Chapter III: Purge
It's grisly work cleansing a population. I made sure to ask each member of our team if they wanted to opt out before we even began but none refused, each of us having a grim face on as we kick in doors and slay those we identify as evil. Many try to resist but every time, we find evidence to damn them. A weapon here, a magical tool there, gold stolen from its owner. On and on it went and throughout the moments of horror and bloodshed, I kept questioning if Soraka could be wrong in her judgement. Darius was there right beside me to chastise me every time I asked, telling me that the path of righteousness and strength is not always pretty.
It only took an hour, 54 minutes to be precise. 54 minutes to kill 95 people in a town of barely 300, their lives snuffed out with stabs and cuts. Counting the men we've slain thus far along the road and in the initial skirmishes of the town, the kill count reaches around 200 men. Those who are left are rounded up in the center of town to do one last sweep of the population for anyone we might've missed. Another 25 die there, Soraka finding those who attempted to conceal their intent with magical means. Cries of horror echo in the streets as friends and loved ones are put to the sword, the reasons for their deaths revealed to them as crushing truths. They are right to be angry at us but from their shouts of hate, they are more angry at themselves.
The last to die is the mayor, a fat man wearing the coat of a baron who tries desperately to bargain with us, offering everything from his town to his contacts in Zaun to his own wife and children, anything for us to spare him. As we stand there on the gallows ready to execute him, he babbles his secrets in loud sobs, the amount of people he abused and tortured along with where he bought the magical talismans and devices. All in front of the population, the mob slowly becoming angrier as the list of atrocities kept increasing. He was the one who formed the bandits together, giving them their weapons and armor to rob his own people so he can grow rich and fat off their suffering. Such is the wages of men who gain too much power.
Darius takes the honor of ending his life himself but not before addressing the crowd, his bloody axe raised above his head as he stands behind the mayor, pushing the sobbing man to his knees with his free hand. "This is the man you let run your lives! This is the face of weakness! He is willing give you all up to save his own life! No more!" He moves his hand away and grabs the shaft of his axe in both hands, raising it above his head and bringing it down swiftly, splitting the man in half. The two halves leak vital fluids and organs before Darius kicks the halves off the stage towards the crowd, leaving a trail of fluids on the wood. His gaze turns on the frightened crowd as he shouts, "Who speaks for you now!? Who among you has the strength to lead!?"
No one answers, rightly scared of his wrath as he taunts them further. "None of you!? None of you have the spine to lead after your oppressors are slain!? Weak! All of you are weak!" He turns to his squad, the four warriors having their weapons sheathed and acknowledging their leader with a nod. "These soldiers will teach you what it means to have strength! Rejoice that we show you mercy! But to those who cannot prove themselves, there will be no pity! Only death!" He swings his axe down again, slamming it into the wood floor and shouting at them. "Now flee! Flee like mice back to your homes!"
The people do as instructed, panicked faces turning every direction and running to the relative safety of their dwellings. Darius watches them in disgust as they flee, nearly trampling each other in terror as he collects his axe from the wood at his feet. All except one. As the crowd departs, a lone man stands frozen on the spot, his face a mask of horror as the crowds leave him behind. The man has the torn clothes of a beggar, his eyes tearing up as Darius leaps from the stage and surges towards him with axe in hand. "You think Darius is gonna split em?" Jinx asks from my left as he stops in front of the man but I don't answer, captivated by the oddness of the event before me.
The man looks up, Darius towering a head taller than him as he returns the gaze with controlled rage. "I told you to run back to your den. Do you not know how to obey commands?" he growls down at the man who looks up at him terrified, his legs shaking as he answer, "I...I don't have a home...to run to..." Darius says nothing, his eyes staring down at the man in anger and curiosity. "And why don't you have a home?" he asks bluntly, the man gaining slightly more confidence but still terrified. "I lost it...on the outskirts...bandits burned it down..."
"So you were a woodsman," Darius states, the man nodding quickly before stuttering, "I...I was...but...I haven't been in a while...the bandits...they wouldn't let me forest..." Darius grunts in response, displaying the blood on his axe to the man in front of him while smiling darkly. "As you can see, that will no longer be an issue. You can still run, woodsman. All you have to do is turn and flee. I will allow it." Darius brandishes his axe threateningly to him, the blade razor sharp as he angles it at the woodsman but to his credit, the man stands his ground. "I...I won't run...you will...will have to make me move..." her stutters, Darius smiling and laughing at his defiance. "So there was one among you who had spine, though your voice was drowned out by the weak. Alright, woodsman. Let's see if you have the spine to lead your people out of this mess." He looks up at Darius stunned, mouth agape as he stutters, "No...I'm...I'm no mayor..."
"You already showed the spine to stand before me and demand me to move you out of my way. We will honor your request and give you the tools to lead these people. And this," he growls, his axe blade moving to the man's neck, "is not a negotiation." The man surprisingly sighs in relief, saying in a clear voice, "What would you have me do, my lord?"
"Tell me your name," Darius commands, the man calling himself Bearnard. "Well, Bearnard. I am not your lord because that is the role you must fill. Do not disappoint me and follow the orders of my soldiers if you wish to live." Darius turns towards the tavern without a word, placing his axe on his back as he moves away, leaving the man shaking in the square. His soldiers move towards him, one of them taking an knee and speaking in gentle tones to him, eventually guiding the man into the mayor's office. A Noxian that negotiates? No...they are no longer Noxians. They are more than that.
"Makes you proud, doesn't it, Hero?" Poppy says from in front of me, my head looking down with a smile as I reach for her to put her on my shoulders. Her body stiffens as she's lifted off the ground but eventually relaxes once on my shoulders. Wukong also tags along, her arms and legs latching onto my chest as she leaps onto my back. "C'mon, Master. Let's go rest a bit. We earned it," she whispers into my ear, undertones readily apparent about what she wants. Someone gives me a light shove and I nearly fall on my face before righting myself, our heads turning to see Jinx rushing by with a grin towards the tavern. Soraka is behind her, moving slowly towards the tavern but I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "Soraka...will you be OK?" I ask her, her face turning towards me with a pained expression. "I...I put them to the sword...by my word...by my grace...those men died..."
"If they had lived, this town might never have known freedom again and no, you didn't put them to the sword. They chose their path and payed the price. We are merely the reapers of what they have sown." I brush her shoulder slightly but her face remains pained, guilt eating away at her. Wukong releases my back and gives me a playful shove as Poppy leaps off my shoulders, my balance thrown off as I bump into Soraka. She remains still as a statue when I take a step back, her body slowly turning back towards the tavern as she starts to walk away. Yi, what the hell are you doing!? Go after her! Don't leave a girl hanging, Hero.
My head stings at having thoughts shouted into it but I get the message, moving forward swiftly and embracing Soraka around the neck, her movements stopping instantly. Seconds stretch out, both of us completely still as the moment focuses and everything around us becomes insignificant. I try to speak but can't, my breath slow and even yet loud in my ears. My eyes close as I feel the Rune on my back pulse in time with my heartbeat, feeling energy flow from it through my limbs and back in a cycle. Do I resent her for what she did to me? Would I be here if not for her?
I open my eyes, the epiphany shocking in its obviousness. She still holds herself responsible for all of this. The Rune, the five of us, the imprisonment and our escape. All of the murders on the way here. Everything. "I know I have never said it...but I forgive you, Soraka," I whisper, her head slight turning towards me as I continue. "Although you put me through much pain, I have become not just a better champion but a better man besides. All because of you. Do not focus so much on what you have done wrong. Focus on what you have done right as well."
"And what have I done right?...all of this...the Institute...the champions...I set off the chain of events...if I didn't-" she whispers, her voice breaking as I embrace her tighter, moving my head over her shoulder. "If you didn't, someone might have done what you did. Or they might not have. Let's not worry about what was. I am just as responsible for everything as you are." My hands move forward as we both stare at the symbols that pulse like veins, magic flowing to fingertips and back. She puts her hands in mine as she whispers, "You can forgive me...but it's harder to forgive myself...how can I ever forgive myself..."
"Then don't. I don't either. None of us truly do. What we can do is use it, master it, and move forward beyond it. We all make mistakes but it is what we do with those mistakes that matters." My hands tighten slightly as I run out of things to say, unable to give her much else. It's all words and the words don't fix the problem. She takes her hands out of mine as her hands drop to her sides, her head dipping as she sighs and whispers, "I won't complicate this any further...I will be fine now..." No, you aren't fine. You're just telling me what you think I want to hear.
A hand pats me hard on the back and my head turns to the right, Darius standing over us with a grim expression. "Pardon my intrusion but take this inside. It's gonna get cold out here fast. Or don't," he states, grinning slightly as he walks towards the tavern. "It would be an interesting way to die after all you've been through." My arms release her as I move to her right side, holding her left hand in mine as we look at each other, a smile on my face as I joke, "Let's not upset Darius too much today." She smiles in return before turning her head towards the tavern.
"Yeah...lets not..."
I'm laying on my side when me and Soraka fall onto the bed, kissing and embracing with abandon. That was a quick escalation. We didn't even stop to talk with the others. My hands are already undoing her hairbands, long white hair now splaying on the bed and over her body in equal measures. She doesn't notice anything I'm doing, her hands around my neck as she shares the warmth and wetness of her mouth with me, her eyes closed and face passive. My hands keep working, undoing the many and varied pieces of jewelry, wrappings, and straps across her body, marveling at how someone so slight can carry so much equipment all the time without looking uncomfortable.
I snort at the thought, remembering that Jinx is similar in that regard with her belts of bullets and explosives. Soraka moves herself back slightly when I do so, opening her eyes to look at me with a questioning look before I move my head forward, continuing to kiss her lips and her tongue as she closes her eyes again. I'm trying to overwhelm her and drown out her guilt. I hope this works. My hands feel around her back, looking for the way to undo her dress but finding nothing obvious. She breaks away from our kiss with a smile. "It's a tabard, Yi. You have to pull it upwards," she whispers, my hands moving to pull the shoulders up as the dress moves off her body with the sound of rubbing cloth. She doesn't wear a bra yet wears underwear? How does that make sense?
I start to rub her chest, hands moving slowly as she sighs happily, moving her hands to rub my chest in return. "Just to let you know...I'm centuries old...and will likely outlive you..." she whispers as we stare at each other, my face smiling in response to her concerns. "If you are trying to dissuade me, it isn't working," I retort, one hand rubbing her chest while my other hand moves to rub one of her ears, the long ear twitching as she giggles. "Those are...sensitive..." she whispers as I move the hand further upwards, brushing her horn gently as she moans in response . "And my horn is...really sensitive..."
My hand keeps rubbing her horn, one of her hands going over my hand to guide my movements. "I had thought horns are only made of bone," I comment idly as she smiles at me through breaths. "Not...not mine..." she whispers, her eyes closed as I continue. She gasps suddenly, moving her arms around my neck as she reaches her limit, my other hand moving from her chest to her underwear to find it damp. Long ears, cloven hooves, unicorn horn, blue skin. Yet some parts are normal and similar to humans.
"Wait..." she whispers, moving my hand away from her crotch gently as she exhales deeply, her face giving me a cynical smile as she adds, "And don't even think about making any horn jokes...I won't tolerate it..." Taken aback by the request, I chuckle to her in response, moving my hand off her horn to her shoulder and kissing her on the forehead below the horn. "That didn't even occur to me but I won't make such jokes nonetheless," I whisper, her face grinning as she pushes me onto my back by the shoulders, moving towards my lower half and undoing my pants. "You already caused me to climax. Allow me to do the same." Very formal.
I exhale when she puts my erection in her mouth, warmth and wetness causing my eyes to close as I move my hands to her head, touching her ears on accident. Her head flinches as I move the hands lower to hold beneath the ears, whispering a quick sorry as my breath comes in gasp. "How many...never mind...I don't need to know..." I stutter through breaths, Soraka releasing me for a minute but licking my erection once fully before answering, my body shaking slightly in ecstasy. "I have not had a partner yet because celestial beings are disallowed from having them. Well...I used to be one...but am no longer..."
I didn't press her further, sighing to myself and moving my hands off the sides of her head. To my surprise, she moves my hands back and places her mouth back on my erection, continuing from where she left off. I start to moan slightly, the pleasure different and otherworldly as I slowly reach my limit. She must've know I was near climax since her mouth latches onto me, a gasp escaping me as my seed enters her mouth and throat. Her tongue is already moving along my erection, cleaning it off in her mouth before she releases me, my hands dropping to my sides and my eyes opening as my head lolls to the right with an expression of ecstasy. That felt...amazing.
She's already moving upwards, pressing her chest against mine as she looks down at me with an expression of peace. "Thank you...for this...and for staying by me...despite what I've done..." she whispers to me, moving a hand to my face and rubbing my cheek. I barely nod my head, ecstasy still coursing through my system and leaving me nonsensitive. There was no flow of energy so why do I feel exhausted?
I get my answer a few moments later, Soraka's eyes blinking once slowly and transforming into pools of purple fire, her arms moving across her chest as if in pain. I move to hold her but her body starts to float slighty, her legs curling up as a voice comes out of her throat that isn't her own. "Soraka...it is time...time for you to be free..." the voice whispers, Soraka's normal voice screaming as something starts to push out of her back. I place my hands against her shoulder only to be blown away by unseen force, impacting the far wall with a thud and sliding down to the head of the bed. I try to get closer again but a strange barrier is erected around her now, purple and unbreakable as I beat my hands against it.
I go for my sword under the bed, standing at the bedside and raising it in both hands to strike the shield when the otherworldly voice states to me, "Yi...I will not hurt her...I am trying to help her...but..." the voice starts to scream in pain, a familiar tone to it causing me to pause. Without thinking, my sword drops from my hands as I touch the Rune on my back, activating the Seal of Energy and placing my hands against the barrier, magic flowing from me to the barrier. The barrier becomes a bright white, magic moving from it in strings to Soraka who starts to loosen herself, floating flat horizontally with a peaceful expression on her face as an orb of white energy leaves her back, starting to grow into a shape above her. White becomes purple as a man comes into being behind her, the form moving slowly away from the bed before dropping with a thud to the floor. Soraka lands gently on the bed as I grab my sword from the ground, moving around the bed and pointing the sword at the shape on the ground before my face changes to shock, a familiar being now flipping himself over weakly.
"Malzahar!?"