With the attack being a success, Kog'Maw looks to attack and retrieve another one of Malzahar's former possessions. While the void is unaware that the Guardians know their plans, the Guardians don't know where the next place Kog'Maw will attack, which still puts them at a disadvantage. On top of that, the Guardians don't know exactly how much energy Kog'Maw got away with.

Chapter 26 – Packing It In

It seems like nothing could possibly make their situation any worse, but there was always something. Malzahar wandered around the palace on Runeterra's moon, only to see just how bad things were. While their energy reserves had been refilled to a comfortable point, it still wasn't enough. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong in the last attack, but they were kept to a minimum. On top of that, there were still a great many things that would cause problems down the road if Kog'Maw couldn't find the rest of his former possessions. Finally locating Kog'Maw, Malzahar floated into the planning room. Kog'Maw of course was back to eating constantly.

"Great Prophet. As you can see we have only located one of your former possessions. I am working on a plan to retrieve it and still get energy, but I ask for your patience as I haven't fully worked out details yet." Kog'Maw, despite eating, looked scared. Malzahar however wasn't in the mood to wait.

"You do not have time. Work with what you have and get going. We need them sooner rather than later." Malzahar floated out and Kog'Maw just stayed where he was for a few minutes before he dared to raise his head.

'He wants everything and gives me no time to prepare. We can't use overwhelming force as we burned that last time. So improvising then? Great." Kog'Maw thought to himself, careful to keep from saying anything, even though he knew Malzahar could read minds. Kog'Maw turned back to the table, then quickly rushed out.

Lux, Janna, and Poppy were in Vel'Koz's office, waiting for him, while Lulu was working on something in the tower. The three of them just let her be because she was very intent on it, and since she often came up with weird solutions to problems, it was probably for the best. After waiting for 20 minutes the door opened and they were surprised it was Lulu. She handed Lux a drawn image, but it was really rough. Clearly it was of someone, but that was about all she could make out.

"Um Lulu, could you explain a bit further?" Lux asked, with a puzzled voice.

"I think it's a new friend, but that's about all I could make out. Things about them are, blurry?" Lulu ended with a question as she sat down. Lux passed it to Poppy, who took a few minutes but just shrugged and passed it to Janna. She however, seemed to be interested.

"Lulu is this their hair?" Janna asked, now Lux and Poppy turned to look between the too.

"Yes it's her hair. All I could make out was the color. I really couldn't make out much else. Why?" Lulu was still looking at her sketchbook, but seemed to be not looking at Janna's face. However, the silence caused her to look up. Janna's face was almost in a state of realization.

"Because there are only 3 girls in my school that have this hair color. That really helps narrow the list. I'll get their names tomorrow." Janna handed the drawing back to Lux who again just looked at it and shrugged. Lux turned to hand it back to Lulu but she quickly realized that Lulu didn't want it back as she was already working on something else. With a smile on her face, Lux just shook her head and pulled out her phone again while they waited for Vel'Koz.

When he finally entered, Vel'Koz was looking frustrated. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I was conferring with Dorcha and Solas. Basically right now, we are in the blind. We have no idea where any of the artifacts are. The problem is we aren't looking for void energy, but just magic in general, which is prevalent all over Runeterra. We are working with experts, but only a handful of Malzahar's personal possessions were catalogued after what happened. Many of them just went missing." Vel'Koz looked at the four Guardians, but none of them seemed to be angry.

"Well I guess we'll just have to wait then. I'm sure Kog'Maw will lead us right to it." Lux said as she stood up, the rest of the team followed.

"Have you checked old mage archives?" Janna asked turning to Vel'Koz.

"Yes but we've heard nothing back. Many of them have so many volumes that trying to identify one is rather difficult. They have to search every single volume, and there is no guarantee that they will get them all. It would be easy to miss a shelf." Vel'Koz looked gloomy as he looked up. He knew that there were so many things that needed to go right, especially right now, and this wasn't helping.

Janna took the hint and followed the rest of the team out. As they headed down he steps of the Library, they all took a good look outside and realized that there would be little point in trying to help as they wouldn't get access to the mage archives without transforming, and even then, they would be better at searching as they knew what to look for, they didn't.

"I honestly say we just go home for now. We can't do anything unless anyone has any ideas?" Lux turned up her voice into a question hoping that someone did indeed have an idea, but it seemed no one did.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Poppy looked between the other members of the team but it seemed that no one had an answer. "I'll take that as a no." Poppy turned to Lux who just shook her head.

"Seems like this is one were we have to wait." Lulu spoke up and everyone turned to her. Her upbeat attitude was still welcoming, even if she wandered off at times.

"Seems so. Let's just go home then." Lux turned to start walking and the rest followed, and they immediately started talking about anything except the void, being Star Guardians, or anything related to those two topics.

The evening passed in peace as they all just looked at the small mountains of homework they were neglecting. As they all worked in their own way, there wasn't even a sense of void energy. Kog'Maw would be planning his attack carefully and probably wouldn't reveal himself until he was ready.

As Lux finally finished most of it, she turned to see Dorcha and Solas hopping back in. "Any progress?"

"Not really. We can't locate anything." Dorcha looked at Solas who seemed defeated.

"We need you to settle a bit of a debate." Dorcha turned to Lux who just nodded. "We can't be looking for the artifacts and our last Guardian. Now when did Janna say she would get those names to you?" Lux checked her phone but nothing was there. "We need you to make the call. Look for our last Guardian, or look for the artifacts." Dorcha fell silent as Lux looked between the two, then leaned back into her chair. Lux closed her eyes and thought carefully.

"It would be better to search for our fifth teammate." Lux finally said after a few minutes. "We don't know where anything is and until we do, there isn't much we can do. So doing something useful is better than nothing. I'll let Janna know and you two can go with her tomorrow." Dorcha and Solas just nodded and they just settled down and waited for tomorrow. Lux turned back to her remaining homework but quickly realized that there would be little she could do about it now, so instead she just jumped on her computer and played games until she went to sleep.

Kog'Maw was frustrated because even though he had a lead on the bag, he couldn't precisely locate it. It had changed hands many times since Malzahar joined the void and was now somewhere in a second hand resell shop somewhere in the city. Knowing he couldn't go into the city without causing a panic, and also having no idea which one it was in, he needed someone who could, and possibly get it.

Walking out of his room and heading around the palace, Kog'Maw looked for someone who could help, but as he passed more and more, he realized that his search might take longer than he expected.

"Looking for something?" Kog'Maw turned to see Malzahar floating behind him. Immediately getting nervous Kog'Maw clamed up and couldn't speak. "Let me guess, you can't locate something?" Malzahar's voice however was not one of anger, but rather one of curiosity. Kog'Maw decided to take his chances, even with how angry Malzahar had been the last time they spoke.

"Yes Great Prophet. I had a lead on your bag, but I have lost track of it. It is somewhere in the city in a shop but I do not know which one. I was looking for someone to help me search." Kog'Maw stopped himself before he rambled on too much. Malzahar put his hand to his chin and thought.

"It isn't surprising, especially if no one knew what it was. Also I left it away from everything else so someone probably just grabbed it and it has been passed around. I would look for Reah; she might be able to be of assistance." Malzahar then floated off and Kog'Maw let out his breath. He knew he had escaped but also knew that he needed energy as well. Perhaps once Reah located the bag, she could take it while he launched an energy attack to make sure that she could get away with it.

Kog'Maw quickly set off and after a while managed to find Reah looking over the Zz pit. She turned when she saw Kog'Maw approaching. "Need something?" She asked, but her voice told her she already knew the answer.

"Yes. How would you like to find something, and do some shopping along the way?" Kog'Maw was encouraged by the fact she perked up.

"Absolutely. But do I actually have to pay for anything?" Reah cracked a smile.

"Nope, if you don't get caught. I have a lead on Malzahar's bag, but I can't pin it down. It is in one of those second hand places in the city. So I need you to locate it and then try and get it by any means necessary." Kog'Maw seemed happy, but Reah looked down at the creature.

"First, you provide me with backup. I'm not ending up like my sister. Second, actually do your job, and I will do mine." Reah crossed her arms and Kog'Maw knew that he had little choice.

"What happened to Lisna was regrettable. But you also knew that something like that could happen. We have overpowered guardians previously because we had so much energy at our command. We are fighting from a disadvantage now. Now are you going to help me or should I find someone who won't set demands." Kog'Maw was furious that he wasn't being listened to. Reah looked at Kog'Maw for a few seconds before nodding. She knew that she couldn't outright refuse an order, she'd be Cho'Gath's next meal if she did. "Good now let's get going. You had better wait until tomorrow and go during busy times as it will not only hide you, but also will allow you to possibly get away easily."

Kog'Maw turned and walked away. Reah looked at him and realized that he was probably right. Looking back to the pit where they were breeding Zzs like crazy, she decided to wait until the following day.

On Runeterra, the next day greeted the Guardians well. There were no cold spells, so they would in theory have a day to rest. Looking out her window, Janna knew this day could end with their team complete, but it could also end with another void attack. As she finished putting on her uniform, she saw Dorcha and Solas hopping into her room. Smiling, she turned to Zephyr, who was woken up from his usual morning nap.

"Well nice to see at least two of you are ready to go." Janna poke fun at her companion, and Zephyr just hissed as a response, but couldn't hold it as he started laughing with the others in a few seconds. Janna opened her bag and Dorcha and Solas hopped in while Zephyr stretched and once Janna was ready, he hopped onto her shoulder. He would be keeping an eye on Dorcha and Solas while they investigated the three people. Janna was also leaving early to get to school early so they could identify the three.

Walking to school as early as she was, Janna was reminded why she enjoyed the early morning air. It was always refreshing, and it was also quiet. She didn't even need to check her phone because she knew that no one else would be up. By the time she got to school, it was light out and she picked a tree where she could see the student entrance clearly and she opened her bag to let Dorcha and Solas out. Zephyr hopped off a while back and had made his way to the roof, where Janna could see him now.

As students started to walk in, their plans ran into a hitch. There weren't just three, there were 9. "Well that complicates things." Dorcha mumbled while Solas was keeping careful track of them. "How do you want us to proceed?" Dorcha turned to Janna who had one very annoyed look on her face.

"Just look at each of them. I'm sure you can't get to them all today so just be careful." They both nodded and hopped off. Janna stood up and decided that it would probably be time to go in. She texted everyone else the news and headed inside to her first class.

When Lux woke up that morning, and saw nothing from Janna, she was a bit relieved. So much so that she fell back asleep.

"Luxanna! You are late! Again!" Lux never underestimated when her mother used her full name. Quickly looking at her clock, Lux jumped in a panic and quickly made a mess of her room getting into her uniform and then out the door, blowing past Garen, and her parents in the process. Both of her parents were just shaking their heads. "Sometimes I don't know how she functions." Mrs. Crownguard just went back to cleaning up before going to bed as she had just come off the late rotation.

Lux quickly sprinted to school and barely made it into class before the bell rang. Poppy noticed this and pointed to her phone, which made Lux pull hers out. Reading the message from Janna, Lux just collapsed into her desk. 'Well no one said this would be easy.' She could barely concentrate on the lesson as Ms. Teller kept going on throughout the day.

Reah, while taking Kog'Maw's advice, decided to do a bit of midday shopping as well. Blending in with the lunch crowd was easy enough and she was able to knock off several shops as a result. Knowing that she would probably not find it today, or not have enough time to formulate a full plan, she decided to just end her adventures as the lunch crowd died off and she returned to the void to wait for the evening shopping hours.

The problem that happened is while she made it to Runeterra unnoticed, her return wasn't so quiet.

Just when Lux decided that nothing would bring her out of her stupor today, a shot of cold ran down her spine and she looked out the window, then to Poppy and Lulu. Both of them quickly looked back and nodded. 'Well so much for peace and quiet.' Not wanting to risk pulling her phone, Lux knew they had to wait until after school to ask Janna how the day went. Deciding to try and focus for the rest of the day, Lux at least made it look like she was paying attention, even if she was still drifting off.

Janna for her part, knew that today would end in frustration as lunch came around, she met up with Dorcha and Solas, who had only managed to get to two of the nine and so far zero luck. Janna was frustrated but knew that there was only so much they could do. However, as she walked to her afternoon classes, Janna felt a shiver run down her spine. 'Well this day just went from bad to worse.' Once she was in class, Janna checked her phone but saw nothing from the others. Clearly they weren't able to reach their phones.

As they all left school, they made a direct path to the tower but before they even got there, another shiver. Lux, Poppy, and Lulu arrived first, then Janna, who only had to nod her head to show she felt it as well. Janna let Dorcha and Solas out and Zephyr jumped off of her shoulder. Vel'Koz wasn't much further behind and he carefully closed the door.

"So I guess you all felt it and we have no idea what they are doing. Clearly Malzahar had a lead on one of his old possessions but we have no idea what it is or where it is." Vel'Koz began pacing back and forth, as Lux turned to the rest of the team.

"Ok then first things first. Janna, Dorcha, Solas, Zephyr, how did the search go?" All four of them looked at each other before smiling in a guilty way. Lux's face went from excited to frustrated in a flash. "That good huh?"

"We got to four of them, but of the nine, we just couldn't get to them without being seen. We have an idea for tomorrow." Solas tried to keep his voice neutral, but the face confidence wasn't fooling anyone.

"Well now you have to find out where and who this void monster is. So get going. Zephyr you too." Lux just looked at the three of them and they quickly sprinted off. Pix then chirped up and Lux turned to him and Lulu.

"Pix said he wants to help as well." Lulu didn't even look up from what she was drawing. The connection between the two was clearly much deeper than they thought.

"Well then Pix, I'd say get going." Lux's tone was softer with Pix than the others. Pix just squeaked and headed out. "I'm going to regret that tone aren't I?" Lux asked no more than 5 seconds later.

"Probably." Poppy said as she turned to the map of the city and quickly realizing that there wasn't much she could do to help leaned back into her chair. Taking the hint, Lux sat back down and leaned back as well. They knew there would little they could do apart from go out themselves, but even if they found someone, being followed by someone like them, would almost certainly give them away. It was better for those 4 to try something and report back, as much as it frustrated them all.

"Well then should we wait here, or should we head home?" Lulu asked, shaking everyone out of their thoughts. Lux looked around and then shook her head.

"For now, we should wait here. See if they manage to find something." Lux looked at everyone and they all just nodded.

"OK." Lulu immediately went back to drawing and it was clear that whatever she was drawing was important. Lux just shook her head because she didn't understand how she did this but clearly it was working. Lux and Janna pulled out homework while Poppy transformed and headed upstairs for some practice. Nearly 2 hours passed before Solas returned and he was clearly out of breath.

"Found her. Zephyr is following. Dorcha managed to get a picture and she's on her way here. Give her a minute." As he finished, Solas just plopped down on the bar and Lux quickly got him some water. Dorcha wasn't far behind as she came with a photo in her mouth. They all quickly hovered around and before any of them got a good look, Vel'Koz quickly took the photo and got a better look at it.

"This isn't good." He muttered a second later. Everyone was now looking at him When he didn't say anything for a few minutes Poppy, who had come back down in the interim, poked Vel'Koz with her hammer.

"Um Vel? Care to share?" Poppy's poke seemed to knock Vel'Koz out of his stupor.

"Sorry but I know who this is. This is Reah, Lisna's sister. I think she should be told." Suddenly the stakes were much bigger than they thought. Lux immediately sat back down; Janna started pacing; Poppy stayed transformed but leaned against the bar in thought; and Lulu just sat back down and looked between everyone.

"And what would we say?" Janna finally said something after almost 10 minutes. Everyone turned to look and they all just nodded. "I mean we just can't say we are going to destroy her, which she might for us to do."

"So she doesn't deserve to know?" Vel'Koz asked as he was clearly worried about Lisna's reaction should something go wrong.

"I think what Janna means is that we can't continue to make exceptions. I mean I have no idea how we could convince her to betray the void. Lisna was a bit more desperate but I can't see that working this time around." Poppy let her voice trail off as she sat back into her chair. Lux looked between everyone but then Lulu passed a drawing to her and Lux looked at it before smiling. Lulu just smiled in return.

"Well I think that is what we are looking for. Janna, Poppy, and Vel'Koz came over to see what Lulu had drawn. It was extremely detailed and after Vel'Koz looked between his notes and the picture, nodded.

"That's it alright. Now we just need to find it. Oh nevermind." Vel'Koz looked at Lulu's note underneath. It read 'Second Hand'. "So just look at all of the second hand stores on the city. I can get some help with this as for Lisna, we still haven't come to a decision."

"I'm going to tell her and see if she can help. Make a copy of that." Lux rarely just ordered everyone around, but it seemed that no one argued. Vel'Koz quickly moved to make a copy of Lulu's drawing, Poppy powered down and grabbed her things knowing that the evening's activities would be over soon, and Janna grabbed Lux a cloak. "In the meantime, you three try to keep an eye on this woman. Meet up with Zephyr and keep out of sight." Poppy's frown turned into a smile while Janna and Lulu just nodded. Lux reached into her bag and grabbed her locket.

"Star Guardian Power Up." Lux took a second to look herself over then grabbed the cloak from Janna and then headed to the dock where Nasus parked the van. Lux started to walk over to the van once he arrived, but Nasus shook his head and pointed to a smaller car and Lux just nodded.

Meanwhile, Janna, Poppy, and Lulu headed out to join Zephyr while Dorcha and Solas stayed behind to recover, and pig out on the treats Poppy left them. It didn't take long from them to spot their person once they reached downtown, which was littered with second hand stores and she had apparently been to a few of them, judging by the bags on her arms. "Ok then spread out and look like normal teens." Janna turned to Poppy and Lulu who both looked at her confused.

"Um wouldn't it be better to stick together then?" Lulu asked, while Poppy just pointed to Lulu with a "um…that" face. Janna just let her eyes room then nodded. All three pulled out their phones and it was easy enough to blend in. While they all couldn't follow her into every shop, it was clear she was looking for Malzahar's bag and she wasn't going to stop until she found it. While the team did decide to look for it as well, they were also certain that Reah wouldn't try and steal it today. Kog'Maw would need energy and that would require a distraction. Which just might give them the chance they need.

After 5 more stores, they noticed Reah wasn't walking to the next, and after following her for a bit, she disappeared into an alley. Lulu carefully went in and saw her vanish through a void portal. "She's gone." Lulu told the others when she returned.

"Let's check the last shop." Janna said and they quickly hurried back over. After 20 minutes of looking through the shop, Poppy found it. After moving its location, they made their way out and Lulu texted Lux with the information before realizing that Lux didn't have her phone. "We should head back to the tower and make plans for tomorrow." Janna suggested as both her and Poppy realized the same thing. They all changed course and made a b-line for the tower.

While on the way to Lisna's apartment, Lux remained quiet and seemed more asleep than anything. "Long day?" Nasus asked and Lux just turned her head.

"Yeah I guess. Sorry I'm just going over what I'm going to say. I have to pick and choose my words carefully to try and get her to work with us and not tip off her sister."

"Understandable. I'll be quiet then." Nasus took to driving as he could hear Lux talking under her breath now that he was listening for it. As they arrived at the apartment complex, Lux turned to Nasus with a curious look on her face. "Vel always intended to move here so he kept the condo but he liked living at the museum better so he's been renting it out ever since. It's been without a tenant for a while now so he offered it to Lisna until she gets on her feet. The number is 1206 and the door code is 945201." Lux nodded and opened the door, careful to keep her appearance hidden.

Lux punched in the door code and carefully made her way to the 12th floor. Once outside the door, she knocked. "One minute." Came a voice from inside. Lisna opened the door a minute later and after Lux raised her head just enough for Lisna to catch a glimpse of her tiara, Lisna stood back and let her in. "Funny to see you here. I figured you wouldn't come by for a visit." Lisna kept up her human appearance if only to keep the Guardian comfortable but she knew there was another reason.

"Can we sit down, there is something you need to know?" Lux pulled down the hood and Lisna beckoned to the table in the kitchen.

"Need anything?" She asked.

"No but thank you." Lux carefully placed her baton so it leaned up against the chair, and Lisna sat down opposite her.

"So what's this information I need to know." Lisna was keeping a neutral face since she didn't know what was about to happen.

"It's about your sister." Lux looked up and Lisna's face dropped, but she didn't say anything. "Kog'Maw has apparently recruited her to find and take Malzahar's bag. We have been unable to locate it as of yet, but we have a feeling she might be able to locate it faster. Lux reached into the small bag she was carrying and pulled out Lulu's drawing and Reah's photo. Lisna grabbed her sister's photo and sighed.

"I figured this would happen sooner or later and I thank you for telling me. She's determined and if it is out there, she will find it. I'm guessing you are trying to see if there is a way to defeat her without destroying her right?" Lisna looked up at Lux who shook her head. Lisna became enraged, but keep it check for the time being since it seemed the Guardian had another plan.

"We were hoping you could talk her out of supporting the void as well. We can easily make it look like she was destroyed." Lux just let her voice trail off and Lisna stood up and paced around for 5 minutes. Lux kept an eye on her while she kept her head looking at the table. Eventually Lisna sat back down.

"I think I can, but you would have to find it first. Without that piece of information, I can't be of much help. If you can find it…wait I've seen this." Lisna turned to the sheet of paper and took a closer look. "Yes I'm sure I have. It was at this second hand store. I liked it because of its patterns, but I figured I'd come back in two days and if it was still there, then I'd take it. Oh which shop was it..." Lisna put her head into her hands and after a minute she raised her head again. "Yes it was Rail Central on Clark. Good place."

"Good that gives us an edge. Hopefully." Lux's voice perked up with some good news.

"She probably won't try and take it tonight because that annoying eating machine will need energy was well so he'll cause a distraction while she gets away with the goods, or so he will think. I'll help you stop my sister, hopefully turn her as well, but I can't let you destroy her. If you are going to, then I'm going as well." Lux looked carefully into Lisna's face and saw she was determined.

"Very well, but something tells me it won't come to that." Lux stood up and made for the door. "I'll have Vel'Koz contact you once we make plans."

"Please. I could spend all day in that shop have you ever been there?" Lux had but she also knew that she had to play her part so she shook her head. "It has a restaurant, bar, and reading area. I could spend all day there. I'll just head there for the next few days and just wait. Don't worry about that. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow." Lux gave a quick bow, pulled up her hood, and let herself out. Making her way back to Nasus, she quickly got in the car and he drove her back to the tower.

"Well how did it go?" Nasus asked after a few minutes.

"Good, well mostly. She said she would try and help us but wouldn't let us destroy her sister without her. So there's that." Lux's voice dropped as she finished knowing that tomorrow would lead to a flurry of activity and would hopefully end up not too badly, but she couldn't know.

"Well then, you have to be prepared for that. I mean what you would any of you do for your families?" Lux opened her mouth to reply, but quickly fell silent. She knew Nasus was right but she also knew that tomorrow might lead to an action she couldn't take.

"Well then, let's hope that we don't arrive there." Lux perked her voice up, but she wasn't fooling herself or Nasus and they both knew it. "Sorry, but this isn't decisions I should be making, at least not yet."

"I know that. Everyone knows that, but what's the alternative, or better yet what is the choice we have?" Nasus kept his voice comforting, and Lux just put her head down and gave a brief smile.

"We don't have one. At least not right now." Lux let her voice end and Nasus knew the conversation was over for the moment. The decisions these girls were making are decisions that even adults would have issues making. He decided that it would be best to let the rest of the trip pass in peace.

Once they got back, Lux headed to the tower where she found Janna, Poppy, and Lulu waiting. Lux barely had enough time to lower her hood before Janna spoke up.

"We found it. It's a store called…"

"Rail Central?" Lux asked and Janna just stopped dead in her tracks. "Lisna found the bag and was going to purchase it in a few days. But sit down because there is an issue we need to discuss so I suggest you all sit down." Janna, Poppy, and Lulu sat down and Lux powered down, then sat down. Lux took a deep breath to calm herself and began.

"So Lisna was more than happy to try and help talk her sister out of supporting the void, but it came with a hitch. If we couldn't convince her, then we'd have to destroy them both. I could see that I wasn't going to talk her out of it so I didn't bother to try." Lux looked around at the table and everyone was rather gloomy. Even Lulu forever the optimist, was looking down.

"Well I guess we can't let it come to that. I'm sure we can be persuasive enough. Especially with both Lisna and Vel'Koz there. But I think you should be there as well." Poppy turned to Lux who just looked surprised. "If anyone can convince her to leave the void, it would be you." Poppy finished saying what she wanted to and after looking between Janna and Lulu, who both just nodded in agreement, Lux put her head back, took a deep breath again, then nodded.

"Ok if that is what you think is good. I just don't like splitting us up. Especially since we can't find our fifth teammate." Lux turned to Dorcha, Solas, and Zephyr, who all quickly looked away. "Try tomorrow before all the crazy gets loose. I'll go talk to Vel'Koz about that, hopefully he will agree. Until tomorrow then?" The rest of the team nodded and they all grabbed their things and left. Lux let Dorcha and Solas hop into her pack before leaving after the rest of the team left. Carefully walking to Vel'Koz's office, she knocked and entered. Vel'Koz looked up from his desk as she entered.

"Something wrong? You seem a bit distressed." Vel'Koz immediately picked up on Lux's attitude and he knew that it would be best to just let her bring it up at her own pace. Lux just sat for a few minutes before she looked up.

"It's about Reah. I talked with Lisna and she is more than willing to try and convince her sister to leave but there's a big condition." Vel'Koz just looked at Lux intently, he knew this wasn't good. "If we fail, then we have to destroy them both. I mean what could I say so I just nodded and left. Lisna said she'd be at Rail Central tomorrow all day because Reah found it, but I didn't know at the time. Also Poppy thought you should be there as well since Lisna, you, and me could probably convince her." Lux finally finished and she just leaned back in the chair. Vel'Koz pondered his answer and once it seemed Lux was ready for it, he spoke.

"That is a decision that is well beyond what any of you should be making at your age, and there is no right or wrong answer. The only answer is what we make of it at the time. I can most certainly go and help. I frequently go to those stores looking for books or other things so my presence won't be out of place. What I will promise for tomorrow is that we will do our best. That is all we can hope and ask for." Vel'Koz finished and looked at Lux carefully who was clearly uncomfortable. Vel'Koz reached into his desk and pulled the void pills. "Here, take one of these before you go to sleep. It won't eliminate the feelings or anything else, but you will sleep." Lux looked up and just nodded.

"Thanks. I guess that is what Nasus didn't want to say in the car." Lux stood up and grabbed a pill before Vel'Koz put them back in his desk.

"My guess as well. I'll see you tomorrow then?" Vel'Koz turned up his voice at the end and as Lux reached the door, she turned and smiled.

"I'll be there. Now to just figure out how to get out of school." Lux gave a bit of a giggle as she left and headed home. Once she was home, she let Dorcha and Solas out, and then got ready for bed. After taking the pill, Lux felt the cold rush over her, but it was a welcoming cold. She pulled up the blankets and settled down for a night's sleep that was needed.

As the guardians got to sleep, Kog'Maw was looking over his plan for the last time. He needed to distract the guardians and he also needed energy. Deciding to wait until lunch where he might be able to get a lot of energy, he could have an ample distraction with some Zzs and himself while Reah got the bag. That is if the guardians hadn't found it already.

"You are sure it is there?" Kog'Maw asked Reah, who just nodded.

"It was there. All I'll have to do tomorrow is walk in, suck some energy, grab it, then vanish through a portal. It doesn't have to be complicated." Reah's voice conveyed her frustration as Kog'Maw once again tried to complicate the plan, when it didn't need to be.

"Fine then. Just watch out because underestimate those guardians at your own peril."

"I know, you midget worm." Reah walked out and Kog'Maw was again fuming. He was getting real tired of the attitude he kept getting, but knew there wasn't much of an alternative. Deciding on not pushing the matter, Kog'Maw just decided to get some sleep for the night. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

As the sun creeped over the horizon, Lux woke up before her alarm and had a chance to stare out the window. Today was going to be a day to remember for one reason or another but she also enjoyed the sleep she got. "Can't become dependent on those however." Lux muttered to herself before turning to see Dorcha and Solas still sleeping. Looking over at her clock, Lux saw she still had a bit of time, so just carefully leaned back against her pillows until her alarm actually went off. Only then did she pull herself out of bed.

As she walked to school, Lux once again met up with Amy, who was in a very good mood today for some reason. Lux tried to push the decision she would have to make from her mind but found she couldn't.

"Come on Lux, what's the matter?" Amy clearly picked up on Lux's dilemma, but she couldn't know the truth.

"Just a decision that I'm going to have to make soon. I really don't want to talk about it, but let's just say it isn't one that is easy." Lux kept her voice low but couldn't hide the fear that came out as well.

"Well just do your best. You have always made good decisions in the worst times. You just can't stress over it Lux; it isn't doing wonders for you." Amy put her arm around her friend and Lux couldn't help but smile. Even Amy was a great help. "Come on let's get to class and hope nothing bad happens today."

"Did you study for the quiz?" Lux asked and then started running as Amy paused for a second.

"Oh don't do that. Come back here!" Lux charged off towards their school while Amy was running after her. After they got into class, Amy gave Lux one hit on the arm before Ms. Teller walked in. Lux just rubbed her arm and smiled. However, as the morning wore on, Lux couldn't help but keep coming back to that decision and how it was now closer than ever. She knew that Kog'Maw wouldn't probably attack until noon and get people going out to lunch so there was time, but every second was going to be in agony.

Across the room, Poppy noticed Lux, and knew that the decision was weighing on her. It wasn't fair that they were making these decisions, but then life wasn't fair and neither was the void. Sooner or later they are going to have to make the tough choices and those days were rapidly approaching. Lulu also seemed concerned and carefully looked back more than once during class.

Janna meanwhile was having her hands full keeping track of Zephyr, Dorcha, and Solas, as they moved around the school checking those who had that hair color. It wasn't until her science class that they reported in. Janna was by the window, which was opened just enough for Solas to squeeze through without being noticed. "We've eliminated more of the list, but we still have 4 to go, and given it's almost lunch, I doubt we will get to them."

Janna tried to keep from sighing heavily, but knew there was no other option. 'Guess another fight without all 5.' She said to herself as class dragged on.

Soon enough, the lunch bell rang and all four of them quickly met in the park between their schools and they quickly ate what would probably be a quick meal. No sooner had they finished and began talking about when Kog'Maw would attack, did a rush of cold wash over the four of them.

"Well no time like the present. Let's go." Lux turned and sprinted for the small grove of trees they used frequently and after checking that they were alone, they were ready.

"Star Guardian Power Up!" As they shook off the sensation from transforming, one look around saw students running for the buildings. Others were running off towards the houses behind the fields and more were just running.

"Ok then, let's go." Poppy said and sprinted off towards downtown where it wasn't difficult to find Kog'Maw. He was near one of the main areas, one with a lot of restaurants and was draining energy and using Zzs to transport orbs back. As they entered the area, Debonair came up behind them.

"So what's the plan?" He asked as they all skidded to a stop.

"The plan is that you four hold off that eating machine and slow him down, while I deal with another matter. Just don't force him to retreat." Lux said and Debonair couldn't hide his confused face, but nodded nonetheless. "It seems weird, but…well."

"Well then let's get to it." His attitude was always a bit of relief. Lux watched as the four charged straight into Kog'Maw and Lux quickly sped towards Rail Central. Once she got there, she found people inside, drained of energy, and a void creature, clearly Reah, and Lux carefully entered the front door. Looking back, Lux saw Lisna, and Vel'Koz waiting for her. Letting a glint from her baton get their attention, Lux carefully moved through the shop and got close enough.

"Oh where is it? It was right here yesterday." Reah growled as she turned over more stacks and eventually turned to see Lux standing there. "So I have a visitor. Come to destroy me like you did my sister? You will find I'm a bit more of a challenge."

"It isn't polite to insult family." Lisna took her queue to emerge from the back while Vel'Koz followed close behind. Reah just stopped dead. Like her sister, when she was in void form, Reah's hands had needles on them, but she had a much more slender form than her sister. "What? Told you I was dead didn't they?" Again Reah didn't have a response. Lux and Vel'Koz moved to cover Lisna as she moved into the open.

"You're supposed to be dead. They told me that you died. Or at least that eating worm did. What happened?" Reah retracted the needles on her hands and Lux was able to breathe a bit.

"They saved me. I was too weak to fight, but instead of destroying me like I asked them too, they brought me to Vel'Koz here and he helped me. At first I called it weakness but as I've been here for a while now, I've seen what Vel'Koz meant. We can live together in peace. Most of the people here have no idea who I am and none of them seem to care. I've been doing well so far, but I've got a lot to learn. There is no reason you have to throw your life away for something that isn't worth it. Trust me." Lisna finished and Reah was still just standing there clearly not knowing what to say.

"And I'm supposed to believe that they will just let me stay here without any complaints?" Reah finally asked after a few minutes and while Lux moved to talk, Lisna just shook her head.

"Considering the only time I've seen them is when this one came to tell me about you, yes. Vel'Koz checks in one a week to give me new void energy but apart from that, I'm free to do what I want. Attacking serves no purpose, especially when you see the fashion on this planet. It is just…amazing. Instead of destroying we can be part of something." Lisna's voice started to falter and Lux took that as her queue.

"We don't care as long as you live in peace and don't try to attack or destroy. I don't want to destroy you, but if I have to, I will." Lux tightened her grip on her baton and Reah took note of it. Looking between Lux, Lisna, and Vel'Koz, she finally turned to Vel'Koz.

"Why? I mean why stay?"

"Apart from the fact I was left behind? Because I found this place to be fascinating. Just one planet in the billions that are here, I've learned so much, and sooner or later I'm sure I'll leave, but to where I have no idea. There is still so much to learn. The people here of course weren't accepting at first, but eventually they came to accept me and even help me in many occasions. I still see those that despise me, and for good reason, but I'm not about to let that distract me from helping others." Vel'Koz finished his speech and turned from Lux to Lisna to Reah as the latter just stood there in exasperation. Clearly she didn't have any idea to expect this and she just kept looking between the three people now standing opposite her.

Lux kept a careful watch but knew that sooner or later someone would have to make a move, and she didn't want to be the one who does it. Finally, when it seemed Lisna would try and force something, Reah turned to Lux. "So you would actually let me stay here. Knowing full well what I am and where I came from? I would be free to pursue my own interests without you checking in on me?"

"As long as those interests don't and never include attacking people for their energy, yes. Vel'Koz can help you with that." Lux loosened her grip on her baton as she finished trying to defuse the situation a bit. Reah turned on her heal to Vel'Koz and he just nodded. Reah again looked between the three of them before collapsing against a display. Lisna went over to her sister while Lux and Vel'Koz held back.

"Well I guess I never liked any of them anyway. Especially when they lie." Reah's voice suddenly was filled with fire. "There is something you don't know and you need to. I'm sure when you two fought," Reah indicated Lux and Lisna, "she told you of our reserve energy. What you don't know is that it is still bad. Malzahar is feeding something. I don't know what it is, but it's big, ugly, and hungry. The energy is also going to rebreed our Zzs and those are still rebuilding. He's bringing in a lot of energy, but it is going just as fast as it is coming."

Lux looked between Lisna and Vel'Koz before nodding. "Thank you for telling us that. We are trying to stop them, but it is still difficult."

"I'm sure that it is. I'm also sure that somehow you will succeed. Now how do I disappear?" Reah looked between the three of them with a bit of smile on her face.

"Just assume your human form and follow me." Lisna helped Reah to her feet. "Vel'Koz will tell us everything on route. Oh you might want to safeguard this." Lisna handed the bag over to Vel'Koz who smiled in his way. Lux smiled as well, as they stopped Kog'Maw's objective. Vel'Koz, Lisna, and Reah left the shop and entered a vehicle that Nasus had driven up. Lux just nodded and she took off back towards the fight. When she arrived, the scene that greeted her almost made her laugh.

As Lux tore off towards Rail Central, Janna turned to see Kog'Maw hadn't noticed them yet. "Ok here's what we are going to do. You two," Janna pointed towards Poppy and Debonair, "are going to charge him while we shield you. Kog'Maw will either dodge or get hit by at least one of you. Should he avoid everything, we'll just throw things at him." The team split up and Janna followed Debonair while Lulu followed Poppy. Once they were in place, Janna gave the signal and Debonair and Poppy charged. Kog'Maw was completely oblivious until they were both right on top of him. Kog'Maw panicked and tried to fire at them both, but his attacks were only absorbed by Janna's and Lulu's shields.

"Hey ugly, heads up!" Poppy roared and she and Debonair brought their hammers down, which sent Kog'Maw flying through the air and into a nearby building where he landed, hard. Really hard. Sliding down the wall, Kog'Maw seemed stunned as it took him several seconds to get back up, only to do so and wander around absentmindedly. Everyone just looked at each other only to have to quickly dodge out of the way of the Zzs which had turned from collecting orbs to attacking them.

"Move!" Janna yelled as everyone started picking them off and it was clear their numbers weren't going to be replenished. "Ok everyone, pick your targets and go." Everyone quickly spread out and while Poppy, Lulu, and Debonair manned the line, Janna kept an eye on them while still watching Kog'Maw who was still in a daze.

Poppy, Lulu, and Debonair used their powers and abilities to thin out the horde and Janna kept them alive with shields, twisters, and making sure Kog'Maw didn't flank them. Eventually the horde thinned enough for the rest to flee. The group charged them preventing as many orbs as possible, but they still got out with a respectable number. Once the horde was gone completely, and the portal closed, they all turned to Kog'Maw who was still in a daze.

Movement behind them caused them all to turn, but it was only Lux who was struggling to hold back her laughter. For more reasons than the obvious. "Someone want to explain what happened?" Lux was now fighting back tears of laughter as she watched Kog'Maw just wander around.

"So these two hit him into a building and he hasn't been right since. I think we knocked his brain off." Janna said, who was also now trying not to laugh. As they watched, Kog'Maw collided with another building and slumped down. That seemed to knock the sense back into him as he stood up, shook his head, and turned to see the 5 facing him.

"Well it seems that you got lucky, no matter my Zzs…" Kog'Maw stopped talking as he looked around and saw the Zzs were gone. "Well at least that annoying minion succeeded."

"Um no. If you are looking for his bag, I've secured it in a location you will never find it." Lux was only too happy to let the confidence in her voice show. Kog'Maw now knew he was in trouble. He had no idea how much energy the Zzs managed to get away with and now that the bag was in the custody of the guardians, he was in big trouble.

"Well then, until next time." Kog'Maw moved quickly, opened a portal, and disappeared through it. Everyone just stood there for a few seconds before Lulu spoke.

"Well that was anti-climactic." That broke the tension and everyone just started laughing. As they recovered and looked around, the damage was only just people collapsed and paramedics were already tending to them. There was almost no damage elsewhere except a small dent in the facing of the building where Kog'Maw hit.

"Well until next time you four." Debonair said as he disappeared and Lux turned to the rest of the team.

"I think we should just go home and say that we just reacted when the alarm went off. Well to the tower first." Lux added as an afterthought. They headed for the tower where they found Vel'Koz hovering over Malzahar's bag. He turned as they entered.

"Well Reah is with Lisna and they are going to share that condo that I have and they should be happy there. As for this, I'm going to lock it in the vault. Malzahar shouldn't be able to get it there. The vault is still protected by Guardian Magic. As for the rest of today, the Chief is making note of the little property damage and the fact you were able to stop 2 attacks."

"Then I guess I'd call this a successful day. What about our phones?" Poppy had no sooner finished talking than she saw Dorcha and Solas with their phones typing text messages. "Are we really that predictable?"

"No, but short conversations in the heat of a crisis are easy enough to fake." Solas said as he tossed Poppy's phone back to her. Lux, Janna, and Lulu grabbed theirs and saw that he was correct.

"By the way, how many do you have left?" Lux turned to Janna, Zephyr, Dorcha, and Solas.

"Um…four." They all just hung their heads as Dorcha mumbled a reply.

"Well get to them tomorrow. Until then, I suggest we all just go home and get some sleep. I'm sure we will need it." Lux powered down, then everyone else did and they headed home. Vel'Koz placed the bag in the vault and sealed it up, knowing that it would be safe.

As day turned to night, the team settled down for homework and looked to the future.

"Just one more and we are unstoppable." Lux said to no one in particular as she sat at her computer, looking out the window. "Your move."

On the moon, Malzahar wasn't happy and he let it show. The energy that was collected was a loss, and the fact Kog'Maw let Reah get destroyed wasn't helping. "You have failed me on two fronts you useless worm. Now you will suffer." Malzahar unleashed his powers and Kog'Maw was sent running from the throne room like a scared puppy. Making the accompanying noises to match. Once he was gone, Malzahar tuned to Cho'Gath, who was watching with disbelief.

"I assume you think that was too much?" Malzahar let his frustration and anger show.

"Yes. He did the best he could under the circumstances. I'm pretty sure any one of us, myself included would be dazed at the hit he took. Maybe not for as long, but still." Cho'Gath finished and walked out. Despite his constant treats of eating people, he was also a strategist and knew the score. Kog'Maw was outmaneuvered. The guardians found the bag and set a trap that only one was needed to pull off.

Malzahar on the other hand was still fuming. He wasn't about to let this go lying down, but he also knew that if he didn't calm down soon, her would make a bigger mistake. Looking at the ball in space that was Runeterra, he decided to sleep on it and make new plans in the morning.

"You may have won this battle guardians, but you won't win the war."