witness.
Were there any of those green lights popping up? Irelia made some motions vaguely resembling turning to what she thought was her left and right, but at this point she had lost all sense of direction and flailed around helplessly in the darkness.
Maybe it was behind her. She could feel a chill go down her spine as she felt fear begin to grip her. Her legs up to this point were trembling uncontrollably, but now they had stopped moving completely, and that was arguably worse. Irelia really hoped it wasn't behind her.
Suddenly, she could hear Lulu's cry of distress and a soft thump as a body hit the floor. It's happening again, she thought, her mind terrorized by possibilities of what was happening in the deep unknown. Last time, they had all succumbed to this technique of shadow, except for Jax, who had somehow found the Dreamweaver in the dark and was able to end the spell. No… this is where we fall, one by one… Jax, I need you.
Now it was there, behind her. She didn't need to sense its presence to realize that. The complete disappearance of noise made that evident to her, and the silence was tantalizing, teasing her in her state of weakness. Irelia reached out in her mind for her blades, but she couldn't even sense them there, much less see them. Petrification had almost completely set in.
There was the raise of the claw. It would descend on her, and it would all be over there. In the last few moments of desperation, her vocal cords found the strength to utter a few words.
"DON'T DO IT!"
Father would be disappointed in how pathetic she sounded. Yet Irelia couldn't even control the insane blabbering coming out of her.
"PLEASE!"
The strike was on its way down, just like the stroke of the pendulum.
And all of a sudden, all was light.
It came from the edge of the room, before rapidly permeating into the center and exploding outwards once again. Irelia could see Leona holding her sword in the air, the tip glowing with that sweet, warm brightness.
And the winged demon was caught in its executing swing, still right behind her. Dropping to her knees, not being able to muster the strength to actually face it, Irelia scrambled on the ground to put as much distance between it and her before she could get right herself once more.
Still delighting in her fear, it recovered and made its way towards her, ready to pounce. Irelia's blades were with her once more, and she realized this was going to be her final stand.
"Hugeify!" a voice cried out.
Energy rushed back into her, invigorating her joints. She could feel her limbs rapidly extending and her size increase. The effect of Lulu's Wild Growth had augmented her to twice her size, and she could now tower over the creature, which seemed to take a defensive stance for once. Irelia charged. You did not make a fool out of her. Attempting to deprive the Ionian of her strength would only end badly for the aggressor. And there was nothing she took more pleasure in than exacting revenge on those which tried to break her will.
The movement of her blades was savage, but still maintained the art which her father drilled into her. "Every ripple is a sign of things to come." His words echoed as she moved in reaction to the defenses it tried to throw up, predicting its movements masterfully and weaving the blades past the creature's attempts to block her onslaught and finally making progress. More and more strikes pierced its skin, and it was evident that its endurance was crumbling. Leona now approached from the other side and once more locked it down with the image of her sword rushing into it. She slammed into it just as Irelia landed a nasty cut right across its neck. The creature crashed into the ground, its wings twitching as it tried in vain to lift itself up.
"Finish it," Leona instructed. Irelia nodded, the fury blazing in her eyes.
With her hand tracing the movement of her blade, she made one swift descending movement, and it was finished.
The body of the creature lay lifelessly as Irelia cautiously walked up to it and extricated her blade from it. She could take a good look at it now, and saw the pale blue skin, batlike wings, and horn, how the animalistic characteristics were plastered on an otherwise human-like form. Its face was contorted beyond belief, hardly resembling anything like a man's face, and more like a creature from the Void.
There was no blood, which, although abnormal, didn't surprise Irelia. These creatures were purely supernatural, but she was glad a sharp sword stuck through them would still hurt a lot.
What she didn't expect was for its body to dissolve into a pool of blackness, just as it originated, and seep down into the floor of the temple. She reached down to where it had lay and felt the floor with her hands. Completely dry. All trace of the liquid had vanished.
Irelia brought herself up to a standing position, meeting the gazes of Leona, Sona, and Lulu, all who seemed relatively unhurt. "It's not over," she announced, grimacing.
"Far from it," Leona agreed grimly. "I have to admit, I had doubts from your story, but witnessing these creatures for myself is something else altogether."
"Yet another thing that is still probably out there, waiting for the next time it can strike," Irelia mused. "At least we saved… Veigar!" She rushed to the still-prone body of the yordle, Lulu not far behind.
The mage's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Ugh...no more." The voice was weak, barely above a whisper.
Yet it was enough for Lulu. "Veigar! I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Lulu," he croaked. "It's you. Please tell me this is real."
The yordle's face could barely hold her wide smile. "It's one hundred percent me! Absolutely trim as a thimble!"
Irelia was happy to hear Lulu's nonsensical phrases once more. To have that dose of insanity in her life was, oddly enough, a sign of normalcy. "Glad to have them reunited."
"The visions," Veigar complained. "They wouldn't stop… Horrible demons… a web that wouldn't stop circling, again and again…"
"Hush," Lulu said, putting a finger to his mouth. "No more. We're just going home now."
By the time they had exited the temple, the sun had set. True to her roots, Leona had taken that opportunity to leave the company, citing duties for the Solari that still needed attention. Irelia, Sona, Lulu, and the barely-conscious Veigar, who had to be brought down the mountain in a wheelbarrow, finally arrived back at the Rakkor village three hours after nightfall. It was too late to take the railcar to Palatin, so they had to improvise and find lodgings with the Rakkor before they could properly leave Mount Targon. But even before the issue of having a roof under their heads to spend the night, there were a few unhappy stomachs rumbling.
"I'll be the first to admit, I'm absolutely famished," Irelia announced to the group. Sona nodded in agreement.
"I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole table! And maybe the tablecloth too," Lulu added.
"Mutton…" was all Veigar contributed to the conversation.
"I guess that settles that," Irelia decided as she led the way into a tavern, thankful someone was still around at this hour.
"If we could order four helpings of lamb…" Irelia started as the man behind the counter turned around, revealing a familiar face...well, helmet.
"Pantheon?"
"The one and only," the famed warrior announced.
"You might be the last person I would expect to be behind a counter, cleaning glasses," Irelia joked. There were rumors of the Rakkor warrior eventually wanting to start a hobby in the baking industry, but Irelia never really gave those much thought. If those were true, she thought, he was actually well-rounded in the various culinary departments.
"You underestimate me. I will assure you I am not a single-track mind! But enough of this petty talk. I heard you stopped by here on the way to the summit. Had some business with the Solari?"
"Long story." Irelia deflected the issue, not wanting to delve into any more talk regarding the mysterious creatures which had plagued them the past few weeks. "What brings you here? You weren't in town earlier."
"I had just arrived from the Institute. I took the midday train because they are still not resuming matches! It is a travesty!" the Artisan of War informed them, evidently upset about the lack of fighting.
"Again? When last we heard, they were planning on resuming matches tomorrow or the day after," Irelia offered.
"That would be true, but another one of those interior issues happened again," Pantheon explained. "Some attack on a champion and now they've been hospitalized. Piltover's in uproar and they're demanding explanations from the Institute. Everyone is going on about public relations and images. Bah! Political battles are not the ones I was born to fight."
"Wait, a champion's been hurt?" Irelia asked. "Who was it?" If Piltover itself was getting into the mess of things, then it had to be something serious. Iconic champions like Ezreal and Jayce were popular among the fans, and if the Institute couldn't keep their sabotage under the table, it would surely spark some international debacle.
"That pink-haired partner of the Sheriff. Vi."
A/N: That came out ahead of schedule. I found the Targon background pretty fun to write about, as it's quite similar to the Greco-Roman culture. There's a surprising amount here about Diana, despite her not actually appearing, and I may have been carried away with that backstory lol.
Also, this chapter was so long cause I really wanted to hit 50,000 words. It's more than I've ever written before, and I hope I can keep this up!