I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream~ Heyheyehy~ We're gonna jump right into another arc (a short one...trust!) then we'll get into a few episodic chapters~ Thank you guys so much for the immediate response even tho I haven't updated in so long...you guys are awesome! Love ya'll! (But on a random note...people need to draw/write some Thresh X Ahri...I wanna see some fanart that isn't mine . sniff I've already read all the related Ffs about them...why don't people have the same opinion as me ...whatever ) Well, lets get to it then!
~All characters unless otherwise mentioned are property of Riot Games(I just mess with 'em o.o)~
Chapter 25: The Warden into Dreams: Part 1
"H-here you are Mr. warden."
"Thank-you." The warden took his required paperwork from the rattled looking receptionist and made his way towards Quinn's room. He gave a polite knock on the door and entered as soon as he heard the scout. He was rather glad to see that she was wearing a much smaller mask, but for whatever reason it was hanging around her neck.
"Free to go now, aren't ya?" She said with a smile.
"As it would seem. And it seems that you are no longer a fish out of water."
"Fish out of-Oh you mean the mask? Haha, yea. Raka said that I didn't need the big one anymore. I only need to put this one on when I'm sleeping or when I'm not talking for a while."
"Ah." He gave her room a once over and saw Zed seated near her bedside, amusing himself with a coffee stained manga. "Is Talon not coming today?"
"He went out to get me some snacks. Hee-hee, I should have near death experiences more often. Makes people get me free junk." She said as she pulled the mask over her mouth. Zed looked up from his manga and gave her a bored look to which she responded with a large smile. Rolling his eyes, he returned to his reading. "So, you wanna play a few matches with me? Talon brought my laptop and you could borrow Zed's." Matches? The warden pondered her offer for a moment before realizing what she meant. It was a Saturday and he just regained the ability to walk freely. The last thing he needed was to play a digital League match...Especially with how the Earth summoners were in chat...
"I think I shall pass, my dear. Anyway, I need to get this medical record to the summoners for whatever reason." He said holding up the paper he was given.
"Oh that's cool. We can chill with the girls later tonight then."
"Actually, I shall be wrapped up for the day."
"Huh?"
"Tis nothing to concern yourself with my dear. Zed, watch over the little sparrow for me, would you?" Zed looked over his manga slightly to see the warden giving him a sly smile. He sighed slightly as he gave him a glare through his mask.
"Of course." The ninja said gruffly. The warden gave the scout a wave as he opened her door once again.
"Wait!" He stopped and turned back towards her. "We're still on for tomorrow though right?" He smiled and gave her a nod. "Cool, alright later man!" With that the warden took his leave. Quinn slouched back in her bed and gave a bored sigh accompanied by a slight pout that caught the ninja's attention.
"What's wrong? You need something?" She shook her head.
"Nah, it's nothing...Ok it is something. I mean, he just got better. You think he'd wanna hang out at least a little before doing...whatever the hell he's gonna be doing."
"Last time I checked the only reason why he started dealing with any of us in the first place is because of a certain slutty fox..." Zed deadpanned causing Quinn to face-palm. "Three guesses as to where he's going now."
"Fuck you're right! Heh, forgot all about that. Well, I wish him luck in whatever scheme he comes up with next." Quinn said with her arms behind her head. Zed gave her a look before chuckling uncharacteristically. "What's so funny?"
"You're just so hopeful for him."
"Yea? Is that such a bad thing?"
"No no, I guess not. I mean..." Zed placed his manga on the desk beside him. "You know what he is. Or at least you kind of know. And you've been here long enough to know that Ahri isn't someone looking for long term relationships. That Echo shit wasn't an isolated incident. The girl does try to stay with one dude, but every time it just never works out."
"Why's that?"
"According to people who actually care about the gossip that spews around here, her boyfriends either end up breaking up with her 'cause THEIR girlfriends or wives find out...or they end up dead..." Quinn gasped. "Not every dude has the stamina to deal with her taking that much of their essence every time they get together." Quinn looked down solemnly and the room grew silent. After a while her smile returned.
"But Thresh has more than enough stamina! With the amount of souls he absorbs, she'd never run out of essence!" She put her hands on her hips feeling quite proud of her conclusion as Zed shook his head.
"Sure whatever you say..."
"It's true though, you gotta admit that."
"Yea yea...Still...with how he acts...I seriously doubt anything will happen anytime soon."
"Ya just gotta believe!" Zed turned to see Quinn making jazz hands.
"If you keep moving around like that your IVs will come out..." She pouted and returned to an upright seated position. The ninja grabbed his manga once more and continued reading. "You know, believing only does so much. Action is what he should really be thinking about. And not the type of action that builds fucking houses..."
"But the fact that he's trying so hard...even when he knows it's a lost cause...is just amazing..." Her voice was very soft with a hint of sadness to it, yet Zed could see that she was still wearing a small smile. " If there was someone you cared about, but you knew that telling them you loved them was wrong, would you still do it?" She looked at him with gentle eyes. Beneath his mask's cold metal, his skin temperature was rising rapidly. He thought that his run through the forests of Ionia yesterday would have helped to clear his mind, but now it felt as if that run never happened. As he struggled to find the words to answer her question, he, unaware that his body was moving on its own, had stood up from his chair and was hovering over her. She stared at him curiously until he started to move his head closer. "Z-zed?" She started to turn slightly pale as he gently removed her mask and let it hang around her neck. When he was eye level with her, he placed a hand on her cheek and removed his mask half way revealing his mouth.
"..." He gulped hard as he felt he quiver slightly and attempted to close the distance between them when-
"Dammit Valor! Those crackers aren't for you ya goddamn chicken! GAH! Fuck, quit pecking me!" Talon burst into the room carrying various snacks as Valor angrily pecked at the side of his head. He closed the door behind him and placed the food on a nearby table. "Oh yea Quinn, the nurses said you can't eat the pudding until an hour after you take your meds. They'll be here in a sec to give them to ya." He turned around to see Zed adjusting his mask and Quinn as white as a sheet twiddling her thumbs. "Hmm...it's a bit chilly in here. Did Thresh come by?"
"Oh, u-uh yea. But he couldn't stay. He had to go do something or whatever." Quin said quickly.
"Oh."
"I'm headed out too." Talon made a face and started complaining about how people always leave when he arrives, but the ninja completely tuned him out. He approached Quinn one more time and placed the mask back around her mouth. When Talon opened the door to check if the nurses were coming, he lifted the bottom of him mask and quickly left a chaste peck on the scout's cheek. He pulled back and gave the scout a smirk before returning his mask to it's original position. Her cheeks went only the slightest shade of pink as she gave him a very confused look.
"To answer your question." He whispered. "I would...but only if she felt the same way." Quinn's eyes widened as he gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I guess my morals aren't that strong..." He said with a wink.
"What...?" Before she could ask anything else Zed was already at the doorway.
"Later man!" Talon said giving him fist bump as he left. The nurses soon arrived and gave Quinn her medicine. Once they were done, it was only the assassin and the scout left. He st at the side of the bed as he and Quinn watched an 'All My Daggers' rerun. Quinn though seemed a bit out of it. All she could think about was what Zed had told her last. What did he mean about his morals? Could that be the reason why he's been acting kind of strange. "Quinn?" She snapped back into reality as soon as Talon called her name.
"Y-yea?" She jumped slightly when he touched her cheek.
"Dammit you're freezing! Why didn't you tell me? Here lemmie turn up the heat." As he tried to get up she grabbed the end of his cloak.
"No it's ok. It's like 65 out anyway and I don't want you melting in here because of me." He gave her a stern look to which she counter with a childish pout. He chuckled slightly and placed his fists on his hips.
"Man you really are something. Move over then." Confused, she did as she was told and was surprised to see him remove his bladed cloak, his gloves and his boots. He got into the small bed with her and carefully maneuvered his hands through the IV wires to wrap one arm around her and pull her in close. "Warmer now?"
"...Very. Thanks."
"No problem." He pulled the covers on top of both of them and let her snuggle into the crook of his neck. Within a few minutes, the assassin has already passed out and Quinn wasn't too far from joining him. As she racked her mind one more time with what Zed could have meant, she just chalked it up to him spending too much time with Thresh. She closed her eyes and put those thought to rest as she herself became lost in dreams.
~.~
The elevator opened as the warden arrived on the Institute's fifth floor. He approached an information desk where three summoners were seated and placed the medical papers in front of them.
"Good day..." He said curtly. "I have been released from the infirmary and was told to hand these in. I suppose that there is nothing else needing to be done?" The male in the middle took the papers and looked them over. He gave his colleagues different sheets from the pile and they began entering information into their computers.
"Yep, you're all set Thresh. Nice to see you up and about again. Have a nice day." The boy said happily. The warden just gave a slight bow to the three as he walked down towards the elevators again. ...These Earth summoners...most don't even look past the age of 20. How in the hell did they come to run the place? As he waited for the elevator to arrive, he felt as if he was being watched.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" The warden turned and glared at the young woman before him. Koiyaki gave him an arrogant grin as she walked up next to him. "Um, I could have sworn I just greeted you..."
"Good day...my lady summoner..." He said through gritted teeth.
"Nice to see you again. Gave us quite a scare y'know? Don't go doing it again. We probably would have actually had to start looking for you." The warden's glare grew harsher. "That's not a very nice face you're making." She said with a bored look. The warden didn't waver. She just rolled her eyes once the elevator arrived releasing a few summoners. Both the warden and Koiyaki entered. "What floor?"
"...The first, if you would." The warden said heavily. She pressed both the first and third buttons as the doors closed. "...Would it be too far to assume you had something to do with my absence?" He said quietly.
"Obviously. But you're not stupid right? Keep it to yourself. I have enough to talk about now, I don't need anything more." She said calmly. The warden tightened his fists as they arrived at the third floor. "Later dude." she stepped out and as the doors began to close once more, the warden placed his hands in between them.
"May I as you something?" She was a good few feet from the elevator when he called. Groaning slightly, she walked back to him.
"Yea?"
"Sir Nocturne is free to roam about once again, correct?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeaaa? And?"
"Would you be able to tell me where he is right now?" She scoffed and turned her back to him.
"Do I look like you guy's baby-sitter? I don't care what you guys do every day in your free time. Find him yourself." With that polite remark She made her way down a corridor. The warden just sighed and rode the elevator down to the first floor.
Once he arrived, he passed the giant fountain greeting whatever champions that said hello to him. Right before he entered the glass corridor, Kassadin called him back.
"Ah Thresh! It is so good to see you in one piece. I heard that the Abyss wanted you for it's own. How did you find your way back?"
"Truthfully, it seems that whatever happened in the Abyss wanted to stay there. Besides the initial fall...I don't remember a thing." Kassadin suddenly put a hand a his shoulder and gave him a warm smile.
"Well all that matters now is that you are safe. Enjoy your weekend my friend." He said with a wave as he continued on with his business.
"One moment Kassadin." He turned back towards the warden. "Could I ask you for a favor?"
~.~
In the second level of the Institute's basement, a deathly cold overtook the dark halls. The only light that lit these corridors came from dark blue glowing crystals that were placed along the walls of the corridors. The floor itself was prohibited to anyone outside of the Institute as it housed many magicks and items of great importance to the Institute. Many of which were also of great importance to the champions it housed.
The two men passed though two large metal doors that revealed another dark wide area containing a surplus of shelves that reached at least 15 feet high. On the shelves themselves were a variety of objects that ranged from runes to crystal balls, and even a few live fairies. The live creatures that were housed here seemed to be healthy and satisfied with their living conditions as most were in large bedded containers. Someone...or something must be keeping them sated from day to day. Their foot steps resounded loudly on the black marble floors as they walked down the wide center aisle. The warden looked forward and saw another large door, but instead of being made of metal like the others, it looked more like a large purple glyph.
"Thresh?" The warden stopped in his tracks and looked around for his companion. "Over here!" To his right, Kassadin could be seen in one of the aisles looking intently at one of it's items. The warden approached him and tried to find whatever it was that was so intriguing. "Thresh, does that look familiar to you?" Kassadin point slightly above his head to a eerily glowing object. Once the warden had taken a good look, his eyes widened.
"It...It can't be..." He was in shock. In front of him, in an aura of eerie green was what seemed to be his lantern. "That can't be possible! How in the hell could the summoners-"
"They haven't stolen it..." The warden was about to retort when Kassadin said. "Summon your lantern." The warden stared at the man next to him for a few moments before raising his right hand. After a second his lantern appeared, an exact duplicate of what was on the shelf before him. "Confused? I would be surprised if you weren't..." Kassadin reached for the second lantern. Upon closer inspection, it had the exact same feel as the one the warden held. Even the wails of pain that echoed through it were the same. "As you know, this is where the Institute houses many magical instruments and important objects. But, this place is also used by the Institute, to store 'the past'"
"The past?"
"Strange isn't it? Well as you know, people change all the time. That also seems to be especially true when one chooses to become a champion. So, when each champion goes through their judgment, the Institute goes to great lengths to record how that champion is on that particular day. Right down to their very last molecule. Then they take the object most important to the champion, and make an exact duplicate. It does not matter how rare ,or unique, or dynamic the object may be...The summoners have their ways as it would seem." He returned the duplicate lantern to it's place on the shelf and returned the the center aisle.
"...Why do they do this in the first place?" The warden saw Kassadin sigh and sulk his shoulders.
"Unfortunately, the motives are a restricted knowledge. Only those with the summoner title are allowed to know."
"..So I assume you and Mordekaiser are the only ones among us who know?"
"Correct, but I can tell you this. The motives are not nefarious in the slightest. In fact, they are completely beneficial." The warden remained silent as he glanced back at his other lantern. "Well now, shall we be going?" He continued towards the purple glyphed door, with the warden following slowly afterwards.
At the door, Kassadin put on his platinum lined mauve summoners robe. He touched the door and the glyphed began to glow. After a few moments the door broke into four pieces and opened. The room before them was completely dark, with not a trace of light to be seen. Even the dim glow of the crystals from the area before seemed to be absorbed into the rooms darkness. The warden stepped forward into the room and to his surprise, the green glow his skull was giving off was fully extinguished. Even the light from his eyes were gone.
"So he is still here..." The warden said. Kassadin grunted in response, seeing as neither of them could see the other.
"...Have you come to seal me once again?" Uttered a shrill voice that echoed through the darkness.
"On the contrary, sir Nocturne." Said Thresh. "I have actually come to fully free you from the binds that hold you." Movements could be heard, and the warden could feel a malevolent being's presence getting closer.
"So said the summoners...Though apparently, 'freedom' means the ability to move around this container without chains..." Nocturne spat.
"Well, the summoners are willing to give you the opportunity to prove you are safe enough to traverse the world above." Nocturne's presence was growing even closer.
"I heard not a word of this..."
"The earth summoners seemed to have grown bored with you, so your fate now rest in the hands of whoever is willing to care. So, being a summoner myself, if you can prove that you can behave on Institute grounds, I shall free you completely from your binds, and you can walk among your fellow champions as you please." Kassadin stated.
"...I have no interest in the realm of light...begone with you..." Nocturne's started to become faint as the sounds of movement sounded further away. Kassadin shrugged to himself and carefully left the dark room, happy to actually be able to see again.
"On the surface, the rules we abide by will be yours. But with those rules, also come many freedoms. Outside of the Institute's territory...you are free to do as you please." The warden said heavily. He felt Nocturne's presence once again. "To whomever you please."
"What is catch?"
"I need your services."
"With?"
"I assume you are quite familiar with the curse of dormir." A wretched chill filled the air as Nocturne's laugh echoed through the room. "One of my allies." Thresh cleared his throat. "One of my friends has been cursed. I seek to rid her from this bastard's grip. If there is anyone who can aid me, it is you."
"You should know what kind of creature I am...Nightmares should be cherished..."
"If I am correct, I'm the one stating acts here. I'm also not the one confined in a sealed room." Nocturne remained silent. "Though your craft is malicious, and trust me, I respect that, you still have the means of remedying this poor woman. Do this and you shall have the true freedom you desire." A few minutes passed and the warden soon joined Kassadin outside of the room. Both men were about to leave when the could just barely see a beings outline at the entrance to the dark room. Nocturne leaned against that open entryway, with purple seals preventing him from leaving.
"...What do you want me to do?" He asked with angry desperation in his eyes.
~.~
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"One second!" Lulu yelled as she ran towards her door. When she opened it, she was happy to see the warden standing there, but jumped when she saw the man accompanying him. "N-n-n-n-n-n-n-noc-t-t-t-t-t-!"
"Hmmhmm, nice to see you as well, my dear." The warden said with a smile as he and Nocturne entered her dorm. Nocturne looked solemn and his hands were bound with purple glyphs. Lulu pulled on the wardens robe and motioned him down.
"Um, glowstick? W-why is N-nocturne here?" she whispered nervously.
"There is no need to worry. He's safe. Also, he's here to help." Her eyes grew wide and she started pulling at the ends of her hair.
"I told you not to tell anyone!"
"Actually, my dear, you said that no one that Veigar knew should know. Veigar does not converse with sir Nocturne." She hung her head as the warden patted her head reassuringly.
"..So what now?" She said weakly. The warden stood straight up and opened the door to her bedroom.
"Get into bed. I'm going to make you some tea."
"But I just woke up a couple hours ago."
"Trust me, my dear." She gave a small sigh as she went into the room and closed the door behind her. The warden entered the kitchen and prepared her a cup of chamomile tea. Once the tea was done, he knocked on her door and she bid him to enter. "Here you are." She thanked him for the tea and sipped it carefully while eyeing the restrained nightmare incarnate standing behind the warden. Nocturne stared back at the yordle with slight malice in his eyes. The warden turned his head to the creature behind him. Turning back he gave Lulu a smile and patted her head. "You have nothing to fear. He knows better than to harm you." Lulu nodded as she let out a yawn, her eye lids were growing heavy.
"So what's the plan glowstick?" The warden merely pulled the comforter over her person and watched silently and she immediately drifted off.
"That is a good question my dear..." He stood and walked towards the nightmare behind him. "What is the plan, good sir?" Nocturne just raised his bound hands towards the warden. Cautiously, the warden released him of the glyphs and watched as Nocturne closed the bedroom door and drew the curtains, making the room as dark as it could be...which wasn't dark at all as sunlight screened through Lulu's purple shades. The nightmare started to approach her bedside went the warden stepped between him and the yordle. "I warned you, horror. Harm this woman in any way..."
"And I shall face my doom, correct?" He scoffed. The warden gave him a harsh glare in return. "I want my freedom...I have nothing more to gain from harming the little gnat..." The warden didn't move. "...If you want my services I must have contact with her person. It is but a touch to her temples..." Slowly, the warden made way for Nocturne to reach Lulu, but he eyed him carefully. The nightmare stretched his languid fingers before delicately moving them towards the yordle's temples. After a few seconds, his eyes began to glow a bright white. He moved from the yordle and faced the warden who had begun to examine the yordle for any damage. Suddenly, the warden heard what seemed to be the cracking of concrete, but to his surprise what he saw was the nightmare, his hand in mid air, and a purple rift being torn into being. Once the rift was large enough, Nocturne released his hand and his eyes stopped glowing. "Here.."
"What is that?" The warden asked cautiously.
"I have torn a rift in this realm of existence...Beyond this tear, is the entrance to that girl's dreams. She feels no pain...In fact, the only thing she is aware of, is the fact that she is asleep...Or at least one would hope." The rift the Lulu's dreams floated in the air and it's solid purple color was soon replaced by a myriad of purple shades running through it in various waves. "Finally...Warden, the girl is fully asleep now. We may enter anytime you wish." The warden approached the rift and assessed it intently he walked around it and found that it was so thin that it seemingly disappeared when viewed from the side. The back of it was the same purple waves.
"...Tell me the risks..." The warden suddenly commanded.
"Though to her that realm is a dream...but once we enter, it is the epitome of reality. Anything and everything that occurs to us, shall stay with us. Every touch, every thought, every instance of pain...any remnant of our actions shall remain...if we leave."
"If..?"
"I work alone. This shall be the first time that another shall be with me in a person's dream. I can handle myself, but though for those with strong grips of their power within their dreams, I have struggled to leave the same being I was as I entered. Also...if the dreamer wakes up before we exit...their mind shall be our new home." The warden gave him a look of disbelief. "We are entering a realm of existence that should be sacred to one person and one person only. In essence, by entering a place we are not welcome, we are essentially saying that we wish to be part of that person...mind, body, and soul...If she wakes, and we do not leave...we become a part of her. Until the day comes that her soul is to leave this world. Then we too shall be free...Free of her mind and the lives that we once wished to lead..." Thresh glanced over to the yordle who was sleeping peacefully and then over to the rift. He was at a loss for words as his thoughts raced.
"...Would there be any other way to leave her mind?" He asked, half expecting the answer.
"Besides her death, of course there is. Though only one other way. You of all people should be familiar with vacuous élan vital." The warden let out an angry grunt as his fear was confirmed. "Though they are mainly obtained from the poor souls of unborn children...there is another...more interesting way of obtaining them. A beings life essence it what makes them unique from others if u remove that, the soul if but an empty shell, that is unless there are other essences within that soul. So, if we get trapped with the girl, all we need to do is overpower her mind, have her prepare the ritual, have her rip out her own soul and-"
"Silence!" The warden yelled. "That is enough..." The room grew silent and a minute or so passed before Nocturne became impatient. "Hear this...you are to obey every command I give you..."
"Of course..."
"And...If the time comes where we both may not be able to leave...You are to get yourself out."
"Hmph, have you grown this soft? What do you have to gain from saving me?" Thresh's expression grew very dark as he glared towards the nightmare.
"It is not an act of mercy...I would rather be banished from this world permanently before I would let you remain in this woman's mind. Also, if you even attempted to harm her once you reentered this realm, I would still be with her...and you would meet your end. Remember that. Now, lead the way..." Begrudingly the nightmare slowly entered the rift. The warden turned towards the yordle one last time. ...Be strong, my dear. He carefully entered the rift soon after.
~.~
The wind whipped at the tiny poro's fur as the Quinn ran her hands through it. The scout and Pippy were in the infirmary's patient garden with the rest of the girls, Nautilus, and Hecarim. Soraka was walking around the garden with Hecarim just to make sure his strength had fully returned. The rest of them were just shooting the breeze as the sat on the grass near the artificial pond. Nami would dip her hand into the pond every so often and play with the koi fish.
"So this little cutie led Thresh all the way back here?" Quinn asked.
"Well, that's what he said. And apparently that's the only thing he remembers so...you're guess is as good as mine." Ahri said.
"Well then, welcome to the League Pippy.~" Quinn said happily as she gave the poro a snack.
"Hmm...you think Thresh is good with pets?" Nami asked.
"Don't know why he wouldn't be. I mean, look at this face!" Ahri said taking the poro from Quinn. "Could you really be anything but nice to a face like this? Whose a cute widdle bawl of fwuffy muh muh muh~."
"Ahri, please, say things we can understand." Soraka said with a giggle as she and Hecarim joined the group.
"Hey there, horsey. You all good now?" Quinn asked.
"Yep, I feel better that ever." Hecarim said flexing slightly. "Oh and Quinn, I'm a centaur."
"Dude you gallop. You're a horse..."
"Quinn...Say it with me now. 'Cen-taur'." Hecarim said with air quotes.
"Sure. Hor-se." Quinn said copying his air quotes.
"...I give up." He said before joining the rest of the group o the grass.
"Anyway, Ahri, you know where Thresh is?"
"Nope. Me and Raka just saw him this morning before he went to get his papers. He gave us Pippy to watch and we haven't seen him since." Ahri said.
"Really? Wonder what he's up to." Nami said with her hand on her chin.
"Well, he's been out of commission for a bit. He must be weak. He's probably just at the Shadow Isles doing what he does best." Hecarim said while using his index finger the scratch Pippy behind her left horn. She purred a bit and started panting with joy. Thresh is gonna hate taking care of this thing, heh heh. He thought.
"True true, that makes sense." Ahri said. "Well, let's hope that he gets his strength back soo-wait a minute." The kumiho froze as she made what she thought was a realization. "None of you have seen Lulu since yesterday right?" A huge, and slightly creepy grin grew on her face.
"Oh man, not this again..." Nami said with her head in her hands.
"No, no, no, no, no! Thiiiiink bout it. Thresh leaves without a word. Lulu's missing too. Both of these things happen at the SAME TIME." The kumiho said as if she was trying to imply something.
"It's not like this hasn't happened before..." Soraka said with a bored expression.
"Yea, but when has there been a time when Thresh hasn't told me where he's going when I asked?" Soraka was about to retort when she realized what the kumiho had said was right. Smiling in her triumph, she continued. "I mean, I'm not trying to say that they're boinking right now but-"
"Ahri please my ears!" Quinn yelled in disgust. "I did not need to hear-gah! Now the image is in my head! Raka, make it go away!" The scout wrapped her arms around the starchild's waist who gave her a consoling back-rub.
"But guys, haven't you noticed that they've been acting really friendly to each other?"
"No...no I haven't." Nami said, who was also trying to rid her mind of the awkward mental image.
"Pshh, you guys are no fun."
"Ahri I hate you..." Quinn said with a pout. The kumiho just shrugged.
"Well, when those two finally reveal the feelings that they have buried deep down, you'll all see that I was right~." Everyone present just face-palmed. "What?"
~.~
"Mmm..." The warden slowly opened his eyes. As his vision became clearer, he slowly sat up and took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a very lush forest that was fairly magicked. The ivy along the forest floor glowed a light lavender and the trees expelled small blue and white particles that floated I mid air. The sky looked as if the sun was setting as it showed a deep purple and many shades of pink. Shadows along the ground were long, covering many of the twisted looking mushrooms. There were also many animals. They looked like squirrels, akin to those that would appeared when the fae sorceress poly-morphed her enemies on the rift. One more notable thing was the presence of the fae. They were identical to Pix, but seemed very reserved. They peeked out at the warden from inside tree trunks and behind large leaves.
"Warden..." The warden turned to his right and saw Nocturne, who looked extremely uncomfortable. "Let us be going...I can sense where the girl is. These creatures...are disgusting." The warden soon noticed that the fae have started to hover around the nightmare's person. Chuckling slightly, the warden stood up. "Remember warden, this is a dreamers realm. Time flows sporadically. Sometimes fast...sometimes slow. Mere minutes could be equivalent to days. Luckily if I am correct, though we have only been unconscious for a few minutes, only an hour has passed.
"Where is the rift we came from?" Nocturne pointed directly above them. A good 50 feet in the air, was the rift that showed the exit to the yordle's room. "Hmm...how are we to get through it once again?"
"...It depends on the girl. If she wills us to leave, a path shall open. We go." Seeing as worrying about leaving as soon as they arrived was rather pointless, the warden followed Nocturne through the forest.
After a few minutes, night had fully fallen, though the forest was not as dark as Nocturne would have liked. Once the natural light had fully diminished, the leaves on the bushes and trees glowed various shades of blue and green. Some were so bright, they glowed brighter than the warden's lantern, which led the warden to dismissing it. They reached the end of the forest and once they passed the final set of trees they were on top of a large hill overlooking a large black lake. What was strange, however, was that the other side of the lake was a complete contrast to what the two men had already seen. There, atop another hill, was an extremely large castle. Spikes were present on every roof and it was surrounded by a dark moat. Its black brick walls were lined with dark blue crystals and large cannons could be seen on it's four watch towers. If that wasn't bad enough, two large black dragons were circling the caste, spitting out dark purple flames every so often. The owner of the castle was very obvious. On the main section of the castle, instead of a spiked roof, the building was covered by a stone replica of a certain dark mage's hat with matching belt buckle.
"...The bastard is already here." Thresh said through gritted teeth.
"Yes...I do sense another outsider. He also seems to nearly have full control of this girls dream." Nocturne stated. As he continued to examine the castle, he noticed the warden was no longer in front of him. "Warden?"
"Well we aren't going to get anywhere by just staring at that abomination. We are to cross the lake." As he trudged on, he noticed Nocturne neither responded or was following him. "That was an order!" He was about to turn around when his vision grew completely black.
"DARKNESS!"
"What!?" The warden lost control of his body. He felt as if his limbs were being bound. Before he could even attempt to summon his scythe, his body was failing him. Before he lost consciousness, he heard a familiar voice.
"Eeeheeheeheeehee! Look whose here! How the tables have turned!"
Lalalalala~ I'm just not giving the poor specter a break am I? Hey, It didn't take me a full month to update, yay :3 Ok, so, Is ed actually gonna pursue Quinn? Will Talon find out that his best bro is breaking the bro code, will Thresh be able to help Lulu? And will Ahri force even more horrid mental images onto people? These will all be answered...eventually! Stay Squishy~