With a single day remaining until they have to defend against everything that Malzahar can throw at them, the Guardians decide to take a day to get ready for the upcoming fight.
Chapter 33 – The Calm Before the Storm
As morning dawned Lux seriously did not want to get out of bed. Her clock told her it wasn't that late yet, it wasn't midday, but at least the sun was behind the clouds. She just turned over and wanted to go back to sleep, but even she knew that sooner or later, there would be something to get up for. Careful to not disturb Solas, Dorcha had apparently already gotten up and left at some point, she carefully got out of bed. Lux made her way downstairs where it was clear someone was hungry. Lux just shook her head at Dorcha, who was carefully conning her parents out of breakfast.
"Oh come here you little thing." Lux carefully picked up Dorcha, who just shot her a 'oh come on' glance before Lux sat down and put Dorcha in her lap.
"So that was some night?" Lux turned to her father who was clearly the one who drew the short straw.
"Yeah, but we managed to get somewhere safe so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still yeah, try and have some fun and get ambushed by those things. Again. It is seriously getting old." Lux just leaned back in her chair looking like the typical teenager who as annoyed with everything.
"I can imagine. But imagine what it is like for us. You can't have fun, but we have to deal with everything that happens. And then the cleanup from those Star Guardians." The tone of annoyance in her father's voice made Lux turn and caused Dorcha to listen carefully.
"What do you mean cleanup?" Lux picked her words and her tone of voice very carefully, making it look like she was curious.
"Oh treating people, coordinating the cleanup of their aftermath, dealing with the traffic that is caused, getting people around the fight while it is happening, just things like that. Something people are constantly complaining about." Lux was trying to keep her face neutral. "Still, I'd rather do that than deal with, whatever those things are." Her father added after a brief pause. Lux internally breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sure they would help if they could, but given the fact they seem exhausted after a fight, it is probably for the better.
"I'd say the worst part is dealing with the shop owners who have their property damaged, or destroyed in some cases. Most are just grateful that they are alive or not on a stretcher somewhere recovering from having their energy drained. The rest are just nothing more than a pain the…butt." Lux and her mother smiled as her father clearly wanted to say something else. "Still the usual thing to say is 'sir or ma'am, would you rather have had your energy drained, and lying on the ground for who knows how long, or deal with this?' That usually makes them be quiet." Lux let out a giggle at that, but was more nerves. She knew that they really needed to reduce their collateral damage.
At that point, Garen walked down the stairs and took his seat and started eating. "So how are you this morning?" Garen turned to his mother.
"Fine. Just shaken up a bit." Garen took a small plate of food and started eating. Which was something he always did when he had a stressful day. Lux just smiled and shook her head. The added weight of what she told him the previous night was also probably weighing on him. "I'm going to head to Jayce's today, if that's ok?" Garen looked up at his parents and they both nodded. "Thanks!" His voice lifted a bit as he continued eating. Lux took that as a queue and began eating breakfast as well.
After breakfast, Garen headed back to his room, and Lux was debating on telling him what was going on, but it was what going on tomorrow, with both of their parents home, it seemed she didn't have much choice. Lux put her plate in the sink and then headed up to see Garen, who she really didn't have time to talk to since that stunning revelation last night. She knocked on his door and took a deep breath. Garen opened the door a few seconds later. "I assume you want to talk?" He asked, and Lux nodded. Garen stood back and let her in. Lux took a seat at his desk, Garen closed the door and then turned on his TV to provide some background noise, then took a seat at the other chair in the room.
"So I know I told you a bombshell the other night…and I intended to do that in a…not so dramatic way." Lux started trying to smile.
"You think?" Garen replied, his face stoic. Lux knew that this was going to be difficult. "I mean, that was one big thing to take in right there. I'm still processing it. To think that you are in those fights, doing those things, and well it's hard." Garen leaned back in his chair and Lux smiled a bit.
"I know, but again this was my choice. Though I really didn't have one. Still, it was my choice and I'll live with it. I can't undo what has been done, but we have grown so much since them. I've found something, apart from school, to fight for. I'm again so sorry for dropping that on you like that. I knew you were getting close and the team talked about doing it gently, but then you ran out so quickly yesterday before I could say anything." Lux blushed, and so did Garen as she finished.
"Sorry but…" Lux just shook her head.
"Don't do that. You didn't know. So don't start with the blaming yourself. However, there is a more serious issue that we need to talk about." Garen nodded and sat back again as he had moved forward while Lux was talking. "Tomorrow I'm really going to need your help. I will be spending the day with friends; and while that is true, that isn't exactly what we are going to be doing."
"I'm assuming you will be doing something dangerous." It wasn't a question. Lux nodded her head.
"Yeah. You remember anything about what happened the last time when the last team was defeated?" Garen shook his head. Lux knew this would be a long conversation. "Well there's a story you need to hear."
Janna refused to get out of bed that morning. Knowing full well what was coming the next day, she just ignored the sun until it was almost overhead. Sitting up, Janna looked at Zephyr, and he seemed to be in no hurry to get up either. Janna considered going to back to bed, but a knock on the door told her that it wasn't going to happen.
"Janna it is almost midday. You are not going to sleep all day today!" Janna just groaned at her mother and reluctantly got out of bed, mumbling the whole time. After finding a semi comfortable outfit, Janna walked down the stairs and into the main room of the house, where her parents were just looking at her. "Oh don't give me that look." Janna just continued to glare at her mother while walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Her father was barely containing his laughter.
Lulu was already awake not long after the sun came up. Knowing the next day and its challenges, she spent the day wandering through the forest behind her home trying to relax. Being back in nature always brought calm to her and Pix, who was following Lulu as she wandered. Eventually, Lulu found one of her favorite trees, which sat near the edge of a small clearing with a small pond off to the side of it. Sitting down, Lulu looked up at the sky and then around, and seeing nothing, just smiled and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, took a deep breath, and just relaxed. Pix settled down by her side and promptly fell asleep.
While Lulu didn't fall asleep, she looked like it. Her eyes were closed, but she was listening to the forest around her. The gentle breeze blowing through the tree tops; small animals wandering across the forest floor, crunching leaves and undergrowth as they go; and then the silence that came and went. All of it provided Lulu with a sense of calm that rarely came any other way.
A rustling of leaves caused Lulu to open her eyes and looking up, she saw an eagle above her, looking down at her. A brief moment of panic went through Lulu, but she saw the eagle wasn't being hostile and even seemed to be looking for someone. "Uh, Valor, get over here." Turning, Lulu saw a girl enter the clearing and the eagle flew to her, landing carefully on her outstretched arm. She then carefully stroked the head and neck of the eagle. The bird closed its eyes and leaned into the girl, clearly showing affection and a sense of trust.
Lulu couldn't take her eyes off the sight and the girl seemed to notice. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt you." She called out and Lulu got up from under the tree and carefully approached. The eagle looked at her carefully as she approached but the eyes were more cautious than they were threatening. "Valor would you calm down. It's ok." Lulu reached her hand out and carefully brushed the eagle's wing. After a few seconds, the eagle closed its eyes as a sign of trust. "He's always suspicious of new people. However, he's really a big sweetie." The girl carefully rubbed her hand under the eagle's beak.
"How does he trust you?" Lulu asked as she carefully withdrew her hand.
"Well I found him injured and nursed him back to health. Then he wouldn't leave and we've become friends…" she cut off as a tear appeared in her eye.
"Sorry I didn't mean..." Lulu started but the girl waved her hand.
"It's fine. Just a few really bad memories. I bring him out here when I can so that he isn't confined to the city. I'm Quinn." The girl held out her hand and Lulu shook it.
"Lulu. It was nice to meet you." They broke apart and Quinn carefully left the clearing with Valor. Lulu took a seat underneath the tree again and returned to her thoughts about the following day, and attempting to forget them.
Not one to wake up early, Jinx looked around at her clock when she finally did wake up and immediately groaned. It wasn't even noon and she was already awake. Carefully rolling over, she saw Shiro and Kuro happily sleeping near her. Smiling, Jinx carefully got herself out of bed and made sure to stay quiet while she went to the bathroom. When she got back, they were both still sleeping. "Ah, sleep well you two. Tomorrow we will be having fun." Jinx carefully made her way out, closing the door behind her.
Making her way downstairs, Jinx entered her kitchen and set about making herself an early lunch. However, the smell of it woke both small poros and when Jinx came back in from the grill, they were both sitting on the table looking at her. Jinx just laughed and got out two small bowls for them. "You two are just so demanding." And with that, they all laughed. Jinx finished up cooking and they sat down to eat while she decided what she was going to do with the rest of her day, while ignoring what was coming tomorrow.
As the sun rose over the horizon, it cast a light through the windows. Poppy quickly shut the blinds as she worked with her father on a commission for some plate armor. While nowhere near as good as him, Poppy had picked up a few things from him but it was still something she would take years to work on. Still, it was something they could work together on. Not to mention Poppy liked the heat of the forge, even on a warm summer day.
"Would you two just put the tools down for an hour and come and have breakfast?" Poppy and her father turned to look at her mother, and she wasn't in a good mood.
"Ok dear. Poppy come on." Poppy turned to her father and nodded and followed him back inside where they washed up and sat down for breakfast. The table was quiet as both of her parents looked at each other and Poppy knew where this was going, and she braced herself.
"Poppy are you sure you are happy?" Her mother asked and Poppy knew what was the next question.
"Of course. I have friends and while we may do some crazy things, I'm really happy." Poppy took a deep breath and was ready for the next question.
"Well that's good. I've managed to get my position permanent here and your father seems to be happy. We were more concerned that you weren't fitting in here. But if you are happy then we aren't planning to move." Poppy let out the breath she'd been holding.
"That's good darling." Poppy turned to glare at her father. He knew she hated being called that. "Now can we eat breakfast like we used to?" The tension in the room was immediately broken and they started chatting about the normal things that were going on, while avoiding talk about the recent attacks. The expected conversation would have to wait, for another day.
Garen sat across from Lux and just stared at her. After what seemed like forever, he finally found his voice.
"Are you kidding me?" Lux just had to look at him. "That is what you…all of you…are going to be doing…that?" Lux just shook her head.
"Yes. That is exactly what we are going to be doing. It isn't easy, it isn't safe, but if we don't, then there won't be a tomorrow for much longer. WE need to do this, and honestly I need your help."
"My help!" Lux jumped to quiet Garen, but he nodded. "How can I possibly help the five of you?"
"Cover for me with mom and dad. I know I'm not coming back from this fight without scars." Garen just had to raise an eyebrow. "You don't think I've gotten hurt? I've just gotten better at hiding it." Garen just keep the eyebrow almost in his hair. "Seriously makeup is wonderful, for all of us. I just wish I had more money for it." Lux pulled her sleeve up her arm to her shoulder and showed Garen a friction burn from a recent fight where she slid across the ground.
"Doesn't that hurt?"
"Well yes, but we have some way to heal it, but we all have scars and we will get more. Tomorrow is probably going to be just one fight where we will come out with a lot of scars. And probably the next day, I'm not going to want to do anything because we will all be recovering." Lux laid the cards on the table and was hoping Garen would see what she ha. He just sat there for a while, looking around and clearly weighting the options in his mind.
"Ok fine. I'll help you, but on one condition. I go with you to see this fight. If you think for one second that I'm going to sit here and play that game with mom and dad, then you know I will lose. You know how mom gets, and I won't be able to keep her at bay for long. Now I can go with you and with both of us out, she'll just have to assume that we are where we say we are. Given how long you said this fight is going to last, you will need someone to cover you all day."
Lux ran through the options in her head, and realized that she couldn't argue with him. "Ok fine. But there is a condition. You cannot interfere. You will be sitting on the sidelines. Am I clear?" Lux upped the tone of her voice with the last sentence. Garen thought that over, and eventually nodded.
"Fine."
"Good. I'll get you tomorrow morning and there will be specific things you will be doing. Don't worry, none of them humiliating. We just need to take precautions."
"I understand." Garen's voice was hesitant, but he also knew that he had little to argue with. Also going to their parents was not even remotely an option.
"Good. Now, I'm going to relax before tomorrow. I'm going for a walk." Lux got up and exited Garen's room, then down the stairs and out the front door. Lux then remembered her bag and she turned around. Before she even got half way around, she saw Dorcha and Solas on the side of the house with her bag and smiling.
"We figured you'd want a walk." Dorcha smiled as she spoke and Lux smiled back.
"Hop on." Lux squatted down and they both hopped on her shoulders after Lux put her bag on her shoulders. Then after, thinking, she just decided to walk and eventually she'd come to a destination. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the front gate and just started walking.
Janna looked around her room and decided that as much as she didn't want to admit it, her mother was right. She couldn't stay in the house all day. Deciding that it was close to midday, she looked outside and decided to take a leaf from Lux's book and go for a walk. Poking Zephyr and grabbing her bag, she moved towards the door.
"Seriously, can we just sleep?" Zephyr said softly as he looked at Janna. Her face was a clear answer.
"You've been sleeping all day. Now come on." Janna looked at Zephyr and he eventually nodded.
"Fine. But I'm not walking." Zephyr sat defiantly on the bed, before he saw Janna's outstretched arm. With his head down, he then jumped onto Janna's arm and settled on her shoulder.
"Satisfied?" Janna asked. The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable. Zephyr knew that not responding was probably the best option, so he just nodded. "Good. Now let's go."
Poppy looked around the forge and with most of the work done for the day, there wasn't much that she could help with at the moment, she turned to her father, who was carefully examining the piece that she'd worked on. She stood silently and with so much apprehension.
"Not up to my quality Poppy, but this is still remarkable work. You are getting better and better by the day." Poppy let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. That was nothing more or less than high praise.
"Thanks dad" and Poppy couldn't resist running forward and giving him a hug, which he returned.
"I wish you would spend more time in here with me, but I also know you have friends and I'm not going to interfere with that. Now there's nothing more you can do here today. Go have some fun. Especially since you will be working on that project all day tomorrow." Poppy smiled. She now knew what Lux said about the lies and how they just become normal after a while. It wasn't that any of them wanted to lie, but it was for their family's protection.
"I will." Poppy gave her dad another hug, then sprinted up to her room, threw on some more appropriate clothes, and headed out.
Lulu had switched from walking around the woods to walking around the city. She was always amazed that the difference between the two, and yet, they were also very much the same. Each had its own order, its own rhythms, and its own way of flowing. Lulu eventually made her way to central park, which was once again undergoing repairs after the last attack. She looked carefully at the groundskeepers and while they all seemed to be a bit annoyed, they all seemed to be enjoying it nonetheless. This was made more obvious by the fact they were all covered in dirt, which was clearly from throwing it at each other.
Looking around, Lulu just decided to spend a few minutes here while she enjoyed this area of calm in the center of what seemed like chaos.
Jinx cleaned up from lunch and after seeing Shiro and Kuro clearly eat more than they should have, given the fact that Kuro was rolled over on his back and Shiro was nodding off, Jinx just had to laugh. That knocked them both back to reality.
"I warned you two. Don't overeat." Shiro and Kuro just squeaked and stuck their tongues at Jinx, who replied in kind. After a few seconds, they were all laughing and Jinx headed back upstairs, and after changing, she came back downstairs after carefully affixing her pendant around her neck.
She paused for a moment at the bottom of the stairs and touched it once again. At first, it was cold and felt heavy whenever she wore it. It had changed. It wasn't heavy and cold anymore, it was warm and light and almost seemed to weigh nothing. Jinx smiled again and headed back into the kitchen where she grabbed her bag, let Shrio and Kuro hop in, and then left to head to arcade to try and blow off some steam.
Lux's adventure eventually took her into Central Park where after sitting down, she saw Lulu sitting on the other side. Looking up, Lulu waved and quickly jumped off the bench to join Lux. Pix however seemed to have been comfortable and was hurrying to catch up. Lulu hopped on the bench next to Lux and smiled.
"It seems like a nice day doesn't it?" Lulu turned to Lux, who just smiled.
"Yeah. It almost makes you forget about tomorrow. Almost." Lux leaned back and smiled as she turned to look at Lulu, who smiled back.
"So instead of worrying about tomorrow, we enjoy this." Lux gave a quick chuckle.
"Yes. Let's." Both of them leaned back to allow themselves to relax with the sounds around them, but their stomachs weren't exactly so kind. "How about lunch? Have you eaten?" Lux looked at Lulu, who shook her head.
"Nope." Her upbeat voice was always welcoming.
"Then let's get something to eat." Lulu nodded and they both headed off towards one of their favorite restaurants.
Janna's adventure had taken her into the heart of the city and she was only just noticing the smells coming from the restaurants when her stomach was complaining. Zephyr chuckled at that.
"Quiet you. Oh come on, let's get something to eat then." Janna made her way to one of the popular restaurants. It wasn't crowded and after checking her phone, Janna saw that it was a dead spot in the lunch hour. Moving quickly, she placed her order and then after getting her table number, saw down at one of the only tables available. As she was pursuing her phone, looking at news stories when she saw a purple hair yordle walk in.
Looking behind her, Janna saw Lux and caught her eye and waved her over. Lux nodded and after she and Lulu ordered, joined Janna. Dorcha, Solas, and Pix joined Zephyr under the table, hidden by Janna's and now Lux's bag. While most places didn't permit animals, if they were small enough, and especially poros, they usually ignored them unless they were annoying or people complained.
Just when they all got comfortable, Lux looked at the door and saw Poppy walking in. Poppy, seeing them, waved, placed her order, and arrived at the table, at the same time Janna's order came out. All of them were just about to start enjoying themselves and relaxing before they all really got together that evening to plan out their following day, when a telltale blue haired individual walked past. Lux tapped on the glass and Jinx quickly turned around and walked in.
"Come on Jinx, at least order something."
"Oh fine." Jinx put her bag down, stuck her tongue out at Janna, and went and ordered a drink before sitting back down. As Lux, Lulu's, and Poppy's orders arrived, they all looked at Jinx. "I already had lunch. Those two pigged out." Jinx said, as she finished pointing to Shrio and Kuro, who had joined the rest hidden by the three bags now.
"Can I just say that we talk about tomorrow later? Can we just enjoy each other's company and enjoy this day?" Lux looked around as she finished and everyone else nodded. The team spent an hour at the restaurant and just enjoyed it. They all knew what was coming, and they all knew what was going to happen, but it was nice to put it out of their minds, at least for a time.
When they had all finished, they knew they couldn't put of strategizing any longer. Also Vel'Koz was expecting them. So they all sighed and headed off to the library and after making their way to the tower they found Vel'Koz hovering over the table where they could project a map of the city and instead it was showing the area where they would be fighting.
"Ah good, you are all here. I know you wanted to enjoy the day, but we do need to talk strategy." The team took a seat around the table while Vel'Koz hovered over the side without the chairs. "So in ancient times, this battlefield was a five on five contest, much like the battle you are going to fight tomorrow. There were various ways over the years on how that battle was fought, but eventually most settled on a certain strategy. One in the top and middle lanes, two in the bottom lane, and one roaming in the forested areas between them helping as needed.
"Now where you all are going to go is any question but you need to decide now. There are too many things that will happen to stay set to a strategy as the battle continues. Where you start is not where you will end. Please consider that. I'm going to basically explain how this works.
"The purpose of the entire battle is to destroy the enemy nexus. The Nexuses are a collection of energy and when one explodes, the energy is released. If theirs explodes, we can capture the energy and use it to rebuild the barriers around our world. If it happens the other way around, then they will have a massive new source of energy to attack us with. There are layers of defenses that either side will have to break through. 3 turrets in each lane, two guarding the nexus, and inhibitor for each lane which protects the nexus turrets and the nexus itself. Only one inhibitor needs to fall to damage the nexus turrets and the nexus.
"In addition, the altar behind each nexus is a safe zone. Well mostly. A beam will come out from the statue against anyone not on that team. Minions too. The altar will also heal you all and regenerate your energy. During the fight, you can also recall to this altar to purchase new runes, regenerate health, and one other thing I'll get to in a minute. Just don't go on their altar, and you will be fine.
"When the battle starts, you will have just a minute or so before the minions spawn. These are soulless creatures that are spawned just for this battle. They will die and that is it. That is their purpose. They however can help to push the lanes, damage turrets, and even inhibitors and the nexus. Each wave will consist of 3 melee minions and 3 caster minions. Every 3rd wave will have a cannon minion which will help in damaging those buildings. Destroying the enemy minions will accomplish 3 things. First they will help yours advance. Second they will give you gold."
"Wait what?" Jinx said, suddenly looking extremely excited and confused.
"Yeah, what?" Lux was now very curious as well.
"The gold is temporary. They will allow you to buy runes, they only last for the duration of the fight. I made sure of it!" Vel'Koz added quickly when they all turned to look at him. "I know what they did and I'm not eager to replicate it." They all were still looking at him. "Back to the point, the runes will enhance your abilities. They are representative of the items that actually were used at one point. They will set into your weapons, Lux your baton, Janna your staff, Poppy your hammer, Lulu your staff, and Jinx on Shiro and Kuro when they transform." Both of them squeaked at that. "Be careful however as you can only have 6 of them at any time. Possibly 5 as there are runes that will set into your boots to enhance your mobility."
"There is also 3 separate runes that will do 3 things. Give you a temporary ward to expand your sight; allow you to cast a ward deep into enemy territory; or sweep your area for invisible and enemy wards. These won't count against the rest and will set into your gauntlets.
"The third thing that destroying enemy minions does is give you experience points, which can enhance your abilities. The nature of the fight will lock your abilities out one by one and you have to unlock them as the fight progresses. The same applies to the enemies. So choose carefully."
"Finally, there is something that is unique about this fight. You can literally fight until you die." Confused looks were everywhere. "Once the battle begins, an energy wraps around the field that prevents anyone from dying. You can fight until you can't anymore, and if you do…um…"
"Expire?" Janna offered and Vel'Koz nodded.
"Expire, you will enter a state and the energy will regenerate you and you will…um…"
"Respawn." Everyone said together.
"Respawn on the altar. It takes longer the longer the fight lasts, so try to avoid dying. Forcing an enemy into this…"
"Oh just use video game terms already since that seems to be where we are going." Jinx sat back in her chair with her arms across her chest in frustration. Vel'Koz looked around and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Ok then. When you kill an enemy, you will get gold as well along with experience. That you can keep track of on a gauntlet that will attach to your own when the fight begins. You can also track the gold and it will also have a map on it. Modern tech can yes replicate it, but I don't think the magics around the field have kept up with the times. Especially since it has been abandoned for centuries. So are there any questions?"
Everyone just looked confused, but Jinx just leaned forward. "So let me try and summarize that. Yes, I can use big words. Basically, use minions in the lanes to push into the enemy base, killing enemy minions and possibly the enemies along the way. You earn gold and experience along the way to buy items, level up, and unlock new abilities. Once you get the inhibitors down, hammer the enemy nexus until it breaks. So TL:DR do everything possible while working together to destroy the enemy nexus."
Everyone just looked and Vel'Koz just looked shocked. He was on the ground if that was any indication. Eventually, after a few seconds, he started floating again. "Yes that is surprisingly accurate. Don't forget the creatures that spawn in the forest will give gold and experience too. Also turrets and inhibitors being destroyed as well."
"So all the inhibitors to is prevent damage to the nexus and the turrets that guard it?" Janna asked looking at the map again.
"Oh no. I forgot about that. Destroying the inhibitor in a lane will allow super minions to spawn. They are extremely durable and do a lot of damage. They can actually destroy the turrets on the nexus by themselves if left alone. If you manage to get all three inhibitors down at the same time, sorry yes they do regenerate, then two super minions spawn in each lane and will continue until the inhibitors regenerate."
"Ok then." Lux said also looking over the map and nodded. "Lulu, you are going to go in the top by yourself." Lulu nodded and smiled.
"This will be fun."
"Just stay focused." Lulu nodded to Lux. "Janna and Jinx, you will be in the bottom lane together. Jinx, do the damage, and Janna, keep her safe." They both nodded but then looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
"You two can at least have fun driving each other crazy." Poppy said and they both just put their head down and chuckled.
"Poppy, you will be in the forest. Level up and get experience, but help when you need to." Poppy nodded and smiled.
"This is going to be fun."
"I'll be in the mid lane. Hopefully we won't die much, because I'm sure that is going to be painful."
"I suggest you all get some sleep and enjoy the rest of the day because tomorrow is going to be a very busy day." Vel'Koz started to float out when Lux suddenly sprung up and cut Vel'Koz off.
"Is there any way we can get that big screen TV and watch a movie, or several?"
"I'll see to it. Just go pick the movies and get them here. I'll order some pizza." A chorus of cheers broke out as everyone got comfortable. Lux and Jinx headed into the library to get some movies while Janna, Poppy, and Lulu moved the furniture around to make room. Janna looked around as the door opened and Nasus appeared with the TV and Janna went to help with the cart it was on. Lux and Jinx returned a few minutes later and Lux went to Nasus.
"How will you explain the movies missing?"
"In the workroom." Nasus said, desperately trying to contain a grin.
"Ok then."
"Don't worry about it. Relax for the day and get ready for tomorrow." Nasus smiled as he left and they started the first movie. Between that one and the second, Vel'Koz brought in the pizza and they made the decision together that they would sleep here to keep their minds in the game. They all called their parents with different stories but Lux went to Garen first.
"Are you coming home or do I need to make up a story?" Garen asked as he picked up Lux's call.
"We are sleeping in our headquarters. We'll get you tomorrow morning. Just be outside tomorrow morning before sun up. Around 5. I'll deal with mom and dad. Officially, I'm staying at Jinx's house."
"Ok then. I'll hold you to it." Garen hung up and Lux called her parents with the story. They weren't happy at the last minute change of plans, but there are little they could do given the fact she was working on a "project" the next day. Lux did get read a small portion of the riot act for her trouble however. Once they had completed 4 movies, they all decided to go to bed since the next day would test everything.
Malzahar looked over what Vel'Koz had done and he was both impressed and disgusted. He took an old battlefield and made it useful for them. He was also taking a great risk because if they won the fight, it would give them all the energy they would need to reopen the portal. Malzahar looked over the map again and decided that he would probably have to alter his plan based on what the guardians did. They had a better team for the battle and while they may not realize that, he did and that helped them. However the fact they would have to adapt to their strategy to the guardians, put them right back at a disadvantage.
Malzahar looked back at the map and decided that Kog'Maw and Cho'Gath would go in the bottom lane, he would be in the middle, Rek'Sai would prowl around the jungle, and Kha'Zix would go top. It wasn't ideal, but their team wasn't built for this. The strategy would be good, but there wasn't anything he could do about it at this point. The nexuses had way too much energy to him to ignore and if they didn't mount a defense, or offense, then they only thing that would happen is the guardians would take their time to break the turrets and claim the energy to rebuild their barrier system the way they wanted it.
"Curse those annoying guardians. Curse Vel'Koz. Curse everything!" Malzahar roared as he knocked a few objects aside and raged. No one, not even Cho'Gath dared to enter the throne room while he was doing this. There wasn't anything in there that would be missed if destroyed. After a few minutes of rage, Malzahar calmed down and decided that resting before the fight would probably be in his best interests. Floating through the side door to his chambers, he looked out the window at Runeterra and then closed the curtains to hide the planet which was causing him so much pain.
Just when Malzahar was about to drift off, he knew it could be a lot worse. Because of Runeterra's isolated position, and their own Magical barriers, prevented them from contact the first star, and other star guardian teams. If they only knew, then there would be hundreds of guardians here and they would have precious few things to do. They were barely surviving before they got here, and they were still doing that now they were back to their original breach point.
"Well inexperience against experience is always a positive. Just because you are powerful doesn't mean you can do everything." Malzahar allowed himself to grin before he drifted off.
It was almost if Lux was thinking similar thoughts as Malzahar. She knew that their magical barriers kept them isolated, but also offered them protection. Sitting up, Lux could barely close her eyes before something forced them back open. She kept running through everything in her head, and it always kept going from bad to worse. She kept thinking if the worst were to happen, then they might never win. Their entire battle rested on the actions tomorrow and she couldn't sleep.
Getting up, Lux crept out of her room and she checked in on the rest of her team. Janna was sound sleep, with Zephyr at the foot of her bed. Poppy was asleep as well, if her snoring was any indication. Lulu clearly talked to herself as she slept as she was not even bothered by the door opening. Pix was asleep right next to her. When Lux checked on Jinx, she was clearly out. She was almost wrapped in a cocoon of her blankets, with Shiro and Kuro next to her. Lux closed Jinx's door and headed down to the kitchen.
"I was wondering how long you would be" came a voice. Lux finished walking down to see Vel'Koz floating there. "You are rather predictable" he said as he turned to her.
"I hope that isn't a bad thing." Lux replied sleepily as she took a seat at the island.
"Usually yes, but today no. I know you have a problem sleeping before big fights like this so I managed to whip something up. Using some void energy, this will not only knock you out, but give you pleasant dreams. Take it or leave it, but you do need to sleep." Vel'Koz left the powder on the island and floated towards the door. "It works good if you mix it with water." He said as he floated out, closing the door behind him.
Lux thought about it for a few minutes before she realized that he wouldn't be trying to do anything to sabotage them at this point given the opportunities he's had. Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, she put the powder in the bottom, then after running the water for a second, she filled the glass, mixed everything together, and then drank the entire glass in a few gulps.
The effect was almost immediate. She felt sleep calling her so Lux walked back up to her room, and after being careful to avoid waking Dorcha or Solas, but at least one of them had to wake up when she left, she crawled back into bed and was asleep almost immediately. It was a dreamless sleep.
As the sun had yet to rise, it was still cold, but it was an unnatural cold. Garen could tell that before he even crawled out of bed. He had told his parents that he would be going for a morning run before the sun came up and then heading to Jayce's for the day. He packed his bag and was out the door just before 5 as Lux had told him. He looked around for anyone, but the street was quiet. Just when turned his head again, a long car pulled up and stopped next to him. It was curious as it made almost no noise. One of the rear windows rolled down.
"Step inside Garen. We need to move quickly." Vel'Koz said as he opened the door. Garen didn't need to be told again. He climbed in and Nasus quickly drove away. Vel'Koz then turned to Garen. "Know that the information you will be exposed to will be limited. Both for your protection and for the protection of the team. While you are at the library, you will be my guest, but don't go looking into places that you shouldn't. Do you understand?"
All Garen could do is nod in response to that. He knew that Lux wasn't going to do anything stupid, or let him see anything to expose anyone or anything. Still, if he was going to watch something, then the least he could do was follow their rules.
The trip to the library took almost no time at all. Vel'Koz led Garen into his lab beneath the library and told him that he can spend time here until they are ready to leave in a few hours. Garen took the time to get some more sleep.
As the sun started to creep over the horizon, in the tower, the team was finally starting to drag themselves out of bed. Lux was the last up thanks to Vel'Koz and when she arrived in the kitchen, everyone except Jinx was there. Janna motioned to the table to give Lux a chance to sit down while she, Nasus, and Poppy finished cooking. Jinx came down a few minutes later, and after seeing there was no way for her to help, joined Lux and Lulu at the table. Once the three had carried over the plates and dishes from cooking breakfast, Vel'Koz popped in to grab a few things for Garen. Lux loaded the plate with what she knew were his favorites and the team and Nasus finished the rest.
The plan was for them to drive to the field and enter the summoning chamber in about 2 hours. Once they were inside, it would open the other one for Malzahar and his ilk for a period of time. This was also where Vel'Koz, Nasus, and Garen would watch the fight via a magic portal, which was also augmented with modern tech. Nasus told the team to relax and he'd clean up, but apart from what was used to cook, everything was pretty much cleaned up as the team put their own plates and things in the dishwasher.
Each team member decided to spend the time in their own way. Lux stared at the map of the battlefield again to make sure that she was confident in her decisions. Everything that could be planned beyond what they talked about was foolish as the battle would change over time. Still, just thinking of various things helped her to relax because when things do go wrong, and they will, she would have a plan.
Janna decided to spend time in one of the small reading alcoves in the library with a book she'd been meaning to finish. She knew that coming back from the fight would be difficult, but she also knew that if she wasn't relaxed, keeping a wild Jinx safe, was going to be a problem. Maybe she would play safe and maybe she'd be aggressive. Either way, Janna knew that her safety, along with her own and the rest of the team, was her first priority.
Poppy originally wanted to do some last minute training but realized very quickly that was a bad idea. She would need all of her energy for the fight. After thinking for a few minutes, Poppy decided to walk into the library and get a book to read. It wasn't easy for her to relax reading, but on a topic she enjoyed, like ancient armorcrafting techniques, it wasn't bad. Still, she would have appreciated working in her father's forge as a way to relax.
Lulu went outside into the library's courtyard and spent some time in the fresh air. Given that it was still early, Lulu spent the time looking around at people going about their morning routines and listening to the various animals that went about their morning routines as well. Lulu knew that a lot of people needed some form of caffeine in the morning, but the lines outside the 3 shops in the area was still surprising. Lulu turned to Pix and they both just laughed while people waited and waited for their morning drink, even if it made them late for work.
As annoying it was, Jinx knew that spending energy on either playing video games or exploding things was probably a bad idea. So she decided instead to just stream some of her favorite shows until they had to leave. Shrio, Kuro, Dorcha, and Solas joined her as they all just watched people on TV blow things up. While it wasn't probably the most relaxing thing, she still was more relaxed.
Vel'Koz kept an eye on everyone, and the clock. Once he opened the barrier around the field, Malzahar would be swooping in to try and seize the energy. Fortunately, they would probably mess something up so hopefully they would be able to take advantage of it. Malzahar probably knew nothing about the field itself. He then remembered something and made a quick phone call.
Once he finished cleaning up, Nasus decided to head to the library. As monotonous as his work was at times, for the next hour and a half, it was going to be a relief to not think about such things. There wasn't much he could do for the battle itself except get everyone there. Once they were, all he could do was watch. With half an hour left, he readied the long car. Maybe for the last time, but something told him that everything would work out.
With just 15 minutes left until they had to leave, Lux walked around and got everyone together. As they all stood in the main level, Lux tried to come up with something to say, but words escaped her for the moment. "Everyone ready?" They all nodded. "Ok then. Let's do this."
"Star Guardian Power Up!" They all transformed and headed to the dock where they found Vel'Koz, Nasus, and Garen waiting.
"You all ready?" Vel'Koz asked and they all nodded. "Ok then. We are just waiting for a few friends." Vel'Koz opened the dock as the rest climbed into the car. Just as Lux was about to enter, she saw 2 police cars come driving up and smiled as she saw Caitlyn and Vi in the drivers' seats. Lux climbed in and closed the door, Nasus backed out and Caitlyn and Vi provided a front and back escort out of the city. Lux looked around at the team the entire time and saw that despite everything, they were all nervous. The scenery around changed from the city, to the suburbs, and eventually to the forest that surrounded the field.
They all pulled off the highway at a small isolated gate that hadn't been there a few days before and drove along a dirt path before arriving at a sort of temple. Once they stopped, Lux opened the door and everyone got out. Caitlyn and Vi moved to the door to make sure it was secured then waved them all in. Inside they were astonished.
Outside, the temple looked like a relic of a forgotten era that was about to crumble. Inside was a whole different story. It was almost untouched. Clean, polished stone, ever burning torches that lit up the whole area, wooden frames that showed the history of the temple and what had happened there. Once they were past the entrance hallway, the bookcases in the main room seemed to not age nor the books in them. The room itself clearly had some renovations recently as some modern tech was present. But the room itself was showing how much work and effort was put into it.
As everyone looked around the room itself several things came more into focus. In the center was a large table with the battlefield on it. Around it were a series of pedestals glowing with energy.
"It is here that in ancient times that when summoners arrive, they would make final plans and select their champions on the field. We will be doing things differently today. You will be on the field itself. Back then, champions were individuals who voluntarily gave themselves to the battle in order to fight. The magics on the field, then and now, would allow them to fight to the death. When they did die, they would revive after a period of time at their altar. Today you will not die however as you get closer, you will begin to feel tired, yet you will still be fully aware and able to fight, and eventually pass out."
They all looked at Vel'Koz in shock. "I can't remove everything in order to make this work. Since all of the champions have long since passed on, we have to work with the five of you. I can't work miracles. That's your job."
"So how can we monitor how close we are to…oh dying?" Janna asked looking down as she said it.
"There are arm bands in the champion room that you will wear into the fight. They can track your health, mana, items, and other things. That is how the old system worked and I can't override it."
"So we are fighting a MOBA aren't we?" Jinx asked and everyone looked at her with a mixture of expressions.
"Well…actually yes. That is a very accurate way to describe it." Vel'Koz had to pause for a moment before he understood.
"Well that makes this so much easier." Lux's voice couldn't hide the relief in her voice and everyone else perked up too.
"I'm not sure why I didn't think about that before now. Well I guess back then, they were actual items. Now we just use them as runes on what you already have. When you spawn in, you will see rune plates on your weapons for the various items and those will help you with damage, shields, slows, roots, and well…
"We can figure that part out." Jinx said as she looked at the 3 large doors on the other side of the room. "So what's behind there?"
"The door on the left is where you will go as that leads to where the champions would ready themselves for battle. The center door was for spectators that were not in the stands outside. Those have long since been grown over by the forest around us. It was basically box seats as they have a view from the altar and have access to viewing orbs for the action they couldn't see. The door on the right was for the summoners who could control the champions during the fight." Vel'Koz let that sink in for a bit.
"That door on both sides is locked and even with all of their magic, the void won't be able to break it. Not that it matters anyway. Summoners on their platforms won't be able to do much except watch without champions. Once anyone opens that door on the left, Malzahar will be allowed to enter the other temple. The Nexuses are set with their energy so all we are waiting on is our group of summoners who will use the energy released once you all win to reform the barriers. Oh here they are." Vel'Koz turned to see the group coming down the stairs.
"Been a long time since we were in here. Well at least this time we get to watch and not participate. One of the things is that when you were doing this, any pain your champion felt, you did as well. It was meant to that while you could see more than they could, you were still there and had to be careful." The summoner who'd been leading them finished as he lowered his hood. It was the same man as the other two groups but they seemed more determined this time.
"Now, if you all win, I have to say if because anything can happen in the Rift, the energy from the other nexus will be released. Once it is, we will capture it and focus it through this," he pointed to an object being removed from a very large crate. It was a very large crystal surrounded by a ring of metal. The crystal was floating inside the metal ring and it was glowing slightly. "This will rebuild the barrier system. It is old magic that can take a small spell, and magnify it. As far as we know, it is the only one left in the world. This requires a lot of energy however so if you don't win, then we are in trouble." He walked back to the rest of the summoners as they moved the crystal into the middle of the room and after a few minutes of rituals and some spellcasting, it glowed a little brighter.
They then carried the crystal through the center door and the rest of them followed. It almost looked like a box at a stadium. They could see just about everything. There were even modern technologies woven in with the old ones. Old magical projection screens into some areas while modern TVs were in others. There were also overhead cameras so everyone could see just about everything.
"All of this done so we can see everything. The magic that surrounds the field will prevent anyone from communicating with you while the 5 of you are in there. Whether it be modern technology or not. Once you are in there, then you are on your own." The lead summoner turned to the Guardians and they all nodded. "From here, we can watch the fight, but we can't do anything to intervene. So I will wish you good luck and may you be victorious." He turned and with the rest of the summoners, conjured up some seats for them all to sit on while they watched.
Lux turned to look at everyone else there. Vel'Koz and Nasus nodded with approval. There wasn't anything more they could say at this point. Garen just looked helpless as he tried to not cry as he knew what was coming. Caitlyn and Vi just looked determined. Taking one last look, she spotted Dorcha and Solas, who were smiling. Clearly they knew something, or were just trying to put on a brave face. Lux took a deep breath, gave a nod and a smile, and with the rest of her team, headed back into the lobby. They all walked towards the door, and as Lux put her hand on the handle, she withdrew it.
She turned to the rest of the team and they all looked back at her clearly expecting something. Lux was not only clumsy at times, but she was a horrible public speaker, despite evidence to the contrary. Lux knew she had to say something but what? Then it came to her.
"Ok gather around for a moment." The team looked up at her and they all grouped. Zephyr, Pix, Shiro, and Kuro sat on the respective shoulders of their Guardian.
"I don't know what we are going to face in there. None of us knew anything about what we would be doing, or where this would end up. Until now. This time, we know what we have to do. We know what we can't let happen. We also have a plan, or at least an idea. We play to each other strengths, cover each other weaknesses, and if we trust in each other, then no one will stop us.
"This will be the single greatest battle that we've ever faced and while we all know at the end we will come out alive, and can't die in there, that doesn't mean take unnecessary risks. Pick your fights carefully, cover your backs, and we will win this fight. A victory today will make our jobs easier, and a defeat will make our lives miserable, our jobs impossible, and our entire world in peril.
"However, look what we've accomplished. Sure we've stumbled, we've had defeats, we've had setbacks, but we have never given up. We continue to fight, and we will continue to fight. We will not give up. We will not surrender. And we will win!"
"Oh yeah!" Poppy sung her hammer onto her shoulder.
"The winds will carry us to victory!" Janna gripped her staff tighter.
"Yep. Let's get them." Lulu jumped into the air with Pix.
"Bring it on!" Shiro transformed into the minigun while Kuro jumped on Jinx's shoulder and squeaked.
Lux turned and placed her hand on the door handle, and finally turned it. The doors opened, the team headed inside, and the doors closed behind them.
As the sun rose over Runeterra, Malzahar looked down at the planet. He was looking forward to the upcoming fight, but they also had to wait. The only way they could get access to the energy trapped in the nexuses was to play the game the guardians were. Until then, they had to wait until the defenses dropped around the temple opposing them. The wait was starting to drive them all crazy.
Looking up, Malzahar saw Rek'Sai taking a last minute nap; Cho'Gath was pacing around the room; Kha'Zix was sharping his blades; and Kog'Maw, well, he was eating. Malzhar knew they wouldn't be able to keep calm longer and considering the sun was over the horizon at the site, Malzhar was wondering what was taking so long. As Malzahar looked out the window again, Cho'Gath came up behind him.
"Prophet, the temple's defenses are down." Malzahar looked again and indeed it was down.
"Come, let us go." Malzahar opened a portal and after making sure that Cho'Gath and Rek'Sai had a massive collector, they went through. The members of the void emerged on the other side at the gate of the temple. Malzahar opened the gates of the temple and they all followed him inside. Once they were down the hallway they emerged into a large room.
"Look around. Let us see what we will have to work with." The group split up and looked around. Rek'Sai tried to open the right door, but they refused to open. Rek'Sai tried again, but even after she swung her tail into the door, they refused to open. She roared again but just when she was about to charge the door, Cho'Gath stepped between her and the door.
"You aren't going to get into that room. According to this book, that is where the summoners went to control the champions. It will do us no good. The other door is the one we need. And our time is short."
"Indeed. Set up the collector in the observation room and join us." Malzahar ordered and he turned the knob and headed into the room. Cho'Gath and Rek'Sai set up the collector in the observation room and then quickly joined the rest in the champion ready room. Once they were all in, the door closed behind them and clearly locked.
"I guess we have no choice now." Rek'Sai said and the rest the group turned to her. Rek'Sai just shrunk into a corner. They all looked around and saw the gauntlets and Malzahar approached them. He picked one up and after he affixed it to his arm, it glowed and Malzahar grunted. The rest of the group moved in.
"Does it hurt?" Kog'Maw said as he looked worried. Malzahar paused a moment before responding.
"At first, but I think it is just the magics. My guess is this will help us in the battle to come. Give me a second." Malzahar looked around for an explanation, but before he looked very far, a book landed on his head. Malzahar growled and picked it up. He quickly browsed through it. "It seems like these will manage runes that we will pick to enhance our powers."
"Did it say anything else?" Cho'Gath asked and he put one on his claw and groaned. The rest of the group did the same.
"Nothing worth reading." Malzahar said as they waited for more orders. Behind them five chambers began to glow. "I guess that works." The group entered the chambers in no particular order and they waited.
"How long will this take?" Kha'Zix said, as he rubbed his blades together.
"As long as it takes." Malzahar said. A few minutes later, the chambers illuminated again and they were off.
As Lux and the team looked around they saw the armbands on a nearby table. Lux walked over and put one on her arm, and immediately grunted in pain. The rest of the team came over quickly but Lux stood up before they got to her.
"I'm fine. It is just a little painful when you put in on. Now is there something…ouch." A book fell on her head. "Nevermind." Lux picked up the book as the rest of the team put the gauntlets on. She gave it a quick read and she laid it out. It was a full list of items that were available and their effects. "Everyone give this a quick…nevermind." Four more books dropped, but the rest of the team did dodge them. They gave them all a quick read and picked the items they were going to purchase over the course of the battle.
When they had all finished, five chambers along the wall that they all previously didn't notice began to glow.
"I guess it's time." Lux said and strode into the center one. Janna and Lulu took the opposite ends, while Poppy stood between Lulu and Lux, and Jinx between Lux and Janna. "Good luck, to us all." The chambers illuminated again and they felt themselves being transported. It was all on them.
The time is now. As the Guardians and the Void take to the field, the rest of the team that traveled with the Guardians, and the rest of Runeterra as a whole can only wait to see who will emerge victorious. It will be the hardest battle yet for the Guardians and only by working together can they emerge victorious.
The plans are made, the die is cast, the pieces are in motion. The Battle of Summoner's Rift begins.