Chapter 37:

"We do indeed have permission to enter Noxian territory, with a maximum guard of six hundred troops. I know some of you have not been… onboard with the idea, but we are going there and that's all there is to it. Divided we will lose, or so I have been told." The Prince took that moment to gaze over everyone's faces and one helmet, trying to make eye contact with each. "With careful deliberation, I have decided on who will accompany me and those who will organize the army here. General Aldahn and General Tiangco will stay behind, awaiting the reinforcements from the Freljord and Demacia respectively. General Luther will accompany us, as will the Tryndamere and Sejuani. The High Councilor of the League will come as my personal quest, and the special envoy along with blue team will come as an honour guard. Make no mistake, this will be difficult, but we can do this. This might not just be the end of this war, but the endless war that has plagued our nations since long before us. Dismissed." – Prince Jarvan Lightshield IV, warleader of the united army

The Master Chief used the free thought time he had during the march to Noxus to think things over. For the most part, that consisted of trying to come to terms with the new Cortana – after all, she wasn't who she used to be, and he was sure she would fall under the category of 'compromised UNSC materiel'. But he wasn't about to end her over something he was so uncertain about.

And there was also the incident he had with the High Councilor, just before he had left. She had entered his 'quarters' – a metal slab in a tent – and began preaching about the dangers of Noxian rule. Apparently, she was afraid that Noxus would take advantage of a weakened Institute of War and try to make a move for power, which would mean that city was the most dangerous place for her to be. It was also the most important place for her to be, apparently. She needed to show how strong the Institute really was, and the Master Chief was vital to that plan.

It was not like he wanted to be used as a political tool. He had not signed up for that, nor had he agreed to do anything of the sort. But he did not really see any choice in this scenario.

And then there was also the fact that the High Councilor had seemed just as disheveled as the day the Chief had reawakened, and that was more than a little bit suspicious. Unfortunately, he was not sure what that could possible mean, and neither was Cortana.

So really, he had no choice but to follow along with what they wanted. At least until he had more information.

The Chief's foot crushed something – judging from the sound, a rock most likely – and it snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey Chief," Yasuo called out from his position roughly ten meters away at two o'clock. "Can I – I mean, can we sit in the carriage now?"

"No," the Chief answered back, sweeping the area through the iron sights of his assault rifle.

"Have we not already covered this?" Thresh said in his grindingly melodic voice. "We are on point."

Yasuo swung his battle rifle over his head in exasperation. "We've been on point for the entire trip!" he exclaimed. "That's two days!"

"And we will continue to stay on point until we reach our destination," Chief said, effectively ending the conversation. While he was certain Noxus was not behind the mech uprising, that did not mean their lands were completely automaton free, and he preferred to have his team in the best position to intercept them.

There was a laugh from one of the carts nearest to the Chief, and Yasuo managed to hear it from his position. Quite angrily he snapped, "Stop giggling, damn it," before clutching his BR tightly to his chest and grumbling.

The Chief spared a glance towards the carriage. Inside of it were all the munitions that Heimerdinger had been able to carry with him from the Forward unto Dawn. It wasn't much, but at this point everything was a welcome addition to his floundering armoury. Most of it consisted of ammunition for the assault rifle and magnum, but there was battle rifle ammunition and shotgun shells also.

There had also been a few more plasma grenades and one frag, which he had been sure to pocket.

The only new weapons in the cache had been an SMG, with enough ammunition to keep it firing for a while. He had left that one in the cache, since he preferred his assault rifle over it. It was more effective against the mechs anyway.

The highlight of the cache had been significantly larger and more powerful: a functioning M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle, more commonly known as the Spartan laser. Upon seeing it, the Chief had let out a grunt of appreciation, which was (according to Riven) was the most emotion he had shown thus far.

Regardless, the Spartan laser was the most potent firearm in his armoury now. Despite that, or because of it, the Chief would have to save it for when it was needed most. It was still nice to know he had an 'ace up his sleeve,' as Cortana had put it.

But that hadn't been all Heimerdinger had given him. Apparently he had created more of the communication devices the League had supplied, albeit ones of a more reliable sort. There were only a handful of them, though, so communication would still be spotty.

And then there was also the matter of his personal assistant and the little girl, sitting in the back of the cart. Reighlen insisted he was there because he was the Chief's aide, and it was his duty to be by his side to help him in all matters, but he suspected it was because he wanted to try out his new Summoner skills. He wasn't so sure about why Annie would have come down, and he was against the idea of having a child in the field of war.

Unfortunately, that was not his call to make. And it was also hard for him to deny her skill, or what little of it he had seen at the attack on the Institute.

"We're getting close," Riven noted. She was furthest on point, but her voice carried easily enough in the desolate environment.

"She's right," Cortana confirmed, bringing up a map – one of the ones he had recorded while at the institute – and overlayed it with blue team's estimated position. "We're roughly half an hour out, if these maps are accurate."

The Chief glanced around again. Something felt off, out-of-place. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they had seen no enemy contact since – well, since the battle of Kalamanda, and that hardly counted as recent.

"No point in worrying," Cortana said over the internal comm.

"How – "

"Your heart levels were slightly raised, as well as the response-oriented center of your brain," Cortana explained. "Really, I may not be a-as good as I used to be, but I'm still pretty damn good."

The Chief was silent for a moment.

"That you are, Cortana," he said slowly. "That you are."

"…Why do I detect a minute amount of sarcasm in your voice?"

The Chief stayed silent. He refreshed his motion sensor, but it did not detect any enemies nearby. Still, that didn't shake the feeling he had.

The feeling of being watched.

"That's… somewhat intimidating," Yasuo confessed. The Chief felt inclined to agree with him.

Noxus – or the large mountain that made up half of it – was shaped like a leering skull, staring down at the plains were the Demacian army was assembled. Walls of stone ringed the base of the mountain, which in turn was protected by a large moat, which was surrounded on all sides by a sprawling town.

"It's a weird construction," Cortana said pensively, "but I have to admit it has a sort of aesthetic charm. Minus the skull, of course."

"Of course," muttered Yasuo. He still looked somewhat intimidated and somewhat angry as he stared at the city.

Graves and Thresh looked at it with indifference, as if they had seen the like before and were not impressed.

Riven glowered at the city, her face set like stone.

The Chief briefly considered asking her if she was okay, but decided against it. It didn't seem like she wanted to be bothered.

"So… ah, how are we planning to get in there?" Yasuo asked. "It looks like a fortress."

"That is because it IS a fortress," Jarvan said, coming up beside the Spartan. He looked just as grim as Riven did, possibly even more so. He pointed towards the urban sprawl. "There are gatehouses at the cardinal points of the city, each one extremely heavily defended. If Noxus has kept there end of the bargain, we can march right in. if not…"

"They have," the High Councilor said, also moving up. "If they had not, they're army would be lying in wait for us."

"Right. Because, you know, Noxus is that nice," Yasuo scoffed, earning him a glare from Kolminye.

"Well, no point in delaying," Jarvan said. "Might as well get this over with." He turned around and began giving orders to the assembled company leaders, getting them into a better formation. Appearances count, and all that.

"Spartan," Kolminye said. "You and your team will stay in the front, alongside us." She gestured to herself and Jarvan. "Do be on your guard. It is all very peaceful around here, to the point of being dangerous."

She turned and walked away, most likely in order to organize the few Summoners that had accompanied the army.

"On point again?" Graves chuckled, tossing his cigar to the ground. Cortana had already commented on them, asking the Chief how it was possible for someone to carry and smoke so many. "Must be my birthday."

"Right?" Yasuo looked over at Graves expectantly. "See, I'm not the only one thinking this is stupid."

"Children, children," Thresh said smoothly. "Let us not argue and simply enjoy the bounty of souls we could be reaping."

Everyone was quite.

"Well, that shut them up quickly," Cortana commented over the personal comm.

"I'll try and remember it," the Chief replied sarcastically.

It took about twenty minutes for the Demacian army and allies to reform and for the march to begin. All very inefficient in the Chief's mind, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it.

The closer they got to the city, the more desolate and ramshackle everything became. The ground was cracked and grey, and the houses were clearly falling apart. He wasn't the only one to notice it, either. Yasuo had commented on it, and the High Councilor had told them it was because only the poorest of the Noxian population lived outside the walls.

Fairly brutal in the Chief's opinion, and he had witnessed some pretty brutal things. It was no wonder the Demacians had been so against coming here.

They were stopped just before they reached the city limits. Standing in the middle of the road was a man, dressed elegantly in gold and purple robes. Behind him were a troop of soldiers, each garbed in gold armour and green robes. There were only a handful of them, thirty-three according to Cortana, and they wouldn't pose any problem if any fighting started.

Jarvan stepped forth, handing his javelin to Xin Zhao as he did so. He raised his right hand in greeting.

The man stepped forth also, meeting Jarvan halfway across the dusty road. "Greetings, honoured guests of Noxus," the man announced. "We welcome you to our lands."

"…Right," Jarvan IV said, his face devoid of emotion.

Maybe the speaker had been expecting something to be said in return, or maybe he had expected a different reaction from the prince, but as a result he faltered when Jarvan gave his response.

"You…you have been instructed to make your way to the grand palace, where negotiations will take place."

"Instructed?" Yasuo asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

"You are allowed to bring with you a guard of ten. We hope to leave immediately, so please, make haste your priority."

Jarvan stood silent. When he finally spoke, his voice dripped with hostility. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll do just that."

He turned back and walked to the assembled leaders of the host, conferring amongst them. At a wave from Kolminye, the Chief joined them.

"I congratulate you on your ability for self-restraint," one of the Summoners said to Jarvan.

"Yeah, I was pretty sure you were going to take his head off," Sejuani laughed.

"Ten men is not nearly enough," Tyrndamere said, staring at the messenger with hate. "That sounds exactly like a trap."

"Which is why it must be sprung," Kolminye said. "Walk I with head held high, ready for peace. If they are the ones to initiate war, then everyone will know of their treachery. There will be no room for doubt."

"Generally speaking, I'd rather not become a martyr," General Tiangco said, his hand on his chin.

"I don't think any of us plan on doing that," Jarvan said somewhat harshly. He looked around the group, thinking, before speaking again. "I will go, as will the High Councilor, Tryndamere, and Sejuani. That should account for all the leaders here."

"That simply leaves the matter of the guards," General Tiangco said, clearly unwilling to argue with Jarvan.

"Blue team is going," the Chief stated.

Everyone else looked to him.

"That takes up five out of the ten allotted guards," Sejuani noted.

"And they will be well worth it," Kolminye said. "They have fought the enemy more times than the rest of us, making them experts."

"Alternatively, Demacia has fought Noxus the most, making us experts," said General Tiangco.

"We are not fighting Noxus," the Chief said. Everyone looked to him again.

"Okay, whatever," Sejuani sighed. "I want Olaf on this guard."

"Are we seriously just going to go along with this?" General Tiangco complained.

"Yes, yes we are," Jarvan said in a serious tone. "I'll take Garen, Xin Zhao, and Lux along. That makes nine."

"I got nobody," Tryndamere said. "I'm more than enough."

Kolminye rolled her eyes. "Fine, Kayle shall take the last spot. Ten guards."

"…Glad we got that settled," General Tiangco muttered, unnoticed by the others.

"Hey! Messenger dude!" Tryndamere called out loud, drawing the attention of said messenger and everyone else nearby. "Are we allowed to bring weapons into the city?"

The messenger responded with a 'no'.

Tryndamere sighed and kicked the ground. Jarvan shrugged and handed his spear off to General Tiangco, who once again was confused. "Are you seriously just going with this?"

"Child, you need to learn that you don't anger your hosts," Kolminye said in a patronizing tone.

The group began to argue again, and the Chief took the moment to retreat away, heading for the cart where his ammunition was being stored.

Hit team followed him, and they each stored their weapons in the same manner he did.

"Y'know, Chief," Reighlen said, "I'm kind of surprised you're leaving your weapons here. You didn't strike me as the type to…" at the Chief's glaring visor he fell silent.

"Are you guys going to kill bad guys?" little Annie asked.

"No yet," Cortana replied, allowing the Chief to maintain his silence.

"Ohhhhhh, there's a pretty lady in the suit!"

"…No," the Chief said. He gave Annie a brief glance before returning his attention to his assistant. "Keep this safe. And be ready to come to me, if I ask it of you."

Reighlen nodded. "Okay," he said, before pausing to think. "Wait, I have this really cool idea! I've recently learned the charms needed to bond minds with a Champion. I can link to you like on the Summoner's Rift!"

"Two people I-in one head?" Cortana asked. "That might get a b-bit cluttered."

"No, it'll be fun," the boy exclaimed.

"Have you tested this before?" The Chief asked.

"No."

"… Have you seen it in action before?" he asked again.

"…not really, no."

"…I don't think this is a good idea," the Chief concluded.

"No, it'll be great!" the boy shouted, standing up from the cart. "Okay, now hold still, I just need to remember the words…"

The boy began to recite something indecipherable, something that sounded very much like a chant. It brought back memories of the Covenant, with their religious chanting and zealotry.

It took several minutes, but eventually the Chief felt a change. It was not the same feeling he got when being Summoned, but it was pretty close.

"This is… odd," Cortana said slowly. "Is this how it feels to share a head?"

"You don't have a head," the Chief replied honestly. He nodded his thanks to his assistant and moved away from the carriage.

Cortana sighed theatrically.

The Chief could see the army leaders reassembling – or rather, finishing their argument – and he assumed that was his que to return to them.

He made it about ten steps before he was stopped and pulled aside by Riven.

"Going in there is a bad idea," she said, keeping her eyes on the outline of the mountain city.

"It'll be fine," Chief replied, moving away again.

"You know," Cortana began, "maybe she just doesn't want to go in there."

"What makes you think that?" the Chief asked, wondering if he would need to pull Riven off the guard team. It wouldn't be any good to have a less-than-one-hundred-percent teammate.

"Just call it 'womanly intuition'."

"…No."

The group of fourteen followed the messenger and his troupe through the ramshackle city that surrounded the walls of Noxus. Distaste was evident on the faces of everyone in the group, but the Noxians leading them payed no heed whatsoever to the people around them, guests or otherwise.

It really was the slums, and it galled the Chief to think that these ruined buildings were the first line of defense against attack. It was needlessly brutal, especially for someone like him who had been brought up to protect humanity at all costs.

The continued on, reaching the gate house to the inner city. It was just as heavily defended as he had been told, with nearly a small army defending the area. If the Demacians had been hard-pressed to attack this place, it would have been a bloodbath for certain.

The Chief was not entirely sure he would be able to fight through the defenses here, either.

Noxian soldiers turned to glare at the passing group, some snickering, others just staring. Some of them whispered things out, and the Chief was able to catch words like, 'demons', 'bluebloods', and 'exile'. The group ignored them, for the most part. Yauso and Riven could not help but stare back at the soldiers.

The gates were already open for them, so they passed through into the actual city, and the difference was immediately apparent. The housing, while still not the best, was undoubtedly better than what the Chief had seen outside. The homes were made completely out of stone, and they seemed to be in fairly good condition.

The people living in them were a different story. They came out, narrow eyed, and stared at the passing men. Each one looked shifty, and some appeared outright dangerous. The Chief found himself, on several occasions, reaching for his weapons that were not there.

Olaf tried to tap on the stone of the housing with his axe, but was stopped by one of the soldiers moving with them. He did not seem too pleased about that, and went out of his way to tap every other stone he could see after that.

The Chief could not decide if Olaf was better with them, or without them. He seemed skilled, and his physique certainly pointed towards his combat proficiency, but he seemed temperamental and reckless. That could prove to be a problem.

The further they got, the more impressive and wealthy the housing was. The city also rose upwards, and each new block of housing took up a higher tier. It seemed that there was a direct correlation between the quality of housing and the higher up the mountain they were located. He also noted with some annoyance that his maps did not include the multi-tiered nature of Noxus, and so he made sure to have Cortana map it all out.

The only thing that did not seem to change was the citizens. They had the same shifty, narrow eyed expressions which the Chief could only describe as world-weary. He was not sure what made the people like that, and he was not entirely sure he wanted to find out.

They rose higher still, heading for the large palace that took up the topmost portion of the mountain. The higher tiers were clearly defense works for the palace, but meant to look natural. Numerous buildings were scattered about, massive in size. Clearly these were the noble homes, and each one looked to be as wealthy as any of the city blocks below.

Kayle stared at the housing here, but the Chief could not decide what she thought was so special. But that was not the only thing she was staring at.

She sent periodic glances at the Chief, and though he could not see her face, he could tell she seemed amused. He was not sure why, but he resolved to find out later.

The number of elite guards intensified the closer they got to the palace. By the time they reached the front gates, the Chief had counted enough guards to form a legion. In all probability, they were.

They stopped in front of the palace gates. They were large, ornate, made of gilded black iron. Rubies studded the topmost edges of the doors.

There was also a man standing before them. The Chief recognized him as Darius, the hand of Noxus; a champion he had fought several times before on the fields of justice. Apparently the other champions and Summoners in the group recognized him; too, because their demeanor changed once they saw him. The Chief just wasn't sure whether it was for the better or worse.

Darius nodded to the messenger, and the man bowed quickly before retreating with his band of soldiers.

"You going to show us in?" Jarvan asked Darius, a cocky smile on his face.

Darius huffed in response. He turned away from the group, and at some unseen command, the gates opened with a harsh grinding noise.

He moved in without a word, forcing the group to follow along blindly.

"This fe-els like a trap," Cortana noted privately.

The Chief agreed with her. Unfortunately, there was not much to do but spring the trap.

Hopefully he was just overthinking things.

The palace was dark, almost like a cave would be. The Chief was sure that everyone else in the party, or at least those not used to the dark, would be having trouble seeing things. That would be a serious tactical advantage to the enemy.

Darius led them through several halls, each one climbing higher up, and always going forwards. The halls were fancy in an archaic sort of way; most of the decoration being carved pictures gilded with silver. The floors were covered with red carpets, but their hosts did not seem to mind them getting dirty by fourteen pairs of feet.

They encountered many elite guards inside the palace, each one armed with a long polearm. They also bore purple robes instead of green ones, possibly making these ones royal guards. Or so the Chief theorized.

They stopped suddenly outside of another door, this one made of red wood and pearl.

"Be on your best behavior inside," Darius said. He knocked on the door thrice, and then stepped into the room.

Kolminye quickly stopped the group, making eye contact with Sejuani, Olaf and Tryndamere. "The three of you," she said, "stay silent as the dead. We cannot jeopardize this."

Sejuani scowled, but the other two nodded in some sort of understanding.

Kolminye stepped back, and everyone entered.

The room was massive, larger than the throne room back in Demacia. It was less ornate, but far more impressive in terms of scope and scale. The ceiling was high and arched, and large windows ran across the walls of the room, admitting just enough light to see. The floor had inlaid pictures, some depicting battle, others depicting events in Runeterra's past that the Chief was not aware of.

Most of the others looked impressed, too. The only exceptions were Riven, the High Councilor, Jarvan and Thresh.

Not that Thresh had any expression other than mildly annoyed.

There were several figures in the room already, most of which the Chief recognized. The ones he did not were dressed in fine robes, and were most likely nobles, maybe advisors.

The other ones were far more familiar, since the majority of them were League Champions.

Katarina was there, perched on a high-backed chair, her feet propped up on one of the long rectangle tables that stretched the length of the throne hall. She payed little attention to the group, instead focusing on sharpening a wicked dagger.

A red haired and red-suited man stood with the cluster of nobles, and though the Chief did not know his name, he recognized him from the league rosters. It also helped that Cortana brought up a picture of him, pre-recorded from his time at the league.

There was LeBlanc, the deceiver, standing closest to the throne. She wore her usual attire and had a smirk on her face. She gave a theatrical bow to the group, and said, "Welcome to the court of Noxus. We are so very glad to have you." She turned her head slightly to stare at Riven. "Most of you."

Riven bristled but otherwise did not move, Chief noted with some satisfaction.

"Come now," the figure on top of the throne said, "no need to be so hostile."

Swain stood up from the black throne, descending the two wide steps until he was level with everyone else.

Jarvan moved forwards one careful step, staring down Swain. Swain did the same in return.

"Funny, us meeting without you stabbing me with something," Swain said with a half-smile.

Jarvan did not smile back.

"We have come to beseech you to help us in our fight against the common enemy," the High Councilor spoke, moving in between the two rulers.

Swain raised an eyebrow at her. The unnatural raven on his shoulder screeched. "I thought we had made it abundantly clear we would not help you without an apology from them." He jerked his head towards Jarvan. "If he is prepared to do that, then please, begin."

Silence reigned throughout the court.

Kolminye looked to Jarvan, who simply set his jaw and stared straight ahead at the throne.

"Thought not," LeBlanc said, lifting her nails and admiring them.

The Chief sighed internally. This was definitely not going to plan.

He stepped forwards but remained behind Jarvan and Kolminye, giving them respect as commanders.

"Champion Swain," the Spartan started, realizing a little bit late that he did not know what Swain's proper title was. "I am not Demacian, and so cannot apologize on their behalf. However, I understand that Noxus played no part in what has happened. It would be mutually beneficial if we combined our forces, in order to secure this world once again."

Silence again.

The Chief stepped back as Cortana whispered, "nice speech."

Swain chuckled dryly. "The Master Chief. You seem to be everything that has been attributed to you. Too bad I could not face you on the fields of Justice and judge your worth myself."

"Maybe we can," the Chief offered.

"But only if we work together," the High Councilor added, glaring at Jarvan.

"Ah…. Yes, what she said," Jarvan mumbled out.

"Well, that's reassuring," Katarina commented from the table. She seemed to be wholly disinterested with the ongoing negotiations. She had another set of daggers on the table, too, and the Chief was fairly certain he had not seen those upon entering the room.

"I will not lie," Swain said. "I was advised to not except your plea for help, and instead make a move for… personal gain."

Some of the advisors behind the master tactician stiffened.

"However, some of you have made a decent argument. These are not normal times, and I dare say things are going to get far worse. Already I have had reports of movement along my borders."

"Well now," Cortana said. "That's interesting."

"I will allow you to make your case to me, and possibly gain the assistance of Noxus," Swain finished.

Jarvan tilted his head slightly before nodding. He and Swain began to talk, with mostly calm words passing between them.

But the Chief was not paying attention to that. He stared at the odd creature perched upon the leader of Noxus' shoulder, the six-eyed raven. It was staring at the Prince oddly, and the Chief could almost swear he saw a spark of intelligence in its eyes. That made him almost nervous; he did not relish the idea of being this close to a potential enemy without adequate intel.

Still, he could make it work if needed.

Swain took a step back from the prince, and the Chief switched his gaze from the bird to it's master.

"It is probably more prudent to continue these matters in our war room," Swain said, gesturing to a door just to the right of the throne.

"Of course," Jarvan said smoothly, moving towards the door before Swain could.

Swain's face betrayed nothing as he watched Jarvan walk. "Please, tell us if you desire anything," he said, directing the comment towards the honour guard.

Clearly they weren't invited in, too.

"A question," the Chief stated, earning raised eyebrows from both Swain and Kolminye. Deciding that that was an invitation to continue, the Chief asked, "Who was it that was following us the way here?"

Katarina looked up sharply, her dagger making a clinging noise as the tip hit the grindstone at the wrong angle. Swain simply looked to the Chief with a somewhat bemused expression.

You've been caught," Swain said to nobody as he also began to make his way to the war room.

A man dropped down from the roof of the room, seemingly cloaked in roiling shadows, landing smoothly. He gave a swift bow, saying, "My most sincere apologies, my liege."

Katarina snorted. "Getting rusty," she called out.

Talon shot her a glare.

The Chief watched the hooded man, recognizing him, too, from the fields of justice. Talon, the blades shadow, one of the premier assassins of Noxus. It made sense that he would be the one stalking them.

Tryndamere gave Talon a respectful nod before he, too, moved towards the war room.

Sejuani barked out a laugh. "Getting found by a giant in armour? That's too good."

"Your senses must be dull if you could find me," Talon said coldly. "Have you anything to offer your team but weakness?"

Sejuani ground her teeth together and moved forwards, but was stopped by Kolminye, who ordered her into the other room. She obeyed after shooting one final look at Talon.

Talon moved away also, heading towards the table were Katarina was sitting.

Kolminye turned to the honour guard. "This is now a matter for us leaders. Stay here, and try to play nice," she said, then focused on the Chief. "Good job, for your words and you perception. Now, if you could something else for me?"

"Yes?"

"Go outside the palace. I want you to scout about. There is something off, but I cannot tell if it is the cause of the Noxians or worse."

The Chief nodded, and Kolminye retreated.

"Yaaaay, scouting runs," Cortana pretend cheered.

The Chief ignored her. He paced towards blue team. As soon as he neared them, he told them of his plans, and told them to stay put and listen for anything suspicious.

Graves took that the best, immediately jumping onto the nearest chair and producing a flask of alcohol from somewhere.

Yasuo tried to the same, but simply ended up breaking the chair because of his new armour.

Thresh remained standing, staring at his lantern as if watching something.

Riven stared at the Chief.

"Something wrong?" Chief asked. He really could not tell what was going on with her.

"You're just going out there?" she asked.

The Chief replied honestly with a 'yes'. Riven shook her head. "You don't know anything about this place. I'm going with you."

The Chief started to protest, but was cut off by Cortana. "That sounds great. Now let's hop on it and get going!"

The Chief sighed.

Their feet tapped along the paved ground, leaving no trace of their passing. The entire area – more like a plateau than anything else, and most likely man-made, as theorized by Cortana – was covered in stone, leaving none of the original mountain visible.

The pair had been moving around for nearly half an hour, with no sign of anything odd and no signal from their leaders to return. In the end, the Chief just started following Riven around, since this entire job seemed fruitless.

After some bickering and persuasion, they eventually got a table at an open café near the edge of the plateau. It overlooked Noxus, showing the entire city in all of it's dark splendor.

The Chief also noted with some admiration that the area was layed out in such a way that it could be used as a defensive wall. It was rather clever thinking.

Riven sipped at her tea, staring out at the city, too. "It's an interesting place," she said.

The Chief did not respond, since he knew nothing of these matters.

"I used to live here, you know."

The Chief stayed silent once again.

"Say something," Cortana practically hissed over the internal comm.

"I… gathered that," the Chief said, and for some reason Riven smiled.

"I used to be the poster child for the city," she said, calmly sipping her tea. "Before I became an Exile. It sucks, because everyone knows me and knows what I've done." She shook her head. "It's like a shadow you want gone, but can't ever be rid of because it is a part of you."

"Tell her it's not what you've done, but how you've lived," Cortana hissed again to the Chief.

"Why?" he asked, perplexed. "Her concerns are a genuine proble-"

"Do it, Chief," Cortana said.

"It is not what you have done, but how you have lived," the Chief said aloud.

Riven looked over at him with a funny expression.

"You could have worded that better," Cortana noted privately.

"I said exactly what you told me to say," the Chief retorted.

"Thanks, Chief," Riven said, oblivious to the private conversation going on.

They both looked back over the city.

After a few minutes, Riven pointed to a square plaza mid-way up the sloping mountain. "That's the entrance to the Underground."

"And that is?" Chief asked. This could be useful.

"The Underground is essentially a small city in the caverns beneath the mountain," Riven said. "It's where all the really shifty stuff goes on, where the really bad things happen. It has barely any guards, and so it's almost complete anarchy down there. It's the place where I grew up."

The Chief blinked. That… was something he did not know, and for some inexplicable reason, he felt bad about it.

Riven continued on, undeterred. "Beneath that are the catacombs, which stretch on for kilometers. Most of them are dungeons, but some are said to be repositories of lore and arcane knowledge. Most of them are owned by various nobles, though. Hilariously, those are better guarded than the Underground."

"Interesting," Cortana noted out loud, and Riven raised an eyebrow. "Lore and arcane know –"

The Chief slapped the side of his helmet, hoping Cortana would get the idea and shut up. He was rewarded with and 'ow' from the A.I and an amused look from Riven.

The only sound for the next few minutes was the sound of Riven sipping her tea.

Finally, she started to speak again. "Chief, listen, I have to tell out tha-"

"What's that?" the Chief interrupted.

Riven heaved out a sigh, rubbing the side of her head and turning in the direction the Chief was looking. She brought her cup to her lips before what she was looking at finally registered in her head.

She dropped the cup.

Lights, hundreds of them, possibly thousands, moving towards the city. A veritable sea of enemies, moving towards the mountain fortress.

"That's… uh…" Riven was at a loss for words.

How had an entire army sneaked up on Noxus?

The Chief stood up. He looked toward the waiter, who seemed just as shocked as Riven was to see an army on his front lawn.

"I need a weapon," The Master Chief told the man as the first siege constructs began to fire.

Sorry that this took so long to come out, I had a bit of writer's block trying to make this a good transition chapter. Sorry about that.

Enjoy the chapter, I guess. Review if there's anything you want to say. If not, have a fine day.