(Jack, Noxian Soldier - PoV)

"Well that turned to shit quick," is about all I can think as I drag the Representative's body towards sa- towards the wall. Can't exactly call a wall safe when I just watched the blur that used the be Garen vaporize the entire bottom floor of the building Vayne was standing on with what I think was one swing. That's certainly one way to get her down.

The medic gets to work but I doubt it will help. Fuck. Our best hope was to avoid fighting altogether, now our only chance is if Garen can keep her focus off us. Hunker down and try not to draw her attention. Running would only make us an easier target. I peek around a corner to try to keep track of the fight, but it's a blur to me. Thirty years in the military and I can barely see them.

"Kick her ass Brother!" My head jerks around to see Lux standing in the open, cheering without concern.

I stare incredulously at the girl for a wasted moment before remembering a vital fact. Insanity means insanity. Means not good. Means bad judgment. I don't think I quite comprehended what I was dealing with before.

I grab the girl and drag her back, thankful she doesn't resist.

"Jack, I was watching that," she complains.

"Gi-" I try to explain to her how stupid that was but

*cough cough cough cough*

have a coughing fit instead.

Oh. That's blood I am coughing up. That's not good.

Looking down I see a bolt in my chest. Must have hit a lung. Yea, that explains it. Fuck, she shot me through the godsdamn wall.

I look back at the girl, who is staring at me in horror. Right, need to get to the medic. I take a step his way but collapse. Damn.

Damn.

(Lux - PoV)

No. Nononononono. He is a good guy! He is super nice to me! He can't just, can't just die like that! By the gods there's, there's so much blood...

I...I...ok, the, the doctor guy is over in the corner, with Mr. Representative. I just have to take him over there and he will be all better.

"Ok, ok, come here Jack, we will take you to your doctor man, and get you fixed up don't worry!"

He smiles at me so I know he can understand me, that's a good sign, right? Ok, he's heavy but I can do this, arm over the shoulder, up we go, it's not easy but we are slowly getting there.

"Hey! Hey, doctor man can I get some help!?"

I know he's busy, and...oh. Mr. Representative is... I don't th^nk...

I almost throw up just looking at his...his body.

But I have a job to do, I have to help Jack. I focus on the doctor guy, who is getting up and coming our way when the wall explodes, with a bolt as thick as my leg going directly through the doctor man's chest without stopping, heading off into the distance.

...

Jack and I got knocked down when the wall exploded, and now everything is...ruined. My head is pounding. I...I d*n't...

Sitting up, I try taking a look around. The air is full of dust. The ground has even more rubble strewn about, but now much of it is covered in bl*od.

There are just...chunks...where doctor man...where doctor man wa$. Most of the p&ople he was helping were cr#shed by the falling wall. Jack...Jack!

"Jack! Jack are you ok!?" Please be ok...

I hear coughing, and finally see him, covered in dust. I crawl towards him. "Jack!"

I roll him over and...oh no, that...

"H..Hey..G-" he manages to gasp out.

"Y-yes Jack?" He, hes talking, that means hes ok. That means hes ok right?

"G-Grow up, the-n,"

*Cough cough*

"Give em h*cough* hell girl."

"I he-hear you Jack, just, just hold on, we will...we will get you help ok?"

"Ok?"

"Jack?"

...

"Jack?"

...

N*.

They...they a^cepted us, ac(e*ted m3.

W3, we4e le^ving, t0 f1nally b3 h^p9y.

A#& T#!$ B!TC#!

K!LL$ T#3%!

N()!

I! K!11 #3%!

(June, Noxian Soldier - PoV)

"Fuuuuck, that hurt," are my first thoughts as I come to. Slowly lifting my head, I take look around. Damn, half the unit is dead. Including the medic of course. At least I assume that is Jason, it is...rather hard to tell. Fucking Champions.

I try to get up but the way the world spins quickly changes my mind. Head wounds, not a good time. Well, that takes me out of the fight, not that I could exactly contribute anything to begin with. Sounds like the two of them are still going at it, just have to sit tight and hope for the best. I mean, that worked so well last time.

A piercing scream echos out through the city, cutting straight into my head and reverberating in a way I swear should not be possible.

Oh, that cannot be good.

I manage to drag myself enough to look around and find the source. It's the girl. His sister, Lux.

If the screaming was a bad sign, the blood pouring from her eyes and ears, and near physical magic fucking streaming out of her...everything despite her being suppressed is a hell of a lot worse.

I barely catch the blur as Vayne comes around the corner, no!

I flinch as Vayne unloads on the girl but the Champion level firepower is brushed off like it is nothing, how the fuck? Lux raises a hand in in return, and lets loose a blast of light. When I can finally see again half the street where Vayne was standing is gone. Just no longer there. Holy shit. There's movement from the shadows of an alley, and a massive siege-bolt flys out, which Lux brushes aside like a leaf in the wind. Another blast of magic and there is no longer an alleyway. More rapid fire enchanted bolts are matched with glowing shields, followed by devastating beams that erase entire streets. The girl is throwing out full on war magic like other mages use cantrips. I am very glad I kept to the ground because she is leveling buildings faster than her Brother. I...have to double-check to make sure I didn't get more brain damage than I thought.

This started as a fight between Champions, how the hell is it escalating? And how is she still screaming? Oh, never mind, now she's laughing instead. I..don't know if that is an improvement.

Fuck, I am about as magical as a brick and I feel like I am gonna be sick from the power she is throwing around.

Vayne isn't a Champion for nothing, however...and her primary target is mages. She may have got clipped a couple of times but by Keld she's fast, I can't even see her move, only where she has been. And Garen can't even try to close with her anymore with Lux's blasting, she doesn't seem overly concerned for friendly fire.

Eventually, the light show stops and she collapses where she stands. I don't think she got the bitch though...fuck. I try to crawl my way to her. Vayne goes for the kill but Garen intercepts. I don't know how long he can keep her off.

Gods what is wrong with those people. Look at that girl, they could have had something amazing. She is everything I ever dreamed to be. Beautiful and gifted with amazing potential. And instead of nurturing her, they tried to crush it out of her and turned her into this. She is a crippled, untrained child who can throw down with the League's premier mage hunter, what kind of talent could they have groomed if they tried?

I grunt after hitting a particularly sharp piece of stone.

What a disaster. Damn near everyone dead, two Champions playing keep-away with a defenseless girl, and me slowly trying to crawl my crippled ass to the girl to do...what exactly? I suppose I will have to figure that part out when I get there.

I try to ignore the two fighters and focus on the girl as I crawl across the dirt and rubble. Looking at them makes my head hurt even worse, and really drives home how fucking pointless this is. Just gotta keep moving.

Damn, she looks even worse up close. Her pretty face and hair are covered in blood...she's lost a lot of it. Sure would be nice to know some first aid right now, should have taken those classes in retrospect. But no, I just had to get the extra gym time, because that made so much difference.

She looks even younger like this as well. Can't believe they would do this shit to her. And now what the fuck am I supposed to do about it?

...

Fuck it

I wrap my arms around her and shield as much of her body as I can.

"Hey girl, I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, I got you. We got you. It'll be ok. Just hang in there. Your bother will beat the crazy bitch and then we will get you all fixed up, don't worry."

I talk to her. Reassure her. I think she is unconscious but, maybe something will stick. And if her life was anything like most mages in Demacia, she needs someone to tell her it's ok. Fuck Demacia.

(Katarina - PoV)

No, nonono. How could I? How could I let myself get complacent? I knew there was danger. I knew the universe would try to rip the rug out from underneath me. But I took things easy anyway. No need to rush, I would meet them partway. That fucking overconfidence.

I'm going as fast as I can but the light show is already over. It could mean they won, but I am not that lucky. I have never been that lucky. There shouldn't even be a light show in the first place, the girl was suppressed. And now she's dead. Garen is going to lose it. I had the greatest win in history in my grasp and just let it slide away.

I narrow my eyes. Focus. Recrimination later. For now, take it out on whoever just ruined everything. Good money on that bitch Vayne. At least Garen and I will get to enjoy cutting her up together. I wonder if I can convince him to take his time once we get her legs? Watching her trying to limp away while we take her apart piece by piece, taking turns...oooh.

The area looks odd as I get closer, I thought this used to be a ruined city, Janusomthing? It's almost entirely flat now, flat enough I can make out the two figures dueling near the center. They haven't noticed me yet. Excellent. I slow just enough to keep silent. Let's see how the huntress likes being prey.

I shudder a bit as I close. I can feel the magic saturating the air. What did that girl do here? Actually, I suppose that explains what happened to all the buildings...Damn, what a waste. She would have been as big an asset as Garen. Maybe even as fun too.

Finally, I get a good look at them. Garen is a pincushion, his clothes shredded, but doesn't let it bother him any more than when fighting me. The meathead takes an insane amount of damage to put down, and if you give him a moment to recover he is ready to go another ten rounds.

Vayne on the other hand seems pretty banged up, I don't think she was expecting to play tag with a superpowered flashlight. She's naked, with much of her gear gone, glasses shattered, and a lot of nasty-looking burns. She's not moving nearly as fast as I know she normally can.

Oddly, Garen is still playing defense? Looking I find a Noxian soldier wrapped around Lux's bloodied body. ...Noxians aren't going to risk their lives for a dead body. The girl must still be alive. I can still salvage this. Well Vayne, you might actually survive this you lucky bitch. Gods I wish I had your luck, what did you ever do to deserve it you psycho?

I take a moment to focus, then a shunpo and my favored blade is set to pierce Vayne's spine. I fully expect it but still sigh when she dodges to the side, the blade only gashing her neck. Even half-blind and covered in burns, Vayne is still a Champion. We never go down easy.

It's tempting to taunt her. I normally love trash talking while fighting but I have no idea how long the girl has. We need to end this fast.

I throw a dagger at her left side, and lunge for her center, forcing her to move right, closer to Garen. She does so, ducking under his wide swing, before rolling away with a grimace. Rolling across jagged stone with all those blisters? Oh if only I could drag this out.

Garen takes up position next to me with a nod, and I can see the look on her face when she realizes she can't play keep away from both of us. An ugly, hateful look. She tries to make a pithy taunt, so I shunpo to her again. She dodges my blade but doesn't expect the real attack, the boot to her ass. Forcing her to roll on her blisters again is just a bonus.

Garen could read her as well as me and is already moving to check on his sister while I watch her retreat.

After a few moments, I am confident she is not coming back, though I will keep alert. Foolish not to.

The big guy is on his knees on the ground next to his sister. He is attempting to check on her but the way his hands are shaking...fuck. He is on the verge of a breakdown. Not good.

I step forward to try to coach him but he closes his eyes, breaths in, breaths out, and it is gone. He is the rock fucking steady perfect Demacian again as he lifts his sister, with a nod of respect to the wounded soldier.

He turns towards me. His eyes have no trace of his earlier doubt. I love how he does that.

"Lux needs help. Now. What is the fastest way to get it?"

I bite my lip. Even at Champion speeds, Noxus is not exactly nearby. The League on the other hand...

"We could try the Institute. They have teleporters."

He nods, turns, and is off in a moment. No hesitation.

I look at the soldier.

"I'll be fine." She says.

I need to recover the mirror from Udino...but can send someone else to do it.

I chase after Garen. There shouldn't be anything else that could happen...but I won't take the risk at this point.

(Garen - PoV)

Failed. I failed her. I fought Vayne to a standstill and it didn't even matter.

Holding her in my arms she...she looks like a corpse. There's so much blood. I want so badly to clean her, but it is not worth the time. Time. We wasted so much of it. Would it have made a difference if I pushed us harder? Or would I have broken her that much sooner? I don't know. I just don't know.

...

It is so quiet, just the sound of Kat and I's footsteps. If she hadn't come...

...

The run takes entirely too long. Lux is unresponsive, I only know she is alive from the faintest breaths she takes. Just keep breathing Lux. Hang on just a little longer. We won. We are almost there.

The Institute lies before us, in the center of the wastes. I normally admire it greatly, but I can barely pay attention to where we walk this time, almost all of my attention on Lux, watching for the slightest change, trusting Kat to guide me.

I ignore everything around me for the minutes it takes before we are in the teleportation room. There is a flash, and we are in Noxus.