Chapter 43 – Annexation and Alliance

Ezreal and Zoe plodded their way through the jungle. Its density reminded him of the expansive jungles of Ixtal, with abundance of thickets protecting them from the sunlight, virtually no room to flail your arms about, and insects absolutely everywhere. For Ezreal, this was neither a good or bad thing. For Zoe however, it was a strenuous test of her childlike patience. 'Can't I just portal us through these trees?' she moaned.

'I'm here for the purposes of exploration. I want the authentic feeling of discovering this place for myself.' Ezreal reminded her. 'Plus, I don't want to miss anything.'

'There's nothing but trees all around. We won't see anything new until we're out of here.'

Ezreal scratched his right knee. Zoe had made a valid point. There wasn't likely to be much that could be considered interesting if it had so far been nothing but trees, and for all they knew, it could take them days to get through it. Plus, Ezreal admitted that he was getting tired of pushing branches and leaves out of his way. He had brought the machete but stood by the principle of trying to leave nature unaffected wherever possible. Being able to slash his way through the trees would have been more fun, albeit even more exhausting. And was it worth deviating from their straight path at all and turn left or right to see if they could discover anything else? Probably not. Ezreal was only human after all, and it wasn't expected of him to scour every inch of this new land. 'Umm, okay. Could you take us like eight hundred feet forward and see if that brings us to anything new?'

'You got it!' Zoe flicked her hands forward and conjured a portal on the ground.

Ezreal stepped forward gingerly and peered inside it and gulped.

'What's wrong? Why aren't you stepping into it?' Zoe asked.

'I dunno, but it looks like a never-ending drop. Are you sure this is safe?

'What? Don't tell me you're chicken, my love?' Zoe giggled.

'I swear, do not call me either of those two words again.' Ezreal said defensively. 'Also, you said it yourself. I wouldn't want to know what it's like to go through them.'

'Just jump in. It'll be over in a matter of seconds.'

'Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me seventy times.' Ezreal hopped into the portal and he spun out of control. The colours of pink, orange and purple swirled around his head, hurting his eyes and making him feel sick. But no sooner had it started, Ezreal was spat out of the portal and he landed on his stomach. Zoe by contrast gracefully floated out and landed gently on her feet. Ezreal stood up and stroked his forehead.

'See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?' Zoe teased.

'Yeah… I've experienced worse.' Ezreal rubbed the dirt off his clothes and readjusted his backpack. 'Let's see then, where are we now.' Still just jungle with no sign of being near its edge. 'Okay, how about we try a few miles this time?'

'Your wish is my command.' Zoe summoned another portal on the ground.

Without hesitant this time, Ezreal stepped into the portal, now knowing what to expect. For his second trial, he touched down on both of his hands and feet. Not quite the same finesse as Zoe, but better than his first display. 'Still just jungle. How about ten miles this time?'

'Yes, master.'

Ezreal's third attempt had him successfully land on just two feet. 'Looks like I'm getting the hang of this. Ezreal prevailing as usual.'

'Yes, you are.' Zoe beamed.

Ezreal looked forward. At last, they had found a clearing! Ezreal pushed the branches and bushes in front of him aside and the two of them found themselves staring no longer at trees, but instead a vast desert. Ezreal felt like he was having déjà vu. Ixtal's edge bordered Shurima's desert. And just like Shurima, a desert with nothing in it for miles was boring. Well at least they had now cleared the jungle. They were getting somewhere. Hopefully this desert wasn't as extensive as Shurima, or at least had other stuff going for it, like how Shurima was sparsely populated with some tribes and settlements scattered about, plus the markets in the north.

'It's a good thing you are who you are. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done this for you.' Zoe said with a pinch of annoyance.

'Why's that?'

'Because you didn't say "please" even once.'

'Oh, sorry.' Ezreal apologised awkwardly.

'It's okay. I just thought I'd mention it. Everyone could do with some manners, even if you like to stick your tongue out or blow a raspberry every now and then.'

'Right… Anyway. It looks like we went from trees to just sand.'

'Yeah.'

'Where are all the interesting places that you visited? The arena, and the two sessions where adults were in a meeting together?'

'Pretty far away. I haven't been to this place yet, so this is a new experience for me as well.'

'Alright. Let's do some walking for now, and if we don't find anything, could we use your portals again, please?'

'Yes, we can.' grinned Zoe.

The trek across the desert, it turned out, came with a major trade-off. They were no longer having to be mindful of where they stepped, constantly evading trees and insects, but now sand was in their shoes and the sunlight was roasting their heads. Even with his sunhat, Ezreal could feel the back of his neck burning and sweat dripping from his hair.

'You wanna take a shortcut yet?' Zoe asked.

'At this point, yeah.'

'Let's do it then.'

'Hold on, what's that?!' Ezreal pointed to his left. It was very far in the distance, but its size was distinct and easy to make out. It looked like the shell of a gigantic turtle that was swimming through the sand.

'A turtle?'

'Quick, get the binoculars and camera out of your bag!'

Zoe took it off her back and rummaged around until she found them. She held them up to Ezreal and he snatched them out of her hands. He held the lenses of his binoculars to his eyes, then switched to the camera and took several photos. 'And no "thank yous" either.' Zoe muttered under her breath.

The shell was black and Ezreal could just about make out that sand was dripping from it. 'Well finally, something interesting! Although I imagine it's too dangerous to get close to it, and it doesn't look like it's coming our way either.'

'Can I see it too?' Zoe tugged at Ezreal's shirt.

'Yeah, alright.' Ezreal gave the binoculars back and Zoe peered into them. 'Woah, they're so cool!' Zoe exclaimed. 'And so massive too! I've never seen anything like that in Targon before. I wonder if there's any other cool animals here.'

'If there is, I just hope there are none that are a danger to us. Last time I saw some sea creature swimming through sand, I was in hot water.'

Zoe removed the binoculars from her side. 'Huh? You were in sand and water at the same time?' she asked perplexedly.

'It's just an expression. Being in hot water means that you're in trouble or an awkward situation.'

'Oh, I see. What creature did you see?'

'Have you ever heard of the Xer'Sai? They're hulking beasts that roam Shurima's sands. You really don't wanna mess with them.'

'They'd probably be no match for me.' Zoe laughed.

'Maybe not. Anyway, put the binoculars and camera way, and then can you also open up your backpack again and give me my journal and pen? I want to note down our experience so far.'

Zoe did as she was asked.

'Thanks.' Ezreal said as he took both the journal and pen from of her hands.

'And at last, you say "thanks."' Zoe smiled.

Ezreal flicked the pages to the next blank one, clicked on his pen and began to write.


Ezreal's Field Notes

Our first steps of many:

As much as I don't really want to admit it to someone who's pretty annoying and creepy, Zoe's been a huge help so far. I haven't had to carry quite as much stuff on my back, and she's allowed me to skip some of the more tedious parts of this expedition. Actually, she's probably going to make parts of this so much easier. I'm just afraid to complement her too much.

After setting foot on Remnant we've been through jungle, desert and have seen a giant turtle creature. I'm honestly so grateful that she was able to get us through the jungle quicker using her ability to make portals, otherwise we would have been in there forever and might have missed seeing this turtle.

This whole experience so far has reminded me a lot of my time in Ixtal and Shurima. I do hope that I'll have more interesting stuff to add later. Zoe says she's already seen and interacted with people from this planet, who can also speak the same language as us, and I hope to have a conversation myself and learn more about Remnant.

Onward we go then.

-Ez


'Will you please let me read those notes? I wanna know what you've written.' Zoe pleaded.

'Nope. They're mine and not yours.'

'But I'm the one who carries them for you.' she pouted.

'Maybe so, but they still belong to me, and I don't want you reading them. Just put them back in the backpack.'

'Fine…'

They continued to plod through the desert, now on more alert for creatures like that turtle. For their purposes, portals weren't going to be useful now. After an hour more of traversing the sands, they stopped for a drink of water and some food: some nuts, apricots and bread. Eating the bread was difficult, so they relied on water to help chew it and swallow it down. It didn't help either that the bread itself was not all that appetising. An expedition such as this though, which trumped all of his previous ones in duration, meant that it had not been feasible to take anything remotely exotic. But they did have one advantage.

'Hey Zoe, could I have an ice cream, please?'

'Yes, of course you can.' Zoe looked to her left and a portal opened in the air. She rummaged her arm around inside and pulled out an ice-cream cone. 'Here you go, my darling.'

'Okay, that's another word you are not allowed to say in front of me. But, thank you.'

'Anytime.' Zoe reached inside a portal again and pulled out a cone for herself, and then the portal closed.

The scoop was white, once again. Ezreal gave his one a lick: vanilla. 'I wonder if she has any other flavours? I mean, she has chocolate mooncakes apparently, so maybe she can summon chocolate ice-cream.' It didn't matter though; vanilla was a reliable flavour. 'Ahh, and that's just what I needed. Thanks a lot.' Ezreal complimented after he had swallowed the last tip of the cone.

Zoe smiled. 'Hopefully he can keep up these basic manners.'

They stood up and set off again. After six minutes of walking: 'Hold up. I think we've found something else.' Ezreal held his hand out to stop Zoe from going further.

It was another creature. This one however, was making its way straight for them… It looked like, or just straight up was, a giant scorpion with black limbs but a white exoskeleton, with red markings on its body, pincers, a bright-yellow stinger, and multiple orange eyes on its face. The scorpion was making a horrifying hissing sound, but also a growling one simultaneously, its stringer was poised, and it was snapping its pincers. Not exactly the same thing as a Brackern, but similar.

Ezreal readied his gauntlet, and Zoe rubbed her hands together. Ezreal fired two mystic shots from his gauntlet straight at its face. The scorpion hissed in agitation, but didn't even flinch and continued its charge, forcing Ezreal to arcane shift to the side, with Zoe portalling herself to the other. Ezreal fired another shot at the scorpion's tail, which was taking a long time to turn around and attack again. Zoe throw a glittery ball behind her and then redirected it to send it flying at the scorpion. It exploded upon contact and pushed the scorpion back, even if only a few inches at most. The scorpion had now fully turned around, and made its second clumsy charge at them.

'Hit it again!' Ezreal shouted. He slung four more shots from his gauntlet and Zoe cast another ball of glitter at the scorpion. Still, it seemed only angered by the firepower and not scathed. Ezreal flashed to the side again and Zoe dove through another portal. 'No good…' Ezreal groaned.

The creature roared and charged towards them again. Ezreal and Zoe dodged for the second time. On this turn however, the scorpion slowed itself down so that it was parallel with its pray. It peered on both its left and right with its several eyes, reached out with pincers and grabbed both of them, holding them firmly around their waists. Ezreal and Zoe both screamed. They felt their ribcages being squeezed so hard that the bones chipped, and the air was being forced out of their lungs and mouths. The scorpion raised its stinger, pointing it directly at Ezreal. He shot from the gauntlet, but didn't even aim it anywhere near the scorpion, or he was too focused on using both hands to struggle himself free from the scorpion's overwhelming grip. Seeing the tip aimed directly at him, he scrunched up his eyes and waited for it to come…


Swain stood at the bow of the ship. The pink mist still hadn't proven to be a hazard so far, but there was no saying for certain if it would remain this way. He didn't keep track of how long it was taking, his mind was only occupied with safety. What would happen when they exited the mist – if there was an end to it? Was it poisonous but they wouldn't feel the symptoms until much later? Come on. Surely all they needed to do was make it successfully to shore and begin their conquest on land.

The mist began to thin out, to the point where Swain could actually see the sea in front of him. Over the course of ten seconds, it depleted until none remained. He looked behind him to see if it was still there. So it was an area of coverage, rather than it just disappearing. That mattered little though. What did matter was… 'Land!'

Gieffrey eased the ship to the right, using extreme precision so that it would dock without getting stuck on the shore. Swain went to the back of the ship and patted him on the right shoulder. 'Stunning job.'

'Thank you, General.'

Swain looked over the stern at the other ships emerging from the pink mist. They appeared to have also successfully made it through without any obvious problems. One ship, two ships, three ships, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine! They docked one behind the other. The anchors were dropped, and the crew of each ship began unloading the cargo and weaponry efficiently. It was on a much larger scale, but prior practice and experience carried over. Only twenty minutes to offload everything they planned to take on their initial step inwards? Swain couldn't have been more pleased. However, Swain had been saving the largest and most volatile container for last. The brother and sister who had been protecting it aboard the ship carefully undid the screws to the container's face. What stepped out was a gigantic, muscular hulk with thick, grey skin, glowing red eyes, a metal jaw, a sword with a long, red tassel around the handle, sticking out of its head, one singular, jagged pauldron on its left shoulder, plus a thick gauntlet on the left hand, brown, baggy trousers, shin armour, iron boots, and a hole in its stomach which contained ashes of fire. His stature and presence from even two miles away were enough alone to intimidate you, but this was accentuated tenfold by the overwhelming large axe that it carried in its right hand. Although it was foolish to underestimate Darius and the way he wielded his axe, this zombie's made Darius' look tiny by comparison.
It limped off the ship and looked around menacingly. 'I hate this waiting. There is the thrill of carnage?'

'Sion, conquest is ahead of us, so make us a path through this dense, jungle.' Swain instructed.

Sion growled. He scraped the ground with his left boot, like a bull readying to attack. Then he charged through the jungle, knocking every tree aside as if they were merely tall blades of grass. He bellowed a roar. "Nothing will stop meeeee!'

Kled came too, riding atop Skaarl. Skaarl turned into a ball and Kled ran atop her. 'Yeeeehaaaw!' The two of them charged through the path, which Sion had made.

Swain addressed and shouted at the rest of the army. 'You all know what to do! Take and seize Vacuo for ourselves! For Noxus!'

'For Noxus!'

They all began piling through Sion's path, with Swain taking the lead. Hopefully Sion had interpreted Swain's order correctly and wouldn't get carried away and would stop once they were clear of the jungle. As enthusiastic and determined as the Noxian army was, keeping up with unique powerhouses like Sion and Kled was impossible.

Thank Sion that he had seriously expedited the ability for Noxus to get to the other side of what would have been virtually impenetrable for an army carrying heavy and cumbersome gear, plus drake-hounds who were prone to becoming impatient. Days aboard the ship was enough to aggravate them already. Swain still analysed the trees on either side of him. As far as already owned Noxian territory was concerned, these trees were not entirely unique, but not prevalent either. The impression he got was that no civilisation dwelled here, or at the very least nothing developed, but commandeering this jungle and the coastline were still within their strategic interests. It would make it harder for them to be pushed out by any of the native forces.

Eternity passed by the time they had reached the edge of the jungle. The wait was akin to what they had just experienced through the pink mist. It looked like now though they were about to enter round three of trundling through a wayfaring of no variety. This time it appeared to be sand.

'My goodness that took forever…' said a rugged soldier who had been following Swain from behind. He was carrying a large vanguard shield with the Noxian symbol plastered in the middle.

'We have ways to go before we can rest. Stay hydrated and press on.' Swain waved his forefinger of his real hand at him.

The legion all now began slithering out of the jungle and organised themselves into bands. To the far left, Swain noticed that Kled was bouncing on top of Skaarl's belly as if she were a trampoline. Sion meanwhile was on the right, repeatedly slashing the air with his axe. Swain had cachet to them for waiting.

'What took ya so damn long?!' Kled barked when he saw the Noxian army filing out of the forest. He got down from Skaarl and elbowed her to get her to stand up.

'No one else Noxus can match your speed or Sion's.' Swain rolled his eyes. Three-hundred soldiers had been left behind at the armada. Hopefully one tenth of their total forces would be enough to guard it.

Swain coughed and raised his voice. 'Attention everyone!' All eyes turned to him. 'We have made it through the jungle, and I congratulate you all on your perseverance thus far. Travelling all the way from the capital to here is Noxus' greatest achievement ever, which is still in the making. Our next step shall be through this desert. We don't know how vast it is, but reserving our energy will be key in this blazing sunlight, for us to then use it during the invasion itself. Our pace shall be a steady march. The moment we see civilisation and Vacuo however, enter an aggressive charge. Subdue and take everyone as prisoners. Only kill where absolutely necessary, so that we may convert them into Noxian citizens and have our own numbers grow. The people of Vacuo will all become subjects of the Noxian Empire, today!' A roar of applause exploded from the army. 'And through them we will try and learn more about this foreign world, with our eyes set on conquering even more of it soon after Vacuo is ours. For Noxus!'

'For Noxus!' They started their march, with Swain, Sion, Kled and Darius also – who had caught up to the former three – heading the army.

It was the overwhelming chauvinism and comradeship that made a tedious mission into a bearable one. 'We'll get through this together.' a tall soldier said to his shorter friend marching by his side.

'Yeah. I'm not used to all this sand.' he replied

A snort and a laugh came from behind them. 'Hah! Desert?! This will be a piece of cake! I was born and raised in the sands of Shurima. You two need to grow a pair!'

The two soldiers turned around. A distinctly conspicuous woman smiled patronisingly at them. She had dark, wavy hair, heavy earrings, a metal breastplate over a red top with no sleeves, which proudly showed off her tattoos, black leggings with shin armour, and an eyepatch over her left eye, and she carried on her person two guns in holsters, plus a large glaive on her back.

'Hey, that doesn't mean we don't want to be here.' the taller soldier defended. 'We're just Noxians of milder climates.'

'Not everyone is born in the same place and have the same experiences.' the other soldier added.

'True, and not everyone can be as cool as Samira!'

'That's true also.' the tall soldier admitted. Samira was another one of the special, more notable members in Noxus' mostly black, white and red forces, who was recognised all over Noxus, as much as Kled, Sion and Darius were. She was an infamous daredevil, always throwing herself into the epicentre of battle and conquest wherever possible, guns ablaze and steel against other steel or flesh, and leaving bodies and their defeat in pools of blood on the floor. Her skill and attitude were definitely something to admire, even if aspiring to match her was nigh impossible. That being said, there was never any real rivalry within Noxus camaraderie, since all loyalty and individual contribution was enough. This mission especially was a test of cooperation, rather than competition. And Swain had given explicit orders too. Take everyone as prisoners, and not their lives. Subject the people of Vacuo to Noxian reign. This was going to take Samira a lot of self-restraint.


Dr Oobleck adjusted his glasses. The sun was nearing its peak at the current time of day in the west of Remnant. He had been flying the airship for just under three hours so far, following the downwards curvature of the middle of Sanus. He took another swig of his drink to keep him focused. 'How are things looking now?' he asked over his shoulder. Oobleck was remaining observant himself and had his eyes constantly peeled for any notable signs below, but naturally he was relying on Team CFVY and Pantheon to cover all the corners.

Coco went forward and leaned her left hand on Oobleck's seat, looking out through the cockpit window. 'Nothing so far, Doctor. From what we can tell, it's just a few small villages down below that seem unharmed, and other uninhabited areas.'

Pantheon joined them. 'Aatrox is drawn to the potential for great destruction and chaos. If as you say there is not much to see below us, then he is unlikely to have bothered stopping. The next major area will likely be the next one that has the misfortune to suffer from his wrath…'

'That would definitely be Vacuo then.' Oobleck said worryingly. 'Considering how much of a head start he got, we might be too late to save them. If only the CCTS was online. That way we could have warned them.'

'Let's just keep going. It's good that we're at least trying to do something, as Ozpin said.' Coco reminded them.

'Yes. Quite.' Oobleck nodded. 'Mr Alistair.' he addressed.

Fox came over. 'What is it, Doctor?'

'You're a native Vacuan, aren't you? Where is the nearest major settlement in Vacuo?'

'There aren't many permanent ones. Vacuo the capital is obviously the big city, but elsewhere it's pretty much just nomadic villages. Where I'm from in Kenyte, half of the place was gobbled up by a giant sand worm, including my parents. Now it's virtually lifeless. Places like Gossan and Schist are no more. The only other place of note I can think of is Coquina, which is where Oscuro Academy is.'

'Hmm. In other words, we should be making a beeline towards Vacuo right now?'

'Sounds like a good idea.' Fox agreed.

'Well it's a good thing that we at least checked everything along the way of the centre of West Sanus.' said Coco.

'Although to be fair, we only really checked the centre of the centre.' Fox pointed out. 'Aatrox could have gone north or south a bit.'

'If there is little to see, then Aatrox would not have remained there long.' Pantheon put forward. 'Of course, I do not know Remnant at all, but if you think that this part of the continent is stale, then I think we are definitely heading in the right direction.'

'I like the reassurance. Thanks, Atreus.' said Coco and gave him a gentle elbow nudge.

Pantheon laughed. 'Happy to help, and also to put Aatrox into the dirt where he belongs.'

The moment of truth was almost upon them. Vacuo was in sight. They landed just outside the city and got off the airship.

'Is it okay to just leave it here?' Yatsuhashi realised, addressing the ship after they had walked a few steps. 'What if it gets damaged or stolen?'

'Good point.' Oobleck responded. 'Do you have an opinion of this, Fox.'

'Hmm… Vacuans generally speaking aren't the most trustworthy of people. Although I doubt that anyone here would know how to operate it, or have any reason to wreck it, it might be worth someone staying here to stand guard.'

'Any volunteers then?' Oobleck asked.

'Maybe Yatsu should do it.' Coco suggested. 'His size and sword alone might be enough of a deterrent.'

'Heh.' Yatsuhashi laughed under his breath.

'Not a bad idea.' Fox nodded at Coco. 'You think you can handle it by yourself, Yatsu?'

'I should be fine.' Yatsuhashi nodded to everyone else. He placed Fulcrum over his shoulders.

'I would advise that we bring as much manpower into the city as possible.' Oobleck agreed. 'Just in case any Grimm rear their ugly heads.'

'I also agree.' Pantheon concurred. 'In case Aatrox comes back, although the absence of his war cries suggests he may have left or not have been here already.'

'Then it's settled. We'll see you later, Yatsuhashi.' Oobleck reached his arm upwards and patted him on the shoulder.

'Thank you, Dr Oobleck.'

The gang waved at him as they made their way into the city.

'Call us on your scroll if you need us.' Fox sent Yatsuhashi.

'Will do.' He sent back to Fox.


They all observed their surroundings, checking the state of the structures, the behaviour of the citizens, and anything else that hinted at disarray or relative calm. It didn't look good though. There were few Vacuans on the streets, and most of those who were on their feet gave them funny looks. However, it was the presence of so many houses and buildings with scaffolding around them, which raised the most concern, especially when you considered the city's generally tall architecture. Was this Aatrox's doing? Or was it the earthquake? Or both…? 'I think we should go to Shade Academy and have a talk with Professor Theodore, and see if we can find out more about what's been going on here in Vacuo.'

'Do you know where you're going?' Coco asked.

'I've been to Shade and spoken with Theodore enough times to know my bearings. Let's get a move on. Chop, chop.'

Moving through the streets of Vacuo was surprisingly uncomfortable. Maybe it was the sand, heat, or unneighbourly vibe that it gave off, but it felt like an eternity before they finally arrived at Shade Academy. Just like the rest of the city's taller buildings, the academy's layout was that of more verticality, rather than the typical Huntsman Academy. Although it was still towering in height, it made Shade's CCT Tower appear not quite as tall by comparison. They approached the main building's double doors and stepped inside. As they navigated their way through the corridors to Theodore's office, they noticed that there were nails hammered into the walls, but no portraits hung from them.

The entrance to Theodore's office were two, large double doors. Oobleck knocked on the right door and waited for a response.

'Coming!' came a muffled voice from inside. Eight seconds later, the doors were pulled inwards. Professor Theodore stood there. He was well built, with very short, dark hair, and wore a long blue and grey cape. Being blunt, he looked a bit ridiculous, and marginally comparable to Pantheon. Not that this mattered though. His eyes widened at the sight of who was standing just outside his office. 'Oobleck!' He held out his arms, and they embraced each other. 'This certainly is unexpected.'

'Indeed it is, but it's good to see you again.'

'Most certainly. Now please, come inside – all of you.'
Theodore's office was circular, and his office was at the back of the room. A few bookshelves hugged the walls. Just like the corridors, nails were inserted into the walls, but all the portraits were missing. 'Shall I grab you some chairs, or some tea or coffee?'

'That won't be necessary, because we aren't planning to stay here long.' Oobleck declined. 'Plus, speaking for myself, I have all I need with me here.' He patted Antiquity's Roast by his side.

'That's okay, but please tell me then how you're doing, as well as Ozpin and Goodwitch. It's horrible to hear about what happened a few days ago.'

'I'm fine, as are Ozpin and Goodwitch. We've just about managed to cope and handle the situation.'

'I see. And who are these folks who are accompanying you?'

'I'm Coco Adel.'

'Fox Alistair.'

'Velvet Scarlatina. Us three are part of the same Huntsman team from Beacon Academy.'

'And I am Atreus.'

'A pleasure to meet you all.' Theodore greeted back. 'So Oobleck, to what do I owe the honour? Why have you come all the way from Beacon to Shade?'

'The ordeal and everything that's occurred over this past week have been very eventful, but I will try and condense it down. Following the earthquake that devastated Vacuo and Mistral, at this point, we all know about the new moon and longer days and nights. I presume that you were also filled in on the discovery of new land, east of Anima?'

'Yes, I was.'

'Well, we found out since then that this new land isn't just land that's popped out of nowhere. It is actually an entirely different planet that has merged with our own. That is why there are now two moons in the sky, and why days are longer. Furthermore, we have encountered life from that planet: three, technically four, and you are looking at one of them right now.'

Theodore's jaw dropped. 'No way! Is this true?!'

'Your friend is not telling any lie whatsoever.' Pantheon nodded. 'I just so happens also that we share both a language and species. I still find it unbelievable as everyone else does, and no one so far knows how or why it happened, but we know for sure it is fact and not false.'

'Good grief… what do we do about this then?'

'So far, we have sent General Ironwood, a bunch of students from Beacon and Mistral Academy, and two other individuals who also came to Remnant, to this planet which is called Runeterra. Is that the correct name, Atreus?' Oobleck asked.

'You are correct.' Atreus confirmed.

'Thanks. The purpose is to allow us to get to know Runeterra better, establish good relations between us, and help a man called Ryze on an important quest of his. We haven't heard back from them since they departed, but I'll assume that it's going well so far. Anyway, that's to get you up to speed with what's happened so far. But we are here for a different reason however.'

'Please do tell.' Theodore encouraged.

'Before I get that topic, I need to ask you a few other questions first. Upon arrival and a bit of exploration of the city, we've noticed that so many structures have suffered damage and are in the process of being repaired. Why is this the case? Was it because of the earthquake?'

'It was the earthquake mostly, but not entirely. Let me explain: because of the earthquake, Vacuo took a really heavy hit. We immediately got to work on fixing as much of the city as possible, and the Vacuo council prioritised the CCT Tower to re-establish communication. Fortunately the damage was minimal and we were able to do so in time for the Vytal Festival Tournament final, which allowed Vacuans to watch it on their scrolls at least. However, although we did not experience it directly, we saw what happened at Beacon on that dreadful night: the Grimm swarming the school, Atlesian equipment going rogue, and of course that giant creature with a sword that wreaked so much havoc. We saw it all up until the point where it destroyed the Beacon tower, and that's when the signal was cut. We were all in shock, and that negativity built up, and it was for this reason that Vacuo also got stormed by Grimm after Beacon got destroyed. It took all of Vacuo's lacklustre defence force and Huntsmen to fend them off. We lost so many lives that night though, including Huntsmen from Shade Academy itself. It's because of all this why Vacuo is in such a mess and it's a damn miracle that the Grimm haven't returned. We are steadily fixing things though. Most of the damage from the Grimm happened here in the east of the city, because that's where the Grimm game from. The west is in better shape as a whole, but there is still a lot of work to be done.'

'I'm really sorry to hear that, and we send our condolences to everyone affected by the chaos.' Oobleck said. 'But here's where we arrive at the actual reason why we're here. You saw that gigantic, winged beast with the sword. Well, we're here specifically because of it. That beast is called Aatrox and is also from Runeterra. The conclusion to Beacon's fall was us being able to deal with the Grimm and driving out other threats, including the White Fang and Atlus' hijacked military forces. Most significantly of all though is that Aatrox ended up being frozen by something that fell out of the sky. Professor Port and I kept watch of him, but after a few days he became unfrozen and flew westwards, and we weren't able to keep up with him. Simply put, have you or anyone else in Vacuo seen him at any point between then and now?'

'Not as far as I know. It may have ended up somewhere else in Vacuo or Western Sanus, but it certainly hasn't come into the city of Vacuo itself.'

'Okay, that's very handy then.' said Oobleck. At least it was an answer.

'It is, but this means that our trail of Aatrox has gone cold.' Pantheon reminded him. 'It is of utmost importance that we track him down before he can commit any more carnage.'

'Well let's not get ahead of ourselves.' Coco stepped in. 'If we had to guess, where would Aatrox have most likely gone? We already have a few clues that may help us eliminate options. He went west from Beacon and we haven't seen him across all of Western Sanus; he isn't likely to concern himself with barebones or uninhabited areas; and he hasn't targeted the most populated and active area in Vacuo. This means then that he's either gone north, south, or even further west, back into Runeterra.'

'Those are some good points, Coco, but it still doesn't give us enough evidence or decisive information for us to act upon.' Oobleck responded. 'As we know, Aatrox is unlikely to hang about in lifeless areas. There is the big non-contiguous part of Sanus in the north, but there is little activity there, so he would be unlikely to stay there long. And of course, to the south there is nothing to see at all, save for a few barren islands. I'm not criticising you, but I'd be more likely to wager that he might have gone north or south, but then took a sharp turn back into the centre of Remnant. He could have made it or is making his way to Atlas or Mistral by now, or even just abandoned Remnant entirely and went back to Runeterra.'

'I highly doubt that it is the latter, Doctor.' Pantheon interjected. 'Aatrox has likely come to Remnant because he sees potential for annihilation, which he has so far not been able accomplish in Runeterra. I'm not saying this with absolutely certainty, but my own intuition reckons that it is your planet that is still in danger of him, and not mine.'

'Alright then. This information also helps.' Oobleck said with traces of optimism in his voice. 'We might be able to reduce the possibilities to Atlas and Mantle, Mistral, and perhaps even Menagerie, if we're aiming to not leave any stone unturned.'

'Is there a possibility that he might have gone back and stopped in East Sanus again?' suggested Velvet. 'Are there any areas in Vale worth considering?'

'I guess it depends on how fast he is travelling. We left Beacon around half a day later than he did, so if he has gotten bored of whatever is in the north or south, he might have already passed, or is in Vale again. However, Vale and Beacon are the epicentre and only bustling place in Vale nowadays. The likes of Mountain Glenn and Lower Cairne are ghost towns.'
Velvet shuffled her feet awkwardly, and Coco and Fox tried not to show any facial response to Oobleck's mention of those two areas in particular.

'Aatrox flies fast. Very fast as a matter of fact. He can cover ground rather quickly.'

'I see. Well, thank you for your time, Theodore. It's unfortunate that we cannot spend more time together to catch up with one another, but we are in hot pursuit of Aatrox.' Oobleck said dejectedly.

'No need to apologise. It is completely understandable, and I wish you the best of luck in your search for him.'

Everyone said their goodbyes and they left the academy, weaving through the streets of Vacuo and heading back to the ship.


Yatsuhashi smiled when he saw the rest of the team exiting the city. 'Finally, you guys are back.'

'It's only been three quarters of an hour at most.' Oobleck responded. 'Did you have any problems whilst we were gone.'

'Nothing at all.' Yatsuhashi reassured. 'What did you all get up to then?'

'We went to see the headmaster of Shade Academy, Professor Theodore, informed him on what's been happening over this last week, asked if he'd seen Aatrox, which he hasn't, and then debated where to go from here.'

'Cool. So where are we going then?'

'That's the tricky bit. We don't know exactly.' said Coco 'We've managed to boil it down to Aatrox being either in Atlas, Mistral and Menagerie. The problem with this though is that they take us in almost completely different directions of each other, and we have no way of deciding where to go first if we're to catch him asap.'

'You know, I was thinking we should try Atlas first.' Velvet piped up.

'Hmm? Why do you suggest that?' Oobleck inquired.

'Because my impression is that it's the most condensed area with loads of potential for destruction. Even though Aatrox himself won't have already known that, we can get there and maybe even get some intel if we're lucky. Atlas is also closer to here than any other continent in Remnant, so if he went in the direction of Menagerie and Anima, then it would take longer for him to get there than it would Atlas. And if he goes even further south and around the planet, Atlas will still be the closest destination for him. And since we have no basis to go elsewhere, why not start with Atlas?'

'I must say, that's very good thinking.' Oobleck remarked. 'To Atlas we go, I guess.'

'Hold up.' Fox interjected. 'I get what you're saying, Velvet, and I do agree with you, but I'm not entirely convinced that it isn't worth continuing our search here in Vacuo and Western Sanus.'

Eyes turned to Fox. 'Why do you suppose that?' Velvet questioned.

'Although I know and we know that there's basically nothing beyond Vacuo in Western Sanus, Aatrox doesn't know that. He might have gone beyond it. What if he went diagonally north or south a bit and missed it? What if Ironwood and the other lot going to Runeterra crossed paths with him and got into a fight? Although I agree with Velvet that we could probably go north to Atlas if Sanus turns out to be fruitless for us, let's not jump to that conclusion just yet.'

'To add to that, I don't think we can assume that if Aatrox went north, he won't have stopped at the northern part of Sanus, since it's much closer to here then Atlas is, he also won't know if there's anything worth checking out there.' Yatsuhashi contributed.

'Another valid point.' Oobleck nodded. 'However, if we account for time taken for us to get about, and how Aatrox is considerably fast according to Atreus, then he'll probably be done with Northern Sanus relatively soon. So once we're done here in Vacuo, we could make a beeline to Atlas in the hopes of catching him there.'

'Let us waste no more time then. Keep going west.' Pantheon declared.

Oobleck took the airship's controls again and they took off. Oobleck decided to zigzag the ship this time, hoping to possibly find Aatrox doing a thorough search himself.

They flew for ten minutes before… 'Wait, what's going on down there?!' Coco pointed down at the ground.

'Where?!' Oobleck demanded.'

'A bit southwest of us!'

Oobleck jerked the steering wheel left and rushed the ship towards Coco's directions. He squinted his eyes through his glasses. 'A Deathstalker! And it looks like it's attacking someone! Kids, you know what to do…!'

Team CFVY leapt out of the airship and landed on the ground. Meanwhile Pantheon sprung on his feet, leaping more directly towards the Grimm. They could see it holding one person in each of its claws. The stinger was aimed and ready to strike…
Coco deployed her minigun and opened fire at the Deathstalker. Agitatedly, the Grimm missed its attempted impalement of the boy in its left claw.
Pantheon meanwhile landed directly on top of it and thrust his spear through its exoskeleton, causing it to scream and drop the boy and girl it was holding. The pair staggered to their feet. The girl wriggled her fingers and conjured a bubble in her hands. She then tossed it at the scorpion. The bubble dissipated on contact; the scorpion was seemingly unaffected at first, but then its entire body was consumed with glitter, and it began to snore.

Meanwhile the boy's eyes widened. He formed a ring of energy in his hands and tossed it at the scorpion, creating a circle around its body. The girl hurled a glittery ball at it, and then the boy slung an energy shot from the gauntlet on his left hand at the scorpion. Both projectiles landed at the same time. The scorpion was shocked out of its slumber and it shrieked hideously. Its exoskeleton now had cracks in it.

Pantheon jumped down to the Deathstalker's right and stabbed his spear through its side, letting out another horrendous screech. Fox came in rapidly, slashing his tonfas at the Deathstalker's left. And finally, Yatsuhashi roared. He jumped high into the air and brought Fulcrum thundering down, slicing the beast in two. It gave one more final shriek and dissolved into nothing.

The girl and boy fell onto their backs, clutching their midriffs. Oobleck landed the ship, got out, and sprinted to their sides in the blink of any eye. Everyone else gathered around the two victims.

'Are you okay?!' Velvet asked them. She got on her knees and nurtured their heads with one hand each. As usual, Velvet always felt left out during relatively easy skirmishes, so as to not waste her Dust. Now was her time though to help by directly attending to these two's injuries.

The boy grunted. 'I've… been through worse.' He forced himself to laugh, only to hurt his stomach in the process, and groaned immediately afterwards.

Coco also went onto her knees and applied some pressure to the girl's wound to stop any more blood from spilling out. This was an emergency situation, but even in that moment Coco couldn't help but admire the girl's hair. It was truly something else. Yatsuhashi did the same with the boy's chest but took extra care to not press down too hard.

The boy coughed. 'In my bag… the bigger one. There's a first aid kit. Get some bandages out…'

Yatsuhashi turned the boy onto his side and unzipped the bag, pulling out what he presumed was the first aid kit and gave it to Velvet.
Velvet opened the lid and found a roll of bandages, and proceeded to wrap some around both of their bodies. 'There. How does that feel now?' she asked them.

'Slightly better I think. Thanks a lot. Hopefully that should do the trick. How about you, Zoe?' he said to the girl.

Zoe coughed, simply saying: 'Okay, Ezreal…' It seemed that her more fragile boy of a little child had suffered more than Ezreal's healthy, late adolescence one.

'You two'll be okay. We can get you to safety, wherever you came from.' Oobleck reassured them.

'Wait a moment.' Pantheon stepped forward and took a mean glance at Zoe. 'You?!'

Zoe looked up and waved with difficulty at him. 'Oh hello, Aspect of War…'

'Do not call me that, Myisha!' he said indignantly.

'What? "Myisha?"' Ezreal repeated the name.

'You know this girl?' Oobleck asked.

'I do, and I am not pleased to see her…' Pantheon, struggling to refrain himself from spitting on her. 'Throughout my time, I have faced many self-proclaimed gods. It might sound ridiculous to phrase it this way, the but the worst of them all wears the face of a child. She is a gatekeeper of destructive mischief and the instigator of so much harm and chaos, that she is a disgrace whom no one should have to deal with. The Aspect of Twilight is truly something to be disgusted by.'

'What are you… talking about?' Zoe feigned.

'Cut the pretence, you pathetic, little parasite! You know exactly the kind of odious creature you are!'

'That's kinda mean. Also… keep up with the times, old man. Myisha was the old host of the Aspect of Twilight. My name is Zoe.'

'Whatever, that does not matter. What are you even doing here in the first place?'

'I could ask you the same question, but I'll be a good little girl and answer yours. I'm here with my boyfriend, exploring this new planet together becau-.'

'Hey, I said I am not your boyfriend!' Ezreal interrupted. 'How many times do I have to say that before that basic fact sinks in?'

'Sorry.'

'Hold on. Does this mean that you are also from Runeterra?' Pantheon said to Ezreal.

'Yep. Name's Ezreal. Prodigal Explorer, discoverer of loads of artifacts, inventor of many different gadgets, ladies love me.' he boasted (and lied).

'It seems like we've run into even more people from Runeterra.' Oobleck said.

'And hey, that means I've run into people from Remnant for the first time!' Ezreal said with enthusiasm. Like I said, I'm an explorer. You mind if I get a picture of you lot, so I can report my findings when I go back home?'

'I don't mind. You guys okay with that?' Oobleck asked Team CFVY. The four of them expressed their compliance. For Coco also, it seemed rather flattering. The five stood together. Ezreal slowly eased himself to his feet, got the camera out of Zoe's backpack. 'Say cheese.' He took four shots and put the camera back into the bag. 'Thank you. I appreciate it.'

'It's all good.' Coco said with a grin.'

'Yes, the pleasure is ours.' agreed Velvet.

'Wait, I recognise you!' Zoe said to Oobleck. She got back to her feet too.

'What? You do? How?' Oobleck asked, confused.

'You were at that fighting event! I saw your face on a big screen, and you were talking about it!'

Everyone remained silent for several seconds.

'…you were at the Vytal Festival Tournament…?' Oobleck broke it.

'The one where that girl had this huge scythe and was wearing red!'

'Ruby Rose?'

'That's her name? She's so cool! I really wanna meet her! And… I think I might have caught glimpses of you guys as well.' she said to Team CFVY.

'Okay, let me get this straight. You were on this planet during the first stages of the tournament, which means that you were here before Remnant and Runeterra were merged together.' Oobleck conjectured.

'And what do you think that means then?' Zoe winked.

'You were the first person from Runeterra in Remnant?'

'Yes, I was. And now we've joined together. Wanna guess how that happened?' She winked again.

'There's no way, right? There's no way…?' Fox gasped, really wishing he could see them.

'Well she knew about what was going on during the tournament, and could describe me and Miss Rose.' Oobleck reminded him.

'Unless someone else told her about that.' Velvet put forward.

'But who would have?'

'You know, she told me a particularly interesting story about how our planets came to be one.' Ezreal contributed. 'Apparently it was… literally just her doing.

'And as even more impossible it sounds, the Aspect of Twilight is a reality-bender. We might have an answer…' Pantheon deduced.

'No. This can't be. It's too absurd.' Oobleck shook his head.

'It had to have happened somehow.' Zoe giggled.

'But a little girl doing it. Atreus, you weren't exaggerating at all just now about her being able to bend reality, as you put it?'

'I was not at all, Dr. Oobleck. That is why I despise her and the Aspect of Twilight.'

'Okay, let's assume that you're telling the truth. How did you do this and why?'

'Simple. I can create portals and move things wherever I want.' Zoe snapped her fingers, and a portal appeared beneath Yatsuhashi's feet.

'Woah!' he cried out as he fell into it, and the portal closed.

'Yatsu!' Velvet wailed. 'Bring him back, please!'

A portal opened above where Yatsuhashi had been standing. He landed on the ground, getting his face covered in sand. He stood up and wiped himself clean, whilst Zoe laughed hysterically. 'That wasn't funny.' Yatsuhashi growled.

'But it was to me.'

'Okay, moving on. Why did you do this?' Oobleck interrogated.

'Just for fun, because I was bored. I've already this said to Ezreal. I found your planet and moon in a distant galaxy and brought it back to my own planet and combined them together.'

'So this means that our planet was the one that was moved. Does this mean also that the sun in the sky isn't the one that Remnant usually orbits around?'

'Yeah, it does.'

'And you're here just to explore Remnant, young man?'

'Exactly that.' Ezreal confirmed. 'Although, she came outta nowhere and has been tagging along ever since.'

'I see.'

'Okay, this small talk is heart-warming and all, but let us not get side-tracked.' Pantheon said assertively. 'Aatrox is still our primary objective. If these two want to explore, they can. In fact, you'll find the nearest place of note just over there.' He pointed in the direction they had come from.

'Yes. We'd best be off now. C'mon along everyone.' Oobleck indicated.

'But will they be okay, since they're injured?' Velvet said concernedly.

'Should be okay.' Ezreal replied. 'You said there's a place over there. We'll get more help there. Thanks for everything though.'

'It was nice meeting you two. Hope your exploration goes well.' Velvet waved.

'You too. Love the bunny ears by the way.' Ezreal chuckled.

Velvet blushed.

They had all began to make their move, but then they were prompted to stop. The ground was beginning to shake, and a distinct sound of roaring voices came from the northwest. Everyone looked in that direction and saw waves of sand being pushed aside like a speedboat rocketing through water. An enormous, intimidatingly sized beast, who loosely resembled an undead man, carrying an axe, was charging across the desert. It made some sort of indiscernible war cry. Based on the direction it was going, the zombie was going to collide with Vacuo. Following the goliath in its wake was something a lot smaller. They couldn't see exactly what it was from that distance, but it was riding on top of some sort of rolling ball.

'What the heck is going on? I can't see anything.' Fox asked.

'Not a clue.' Coco responded.

Coming after the undead beast and whatever that thing was immediately following, was a band of people, albeit at a much slower pace. Things weren't looking good. There were hundreds of them, if not thousands, carrying and pushing armaments. These may technically have been the most threatening thing about them, but it was the few distinct, red banners that they carried, which once they came into view, made Ezreal shudder. 'Noxians. I hate those guys.'


Salem sat at the head of the table inside the conference hall. She had both of her elbows on the table, with her chin resting in her left palm, and her other hand scratching the side of her cheek: not a great look and posture for someone of such authority and power. It was difficult to tell at the moment if things were looking good or bad for her. Perhaps it was good thing that Aytrox was here in Remnant, seemingly hellbent on destroying the world. But even if she interpreted his words as literal, it was no guarantee that if he succeeded, she would die in the process, for the curse was still there. Furthermore, was he even capable? He had made quick work of Beacon fighting back against him, but to destroy a planet (two now) was a completely different story. What if his desire was more accurately the extinction of life? Either way, Salem saw potential in this goliath.

And what about Zoe? The girl who claimed to be responsible for merging Remnant and her own planet together? What if she and her magic were the answer? Could she outdo the spell of literal gods? The idea of a child surpassing two gods sounded ridiculous. Furthermore, how would the gods feel, knowing that what they considered to be a failed experiment was now part of another planet, which was not of their doing. If the Relics were all brought together and they saw humanity still in disarray, therefore deeming Remnant as being irredeemable, would they feel it right to destroy another planet in the process? Moreover, would they even be able to find Remnant anymore? Salem craved reprieve more than anything in the entire universe, but even she had to admit that the new planet had made things a lot more interesting. A part of her was genuinely curious to see what subsequent events would come of this.

Salem also wondered if the brat would come back with Tyrian. Was she manually searching for him? She did hope that Zoe would succeed. Firstly, so Salem could see her again and possibly manipulate her, but also to have Tyrian back. He may be exceptionally volatile, but his loyalty was certainly unwavering. Good allies should never be taken for granted.

There was a knock on the doors. 'Come in.'

They creaked open, and inside stepped Hazel. 'Hello ma'am.'

'Hazel. How did your meeting go with Sienna Khan?'

'Well, I bring… very interesting news, and I think it calls for concern. The others should hear this too. Is Arthur back from his meeting with Lionheart yet?'

'Yes. His visit though was shorter than I originally expected. Leo had nothing noteworthy to report. The earthquake of course did have profound effects on Mistral and Anima, especially since the continent was immediately plunged into darkness as a result of Remnant merging with the other planet. It didn't help matters for them as well during Beacon's fall. The whole event was broadcasted live up until the tower was destroyed. The citizens all saw the fighting, as well as Aytrox terrorising the battlefield. After the tension and negativity built up in Mistral, the Grimm then attacked. The disarray does please me in a lot of ways. As humanity becomes more divided, the easier it is for us to take control. But that's the end of that story. You say that your feedback is far more significant?'

'Yes ma'am. I cannot overstate that enough.' Even still, Hazel's voice remained gruff and monotone as ever. 'Shall I get them to come here then?'

'Of course, Hazel.'

'What about Tyrian, Emerald and Mercury?'

'None of those three have returned yet. It's just you, me, Cinder and Watts.'

'Alright. That's good enough.'

Watts and Cinder took their places at the table, and Hazel did the same. Before Salem or Hazel could speak though, Watts cleared his throat. 'Please pardon me ma'am. I just want to preface that mere minutes ago, I myself received some interesting news that I think I ought to share with everyone here. May I speak after Hazel has finished?'

Salem nodded. You may, Watts. But for now, Hazel, please proceed. What do you have to tell us?' Salem questioned.

'Yes, ma'am. As you ordered, I met with Adam at the White Fang's headquarters. The collective consensus of the White Fang is that Adam's involvement at Beacon was a disaster. Adam himself was injured after the events. He had a few too many bandages on him. I had to wait outside the throne room at first, but I could hear through the doors that Sienna Khan isn't fond of him working with us. Eventually I was invited inside, and I tried to reason with her about our common enemy of human society. She was still dubious, so I brought her attention to the new planet and the dangers it's presenting: using the girl and Aytrox as an example of potential threats, thus giving further reason for the White Fan to cooperate with us. Even following my attempts at persuasion, she was hesitant to believe me, and then the discussion turned to the topic of who brought the new planet to ours in the first place, believing for certain that it could not be Zoe. She then inferred that the Gods of Light and Dark were responsible, then ran outside and began begging for mercy at the sky. But this is where the tipping point occurred. It turns out that the girl was lying to us. She was not the one responsible for Remnant and her planet bonding.'

'Who is then?' Salem demanded.

'Following her pleads, a giant dragon descended from the sky. We could only see its head and the crown it wore from where we stood, because of how big it was. I honestly can't remember its name, but it was definitely male and called itself the "Star Forger" and claimed to not only be the one to have made both planets and put them together, but also to be the creator of all stars. The dragon taunted us and ordered us to worship him. And in response to that, Sienna all of a sudden out what was presumably fear and not genuine reverence, decided to partially convert the White Fang into the "Order of the Star Forger"' Hazel made quotations marks with his fingers. 'and ordered that word of this be spread to all the other branches of the White Fang. The dragon didn't seem enthusiastic about the idea, but his arrogance suggests that it was secretly enjoying Sienna be so reverent. So now the White Fang has made itself a subsidiary, which is basically gonna be a religious cult. So unfortunately ma'am, not only have I failed at getting the head of the White Fang to abide to you, but now an even more powerful force is at play.'

Salem reviewed Hazel's feedback. Was this the truth? The idea of this dragon sounded farfetched, but with everything that had already happened so far, it seemed like almost anything could be possible, and Hazel had no reason to lie (or at least she didn't think so). The White Fang becoming submissive to an imposing force would also probably keep them under wraps if they were trying to placate a dragon from space. But apparently this was a creator of stars, and no doubt a more believable contender for taking Remnant and Zoe's planet and sticking them together. He might even be the one capable of ending it all… But there was one thing which didn't add up. 'This news is interesting as you premised, but even if this dragon is who it says it is, it's lying about one thing. It did not create Remnant. The tale does not lie: it was a joint effort by the Gods of Dark and Light.'

'Perhaps he was just boasting to intimidate us as much as possible.' Hazel hypothesised. 'I can definitely imagine it creating stars though. It made a giant fireball in its hand at one point and pretended to throw it at us to just to scare us.'

'And even if that part of his portfolio isn't the truth, the sun, which presumably he must have created, would have allowed the Gods to make Remnant in the first place and give it something to orbit around.' Watts added.

Salem thought back to her memories of the Gods who had eternally bound her to Remnant. In their dragon forms, they had still been roughly as large as some of the more moderate Grimm species. A dragon though whose head dominated the entirety of the sky, according to Hazel? 'What happened after that? Did the dragon stay or leave?'

'It flew up into space, but said that it would come back if it felt inclined.'

'I see. Did it say why it combined Remnant with this other planet?'

'Sienna actually asked it that very question, and its response was that they are his creations and he's entitled to do whatever he wants with them, but he gave no actual reason.'

'Very well. Thank you for your report, Hazel. It is unfortunate that Sienna Khan is not in subservience with me yet, but given the circumstances I can understand why it was not possible, and you did the best you could to reason with her.'

'Thank you, ma'am.' Hazel bowed his head.

'How do you suggest that we respond to this situation then?' Cinder asked.

'If the dragon isn't residing in Remnant or the other planet and is just watching us, then I say we don't concern ourselves with him yet. It would be good to have him on our side though. If the White Fang have been able get through to him, then with the correct wording, we should be capable as well.'

'Maybe you could get on your hands and knees and shout at him. This is how Sienna got his attention in the first place.' Hazel suggested.

'Perhaps I could, but not at this very moment. Watts, you said that you have something new to bring to our attention?'

'Yes. Thank you ma'am. As we all know, due to Aytrox, the CCTS is inoperable, but shortrange communication through radio or paper is still possible. I say this because news, or should I say calls for help, have been coming from Western Sanus and Vacuo and relayed into Vale and most recently into Anima and Mistal. From my understanding, this information has either yet to reach Atlus, or it's being ignored, but I digress. Apparently, Vacuo has been invaded by an overseas threat, which came from the west: some sort of army, which is too big and too powerful for Vacuo's huntsmen and limited police force to handle. The army has aggressively taken over the capital. Citizens have been forced to flee, or submit themselves to the invaders. Apparently they are trying to colonise the Kingdom. Now I think we can assume that we are amongst the few who are privy to what is actually going on. Everyone knows that days and nights are longer, that there is a new moon in the sky, and those in the far east and west of Remnant strongly felt the effects of the earthquake, but they aren't aware of this planet being merged with ours, because there isn't enough evidence to suggest this. Everyone saw Aytrox at Beacon, but few people know where he came from. So obviously, these invaders are people from this new planet. I've also found some photographs of the damage that's been dealt. I suspect that they came from Vacuans taking pictures to send them out for help.' Watts opened his scroll and showed it to everyone else by flicking through four standout images. One featured a house that was caught on fire and being mauled by soldiers who were wearing heavy, steel armour with red cloaks and brandishing swords and axes. The second showed a band of soldiers charging in unison through the city. The third showed a strange, furry creature carrying a long axe, riding atop an even stranger lizard with chicken legs. The fourth was blurrier than the previous three, but you could still make out a man in a black coat, standing in front of everyone else and pointing forward. 'Definitely we have never seen anyone like them in Remnant before.'

'Indeed we have not.' agreed Salem.

'Now that I've brought this to your attention, I ask the same question as Cinder did regarding Hazel's news: how do you propose that we respond to this situation? Do we sit back and watch it unfold, or do we get involved somehow? Unlike this dragon who seems to merely be watching from afar, these invaders are active in Remnant, and I think it would be wise to pay close attention to what they're doing, for it might affect us directly.'

'Hmm, this is very interesting to know about. Thank you, Watts.' said Salem.

'A pleasure ma'am. I am just doing what is best for us and keeping us up to date with world events.'

'I have to make a few broad assumptions here, based on what you've informed us about, but I see this as an opportunity.' Salem smiled.

'How so?'

'If they've been able to effectively overrun a large portion of the Kingdom, this must speak highly of the army's size and proficiency. Granted, Vacuo's line of defence and security aren't remarkable to begin with, but this is nonetheless significant. The existing government and military control have been severely weakened from this, which is part of the barricade that's safeguarding the Relic of Destruction. Whilst we still don't have the Summer Maiden – in fact we only have half of a Maiden at present – getting control over Vacuo would be a huge advantage for us. Moreover, if they're expansionists who are hungry for land, then with a bit of convincing and our prior knowledge of Remnant's geography, we might be able to… grant them what they want, to our benefit – spreading their influence into the other Kingdoms. In the process, we become victors, weaken the existing authority within the Kingdoms and share rapidly growing control over Remnant. And this would be good for us because we would have easier access to every vault within the Huntsman Academies, and less resistance in searching for the Maidens.'

'What are we going to do then?' asked Cinder.

'As the saying goes, there's no time like the present. Get to the ship. We're leaving now.' Salem stood up and immediately walked to entrance of the conference hall.

Cinder, Hazel and Watts did the same, albeit slower and with some hesitation.

'I respect that you've made a firm decision ma'am, and it's not my place to question you, but surely we need to think this over and how we're going to confront them.' Watts voiced.

'We can do so along the way. That man with the black coat is most certainly someone who possesses a respectable amount of authority in that army. A bit of smooth-talking to him should get us at least something.'

'What about Emerald and Mercury? And Tyrian as well?' Cinder brought up. 'Don't we need them to come with us too? From the looks of it, we're going to need as many people as we can.'

'I don't think we can count on Tyrian coming back anytime soon.' Salem sighed. 'As for Emerald and Mercury, aren't they in good hands with that associate of yours?'

'…yes ma'am. You make good points, as usual.' Cinder also had another burning question. What had happened to Neo? From what she could gauge, no one had heard from her since Beacon's fall. It wasn't as if Cinder was particularly attached to Neo – certainly she wasn't close with her like Torchwick, but she had still been a useful ally up until that point.

They walked through the corridor leading to the outside of Evernight Castle. Along the way, Salem gestured for her Seer Grimm to follow. They then walked through the wooden gate, down the long but shallow staircase that lead to the walkway over the cliff, where the winged, Mistralian airship was docked. Salem, Cinder, Hazel and Watts boarded it. Once they were standing perfectly in the centre, it immediately took off.

'So what is the plan of action then, ma'am?' Watts asked.

'What we actually do when we arrive will be determined by the state of the situation. As for preparation though, we'll land a fair distance away from the activity, so as to not prompt them to feel threatened and attack if they see the ship. Ideally, I want to talk to that black-coated man on even footing. So I have to catch his attention, without looking like a direct threat or an easy target – either of which would likely provoke their army. Rather, our presence has to intrigue him.'

'Can we be sure though that man in the photo is the one in command of that entire operation?' Watts prompted further. 'What if it's someone else? Or what if there's more than one person who the invaders are answerable to?'

'That will probably be more evident upon arrival, but I am fairly confident at the moment that my hunch is correct.'

Cinder sat down with her back against the rear of the ship's passenger cabin; Hazel looked out the left side with his right hand holding a railing above his head; Watts stood on Cinder's left, with his arms folded, and Salem stood opposite Cinder and Watts. She stroked the top of the Seer Grimm. 'Vacuo, here we come.'


The front of the Noxian army ascended a hill of sand. It was one of many that they had climbed so far. Was this going to be the lucky break they desperately sought? Swain made the final step and peered around him. His eyebrows rose. 'There! I recognise that tower.' he pointed into the not so far distance.

'You saw that with you eye?' asked Darius.

'Yes, albeit in worse condition. But this is no doubt Vacuo.'

'What should we do then?'

Swain skidded down the sandhill, with Darius following and turned around and shouted to his army. 'Vacuo is dead ahead! Begin the onslaught!'

Sion entered a brutal charge. 'Noxuuuus!'

Kled too rode atop Skaarl as she curled into a ball. 'Let's get'em!'

The rest of the army began their charge. To everyone's surprise, some kind of wind trailed behind Kled. The army moved into it and felt themselves being sped up. They were all running at breakneck speed towards the city, almost in the exact same fashion as the pink mist had affected their ships earlier. This was going to be fun.

Sion's thunderous footsteps could be heard and felt from half a mile away, but it wasn't even remotely enough time for an already damaged city to prepare themselves. Sion smashed through Vacuo's west city wall without even flinching. It definitely removed the need for a battering ram. He kept going straight, tearing down the residential buildings, leaving rubble, fire and dust in his wake. The citizens all began pointing and screaming.

Kled entered the city through the gaping hole that Sion had made. Skaarl uncurled, allowed Kled to stand. 'Listen up you damn city folk!' he screamed. The nearby citizens stood frozen, too afraid to move. 'This here land is mine! All sixty-gazillion acres of it! You all give it up now and surrender to Noxus, or I'll kill you all!'

'W-who do you think you are!?' a builder working on the nearest building said both timidly and boldly.

Kled's eyes widened with rage to the point of almost bursting. Who was this nobody speaking back to him?! 'Oh, it's on! You'll regret saying that!' Skaarl charged at him, and Kled threw a rope with a beartrap attached to it. The trap clamped around the man's shirt and Kled yanked it, pulling the man to the ground. Kled then yelled maniacally as he thrust his axe down into the man multiple times. The man screamed; blood spewed over Kled and Skaarl. 'Say that again, and you're done!' He pulled the axe back up and pointed it at everyone else. 'I'm just beginning to fight! Who's next?!'

The rest of the army caught up, reaching the wall and they paraded inside in the dozens. All the citizens scrammed. They had seen enough.

'Secure every street and get everyone under your thumbs! And Darius, I want you to interrogate the citizens and find out who is in charge of this city.' Swain ordered.'

'Understood.' Darius nodded.

The first three warbands divided themselves as they went inside the city, going left, right and straight on. Swain held his hand out before the next group advanced. 'Go around the city walls and cover them too. Stop anyone from getting out.' The two warbands charged on both sides of the city, covering the perimeter walls. In total, two thirds of the army stormed the city itself, leaving the remaining third to keep everyone enclosed.

Sion didn't even notice the stones being thrown at his back by the civilians' puny attempts at detaining him. He had come to a stop in the far east of the city and was smashing his axe continuously into the ground, knocking people off their feet with the shockwave alone, and chopping buildings over with only a few swings. A few men and women with unique weapons came to confront him, but their efforts were worse than in vain. Although he was not the absolute biggest threat they had dealt with in their training, Sion was by far the most resilient and destructive. He laughed in their faces. Even a brute like Sion was aware of his orders to not spill blood, but the thrill of carnage was so tempting. He had already trampled over people, knocked others down with his axe, and had even picked up a man on the ground by his feet, thrown him up and hit him with the back of his axe, sending him soaring across the city like a golf ball. They had Aura, but Aura could only do so much against a behemoth like Sion. 'Submit, all of you, or I'll crush you all!'

Samira was in the north of the city. She took out her guns and pointed them at the people in a particularly long street, with archers and their bows drawn behind her. The citizens cried out and proceeded to run away from them, only to find themselves cornered by Noxians who had gone through the street parallel on the right to apprehend them. 'Listen up, you sorry lot! On your knees! All of you are answerable to me now, and if I see anyone move a muscle, I will not hesitate to open fire. I have very itchy trigger fingers. The rest of you Noxians subdue the nearby streets and alleyways.'

Meanwhile Darius had managed to take hold of the south of the city. He gave orders to his warband to round up as many people as possible, while he himself swung the handle of his axe and pacified anyone foolish enough to even attempt to stop him, knocking them off their feet. He was paying special attention to roughly how many Vacuans were being gathered, but remembered that he needed to find out who oversaw the city. This next street looked promising. It was full of families and children. 'On your knees, all of you!' he ordered threateningly. He approached a middle-aged lady, who was cuddling her infant protectively. Darius held his axe above her head. Now was another moment of truth. He eased his tone a little bit 'Can you understand me?' he asked slowly. The woman whimpered but was able to respond. 'Y-yes, I can.'
Truly unbelievable. They spoke the same language. It was a concern that the Noxians had had subliminally throughout the whole trip. Would they have to teach them a new language? How blessed they were that this was not needed. Although Swain had managed to read the word Vacuo, all the way back in Noxus, the likelihood had still been there. Okay, now it was time to worm some further information out of her. Having a vulnerable child at risk wouldn't need a lot of convincing. 'I want you to answer my questions. Do that, and I'll let you and your daughter live, and spare the lives of your neighbours too.'

'I-I will…'

'Good. Who is the leader, or who are the leaders, of this city? And where can we find them?'

'We have a council, with multiple members who make decisions, but the extent of their power is minimal in comparison to the headmaster of Shade Academy: Professor Theodore, who has a lot more influence as a whole. You could effectively consider him to be the leader of not just the city, but also the Kingdom of Vacuo as a whole.'

Darius made a mental note of this information. 'Okay, and now answer my second question; where can I find this Professor Theodore?'

'Do you see that tall tower?' she pointed. 'It's our communications tower, and beneath it is Shade Academy. The Professor will be somewhere in there.'

Darius nodded. 'Well done on your cooperation.'

'Wait. What do you want with him? Why are you all here in the first place?' the mother asked.

Darius raised his eyebrows. 'Interrogation. Today is a glorious day for not only us, but also you. This city is called Vacuo, correct?'

'Yeah.'

'Okay then. We will hold your street hostage for now, but we will reward you once the city is fully secured. Let us move on. You can all stand up again, but do not attempt to leave, or there will dire consequences.' Darius looked sternly at them, and the street expressed their compliance. Four fifths of his legion went through the street into the next one.

Darius headed over to the tower. Swain was outside. Over one hundred citizens were already gathered, on their knees and with their hands behind their back, and more were still being rounded up. At last he had seen the exact spot that he'd seen with his demonic eye, in person. 'General. I've found out what you need to know. According to a woman I threatened, this city has a council, but its power is rather limited. In practice, the headmaster of this school, Professor Theodore, is the one who has the most influence. The woman also implied that this city is part of a greater kingdom, which she also called Vacuo. He is inside that academy. Shall I go and find him?'

'I see. Very good work and feedback from you, Darius. And yes, bring him to me. Take Captain Farron with you, and some archers too.'


Professor Theodore looked from his office window at the horror unfolding in the city. First the earthquake, then the Grimm attack, and now this? Who were these people and what the heck was that giant zombie with an axe? He should have been down there, giving it his all, but he doubted it would make much of a difference. The school was already surrounded. In fact, the entirety of the city had not been equipped to deal with any threat of this scale. Arguably no Kingdom was, except for Atlas.

This was a coward's option, but there was no other option, and it was better than nothing. He put his scroll into his desk and pressed his finger on the voice messenger feature. 'Hello! This is Professor Theodore of Shade Academy in Vacuo! It's an emergency! The city has been invaded by some sort of army, and it's too big for us to handle!' He heard constant shouts and commotion from downstairs. 'I'm sending this message to all nearby local comm-stations! Please try and relay this message out to as many people as possible! People are dying, and I think it won't be long befor-'

Theodore jumped. The doors to his office were kicked clean off their hinges. He quickly sent the message, incomplete but in the hopes that at least someone would pick it up. Oobleck had been here not long ago. Maybe he and his friends would come back, unless they were already far away in search of Aatrox.

A hulking man with a mace, fully covered in silvery, grey armour stepped through the doorway, along with a slightly less bulky man, with chest armour and spiked pauldrons, carrying a large axe. Behind those two were three archers with arrows drawn, pointed straight at his head. If it had only been one, Theodore would have been willing to take his chances and fight his way out, but he was outnumbered, and these men were not playing around. The man with the axe stepped forward. The way he was holding it with only his right hand suggested that he was looking to take him away, rather than kill. He pinned Theodore against the wall on the right side of the window, his left hand against his chest and the blunt side of the axe against his neck. 'Are you Professor Theodore?' he growled and pressed him hand tighter against the man's chest.

'Yes?' Theodore confirmed, attempting to maintain his bravado. 'Why are you here and what do you want with me, and the whole city for that matter?'

'I want you to come outside and speak with my General. He has some important questions to ask you. Your city has now been fully taken over, so you have no choice but to surrender. Rest assured that we will not kill you. We just need your cooperation.'

'Okay. I can do that.' Theodore breathed. Beads of sweat were dripping down his face.

'Good. Out you go then.' The man let him off the wall and prodded him to the doorway with his axe. The man with the mace stood in front, whilst the axe wielding man followed them from behind. As he was being escorted out, Theodore tried to decipher what on earth was going on. They had come from the west. Was this army from Runeterra just like Atreus and Aatrox were then? They must have been. There was nothing like this elsewhere in Remnant.


Within the span of two hours, there was not a single street and corner of the city which didn't have at least two dozen Noxian soldiers occupying it. Theodore had no choice but to wait as the majority of citizens were herded into the school grounds, clustered together. It was very important that as many people as possible heard what Swain had to say. The rest were stuck in the streets. Hiding and escape hadn't been possible with most buildings already undergoing repairs and an insurmountable number of Noxians not just in the city, but also outside. There were more fatalities than necessary. One hundred and seven to be precise, with Sion and Kled being responsible for most of them. It was a figure which the Noxians didn't know exactly, but at least it would make this new territory easier to control. The mourning of the families and friends affected by this though would be hard to deal with, and Kled and Sion needed some admonishment.

Swain examined the Vacuans. His impression of them, based on appearance, clothes and the region that they lived in, was that they weren't complete pushovers. Obviously though they had not been able to do anything against an army as powerful as theirs. Swain also noticed that a few of them had animalistic features, such as furry ears, or tails. Very fascinating. There was Vastaya here too. Overall, there was definitely a lot of potential in them. Their climate obviously meant that they had some resilience. He would address them soon, but first: 'So you are Professor Theodore? The head of this school and practically leader of the city too?'

Theodore was now also on his knees, but he had been allowed to keep his arms by his sides. 'Yes, I am.'

'I see. Now then, I want you to explain to me how governance of this city of Vacuo works.'

'There's a council of the city with elected members. They do make executive decisions, but in effect, the council is considered nominal only. My influence is far greater than theirs due to their general apathy, and the fact that I have the most contact with the other Kingdoms of Remnant.'

'So that woman whom Darius interrogated wasn't lying.' Swain thought. 'Okay then. And what is "Remnant" exactly?'

'It's the name of our planet.' This also reassured Theodore that they were undoubtedly from Runeterra, if they didn't know what Remnant was.

'Well, we finally learnt that one.' Darius smirked.

'Yes.' Swain agreed. 'Theodore, you mentioned the idea of Kingdoms, which you have diplomatic relations with? Is Vacuo also part of a greater kingdom?' Darius had already told him the latter. So Theodore should be confirming it next.

'That's correct. This city is called Vacuo, and it is the capital, sharing the name of the Kingdom itself.'

More verification. 'Are there many other cities, town or other settlements in Vacuo?'

'Very few. Vacuo is comprised mostly of desert, making it difficult for permanent settlements to last long, let alone thrive.'

'And what other Kingdoms are there? How many are there in Remnant altogether?'

'There are four in total. East of Vacuo, on the same continent is the Kingdom of Vale. Go even further east and overseas, and you'll find the Kingdom of Mistral. And at the northernmost point of Remnant is the Kingdom of Atlas.'

'Very good. Your honesty is greatly appreciated.' Swain smiled, but aware that these may be half-truths.

'If I may, General, can I ask you some questions?' Theodore asked as politely as possible, but he couldn't fully contain the nervousness in his voice. Blast it. He didn't want to appear weak in front of these people.

'Hmm, go ahead then.' Swain permitted.

'What is your name, why have you invaded our city, and what are you planning to do with the information I've just provided?'

Swain paused before answering. 'My name is General Swain: Jericho Swain to be exact. In response to your question about our motivation as to why we invaded your city, you are about to find out in a moment. As for the third one, you will probably be able to deduce it after I have addressed your people. Once again, thank you for your cooperation. Now, I want you to sit there and not to speak over me as I give my speech. You will be monitored closely by one of my soldiers. Understand?'

'I do.' Theodore nodded.

Swain ascended one of Shade Academy's outside staircases to elevate himself to a vantage point, so that he could get as many eyes on him as possible. It looked like enough people were here now. He planned his words meticulously. Getting the exact message across was crucial. Swain cleared his throat. 'Attention everyone! You may now lower your arms, but do not attempt anything, or we will not hesitate to use force to deter you.'

The crowd all dropped their arms and hands at the same time, extremely grateful that they could rest.

'Now then, I will try and keep this brief. You are probably all wondering who we are, and are even terrified or outraged at our presence. To quench this burning question, we are from another planet. I am not sure if you know this by now, but your planet has been converged with mine. It is called Runeterra, and we are a nation called Noxus. My name is General Swain, and I am the leader of both Noxus and its army. Our eternal goal is to expand our territory, both physically and politically, by conquering other nations and their own land. The extent of the Noxian Empire so far is astonishing, and a source of major pride. Today however is our biggest achievement to date. Up until now, this city has been known as the city of Vacuo, the capital of the Kingdom of Vacuo. Today however, this all changes. Professor Theodore is no longer the de facto leader of Vacuo of either the city or the Kingdom, because this city is also no longer the capital of Vacuo, but instead, a colony of Noxus, which I am the new leader of. In fact, the Kingdom of Vacuo will soon be no more, and shall become entirely Noxian territory. On the face of it, this may seem awful, but I want to give you solace. You are becoming Noxian citizens, and we offer you the opportunity to agree willingly. You will all become equals, and not slaves or second-class citizens, with exactly the same rights as those who have liberated you today. However, those rights will need to be earned as you become accustomed to being Noxians. Although you will need to be hardworking, we will not be oppressive. Noxus offers freedom and values everyone's loyalty and their talents and contributions to our empire, be it someone who is at the forefront of battle, a streetsweeper keeping the city neat and tidy for everyone, or an entertainer who provides enjoyment to us during moments of reprieve. We will strengthen your city further by revising your lacklustre council, and your defence forces will receive a major overhaul. And in compensation for the lives lost today and the even further damage we have caused to the city, we will help you directly by repairing your homes and stores. Furthermore, we will expand this city to make room for everyone as the population grows. But most importantly, you will be taught in the ways of Noxian life, learn about the three principles of strength, and inherit the patriotism that motivates us to keep expanding Noxus' territory and reign, basking in the glory that is shared by all, and not just the soldiers who directly enabled it.
'Let me give you this fair warning though. All of the benefits you will gain from becoming Noxians that I have listed are entirely dependent on your own loyalty to the empire. Should you choose to disobey us, Noxus and I will not hesitate to inflict severe punishments. Furthermore, you are forbidden at this moment in time to even attempt to contact the other Kingdoms of Remnant. They will soon be informed about the new state that Vacuo is in and learn to accept it.
'For now though, take a break to eat, drink and recuperate, and then we will get started on restoring our city to normal. That is all.' There was no round of applause. Understandably so. It was going to take a while for the Vacuans to come to terms with this new reality. They all got up and made their way to their homes, while being escorted. The soldiers who were present at Swain's speech all passed the message on to everyone else who hadn't been there. Swain had considered saying that they would try and preserve Vacuo's existing culture, but he knew nothing about it and whether or not it conflicted with Noxus'. He still felt optimism from their general appearance though. Things were looking good.

Professor Theodore also stood up. 'What do I do now then?' he asked Swain when he descended the staircase.

'Like I said, Vacuo's council will be reformed, with elected members from my current Noxian legions, and members from your existing one too. And because you have had the most power in Vacuo up until this point, I will keep you as an influential figure in this colony. You will be the one to educate us more about Remnant as a whole.'

Theodore rubbed his bottom teeth against his upper lip, resisting his impulse to reject and argue. He had no idea how strong this old looking man was, but if they had been in the middle of the desert with no one else around to intervene, Theodore would have definitely attempted to go toe to toe with him. He felt the same way about the axe-wielding man. 'And what about my school?' he demanded. 'Are you degrading my position from that too?'

'What does the school actually teach?' Swain asked.

'It's a combat school. We teach students how to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, which means how to fight at an extraordinary level, as well as develop them as individuals.'

'Interesting.' Swain murmured. 'A school like this could be exceptionally useful for Noxus.'

'Yes, I guess it could.' Theodore remarked bitterly.

'And what is this really tall tower at the centre of the school?'

'It's our communications tower. It allows us to use long distant communication with the other Kingdoms in Remnant. But in case that worries you about information in Vacuo getting leaked, it's offline at the moment. One of the towers in another Kingdom is broken, and the system doesn't work unless all towers are operable.'

Swain squinted his eyes. 'Useful to know. This technology is very advanced. Well, I'll end this conversation now. We'll discuss governmental issues later. For now, I'm going to check up on a few members of the army.'

'Hey, before you go, can I get someone to fix my office doors? Your guys broke them when they went to capture me.' Theodore eyed Captain Farron.

'I will talk to one of my Noxians about that. But for now though, you will be under scrutiny by my men. I know exactly the animosity that you are feeling at this moment. Captain Farron, I want you to get to get native Noxians to know Professor Theodore better. I recommend that you try and find Erath and his drake-hound, because he is a friendly, young man and the new Noxians need to acclimatise to drake-hounds as we conduct our breeding programme. They will become useful as both security of the city and for our future ambitions.'

'Understood, General Swain.' Farrow saluted.

'With any luck we'll later be able to bring basilisks over too.' Swain left the school ground, and turned left, heading to the east of the city. He was a relatively slow walker.

Theodore glared as his back. This was just outrageous. How dare these imperialists arrogate their city! Theodore doubted that the benefits Swain had said in his speech were as great as he had made them sound. And even if they were, it was the principle of these Noxians having the audacity to inflict serious damage and spill Vacuan blood just for their own selfish gains that disgusted him. Oh, and the nerve of them to overthrow their government and weaken his authority. Perhaps he would get used to Noxus over time, assuming that this was how it was going to be from now on, but he certainly did not think of himself as a Noxian, and he was sure that the overwhelming majority of Vacuans felt the same way. Theodore could also tell that Swain and Noxus had their eyes on the other Kingdoms. That was why Swain had asked him about what else was in Remnant, and why he forbid them from contacting other Kingdoms: he didn't want them to know about Noxus' successful invasion of Vacuo, otherwise they would be able to prepare for another potential one. Vale was closest to them, but not easy to traverse to because of the mountainous landscapes and Grimm. Getting to Mistral would take even longer. And Atlas… Well, Noxus had been able to overwhelm vacuo by outnumbering them, harnessing superior weaponry and attacking when they weren't expecting it in an already damaged city. But Atlas had far more advanced technology than these Noxians did. Theodore smiled at the idea of Swain attempting to invade Atlas. Theodore knew nothing about Noxus' success rate in their total number of invasions, but he reckoned that Atlas would prospectively be their worst attempt ever.


Swain examined the Noxians working together with the Vacuans. The army had brought construction tools and materials with the idea of possibly needing to build new settlements, houses or bases to accommodate for their debut into Remnant with the sheer number of people who had come along, and to establish as much territorial control as possible. He caught up with Darius, who was making a headcount of everyone in the main street as they ate. 'Good afternoon, Darius.' Swain greeted (at least, he assumed it was the afternoon at this point).

'And hello, General.'

'Please Darius, call me Swain.'

'Alright, good afternoon, Swain.'

'Let's take a walk together. I'd like to have a look at what's on the other side of the city in the east.'

'Sure. Let's do it.' They strolled at a leisurely pace, inspecting all the damaged houses and everyone beginning to work hard to mend everything. At last, they found Sion who was standing by the edge of the city, fiddling with his axe. Kled too was also there, bouncing on Skaarl's belly, just like they had done after getting through the jungle before everyone else. Yeah, they were definitely very bored, almost out of character from their usual, tumultuous behaviour. They needed admonishment, but it might be worth starting with the good news first to lighten the mood.

'Good news you too.' Swain said.

'What? Are the badgers gone?' Kled asked. He stopped bouncing on Skaarl and kicked her to get her to stand up so he could mount her again.

'No. We've done it. Vacuo is now officially a colony of Noxus.'

'Yahoooo!' Kled cried. 'All land is my land, and I won't rest until I can run a marathon on Skaarl that never ends! I'll show you, you stupid brain weasels!'

Both Swain and Darius rolled their eyes. On second thought, spoiling his mood might be a bad idea. Once (if) he managed to calm down, it would be a better time for scolding.

'My thirst for battle… has been sated.' Sion murmured. He still growled, but in a way that implied satisfaction at their success in asserting dominance over Vacuo.

Swain and Darius walked out of the city and took a steady stroll eastward, with the intent of seeing if there was anything significant that was even remotely close to their new colony.

'Gotta say that today has been a tremendous victory for us.' Darius smirked.

'Indeed. Nine years ago when we… failed to fully conquer Ionia, never did I imagine that we would take things a step further and get our hands on a literal alien city. I still want to have another attempt at Ionia, but I agree. It's stupendous to think that we have a colony on another planet.' Swain concurred. 'And if we continue to grow our numbers over here, we will have a new strategic advantage in being able to collapse on Ionia from both the east and west simultaneously.'

'If we draw a map of both Runeterra and Remnant together, it'll be great be able to highlight chunks of land so far away from home.'

'We will have to chart Remnant and learn the continents' exact land mass and shape before doing that, but it's a prospect that excites me too.'

'I do gotta say though, what we have conquered so far is pretty drab. I wonder if the other Kingdoms are similar to this one, or if Remnant has more variety to it than we've seen already.'

'I will hope so.' said Swain.

There was no point adventuring too far out, especially not with any of the army to back them up. 'Well we've found a tree.' Darius pointed in front of him. 'The first of a few since we got out of the jungle.'

They walked slowly past it and peered into the distance. Nothing. It even looked like a they were at the edge of a sandstorm. 'We should head back to the city.' Swain decided.

'Agreed.' Darius said.

But before they did so, the wind and sand began to calm down. They could now see clearly into the distance. A large ship of some kind with wings was unveiled. This was not it though. Four people were sauntering straight for them. Swain and Darius inspected them with scrutiny, made easier as they got closer. They became more and more apprehensive at their presence. Unlike the Vacuans, these four individuals were distinct and imposing.

The man that was bringing up the rear was not far off from being a giant in size. He towered over even Darius and Farron, although not Sion, who was still far bigger. His hair and beard were black, and he wore an olive-green jacket over a black shirt, held together by a belt around his waist.

To the right was a man who was smartly dressed in a suit. His overcoat was grey and of similar colour to his hair and moustache; his undercoat and gloves were both burgundy; and he had a yellow shirt with a black necktie.

On the left was a lady with an elaborate, red but sleeveless dress, short black hair, and two dark sleeves on both of her arms. Her smile was devious.

Leading the group though was the most notable person without any doubt. Her attire consisted of an entirely short sleeved, black dress and cloak, which obscured her feet. Standing out above all though was her pure, white skin, with red markings over her face and arms, her red and black eyes, and white hair tied in a bun with six offshoots.

Overall none of them looked like they were suited for the desert, but it was evident that they were not a group to be taken lightly. The smile on the white skinned lady and her eyes looking directly into Swain's suggested that she was seeking conversation with him.
Darius clenched the handle of his axe tightly.

The group of four came to a stop, leaving about two metres between the two parties.

'Well, well, well,' the white skinned woman spoke. 'How fate would have it that just the man I wanted to speak with is here, standing right in front of me.' Her smile widened.

'Is that so?' Swain returned. 'Who are you, and what do you want with me?' She specifically wanted to talk to him? This was no Runeterran for sure. Had Theodore managed to call for help and these were the four who had come to Vacuo's aid?

'Moreover, how fantastic it is that we speak the same language. My name is Salem. How about yours?'

'…General Swain' he reluctantly told her.

Salem nodded. 'I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Swain.' she held out her hand, but Swain didn't shake it.

'What are you here for?' Swain asked again, emphasising the question.

'Well, it came to my attention that you have managed to invade the city just behind you.'

'Did someone send for you?'

'No, not at all. I came here with my followers of my own accord. News spread of what you have done, and it has piqued my curiosity to the point where I could not resist coming to see the action for myself. Am I correct in assuming that you are the leader of your army?'

'Yes, you are.' Great… word had somehow been leaked. Invading other Kingdoms was going to be much harder now, without the element of surprise on their side anymore.

'Delightful. To further make acquaintances of all of us, I will let these three introduce themselves.' Salem turned around and gestured with her right hand to them.

'I'm Cinder Fall.' the lady greeted.

'My name is Arthur Watts.' the man in the suit introduced.

'Hazel Rainhart.' the very large man at the back finished.

'Good.' Salem clapped her hands together. 'And how about you?' she addressed Darius.

'Darius.' he grunted.

'Okay, pleasantries are out the way.' Swain continued with impatience. 'You said that you came here to see me and my army, but what are your intentions beyond that?'

Salem chuckled. 'Well, you see, it's just that I find it bold, but also heinous that you have the audacity to think that you have the right to travel from your planet and take over ours. To be honest, I have half a mind to drive you out and send you back home.'

'Really now?' Swain said in disbelief. 'Well I think it is bold of you to reckon that you are capable of doing that all by yourself, when you're the one who already knows that I have an entire army back there.'

'Exactly.' Darius accorded. 'Four against over two thousand? You're very outmatched, I'm afraid.'

'Well, you are mistaken for thinking that I have only four units in total. But even then, numbers don't matter here. If you had any idea of the extend of my power and knowledge, you wouldn't dare cross me, even with two thousand troops standing by your sides.'

'And who's to say that you are also underestimating me?' Swain retaliated. 'My power far exceeds what you are probably assuming.'

'Perhaps we are both not giving each other enough respect. I admit the possibility. Your left hand is certainly unique, but do not play me like a fool. For instance, first of all, don't pretend as if I don't see your little assassin waiting up there in the tree, ready to make a pathetic attempt to kill me.'

Everyone looked up into the tree branches and leaves. Katarina groaned and jumped down from branch that she had been perched on. She sheathed the two daggers that she was holding.

'What the heck…?' Swain exclaimed. 'How long were you up there for?'

'Just before you began talking to her.' Katarina replied. 'She's good for spotting me. I'll admit that...'

'Your hair stands out, darling. And since you've been eavesdropping on this meeting, I think it is only right that you should introduce yourself too.'

Katarina flicked her hair out of her eyes. 'Katarina Du Couteau.'

'A pleasure to meet you also, but I digress.' Salem continued. 'Let's get down to business. I said that I found your decisions and actions heinous, but in actuality I see it more as being bold, if not admirable. I used the term heinous and the attitude that you ought to be sent packing as if it was coming from the perspective of a regular person, from Vacuo or otherwise. However, I am not part of that circle of society, and therefore I have a proposition for you.'

Swain and Darius looked at each other. Without even saying anything, they came to a mutual agreement and nodded. 'Okay, do go on.' Swain permitted.

'Thank you. Based on what I've observed so far, am I also correct in my assumption that you are expansionists?'

'That is also correct, yes.' Swain confirmed.

'Perfect. I think you will be able to help me with a task that I have been trying to accomplish for a very long time then.'

'And what might that be?'

'You see, on this planet which is called Remnant, I have been searching for four special Relics. Presumably you saw Shade Academy as you conquered the city?'

'Yes, I did.'

'Good. So, there are three equivalent academies across Remnant, thus a total of four. Each academy contains within it a specific Relic, sealed away inside a vault. I am looking to obtain all four of these Relics, but the vaults unfortunately can only be opened by one specific person, who is assigned to each vault. They are known as Maidens. At present, I am in possession of no Relics and have only half a Maiden. Each Huntsman Academy is under the jurisdiction of the authorities of the Kingdoms that they fall under. Now, like I said, I have power beyond your wildest dreams, but it is destructive by nature and not constructive. This is where you and your army come in. You have already successfully taken over Vacuo, and Shade Academy is now under your thumb. An army of your size and dominance should therefore have no trouble in overrunning the other Kingdoms and their Huntsman Academies. This will then give me easy access to the academies and vaults. Even though I don't have any of the Maidens yet, working with me to overthrow the councils and defence forces of the other Kingdoms will gain us control over as much ground as possible, thereby giving us more liberty to search for them without resistance. We track down the Maidens and I can finally get my hands on the Relics. Do you understand me so far?'

Swain contemplated what Salem had said. So far though, she had omitted or straight up forgot something crucial. 'And what's in it for me? What reward do I get out of this?' he demanded. 'Would these Relics benefit me in any way?'

Salem's smile widened further. 'Your reward comes with the effort in helping me in the first place. We will work together to conquer the other Kingdoms, and in the process, they surrender their power, and the land that we take over gets added to your empire. It will be under your control and in your name. Naturally, I want some recognition too, since I will also be providing my own manpower to help, but in practice the other Kingdoms will become your territory: Does it have a name?'

'Yes. We're the nation of Noxus and the demonym is the Noxian Empire.'

'Then in due time, the Kingdoms of Vale, Mistral and Atlas will become colonies of your Empire. And if you were interested in covering every scrap of land possible, we could also take the isolated continent of Menagerie for ourselves too. So in conclusion, we both get what we want, and our goals will be heavily expedited by working together. How does this now? Better I presume?'

'Hmmm…' Swain stroked his chin. 'I get what you're saying, and I do see potential in this proposition, but I want some time to discuss it before I can say for sure that I will agree to it.

'Please do, but I have one last thing to add though, which is that you are in no position to negotiate it. If do accept, then I can reassure you that we will all be happy with the outcome. But, if you choose to decline, you will either willingly and peacefully retreat back to your planet, or I will make you leave, and blood will be spilt. Do you understand me?'

'I do.' nodded Swain. 'Come over here.' he indicated to Darius and Katarina. They made ten steps away to ensure that they were out of earshot.

'What do you think then?' Darius asked. 'Should we take it?'

'To be honest, I think we've been pigeonholed into having to accept it.' Swain said. 'It is Noxus' enduring goal to conquer as much land as possible, but we can now only continue to do it under her terms, otherwise we'll be forced to retreat.'

'How do we know though that she's not bluffing?' Katarina interjected. 'She hasn't proved that she's as powerful as she's making herself out to be. Salem might just be a semi powerful sorcerer at most, talking crap to try and intimidate us.'

'I'm not assuming for certain that she actually is such a force to be reckoned with to the point where she could cripple our entire army with easy, but I believe that there has to be some weight behind her words, otherwise she would not have the confidence to approach us and threaten me this way. It's not just bravado, even if there might be some exaggeration.'

'But do you trust her though?' Katarina went on. 'How can you be sure that she won't backstab us if we get the point where we've outlasted her usefulness or something? I mean, we don't even know why she wants these Relics or what they're used for.'

'Also, I doubt that she would actively want us being in complete control of her planet.' Darius added.

'I agree with your uncertainties, and I am hesitant to jump into this. What we might have to do is grant her similar, if not equal power in the way the Remnant colonies are governed. Although I doubt she'll bend as easily to Noxian ideologies as most do, we can hopefully find some middle ground. My theory with this ordeal is that it is a risk, but like I always say, a calculated risk is no risk at all.'

'Are you absolutely sure about this?' Darius asked.

'Not one hundred percent, but if we back down now or at any point in the future, we will have wasted so much time and resources, including the loss of Vacuo.'

'Well, you're the General, so if you insist,'

Swain, Darius and Katarina returned to Salem and her cronies.

'Well then, what is your verdict, Swain?' Salem asked calmly but also eagerly. 'Are you staying or leaving Remnant?'

'We're staying.' Swain agreed.

Salem's smile widened as far as the corners of her mouth could stretch. 'So then, do we have a deal?' She reached out her right hand.

Swain stared intently at Salem's hand, before looking directly into her black and red eyes, and firmly shook her hand for the first time.


Credit to 'keno02013' for the idea of Salem forming an alliance with Swain.