With the addition of their fourth teammate, the Guardians grow stronger still. However, they must tread carefully as Malzahar's true plan remains hidden from them, for now. Kog'Maw may be young, but is full of enthusiasm for carrying out Malzahar's wishes. How long can Malzahar keep his plan a secret this time and will Kog'Maw actually get the scepter this time?
Chapter 23 – Scepter Scramble
"Go Pix!" Lulu said as Poppy charged in and landed several blows against the dummies while Lux and Janna focused more keeping the same dummies under control. Nasus was watching, but even he couldn't ignore the fact Lulu kept drifting in and out of focus. Poppy circled around for another attack, and when she went in again, Pix wasn't present. Poppy stopped and turned to see Lulu, who was again looking out the window.
"Lulu!?" Poppy yelled as she stopped in place again. Lulu snapped out of her trance and sent Pix in, but the rhythm was broken and Poppy just walked off and headed downstairs. Lux and Janna took that as a sign practice was over. They turned to Lulu, who looked hurt, but there was something else, that Lux couldn't put her finger on. When the others joined Poppy downstairs, she was still fuming.
"Lulu you have to pay attention. I know it's just practice, but we can't afford to not practice. You are still new, and we don't know how you fit in yet. So you have to keep up with us and…" Poppy just let her voice trail off as Lulu looked hurt, and Pix was floating behind her. Lux was about to say something when Janna put her hand on Lux's shoulder and just shook her head. Lux stayed quiet, knowing that Poppy just needed to clear the air.
Lulu looked from Poppy to the window and back again. She just sat down at the table and while she didn't cry, she looked hurt. Poppy was still too annoyed to pay attention. Granted the last two days hadn't gone as expected, but the first secession three days ago seemed fine. Lux got Poppy's attention and pointed upstairs. Poppy was about to groan, but thought better of it. Janna hovered over to Lulu to make sure she was ok.
Once they reached the third floor, Lux turned to Poppy. "I know she's different, but we have to accept that. Clearly she's got something else going on, but we have to adapt to that. Maybe we can't go these marathon secessions anymore and take a few more breaks." Lux kept her voice neutral, and while Poppy seemed to be ready to defend herself, she quickly backed down at Lux's tone.
"I know, but it's just so frustrating. I mean she spaces out quickly and she doesn't seem to want this." As soon as those last words left Poppy's mouth, she instantly regretted them. Even more so when she saw Lux's face, who was clearly now angry.
"You know that isn't true. Lulu was given the choice already to walk away, but she stayed. Now, we will have to accept that for the moment and move on. I know it is frustrating, but again we'll just have to adapt." Lux ended the conversation there as she headed back downstairs where Janna and Lulu had already powered down and Lulu was again drawing. She seemed happier, as even Pix flew to Poppy once she followed Lux down and she gave him a scratch. Lux and Poppy powered down and Poppy carefully made her way over to the table, but only Janna turned to her, and she also gave a sour face. Poppy nodded and she looked at what Lulu was drawing and it was just random scribbles.
Lux sighed and they all turned to go. It wasn't a secret that Lulu was weird, but with Lux accepting her, everyone in the class warmed up to their new classmate. As they headed home, Lux ran into Amy and split off; Janna walked home with Poppy; Lulu broke off early and headed into a nearby park.
"Pix, what's wrong?" Lulu asked her companion, and he just let out a few squeaks. "Yeah I know, but I find it hard to focus at times. You know that." Pix just squeaked some more and Lulu dropped her head. "I guess this time I really need to try don't I?" Pix squeaked again. "Ok maybe just some of the time." Pix squeaked and nuzzled up against Lulu. She smiled and knew for the first time, she had friends who wouldn't run, and willing to stick by her. Even Poppy. Lulu smiled again and resumed her walk home.
As Janna and Poppy rounded onto the street where Poppy lived, Janna finally said something. "Ok I've been keeping quiet but since you haven't said anything, I will. You need to lay off Lulu. Remember when you came in, me and Lux were already in that mindset, but Lulu has been moving around for a lot of her life. She hasn't had time to make friends, so she developed her own way of doing it. Just cut her some slack and you will find some common ground." Janna was quite harsh, and while Poppy didn't need a second talk down in such a short period of time, she still nodded.
"I know, but it's difficult. She just seems to absentminded that it makes me worry that if we get into a fight, she will just run off." Poppy let her frustration out and while Janna could tell she wanted to say more, Poppy just stayed quiet. Janna just kept walking, and once they reached Poppy's house, Janna just let her go inside without another word. Janna knew that pushing Poppy too hard would lead to more problems, but she also knew that this had to be settled. Even if it took time, getting it started now rather than later would also be a huge benefit.
Poppy went straight to her room and she just flopped on her bed. She knew that she had been too harsh with Lulu, but she also reminded herself that once a fight did break out, it was not only hers, but everyone else's life on the line. Poppy was never able to stand when people couldn't focus on a task at hand, but with Lulu spacing out all the time, it was going to be difficult. 'She was solid in the first fight, but will that repeat?' Poppy thought to herself as she kept turning it all over in her head. Getting more frustrated, she just punched her pillow and just headed to her computer to vet some of the frustration she was carrying.
When Lux got home, she was also frustrated. Knowing it would take everyone time to get used to Lulu, but unknown to either one of them, Lux shared some of the same concerns that Poppy had. They had to get used to Lulu but she also needed to do a better job focusing. Lux just put her head in her hands and sat at her computer, resulting in her putting her head on her desk.
"Cheer up Lux, only one more to go. What's wrong?" Dorcha said, jumping up onto the desk. Lux picked her head up to look at the black poro.
"Just Poppy and Lulu. Well mostly Lulu. I can tell she eccentric, but she keeps wandering off or zoning out. It's just hard to focus with that being a constant problem." Lux replied, her voice not sounding any happier.
"I mean she was solid in that first fight, so it proves she can stay focused." Solas said, jumping into the conversation.
"Still, that doesn't mean that I can keep them all from fighting each other. I hoping to never have to scold someone like that again." Lux knew that the second those words left her mouth, that there would be another time, and she just let her head hit her desk. "Ow!" Dorcha and Solas just rolled their eyes and chucked a bit.
As Kog'Maw looked over the plan for the city, he carefully studied what he could of the traitor's residence/workspace. Kog'Maw knew that one on one, he would lose, but if he could draw the guardians away again, since they didn't seem to be aware of his plan yet, he might just have a chance.
"Planning your next failure?" Came a hiss, and Kog'Maw turned to see Rek'Sai walking in.
"So you're out of the tank then?" Kog'Maw said, turning back to his plate of snacks. Rek'Sai just scowled.
"For now. I still have much more healing to do. I just had three to deal with, and right now, your collection of energy means I'm done healing faster so here's some advice. They are just one away from getting a full team, don't let that happen, and if it does, never underestimate them." Rek'Sai left with that, and limped out the same way she came in. Kog'Maw just ignored what she said and continued his planning. There would have to be a big distraction in order for him to get the scepter.
"Kog'Maw how goes your planning?" Came another question. Kog'Maw looked up expecting to see Cho'Gath, but instead Malzahar was floating in. Quickly stepping away from his snacks, Kog'Maw stood up a little straighter.
"Well enough Great Prophet. I am looking forward to the next engagement and making a second attempt at your scepter. I'm hoping they will see it not for the items, but for other reasons." Kog'Maw spoke very quickly trying to not lose his nerve.
"What other reasons would there be Kog'Maw?" Malzahar was testing him and Kog'Maw stopped and started to think. Malzahar almost wanted to get a shot of void energy as it looked painful.
"Sentimental reasons Prophet." Kog'Maw finally stated after a few minutes. Malzahar nodded in approval. After all a staff or scepter were some of the most prized possessions of a mage.
"Good job, now we have to keep the guardians believing that. Watch yourself. What Rek'Sai said is true. Try to find the fifth guardian before they are found. And again, don't underestimate the guardians. I have twice, and look what happened." Malzahar indicated the scar on his head above his eyes and Kog'Maw just nodded. Malzahar then floated out and Kog'Maw turned back to his plans, and after eating a few snacks, realized that he needed more distractions.
On Runeterra, Lux, Poppy, and Lulu were all annoyed with the teachers emphasizing exams for high school that were still a few months away. Lulu seemed to be paying attention in class, which Poppy noticed, but then she was also always either writing something or drawing something, yet somehow always answered a question. Even if she had to be called on twice. 'Maybe that's just the way she is.' Poppy thought to herself as Lulu wasn't wandering off, but did clearly space out at times. Pix knocking her in the side whenever this happened.
As the final bell rang, the class headed outside and they all separated to walk home. Lulu went off towards a nearby park and Poppy followed at a distance. Lux who was looking for Poppy, likewise followed her at a distance. When Lulu found a decent tree, she settled down, pulled a notebook and continued drawing with Pix settling on her shoulder. Lulu still however seemed aware of the world as she managed to dodge a ball that flew at her.
Lux just watched Poppy and smiled. Hopefully this would alleviate her frustration, but no sooner had Lux thought that, Poppy just stormed away. Lux just let out a sigh but she knew that it would just take some time. Hopefully not much time, but still it would be annoying until they reached an agreement. Lux also knew that she couldn't interfere because if she did, then it might deteriorate further. Lux just sighed, and started to walk home.
Unknown to both Lux and Poppy, Janna was watching as well, and after the two left, Janna walked over Lulu and sat down next to her. Lulu looked up from her drawing to look at Janna. "Hello!" Lulu's enthusiasm wasn't lost yet.
"Lulu you know Poppy didn't mean to get so angry right?" Janna asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"I know. She's just angry. I know she doesn't mean it." Lulu replied, catching Janna off guard. "I have to say that I'm not helping, but I'm trying. It's just different here. Very different. The flow of this place is so different." Janna was not struggling to keep up. Underneath that crazy exterior, Lulu seemed more connected than any of them. Janna just smiled.
"Just keep trying. Poppy will always respect that. Even if she doesn't show it." Janna said, her voice now reflecting her emotions of relief.
"Oh I know." Lulu just let her voice trail off as Janna stood up. "I'll be there. Don't worry about that." Janna just smiled and headed home. Janna was tempted to tell Lux and Poppy, but they both had to see, especially Poppy. Lux, Janna reasoned, probably knew.
As the day turned to night, the Guardians settled down for the evening. Lulu was in her backyard, just staring at the moon. She could feel the powerful presence there but she also felt another powerful presence. Lulu sprung to her feet, and headed indoors, grabbed a blue pencil, and began drawing. Only after her parents insisted, did she finally go to bed.
In her room, Poppy also found herself looking up towards the moon. She knew that Malzahar was planning something big, but so were they. She expected someone like herself, Lux, or Janna when their new Guardian made her appearance. Not something like Lulu, who just drifted off and didn't focus. Poppy didn't know that Lulu was trying to change, but she also didn't have the patience to wait for it. Or at least give her a chance to start.
Lux looked out her window with Dorcha and Solas, just looking at the lights of the city in the distance. Reminded of how many people were depending on her and her team, Lux couldn't imagine how her team could be split apart, especially over something that is just going to take time. Lux racked her brain trying to come up with a solution, but she couldn't think of anything off the top of her head apart from patience. However, patience was in short supply right now. Deciding that she couldn't think any more today, Lux just went to bed.
That night Kog'Maw was confident in his plant to attack and gather as much energy as possible. He was ready, but knew attacking at night, while it might catch the guardians off guard and unprepared, it would also have issues because there wouldn't be a lot of energy to collect without running around to get it. Deciding to wait until the morning, Kog'Maw settled on going to sleep instead.
While the eating machine was sleeping, Cho'Gath wandered in to see Kog'Maw's plan and report it back to Malzahar, and he was impressed, especially given the rushed nature of the attack. Still it wasn't up to the standards of the others, but it was still a decent enough plan. Lots of chaos, but then chaos didn't need much planning. Cho'Gath walked out as quietly as he entered.
"Heading to bed?" Came a voice, and Cho'Gath turned to see Kha'Zix.
"Yes. Only Vel'Koz managed to master never needing sleep. Why we didn't get how he did it from him before we abandoned him is our loss." Cho'Gath replied.
"He betrayed us! Don't forget that." But no sooner than were the words out of Kha'Zix's mouth, then he was in pain gripping his head.
"Never forget that we did abandon him. We could have waited, but all we saw were planets waiting to be exploited. Energy to drain, and our lives freed from that infernal prison. Well yours anyway. Never forget that he had to adapt to survive, and he grew to like the planet, for whatever reasons. Never forget that Kha'Zix." Malzahar had come up behind the two of them and punished Kha'Zix for forgetting the past. "Never forget the past." Malzahar sneered as he let Kha'Zix go. He floated off while Cho'Gath and Kha'Zix stared after him.
"He is right you know. Still I didn't expect that. He's not in a good mood." Cho'Gath said as he turned back to Kha'Zix.
"I could have told you that." Kha'Zix walked off, still holding his head and headed to bed as well. "Now I see why across so many worlds, so many people use intoxicating elements." He groaned as he entered his room. Cho'Gath chucked and likewise headed for his room.
The following morning saw the team rise to a good morning but probably an annoying day as they all dragged themselves to school. Lux and Poppy almost slept through the morning, while Lux somehow managed to not get in trouble for letting her arm slip off her desk. After the third time, Amy was suppressing laughter, and Lux just flicked an eraser at her. Poppy just kept an eye on Lulu, who seemed to be a bit more focused but was still drawing something. Lux, able to see from the other side, could see Lulu's notebook and she was taking notes, but Poppy couldn't.
Lux knew that sooner or later Lulu would prove herself, but Poppy wasn't even giving her a chance, which was annoying her. As soon as the lunch began, Lux considered talking to Poppy, but thought better of it as Amy waved her over to join them. Lux just smiled and joined her friends. It was nice to have these moments every now and then since their lives now were anything but ordinary. It also reminded Lux who she was fighting for and she just let herself be absorbed in the conversation.
Poppy however, wasn't having a good day. She knew that Lux was probably right, but that still didn't dismiss her concerns. She was still very nervous about Lulu and her commitment, and especially her focus. Poppy still couldn't get over the fact that she just spaced out at random. What she also couldn't get past was that Lulu could see the attack before it began, so she may have had some other skills.
Something that was still bothering the whole team was when that new void creature would attack again. They were hoping that Vel'Koz would have some information about it later at the meeting, but until then, all of them would just have to suffer through school.
As soon as school was over, the whole team went to the tower, with Lulu tagging along behind Lux and Poppy. For her part, Lulu didn't get lost and followed all the way. Poppy did notice, but it didn't alleviate her frustration. Once inside, they waited for Vel'Koz, who showed up a few minutes later.
"So there is good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" He asked.
"Start with the bad news." Poppy said, her voice betraying her emotions a bit.
"Ok I have no idea who you are fighting. I've never see that creature before." The team was a bit taken aback given the looks on their faces. "However that is also good news. Since you don't now, many of the creatures in the void are not sentient. They are very simple and perform basic tasks, almost machine like. Some, like those Zzs, have the intelligence of animals here on Runeterra. However, for something to get like that in the void, it has to be nurtured, and then fed. And fed a lot."
"Wouldn't that mean he's also not that intelligent?" Poppy asked.
"Probably. I'm sure that that first attack he launched had a purpose and while it was effective, it also relied on overwhelming numbers. Now that demonstrates some thinking at least. Still, I would be cautious, but I also wouldn't be too worried about complicated plans." Vel'Koz finished and turned to leave.
"Still never underestimate your enemy." Lux reminded him. Vel'Koz turned and nodded, before leaving. Lux turned to the rest of her team. "Ok everyone. Let's just keep an eye out today. With how things went, I'm sure Malzahar is looking for more energy, so high traffic areas. So I would suggest we all split up and just have a walk around the city until after rush hour. I think then we can rule out an attack until the following day. They all nodded and they all parted ways. Poppy was the last out as she wanted to watch Lulu more closely.
The team split up, Lux headed towards downtown and the central parks; Janna headed towards the main train station; Poppy, once she stopped watching Lulu, headed towards some of the large parks near the stadium; Lulu headed towards the parks near their schools where a lot of kids tended to gather. As day turned to evening, it was clear that the void creature wouldn't be attacking.
'Anyone have anything?' Lux texted to the rest of the team.
'Nothing here. I'm heading home as the station is mostly clear.' Janna sent back.
'Most of the kids have headed home for dinner. Leaving as well.' Lulu sent back. Lux had to wait a moment for Poppy.
'Clear here as well. Either it isn't coming, or he's dumber than Vel'Koz thinks. Heading home as well.' Lux paused for a moment as she examined the time between Lulu and Poppy and noticed that there was enough time for Poppy to read Lulu's and then respond herself. Sighing, Lux also headed home.
"Long day?" Garen asked Lux as she walked in the door.
"You could say that. Just a lot of things on my mind right now." Lux said as she headed upstairs.
"Don't get too comfortable. Mom says dinner in 20." Lux just nodded from the stairs as she headed into her room. About 5 minutes later, Dorcha came hopping in.
"I'm not comfortable with this you know." She said with a touch of anger in her voice.
"I know, but if we can't get Poppy to calm down soon, then we could have more issues." Lux told her. Dorcha just sighed.
"Well Lulu did go to the park and for the most part, just sat under a tree drawing. However, she kept looking up and looking around from time to time. She did a good job of blending in. There was a point where I thought a void creature would emerge, and she already had her pendant in her hand, before everyone realized someone was bad at hide and seek. She stayed even when most of the parks were clear. Only once did she get your text did she leave." Dorcha listed off her report, and after seeing Lux's face, she relaxed a bit.
"Thank you. She is different, but that can sometimes be good." Lux said. There was a small noise and Solas came hopping in.
"Your report. Poppy did do as she said, but was checking her phone every 5 minutes. After the message from Lulu, Poppy waited and sighed before she responded. From what I just heard, I see that Lulu did her job, but Poppy is growing frustrated. That's why we were sent weren't we?" Solas asked, looking a bit downfallen.
"Sorry, but I needed to know. Besides, you never asked why." Lux pointed out, only to dodge out of the way of Solas trying to jump on her. After a few minutes, he admits defeat, and grabs a drink of water as Lux settles down and watches TV until dinner is ready. Lux knows that an attack is likely, especially tomorrow morning. However, she also knows that there will be an ulterior motive.
"Lux. Dinner." Came her father's voice and she left the two to argue about who was right. Dorcha and Solas both knew that Lux was just trying to keep the team together and if that meant keeping track of her teammates, then so be it. As Lux ate dinner, she found herself not very hungry, which given how she was usually eating a lot lately, fighting void monsters really did work up an appetite. It wasn't until Garen waved his hand in front of her face did Lux look up.
"Lux honey is something wrong? You haven't picked at your food in weeks." Lux looked at her mother carefully.
'Sure. I'm risking my life, and the lives of my friends trying to stop void monsters from destroying our planet. I also have no idea what I'm doing and just winging it mostly. I also am getting hurt on a regular basis and have to use magic to heal myself. But I look so good doing it. Want to see?' Lux ran through the rant in her head but it never got past her lips.
"Just a lot going on. I'm not sure why I'm hungry." Lux admitted finally after picking at her food a bit more.
"If you are thinking about something a lot, and if it really bothers you, you will lose your appetite. Both your mother and I have been there. Sure you don't want to talk about it?" Lux turned to her dad, and figured that if she was going to say something, she would have to generalize it as much as possible.
"Ever been so worried about two of your friends that you have to send two others to keep an eye on them?" Lux asked. She picked her words so carefully. Both of her parents looked at each other.
"Are you worried about them?" Mrs. Crownguard asked.
"Yes. I'm worried about a spat between them and I sort of had to leave out why I asked my other two friends to watch them." Lux said, her voice trying to stay neutral, but her frustration crept in.
"It happens more often than you think Lux." Her father chimed in. "It happens all the time. If you are worried about someone, and if everyone are true friends, then they will be angry, but they will understand. The point is by asking someone else to keep an eye on them, you are making sure they are ok and it shows you are worried about them."
"Now if you will stop sending rookies to the hospital that would be great." Mr. Crownguard turned to his wife and blushed. Every attack, he had someone swing by the hospital.
"Thanks. But I'm still not hungry. I'm going to go back upstairs." Lux excused herself from the table and headed upstairs and sitting down on her bed.
"We heard that you know." Dorcha said, hopping over.
"Yeah. You are a leader, and I'm sorry for overreacting. It shows you care and care about the team. Poppy and Lulu will understand. Hopefully when our fifth teammate arrives, they won't be this problematic." Solas said, hopping into Lux's lap and allowing her to pet him. Lux reached to pet Dorcha as well and while her appetite hadn't returned, her good mood had. Smiling, she jumped over to her computer, grabbed her headset, and began to play. Forgetting about the small mountain of homework waiting for her. As evening came, Lux did find herself wandering down and grabbing something to eat before turning in.
Poppy again found herself staring at the moon, knowing what was up there and still being unable to do anything about it was frustrating. What was more immediately frustrating was the fact that Lulu didn't seem to do her job. Sure it seemed like she did her job today, but that was today. What about tomorrow? Poppy was so distracted that she didn't even notice a knock on her door.
"Poppy? You ok." Her father walked in and Poppy turned to face him. "Ok now I know something is wrong. What is it?" Her father pulled up a chair and faced his daughter.
Poppy took a deep breath, and after selecting her words, spoke. "It's just a new friend. We are working on a project and I feel like she isn't doing her part. She keeps spacing out and not paying attention. Whenever we have a meeting, she can't seem to stay focused." Poppy just sighed as she hopped onto her bed.
"Well did you think that she is doing her part? Or that she was brought up differently? I mean Poppy come on. You and I share a lot. We are both determined, no nonsense, and as your mother puts it, thick headed. We both have that mentality of being able to stay focused and while this works, it can sometimes come back to bite us. Trust me, it has happened enough with me. Don't let it happen to you. Think about your friend, her situation, and everything before you rush to judgement." And with that, he left. Poppy just put her head on her pillow knowing he was right, but he also thought it was about school not life and death.
Janna was walking with Lulu in the park trying to get used to their newest teammate and she found Lulu just enjoying herself. Lulu was more than happy to point out things that Janna usually missed, and even Zephyr was paying attention. "Lulu how do you know this?" Janna asked after about 20 minutes.
"Well I told you that we moved around a lot, so I didn't have time to make friends before we moved and eventually I just stopped because it was so hard to keep in touch after we left. They made new friends and so would I so I couldn't take it. After a point, I just started walking in the forests and learning about nature and how I just seemed to know so much about it." Lulu said as she came to a stop near a tree. "Here let's rest." Lulu sat down, and Janna followed.
"It must have been difficult." Janna was at a loss for words to respond to that. Lulu just looked at her and smiled.
"It's ok. School changed so much that I just started teaching myself. I couldn't get involved in anything because sooner or later we'd be moving again so I just stopped paying attention and instead taught myself things that I knew I would need to know and that seemed to satisfy my parents. That and passing tests and exams. For the first time, I feel like I have a real connection to a place that isn't a forest. However, I still might be a bit spacy for a while but I also get these visions from time to time.
"When I get them, I just have to draw them, write about them, or do something otherwise I can't get it out of my head. I hope they continue otherwise I wouldn't have found you and found what I could do positive with these visions." Lulu finished and turned to Janna again, who was just smiling.
"Well just don't space out in a fight and I think we will be good." Janna said, and they both paused, then laughed.
"It's kind of hard. There's another focus there. During practice, sorry but I'll keep trying." Lulu said as she hung her head a bit.
"That's all we ask Green." Janna said as she and Lulu laughed again. They both noticed the time and they parted ways and headed home.
As dawn approached, Lux, Janna, Poppy, and Lulu woke up early in a state of freezing cold. They all knew that Kog'Maw would be making his move soon. Lux looked out the window and knew that their time of peace would be over soon. However, what bothered her more was the fact that they knew Kog'Maw had some other plan and another objective but what was it. It would only be a matter of time until they found out.
Lux was careful to put Dorcha, Solas, and a hoodie in her bag because given the temperature outside today, it would be odd to have one. As Lux headed out the door, she was hit with another blast of cold, but there seemed to still be no action. 'Whatever that is, it's probably getting ready. So I'll be ready.'
Kog'Maw was frustrated. His plan had fallen apart before it began. Unable to generate the 3 portals he needed, he had to place all of his faith in one, counting on the early morning traffic, Kog'Maw readied to drain energy from the people trapped in traffic. He could only hope that the guardians took the bait. He turned to Yilne
"You have to keep them distracted at all costs. I must get to that scepter. If I see one guardian, this will be on your head." Kog'Maw barked as he turned to begin his trek to the museum.
"Yes master. I shall obey." Yilne waited for Kog'Maw to leave then sighed. "Why do I have to take orders from that thing?" She said to no one in particular.
"Because you were ordered to do so." Came an unexpected voice. Yilne turned to see Malzahar floating there, and she instantly went to her knees.
"I'm sorry great Prophet. I never…" She stammered but Malzahar cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"I know what I am doing and if you do your job right, then he will do his. Just don't underestimate the guardians. They are just one step away from being something that will be a problem. Well more of a problem." Malzahar added quickly as he ripped open a portal and vanished through it. Yilne looked up to see Malzahar gone and sighed.
"Great. Well this will be interesting." She said, and waited for Kog'Maw's signal.
Lux, Poppy, and Lulu met up outside the school, and while Lux was nervous, Poppy kept it in check for the moment. Lulu was of course in her own world, but even she seemed to be paying attention. Lux knew that an attack would be soon but just as they were about to head inside, an alarm sounded, making them all turn on the spot and Lux pulled her phone while Poppy kept an eye out. Lulu had closed her eyes and seemed to be focusing.
"It's downtown. Let's go!" Lux said as the three of them immediately split off from the rest of the students running into the building. Making for the point they all knew, well Lulu didn't but she just followed knowing that they were going to the right place. Once there, they saw Janna waiting for them already.
"To say it was chaos was an understatement. Ready?" Janna asked only to everyone else ready. Janna pulled her pendant from her neck and nodded. Lux just looked around and everyone nodded.
"Star Guardian Power Up!" They all transformed and made their way downtown. It wasn't hard to find the source of the chaos as that creature managed to find a minion, who was now clearly trying to get as much energy as possible. Lux turned to Janna and Poppy.
"Focus on taking out the collector and the orbs. We'll deal with the minion." Janna and Poppy nodded and took off towards the small horde of voidlings and Zzs that were collecting orbs. "Let's go." Lux said to Lulu, who just nodded and they charged to meet the minion head on. While she seemed to expecting the attack, the combination of Lux's singularity and Lulu's glitterlance seemed to throw her off as it clearly hurt.
"Great just what I needed. You pesky Star Guardians are always a problem. Well this time you won't be for I am the great Yilne. No one has ever stood against me and won." Lux just sighed.
"Seriously? Do you know how many times I've heard that? I've heard it far too often to even be intimidated by it anymore." Lux just kept her talking while she saw Lulu moving around.
"Maybe then you need to be afraid guardian." Yilne didn't attack but rather just stood her ground. Lux just laughed.
"Please. I mean if every voidling who had said that to me was right, then I wouldn't be here would I?" Lux said that way to quickly for her liking, but she kept the minion talking seeing Lulu was almost in position. Poppy took a quick note, and knew that this would be good, but couldn't watch as a Zz decided at that moment to try and jump on her head. Poppy just wacked it with her hammer and moved on.
"Well then, how about I change that pattern." Yilne said clearly charging up for something.
"Dream on. We are the Star Guardians, sworn to defend the universe against all those who would throw it into chaos. And that means you." Lux said ready to defend herself.
"Well aren't you all just so cute. Plan to back that up?" Yilne said.
"Well not me but…" Lux said, and Yilne only had time to turn her head before being hit in the face with a Glitterlance and then polymorphed into an animal. Lux threw a singularity and detonated it along with several bolts from her baton, while Lulu also sent some from her staff, with Pix sending a few from his ball. Yilne yelled once she had transformed back and charged right at Lux, only to get a binding to the face. Lux threw some more bolts and took a quick second to look over at Janna and Poppy who were how trying to keep energy orbs from going back as they had managed to destroy the collector.
Yilne move to take a swipe at Lulu, only to have her gracefully dodge out to out the way while shielding herself. Yilne tried again, only to be hit with an energy pulse. Lux turned to see Debonair who just threw another energy pulse at Yilne, who roared in pain again. Transforming his weapon, he quickly charged straight in and his hammer found its mark sending Yilne flying.
Poppy and Janna were still trying to prevent orbs, but with the few amount remaining, Poppy got frustrated. Spinning her hammer, she brought it down with great force, sending the remaining orbs shattering, along with a few voidlings and Zzs. Janna threw a twister for good measure but they knew that the creature got away with more than they wanted it too, which was none, but the bleeding was bad. Poppy and Janna turned to deal with the remaining void creatures.
Lux threw another binding but missed as Yilne dodged around. Lux then noticed something missing. Lux turned to see Lulu running away and at a great pace. Lulu seemed to notice Lux watching and yelled back. "It's at it again. I need to get there." And she sped off. Lux just put her head in her hands now thinking Poppy was right, but Lux didn't have time to dwell as Yilne took the opportunity to throw another attack her way. Poppy also noticed Lulu running off, but even she was taken a back since she seemed to be moving with purpose.
Janna and Poppy finished off the remaining small creatures, and Janna moved to assist Debonair while Poppy talked with Lux. "Where is she going?" Poppy asked as Debonair slammed Yilne with his hammer as Janna shielded him from a retaliatory attack.
"I have no idea all she said was 'it's at it again. I need to get there'". Lux just stood puzzled. Lux turned to Poppy who was also thinking then she slammed her head into her hammer. Lux now was the one surprised. Poppy just groaned as she realized what Lulu was doing.
"The stupid creature we fought the other day. It must be going for the scepter again. She's going to need help. I'm going." Poppy shouldered her hammer and charged off after Lulu to assist. Lux just smiled and turned to the fight that was still raging behind her. Smiling, she threw a singularity and detonated it and Yilne yelled again. Yilne then noticed there were two less Guardians and she saw Poppy running off and tried to charge after her.
Janna had other ideas though. Winding up a twister, she threw it, knocking Yilne into the air. Upon landing back on the ground, Debonair send Yilne flying into a wall with his hammer. Lux then threw a binding, but again missed as Yilne managed to just dodge out of the way. Angry, she went flying at Lux, only to hit Lux's and Janna's barriers. Lux again threw a singularity, detonating it as Debonair threw out an accelerated energy pulse. Janna again threw a twister, and Yilne slammed back into the ground. Lux threw a binding this time, and it connected. Lux jumped into the air, channeling her powers.
"Final Spark!" Lux threw all of her energy into the beam, but it didn't finish Yilne. Instead she was heavily wounded, but still able to fight.
"You will not beat me." Yilne roared as she charged again, only to be met with Debonair's hammer to her face. Yelling again, Yilne charged and managed to get a few swipes with her claws at Lux, who groaned in pain. Yilne circled around to hit Lux again, only to be thrown back into a tree as Janna channeled her Monsoon. Yilne looked up to see Lux back on her feet with her wounds healed. Lux threw a singularity and detonated it before Yilne could regain her senses, along with a couple of bolts from her baton. Zephyr jumped and slowed Yilne down as Debonair fired more energy pulses. Yilne roared again, but apparently wouldn't go down.
Thinking quickly, Lux acted like to throw a binding, causing Yilne to dodge out of the way. Debonair, seeing this, transformed his weapon, and where Yilne landed, he knocked her back into a tree. Janna threw a barrier around Debonair as he proceeded to get into a melee contest with the minion and Lux continued to poke with her baton. Janna also sent some bolts from her staff as she threw a couple of twisters to keep Yilne running and on the back foot.
Eventually the sheer amount of damage started to be apparent. Yilne eventually just collapsed to the ground after Debonair smash her into another tree. Lux threw a binding to keep her there, and then leaped into the air again. "Final Spark!" Lux threw as much power as she could into it, and Yilne vanished in a pile of dust. When Lux landed back on the ground, she immediately collapsed to her knees, lightheaded and exhausted. Janna went to her side as Debonair surveyed the damage around. Whoever took care of the park where they fought was probably going to kill them, but there was damage to vehicles, but most of it was from the initial attack as they crashed into each other. EMTs were already moving into extract people and coming towards them was Vi. She paused as she saw Lux on the ground breathing heavily.
"She going to be ok?" Vi asked, flaring her hextech gauntlets.
"I'm fine. Just winded." Lux managed to say from the ground as she carefully stood up, but almost fell down again as Janna grabbed her teammate to prevent her from falling. "Ok maybe not as fine as I thought. Just exhausted." Lux said as she turned her head to Vi, who still looked worried.
"Maybe you should see one of those medics before you head out?" Vi's voice said it wasn't an order or a suggestion, but rather a question. Lux just shook her head, but then smiled.
"You could get us a ride to Vel'Koz's museum. There is something else going on there however. I'm not sure about running right now." Vi just nodded and called over her radio. Lux looked surprised, but as she looked up, she just smiled. Landing in the middle of the park, was one of the police helicopters.
"Get in! You won't get out of here on the ground easily. Traffic is gridlocked all the way there. Here you will get there in record time." Vi yelled over the chopper as the team climbed in.
"What about Caitlyn?" Lux yelled back.
"Who do you think is flying?" Vi answered as she closed the door. Lux turned to see Caitlyn smiling as she took the chopper into the air. Lux grabbed a headset, which didn't sit well because of her tiara.
"So what's going on at the Museum?" Caitlyn asked as she maneuvered between the buildings downtown climbing all the time.
"A few days ago, a new void creature attacked the museum, looking to steal Malzahar's scepter from it. We think he's trying again and that this was both a distraction and a way to gather energy. Clearly though something went wrong." Janna said as Lux was still trying to recover.
"Have you asked Vel'Koz about this new monster?" Caitlyn asked as she maneuvered to the museum.
"We did after the fight, but he had no information about it. He reasoned it was either newly created, or had just risen in the ranks." Lux said as Debonair just sat there and listened. "Vel'Koz did say though that was good news since the attacks it planned wouldn't be as good, and if today was any indication, then it would be just chaos on chaos."
"Just lovely." Caitlyn said as they approached the museum. "Where to drop you off?" She asked.
"Just in front of the main steps. We'll take it from there." Caitlyn nodded and brought the chopper down in front of the museum, and the team piled out once it was on the ground and charged up the steps. Caitlyn radioed for reinforcements to the museum.
As Lulu ran up the steps into the museum, she headed in a straight line to the room where Malzahar's scepter was. Once she got there, she again saw the creature trying to use its acid to break the case. "Oh no you don't." Lulu yelled and threw Pix onto it, which slowed Kog'Maw from turning and she then sent a glitterlance into his face. Kog'Maw roared but didn't counterattack.
"Again you interrupt my plans little one. No one can stand against Kog'Maw for long. Let's see how long you will last." Kog'Maw taunted.
"Longer than you think you ugly thing." Lulu countered and immediately shielded herself as Kog'Maw roared and opened up with his acid. Lulu dodged around, throwing lances as she dodged Pix between the two of them, doing damage and shielding. However, Lulu wasn't fast enough as she eventually took a hit in the leg. Tripping and falling, Lulu managed to somehow recover and she rolled and somehow wound up on her feet.
Kog'Maw clearly wasn't happy with that as he charged again, but Lulu just sped herself up and then saw something out of the corner of her eye. "Go Pix!" Lulu said, and she dove out of the way. Kog'Maw looked confused but then turned.
"Hey ugly!" Poppy charged and then pinned Kog'Maw into a wall. "So you just don't know when to give up do you." It wasn't a question. Kog'Maw roared in frustration and anger and tried to attack both Poppy and Lulu but ended up only doing nothing as they both dodged around his attacks and got in a few of their own as well. Lulu using Pix to throw lances while Poppy used her hammer to keep herself between Kog'Maw and Lulu, who had moved into a more support position. Poppy kept up the pressure as Lulu kept looking for an opening, however again their luck ran out.
Poppy threw her buckler and Lulu provided a shield, but Kog'Maw just opened up onto Poppy and the shields quickly failed resulting in Poppy getting a burn on her arm. Lulu, seeing this, quickly charged her powers. "Up we go!" Poppy opened her eyes and saw that she was almost 3 times her normal size. Poppy just smiled.
"Well then. Let's dance!" Poppy charged and Kog'Maw quickly started running around trying to dodge Poppy's attacks, both from her charging, and from her hammer. Kog'Maw kept trying to fire at both Poppy and Lulu but Lulu would just shield herself, and Poppy would just either dodge out of way, or charge at Kog'Maw. Eventually Lulu's spell wore off, but that didn't stop Poppy from charging around. However, that again got her into trouble again. Poppy missed a pin and Kog'Maw seeing his opportunity, opened fire on Poppy. Lulu again managed to provide a shield, but it wasn't enough and Poppy did walk away with a burn on her arm.
"You ok?" Lulu asked, throwing a lance at Kog'Maw to force him out of the way. Poppy just turned and nodded. Lulu smiled and quickly threw another lance to keep Kog'Maw pinned in place. Poppy charged again, and managed to pin Kog'Maw into another case. Lulu took the opportunity to throw yet another glitterlance into Kog'Maw's face. Poppy retreated only to come right back and get in more than a few licks with her hammer. Kog'Maw attempted to fire at the retreating Guardian only to find himself polymorphed into another animal. Poppy just smiled as she maneuvered for another hit.
Kog'Maw returned to his normal self only to see a very confident Poppy charge right into him. He did open up into Poppy's face, only to have it completely roll off the shield Lulu had given Poppy. Poppy slammed into Kog'Maw, hit him quite a few times, but he recovered quickly and turned again to Poppy who was trying to find cover. Poppy, seeing this, threw her buckler and she shielded herself but Kog'Maw just opened fire with his acid, hitting both Guardians, knocking them to the ground.
"Well it seems that I have won this fight. Now to finish it." He taunted as he charged straight at the two. Poppy and Lulu only looked at each other and nodded. Lulu polymorphed Kog'Maw again and Poppy charged up her hammer. Lulu threw a glitterlance for good measure to make sure that Poppy would connect. Kog'Maw morphed back only to see Poppy's hammer come flying down. He was knocked into the air, bounced off the ceiling, and then slammed into the ground. Kog'Maw was disoriented for a moment, but quickly got back on his feet only to see Lulu and Poppy had gone.
"Where are you two?" Kog'Maw taunted as he wandered around. As he turned a corner, he found himself face to face with the Guardians, only to get yet another glitterlance and hammer blow to his face. Reeling back, he looked around and seeing the guardians, opened up again. Lulu and Poppy attempted to shield themselves but they knew it wasn't enough. Once Kog'Maw stopped firing he expected them to be on the ground in pain, apparently so did Poppy and Lulu as they all looked up to see them fine. Kog'Maw then saw a shimmering around him and it detonated in his face. Poppy and Lulu turned to see Lux and Janna in the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, Poppy saw something and pulled Lulu to the ground. A large energy pulse flew over their heads as Debonair fired and connected. Hard.
Kog'Maw roared in pain as he knew that his minion had failed. "You may have won this battle guardians, but you won't win this war." Kog'Maw ripped open a portal and vanished through it. Lux and Janna ran over to Poppy and Lulu.
"You two ok?" Lux asked. Poppy and Lulu just looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.
"We're good." Poppy said turning to Lulu. Lux knew that there was more than one thing they were referring too.
"Hold still everyone." Janna said as she summoned a monsoon and healed everyone's wounds.
"Thanks, but I should be going. See you all again." Debonair quickly bead a hasty retreat. As the team got to their feet, Lux turned to see Vel'Koz floating over to them.
"Well that was some fight wasn't it?" He asked Poppy and Lulu who just nodded. Poppy however just turned to Lulu.
"Lulu, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You know what you are doing and I'm not as understanding as I should have been." Lulu just smiled and sprang forward to give Poppy a hug, which she returned. Lux and Janna just smiled and they knew that with all of their issues and problems, things would be ok.
"Well you two did manage to a lot of damage, but what Kog'Maw didn't know is that I specifically designed that case to prevent what he just attempted. You need Guardian magic to unlock it. Also, I plan to move it to the vault because clearly they will try again." They all heard a door crash open and Vel'Koz quickly shifted his tone of voice and demeanor.
"Well thank you all again. Hopefully that will be the last time we get something like that here. Now I will have to see to my security system. Thank you all again." Vel'Koz quickly floated off as Caitlyn made her way over to the Guardians.
"Well it seems that you managed to handle everything. I'm assuming though the damage here won't be an issue?" Caitlyn was keeping her voice neutral.
"I can fix it." Vel'Koz said from the edge of the room. There was a loud thud as one of the exhibits hit the floor. "I think." He added as he turned to see what fell. That got everyone laughing.
"Well if he doesn't have an issue then neither do I. Get going." Caitlyn said and the team quickly made to look like they were leaving, and once they were sure they were out of sight and earshot, they dived through one of the concealed entrances to the tower and waited for Vel'Koz as he dealt with the police and the damage from their fight. Once he entered, he found the team relaxing.
"Well if you could kindly keep the fight away from the museum next time things would be great." They all had a laugh at that. "Seriously though, you all did good with the rapidly changing situation and the fact remains that there was something else at work here. Malzahar has rarely attacked the same place twice without some purpose and I highly doubt this was sentimental that he was looking for." Vel'Koz trailed off in thought as the rest of the team also began thinking.
After nearly an hour of brainstorming, they were still no closer to the answer but one thing all of them agreed on was the fact that there was something else going on and there was an ulterior motive to Malzahar's actions. Since they had little else to go on for the moment, they all just agreed to break and try and come up with some theories. Lux watched the rest of the team go before she left herself. While the relationship between Poppy and Lulu will probably still be tense for the time being, the fact that Poppy came around was good. Lux smiled to herself as she finally grabbed her bag and headed home, knowing the lecture that would probably be waiting for her.
On Runeterra's moon, Malzahar was furious. Not only had Kog'Maw failed to retrieve his scepter, he had also failed to get the amount of energy that was needed. "You have failed horribly. Pray that your next assignment will be easier. I suggest you plan before you execute your plan this time. Now be gone from my sight." Kog'Maw quickly ran out of the throne room while Malzahar fumed.
Outside Cho'Gath wandered over to Kog'Maw. "Be careful little one or you might be my next meal." He taunted as Cho'Gath continued on.
"It isn't my fault that I didn't get what I asked for. You could have done something to help you big oaf." Kog'Maw quickly threw some acid at Cho'Gath, and while the larger void creature brushed it off, Cho'Gath knew that if Kog'Maw can't get energy, and a lot of it soon, then the only thing that could happen is they all have issues with doing anything. True they did damage the barriers, but that didn't stop the guardians.
In the throne room, Malzahar was still fuming, mainly because he could sense something else. Something powerful and it wasn't on their side. The last guardian was close to revealing themselves and he knew that he had to get to them first, but he also had no way to track them, unlike the rest of the guardians, who could find this person quickly. Admitting defeat for the moment, Malzahar retired to his room to come up with another plan to get another piece of what he left behind in order to grow his power.
"Blasted guardians. They will pay." He growled as he drifted off to sleep.