Probably the longest chapter I'm going to produce. Consider this Chapter to be the beginning of the final act of the story. Got a lot more to come, just thought I'd give you all a heads up. Also the previous encounter with Maddoc and Riven was rewritten just in case you didn't see it. That felt too abrupt imo.
Thanks to The Dark Arrow for beta reading! :D
James was asleep on the ship's deck. He didn't really get a lot of it the night before so he could use it. The sky was particularly cloudy, and even a bit dark in some spots. It made the crew a little nervous, fearing that it may become foggy and make their venture become a little more dangerous. They wouldn't be able to make out any ships in the distance and given that they were still in Ionian territory, running into any kind of ship was the last thing they'd want.
Miss Fortune got dressed again, giving a sleeping Katarina who was nude under the blankets a quick kiss on the noggin before heading outside to the deck, proceeding up to the helm where Rafen gave her control of the ship.
Evelynn was resting next to James as he slept, enjoying the comfortable feeling of his presence. She loved this man and felt like it was her duty to spend every waking moment with him. After all, she'd never loved anyone before in her life.
"Evelynn?" A familiar voice asked.
The Agony's Embrace let out a sigh, looking to her right to see Elise leaning on the stairs to the helm. Her posture showed cockiness and malice, but her red hues seemed to be rather… vulnerable. Evelynn raised a brow at this. "What is it, Elise?"
The Spider Queen sighed, pacing closer to Evelynn who narrowed her eyes and moved to cover James slightly while giving Elise a stern look. She knew about the pale woman's jealousy towards James and while she didn't expect her to do anything drastic, Evelynn felt protective.
"Can we talk please?" She asked.
"About what?" The succubus snapped.
"About… us? Maybe?" Elise said with slight irritation.
Evelynn blinked in disbelief. She stood up, walking toward Elise slightly and crossed her arms while clicking her tongue inside. "What do you mean us? There is no us Elise."
"So I suppose all those nights when you came to Noxus for some fun with me, that meant nothing?" Elise said, actually snickering slightly. Evelynn had an unamused look at this. "I'm pretty sure those were just wild flings for us. You know it, and I know it."
The Spider Queen couldn't disagree. Truthfully, her reason for being objective towards her and James being together was because she was afraid.
"Do you truly love him Evelynn?"
"Yes. Yes, I do." She replied, not even bothering to hesitate in answering. "If I recall correctly, prior to him almost ripping off your spider leg, you seemed to have some respect for him. Even liked him."
Elise rolled her eyes at this. "So what if I did? It doesn't mean I wouldn't kill him in a heartbeat with my magic."
"That's not the point honey." Evelynn giggled. "You saw, and can still see why I love him. At first, it was just because of how good he was in bed, but when he showed he wasn't afraid if getting his hands dirty, that pretty much sealed the deal."
The Spider Queen let out a frustrated huff at the answer. Evelynn snickered at this. "Tell me, Elise, why do you care so much if I love him?"
Elise bit her lip at this. "It's because love is a silly thing. It's sometimes even dangerous. It exists solely in children's tales to lead them into a false sense of comfort, not knowing that the world is cruel and out to get them. It's like an hourglass, filling up the heart while the brain empties."
Evelynn titled her head with minor confusion. She was about to respond before Elise cut her off.
"Tell me Evelynn, what happens when the glass shatters?" The woman asked bitterly. "What happens when your presumed true love takes everything in that glass and shatters it on the floor without hesitation?"
The succubus started to get a little irritated by Elise's words. Not because she thought she was trying to ruin her relationship with James, but because they actually had some truth in them. After all, James hesitated in telling Evelynn that he loved her last night. She figured that he was still adjusting to the situation and his tighter embrace on her showed that he shared the feelings, but regardless, he faltered in saying it.
A groan was heard, drawing both women's attention. James grumbled as he woke up, standing up with a stretch, his bones snapping as he did the motions. He lazily took notice of the two present women, Elise looking at him with an unreadable expression while Evelynn seemed to be a little needy.
"What's going on?" He asked.
The Spider Queen smirked in a sinister way and took a step towards James who tilted his head back slightly, but he also didn't back down. The two of them narrowed their eyes.
"Tell me, dear Holland," Elise said with a minor hiss. "do you love Evelynn? Do you truly love her with all your heart?"
"Elise." Evelynn growled.
Ignoring the succubus's warning, Elise kept questioning James. "Would you allow her heart to be filled with emotions? To let her remain in such a weak and vulnerable state only to shatter it immediately?" Elise asked as her grin turned into a disturbing, toothy one.
"It's time you listen to me Elise." James snapped. "I do not know fully if I truly love Evelynn with all my heart. It is something that I am struggling with. I tried to replace my feelings with anger, and hatred." He said stopping momentarily. James looked at Evelynn who almost looked like she was hurt by his words. He quickly put his arm around her, pulling her closer with such swiftness and force that she had to put her palm on his chest when they made contact. "But I couldn't. She showed me a part of her that I never expected to find in a… woman like her. She may seem like a cold-blooded predator and demon on the outside, and that is probably what she is. However, she is also kind, and sometimes innocent when she wants to be. It reminds me of Jade, how she helped me maintain my modest attitude instead of being reclusive. I feel that connection with Evelynn, except it, seems like the roles may have been switched." He continued with a chuckle. James slowly turned his head to meet Evelynn's slightly glistening eyes. "I feel comfortable around her Elise, and I'm certain that she feels the same way."
This time Evelynn took action. She tugged on James, turning him towards her. Their hands went to their arms with Evelynn pulling the man in for another kiss. It was short, but it didn't lack emotion or feeling. Evelynn gently rested her head on his chest as James wrapped his arms around her back while slowly turning to Elise. The Spider Queen sighed at this, shoulders slumping to signal her acceptance.
"Well, I suppose that… I should accept it." She said. "I didn't think that it would ever be possible for you to love someone Evelynn, but if you love this man, then I am in no position to stop you."
The succubus could've sworn she heard a little sniffle from the pale woman. She brought her head up, looking at The Spider Queen with bewilderment. Elise hadn't answered Evelynn's question on why she loved James.
"Elise?" She asked a little coldly. "Have you ever been in love? Did you get your heart broken?"
The Spider Queen huffed at this, her breathing becoming uneven. "It doesn't matter what I experienced in the past. I am an immortal monster, and so are you Evelynn. I do not allow myself to become associated with feelings such as love. Becoming infatuated with it leads to nothing but disappointment." She took another long sigh, giving a stern look to James. "If you do truly love her, never shatter the glass. Sometimes it ends up breaking more than just a person's heart."
Elise walked away from the two, her heels emitting clacks when contacting the deck. James and Evelynn looked into each other's eyes. Evelynn's lips quivered a little.
"Do you believe that's all I am James?" She asked, sounding a little groggy. "Just an immortal monster?"
James remained quiet. He gently cupped her and placed his lips on hers again, the woman almost becoming limp as her heart melted. "I do not see a monster Evelynn; I see a beautiful woman. The monster isn't what I fell in love with, it's the woman that's hiding underneath. The softer, gentler Evelynn who isn't all lust and about killing."
Her brows furrowed with a smile. James had his gloved hand on her chin.
"Do you still see me as the man you stalked and intended to take everything from?" He asked with a little smirk.
Evelynn giggled. "Don't ask stupid questions."
…
"Again. Come on Maddoc." Riven said helping him up.
"Oh man, you're just loving every moment of this aren't you?" Maddoc chuckled.
Riven laughed but also had a friendly smile on. She asked Maddoc what he'd been doing since she was presumably declared dead in Noxus, and after being very specific on him grieving for her, Maddoc explained that Katarina had opened up more to him as a friend. She and Talon welcomed the young soldier into their manor where they'd taught him more experience in hand-to-hand combat. Riven was quite impressed that he'd even starting to use a sword, though he was far less experienced in that field. She and him had been sparring on the deck, a few of the crew members watching them with Sarah amongst the crowd.
"Do I enjoy embarrassing my friend in front of a bunch of pirates? Not really." Riven said. "Is it funny? Yes."
"Ah shut up." Maddoc said.
The Exile sighed. She brought her fists up, showing that she was ready for another go. Maddoc was exhausted, hair disheveled with sweat dripping down his face. He looked at Riven and took a deep breath.
"Come on!" She said.
Maddoc balled his fist, reeling his arm back and sending his fist at Riven's face. She easily grabbed it, pushing the hand aside and sent her own fist at his face. Maddoc grunted as he stumbled back. Riven tried to club him from the right, but he blocked it. The Exile attempted an uppercut, Maddoc moving both elbows to block it.
"You can't keep blocking!" Riven said. "You'll be pushed into a corner if you do!"
Riven's fist went under to Maddoc's torso, striking it and making him groan with his defensive stance breaking. Riven struck his head again, trying it a second time, but Maddoc grabbed it with his right hand. Riven was actually taken aback from this and didn't react fast enough to dodge Maddoc's punch to her face. Seizing his chance, Maddoc punched Riven's torso and then brought his hands together, thrusting upward into her chin and sending the girl falling back a few feet.
The Exile quickly got back up, trying to hit Maddoc's head again, the man blocking it and he sent an uppercut to her chin, Riven falling flat on her back. Maddoc watched her get back up, wiping away a minor amount of blood on her lip.
Maddoc jumped at her, Riven side stepping effortlessly. He sent a clumsy punch at her and then tried to thrust his elbow, Riven blocking it with her own. Maddoc moved to swing at her, but Riven sent a quicker punch at his nose which managed to touch a sensitive nerve and Maddoc reeled back, clutching it with a groan. The Exile showed no mercy, moving to her dazed opponent and performing a roundhouse kick that made him spurt some blood. The man recovered from the hit, swiping at Riven who crouched and jumped when he tried to sweep her off her feet.
Maddoc sent more punches, Riven crouching and sidestepping to avoid them with her opponent grunting a little angrily. After a fatal miss, Riven hit Maddoc's lower body, the man groaning in pain. She sent heavy blows to the same spots on the other side and it seemed to take its toll on Maddoc. Riven then tried to uppercut him, but Maddoc managed to block it, sending a high kick to The Exile's head which made her spin and stumble back. Maddoc smirked at this, feeling like this was finally the chance to beat her.
Maddoc charged Riven and he tried to strike her down. However, The Exile saw this coming and she crouched down, pressing her back against Maddocs front. The man realised his mistake. Riven grabbed his extended arm, using her leverage to throw him over her shoulder and Maddoc was harshly slammed on the deck. Riven quickly pinned him down, putting his left arm on his back and threatening to twist it.
"Yield?" Riven asked.
Maddoc sighed at another defeat, rolling his eyes. "I yield. You win… again."
The Exile immediately got off Maddoc, extending her hand to help him up. He looked at it before turning his gaze to Riven. The man grasped it, Riven pulling him up to his full height. They noticed a few of the pirates snickering at the man losing repeatedly to a woman. Riven scoffed at this.
"He almost took me down that last round. Probably better than any of you could even come close to doing."
The pirates glared at The Exile, Sarah choosing to step in. "What're you still doing here?! Get back to work!" She ordered.
Miss Fortune shot Riven a look that warned her not to get on the crew's bad side but also sent a message of admiration. The redhead walked away, Riven and Maddoc left in their own presence. The Exile bit her lip while looking at Maddoc, noticing that he was still panting from the spar.
"You weren't kidding when you said Katarina and Talon had trained you." She said.
"It still wasn't enough to beat you hand-to-hand. I lost." Maddoc said chuckling.
"That doesn't matter Maddoc." Riven said with a more serious tone. "You didn't lose. You learned." She sighed after talking. "And I do believe… you left a bruise on me."
Maddoc huffed when hearing this. He also smiled at the words. "Sorry I guess?"
"Don't be." Riven laughed.
…
"Steady as she goes." Minh said to the captain.
He received a sound of agreement, keeping his gaze fixated straight ahead. Minh looked over the balcony of the helm, looking at the deck below where his soldiers were doing usual routine checks along with some mopping the floor. He noticed a significant lack of presence at the bow, likely because it was where Sion was.
He hadn't moved from that spot at all since the ship left Noxus.
"Is he just going to stay in that spot for the whole voyage?" A female guard asked.
"Hey, as long as it means he's out of our way, I don't care at all." A male guard replied.
"I also trust you know what to do when we finally encounter our designated target?" Minh asked, overhearing their small exchange.
"Sir, yes sir!" They both said in unison, saluting their superior.
Minh huffed at this, clearing his throat before shouting to the crew members to form up. They immediately did.
"When we intercept them, everyone is to be killed, but do not go after Elise and Holland! Culda practically hypnotized Sion to execute them both, and he won't care if you're allies or not! Kill the crew, but leave the two targets to him! Do you understand?!" He shouted.
They gave him a salute, making Minh take a deep breath before straightening his posture.
An inhuman sound was heard from the bow. Everyone on the deck froze, even Minh. They looked at Sion who appeared to be… sniffing the air. The sound was deep and disturbing.
"I smell blood. The blood of cowards. The blood of… Swain's Puppets." Sion seethed.
The Undead Juggernaut raised his ax forward, pointing east of his position. Minh's eyes followed his gesture, seeing several dark clouds ahead. A distant thunderclap was heard and a flash of lighting followed soon after.
"There… that is where the cowards are."
"Sir, you're not really considering actually having me steer in that direction right?" The captain asked nervously.
Minh took a deep breath, obviously thinking the same thing. However, Sion shot them a deathly glare and he turned fully to the crew. "YOU REEK OF FEAR!"
"We could sink in that storm." The female guard whispered.
"ONLY COWARDS FEAR DEATH!"
Minh leaned closer to the captain. "Hard to starboard."
"What?!"
"If you don't turn, that storm won't kill us, but Sion will. Hard. To. Starboard." Minh whispered with venom.
The ship turned right, heading directly into the storm. Sion raised his ax with a war cry, thirsty for battle and blood.
…
"So, tell me, honey, where are you from?" Miss Fortune asked James who was currently leaning over the railing of the ship. Evelynn had chosen to spend some time with Elise, curious about her words regarding her and James.
"What's it to you?" James retorted.
Sarah snickered at this. In his hindsight, James could tell that the captain was obviously checking him out. Miss Fortune locked her lips when she noticed his holster and the weapon that was in it. She delicately reached for it but felt James grab her hand with his. The redhead curled her lips into a smile as she winked at the man who was glaring underneath his red visor.
"Hands off." He said bluntly.
Sarah pouted at this. She leaned closer to him, exhaling her breath on his mask. "Tell me, just how tough is that armor you're wearing?"
"How about you tell me why you're behaving like such a slut." James retorted. "You consider yourself to be a captain?"
"Just because I'm a captain doesn't mean I can't have a good time honey." Sarah retorted. "Besides… it'd be unwise to steer the person who's in control of this ship the wrong way, especially when you're in the middle of the sea."
James ignored the playful threat. He found it to be amusing that a woman like Sarah could behave in such a sultry manner, yet she could also be imposing whenever she wanted to. He chuckled at this.
"Well, to answer your question, I'm from Zaun." He said.
Miss Fortune uttered a sound of a satisfied answer. "Did you also invent those guns on your own?" She asked gesturing to his holster. James gave a careless shrug. Miss Fortune laughed at this. "I don't suppose I could possibly buy them off you right? And your armor?"
"Not for sale." James replied bluntly.
Sarah sighed and waved her red hair slightly. "Well, I suppose I don't have to. I could always just charm you and steal it in the bed."
"You'll do no such thing Sarah!" A voice said. Both of them turned to see a now awake Katarina pacing towards them, stepping in-between the two. "Just because you had Maddoc doesn't mean I'm giving James to you as well."
Miss Fortune blew a strand of red hair out of her right eye, pouting playfully at The Sinister Blade. She sighed and shrugged. "Alright."
The Bounty Hunter took her leave, but felt Katarina spank her plump backside. Sarah seemingly flinched at this, but shot the redhead a wink and strutted away, leaving Katarina and James alone. They were quiet for a few moments before James asked Katarina what the deal with Sarah was.
"She's someone you really, really don't want to get involved with. Trust me." She said laughing.
"And yet you said something about her having Maddoc?" James replied.
Katarina's laugh quickly stopped. She cleared her throat. James's words reminded her of why she made a deal with Sarah in the first place. To sail to Ionia to retrieve her presumed father. James put his hand on her shoulder, making Katarina slightly tense up, but she allowed it.
"You know, when I thought you were dead, I felt like a knot had formed in my stomach."
"I think that's a normal reaction to such a situation." James said.
"It wasn't out of that." Katarina said bitterly. "James… you're like a brother to me. Do you remember when we had our first encounter? All those years ago? In the cafeteria at the academy?"
This seemed to be right out of the blue and it baffled the man slightly. He silently nodded.
"I remember how I berated you. Said you were a weakling." Katarina continued. "I never got to apologize for saying such things. Knowing that you were dead, everything that I did to you in the past just flooded my mind and haunted me."
"Katarina." James said sternly. "I'm alive now, that's all that matters. Look… just… why are you telling me this?"
The redhead took a deep breath and her expression soon became a bit of a scowl. She grabbed his wrist and pressed it firmly against her chest. James raised a brow at this and felt uncomfortable.
"Because you are the strongest man I know James. Your influence over Noxus made me have the highest respect for you, and I still hold that respect as we speak. You may be the only one who can truly stop Culda. I will follow you wherever you go, whether it's to the darkest corners of this world, or into hell itself. When you look back, you will see me behind you, following you, no matter what. I don't care what you intend to do after this is all over, but you will always, ALWAYS, have my support, Commander… Holland." Katarina said with a hint of anger in her voice.
James compressed his lips. His free hand gripped The Sinister Blade's shoulder rather roughly. He took off his entire helmet, looking blankly at the redhead before letting out an amused huff. "And I expect nothing less of you Katarina. I'm sorry that we couldn't find your father, but I am thankful that you've come all this way. I owe you a great debt."
Katarina firmly nodded with a confident smile. She released his hand, both of them leaning on the rails and looking at the seemingly grey and gloomy sea.
"You remember when you said you'd rethink that offer about buying the whole damn bar?" James asked. "Think you'll keep that promise?"
Katarina processed his words and smiled playfully before gently pushing James causing him to laugh.
A thunderclap was heard in the distance, drawing both James and Katarina's attention. Ahead of their route, a storm appeared to be brewing, and it was quickly looking quite dangerous.
"Uh, Sarah?" Katarina asked loudly, almost shouting.
"I see it, I see it!" Miss Fortune said quickly running to the two Noxian's. "Relax, I've been through worse."
James blinked at this. "You're really going to sail us through that?"
"They don't call me Miss Fortune for nothing sweetie." Sarah said winking.
James said nothing while Katarina snorted. Miss Fortune tightened her hat, turning to the helm and quickly pacing towards it. She placed both hands on the railings.
"All hands on deck! Movement! I want movement from you lazy bilge rats!" Sarah shouted in a very commanding tone. "Rafen, get those below deck up here now, or they're keel hauled!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Katarina and James exchanged looks before nodding and choosing to depart. The full crew came up, quickly getting to work in making their ship more secure.
James went below deck in a search for Evelynn. He actually bumped into her, the succubus having heard the commotion up on the deck and noticing the approaching storm. He noticed Elise walk up behind Evelynn, The Spider Queen giving a strange look to James.
"Elise?"
The pale woman sighed. She walked to James, putting her hand on his shoulder. James would've normally been surprised at this, but Elise's current look showed him she meant no harm.
"I'm sorry Holland." Elise said grimly. "I'm sorry for the way I've behaved around you, acting even out of assumed jealously. I was afraid."
"What do you mean?" James asked with a raised brow.
"I have been in love before. Many… many centuries ago." Elise said forlornly. "I don't want to go into the specifics about it. Oh yes, it was sweet for a while… but we both knew that deep down, he was mortal, and I was just an immortal monster. He made me feel like I wasn't one, that I was human… just like him."
Elise wiped below one of her red hues.
"But that was forbidden! I could never love someone. Not after all the pain it brought me when I severed my ties with the man."
"Why did you do it?" James asked.
"I already told you Holland. It's because I'm nothing but a monster!" Elise exclaimed. "I'm nothing but this horrible thing, but it gives me immortality. It allows me to maintain my power… and my beauty. I couldn't just give that up. I refused to. I didn't think that you and Evelynn would possibly become a couple… but you have, and its opened up that old wound in me. These emotions have been buried deep within me for so long, and now with you and Evelynn, they're resurfaced. My strength and power feel like they've all but vanished. That below this attire, and this beauty…" Elise said gesturing to her uniform. "…lies a scared, and mortal woman."
James tilted his head, blinking in disbelief. The Spider Queen seemed to be quite vulnerable at the moment. She was a deadly predator, much like Evelynn, but now, she also seemed to be showing her… well presumed innocent side. James put his hand on her shoulders, meeting the red hues of Elise. She seemed to be looking a bit desperate.
"Sometimes… even the most seemingly evil, hardened figures, look for something that most people search for; Love… and Acceptance." James said. "I would know. I've been there… but sometimes… it takes a little boost to make you realize it."
Elise looked at James with a rare look of astonishment. She frowned, looking at Evelynn who remained quiet throughout this whole ordeal.
"Take care of her Holland…" Elise said. "Show her that you love her… and that even the evilest, sadistic monsters in the world, can also love."
James nodded, Elise smiling sincerely at him. Evelynn finally stepped forward, taking James's hand with hers. The succubus then let go, cupping James's head with both hands and practically pulling him in for a deep kiss. Evelynn tasted delicious as always, and James tasted delicious to her. Their kiss deepened when James took control, gently pushing Evelynn against the wall. Elise only watched with an amused smirk, arms crossed all the while. James ended the kiss, moving his mouth down toward her jawline, trialing it further down to her neck. Evelynn made strangely adorable sounds, closing her eyes at the sensation.
"Oh James…" She moaned as he started to give light nibbles to her neck.
"SHIP SPOTTED!" A voice shouted from above.
Elise's eyes darted upwards with James and Evelynn following the motions. They heard the crew start to hustle more quickly, prompting them to investigate. The three of them ran up to the deck, getting caught in a downpour of rain that had come with the storm. Riven, Maddoc, and Katarina were looking ahead with the majority of the crew. He saw Miss Fortune take out a telescope at the helm, Rafen and a few crew members by her side. The trio ran up to join the redhead.
"What do we have?"
Sarah took a few moments to answer, studying the silhouette in the distance. The clouds were dark and the drenching rain wasn't helping, but she kept a firm gaze.
"Looks like… a Noxian ship?" She said sounding very unconvinced.
"What?" James asked.
Elise immediately raised her brow's in suspicion. Why was there a Noxian's ship all the way out here? The Spider Queen closed her eyes, concentrating her mind before snapping her fingers. She'd summoned a spiderling on the ship in the distance.
It was in the helm. She saw several figures moving about on the deck, overlapping shouts sounding on the vessel, most being about a ship being spotted.
The spiderling was suddenly picked up, scrambling to get free. Elise gritted her teeth, her face twitching with annoyance at this event. Then, she saw something that made her seethe with rage.
Elise's spiderling was being held by a man in unique black armor. The man who tore off her extra legs back in Noxus.
It was Minh.
The last thing Elise saw and heard, was her pet being crushed by Minh's fist, severing her connection from it. Her eyes opened up, glowing red with rage and dark energy.
"That is a Noxian ship, you are not mistaken, captain." Elise said. "But, it's loyal to Culda Graves… and it's captained by her personal guard."
"What?!" James said alarmed.
"Shit." Sarah said. "Are they hostile? They don't know who's on this boat right?"
"They do now." Elise said, realizing that summoning her spider had likely put them in jeopardy. "And they are likely heading this way."
Miss Fortune cursed under her breath. She gave control to Rafen and walked down from the helm to the deck.
"Listen up you bilge rats! We've got company! That ship isn't friendly and it's coming for us!" Miss Fortune barked, soon giving orders to her crew. "Man the capstan! Keep that powder dry! Batten down the hatches, make ready the guns, and stick to them! NOW!"
The crew didn't wait a minute, quickly scrambling across the wet deck with overlapping voices.
"What the hell's going on?!" Riven asked as James and the others joined them.
"That ship's commanded by Culda's personal guard." James said grimly. "How did she find us? The rumor of the Noxian taking down The Sovereign must've reached her."
"That's not possible." Katarina said sternly. "The only ones who heard it was Leblanc and Vladimir, with me, Swain, and Talon being the… oh no." The Sinister Blade's lips compressed as she silently cursed. She gripped her daggers as she soon scowled. "I'm gonna kill them all."
"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad." James said nervously. He felt Evelynn take his hand, meeting her gaze. The succubus's skin changed back to that familiar eerie blue. James raised a brow at this. "Evelynn… you need to find safety."
She scoffed at this. "I can fight James. We all can. And don't think for one second that I'm going to stand by and watch you fight without me. I was born of a thousand screams. What's one more?"
James would've protested more, but the situation was quickly running out of time to argue. He grumbled as an affirmation and Evelynn smiled. The succubus entered her demon shade, disappearing out of sight. James looked at his other companions, Katarina sharpening her blades, Riven gripping her broken sword, Maddoc holding his own sword, and Elise's palms glowing with dark magic. James took a deep breath, drawing his rifle and gripping it, his finger on the trigger.
"Steel yourselves."
Miss Fortune observed the other ship that had changed its direction, turning to it's left with the intention to meet her ship board-to-board. She took another look at it through her telescope, noticing that the crew appeared to be setting up something with a figure in black armor directing them. She closed the object, taking nervous breaths at the ship got closer and closer.
"Rafen!" She shouted. "Whatever happens, stay your course!" He nodded back.
Everything seemed to fall silent abruptly as the ship got closer. Miss Fortune didn't blink, keeping her azure pupils locked onto the vessel. She closed her eyes, listening to her heartbeat as it kept increasing. A whistling noise was heard above, breaking Miss Fortune's silence as she looked up. Narrowing her eyes, she saw an object soaring in the air, smoking left in its path where it ended at the other ship.
"What the hell?"
The object landed on the edge of the deck, an explosion of green appearing as a few crew members were knocked off, falling into the raging waters below. Sarah's eyes widened.
"FIRE! FIRE ALL!" She shouted.
"TAKE COVER!" James shouted to his allies.
Everyone except the gunners took cover, firing at the approaching ship with dozens of cannons. The cannon fire boomed and created steaming holes in the Noxian ship with wood splintering, a few of the guards falling off the deck. Miss Fortune jumped down from the helm, taking position beside James and the crew members who were armed, the swordsmen at the bow of the ship.
"RELOAD THOSE GUNS!" Sarah shouted.
Her crew scrambled to put more ammunition into the cannons, but they then heard another whistling in the air. About three charges were being launched from the ship, falling downwards to the cannons. The pirates managed to move out of the way with more explosions sounding. A fourth charged was fire at the mast of Sarah's ship, damaging the structure but it remained standing.
"Goddammit!" Sarah cursed.
"Brace for impact!" Rafen shouted.
James peeked out to see that the ship was now dangerously close and he gasped. The two ships collided with one another, the momentum throwing everybody off as wood splintered from the collision. The mast's damaged figure gave out, splintering as it fell towards the other ship, creating a barrier between Riven, Katarina, and Maddoc from the others.
"ATTACK!" A voice shouted from afar.
Miss Fortune looked up, seeing dozens of figures in dark armor with helmets glowing red leap onto her ship, a few armed with swords with others having hextech guns. They wasted no time in attacking the disoriented pirates, cutting them down with ease.
"DEFEND YOURSELVES MEN! TO THE DEATH!" Sarah shouted as she stood up, priming her twin guns.
James opened fire alongside Sarah and other crew members, managing to take down at least a few of the boarding guards before those with guns returned fire.
"Take cover!" James said vaulting behind make-shift cover.
"Under fire!" Sarah exclaimed joining him.
"Holy shit! They got guns?!" James thought to himself.
Flashes were seen and gunfire heard on the deck of the ship. Culda's personal guard anticipated they'd be able to easily cut down the pirates as they were more brawlers than warriors, but the crew of Miss Fortune fought back fiercely. However, this only proved to be more a nuisance in terms of close quarters combat as most of the guards blocked the swords, their advanced armor offering more protection as well. The only true advantage they had over Culda's guards were numbers.
Katarina, Riven, Maddoc, and a handful of pirates were still separated from the other half of the ship. Dozen's of guards boarded their side of the ship as well, armed only with swords. The Exile briefly looked at Maddoc who did the same to her before they raised their weapons, the pirates and Katarina already clashing with Culda's forces.
A pirate leaped at a female guard, attempting to strike her down with the use of strength and force. She easily parred it with her sword, though she was pushed back slightly before sending a swift kick to the pirate. He was knocked down and the female guard quickly embedded her blade into his torso. She appropriately reacted when three pirates attacked her with a male guard joining the fight.
Riven ducked to avoid a blade that almost decapitated her. She swung upwards, only to find that her blade had been parred unexpectedly. The Exile attempted to stab the guard with him blocking it again. He seemed to be intentionally holding it down when Riven tried to get her blade free. She heard footsteps behind her and Riven managed to sidestep, avoiding the blade aiming for her back. The guard behind Riven wasn't quick enough to react when she grabbed the blade and sent it into the guard keeping her blade pinned. She elbowed the one behind her, making them stumble with her swinging around and severing their head.
Maddoc managed to jump back from the guard who tried to slice his midriff, with the guard ducking to avoid the wide swipe for her head. She got up and brought her sword down, Maddoc parring it, but the guard expected this. She kicked him down with Maddoc trying to swipe again. Their blades clanked, both trying to force the other one down to the floor. The female guard growled and put her hand on Maddoc's neck, soon choking him with the man croaking. Gritting his teeth, Maddoc let out a yell and grabbed her arm, twisting it harshly. She wasn't ready for that and he slipped under her shoulder, tripping her down and driving the blade into the back of her skull.
Katarina drove both daggers into the neck of a guard, pulling them out and turning around to block a sword aiming to slice her in two. She held it back with her daggers, noticing another guard charging her. The Sinister Blade used the sword trapped in her daggers to block the assailants' attack by bringing it down and stopping the sharp edge from getting any closer to her. The two guards struggled against her and pushed her against a wall with their weapons still pinned. A third guard approached them, Katarina making the choice to break free. She used her strength to swing her blades upward, releasing the guard's weapons abruptly with them stumbling back with the sudden action. She charged the third guard, using one dagger to par them and sending the other one to their neck.
"Up high!" James alerted, him and Miss Fortune firing at a guard who'd taken a height advantage over them, soon mowing her down.
"Watch the sides!" Sarah said next.
A pirate shot down another guard, turning his attention to the next, only to find that he was out of ammo for his weapon. He took cover when they returned fire, the bullets shredding through the make-shift cover. Other pirates opened fire on the guards, both sides taking causalities and the pinned pirate quickly moved out of cover, practically diving to tackle one down. He drew a cutlass, sending it into the chest of the guard who yelled in pain but managed to pull the trigger of his gun and shot his assailant dead before succumbing to his wounds shortly after.
More guards boarded the ship, yells of combat from both parties echoing into the night. Gunfire was exchanged, Bilgewater pistols against Hextech guns. Sarah's crew had taken cover behind crates and barrels, peppering their attackers with bullets. Dozens of guards fell, but they didn't let up.
"To the right!" James continued to call out the guards he spotted, hoping to alert Miss Fortune and her crew to that direction. It was mainly just her who followed his actions as the pirates were engaged in a bloody and desperate battle. He mowed down a few flanking guards with Sarah's assistance.
"I might have to offer you a spot in my crew!" Sarah said laughing.
"Don't get cocky!" James said.
By now their cover had been greatly reduced with gaping holes from the guards' weapons. James and Sarah figured it was time to move. They hustled across the deck, managing to avoid fatal shots. However, as Miss Fortune was about to take cover next to James, a bullet went for her head, narrowly missing her skull with her hat getting shot off. Sarah noticed this and growled.
"NOW I'M PISSED!" She said cocking her pistols.
The redhead exited her cover despite James's protests. Miss Fortune unleashed a barrage of bullets. James was surprised by this and could've sworn he heard her laughing like a maniac for a few moments. Sarah cut down numerous guards, their bodies falling flat on the deck.
"So you'll do that for losing your hat, but not for the damage against your ship?" James asked.
"Hats have power, honey!" Miss Fortune said laughing. "And they're a symbol of authority in Bilgewater!"
James just shrugged with him and Miss Fortune continuing to pepper their enemies with bullets. Through the battle, flames had started to come alive despite the downpour.
On the guard's ship, some of the crew had taken positions, using their weapons advancements to their advantage, picking off the crew of the other ship. A female guard reloaded her gun, clicking the chamber in place and taking aim again. However, she suddenly felt that something was off amidst the situation. Her hearing became deaf, and she raised a brow under her helmet.
"Come on, touch me…"
The woman heard what sounded like someone blowing a kiss to her right, turning to see a curvaceous woman only a foots length away. The guard couldn't help but let out a lustful sound, her shoulders slumping.
Then she heard a mad feminine cackle.
Abruptly, the woman in front of her seemed to become an apparition, eyes glowing red with horns of the same color appearing. She felt something get lodged in her chest, slicing through the armor like it was paper. Evelynn giggled as she yanked the still-beating heart from the female guard who soon collapsed dead. Another guard noticed this and screamed in terror as his face was hidden by the mask. Evelynn quickly disposed of him as well, beginning to attack more guards before they could react. At the same time, some who were crossing the ship to board Miss Fortune's found themselves losing their weapons as thin strands of webbing yanked their Hextech guns from their hands resulting in the object falling into the dark waters below, forcing the guards to resort to knives which put them at a disadvantage against the gun-wielding pirates.
Evelynn's presence was noticed by the other guards with them turning their weapons against the succubus. She licked her lips with a malevolent smile and easily moved to avoid the gunfire. She looked up at the lookout deck of the ship, giving a little nod and a pair of crimson orbs glowed in the darkness. The next thing the guards knew, a horde of spiders descended upon them, a few moving to avoid the deadly attack. Those that survived witnessed the horror of the spiders exploding on their trapped comrades in a messy fashion. A strand of webbing grabbed two guard's boots, throwing them into the air with Evelynn's lashers severing their bodies in a splat of crimson. Elise roped down from the look-out, standing beside Evelynn with a cocky smile.
"Seems like old times." Evelynn giggled making Elise snort.
A guard stood up, aiming his weapon at the women, only to find it was empty. Evelynn and Elise simultaneously turned around, seeing the guard as he whimpered and threw away his weapon. Evelynn exchanged looks with Elise and The Spider Queen raised a suggestive brow before the succubus paced towards the man. A lasher moved around like a scorpion's tail before it abruptly went to slit his throat.
However, the man actually grabbed it much to Evelynn's shock, her mouth agape and eyes wider than ever. He yanked it forward, punching the succubus back where she groaned. He drew a knife, swiping at Evelynn who dodged it with ease. The guard was actually faster than she expected, but his weapon didn't leave any wounds. Evelynn's claws came into play, swiping back at the guard who parred them with practiced ease.
He attempted to lurch it upwards to her neck, Evelynn parring it this time with the man retreating the weapon. He tried to stab Evelynn, the woman stepping away and taking advantage of the overextended arm. The man reeled back and used his arms to block Evelynn's claws going for his head, though they did penetrate the flesh. He elbowed her hand off and raised the knife above his head, bringing it down to drive the blade into Evelynn's skull. She held it back, though the man was pressing his weight onto her smaller figure and she clenched her teeth, resisting his strength with the guard growling.
The next thing Evelynn knew; her face was drenched in crimson as the guard's throat practically exploded thanks to the interruption of Elise's magic. The body fell to the deck, Evelynn giving Elise an unamused look.
"I had it handled." She said with a pout. Elise snickered at her.
The two women looked to see the battle which had taken a dramatic turn in favor of them. Evelynn and Elise's work turned the tide, hopefully, for James and the others. Elise then remembered something and she started to glare.
"Well, well, well…"
The Spider Queen growled, her crimson orbs flaring as she turned around. She remained silent when seeing a lone figure clad in onyx armor. Dark magic sparked in her claws and Evelynn raised a thin brow at this sudden mood change.
"Looks like I missed a spot." Minh said referring to Elise's only extra leg on her back.
Elise snarled at this, her palms now completely lite with magic. Minh didn't take any action, only staring at The Spider Queen. "You will be absolutely delicious to Vilemaw." She said with malice. "Well, what will be left of you."
Just as Elise was about to blast Minh with her magic, a heavy footstep sounded from behind her. She froze for a moment before slowly turning around as another footstep sounded. A silhouette of a large figure was pacing towards her and Evelynn. Elise's eyes widened. "No… it can't be…"
"YOU ARE WORMS!"
The Spider Queen morphed into a spider, quickly roping upwards just in time to avoid the giant ax that embedded itself into the deck, splintering wood in the process. Evelynn quickly dashed away, meeting the red gaze of the giant for a moment before disappearing into the shadows.
"Where are you going?! Nowhere!" Sion roared while looking up at Elise who had morphed into a human again.
Minh chuckled at this, choosing to leave Sion alone with one of his targets. The man looked over to the other ship, seeing dozens of bodies, both his soldiers and of the crew. He spotted a figure who stood out from the others. Narrowing his eyes, Minh recognized them. Riven.
Minh was surprised by this. He activated both his arm blades, pacing to board the other ship.
Elise's breathing was hitched, taking in the horror she just witnessed. Culda had reawakened Sion, The Undead Juggernaut. Evelynn joined her atop her position, a little nervous actually.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"A resurrection that went wrong by The Black Rose." Elise said grimly.
"Can we kill him?" She asked pleadingly. "Just the way I like em, big and stupid."
The Spider Queen offered no response. She knew how to kill, or in this case, dispose of Sion. She just had to get that knife out of his head. Elise summoned a swarm of spiderlings above Sion who noticed this. He groaned loudly and just as the creatures were about to converge him, the undead warrior surrounded himself in a red shield, vapor emitting from his torso.
"I FEEL… NO PAIN!" He roared.
The shield around Sion detonated, sending every spiderling on him into the air where they exploded and dissipated. Some of the venom from the creatures had splashed onto the mast of the ship, bubbling and eating through the wood. The two women felt it creak and Sion noticed this. The Undead Juggernaut grabbed the limping wood, pushing it over with the structure splintering fully and collapsing onto Miss Fortune's ship.
James just emptied another clip into three more guards, taking a clip from his equipment and proceeding to reload. However, he heard the pirates and guards alike shouting about the collapsing mast of the other ship, and it was falling right towards him. Miss Fortune noticed this.
"MOVE HONEY!" She shouted.
The Bounty Hunter practically lunged at James, tackling him to the floor with the mast missing them by a few inches. Katarina had joined their side of the deck, engaging the guards in a flurry of blades and steel. Elise and Evelynn managed to leap off the mast, but they were still up too high and they landed harshly on the deck, falling unconscious. Miss Fortune was also currently unconscious from the movement and James moved her out of harm's way. However, after doing that, he saw Rafen fall from the helm and onto the deck. James looked up at the helm, gripping his rifle as he gritted his teeth.
James cautiously walked up the stairs to the helm, seeing a lone guard kill another pirate who attempted to overpower them. The Noxian aimed his rifle at the unaware guard, pulling the trigger to take them out.
Click
James looked at his rifle with alarm and the guard turned to him. Clenching his teeth, James activated the bayonet on his rifle and charged them with a war cry. The guard drew a sidearm, shooting at James with them missing a fatal shot, but the bullet did make light contact with his armor, practically creating a red scratch along his arm. James didn't stop and he impaled the guard right through the abdomen. They croaked as James lifted them up, allowing the bayonet to penetrate through their back before throwing the body harshly to the floor. James panted heavily, clutching the wound on his shoulder. However, more guards soon came up, forcing him to take cover.
Minh crossed the ship, stabbing a pirate who was wounded on the floor to put him out of his misery. The man came across Riven who was engaged with a female guard. Minh proceeded to kill The Exile from behind, but he was soon tackled by an unknown assailant. He grunted as he hit the deck, seeing a familiar face soon after.
"I guess it'll take more than a broken shoulder to show you your place." Minh said.
Maddoc glared at the man and raised his sword in a manner of rage, violently bringing it down onto Minh who parred it with one arm blade. He kicked Maddoc off and stood to his full height against the other man. Without hesitation, Maddoc charged Minh who blocked the man's sword. Immediately, Minh began to use his superior training in combat against the man. Maddoc's strikes were heavy but quite clumsy and Minh took advantage of that. Minh easily sidestepped a predictable lunge from Maddoc's sword, swiping at his neck with a blade that Maddoc dodged. Minh started to take more action, thrusting at Maddoc with him being forced to pace back as he avoided any fatal attacks. However, Maddoc realised that he was backing into a corner and before he could change it, Minh forced him against the wall, holding back Maddoc's sword with one blade.
"You call yourself a Noxian?" Minh asked with venom. "You can barely swing a sword."
Maddoc offered no verbal response and Minh brought his other blade up. The captain made sure his victim was watching before he abruptly shoved the blade into Maddoc's shoulder, the same one he broke a while ago. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream at the feeling and Riven heard this.
The Exile briefly looked behind her, seeing her friend pinned against the wall by a larger, familiar man.
Minh chose to abruptly pull the blade out, moving to decapitate Maddoc who managed to duck down and avoid it. The man got out of the corner, bringing his blade up to par Minh's next slash which the captain didn't expect. Maddoc uppercut his sword into Minh's right arm, managing to bypass the armor and wounding Minh with him exclaiming and reeling back, clutching the cut.
Seizing his chance, Maddoc again charged Minh who recovered and turned to block the sword with both blades. He disarmed Maddoc by throwing the sword out of his hands. Minh punched Maddoc with him spinning around and Minh uppercut both blades up the man's exposed back. His shirt was torn open and Maddoc fell to his knees before falling fully unconscious on the deck.
Minh took deep breaths, clutching the wound as he winced under his helmet.
"You cannot go unpunished!"
Minh's posture straightened, the man knowing who was behind him. Minh cracked his neck both ways before turning around, seeing Riven standing with her blade hanging lazily in her right hand. She glared daggers at him.
"I must say I'm disappointed you're not dead. Perhaps Culda will have her wish after all of hanging you." He said before eyeing her broken blade. Minh scoffed. "Even if you had that blade on Jade's final night, it still wouldn't have done any good."
Riven's temper flared and she let out a feral sounding scream. The Exile charged against Minh who prepared himself. Riven jumped into the air, gripping her blade tightly as she thrusted at Minh who blocked it with both arm blades. Riven backed off for half a second before spinning around to find Minh had anticipated this, stopping her attack with them locked in a standoff.
"You're no poster child of Noxus, just another weakling." Minh taunted.
"Yet I'm holding my own against you, fucking brute." Riven retorted.
The Exile pulled away again and swung horizontally with Minh moving back. She lunged at him, the blade raised above her head and brought it down to Minh who blocked it with one blade this time. He used his other one to stab her, but Riven shifted away as the blade left a light cut across her exposed shoulder. She cried out at this and grabbed the handle of her blade, thrusting it into Minh's torso with him grumbling and breaking off. Riven attempted to decapitate Minh who crouched to avoid it and he tackled Riven to the floor. He pressed his weight onto her and aimed to drive both blades into her head, but The Exile stopped it with her blade, using one hand on the grip with the other on the blade itself. However, the sharper points were past the blade and Minh started to push down on the smaller girl with his strength and advantage. Riven gritted her teeth as she tried to resist it, but given her position, it was a losing battle.
Taking a deep breath, Riven quickly put her other hand off the blade's end and grabbed the handle tightly. Minh's blade pushed down to where it almost stabbed Riven's eye, but she shifted her head, the blade embedded into the wood just an inch away. Gripping the blade, Riven cried out and it released a burst of runic energy. Minh was stunned and Riven managed to slash his side with her blade, knocking Minh off her with a groan. Riven stood up, still gripping the handle tightly and she swung with her full body weight at Minh who was on his knees. The captain managed to raise a blade to block it, but his embedded weapon was actually broken off when this happened. Riven delivered a kick to his exposed stomach, knocking Minh over with a roll before he quickly stood back up. When Riven swung again, Minh was ready and he blocked it with his other blade that remained intact. He trapped Riven's wielding arm with his and they were locked in another standoff. Minh noticed Riven's blade was quite close to her throat and she also noticed this. Minh put his hand on the blade, pushing it slowly closer towards The Exile's throat with Riven's eyes widening.
"You're finished." He seethed.
The Exile growled and released her grip on her sword. The weapon idly fell down slightly and with her no longer wielding it, Riven was allowed to escape Minh's grasp. His eyes widened under his helmet and Riven crouched down, catching the blade in her left hand. She kicked Minh's legs and with both hands firmly on her blade's handle again, Riven let out a cry as she uppercut it to Minh's front.
Minh yelled in pain as his armor was cracked and he was sent flying a few feet back, crashing on the deck with long, heavy pants to recover. Riven calmed down, pacing slowly towards the defeated captain. Minh slowly turned to look at her, and The Exile was surprised to see that she'd cracked one of his helmet's eye sockets. Minh had a fresh cut along his eye that was leaking blood quickly. Riven gripped her blade as she kept walking towards him.
"You always struck me as one with a softer side…" Minh said with an exhausted tone. "…no wonder Jade died that night."
Riven scowled at him and prepared to finish him off. However, she heard a gunshot close to her and she tensed up, seeing a surviving guard amongst the corpses shooting at her with a hextech pistol. She growled and lunged at them, quickly finishing them off before turning to finally kill Minh. However, the captain had disappeared and Riven narrowed her eyes. She saw the defeated man limp back onto his ship, clutching his wound as he groaned in pain. The Exile would've gone out of her way to kill him personally, but she heard a groan from Maddoc who had regained consciousness and she quickly went to help him up.
Through his limping, Minh was supported by two of his guards that came to his aid.
"Medic! We need a medic!" One of them shouted.
"The crew of that ship is almost spent, but we're not fairing any better sir." The other one said. "We're taking a lot of losses, what should we do?"
Minh looked over to see that Sion had practically boarded the ship. He wasted no time in knocking aside both pirates and Minh's guards with his ax in a reckless fashion.
"P-Pull back. Retreat." Minh said like he was choking on his own blood. "L-Let Sion f-finish them. He's… spotted the targets…"
A medic came out and took the battle-worn captain into the ship with him as the other two guards started to bark orders to fall back to those on the other ship. A few of them heard and safely made their way back, but some were also unlucky enough to either be gunned down or run into Sion.
Miss Fortune and Katarina were fighting side-by-side, the gunner shooting at the guards with a joyful laugh. Katarina used her skills to good use, sending blades into Culda's guards and cutting them down.
"Ah, you have my back Katarina! Just like you always do!" Miss Fortune said laughing.
"Gotta protect that delicious ass of yours Sarah!" Katarina replied.
Sarah noticed that eventually, the fighting was starting to die down with shouts of retreats from both her crew and the guards.
"Well look at that! They're finally smartening up and retreating!" She said laughing.
After saying that, both Katarina and Sarah saw a guard's body get thrown in front of them. It was mangled and bloody, almost seeming like it was torn apart. "What in the hell?" Sarah said wincing.
"RUN FROM ME!"
Both women turned to see Sarah's crew shooting, with half of them actually fleeing, what appeared to be a figure that was over 10ft tall. Their mouths gaped as it cut down several people, a mixture of Minh's men and Sarah's crew, in a single sweep of it's ax.
"IS THIS… WHAT PASSES FOR WAR?!" Sion bellowed.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Sarah exclaimed.
"WHO THE HELL CARES?! SHOOT IT!" Katarina said.
Sarah unleashed another barrage on the giant figure. Sion shielded himself, the bullets merely exploding into nothing upon impact. "Is that all?!"
Sion detonated the shield with a roar. He stared down the redheaded duo with a deadly glare. The Undead Juggernaut sent a shockwave at them with such force that both Sarah and Katarina were sent flying back into the walls of the captain's cabin. They broke through the windows and landed on the floor, unconsciousness from the impact. Sion let out a gruff, savage sounding laugh before he continued his slaughter of the crew, and what guards remained.
The gunfire had died down significantly, allowing Sion to hear more clearly. The Undead Juggernaut heard yells from the helm, jerking his head upwards. He could see a man in unique armor engaged in a little firefight against three guards. Sion recognized him.
"James Holland." He growled. "My general's enemy."
Minh's ship had another intact mast on it, and the captain gave one last order of retreat before choosing to break off from Sarah's ship, leaving it fully with whoever was left at the mercy of Sion.
Elise groaned as she finally woke up, clutching her head in pain as she winced. She saw Evelynn laying face down on the deck. The Spider Queen moved to give her aid, but then heard approaching footsteps. She tensed up, turning to blast the person with her magic, only to find it was Riven helping a wounded Maddoc get around. Their gazes met, the women exchanging nods before a loud cry caught their attention. Elise saw Sion marching to the helm, where she could see James engaged with now only two guards, his back turned and oblivious to Sion.
"Holland…" She said to herself.
Riven's eyes widened with panic and she gently put Maddoc down before sprinting towards the helm with Elise roping up.
"COME ON YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" James said as he kept firing his gun. The Noxian wasn't aiming anymore, just point shooting instead. His armor was significantly damaged, fresh blood seeping out and his visor was cracked. James didn't let up.
James dropped another guard and turned his attention to the last one. The guard shot at James with his pistol and this time, the bullet went right through his shoulder. James spun from the impact as blood spurted from the wound, but he returned to his position and with one last shot, he mowed down the guard by shooting his temple.
With the last guard dead, James inhaled sharply and clutched his wounded shoulder, groaning with pain. He heard a loud step behind him, and the man quickly turned around, his rifle raised again despite his wounded shoulder.
"What the… fuck?"
Those were the first words that James said when seeing the giant figure marching to him. Eyes that showed the thirst for blood and battle with a large ax. James regained his courage, pulling the trigger on his rifle.
Click
He almost panicked when this happened, but James gritted his teeth. He charged Sion with a war cry with the bayonet on his rifle primed. The Undead Juggernaut raised his hand to block the blade that managed to slice through his rotting flesh but caused no pain. James's eyes widened at this and Sion growled.
The Undead Juggernaut yanked the rifle out of James's hand, throwing it aside and raising his boot to kick James down. The force felt like a gunshot to the Noxian and he was almost knocked out when he hit the floor. Sion towered over him as James shook off the impact. He reached for his sidearm, but Sion quickly grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up, James dropping his pistol in the process.
"MISCREANT!" Sion roared.
James managed to raise his boot and kick Sion's face, knocking him off balance for a moment, but it did no damage. Sion prepared to impale James on his ax before a piece of webbing was fired at his face, blocking Sion's vision and stunning him. A web was fired at James's back, sticking to him before he felt himself get yanked out of Sion's loose grip and hitting the deck.
"HOLLAND! MOVE!" Elise's voice sounded.
Sion growled in a frustrated tone as he yanked the webbing off his face, seeing his target now crawling away from him. Before he could advance, Sion was stunned by a burst of runic energy and he looked down to see a girl with white hair in front of him. The Undead Juggernaut recklessly swung his ax at Riven who dove under his legs and slashed at his feet. Sion grunted at this and tried to swing again, missing his target once more. The Undead Juggernaut quickly turned around, seeing Riven taking another slash at him. He raised his ax and slammed it against her sword. Sion used his size to grab Riven effortlessly and practically throw her over the helm onto the deck.
Another web struck his face, Sion stunned all the while with Elise leaping on top of him, grabbing his helmet and throwing it off. The Spider Queen stared at the dagger for only a second before moving to grab it. However, when she made contact with it, her palm suddenly caught on fire briefly and she yelped at this.
Culda had covered the dagger with a magical shield, and it would cause any kind of magic that would come near it to become ablaze.
Sion yanked the webbing off his face again, noticing that Elise was atop his head. "Spells… hmph." He scoffed.
The Undead Juggernaut reached up, grabbing The Spider Queen with his large hand and slamming her down onto the deck with the wood splintering. Blood spurted from Elise's mouth as she groaned. Her crimson hues met Sion's and he snarled.
"Another of Swain's puppets! NO MORE!" He shouted.
Sion grabbed Elise's last spider leg and yanked it off with ease. Elise let out a blood-curdling scream at this and Sion lifted her up, his hand on her throat. He hefted his ax as he choked The Spider Queen, not allowing her to cast any more spells.
"DIE, NOXUS WRETCH!"
Elise felt a sharp pain in her torso and she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Sion's ax had been impaled into her body, and it's pointed end was slightly sticking out the back. The Spider Queen spat a large amount of blood onto Sion's face with The Undead Juggernaut not even flinching. Elise felt something she never imagined she'd feel. Her body started to feel numb, and cold. Her vision started to blur, and her movements became less and less.
James's eyes that had a hard time staying open became abruptly wide when seeing this.
Elise, The Spider Queen, was impaled on Sion's ax, and she wasn't showing signs of life.
"No… NO!" He roared.
Sion turned around when hearing this. He could see his other target standing a few feet away from him. Laughing coldly at this, Sion pulled his ax out of Elise, letting her body fall to the floor as a pool of blood started to form around her.
"YOU'RE NOTHING!" Sion roared.
James clenched his fist as a jolt of anger flooded through his body. He retrieved his pistol, firing as fast as he could at Sion who didn't even falter. The man knew he should move, but right now, seeing what Sion did to Elise made him angrier than ever. He'd take Sion head-on if he had to.
Regardless, Sion easily picked up the exhausted James. The Noxian sent a few punches at Sion who felt nothing but a little bump. He hefted his bloody ax, preparing to execute James.
"I'LL DROWN YOU… IN YOUR OWN BLOOD!"
James inhaled sharply. He fought to the very end. He did his best. And despite all of that… he still lost. Culda had won.
He closed his eyes, preparing for what was about to happen. Everything around him fell deathly silent, James's breath the only sound he could hear.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"WAAAAAAARRRR!"
James felt himself get dropped abruptly. He groaned at this, his vision blurry as he looked up at Sion who seemed to be in agony.
The Noxian raised a brow at this before Sion turned his back, and James could see a figure on The Undead Juggernaut's back.
"El-… Elise?"
The Spider Queen was a bloody mess, her midsection had a gaping hole in it, but that didn't seem to affect her. Spiderlings swarm Sion, distracting him as Elise grabbed the dagger again. Her palm quickly caught fire, but she didn't care.
With a loud, painful grunt, Elise finally yanked out the dagger, falling off Sion as it was the only leverage keeping her on there. James saw her fall to the deck, her body almost as lifeless as before. Sion stopped moving and roaring. James briefly saw this before the large body of the undead warrior started to fall forward. A splinter of wood was heard as Sion's body weight tore through the back of the helm, falling lifelessly into the water with a loud splash.
The Undead Juggernaut was once again defeated.
James only looked at it before turning his attention to Elise who was resting against the helm's wall. She was utterly, and literally, spent. He groaned as he crawled towards her.
"Elise…"
The Spider Queen weakly turned to James. Despite being drenched in blood that was pooling around her, he could make out a smile.
"Holland…"
James reached her, resting beside her. "You… saved me."
A weak chuckle came from the woman. James noticed the increasing blood around her. He looked at her tensely. "What… Elise! Use your spells!"
She sighed, looking away. "How else… do you think I… managed to gather the energy to… take out that beast?"
The man gasped at this. He took her hands with his and stared into her crimson orbs. "No. No! You're not… you're not gonna die!"
Elise only smiled weakly, taking a long blink. "Perhaps it's time… to say goodbye…"
"No! You… You're not dying on me!" James said. "I can't lose a friend!"
"Oh… I'm a friend?" Elise chuckled, keeping up that playful attitude. "Weak mortal… always caring about others."
"Elise." James said sternly. "Why won't you heal yourself? Why are you doing this?!"
"My powers are merely gone…" She droned. "…I have no more energy left…"
A tear actually slipped down James's eye. His breathing became bated and he grunted with frustration. He looked sadly at Elise whose appearance started to change as well.
Her sinister power started to fade. Her red hues becoming less and less bright, her dark hair becoming streaks of white. James actually raised both brows when he noticed that her figure was becoming more hideous. Lesions were appearing on various spots, grotesque weal's her arms and legs with her flesh becoming discolored all the while.
"Elise…" He said forlornly.
"Shh, it's okay dear…" Elise said calmly. "…I think it's time this immortal monster finally stops living a lie… and embraces her true… form."
James groaned and looked at a body of a guard. He grabbed it and dragged it over to Elise. "Come on, won't feasting upon fresh flesh restore your power? Come on!"
Elise only chuckled in a wheezy tone. "The Spider demands fresh sacrifices… my dear James…"
His breathing became more uneven and broken. Jams looked at his arm and quickly yanked the damaged armor off. He held it to the dying woman who was a little surprised.
"Then let me be the sacrifice! I don't want you to die!"
"Ahhh, there it is…" Elise said with a minor hiss. "The crazy, little actions… caused by love." James blinked at this. "The reason… you're doing this… is so Evelynn… won't have to… suffer through losing a friend. You truly love her."
James sighed in defeat, realizing that his action was indeed out of the blue and irrational. He stared tensely into Elise's eyes, that were no longer crimson red. Instead… they were just lifeless. They had sunken deep and had crow's feet.
"I thought you said love was a silly thing." He said, his voice breaking evidently.
"I was lying about earlier… with love being a silly thing." Elise continued. "Love is a beautiful thing… and with the right person… it's a meaningful thing."
"Elise… please… don't do this." James said.
"I couldn't allow Evelynn to suffer through losing… a lover." She said sounding strained. Elise was starting to choke on her blood. "Her losing a friend… will cause pain… but with her lover by her side, with you… by her side… she'll discover comfort that she's never had before…"
"And… what comfort is that?" James said, sadly accepting Elise's chosen fate.
The Spider Queen laughed and choked before answering. "It's the comfort of true… love. The comfort of having someone… by her side. A shoulder she c-can… cry on. Someone to be her smile if she's happy. Someone… she can always count on to be there if she's damaged.
James and Elise's eyes met again. Her face, which had been spared from the horrible transformation, finally became distorted. He wasn't faltered at all by this. James felt her hand's grip with his loosen. James's eyes widened at this, and he saw Elise's head lazily shift down, resting fully against the wall.
"Elise?"
James's breathing became heavier and bated. Another tear slipped from his eye. Elise's eyes rolled back.
"No… no. Elise? ELISE?!"
"James…?"
The man's gaze darted upward, seeing Evelynn standing at the stairway of the helm. Her fluorescent eyes were glistening as she looked at the bloody mess that was Elise. The once beautiful appearance of The Immortal Spider Queen had all but faded. She looked like a cadaver, covered in blood.
Evelynn's lips quivered before she fell to her knees, weakly making her way to The Spider Queen. Evelynn put her hand on Elise's chest.
There was no heartbeat.
"No… it's not…" She said, croaking on her words.
Evelynn felt a knot form in her body. Her eyes glistened greatly as a single tear slid down. She sniffled as she took in a new reality.
Elise, The Spider Queen, who'd been Evelynn's friend for centuries, was dead.
Evelynn felt empty, disconnected. All the memories of her and Elise flashed in her mind. The memories she thought would go on forever, and ever, felt like knives cutting through her body. Evelynn croaked before gently taking Elise's lifeless body, pressing it against her as she cradled it, sniffling as she let out quiet sobs.
James's breathing became louder and heavier. He felt anger like no other. A thirst for blood, and vengeance not only for his lover Jade but also for Elise.
The Spider Queen may have been hostile towards James for a good amount of time, but her recent revelations showed him the reason why. He could somewhat understand it.
With an angry yell, James slammed his fist into a piece of wood. It created a significant dent and his torn gloves gave less protection from the impact.
He didn't care.
James kept punching the wood, again and again, yelling angrily as his hands became bloody and bruised. Evelynn's quiet cries became wails, taking in the fact and horror of her best friend, her only friend actually, being killed.
"The tangled webs you weaved." Evelynn whimpered.
AN: So yeah... that was a major character death. Not sure how you may feel about that, but I figured that the story could use one. I know that you probably expected Riven to be the one to die, but I thought that James suffered enough with the death of Jade and thought it'd be better if Evelynn experienced the feeling of losing a friend. Someone she never imagined she'd lose.
Though I'm not saying there won't be another one so don't jump to that conclusion just yet :D
I'm also aware that Elise's character behaved as this half ally, half antagonist to James and I wanted to have her, kind of redeem herself and put her in a spot one wouldn't expect. Writing the ending of this... gave me the feels. I just killed one of the sexiest characters ever ;_;
Anyhow! I hope this makes you eager for more! Peace!