A/N Hello everyone, so we've hit a couple of milestones in my readership and I decided to prepare some specials. This is also meant to serve as a bit of an update chapter. I've been recently editing older chapters to bring them up to my more current standard. On a related note I will begin making new chapters after this, if you'd like to see certain champions appearing then go ahead and request them. Oh boy though because this is going to open with a rant so feel free to skip it as it's a lot of Anti-Viego and Ruination stuff; also known as the thing that is causing me to make shifts from trying to be as canon compliant as possible to going full divergent. Maybe if you all have things you'd like to see I can put their segments into the main story. I'll stop taking your guys' time but there will be more notes later. TBH my lack of motivation and depression makes me feel like this isn't my best work for the time it took but I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you all for your support and I hope to continue entertaining you all in the future.
Anti-Viego rant
Alright let's get to the part I'm gonna need to cool off from first. I firmly hate Viego in every aspect of this champion's being. From his design, his voice, his story, and just everything serves to create this amalgamation of a creature that makes me froth with rage. As a warning the following statements are in no particular order of dislike. If you'd like a more graceful version of what I'm going to say, there is a list on reddit.
The nation of Camavor deserved to fall apart and I hope they all burn in Hell. Seriously, this place made Viego and Vladimir who could be best described as literal and metaphorical AIDs. On a note related to Camavor, what is the point of it being on another continent? It doesn't show up on the world map that has been established for years and literally doesn't warrant it except for questionably the MMO. Just have it exist literally anywhere on the world map! I even think in some of the older stories it was established around southern modern Noxus, this also makes sense considering Noxus' history. Why does he have that accent? It seems a little strange for him to have a Spanish accent when literally no one else from Camavor has that accent! It can't be a class thing because Kalista and Vladimir don't have it. It can't be a military thing because Viego has no training and Ledros, Hecarim, and Kalista don't have it. Edit; So they did it because Riot wanted him to sound unique with no consideration for why the Hell he would or could have it since literally no one else from his Kingdom has it!
On his appearance well what hasn't been said about this screamo twat. I will say that the excuse they gave for him appearing young was dumb as they wanted to "Invert the Old Wise King trope" and you already did that with his actions not his looks you morons.
Speaking of ruined, Viego isn't Ruined because he was always an asshat! His own father literally did everything he could to keep him away from the throne and he only got it out of nepotism which also confuses me. I mean Kalista has just as much of a claim to the throne doesn't she? I mean they can't say Viego has more of a claim since he's older since they're the same age. Kalista is also actually trained to lead, being both a general and excellent warrior who's also the daughter of the king so why the Hell didn't we give her the crown?
I know lots of people are alright with his kit but I'd also like to note when your favorite part of a champion is when you don't have to play as the actual champion it says something.
Asshole is out here talking about "Your pain is nothing compared to mine." and I get to thinking "Oh wow yeah let's tell that to Yi who's whole village was wiped out, Neeko who's the last of her species, or just about anyone on the god forsaken roster who's not a monster.
I wish Ledros gets to be a champion because if you hate Viego you'll probably love Leddy since he's the anathema to him and doesn't look like a punk ass. At this point I'd rather he go back to being a behind the scenes figure than what it became.
Ruined King, why doesn't Braum have his shield? When does MF's section of the climb happen because it's kind of weird to see her alongside Illaoi. Anyways when they showed Viego for the first time in the trailer I was so confused by his look. Like I thought maybe the story would be about the party going to maybe even save the Ruined King. Like something that could have been a cool twist could have been an imposter saying they're the Ruined King (Viego) but then they learn the real one is being drained of his power by the imposter who's just a powerful mage; perhaps along the lines of Arkham from DMC3 with Sparda's sword. Maybe they spend the game trying to get the BORK back to the OG king who we learn has over the course of a thousand years gotten mostly past his haze of insanity and is actually holding back the Mist or something like that. I mean his original lore had him as a powerful mage king who went down a dark path and was pushed to this by grief and Hecarim; now he's just there and had no reason to be this powerful or hold any relevance to the plot. So hehehe the current cause of it is, get this, the Blade of the Ruined King supposedly houses a shard of the wielder's soul to revive them in case of emergency and the water of life as we know heal all wounds with it even able to return the dead in some form. Why are two items that work towards healing and reviving Viego enter a "feedback loop" that leads to a giant necromantic blast that turns beings into undead monsters? Also why is the ancient waters of life that are a primordial force of nature the first to overload among those two things? Hahaha it's so dumb, just have him be a powerful mage king like he used to be. I mean it made sense that someone gifted with magic who was enhanced by the waters and used a necromancy ritual to revive his wife could mistakenly cause this during a haze of insanity.
This would also serve to make Viego more of a viable threat since again, he wasn't trained to do anything in life! Like this ass has never had to use a weapon in his life but we're supposed to take him as a threat simply because "He's the Ruined King!" when that doesn't mean anything. Seriously did anyone notice in the Ruination cinematic how NO ONE TRIED TO SHOOT HIM WITH THEIR GUNS! Senna just stood there and Lucian had multiple clean shots but didn't shoot him. I mean if he just tanked their shots then maybe Lucians comment would've come off as more true but he got hit by a desperate magic attack from a weakened Senna and was knocked on his ass. At this point I want either Ledros to decapitate him so he and Kalista can have peace or for Mordekaiser to use the Isles as a gateway. Edit: On the no shooting part, anyone else finds it funny how despite shooting him doing a lot of damage in the Absolution cinematic everyone stopped instead of keeping it up so Gwen could finish the first binding. More on this cluster fuck of an event soon.
Summary I hate him and have to endure his ass being the focus for the next year. Ledros better get to be a champion but I doubt it since that would make sense and give us a legit undead looking champion who's not sexy. Hyped for the Zaunite electricity champion since it means the end of Viego's year and focus but that's a ways off.
Edit: This is a post Ruination event rant. Oh fuck me. So the lore is dead for me and that sucks because one of the first things that got me into the game was learning each champions' lore. So again there is a list on Reddit listing more or less all of the plot holes and gripes I've had. This event has legit made me depressed as I've always tried to make my characters and stories at least relatively lore compliant. So I'm not gonna bug too much on this shit cacophony of an event as others have more elegantly stated what I would've said for the most part. Basically fuck Riot for how they did MF, Yorick, Maokai, Thresh, Rengar, and just in general everyone wrong in this event and the worst part is they couldn't even be consistent in their fuck up as they managed to do it in three different ways. Each region at best made me laugh cause of how stupid it was like Piltover with their deus ex fans and frothing with rage most of the time. As a heads up, whenever I do the Liberation arc as always I start with the Shadow Isles. I recall the first time I did it the story was written badly but I made sure to include Kalista vs Hecarim, Maokai vs Karthus, Lucian vs Thresh, the ghoul army, ent army, Sarah Fortune's fleet vs Gangplank's fleet, Vilemaw, and as much as I could. When I do it again I might even consider splitting it into two parts just to get as much as I can in. Anyways, time to repay you all for enduring my ranting with some segments.
Multiverse: Anima timeline
It is cloudy and late in the afternoon as the students of Valoran City High School prepare to leave for the weekend. The spring semester, and by extension school year, has just started but plenty of the students already want it to be over. Class 2-B is no exception to this rule but while some stare at the board in boredom, one student though has a thousand yard stare. Accidents have been occurring all over the city and Aki's parents were recently claimed in a train's derailment. Noticing how distressed the boy is, his homeroom and art teacher Mr. Fleetfoot decides to cut class early to talk with him.
"Okay class that's enough for today, a few minutes early on the first day won't hurt you all. If anyone has any questions for me then you will need to wait about fifteen minutes after class. Also don't forget I will be holding the first Game Club meeting this Sunday at noon. I hope to get to know you all throughout the year and I will see most of you on Monday." The grey haired man announces to the class. As they are all leaving, he holds Aki back and invites him to sit down with him. Despite his hair color and glasses, the teacher is only in his mid twenties and has an aura to match.
"I'm sorry Mr. Fleetfoot. I didn't mean to zone out during class." The dark haired boy depressingly tells his teacher. Caleb notes that the boy looks like a shadow of his former self from when he saw him a month ago. Bags have formed under his eyes, his uniform is disheveled, and even now he seems to barely be able to focus on the conversation at hand.
"Aki, would you like to talk with me about what's bothering you? I don't need much experience as a teacher to know something is wrong. I was told to expect you to be troublesome but I don't care much for warnings like that anyways. I actually have been labelled like that in the past." He tells the boy to try and get him to open up while wearing a smile
"What? Oh don't worry about me Mr. Fleetfoot, I've just been feeling out of it lately, that's all. It's nothing." The Ionian says with very little confidence before he begins to head out. As he gets ready to leave the classroom, the teen feels a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait. I recall from orientation that you had an interest in certain hobbies; this includes a certain grimdark series. Do you have any favorite factions Aki?" Caleb asks of his student before heading towards one of the rooms near the back of the classroom.
"Ummm I like the Dowsha Vastarians. I've never personally played any games but I like their lore."
"Ah the followers of the Death God who want to save their species, great choice. It means me and my army of twenty thousand points worth of Blood Seraphims might not have to crush you." Mr. Fleetfoot somewhat smugly declares to his student who is in awe at the idea of such a collection. Opening up the room, Aki is able to see dozens of various boxes inside before Caleb pulls out one.
"Woah, umm Mr. Fleetfoot I think I'll get going. I don't wanna bother you." Aki tells his art teacher but is once again stopped by the man. Emerging with the box in his arms, Caleb looks over his student with his gray eyes.
"You seem trustworthy Aki, in this box are a thousand points worth of Dowsha Followers including the Talon and Katar'ina. Take care of them for me until Sunday or Monday, your choice. When you see me again we can decide if I'll let you keep them." The man tells his pupil before giving him the box of models.
"I-I don't know what to say sir. Why? We barely know each other?" Aki asks while barely being able to choke back his tears. Opening up the box, the teen sees his teacher has in fact given him the mentioned models.
"I care about my students Aki. I care about you. Plus now you'll see how much of a cool teacher I am and tell the other students. Now get going, I've gotta drop off some school work for another student. Apparently her dad wants her to be schooled at home but she's trying to learn from here." Caleb informs Aki before returning to his desk to check over some paperwork. Almost cracking a smile, the depressed boy leaves for home and almost bumps into one of his classmates on the way out.
This was several hours earlier and now Aki is standing on the edge of a bridge preparing to jump off. After returning home, the teen hasn't even had time to change out of his uniform before he hears the whispers again. At first he attempts to ignore the dark words but the voices only grow louder. He tries to busy himself with making dinner but they distract him enough that he burns his meal. Eventually he tries to just sleep but finds himself awake in the middle of the night after having his mind filled with graphic depictions of himself along with his parents. This has been Aki's routine for the last month and unable to take it anymore Aki decides to end it all. Making his way to the train station, the teen boards one to the other side of town and finds a secluded bridge. As the wind is whipping in his face, the teen finds himself clinging to a lamp post wishing the whispers would go away.
"Do it!" "No one will miss you." "All alone." "End it!" "Nothing to lose." "You're unwanted." "No one loves you." "Join your parents." "Life is pain." "No friends." "You're boring!" "Just jump!" Are among the various voices in Aki's mind that are both literally and metaphorically pushing the teen over the edge. As a dark calm envelopes the teen's mind and he prepares to jump, a new voice joins the cacophony.
'I care about my students Aki. I care about you.' The words last spoken by his teacher, a caring voice that is enough to snap the boy back to his senses. Feeling something in his hoodie pocket, Aki pulls out a miniature and realizes his mistake.
"This is wrong. I need to get down from... what the hell?" Is all that comes to his mind as he turns and sees a terrifying sight. Dozens of ivory masked creatures made of shadows are staring him down before they lunge at him.
With nowhere to go and caught off guard, the teen falls backwards and begins to plummet. Shock quickly gives way to fear and fear then gives way to regret. Regret that he came to this bridge, regret that he listened to the voices, regret that he is alone, but most importantly regret at not being able to truly live.
'No. Not like this. I don't wanna die! I wanna live!' Aki screams mentally as the ground grows closer. Feeling a warmth envelope his body, the teen hears a familiar but more commanding voice.
'Then our pact is made and we will live.' Echoes in the boy's head before he closes his eyes. Feeling something embrace him from behind, the teen feels the wind in his short hair before he feels the ground beneath his feet. Opening his eyes, Aki finds himself back safely on the bridge and the Azakana approaching him cautiously.
Crashing in front of the student like a dark comet, the student's savior looks first to the foes before it before turning to Aki. Draconic in nature, the tall humanoid stretches out it's feathery wings and shields him from view of the demons. Agitated by the lack of negative emotions coming from the teen, Azakanas begins to rush towards his mysterious guardian. Drawing it's breath, the dragon breathes out two blue, almost clear fireballs into the crowd. Upon coming into contact with the demons, their forms burst into dark flames as their darkness is burned away. Several manage to get back the explosions though and leap at the savior with ethereal blades. Their assault is thwarted though when the dragon leaps forward and slams the lead creature into the ground. This creates an opening for the others to jump onto the dragon's back however. As they begin to frantically hack at it's back, Aki begins to feel weaker before a surge of adrenaline and rage overcome his fear and pair.
"Get off!" He defiantly yells, reciprocating his feelings the guardian roars before it begins to glow blue. In an explosion of force, the dragon flexes it's form and sends the remaining demons failing over the bridge or skidding across the ground dead.
With their enemies destroyed, Aki finally gets a chance to fully look over his hero. Standing over eight feet tall, the winged being is covered head to toe in crimson and black plate armor except for a pair of piercing blue eyes. Running down it's arms is a pair of serpentine gauntlets with blue flames for eyes. A pair of crescent shaped horns curve away from it's helmet and a long tail of coruscant blue scales extends behind it. While Aki was looking over the dragon knight, it too has been looking over him. Seeing a frightened, confused, but curious teen gazing in awe at it, the dragon decides that gray pajama pants, a purple hoodie, and white shirt aren't acceptable attire for what is to come and decides to change that. Charging up it's ghostfire breath again, the guardian breathes onto the student it saved.
Screaming at first, Aki doesn't feel his flesh burning away but rather a comforting warmth around him. When the dragon knight is finished, the teen runs up and looks at his reflection in the shining armor. Touching his face to confirm what he is seeing is real, Aki steps back surprised. What he saw was himself wearing a black duster with a white Ionian dragon along the back, ballistic armor, red fingerless gloves, dress pants, armored running shoes, and a set of black vambraces with matching greaves. Feeling something moving in his jacket pocket, the student pulls out a bone domino mask that resembles the knight's horns.
"I am your Anima, your soul made manifest. Know that more Azakana, to fight them yourself I give you my gauntlets. For now though you should run, know as well that should you ever need my aid simply remove our mask." The winged spirit informs Aki before disappearing into a pillar of ghostfire. Seeing several dozen Azakana rushing towards the commotion, Aki decides to take his Anima's advice and runs away as fast as he can.
Running for over half an hour, a panting Aki finally manages to shake off the mob chasing him. With no enemies hunting him, the student takes the chance to take in his surroundings. A crimson moon is the only light in the sky but one that gives him a clear view of his surroundings. Shadowy creatures of all shapes and sizes roam around him while sickly tendrils cover all manner of surfaces like veins. Aside from these phenomena however, Aki doesn't see any differences between this otherworldly place and Valoran City. Exploring for another hour, the student begins to worry about getting back home when he comes across a new site. Standing before him is a gnarled tree; when he approaches the strange tree, it pulses faintly with green light before Aki is consumed by the same light.
Arriving outside of a dilapidated mansion, Aki decides to make his way inside and see if anyone can help him. Getting closer to the ivory front doors, the teen notices that the walls seem to be rotting. Trying to open the doors, the student finds it locked from the inside and begins to walk away when a voice calls out to him.
"That's it?! You make it all the way inside of this Castle and you just walk away because of a locked door?" Appearing from the bushes, a meter tall creature in a bright blue robe covered in arcane symbols emerges. Large brown eyes regard Aki with disappointment before a small furry hand reaches into a hidden pocket. Pulling out a lock pick, the diminutive creature tries to pick the lock but finds said seal just out of his reach. Deciding to help the golden masked creature, the student picks up the small creature and gives it a solid position to get them inside.
"Umm sorry if this is awkward or offensive for you. My name is Aki Genbu, what's yours?" He politely tries to ask the small creature.
"Kennen. Also yes for Yordles this is a bit of both but I'll allow it this time. Almost got it. So why are you trying to hit up this castle?" Kennen asks the teen before he finishes opening the lock.
"I was trying to kill myself, turns out it was a bunch of demons, and I wound up here after wandering for a bit. What about you?"
"Damn, so you really are just a rookie. Well I'll tell you what rookie, if you help me ummm fix this place then I'll teach you about the Spirit Realms. Now open up the door for me." The yordle orders without needing Aki's consent as he knows the boy needs his help.
Opening the entrance, Aki and Kennen are almost knocked down by a flood of salty water. After taking a moment to take off his shoes, the pair enter the dilapidated building. Walking into a flooded foyer, Aki observes the area around them and on the balcony overlooking the main hall he notices a small shadowy figure watching them. Trudging through the waters to get a better look, the figure quickly flees as spikes emerge to block off the stairs leading up. Suddenly from pools of bubbles, half a dozen Azakana emerge from the water. Unlike the ones that previously hounded Aki, these ones have the form of shinobis with their faces covered by masks resembling a woman crying with her eyes closed. Wielding kamas, the fiends rush the boy but a ball of pink lightning slams into one of them. Shocked by the charred body of their comrade, the fiends don't get a chance to react before a shuriken images from the ball and embeds itself in the head of another. With a thunderous pop, the orb of lightning transforms into Kennen who throws off his mask to summon his own Anima. Feeling the hairs on his body standing on edge, Aki notices purple and pink electricity condensing into a humanoid figure. The guardian then flexes and materializes plates of white and cobalt armor to form a makeshift body. A wolf mask with a large purple mane running down it's back serving as it's head.
"Xerath show this rookie how it's done!" The yordle commands his Anima while swimming towards his red shuriken. Raising his hands, Xerath begins to unleash blasts of electricity at the remaining demons.
Finding himself slowed by the water, Aki still manages to grab onto one of the ninja's arms and break it before he notices a shadow over the yordle. Watching as a spider-like creature descends onto Kennen, the teen throws away his own mask and Spirit Dragon roasts the monster in flames. "I've got you covered tanuki."
"I'm not a tanuki! I'm a yordle! Also I totally knew that guy was there but you need the experience hehe." Kennen taunts Aki before finally retrieving his weapon. Charging it with lightning, the yordle throws it at just the right angle to cut two Azakana ninjas' necks open.
"But you have the same face mask and fur color." Aki notes with a pout before punching off the head of another enemy. The last one is destroyed along with the spike barrier when Xerath and Spirit Dragon send it smashing into it with a combined blast. "Before we go any further can you explain some things? Like what is a Yordle?"
"Fine. So the place you live in is called the Material Plane, this place is one of the many pocket dimensions that make up the collective parallel world known as the Spirit Realms. These pocket dimensions are home to things like Demons, which feed off negative mortal thoughts, Yordles, which tend to be influenced by human ideals. and a bunch of other spirits and entities. Normally the worlds are separate but sometimes mortals can enter the Spirit Realms due to phenomenons in the worlds. However this is extremely dangerous and they usually end up as chow for spiritual predators unless they have an Anima. Usually it comes out in the form of someone who has positively influenced their life or some being of power. Now enough exposition, let's find what I'm looking for." Kennen ends with a sense of urgency. Aki picks up on this and finally comes to question why they're here.
"What exactly are we looking for if you don't mind me asking?" The teen requests while putting on his shoes again.
"I may or may not be looking to steal the owner of this place's heart. We're kind of inside of someone else's soul and the Castle we are currently breaking into is an amalgamation of all this person's negative thoughts, desires, and emotions so I would like to hurry before the demons it attracts find us and kill us please and thank you." The now annoyed yordle tells his partner in crime before rushing up the steps. With no choice but to follow, Aki again notices the same small shadowy figure from before turning around the corner of the hallway.
Sneaking their way through the rotting mansion, the pair begin to hear the sounds of sobbing as they move up the floors. Thinking they've found the source, Aki and Kennen enter an abandoned study but are ambushed by a swarm of moth monsters. Attempting to retreat, they find the door has been locked from the outside and are forced to fight. During the fighting, Aki and Kennen end up igniting the room's bookshelves and curtains. While this manages to destroy or chase away their foes, it does leave them trapped in a burning room. Desperately trying to open the door, the pair hear a click noise before they fall out of the room. As the room disappears behind them, Kennen finally sees the small shadow Aki has been seeing. Summoning Xerath, the yordle uses it's Shocking Orb ability to propel himself and catch the mysterious resident. Getting a chance to finally get a better look at the being, the Anima users are barely able to make out a child from the darkness surrounding it.
"Hello, my name is Aki and this is Kennen. What is your name?" Aki asks the strange child after helping them up. As it begins to nervously look around, Kennen walks up and takes the child's hand; partly to calm it and mostly to make sure it doesn't run off again.
"No one cares about me. My own mom doesn't even look at me. She wishes she didn't have her daughter around." Is all the shadow child says before sitting down. Trying again to learn it's identity, the child simply repeats itself.
"Sheesh. This isn't even a spirit or a copy of someone. Her mom actually managed to ignore her so much that she sees herself like this. Listen to me, if you come with us and help us then we can help your mom. So will you help us?" Kennen asks the mysterious girl. After thinking for a bit, the child agrees and the trio continue their quest.
Traversing the mansion some more, the group is able to avoid a combination of pit traps, auto locking rooms, and Azakana ambushes thanks to their new helper. Eventually the party arrives on the top floor which has manifested into a greenhouse and it is here that they find the true source of the crying from earlier. Standing in the middle of the garden is a large tree with a woman partially sticking out. This dryad has long black hair and has her eyes covered by blinders. The rest of her facial features are hidden behind a black veil and her pale body is dressed in a torn dark dress of rotting flowers. Taking a look at the base of the tree, Aki and Kennen learn that the waters flooding the house are actually the dryad's tears. As the group gets closer, the fallen dryad senses them and unleashes a hideous wail. Tearing her roots free, a strange silvery mist begins to flood the room. While this vapor isn't lethal, it causes the party to shrink down to the size of a field mouse.
"She won't notice me or anyone. She's so wrapped up in her sadness she doesn't notice anyone else's." The shadow child states before curling up into a ball. Spotting a glowing pomegranate amongst the branches, Kennen tells Aki that is their target and they prepare for battle.
" But wait Kennen, how are we supposed to get up there? She pulled some Alice in Wonderland stuff on us and I didn't see any shrooms on the way here." Aki asks the yordle since he can't think of anything.
Looking around, the yordle notices several dandelions that are releasing the mist from earlier growing near the base of the tree. With nothing else to go off of, Aki picks up the child and the party begin approaching the plants to see if removing them will break the curse. Before they get a chance to do any damage to the weeds, a dozen obsidian beetle monsters burrow up in front of them. Removing their masks, the pair of thieves quickly notice an issue. While they might have shrunk down, their Animas are still the same size. Not wanting to risk getting caught in their spirits attacks, Aki and Kennen engage the enemy themselves. At first this works well enough as Aki is able to punch one of the beetle's head off as Kennen lands his shuriken in another's eye; it goes well until a golden light scuttles down the tree. Perching on top of a nearby root, a golden and red variant of their foes stands on it's hind legs. Performing a cutthroat gesture at the pair, the new beetle begins dancing and glowing brighter than before. Aki and Kennen's confusion soon turns to shock as they notice the enemies they killed begin to regenerate and resurrect.
"Shit! Kennen we have to take that royal beetle out now!" Aki yells at his companion as the revived monster tries to crush his head with it's mandibles.
"I would but I can't get past these guys. We could try to run for it but I don't like it with our current size problem. Sorry rookie but it looks like we might be done for." Kennen whines before back flipping away from a tackle.
"Kid, I need you to listen to us. We're going to hold these things off as long, you need to run away while we do." Aki tells the shadow child before throwing his current target away. Stumbling onto her feet, the girl looks confused at the pair.
"But wouldn't it be easier to use me as bait so you two can get away? No one would miss me anyways, no one even notices me unless I cause trouble. Plus you two don't even know me." She depressingly mumbles before squatting and drawing circles in the dirt. Kennen, after slitting a beetle's throat, runs up to her and hugs the girl before lifting her head to look him in the eyes.
"I came here because I wanted to help and right now this is the best I can do. Besides to you this will all seem like a dream, so when you wake up try to smile more and don't take out your pain on others." The yordle says before he is grabbed from behind and suplexed.
Seeing his partner in trouble, Aki rushes to Kennen's side and kicks his assailant off of him. Trying to help the yordle up, the student is quickly blitzed by four beetles. Managing to punch into the eye of the first, Aki is quickly surrounded by the others and slammed in the back and sides. The shadow child can only look on in horror at the fight as the pair are beaten down. She begins to run away from the battle but new feelings begin to flood into her and she stops.
"No. No! I'm sick of this crap! I wanna be noticed by my own mom! I miss dad too but at least she got to know him, I didn't! I know a lot of kids don't get to know their dads but at least he died helping people. I don't wanna be helpless either! I want to help people and I want to be noticed!" Akali screams in frustration to any who would hear her. Growing from a child into her normal teen self, the girl is then enveloped in a sphere of silvery light.
"Go then, for this is a path we walk together. United in a pursuit that can lead us to ruin or to glory. I am thou and thou art I. No longer will you stand back while others suffer and you can help. Steel will and sharpened blades shall help us change this world. Out with the child of shadows who is ignored. Onwards with the rogue who will destroy the wicked and reveal their infamy." A calm and collected voice says, echoing around the combatants. As the bubble grows larger, Akali's lips begin to move before a single word is said, Shen.
Manifesting similar to the other Bonds, Shen emerges from the forge of Akali's soul protected by steel lamellar armor with a white and black striped brigandine underneath. A metallic tiger mask hides his face while his eyes shine a brilliant white underneath. The Anima then manifests a pair of matching dao blades, one crafted from steel and the other from stars.
Sensing a threat before her, the dryad lashes out her branches at the summon. Slamming his starlight blade into the ground, Shen summons a protective zone which blocks the oncoming attacks effortlessly. Turning into a white flash of light, Akali's Anima dashes through her mother before calling his starlight sword to his new position. Unable to turn and see her foe, the dryad begins to flail her branches wildly behind her while Shen shields the wild strikes with ease.
Akali meanwhile finishes emerging from her spiritual cocoon and is ready for battle. Wearing a deep blue quilted jacket, the teen adjusts her new steel breastplate and pauldrons. Pulling up her new violet bandana mask, Akali reaches into her tool pack and pulls out a kama. Adjusting to her new tabis, one of the beetles attempts to rush the ninja but ends up with a spirit kunai in the head for it's efforts.
"Go ahead and test me assholes! Just hold on a bit guys; Shen can prune the tree, I'm gonna pull some weeds." Akali confidently declares before reaching into her pack and throwing down a smoke bomb.
Concealed by the white cloud, the rogue sneaks around the mook enemies while they desperately try to find her. With Shen distracting her mother, Akali dashes out of her cover towards the Regal Beetle. Screeching in panic, the golden insect ceases it's dancing to try and bite the flying assassin. Seeing this, Akali tosses out several spirit kunai midair and lands them in the monster's eyes. Now blinded, the creature mistimes it's attack and, after the teen lands on it's head, attempts to crush her with a suplex. Flipping back before it can slam her, the kunoichi retaliates by tossing a large manji shuriken into the beast's head. Catching her breath for a second, Akali then rushes towards the wounded insect and performs a flying kick to ram the shuriken into her foe's head. With the death of their leader, the other beetles try to rush the kunoichi but two are slain. Removing his fist from one of their spines, a recovered Aki and Kennen stare in rage at the now frightened monsters.
"Oh what?! You guys lose your infinite life hacks and now you get scared? Doesn't matter to us. After all, you didn't show us any pity so why would we show you any." Aki coldly tells the crowd of monsters.
"Now is our chance rookies. Time for an All Out Attack!" Kennen shouts to his companions after retrieving his shuriken. Converging by the yordle's side, the party turns into a lethal blur that tears apart both the beetles and dandelions with utmost efficiency. "From the shadows."
With the weeds plucked and their enemies defeated, the party grows back to their normal sizes and turns towards Akali's mom. Shocked that the heroes managed to defeat her minions, the dryad curls up and begins to transform. Absorbing the shrubs, stones, trees, and various other objects around her, Mayym's Shade begins to twist her rotten form. What stands before the party is now a towering golem with four arms built of rotting wooden skin, stone bones, and muscles made of dark corruption. Emerging as the head, Mayym emerges clinging and fused to a tombstone with the name Tahno Jhomen Tethi engraved upon it. Slamming her new form's fists together, the golem recalls the tears flooding the Castle until it gains a set of gauntlets and even wings.
"I think you two interlopers have caused enough trouble; especially the rodent who smells like burning wet fur. Funny though, I recall my shinobi being more than enough to kick you out earlier. I suppose I'll need to correct my earlier mistakes and kill you all now." Mayym's inner demon informs the party before the area around them begins to warp. Combining the broken remains of the garden and the mansion, the dryad has created a temple garden of carnivorous plants surrounded by twisted walls of debris. On these broken walls azakana shinobis appear, each armed with bows and arrows as well as a mask of unrelenting sorrow; the tears of which rain down into the garden below and empower Mayym's golem.
"Don't forget or underestimate me you hag! You guys handle her, I'll get the archers." Akali tells her teammates before throwing down another smoke bomb. Using the various torn beams as platforms, the rogue kunoichi makes her way up onto the wall's ramparts.
"I'd just like to clarify that Shades can lie a lot; it's not like I needed some rookies to help me get here. Now let's do this Aki!" Kennen says before the pair remove their masks. With Aki and Spirit Dragon positioned in front of Kennen and Xerath, the pair engage Mayym.
Moving faster than any being that large has a right to, Mayym's golem blitzes the pair. Grabbing Aki and throwing him away, the monster then unleashes a hideous wail before sending roots into the ground. The roots then erupt from the soul and attempt to bind the duo. While Kennen is able to evade the roots, a still recovering Aki is quickly ensnared. As he struggles to break free, Mayym charges the teen but is stunned when a ball of electricity hits her. Regaining control of her construct, the Akali's mother hurls a nearby boulder at Xerath. With the rock quickly approaching, the yordle's Anima breaks apart and spreads it's armor everywhere. Distracted by the summon's seeming self destruction, the dryad fails to notice Kennen quickly run up her golem's body. Arriving next to her clinging form, the yordle summons his mask before throwing it into the air. In a burst of lightning, Xerath's fragments form a circle around the interloper and begin to call down purple bolts of arcane energy around him. Watching the Shade screaming in agony, Aki breaks the last of his binds and grapples onto one of the golem's arms. Calling Spirit Dragon to his side, the teen uses it's enhanced strength to tear off the limb. During his attack however, the last azakana archer unleashes an arrow that finds it's mark in Aki's right leg. Retribution quickly finds the demon though as Akali stabs it in the back and prepares to rejoin her team with her mission completed. Before she can jump down however, Mayym overcomes Kennen's storm and does something unexpected. Partially releasing herself from the tombstone, the Shade grabs Kennen before slamming his head into the marker. As the yordle is thrown from the monster's back, a bubble of gray envelopes him before Shen appears to catch him.
With Kennen downed and Aki busy evading Mayym's enraged slams, Akali catches a glimpse of a familiar red object from her position. During Kennen's Slicing Maelstrom earlier, one of his bolts managed to strike the golem's back and exposed Mayym's pomegranate. Running to a new spot, the ninja jumps onto the monster's back as it passes under her. Deciding to give her mom payback for what she did to Kennen, Akali runs behind her and dropkicks her head into the copy of her father's headstone. The shock of the blow, and the fact it seemingly came from nowhere, is enough to temporarily knock the dryad unconscious and disable the mount. Sliding down the monster's back, Akali quickly reaches inside and grabs the fruit acting as it's core. Tearing the cursed fruit free, she leaps to rejoin her team as the construct begins to rot away.
"Can't stop what's comin'. All Out Attack!" Akali boldly declares before her team readies themselves. In a flash of spells and attacks, the party dismember the creature and leave it's decimated remains crumbling apart. "Gonna carve my own path."
As the party celebrates their victory, Mayym's Shade crawls from the rotting remains of her creation. Now wearing a tattered silk robe, Akali's mom tries to claw her way towards a newly formed exit but is stopped by her daughter.
"Let go of me you brutes! Can't you two fools tell that I've already suffered enough?!" Mayym shouts at Kennen and Aki before realizing they're not near her.
"Three! Not two, it was three of us that took you down! Now answer one simple question, who am I?!"
"Well you're not the rodent since you don't smell of burning fur. You can't be the boy because your voice isn't the same. Who are you?" The Shade manages to growl out in frustration before her hand is stepped on.
"Seriously?! We live in the same house! I've spent my whole life with you! You're my fucking mom! Damn it, take these stupid things off!" Akali screams in frustration at Mayym. Tearing off the blinders, Akali reveals her mother's eyes; currently they are the signature bright yellow eyes of all Shades.
"I don't have a… Akali? Is that really you? No, it can't be. Last time I saw you was when you were a little girl. You can't be her." Mayym shakingly states while being overcome with denial.
"I was five and you basically left me on my own! You never paid any attention to me for almost ten years! It was bad enough that dad died but I didn't need to lose my mom too!"
"What did you expect from me?! I lost the man I loved the most in my life and I got buried in all manner of responsibilities. To make it worse... you have his eyes. I used to love waking up and seeing those eyes. The way they calmed me when I was scared. How they made me feel loved. Even the way they would water up when he ate something spicy made me laugh. Then he died and I couldn't see them anymore; except when I looked at you. Then all I saw was sadness, then confusion, then hate, and then apathy." Akali's mother recalls in an increasingly depressed tone.
"At least you got to really know him, I can barely remember him! He was my dad and I never got to know him. All I know about him is that he loved you and he died saving people from that fire. Other than that… I don't know much about my parents."
"Akali; I forgot to mention something about his eyes. I remember how teary they were when he held you the first time. The way he looked so happy to watch you grow even if it wasn't very long. He loved you Akali, just as much as he loved me. I'm sorry for how I've acted all these years, I promise to treat you better. I love you dyeda." Mayym's Shade confesses as she comes to realize her mistakes. With her inner demons resolved, the dryad disappears in a flash of golden light.
"We'll get through this together mom. It might suck a bit but I'll be happy to talk with you at least." The kunoichi says before pulling out the stolen pomegranate from earlier. Kennen then runs up and grabs it as an earthquake begins to rock the Castle.
"This place is collapsing. We need to get out of here asap with my, I mean, our treasure." Is all the electric fuzz ball tells his teammates before running for the exit portal. Arriving back at the mansion, the trio run as fast they can towards the entrance.
As the team rushes toward the exit, the ceiling collapses and Aki is cut off from the others. Telling them to go ahead without him, the teen tries to find another exit but wherever he goes the area is in ruin. Eventually he becomes trapped in a dining hall and a nearby support column falls towards him. Before it can crush him though, time seems to distort and he arrives screaming in a new room.
Sitting on a couch, Aki looks around this new place that he has teleported to. Gazing upwards he finds an impressive view as countless stars shift across the ceiling. In the middle of the room sits a desk and behind that is a leather chair turned away from him. It's current occupant soon turns around and reveals herself. Wearing a black suit and tie is a woman with a large horn growing out of her forehead, velvet skin, and bright amber eyes.
"So a new client has arrived. Forgive me but we will need to speak later. Know you may return here when you most need it but for now; wake up." With that Aki wakes up back in his room. Checking his clothes to find himself back in his sleep wear, the teen double checks by looking outside and doesn't see anything supernatural.
By the time Sunday comes around, the student has decided he had a vivid dream. Arriving back at the school, Aki steps off the bus with the box of models when a group of girls pass him. Normally such a thing wouldn't catch his attention except one of them looks familiar. Like him she's wearing the black and teal school uniform except with a pleated skirt. Her rust colored hair is done up in the same wild ponytail and similar simple piercing in her left ear.
"Soooo Akali, wanna tell us how it went?" A girl with long blue dyed hair asks her friend.
"It's like I texted you all. I woke up and found her crying. After that she kept telling me she was sorry and then we talked it out. Anyways I'm going to the bathroom, good luck at the dance-drama club. I'm just gonna hang around." Akali tells her friends before splitting away from the group.
"Thanks. Come on girls, let's get ready before Mr. Khada gets here." Irelia tells her other friends before leading them to the school theatre.
Following Akali, Aki goes inside but when he tries to follow he loses her near one of the staircases. In his moment of confusion, she sneaks up on him and twists his left arm behind his back. Forcing him to put down the box, Akali then drags the boy behind the gym storehouse and slams him into a wall.
"Alright creep start talking, why were you just following… Wait, you look familiar. Have we met before? Are we in the same class?" Akali questions the stranger before letting him go. Aki takes a bit to rub his sore arm before turning to face the shorter girl.
"Yeah but I haven't really talked to anyone since I started here. Hey quick question, did you have a really vivid dream a couple nights ago?" Aki answers back with his own questions. Gauging her reaction, the boy believes at first it was just a dream until her eyes widen a bit.
"Sure but I don't see; Wait is your name Aki? How do you know about my dream? I never told anyone about it." Akali asks her fellow student in slight fear. At that moment the rustling of leaves draws their attention to the tree nearest to them.
"It's because it wasn't a dream. You two really did make an impact in the Spirit Realms and it had a reaction in the real world." A familiar voice answers from the nearby tree. Leaping down from the branches, a raccoon dog walks up to the pair.
"Oh my god he's so cute. I love him! I love him! I love him! I love him! I love him! I love him! Ugh, Sorry about that; I like small, fluffy animals." Akali confesses after picking up Kennen and smothering him. Releasing the talking creature, he transforms into a hamster inside of a ball. This proves to be a mistake as well since Akali picks up the ball and starts to make chirping noises at him.
"Enough! Please stop picking me up. Ah damn it, this is your guys fault that I can only manifest in the Material World like this. Anyways I wanted to see you two and clarify things with you both. I got a feeling you two would need me more and, to be honest, I could use a crew to help me. Don't get me wrong, a couple of rookies aren't much but after the Mayym incident you two showed some potential. Of course with someone like me guiding you both it wasn't even a question about us succeeding." Kennen rambles on with the two students as witnesses. Eventually Aki looks at his phone and finds that it's time for his meeting with Mr. Fleetfoot; as well as an unusual app.
Quickly relocating his box of models, Aki rushes towards his homeroom. Inside he finds his teacher and a girl helping him doing the final touches on setting up several tables of models. Various tables have been set up for gaming ranging from Riftquest, Spells the Convergence, and, most drawing to Aki, Grimdark Future models.
"Woah you weren't kidding about having all these armies. Anyways I brought back your Dowsha models Mr. Fleetfoot." Aki tells his teacher before holding out the box. Taking it, Caleb inspects the models within and finds them in the same condition as he left them.
"Well I'll be, you took care of them. Okay Aki a deal's a deal, if you join the Game Club and care for them then these Dowsha Vastarians are all yours." The homeroom teacher says while putting down the box of models.
"Count me in and thank you Mr. Fleetfoot. Not just for the models but you also helped me out of a bad spot. Between moving here, my grandmother going to the hospital, and my parents dying I really needed to hear what you said. It helped and I think I'm gonna be alright." His student says with tears in his eyes before wiping them away. Putting a hand on Aki's shoulder, Mr. Fleetfoot notices someone else hanging by the door.
"Hey um I heard something about a Game Club. I was wondering if you maybe had an opening for me?" Akali asks after realizing she has been spotted. Waving her inside, their teacher brings out several sets of dice and introduces them to Qiyana.
"Okay so I figured for our first major activity we could try to play something narrative based in the Grimdark Future. So I've set up a dart board and I want you three to use it to decide what armies you get. Then I want you all to decide who throws the last one to decide which army I will use." Their teacher enthusiastically informs the new club members.
Multiverse: Grimdark Future
Across the vast and unforgiving galaxy of the Grimdark Future, one can find rare worlds not consumed by the eternal conflicts that ravage it. The isolated colonial planet of Tulutania is one such haven; a temperate planet dominated by forest, canyons, plains, and mountains. While it exists on the cut off side of the Empire of Humanity, the five thousand souls that call this world home have lived undisturbed since the Destruction of Icathia; until today. Unknown to the inhabitants, a detachment of Battle Sisters have chosen their planet as a meeting ground. They are to discuss strategy with the enigmatic and magical gifted race known as Vastarians; specifically the sub-faction known as the Virtuosos, the followers of the Jester God Shaco. However, an ancient foe for both groups seeks to not only end the meeting but shatter the very souls of both Humans and Vastarian. Luckily an unexpected ally will arrive as well, the new players in the grand galactic game, Yordles; more specifically those of the secessionist Kled Enclaves.
In the small human settlement, civilians young and old try to catch a peek at the procession of holy women. Luckily things stay fairly calm, and don't require the authorities intervention, as the Order of the Crimson Gauntlet and Lunar Blade make their way out of town. With their alibi of blessing the nearby expansion, the silver and red robed nuns arrive at the construction area without any resistance or followers. Making sure the area is cleared of outsiders, the Battle Sisters relay a message to their ship in orbit before supply drop pods begin to fall from the sky. While the women have come to engage in peaceful negotiations, they know better than to come unarmed and prepare their panoplies of war.
Meanwhile in the parallel, labyrinthine dimension known as the Willow Way, the Virtuosos are nearing their intended exit portal. Each is dressed in either vibrant robes or long coats that are a patch work mix of both vibrant colors and black. Their most striking figure though is the long nosed and blue eyes masks they wear. Aside from the tributes of two knives, a box, and a doll each carries, the mask serves as a symbol of their worship no matter what subspecies these animal-like humanoids come from. Their leaders however are dressed differently, fitting for a Headliner and a Produseer.
The Produseer, by the name of Diana Phasewalker, is wearing her usual green and yellow checkered robes with a pair of silver crescent shaped wings disguising her hallucinogenic grenade launcher. A faceless mask disguises her features while shifting between various lunar phases based on the area's lighting. Along with the grenade launcher she carries two other weapons, a crystalline pistol in one and a khopesh of the same material in the other; both adept at channeling her magical prowess.
Being a last minute addition to their troupe, Headliner Rakan Starstep is as enigmatic and unnaturally skilled as those that don the role. Like all Virtuosos he helps their species remember their long history but his role as the one who played the Darkin God Rhaast damns him. Fitting for this role, he dons a both terrifying and strangely alluring mask resembling the visage of the deity most if not all Vastarians fear. Even among his fellow Shaco worshippers, Rakan is avoided for fear of the ill luck the man in a purple, blue, and black long coat brings. Used to this loneliness, Rakan has decided to pass the time by adjusting his wrist cannon and pruning his crimson and gold feather cloak. Even though his fellow troupe members avoid him they are still glad that one of Shaco's directly chosen are there, for everyone knows the destructive force a Headliner can be.
"Okay everyone, so when we meet up with the Hu-Rei women do not shoot them. Before you ask, this is not a trap or some elaborate plan to kill or capture them for Syndra or some Darstarians. We are legitimately going to talk with them and see if we can help each other. If something goes wrong then our reinforcements will show up and start blasting the place." The Produseer tells the troupe before her. With their goal clearly stated, the various Actors and Directors arm themselves with shiv pistols, prismatic pistols, and energy blades.
"Alright everyone we're nearing the planet now. For the new guys remember that when we talk to the Hu-Rei women you've gotta be as enigmatic as possible. After all, our species doesn't get to experience much joy and we do all this zen fairy shit just to mess with them." Rakan reminds the troupes and earns a few disheartened laughs. As soon as they exit the Willow Way portal though, everyone begins to feel the Darkness influence on the planet growing.
An hour later, the Virtuosos find the Battle Sisters waiting for them in prayer. Leading the Crimson Gauntlet is a woman with massive gauntlets utilizing melta attachments; weapons designed to incinerate enemies in a close range burst of heat and energy. Each of her fellow Crimson Gauntlets is kneeling while wielding devastating, two handed chainswords.
At the head of the silver robed women is a squadron with strange hunches on their backs. Their leader is concealing her own especially large hunch and barely doing the same with her wrist mounted storm bolters. The sisters lacking hunches are all equipped with weapons ranging from their bolter rifles, heavy igniters, multi melta cannons, and heavy bolters; ready to purge in a flurry of flames, heat blast, and rocket propelled rounds.
"So you think the clowns bailed?" The leading woman in red asks her argent counterpart. Looking closer, one can make out a closed six fingered fist tattooed on her cheek. She is Repentance Enforcer Vi of the Crimson Gauntlet and designated warlord for this pilgrimage.
"Just focus on being ready for their arrival, you know how Vastarians get about theses kinds of things." Her silvery companion answers her. Adjusting the weights on her shoulders, Archangel Superior Kai'sa begins to wonder if Sister Riven's timing was off. While they have both personally worked with the exiled sister, Kai'sa and Vi are both cautious about working with the enigmatic xenos without Riven by their side.
Preparing to lead their orders through another round of prayers, both Kai'sa and Vi feel a presence behind them. Quickly raising their weapons, the pair fail to find a target before a blast of sonic energy knocks them both down.
"Damn, I was hoping to get all three leading ladies in one go but that moon Vastarian bitch disappeared. Oh well, hello Battle Sisters of the Crimson Gauntlet and the Lunar Blade! Who's ready to become one of my lovely stans and ditch that corpse Azir? But as I'm sure you all know, followers of Rhaast don't really care for consent." A woman in twisted purple, pink, and black power armor yells at the crowd. Looking up, the sisters are able to see their opponent hovering atop a hovering disk made of magicks and demonic flesh. Gazing upon the Battle Sisters with her colorless dead eyes, the mysterious woman's lower jaw splits in half to make way for her mouthed tongue. Spitting some of her addictive blood at a disgusted Vi's feet, the black haired witch snaps her fingers before a small army of cultists appear around the Sisters. Dressed in fatigues and ballistic armor, each is armed with auto rifles, shotguns, and even several igniters. All of these corrupted individuals carry on them the mark of Rhaast, a scythe head with an eye at the base.
"Seraphine right? I hope you brought more than just cannon fodder to deal with us! In case your drug fueled insanity made you forget, we aren't just some helpless schola girls you can come after!" Vi shouts at the Darkness champion before in sync all of the Battle Sisters tear off their robes.
Wielding the Gauntlets of Purgation, Vi is wearing her own set of blood red power armor with white cloaks using black linings and decorated with a black two headed falcon on the shoulders. The Repentance women that follow her however aren't equipped with their crimson armor. Instead, due to reasons ranging from failing to follow orders to personal reasons and everything in between, they have been sent to fight with only an unwieldy chain greatsword, a full bodysuit of leather armor with a crimson hood, and their indomitable faith; should they fight well and survive long enough one day they may be able to reclaim their blessed armor.
In contrast to their Crimson Gauntlet counterparts, the Order of the Lunar Blade's Sisters are all equipped with silver power armor, red cloaks with white linings, and a red version of the two headed falcon on their shoulders. Kai'sa own personal elite squadron of Angels is even equipped with jump packs in the shape of wings. Wearing an ancient suit of armor, Kai'sa not only has her own jump pack but it even has a Typhoon missile launcher system attached to it.
"Oh no these stans are just meant to show you I mean business. My back up dancers though, hehehahaha, they mean pleasure." The fallen Sister ominously informs the Loyalist before the blue sky turns purple.
Piercing through reality itself, claws resembling scythes cut their way into the material plane. Stepping forth from these tears are dozens of lithe, demonic figures clad in leathers with purple skin. With scythe arms, razor sharp teeth, claws and serrated lashers, the horde of various Evelynns begins to rush towards the Sisters. With no more time to lose, the Battle Sisters open fire on the enemies all around them. To help break them out of the ambush, a Sister's Blitz tank crashes through a nearby building. Laying down suppressive fire with it's heavy bolter, the Sisters are able to rush the now weakened Darkness forces and break past the rear defensive line. Deciding it to be the best course of action, both Orders head back to the settlement to prepare a defense as best they can.
Making it back to town, the Sisters are able to alert the local Adjudicators and officials of the incoming tide of demons. While the locals are scrambling to get off world, the nuns gather whatever volunteer militia they can and prepare to defend. As the Sisters are busy barricading the main entrance to the town, a message comes in from their ships above; a Chaos Storm has manifested in the sector and cut off Dark travel.
"Damn it! That witch must have something making this storm." Vi fulminates before shoving a barricade in place.
"Enforcer do we have a new plan of action?" One of her Repentance asks before placing a land mine.
"Tell the governor to relocate the civilians to the cathedral near the center of town if they can't get onto the ships. As for the rest of us the plan doesn't change, we set up defenses and hold this settlement as long as we can. With some luck and our faith maybe the Emperor will hear our plight." Vi tells her fellow Battle Sisters with as much confidence she can muster. Internally though she wishes she could send a team to locate the source of magicks creating the Chaos Storm.
As though answering her prayers, the Chaos Storm has a slightly unintended effect of forcing a nearby ship out of it's path. A red and white colored Razorfin, a massive flight based vehicle produced by the Yordle species, appears via Dark Skipping near the planet of Tulutania. Inside of it are hundreds of Yordles from the Kled Enclaves preparing to make planet fall. While the infantry are preparing their power suits, one of several almost three meters tall mecha watches over the commotion. After it moves back into it's holding bay, two flying gun turrets attach to it's shoulders while a missile pod is attached to it's back. Before the pilot finishes equipping his model, he notices a fellow pilot walking up to him on one of the maintenance catwalks.
Like all Yordles, she's just under a meter tall and has evolved to have an almost amphibious appearance with blue skin. Her bored look is only amplified when one of her hair "flaps" falls down over her face before she blows it back up. Pulling her hands out of her pockets, Vex then flips her red pilot suit's hood on before knocking on the red mecha's pilot chamber.
Opening up his suit, Rumble pulls himself out of the pilot's seat and onto the walkway; but not without adjusting the wires and tubes connecting him to the suit and it's life support systems. Unlike the stasis kept teen before him, he appears much older than her as seen by his once bright blue skin turning almost gray. Despite this age discrepancy, the pair are both members of the Kled Enclaves elite unit known as the Eight. Tying up his hair flaps up into a makeshift mohawk, the old man hits a few buttons on his wrist to continue arming his mecha.
"What's up Vex, did you run out of eye shadow? Something wrong with your suit? Find something new in this terrible galaxy to hate?" Rumble inquires of the teen yordle before locking his suit's Igniter in place.
"No, no, and obviously but I'm not here for that. The pilots wanted you to know that we're already at our destination. In bad bad news, there is now a giant Chaos Storm over the planet. In good bad news, we've found Sub Commander Pyrigeni and I just know she's going to hug us as soon as she gets the chance." The mopey yordle informs Rumble while emphasizing her fellow Eight member's unfortunate habit.
"Hahaha, believe it or not she gets that from her mom." Pyrigeni's father notes before he finishes calibrating his suit's shield generator and Advanced Support Cocoon system.
"Eww. Still can't believe you had sex with such a Cat worshipping normie. Seriously it's even worse since I know you had to have done it in your mecha since you can't leave it. Main reason I don't help you with calibrations. Anyways you can take the Warlord role on this mission, I just wanted to get Pyrigeni back so I'm not the only woman on the team. I don't count Commander Bladetwirler cause she's clone number seven and Blitzcrank is an AI. Other than that it's just a bunch of old fish, cow, teddy bear guys." Vex confesses before hitting one of her buttons to summon one of her turrets, Shadow, to pick her up.
"Oh come on Vex we're not that bad. Plus aside from me, Kled has his magical ax so he's just got long flaps and the gray skin, Bertrand gets the stasis treatment, and Ziggs has those fancy nanomachines to keep him young. Now hurry up, we should be landing soon and I wanna get to the bottom of what happened here." Rumble tells the she-yordle before she gives him a light scoff. Hopping onto Shadow, Vex taps the top of it with her cloven feet and signals the drone to fly her to their mecha.
As the Razorfin makes it's way to the surface of the planet, every one of the yordles except the crew ready their power suits. Hopping into the miniature mechs, each yordle warrior is elevated to one and a half meters tall while also gaining enhanced strength. While they are still physically weaker than any of the other major factions in the galaxy, the standard battle suit allows them to utilize their vast array of plasma based weapons with ease.
With the hangar bay doors opening, Rumble and Vex leap out into the forestry below. Soon after they are quickly followed by dozens of Fire Yordle Breach Teams armed with plasma shotguns and protected by Ocklepod Turret Drones. Travelling to the last known location of the Sub Commander, the yordles spread out in search of their fellow secessionist. Eventually the search parties find a massive chunk of the forest burned to the ground. Amongst the ashes, teams report finding corpses of yordle Striker Teams, humans, and several parts from Pyrigeni's mecha.
"She's alive, I know it. Everyone get ready to..." But before Rumble can give out any orders a pinging noise alerts the mecha pilots to an incoming object. Getting ready for a fight, the yordles stop when they notice it's a Marker drone painted with flames; Rumble and Vex know immediately that it's the one called Burnie.
With Burnie leading the way, the yordle forces make their way back into the forest with Rumble at the head. Eventually they stop by a large tree, and after noticing some rustling among the leaves, Pyrigeni appears on top of her other Marker drone, Scuti. Wearing an orange headband, the she-yordle has also tattooed the edges of her head flaps to resemble flames. Looking around with her amber eyes, the youngest member of the Eight leaps off her drone and onto her papa's mecha to hug it.
"Papa er umm Commander Rumble you came to help. Vex, you came too! I knew Burnie would find someone!" The passionate mecha pilot shouts loud enough that Rumble and Vex can hear it past their hulls. Gently putting the teen down, the search party sends a signal to the Razorfin and a new mecha equipped with dual Igniters and flame decals is deployed.
"I'm gonna miss the quiet." Vex mumbles while leaning back in her seat. Even if she won't admit it, the gloomy pilot is glad to see Pyrigeni alive.
"Quiet is a bit overrated anyways Vex. Sub Commander Pyrigeni what happened here?" Rumble asks his fellow Eight member. Noticing the seriousness of her father's tone, the Technician of Ignition hops into her mecha and opens up comms with her fellow yordles.
"Oh right. So while we were flying by the planet our Earth scientist intercepted some communications on the planet. We learned that some Darkness based humans were planning an attack on the world. I made the decision to try and alert the local humans. We landed outside of the settlement's range and began advancing. On our way there we encountered this one chick in black armor. So we thought that she might be able to help us when all of sudden her lower jaw splits open and she starts screaming at us. Like literally screaming at us, I lost a team to that and then another danced themselves to death. Then from the trees these infantry guys showed up and started shooting at us so we started shooting back. I might have gotten a little umm carried away after everyone else died. So while everything was burning around me, I detonated my mecha to get away." Pyrigeni ends on a sorrowful note, something that doesn't sit well with Rumble especially.
"Well then I suppose our mission is clear. From what we know of these Darkness aligned humans, they like to build shrines and ritual sights to summon demons. I suggest we visit them and show them what yordles are worth." Rumble declares over the comms to the cheers of his fellow yordles. Deploying his own Gun Drones, Scraps and Harper, the Kled Enclaves make their way towards the nearby mountains to locate the Darkness worshippers.
While the Sisters retreated back towards the settlement, the Vastarians they were meant to encounter fled the opposite way. Arriving at a quarry, the Virtuosos stop to plan out their next plan of action. Before they can though, a small horde of Evelynns appears and the group of Shaco worshippers draw their weapons to fight.
"Let's show these styleless sluts what a true show is… wait my brain is swelling and everyone jump back now!" Diana shouts to the various performers. In a blur of colours, a pair of anti-gravity skimmers come flying from the edges of the mining site.
The more armored of the two is light blue checkered with a special light cannon that has it's focus crystals spread out for crowd control; it's crew consists of a strig pilot and a shimon gunner. Meanwhile it's crimson checkered counterpart is more designed for transport as shown by it's open topped chariot design; aside from the skimmer's kiilash pilot, three individuals with large rifles descend from the moving vehicle. Each wearing a gaunt, golden mask and a shredded white poncho over, the performers known as the Golden Demons open fire with their shiv cannons. As one Evelynn is taken down by the terrifying weapons, the mystical poison of the cannon activates, and causes the target to explode in a rainbow of energy and shrapnel. With the crowd's numbers trimmed down, Diana uses her magick to open a gateway of moonlight. Consuming the Virtuosos nearest to her, they are teleported above the Evelynns and descend upon them in a flurry of slashes and pistol fire.
Meanwhile several hundred meters away from the quarry, Cultist troops are mobilizing to flank the Virtuosos. Following the lead of their deranged Darkness Champion and intoxicated on Seraphine's blood, they fail to notice that their rear guard units are being plucked off. Eventually the unit becomes too quiet for them to not notice over ten of their original thirty are missing. Dropping from the trees in a shower of gore, Rakan drops down in front of the tainted souls.
"Care to dance?" The Headliner taunts before bowing down to their height and holding his hand out. Accepting his invitation, the madmen rush the worshipper of the jester god.
Before he even fully rises back to his full height, Rakan has already thrown out two knives that find their ways into the two nearest cultists' necks. Punching with his cape, the feathers conceal his wrist mounted weapons, a Virtuoso' Kiss. Upon coming into contact with one of the men's skulls, the weapon violently erupts into dozens of meters of wire. Piercing through several men's armors, their bodies, and internal organs, they aren't even able to react before being violently ripped apart. Seeing several minions of Rhaast preparing to fire, the Headliner quickly overpowers the Darkness Champion and begins to waltz with the man. Dancing his way through the battlefield with his newly acquired meat shield and dance partner, Rakan leaves a trail of fancy footwork and corpses all around him. With the last of the damned souls suffering from decapitation via wires, the Vastarian throws the champion above him and catches the man. At that moment, Rakan's left hand phases into his body and removes his heart thanks to his Virtuoso' Caress.
"Well that's the last of these temporal thought whores... where in all the Dark is Rakan? Oh here he is, oh neat hearts." Diana comments as the Headliner approaches the other Vastarians while juggling three human hearts. With the elite units taking a position on the transport skimmer, the followers of Shaco begin to make their way towards the human settlement; but not before rearranging the corpses of the Cultist to spell profanities while in sexually suggestive positions.
Back with the yordles, after picking up a Strike Team armed with pulse rifles and deploying a Great White hover tank, they find a Darkness outpost leading into the mountains. Along the way they were able to gain a Strike Team armed with pulse rifles as well as deploying a Great White hover tank. This enemy position, they note, is best divided into four quadrants centered around the barracks, communication center, vehicle depot, and training yard. The first thing the cultists notice are several blue dots marking their Blitz tanks. The second thing they notice are several flashes of blue energy hitting the now exploding vehicles. It doesn't take long before the now burning camp is soon divided in half by both forces. While the Strike Teams and Great White use their long range weapons to pin the Darkness troops, the mecha pilots are making their way towards the enemy position with the Breach Teams. An enemy Infernal Drake, a demon imprisoned in a makeshift metal dragon, is keeping them pinned and has already killed half of the Breach team with it's breath weapon. Burnie and Scuti are then directly piloted by Vex and Pyrigeni to mark the abomination. While Scuti is forced back into cover as high caliber rounds pass it, Burnie manages to mark the beast. Using this feed of combat data, the Great White takes aim with it's railgun and missile launcher. While the demonic engine is able to dodge the missile, it's unable to avoid the energy blast which tears it from the skies. With their aerial threat gone, the cultists find themselves piled on by a pair of red and white mechas alongside a black and red one. The last thing these depraved souls see is the bright blue of the four alien igniters turned onto them.
"Infantry squads raid their archives to see where the rest are hiding. Razorfin we need repairs and for you to pick up our fallen. Good team work out there you two blek!" Rumble is unable to finish before coughing up blood. This causes Pyrigeni to open her mecha and go to check him directly.
"You gonna be alright for this mission old man?" Vex dismissively ask their Warlord. She knows his answer already but is still worried for him; not that she shows it. While she can respect his bullheadedness for tanking the Infernal Drakes assault cannon for them, she also knows that only two people can convince him to not risk anything right now.
"You should head back to the Razorfin commander. Vex and I can handle the rest, plus it's more strategically sound. I mean we can eject from our mechas if something goes wrong, you can't. I don't wanna lose you papa." Pyrigeni tells her father before he pulls her in for a hug.
"Alright then kiddo. This is Warlord Rumble resigning for now. Commander Vex will be taking over for me as acting Warlord. Good luck everyone." With that message, Rumble embarks onto the massive transport to get looked over. Soon the ground team is repaired, restocked, and replenished, before heading towards a cave system to close the enemy's Dark Gate.
[Back in the Anima timeline]
"Okay, good practice games everyone. So we've settled on Akali playing the Battle Sisters, Aki you'll be on the Virtuoso, Qiyana will be playing the Kled Enclaves and I'll be playing the combined forces of Rhaast. With that we've got the campaign set up." Mr. Fleetfoot confirms with his students while writing down their army list. Next time he's decided to bring a more serious list since everyone now knows how their units work.
"That was actually kind of fun. Hey Mr. Fleetfoot I see a bunch of Mana the Convergence packs over there, what's the plan for those?" Akali asks their game master before taking some more pictures of the various tables.
"I was hoping if we had more members show up we could've done a draft. Maybe next time we can do that. Also don't worry about me overwhelming you all since I don't really play Darkness units because I'm no heretical little bitch." Their teacher jokingly informs the club members. Getting up he passes out a Mana pack to each of the students so they can check out the cards.
"I take offense to that last statement sir. Maybe I should bring my Ixtali Warriors from home and have them throw down with you." Qiyana confidently challenges her teacher. In response to this, Caleb goes and cases filled to the brim with crimson armored Astral Knights.
"I've won tournaments with my Blood Seraphims, so if you'd like to throw down next time I'd be happy to." The silver haired man happily declares and accepts the golden haired teen's offer.
"Oh neat, it's the set based off of Rift Quest. Hey, can we try to do a session of that game later?" Aki eagerly asks before smiling when their teacher nods yes.
A/N: Damn this took too long to make. I'd like to announce a few things for the people that made it this far. I'd again like to mention I'm sorry if this special isn't up to standards as my depression from being catfished by a girl I thought I knew for years, the LOL lore being a mess, and my friend who is also my muse that I run ideas through joining the Navy (Which means I can't speak with her as often as I'd like.) means I've taken a lot of mental Ls. So if you'd like me to answer your guy's questions about anything please feel free to message me however you want. This was actually a special not only to denounce all things Viego but also as a celebration. Thank you all for your views and support, we've actually hit multiple personal milestones because of that. Requests are encouraged and be for just about anything. I'm also going to be making a special poll. Thank you for reading, your support, and have a good time.