AN- Hey folks! I know, what you are seeing is really happening and no it will not take another 1 and a half-ish years to complete the next chapter. It is actually nearly finished with three more sequences to write. I must apologize for the absolute delay in this chapter. I'm going to be completely honest. For a few months, I had lost the complete satisfaction of writing this fic. Actually with writing in general. Today, my co-pilot/partner in crime/ beta reader extraordinaire WG Karibu helped a bit in some of the gross writer's block and unmotivated groaning of being unable to write anything that looked better than a preschool children's book. So without any further adieu, thank you all for being along for the ride, sorry it took me forever, and massive whoops on my part. Enjoy and let me know what you think you beautiful individuals and keep rocking the free world.
(2 mins until the attack on Piltover)
(Son Lux- Dream State)
Dorian Lyle focused on his steps this morning.
Each foot fell into position with restrained excited thought.
This was his journey of the future.
He had been working so hard to achieve the dream he was to fulfil. Like a garden he had worked tirelessly over; he had reaped what he sowed and it made the grin form as he tried to hide it.
It was a usual early morning for Piltover. As of last friday, he lived the rise of the early morning shift of miners. Lived the gruelling work of drilling crystals and other heavy metals. He was quite sure there must have been crystal dust under his nails and buried in the lines of his calloused young hands. In his twenty-five years, he had worked those lines for fifteen solid years. He needed to survive after his single mother passed away to lung disease.
And she was the reason that he was trying to contain the feeling to skip excitedly to the investment office. See while chipping away and cursing at the hard rock underground of the Ironspike mountains, he dreamed.
He dreamed of ways to ensure the air quality for all citizens of Runeterra, whether Piltovain or Zaunite or Demacian, even Freljordian. Dorian had worked his way to hextechnicians, gotten advice from mechanists, conversed with air reavers; all of this came of his solution. He had devised a way to create a more efficient air filtration system using chemtrails and hextech. It was the perfect merger of Piltovian and Zaunite technology.
He paused before crossing the trickling of a busy roadway. The highways were not jam-packed with hexcarriages or hexmobiles, but soon the roads will be gridlocked.
He fixed the lapels of his suit jacket. It had belonged to his grandfather before he had passed away in a mining accident long before he was born. His mother had gifted it to him hoping he would grow into the same body type. He was close, but he would never have burly shoulders like him. He hoped he didn't look like a child trying on adult clothing.
He had passed by the various vendors on Orion avenue as they began their morning setups. Gas-lit stoves burned, tea was freshly brewed, fish and meats hung up over cart stalls, the fruit was stacked and bobits of gold, iron or silver glinted in the early morning sunrise. The morning fogs drifted off closer to the docksides leaving a morning mist dew on the grasses of the common areas. Bankers chuffed along as they entered into the fortified national bank of Piltover. Merchants gathered the early morning weather updates at the trading post before setting off on voyages or large caravans on their trade routes.
There was something stagnant in the air. The merchants were their usual tired selves, but something seemed tense and bitter about the way they moved. Orion street market was just starting to see the few customers they get this early in the morning. They quickly moved from stall to stall, talking in hushed voices and taking off in hurried runs.
It was just as his foot touched the cobblestone of Platinum Wallace Terrace that he was knocked onto his back as the concrete below his feet erupted.
The air was taken from his lungs roughly as debris rained over his prone body. His ears rung relentlessly as he tried to clear his shaking vision. He blinked as people ran around him. Dust clouded the area causing him to cough. Something acrid and toxic burned his nostrils. As his hearing came back, the sounds of people screaming berated him.
Survival instincts kicked in as he quickly got to his feet. He looked around his shoulder as the sound of more eruptions and explosions rocked the area. Rubble shook as the sounds of war cries broke into the streets. People began to run toward the upper levels as they ran from something they couldn't see but feared. He furrowed his brow as people broke through the dust clouds, blood-soaked and panicked.
Massive sinkholes gulped out as cobblestone and concrete were swallowed into the depths. Steam rose from the gaping hole, covering the streets in a dust plume so thick he thought his eyesight had gone completely. But this wasn't made his lungs freeze as his jaw hung open wide in shock.
From the murky air, came the pale undead soldier.
Black ooze trailed it's way down bulbous muscles over it's chest and shoulders. Its jaws closed shut and eyes cold and black as it starred Dorian down. Long scars and tubing seemed to come from its back and spine. The veins popping from it's skin were a sickly greenish black colour that turned his gut into pure terror. Then more of them came from the dust and gaping hole.
His feet moved before he could think. He bolted for his life as the creatures roared and charged forward. He moved as swiftly as he could going past others who were just in the realization that they too should have started running ages ago.
An explosion went off, demolishing a brick building, throwing debris onto his body. He fell to his knees, face cracking into the cobblestone. Blood poured over his lip, his broken nose and punctured cheek. But what really caught his attention was the burning sensation that made him writhe.
He looked to his forearm, his eyes wide, as acid corroded its way to bone. Blood mixed with burning flesh caused a horrifying animalistic scream to rip through his throat. He tried to rise, to bite down the pain, but realisation sunk in as he found himself pinned under brick rubble.
Fires burned, hordes bellowed, tears lined his pained face.
Dorian Lyle would never see the fruition of his dreams let alone his twenty sixth birthday as a heavily metal clad foot stomped on to his head, bringing him to the realm of shadows.
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{Son lux- This time}
No
The single, two-letter word, echoes against the walls of her brain. Explosions rain from the heavens, as debris follows it down. Her breath is ragged as she presses her back against a piece of fallen tower. Dust covers her from head to toe, making her usually neon pink hair a dull pastel colour.
She pulled an all-nighter chasing leads on the bluette, hoping to get some kind of whiff of trouble on the horizon.
However, she never imagined this would be the trouble she was looking for. She takes a moment to light the cigarette she had stuck behind her ear. It's not often that she goes back to her old habits, but when Jinx is running about causing havoc and the information she's been getting, she thought it better to smoke the stress away then get into the other dangerous and volatile habits she used to have to help keep her awake at night.
"Vi?" The radio piece crackled in her ear. "Report your position."
A smirk crosses her face as the voice warms her tired body. As if Caitlyn magically had appeared, she butts the cigarette and blows the rest of the smoke to the side, trying to hide the fact that she broke a rule between them. "Mornin' Cupcake." She drawls lowly in return. "Sorry for not coming home last night. You know the whole finishing projects deal." Vi chuckles as she slides out from behind her cover and sprints out into the opening. She hates to lie to Cait, but she starts to feel like soon she would be spilling her guts. Especially if the city is in the state that it's in now. With this, it went from the usual morning slug of just one more clue to a city falling to pieces.
The streets smell of fire and ash. Sadly, she admits to herself that she is starting to get used to the smell. "I'm in the upper ward by prospects avenue, what seems to be the situation? Jinx loose again?"
"I...look the situation is not good and confidential. I'm making my way out to you. I cannot speak over the comms for more info. Meet me at our usual rendezvous. I'll be there shortly. Out." Caitlyn replied. This wasn't the usual, 'let's go deal with the problem and stop joking around, Vi' Caitlyn. This was cold as steel, Sheriff Deramore.
Did she already know that she had been searching for the loose cannon? Did she know she had been lying to her?
Due to the threat, Vi had nothing else to say and gritted her teeth to obey rather than continuing her search for Jinx. The pyromaniac had to be involved somehow and the feeling she had in her gut told her that they would be coming face to face soon.
She moves quickly as she starts to regret the pack of smokes she had been chain smoking the night before and the caffeine burn out she is facing now.
"Gods above, no wonder I stopped this shit." She mutters as she hacks up half her lung and spits a globule of mucus and spittle.
She doesn't have much time to stop, Cait needs her and she can't let her down. Cursing her younger self's ability to do this on a daily basis, she continues forward, missing large divets and discharged ammo scattered along the cobblestone roadway.
The brat was here. It makes her blood boil, she could still be chasing her now, follow this path and beat her senseless for damaging her home.
But a small voice in her head warns her that this is bigger than Jinx, that this is solely not of her doing and this annoys Vi to no end.
The brawler finds her way to the corner of Orion and Platinum Wallace, where the remnants of a small bakery had once belonged. She skids to a halt as she witnesses the carnage.
"Fuck." Vi gasps as she sees the wreck of the streets. Sure, the upper ward was bad with fallen buildings and dust, but the market belt?
There were no more words to say other than just...Fuck.
Gaping holes had burst from the sewers below. Bodies littered the cobblestone streets inside piles of rubble and puddles of blood. Glass storefronts were shattered, hexmobiles upside down and smoking, buildings on fire, clock towers fallen, apartment buildings sunken down from the loss of ground support.
The sound of someone dropping down beside her spooked her out of her observation. She jumped back and rose her fists, sinking her right shoulder low to defend herself and prepare for a counter hit.
"Stand down." Caitlyn breathed fixing her jacket front. She had tied her hair into a tight bun and was in her all black SWAT uniform. Her trusty rifle laid in between her shoulders as the strap crossed her chest.
Vi released the breath she was holding, and placed her heels down from her fighting stance. "Sorry, I got distracted. You spooked me." Vi replied quickly. Something about the air around her just made the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end. There was an ominous quiet that spoke of terrible things that had happened here but no longer is. Her instincts wanted her to run, to bolt, out of danger and figure out who the hell is causing this.
But you know who is causing this.
Caitlyn's features were solid as stone as she looked around her. She too felt the need to run, felt the way it twanged in her gut and twisted her insides. She knew that Piltover company had pushed the line back, but the aftermath of invaders kept her on edge. She looked to Vi locking her icy eyes to the brawler's violet hues.
"Piltover is being attacked from two sides. The fifty-first have changed hands over to Grayer while we focus on controlling the upper ward again." She began, placing her right hand on Vi's left cheek, and brushing her thumb along the tattoo lines. Vi leaned into the touch, closing her eyes and breathing a deep calming breath. As quick as the tender touch came, Caitlyn had pulled back. She unstrapped her rifle, pulling back on the bolt action release, and loading the gun into action with a satisfying slide. "We are currently in a battle for Piltover."
"Who's been attacking? And where do I teach 'em not to do it again?" Vi growled lowly, instantly her hackles rose as excitement at the next fight builds up at her chest like a shot of electricity through her veins.
Caitlyn can practically feel the change in Vi; it's like a charge as her gauntlets steam in anticipation. The brawler starts to become restless as her metal knuckles clench and unclench into fists.
"Jinx," Caitlyn replies looking to find a perch above the deprecated bakery. She makes her way to a nearby alleyway following the path of a fire escape. Vi follows, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Viktor." She says nonchalantly. "Noxus." She sees the perfect place to begin her ascent up to bird's eye height.
"Noxus?" Vi asks disgustedly. "What the fuck kind of beef do they have with us? I mean we were expecting the Zaunites, sure, but Noxus? Shouldn't they be in Ionia?"
"Yes." Caitlyn replies.
Vi hears the threatening undertone crawling up her spine like an annoyed scorpion ready to sting her neck. "What's up Cait?"
"I've made a misjudgement of character." She replies evenly. She straps the rifle to her back as she tries to reach the hanging ladder of a fire escape. "I believe that I have made a great mistake that may have been the cause of this and I won't fully know until all of this is over. So right now, we need to deal with this threat and then get straight to an investigation."
"Well whatever it is, it can wait. As you said, you won't know for sure until the end, once we make it out of whatever the fuck is going on. Right now, I'm as riled as ever. So point in the direction you want me to punch, and I'll do it."
"Mmm." Caitlyn hummed absently.
"I know you're second guessing yourself right now, Cait, but let's get our head in the game. Let's deal with that skinny stick, throw her boney ass into a cell and help out with kicking these invader fucks out of OUR city." Vi snarled as she closed the distance. "OUR City, Cait. We handle this together, we go through this together, and we're going to come out on top of this together."
Caitlyn nodded, her icy eyes turning darker as her anger grew. "Our city." Caitlyn agreed.
"Now, let's go kick some ass, sheriff." Vi grinned devilishly as she swatted the sheriff's behind with a very audible snap.
The raven-haired woman gave a surprised yelp and began cursing the pinkette before she was pulled into Vi and given a deep kiss.
It took her a moment to fully react with her fury as for only a moment she got lost in the kiss, forgot about her self doubt and just focused on Vi.
She was easily intoxicating as she was irritating.
"You got my six?" Vi beamed breaking the kiss and touching foreheads.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes, trying badly to hide the smirk growing on her lips. "You are distracting me from the work ahead." Caitlyn stepped back as she accepted Vi's aid in boosting her to the top of the metal ladder. "But yes, I have yours as you have mine."
"Damn fucking straight." Vi grinned. "Stay sharp up there. I don't wanna worry about needing to catch you if I'm toe to toe with the brat."
"Worry about yourself, I can handle it." Caitlyn spat as she climbed up Vi's palm. "Make your way to the middle of the upper ward. I'm guessing she'll be near congregation square. Grayer believes she is flushing out civilians to meet the actual force moving its way toward the middle of the market belt. We have a line of our men defending city hall, a full frontline of Piltover Company pushing back the Noxians and the fifty-first are after Viktor. They are hoping to intercept him and cause a delay until Jayce's task force are ready with his hammer."
"He fucking wrecked it didn't he?" Vi snorted as Caitlyn stepped up from the brawler's metal palm to her broad shoulders and easily made her way to the first level on the fire escape. "How do we know she's even staying in the upper ward? She's going to run out of things to blow up soon than later. She'll probably want to make the move to the west and meet up along the market belt to cause more havoc."
"No, she has enough things to destroy. One of our officers claimed that she has a new weapon. Viktor must have given her something to keep herself entertained enough to distract us." Caitlyn explained as she climbed higher.
"Then why are we letting her distract us?" Vi yelled.
"Because we can't let her cause more damage. As soon as we get her under control we can manage the flow of civilians looking for safety. Right now we have both the upper city and lower city rings trying to get into the middle. The middle is a battlefield right now. The sooner we make this safe, the sooner we can end pressure on our end." Caitlyn replied. "Now get moving. I'm hearing enough explosions nearby for her to be close."
Vi nodded. "Roger that, cupcake. Let's get this over with so I can knock some Noxian heads."
***********************************************************/)(\*******************************************
{Olafur Arnalds- This Place Was A Shelter}
Piltover Company marched quickly into the streets of Piltover. Squadrons of shield bearers and foot soldiers screamed forward as they clashed with the invaders. Piltovian cannons slammed into the undead Noxian warriors while Jinx bombarded the city streets of the upper city.
It was a chaotic hell that Dakota was, by now, well accustomed to.
She had woken up with fear in her gut as the sirens screeched and warning bells tolled in the morning light. She had instantly noticed her bed bare of Illya, making her gut feel even heavier.
Before she knew it Elric had screamed orders and rather than disobey her Captain and burden her thoughts with a matter that could be dealt with later, she followed all demands placed upon her.
Their mission was clear.
Find whoever was leading this invasion and stop them with any means necessary. Rendezvous with the hero of tomorrow and his men and end the invasion immediately.
While Piltover company drove back the waves, the fifty-first would work in the shadows, using the cover of broken alleyways and rubble to locate the threat.
"How do we know it's him?" Alex had asked, standing up at the map table, defiantly staring at the field officer who seemed too annoyed to be giving orders to the likes of them.
"Your General and commander have the evidence to prove it is the mechanist. The sheriff is currently dealing with the other issue placed upon the city." He huffed.
Dakota's brow furrowed. "What other issue?"
"One that you will not worry about." The officer snapped back, obviously peeved he was being questioned by such low ranking individuals.
"If we are to go on this battlefield, we must know all of the threats present," Elric spoke clearly, mustering all the calm one could find in the midst of great bloodshed.
The field officer gave a great sigh. "She gave me orders not to tell you." He pointed at the upper ring of the city. "The blue haired pyromaniac was set loose in the upper ring in the congregation quarter. Your commander sensed it was a way to flush out the populace to force them to funnel into the battlefield. We were successful enough to evacuate most of the surviving civilians."
Elric nodded. "What were her orders once we take out the mechanist?"
The field officer looked at the tall blond man incredulously. "Focus solely on the mechanist. If you succeed in your mission, standby for further orders."
"Noted." Elric looked to his platoon. "Alright, let's go."
They all rose from their positions and followed their new captain out of the war tent.
That was an hour ago.
War surrounded them fully. Bodies of troops from both sides layered the blood-soaked streets. The screaming injured beckoned for the gods to end their suffering whether through death or through the aid of a medic.
The heat of the acidic fire rising from the lower rings made the air humid and almost unbreathable as smoke rose to the sky, clogging airways along its journey upward. Zaunite melters fired off more rounds, sending the screaming projectiles over their heads and into the districts behind them. The roar of battle cries could be heard just blocks away.
Her breathing was ragged as she stared down the heaving soldier before her.
Acid burned at the chest plate strapped to her body. Her axes were covered in a sickly black ooze. Blood trailed down her newly bent nose. Dust covered her from head to toe, plastering her shoulder pads and chest plate in dark gray.
With a scream worthy of any barbarian, she sprinted forward.
The soldier roared as it charged forward, buckler raised and cleaver ready to cut her down.
With a great concussion of shield and body, Elric blindsided the Noxian, slamming into it with the forcefield shield. The soldier bounced back into a nearby storefront causing shards of glass to penetrate its chest.
Dakota threw one of her axes behind Elric, slamming the metal head into the skull of another screaming Noxian soldier. She slid along her hip as she tripped up another, protecting her brother's back as he charged the dazed and badly injured soldier.
The tripping Noxian fell to his back, giving Dakota the opportunity to stab her combat knife into the exposed part of his helm, plastering her gauntlets in the sickly ooze.
She rose from her kill, cleaning her blade off the material of her black denim and leather pants before she ripped her axe out from the crumpled mess of skull and helm.
Elric stood beside her, covered completely in black and green. "You good?" He asked through a loud pant.
She nodded, her hands twitching in anticipation as the adrenaline kicked through her veins like a vicious wild horse.
A loud whistle caught their ears, making the siblings turn their necks to Alex who was beckoning them quickly.
They set off after him, catching up to the redhead who led them through alleyway after alleyway.
"Matais has eyes on target!" Alex called behind his shoulder. His double cutlasses were drenched in blood. A wicked cocky smile was splayed through his freckled face. His pupils dilated with the thrill of finally being in action again. He was craving the feel of battle. It's incredible what violence and trained insensitivity can do to the human psyche. "Had a whole lot of his acolytes moving up to capture Orion Avenue. We intercepted them, got some info and we know he's making his way to market square in the middle district just by HQ."
"We have to cut him off before he gets any further. If I am guessing correctly he is going for the bank and trading posts. Conquer the economy, capture the city." Elric commented. He was not as fast as Dakota or Elric, but he did his best to keep up with the quick stepped teenagers.
"Police have their lines, guarding the town hall and police forces. Plus a full line of shields and canons." Dakota added. "If he is going to make his way toward city hall he would have a hell of a time getting through the defences they set up. He's smart enough to avoid that."
"Not with the fucking beasts he has! I wouldn't doubt if he was going to set them loose on the defensive line as a distraction, while he can skip on over and get mega cash." Alex called over the screaming trail of a melter round slamming into a street nearby. The shock wave rocked the soldiers slightly.
"How do we get to him then?" Elric questioned through a grunt. A breeze of wind whipped through bringing dust and ash to their eyes. "How about a better question, how do we stop him long enough before Jayce rendezvous?"
Alex gave a half-hearted laugh after wiping his eyes clear. "That's the beauty of war, Elric. Gotta do the impossible."
They skidded to a halt as they came to a cross street. An all-out brawl of soldiers from both sides flooded the street way. "Fuck, Matais is gonna be pissed we're late."
Elric cleared his throat. He pushed to the front, pushing the teenagers behind him. "Cover our backs. We won't take too long this way."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Lead the way, oh captain."
The blond young man gave a snort as he powered up his shield. He gripped the handle tightly bringing it up to his face as he covered his body. Like a spring, his core tightened as power hummed, forming the electric barrier around the metal. With a heavy breath, he charged forward, slamming through the Zaunite Noxian line. The barrier threw the enemy away with concussive energy. Alex slashed out with his blades, catching the few who had the idiotic mind to attack the charging force from behind. Before long they made it to the next alleyway. Noxians screamed after them sprinting hard to catch up.
Dakota slammed one of her hextech bugs along the walls of the alleyway. She waited to be a few paces away, before giving a shrill screeching whistle that ordered the bug to explode. The alleyway closed in with a landslide of rubble and brick stopping the following force behind them.
"Let's go, this way," Alex called sprinting forward, brushing rubble and dust out of his hair. "Only about a block away."
Market square laid desolate as debris littered the old mosaic tiles, however, large sinkholes covered most of the expanse of the market area.
The gyrosphere in the centre of the market was completely destroyed. Its gears and metal bent and broken. The hextech crystal was cracked and smoking. Electricity sparked into the air, making the space feel charged. The store fronts were crushed by past shock waves and explosions, leaving shards of glass behind in its wake. Some stands were still smelling like a fresh morning breakfast, others smelled like overly burnt coffee and flesh. The national bank of Piltover seemed like a pushed down sand castle, as remnants of iron and hand carved stone sloped into a massive pile covering over innocent people.
Children, men, women, merchants, store owners; all victims to the onslaught. Limbs stuck out from the debris; it was a horror, unlike anything they had witnessed. Sure, as battlefields come, they had seen their fair share of gruesome scenes. But hundreds of innocent civilians?
Alex swore under his breath as his eyes caught Viktor.
The mechanist stood at the East marble stairway. He gripped his staff tightly as he stared at the motley crew of soldiers, his third arm twitched reflectively. Three behemoths snarled in front of him, seething like angry chained dogs lunging at anything moving. Their massive frames towered over Viktor, their chests large and heaving with tubes expelling out from their skin. They had to have been at least eight feet tall with wide overbearing shoulders that seemed to make them part barn door. They were all pale sickly green skinned monstrosities with dark black varicose veins crawling along their forearms, chests, and oblong gaunt faces.
"Well, this is convenient." Alex muttered readying is swords with sharp movements from his wrists. The blades sang as they cut into the air. Alex's cutlasses had an identical personality to their bearer. Cocky, disrespectful, taunting bastards with strong backs and sharp tongues. They had his wit and an equal mind to draw the right amount of blood.
He bowed to the Mechanist. "Seems this is your last stop, sir." Alex called out, shouldering his way in front of Elric.
Viktor tilted his head.
"They sent you to stop me?" He asked, taking a step down. His staff clacked along with a wobbled step as another shock wave rocked the city. "And where are the sheriff and her deputy? Or better yet, where is that daft hero of tomorrow?
"Engaged in other...engagements." Alex gave a flippant wave toward the grand towers of city hall off in the distance. "You know how it is, being kept busy by real threats."
"Do not underestimate me, boy. You must have a short memory if you think you are a worthy opponent to me." Viktor spoke grandly.
"Oh, I'm not underestimating. I'm just wasting your time." Alex grinned.
Purple energy delved behind Viktor, hammering him in the back of his head.
Dakota gave a shrill whistle. Elric engaged his shield as the bright flash from the drone exploded in the sky around the behemoths, causing them to roar in agony. Alex sprinted forward.
Time seemed to slow down as Matais revealed himself from the shadows muttering incantations. Elric began to thunder forward, following behind Alex who sprinted for the mechanist. Dakota ran for the flank, readying another drone to suppress and distract the behemoths.
The flock of ravens swarmed in front of Alex, causing him to skid to a halt. A black blade sailed near his shoulder. He dodged to the side, shocked and confused as to what dared to step in his path.
Three things occurred.
The feud of the mages began as Viktor unleashed a laser following the movement of the Ionian. Matais ducked out of the way quickly, keeping calm as he sent his own blast of energy.
Alex did a near perfect handstand backflip as he avoided Illya breaking away from the flock. Anger lined his throat as he called out to the Noxian, inquiring of her presence in the market.
Dakota, solely focused at the task at hand, missed the complete fact that Illya had erupted from the flock of attacking ravens.
The shrill whistle from her lips made time come back to its normal speed as the last drone exploded into a flash of light. Elric leaped into the air, smacking his shield into the face of a behemoth. The eerie sound of shattering bone echoed through the air as the creature screamed, swiping left and right to grab whatever had attacked it.
Dakota launched herself onto the back of the swatting creature, digging her axes into the shoulder muscles to climb up to its neck. She slung one of her legs around its collarbone, using the purchase of thick thigh muscle to lock herself into place as she began hacking away at the roaring creatures arteries.
Black ooze splattered her face when her axes hit the creature's jugular. The behemoth wailed viciously. It clawed at her, trying to bend the large muscle of its arm. Unsure of its flexibility, she dodged away from its clawing hand, changing her position with scrambled movements. The creature then resorted to bucking her off, doing its best to fend off death as more ooze gurgled from the cut of axes.
"Dakota!" Elric screamed catching her attention. He was crouched low, avoiding a blow from his own staggering behemoth. It roared as it frantically swiped ahead of it. The other behemoth began its charge for Dakota.
It was then that she felt a familiar embrace and then the absolute feeling of nothingness as darkness surrounded her floating being. The air was ripped from her lungs as she hung suspended in the abyss.
With a violent outburst, she was thrown to the mosaic stonework of market square, narrowly avoiding the drop of an agape sinkhole.
She gasped roughly letting air back into her seizing lungs.
"Get up!" Illya snarled, causing the Piltovian to snap her attention to the Noxian beauty.
"What are you doing here?" Dakota asked through her haze. "And what the fuck was that?" She growled as she rose from her kneeled state. At about a hundred meters away Alex and Elric faced off the behemoths. Great flashes of purple and electric beams, illuminated the burning sky, changing the hues of the air. Matais was pressed behind a large boulder of debris, preparing an incantation as Viktor marched forward with electricity buzzing and jumping at his fingertips.
Dakota prepared herself to sprint forward. "Whatever, let's jus-" She was cut off abruptly by Illya's gauntleted fist slamming into her already broken nose.
She cried out as she backpedalled away from the Noxian girl. "What the fuck are you doing?" Dakota snarled out, cupping her nose as more blood trailed down to her lip.
"What is the common denominator between me and some of these foot soldiers, Dakota? Where does their armour come from?" Illya deadpanned, kicking a shoulder plate that had been left behind by some soldier coming out of the sinkhole.
Dakota looked to the Noxian in confusion. The gears of her mind whirred as she tried to make sense of what Illya was saying.
With an annoyed sigh, the Noxian drew her blade and cut at the Piltovian.
Dakota nimbly dodged out of the way. Illya went low, swiping at the soldier's feet. She fell to her back and rolled away to avoid Illya stabbing down. Sparks flew as Noxian steel clashed with Piltovian stone.
The soldier rose to her feet, combat knife held tightly in her left grip, the back of the blade resting against her forearm; her axes somewhere in the fray of behemoth and Elric.
Every muscle in her body was tense, ready for the next oncoming attack.
She blinked as Illya was nowhere to be seen.
Confused entirely as to where the lilac-haired girl had gone, she slowly rose from her crouched position with a furrowed brow and wire-tight jaw. The hairs at the back of her neck stuck on end as she rested her weight on the balls of her feet.
The sound of air being sucked in made her eyes widen as she swivelled around using her knife to deflect the trajectory of the stabbing black sword. She pivoted herself around to grab Illya by the front and rip her from the flock of ravens. With a roar, she threw Illya into a nearby wall stunning the Noxian shortly.
"Who are you?" Dakota snarled, squaring her shoulders and raising her gauntleted arms ready to fight. The knife was held tightly through her left grip. Just now, Illya noticed the knicks and cuts along the edge of the steel. A history, a bond. It made her lick her lips in pure satisfaction. She had been waiting too long for this.
"A good soldier." She replied, rising to her feet. She kicked at some of the fallen debris and dust with her leather boot. She rolled her shoulders making the leather material of her shoulder brace and sleeves to creak. "Just following orders."
"A spy?" Dakota bellowed incredulously, spitting blood to the ground. Her shoulder pads made her frame look a bit wider than it actually did.
"Ah, there we go. The great Deramore brain is finally kicking in. You're seeing the pieces of this puzzle starting to click." Illya clucked.
"You fucking snake! Did you even love me?"
"Really? That's what you are more concerned about? Not the fact that I was the catalyst for destroying your city?" She took a moment to give a pitying look. "This is adorable."
She kicked the toe of her boot into the crack of a mosaic tiling, furthering the split into a full-on break.
"Fine, I'll humour you. I'm just doing my job and you somehow just gave me... a bit of entertainment." She gave a wicked smirk as she sauntered in a circle around the Piltovian. "Let's get to the real drama though, Dakota. Guess who I am? Come on, you aren't the only one with a famous parent." Illya stepped forward with a coy smirk as she twirled her short sword a little too theatrically. "Corvids, Noxian, intelligent. It must be ringing a few bells. I've heard the legends you soldiers said about my father's ability on the battlefield. You all are quite the exaggerators."
"No."
"Yes." Illya hissed. "You unknowingly let in Illya Swain, the heir to Noxus, without even knowing. You let me in on how you all operate. Sure, your dear sheriff made precautions to keep all top secret information away from my prying ears, but there are other ways of getting information." Illya raised her arms to gesture to their background. "You, did all of this."
Dakota stared silently toward the shorter girl. There was no fury, there was no sadness, there were no flames in the icy eyes of the soldier. There was only sheer understanding and the coldness of a warrior.
Illya launched forward, moving fluidly to attack Dakota. She engulfed herself into the flock of ravens and exploded beside the soldier with feathers and a maniacal laugh. Dakota screamed out in surprise as the Noxian blade cut at the leather under her chest plate. The metal sang as it sliced through the protection and nicked flesh, tasting Dakota's blood. Thinking quickly the Piltovian met the next attack with a disarming strike from the hilt of her blade and threw herself forward into the flock. She did not gasp for air as she was sucked into the magic. Her eyes bore into Illya before the soldier slammed her body into the Noxian girl, pressing her shoulder into her gut.
The sound of air snapping burst through the battlefield as the two girls tumbled from the flock, fighting for dominance as they rolled. Illya landed rough punches into Dakota's bleeding ribs, trying to weaken the grip the Piltovian had around her waist.
Dakota gave a great pained war cry as she lifted the girl up using the leverage of her grip and slammed her into the concrete. Illya gasped for breath as the air escaped her body from shock. The Piltovian climbed on top of the Noxian's body doing her best to pin the fighting girl down. Illya clawed Dakota's face, trying to gouge her eyes with spits of gritted curses.
With a snarl, the soldier punched the elbow of the Noxian to force her arm to give out and pressed her knee into her windpipe.
It was an awkward grapple, but Illya couldn't help but struggle for a moment as instincts took over her body. She gripped Dakota's left wrist tightly trying to keep the tip of the combat knife away from her face. She mentally slapped herself as she called upon the power Viktor gave her. The humming of the Origins began, her veins burned as the rune magic ripped through her body causing her form to spasm and glow bright green where the inscriptions were cut into her skin.
She yanked Dakota's wrist and bucked her hips to the right, throwing off the soldier's balance. The Piltovian tried to swivel her hips to counter the balance change but was forced back by a striking hand on her throat that clutched tightly to her windpipe. Her bones groaned in protest as the force knocked her breath free. It took seconds for Illya to change the position and grasp the soldier with both hands closing off the rest of her breath.
Dakota fought amicably, she tried to throw off the weight, she tried to kick and buck, but to no avail, Illya was unmoving.
Emerald and Ice locked in a battle of pure hate and indignation as slowly, Dakota began to lose her fight.
"Just let go, darling." Illya cooed, pushing away a piece of braid that came loose from Dakota's bangs. "Just let me take your city. There is nothing left for you."
The Piltovian's eyes had burst veins as the soldier still weakly fought to be released; clawing her hands along the tight leather around the Noxian's forearms.
An unexpected explosion threw Illya as her body rocked with the shock wave, loosening her grip of the soldier below her.
Dakota, taking the opportunity, with only seconds left before falling into the abyss of unconsciousness, rabbit kicked the Noxian off of her body. She coughed viciously for air as Illya's weight disappeared. She dry heaved as she rolled onto her forearms and knees, scrabbling to get away and start running to her comrades.
What happens next is only a recount of the surviving witnesses. Some deem that the tragedy was caused out of pure coincidental mishaps, other accounts were more dramatic and filled with jealousy. But no matter the recount, it all derives from the same fact that if the Hero of Tomorrow hadn't of showed up at the time that Illya was throttling the life out of Dakota Sampson, or the time that Elric Sampson and Alex Preston were nearly faced with being pummeled to death or the seconds that Matais Jaesan was faced with the choice of either saving his comrades or ending the tyranny of Viktor; that they would have all been dead.
With a war cry, Jayce and his hammer came out of nowhere, slamming down into the broken mosaic tiles of market square, causing a massive shock wave to burst through the battlefield, knocking not only Illya off guard but the raging behemoth ready to crush Elric and Alex, off of its feet.
Unbeknownst to the hero of tomorrow, the mechanist was charging a great beam of power, ready to be thrown at the Ionian mage. Meanwhile, Matais was preparing an incantation, muttering the words and waving his hands to craft a deadly spell.
As Jayce landed, slamming his hammer down into the ground, the mages had released their charges.
Both mages lost their footing, missing their targets entirely and sending them out into the open air.
Viktor's great beam of energy soared into the sky, crashing into a soaring melter round. The round met with the force of energy and careened off course into a nearby concrete skyscraper, while Matais's incantation slammed into the side of a brick bakery.
Both began to tumble forward toward market square.
One a looming giant of concrete, metal and glass.
The other a future safe spot.
Jayce charged a shot toward the mechanist, hitting Viktor square in the face with the energy ball. Matais lay flat on his back unconscious from the abrupt and devastating landing his head had faced against a pile of rubble.
Elric rose his shield to face the shockwave of Jayce's hammer, as he stood above Alex's prone body. The young redhead had taken a devastating hit from one of the behemoths. Before Jayce had arrived, Elric had slid into the rescue, raising his shield to defend the blows of the creature as Alex fought to stay conscious.
But now, Elric had watched in horror as the skyscraper came thundering down toward him and his fiance's brother. The behemoth had recovered from the hero's prior attack and was lumbering its way toward the two soldiers. He was caught in a catch twenty-two.
Dakota, with blurry vision, crawled forward trying to call out her brother's name in a silent gasp as the skyscraper finally tumbled over market square.
Milliseconds before concrete could fall upon Dakota, a landslide of brick and dust covered her completely.
AN part deux- I'm also in the works of nearly releasing the first chapter of something else that isn't a fic/kind of a stupid fart that resulted into some pretty cool stuff. If you are interested and have faith in my writing ability (lmao I don't blame you if you don't) HMU. I will be posting it on Tumblr- Nightly1602