Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Been away for a while. Sparky792, it wasn't so much the gunblade itself, but rather the person I had hinted at as the one wielding it. As for Shen and Talon, the story's main characters are Fiora and Lux, and as such I focus mostly on them. That doesn't mean they won't be involved, but the focus won't be on them. Anyways, enjoy and leave feedback.


Even though the battle was won, our journey was far from over. Deep in my heart, fear and uncertainty glinted like a razor. The future was grim and none of us knew if anything we did would even make a difference. Sir Ashram was right…all I could do was light the path and hope it led us to where we needed to be. But with every turn on our journey, I had to wonder…would my light be strong enough to stop the darkness from consuming our hearts?

- Memoirs of Luxanna Crownguard


The Archville Edge – Valley of the Magi

Fiora woke up from a deep, dreamless state that she knew had to have been going on for a long period of time. Her muscles felt stiff as she shifted under the covers, turning to avoid the afternoon sun peering under the cracks of the canvas. She couldn't tell if it was the fatigue or the drugs they had pumped into her system through the transparent IV lines still attached to her hands, but she wasn't able to recall how it was that sleep had finally found her. Her hand found her temples, rubbing it hard as though she was trying to claw through the tangled web that was her current state of consciousness. A muffled droning reached her ears and only when her hearing finally cleared did she realize it was the incessant beeping of a cardiac monitor that she had been hooked up to. Her chest tightened at this realization, bringing back unpleasant memories to suffocate her into oblivion.

Shooting up to a seated position, she clawed at the wires that ran under her shirt, wincing slightly as she felt the sticky leads ripped off of her chest. Loud warning tones rang through the air from the monitor, only serving to further agitate her confused state. Last time I saw one of these, my mother died. I'll be damned if let myself get strapped to this thing! She was in the process of ripping the IVs out from her left hand when the medical officer arrived wearing sky blue scrubs, stopping a few feet away from her cot to watch as blood oozed from where the catheters had been pulled.

"Woah, easy there. Just relax." His voice was calm and composed contrasting the feral look in her eyes. "You're safe here. We're just making sure you're getting better. Tell us how you're feeling."

She found it impossible to do what she had been asked. No matter how hard she tried, the muscles in her neck refused to obey her conscious commands, producing only a whimper as her words were caught in her throat before they could make it past. She looked around to find herself surrounded by numerous other injured men and women who wore armor and garbs that bore the symbol of Demacia, splashes of blood staining the cots they rested on. The memories of the events leading up to here came flooding back: the sensation of being carried by Lux and a medical officer into a clearing that had been transformed into a base…being put under while she was too physically and emotionally weak to resist. Along with the memories came the all too familiar grief of the day before that was threatening to bury her into inescapable depths.

Fiora fought the impulse to get up and run, knowing that any efforts to do so would only serve to ensue chaos to the soldiers around her and earn her another injection to throw her back into an unconscious oblivion. A part of her wondered if that was such a bad outcome, to force herself back into her drug-induced, dreamless sleep that was her only salvation from the memories that wouldn't leave. Instead, she sat there silently, allowing the medical staff to do what they wanted, pulling at her limbs to move her back onto the bed. A satisfied look appeared on the doctor's face as she acquiesced to their manipulation, nodding his head slightly before speaking.

"Well, you moved well so we know that at least you don't have any gross neurological trauma. Most of your wounds have healed up nicely, if not miraculously considering the short time that's passed. We couldn't assess your right hand for injuries because that armor you have on over it couldn't be removed no matter what we did." He took a few steps closer before hesitantly putting a finger over her eyelid to pull it up with a cold, moist sensation on her forehead, before shining a light into each of her eyes.

"Pupils reactive bilaterally, pulse regular. Overall, your vitals look stable and mana signatures look good." Fiora shrugged off the doctor's words, remaining silent as she kept her thoughts focused on something she had no desire to discuss with a stranger. It only took her a moment of analyzing the concerned expression on his face to realize that perhaps he was already aware of it. She knew that with this many injured soldiers, they had no reason to force her back to bed if she was truly healthy. "Medically you're stable, but based on what I've been told, I'm more worried about your psychological state."

Damn you, Lux.

"Ideally, we'd like to have you evaluated but seeing as how we're in the middle of a catastrophe, I'll leave the decision to you and your colleagues." The instinctive part of her mind wanted to leap back out of bed the moment his words reached her conscious mind. Instead, she remained motionless on the cot, her limbs snared by a part of her fatigued subconscious that wanted nothing more than for her body to waste away from disuse. After a few moments, the doctor took her silence for compliance, turning to tend to some of the other patients around her who had far more critical injuries.

An uncertain amount of time passed before she moved again, turning her head to the sound of a screaming knight being brought in; the exposed parts of his body covered in wounds as blood oozed down his previously immaculate armor. Drowning the sounds out, she curled up, bringing her knees to her chest before pressing her chin against them. She didn't know how long she remained in that position, her eyes staring blankly at no particular place in the distance. It wasn't until Lux and Talon were standing just inches from her before she finally looked up to gaze upon worried expressions on their faces.

"Fiorie?" Lux finally said after a long moment of silence. It pained her to see her friend this way, lying there weak and vulnerable. It was hard for her to accept that the person who valiantly defeated Relivash and his Aesir the day before was the same person now curled up helplessly in front of her.

"Fiora…listen, I'm sorry. You did everything you could…and you're right, I wasn't there. I should have been…please…" It was Talon's turn to speak, his voice unnaturally quiet and polite. She didn't now what was the point of his words other than to expedite the return of memories she was trying to suffocate from her consciousness.

Pushing purple bangs from her knees, she raised her head slightly to focus her gaze on them, keeping the rest of her body curled up. "What do you want?" Her voice was unnaturally hoarse, causing the Noxian to flinch at the sound of it.

"Fiorie…we need you…we need you back, all of us do!" Lux answered sheepishly, her heart beating rapidly as she desperately tried to keep herself from shaking with every word she spoke.

"No you don't!" She snapped angrily, causing the other patients around her to flinch in surprise. "No one does… You're better off without me. I can't protect anything…if I could then…then he'd still be alive."

Those words were the last straw for Lux as she turned to face away, walking away slowly to avoid revealing her sadness and distress that had taken a hold of every corner of her mind. Talon's fingers curled into a tight fist, the skin above his knuckles white from the tension in his hand. He remained cemented to the ground where he stood, watching the emptiness on Fiora's face.

"Why are you still here?" She wanted nothing more than to be left alone. She would have been satisfied if she was allowed to remain like this, devoid of human contact for the rest of her life, were it not for the nightmares that would forever haunt her sleep.

"Because someone has to be." Talon's voice was now more firm and unforgiving than before. Those words only served to anger her, making her want nothing more than to attack him where he stood. "Look, I never thought I'd say this about you of all people…but he was someone special to you, wasn't he?"

The muscles on her forehead twitched as those words registered in her mind, causing her to clench her jaw tightly. Why the fuck are you still here? Is there a reason why you're trying to remind me of something I've been trying so hard to suppress? She shifted her legs from her chest, raising her head to gaze at him with icy blue eyes that looked poised to strike.

"I can tell. You've changed a lot since the last time I saw you…he's changed you." Talon knew that he was stepping on thin ice. Someone like her wasn't going to recover from something like this with soft reassurance like Lux was hoping. She would need to be pushed forcefully in the right direction, but only a fine line existed between moving in the right direction and being driven to insanity. "I heard what happened. He saved your life because he knew you would come through, because you had a reason to keep living. You showed that even someone who had fallen as low as me had a reason to live so why are you lying here as though you have none? Do you think he would have wanted you to live this way?"

Fiora gripped her fingers together, the sound of metal shifting from under her sheets as she formed a fist with her armored hand. She wanted to scream at him to stop. Why can't you just leave me alone?

"War is taking place and people are dying on the other side of this tent whether you're in it or not. He saved you because he believed you could save lives." Talon held his fist up in front of his face, staring off past the duelist as he spoke. "If he really was someone special to you, then come back to us and fulfill his hopes. Don't just give up because if you do, his death would have be in vain…and along with it, everything that all of us have done."

"Enough!" She screamed suddenly, as though the thin wire that held her sanity together had suddenly snapped. "Fulfill his hopes? I'm…I'm the reason he's dead. He tried…he tried so hard to stop me from going through with it and I didn't listen."

"No you're not!" Talon's voice rose as he swung his arm outwards, attracting the unwelcoming attention of nearby Demacian soldiers whose facial expressions burned with hostility towards the Noxian assassin. "He died because he wanted to believe in you, that you could do what he could not. You weren't responsible for what happened so don't ever think as such."

"Why…why do you even care?" Her voice suddenly softened to a whisper, the rage in her voice just moments ago vanishing as unexpectedly as it came. "Giving you purpose? What a load of crap! I genuinely despised you most of the time. So why are you trying so hard to save this selfish, broken girl in front of you?"

Talon's muscles stiffened the moment he processed that question. It wasn't that he didn't know how to answer it, but rather that the answer was a taboo he never wanted to discuss. "Because…because I know the burden of blaming yourself for the death of someone close to you. The first person I ever killed wasn't a target…it was…my best friend."

Fiora flinched at the answer, looking away in disgust as she held a scowl on her face. I knew you were scum, but this? Throwing the sheets off of her body, she shot up to a seated position, instinctively wanting to leave as she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. Her only reason for not giving into her impulse was a question that bothered her- "Why are you telling me these horrible things?"

"Because I know what it's like…more than you can imagine. The regret…it takes control and you live with it the rest of your life. I know you…You'll never stop thinking about it. But you can't let it control your life. You can't keep blaming yourself for something you didn't do." His voice gradually became softer as he spoke, partly because of his surroundings. He knew he was not welcomed here and was surrounded by people who wouldn't hesitate to kill him the moment he showed any hostility towards a Demacian. "Death is hard on all of us, but how you live is up to you. If you keep yourself from moving on, you'll never find anything better to live for in life. You'll be lost…just like I was all these years."

Talon's words made something inside of her snap, the tears that she had been holding back came forth like the opening of floodgates. She felt them flowing down her cheeks and onto her legs, letting go of her inhibitions to allow the part of her she had always kept hidden to manifest. She allowed the tears to come, using it as an outlet as choking sobs that she no longer tried to hold back escaped her lips. Reginald…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. If you can hear me…please forgive me.

She felt his hand tighten on her arm but made no attempts to free herself of his grasp. After all these years of putting up the tough and uncaring exterior, deep down, she was still the same fragile little girl. Even as her sobs continued, a part of her hated herself for being this weak, but knew that at the same time, the cold façade she had been used to was ill suited for handling the chaos of emotions raging inside of her. Grabbing a small cup that contained a pair of orange and white pills next to her bed, she stared at them for a moment before deciding to throw them into her mouth, uncertain of what purpose they served or whether it was even safe to take them. When the medical officer made no indications to stop her, she assumed they were okay and swallowed it dry, struggling a few times to force the sticky pills down the back of her throat. She didn't know how long she remained in this state, or when she drifted off into another oblivious state of unconsciousness.


A nearby car honked loudly, causing Fiora's eyes to shoot towards its origin, finding the street gridlocked with cars that seemed forever fated to remain cemented in place. The incessant droning of car horns and occasional swearing echoed through the air as her gaze shot upwards, finding herself surrounded by unfamiliar skyscrapers that rose farther than she could see. She felt lost, a pandemonium of sorrow and confusion taking control of her thoughts until she felt something bumped against her shoulders.

The rapid jerking of her body jolted her out of her thoughts, twisting her head to find an unfamiliar woman wearing a black dress staring back with clear annoyance on her face as she walked off. A part of her felt livid at the audacity of someone to act with such unsightly manners towards someone of her status. "She should be taught to know her place-"

Her voice cut off the moment she reached over for her sword, finding that it was nowhere to be found. Catching a passing glimpse of her own reflection on a nearby window, her heart sunk the moment she realized her normal outfit was gone, replaced by a light blue collar shirt neatly worn under a black blazer and dark skirt that rose to her mid thighs. Staring carefully at the reflection in the window, she almost didn't recognize herself, seeing her face gaze back at her, only her outfit was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"What the-"

Her words never finished leaving her lips as an explosion echoed through the air. The sound of screams followed as her eyes darted around rapidly to look for the source of the chaos. The sound of a second explosion came minutes later as she ran forward, turning the corner before momentarily shielding her eyes from the brilliant streaks of the early morning sun making its presence known. A gasp escaped her lips the moment her eyes adjusted, watching as plumes of smoke rose from a pair of nearby skyscrapers that towered above the others. An ominous feeling overwhelmed her as she stood motionlessly; a feeling threatening to bury her under its weight. Shivers ran along her spine as her ears focused on the chaos around her, people running past her in a panic, their screams of fear and anguish almost fitting of an apocalypse.


When Fiora woke up again, she rubbed her face, feeling sensitive streaks of chapped skin where tears had flowed earlier. Looking around her, she found that it was night time again outside and the only sources of light illuminating those around her were the occasional dull lamps that functioned better at attracting mosquitos than providing adequate lighting. She couldn't tell how long she had been out for, or whether it was even still the same day as the last time she had been awake. The pills had done their jobs, putting her into a deep, prolonged sleep that even her nightmares couldn't bring her out of, ridding her of the fatigue that plagued her body. The effects they had on her mind, however, frightened her, throwing her into a state where she didn't know where she was anymore, and dreams became difficult to discern from reality. No matter the effects they had, however, they did nothing to hold back the flood of emotions that broke through the moment conscious thought returned to her.

The memory of the moment that Reginald Ashram died played out repeatedly in her head, forcing all other thoughts including physiological needs out of her mind. It wasn't until she stood up that her body betrayed her, her stomach growling loudly as a harsh reminder that she hadn't eaten in well over a day. Emerging from the medical tent, she looked around to find that numerous others had been laid out, banners displaying the emblem of Demacia and Piltover dispersed throughout the camp site. She didn't know where she was going, but began to wander past the numerous tents hoping to somehow find food to relieve the hunger pain in her stomach.

"Fiorie!" Lux's voice was weak by the time it reached her, causing her to turn to see the blonde sprinting towards her from a distance. It wasn't until she was just a few feet away that Fiora noticed a relieved smile on her face. Her Celestia glowed brightly, illuminating the area around them as the blonde leaned forward to examine her friend. "You look a little better."

Fiora snorted at the comment, opening her mouth to comment only for a cracked whisper to escape her lips before turning into a series of dry, hoarse coughs. Damn it…I can't even remember the last time I drank anything either! She made no efforts to object as Lux took her to the other side of the encampment, bringing her food that she didn't attempt to even try and identify before scoffing it down. In between bites, she caught bits and pieces of information over what had happened the past day that she had been unconscious, learning that the combind military forces had formed a perimeter around the portal. Summoners that were not within the Institute of War at the time were had been brought in, focusing their magic around the clock to limit the number of the creatures capable of crossing over from the Void. Though they had managed to prevent any more Voidspawn from escaping and running rampant in Valoran, the armies were locked in a nonstop war against the continuous swarm of creatures passing through the portal. A tense silence followed after she had finished, her eyes staring into the pillar of spiraling energy on the other side of the forest.

"Fiorie," Lux's voice was soft as she broke the suffocating silence between them. "I'm really sorry about what happened…but we need you. People are dying and we can't do this without you."

Lowering her gaze, Fiora focused her attention on the bowl in front of her. It's always like this…my life…empty. Everyone who gets close to me end up dead…fleeting parts of my life that disappear as quickly as they appeared. Curling the fingers of her armored hand into a fist, she closed her eyes tightly while shaking her head. "You're better off without me. I…I can't do anything…except put everyone in danger."

"How many times do I have to say it? That was not your fault! You always blame yourself for things you had no control over. I-" Her words were cut short as a loud explosion echoed through the air, the ground underneath them suddenly trembling. Countless screams of soldiers filled the nighttime air of the Archvile Edge as they turned to find the source of the disturbance. "What the-"

Their gazes shot instinctively to the Void portal, finding to their horror that a gargantuan creature had appeared, towering above even the level of the stretch of forest. The silhouette of numerous armored spines being thrown wildly through the air was imposed on the brightly glowing portal. The only thing that terrified Fiora more than its sheer size and hideous appearance was the cloud of Voidspawn that seemed to split from its very essence, expanding outwards before diving to assault the ground forces on the other side of the treeline.

"No! At this rate…we'll be overrun." Lux took one final glance back towards the duelist before closing her eyes, her fingers closed tightly around Celestia to reveal a tremor appearing in her arms. "I'm sorry…but I don't want to see any more harm come to my fellow soldiers. They're going to die…and if you can't fight then stay here. I don't want to see you hurt either."

A chill ran up her spine as she watched Lux run towards the battlefield, disappearing into the treeline of the forest without hesitation. Fiora gritted her teeth together, clenching her fist tightly as she battled her own thoughts within her head. You're pathetic, Laurent. Look how the tables have turned. Aren't you the one who's supposed to protect everyone? Why is it that the roles have reversed and Lux is the one protecting you?

"Shut up!" She growled, trying to suffocate the thoughts that plagued her conscience. She felt her muscles tense as a second round of pained cries filled the air, feeling her heart drop to her stomach the moment the soldier's anguish became painfully apparent. You want to stop this, don't you? Or are you okay with standing around while everyone dies? Is that what you really want? Or maybe you'd feel absolved that way?

"Shut up, shut up!" She whispered angrily, shutting her eyes tightly as her hands went to her ears in a futile effort to drown out the voice of her conscience. Look at yourself. You blame yourself for his death, yet you have no problems letting people die when you could change everything.

"I said, shut up!" Fiora screamed out, a rush of adrenaline coursing through her vessels as swung her hand out in anger, a high pitched metallic sound echoing through the air. Opening her eyes again, her heart raced as she saw shards of crystal dust flowing in the air around her, each speck shimmering brilliantly to produce its own source of light. "This is-"

A shock went thorugh her body the moment she looked down to find that her hand now gripped tightly onto Ragnarok, the blade spontaneously reformed in her palm. Once the initial surprise passed, she realized why she was able to summon it again. Even if it was only for a moment, battling the demons within my mind pulled me away from the ridges of my mind that had been awashed with sadness. That's why it wouldn't form no matter how hard I tried; it wasn't the fatigue, but rather it was me…my despair dragging at every corner of my mind.

Raising her head again to focus her gaze upon the massive abomination that stood on the other side of the forest, Fiora sprinted forward, reaching the edge of the forest moments later. Cutting through the dense foliage of the heavily wooded forest, she felt her will to fight take over for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Though the thought of Ashram's death continued to linger, she felt a renewed sense of purpose taking over her, forcing aside all thoughts of hesitation. The feel of a blade in her hand triggered something that had been lost to her: the feeling of battle, simple and unscathed as all other concerns seemed to fade away. Please, let me make it there on time.


Satisfaction passed through Talon as he felt the familiar sensation of steel passing through flesh, his armblade embedded into the face of a scorpion-like Voidspawn. Looking up to see its pincers diving towards him in a last ditch effort, he leapt into the air, his blade passing through the forehead of the creature in the process, to avoid the oncoming assault. Landing on the top of its falling limb as a foothold, he twisted his body the moment he caught the shadow of two smaller flying creatures resembling insects swooping down towards him. Lunging to the side to avoid green globs that came from the creatures' mouths, he simultaneously shifted his body as he flung a set of spinning blades upwards. Screeches of pain filled the air the moment his blades connected, embedding into the carapace of their torso. Mustering up his strength, the assassin pulled hard on the strings that connected to the blades, creating a wide circular swing as he forced the winged creatures to collide into the trunk of a nearby tree. He wasted no time to allow them to recover, delivering two quick slashes to behead them the moment they landed on the ground.

"Stay down!" He gritted his teeth as he pulled the projectiles from their chest, shaking off drops of a thick green substance with a quick flick of his wrists. He had been fighting for hours, called upon by Demacia to fight alongside them against the Voidspawn that had been appearing in increasing numbers with every passing hour. It was an odd feeling, fighting alongside people from a country he had carried out countless assassinations against in the past. Having allies in an open battlefield was not something he was used to. It took away from the stealth and pleasure that came with quick, efficient strikes from a hidden position. This, however, was an entirely different kind of battle; one he had no hope of winning against, given the overwhelming number of creatures that couldn't wait to maul his corpse the moment he fell. A dark shadow suddenly blotted out the light from the spiraling portal, causing him to watch in horror as a massive spine fell upon him.

"Light Binding!" Lux's words echoed through the air as bands of light energy surrounded the incoming spine, restricting its descent. Talon turned towards the origin of the voice, watching as a brightly glowing triangle formed in front of her the moment she appeared from the treeline. "Wave of the Trigram's Light!"

The assassin lunged away the moment the three spears of holy energy fired upwards at the massive claw, impaling it at the joint. A loud crash filled the air as the amputated limb struck the ground, the dirt below him rumbling to momentarily throw off his sense of balance. He turned his attention towards the massive behemoth as a deafening screech filled the air, noticing eyes of countless deformed faces now focused on him. "Lux, what the hell do we do about that thing? All I've been able to do is attack the small fries that keep popping out from its body."

"I don't know, nothing we've tried has done anything other than to get its attention!" Lux furrowed her brow as she stopped next to the assassin. She took a moment to carefully examine the creature, noting the countless faces embedded behind a web of an unknown pink substance. Their mouths and eyes looked distinct, some of them resembling other Voidspawn but with faces that seem empty and lifeless. "This thing…it's a hive!"

"Get down!"

They ducked on instinct the moment those words reached their ears, narrowly avoiding a second claw that swung over them. A barrage of white arrows passed over them moments later, connecting with the massive armored limb to produce a large explosion, breaking it off from the creature's main body. Vayne leapt from a tree moments later, landing a few feet away from them before focusing her gaze upon the towering behemoth. "You got any bright ideas?"

"I think…I know what it is." Lux said, confidence in her voice as this was her area of expertise in war. "During our fights in the League against Cho'gath and the other Voidspawn, don't you remember them being different from the other ones we've encountered thus far?"

"Yeah, he's one big ass mother-" Talon answered sarcastically, doubtful of how this will help.

"Not just that…they were intelligent!" She interrupted, a hint of annoyance with his flippant attitude. "I thought that might be something unique about them, and that the other creatures of the Void were mindless animals."

"Right…" Vayne raised an eyebrow as she spoke, crossing her arms under her chest as she continued to visually scout her surroundings for any indications of another attack.

"What if that's not really true?" Lux continued, taking a step forward to look up at the empty faces present on the surface of the skyscraper sized creature. "When we attacked the smaller ones that came from it, more of them focused on us, and eventually even that monster attacked. We don't know how Void creatures reproduce, so what if they are spawned like bees in a hive? All of these smaller creatures coming off of this…Hive Mother, we'll call it, have a collective consciousness."

"But this is the first time anything like this has appeared through the portal." Vayne objected, her gaze darting towards the blonde who appeared deep in thought.

"Right, but there hadn't been any need for something like this to appear." She nodded, placing a finger to her lower lip. "Before, they could slowly send waves of creatures thorugh the portal because no one had stopped it until we arrived. Even then, enough had gotten through to form an army to defend it unti..."

"Relivash." Talon answered, recalling the events of their previous fight.

"He forcibly took control of their army of creatures and sacrificed them for his own power." The blonde nodded in acknowledgement. "With their numbers low, they've been trying to regain control over this territory…only the timely arrival of our friends from Demacia and Piltover stopped them. If you were desperate to retake dominion over this land, you'd want to bring as many forces over as possible at once…to overwhelm your opponent."

"And rather than send a few creatures at a time that would only cause chaos in a battlefield, they sent this…Hive Mother to create an organized assault. One consciousness, focusing all efforts on the greatest threats." Shauna Vayne drew her Ultima Weapon forward, pulling back the string to form a blue arrow of energy in position. "So if we take down that huge thing, the countless creatures that spawned from it will fall as well."

"That's great and all, but that still begs the question. How in the world do we take something like that down?" Talon screamed angrily, his muscles tense at the thought of having to fight a creature that made him feel like an ant juxtaposed to a giant.

No sooner had he finished those words than he noticed a barrage of green spheres forming on the body of the Hive Mother, launching forward moments later to converge on their position. His heart sunk as he contemplated how he could possibly avoid the attacks. As he tried to force his muscles under his control again, a purple barrier surrounded the three of them, the incoming attacks colliding with it before bursting into flames. He watched as Shen appeared in front of them, his blades glowing brilliantly in an aura of natural energy to maintain the barrier, searing flames passing by them harmlessly on the other side of his spell.

"Eat this!" Ezreal's voice echoed through the air as the flames died down, causing the others to turn as he appeared from the treeline to launch a set of white crescents from the amulet on his arm. "Last Breath."

His attack collided with the Hive Mother as its body began to dissolve, streams of blood oozing from the edge of his attack to run along the creature's surface. "Hah, in comes the hero to save the day." His voice was smug as he raised his arm into the air in victory. His celebration was cut short moments later, however, when swarms of the flying insects launched from the amorphous monster, converging on the explorer's attacks from the side.

"What the?" Ezreal looked in shock as his spell was being pushed away from the main creature, a shield of dark energy flowing from its minions to force it in another direction. His face turned into a scowl as the edge of his attack became freed of the massive behemoth, flying harmlessly into the distance.

The mouths on the surface of the Hive Mother opened in synchrony, spheres of green energy forming within them. "Oh shit!" Ezreal took a few steps backwards before breaking off on a full fledged sprint, turning his head momentarily to watch as countless beams of energy fired towards him. Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate, waiting for the moment that the attacks would reach him. He knew that it would be only a moment of pain before everything went dark. Only that moment of pain never came. In its stead, he felt himself being lifted off the ground, the back of his shirt tugged tightly that he felt himself choking for breath. He opened his eyes again as he felt the shockwave from an explosion on his back, throwing him forward as he saw himself falling to the ground.

"How did I-" Ezreal sat up, swinging his gaze around wildly to catch sight of Fiora landing on her feet a short distance from him. "Did you just-"

"Save it. If you have the energy to talk, then use it to keep yourself focused on the fight." Her answer was calm and direct, devoid of emotion as she stared at the towering monster in the distance. What the hell are you?

"Fiorie!" Lux sprinted forward, stopping as she reached within a few steps of the swordswoman. Examining her features, she realized that something had changed in the duelist's expression since she last saw her. Gone were the eyes bogged down by sorrow; and in its place, a cold, fierce look reminiscent of the person she had always known. "If we can stop that big thing, the smaller ones that spawned from it should fall."

Swinging her blade in front of her, Fiora clasped onto the hilt tightly with both hands, holding it across her face as a thin stream of white energy flowed along its sharp edge, untainted by the eerie glow of the purple pillar. Her eyelids twitched slightly as she narrowed them, watching as the towering creature turned its attention towards her. "Right! Let's go."