Heya friends! This chapter is written from Ziggs' point of view! I hope you enjoy it!
I opened my eyes and looked next to me, only to find a blank space there.
"Aww... He hasn't returned yet!" Guess it isn't as easy as he thought it would be.
"Oh well, can't be helped!" I jumped out of the bed and began my morning routine. Once I was finished and ready to go I made my way to the cafeteria to meet up with the others. But like always I already made plans for the rest of the day while I was walking.
"Hmm... Now what to do today? No battle for me as far as I'm aware of... No cute Yordle named Vait to make plans with... Ah! I could spend some time with friends that have come short in the last time!" Yeah! I've spent much of my free time with Vait, so I didn't really have that much time for all of my friends. Heimy especially! I haven't talked to him in ages! Great opportunity to talk to him about that little rivalry with Vait, too!
"Good job, Ziggs! Sometimes I wonder how a single Yordle can be this smart AND handsome at the same time! Haha!" I laughed and soon I entered the cafeteria. As always when Vait isn't with me I ended up being way too early, so basically no one else except me was there yet. It took a while until all the others, but once they did they immediately began asking me about him.
"Heya Ziggs! Where's Vait? I don't think that he's in a battle right now, right?"
"Maybe he's not feeling well? We should go visit him!"
"Or maybe Ziggs and Vait had an argument and now they don't like each other anymore!" After Lulu said that I decided to speak up.
"Whoa wait wait wait! Those are some weird assumptions y'all are making! Why would you think that anyway?"
"Oh, I always guess the least possible thing! It's much more surprising for all the others when it really is true~" I didn't know what to say to that. She really is one weird Yordle, and that says something coming from me!
"Well, then tell us where Vait is, Ziggs!"
"Ah, right right! He's in Bandle because something's wrong there! He got tons of letters, and almost all of them said that many of the Yordles there suddenly experience huge pain!"
"Hm... That is weird!"
"Yes it is! They should've also asked the true hero of Bandle City to come along!" Rumble smiled proudly, but Tristana just shook her head and smirked.
"Riiight, and what would the "Hero of Bandle City" have done against said pain?"
"Oh... Uhm... Ah, I would have raised the morale! That is pretty important, you know?"
"Sure, I bet THAT would cure them instantly. Anyway, I'm surprised that you didn't insist to come with him, Ziggs! Sounds like something you would do."
"Weeell, I tried to, but Vait said that I won't be much of a help, which is probably true! I would just distract him with my awesomeness! Haha!"
"You can be quite distracting, that is true. But aren't you a little worried about him? Maybe someone else should have accompanied him?" Aww, Trist can be so thoughtful!
"Naaah, I trust in him! And also I'll get a letter from him later if he doesn't finish it today! So no worries!"
"Then I guess it's alright." I nodded and we talked a bit about all kinds of different topics. After I drank my coffee and ate my breakfast I said goodbye to the others and then decided to go straight to Heimy! I've always looked up to that guy! He's sooo smart. But once I got to know him better I realised how different we are! He is always so stern! Sometimes I find it hard to talk to him at all. But I like him nevertheless! It's always a blast to talk about bombs or stuff related to bombs with him! Even though he's often serious and all that, I know that deep down he's a good soul that just wants to make the world better with his inventions!
Soon I reached his house and knocked on the door with my signature smile, but no one answered.
"Hm? Isn't he home?" I tried knocking once again and waited. It took a while, but this time the door opened and revealed a rather annoying looking Heimy.
"Who is it? Oh, it is you, Zigmund. What a pleasant surprise that is." His expression changed almost entirely as soon as he saw me. I kept smiling brightly and waved.
"Hi there Heimy! Nice to see you too! Buuut haven't I told you to just call me Ziggs? Zigmund sounds pretty lame, right?"
"I do recall that, yes. But I also recall asking you to not call me "Heimy", yes?"
"Aww, but Heimy is sooo much easier and more fun to say than Heimerdinger!" He sighed and shook his head.
"Ah, as lively as ever, I see. Now then, I assume you came to me to talk about something, yes? Why don't you come inside for now?"
"Alright, sure thing!" I went inside and looked around. It was pretty messy, something that was untypical for Heimy.
"Oh, were you working on anything right now?"
"Indeed I was. Your timing is certainly splendid. I would appreciate your help." Suddenly I got all excited. If he wants my help that means it has something to do with bombs. Or anything else that explodes, really.
"Sure! I'd love to!... Buuut can we talk first and then explode stuff... I mean work on stuff?"
"Very well, we shall do that first then. What is it that you want to talk about? I assume it has something to do with Vait, yes?"
"Wow, good guess!"
"It was not really a guess. It was quite obvious to me that you would want to talk about... that incident that happened. I am terribly sorry, you were not the target I intended to hit."
"Ah that? No worries! It all turned out preeetty okay! Hehe! Aaanyway, I just wanted to tell you that there isn't any secret or something in Vait's ability to make potions! I know him for a looong time and there never was something that should help him with his potions!"
"However, do you not agree that it is strange how his potions are better than the potions of everyone else? Is there any other explanation for it?"
"Not really!" He looked at me and raised one of his eyebrows, so I continued to talk.
"But there are lots of things we can't explain, right? So maybe we shouldn't try to understand each and every single little thing in this world and instead try to be happy that it exists in the first place! Vait has helped countless people with his awesome ability! Shouldn't we appreciate that instead of trying to forcefully understand it?" It looked like he thought about my words for a second before he nodded.
"Hmm... You do make a good point, my dear Zigmund. Perhaps I really overdid it. I have to reflect on that later on." Wow! That went better than expected! Usually Heimy is pretty stubborn, but it looks like I made a good argument this time!
"Great! Now theeeen... Can we go to the fun exploding stuff now?" I jumped up and down like an excited kid and Heimy just giggled quietly and nodded.
After a long day of working on new inventions that sadly didn't explode I said goodbye to Heimy and left his house. I decided to go check our home first to see if Vait is back already. If he isn't then I'll go to the secretariat to read the letter he wrote me! Once I got home I immediately began shouting.
"Heeeello Vaaait? Your favorite Yordle in the whooole world is back!" I waited for a little while, but got no response. I then went upstairs to see if he maybe fell asleep, but he wasn't there, either.
"Well, looks like he isn't back yet!" But he should at least have written a letter by now! So I hurried back to Angela to ask her about it. I entered the secretariat and waved.
"Hi there Angela! Saaaay, you don't happen to have a letter for me? Coming from Bandle maaaybe?" I smiled happily, but she thought about it for a second and then shook her head.
"No, At least I don't remember seeing one of those today... I could look once more for you?"
"Y-yeah, that would be nice!" That can't be right, right? It's been over a day, Vait should've written me by now! Angela looked at a few letter again, but shook her head one more time.
"Sorry Ziggs, nothing for you here."
"I-i see... Well, thank you anyway Angela!"
"No problem! See you!" I left the secretariat and looked at the ground.
"Something's definitely wrong... Vait wouldn't just break a promise like that!" Before I realised it I began walking. I didn't know where I was going, I was just walking. Walking has always helped me with thinking, but this time my head just felt empty. It didn't help at all, but soon I bumped into another person.
"Oh, hey Ziggs!... Hey, is something wrong? You look... kinda down?" Ha, Rumble just knows me too well! Or maybe I really am looking sad...
"Heya Rumble! It's just that Vait hasn't written the letter yet, even though he isn't home yet! But he promised to do that if it takes longer than one day!"
"I see... Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much! I'm sure it's just because he is so busy right now! He probably had no time or simply forgot it because of his mission!"
"Nooo, you don't get it! Vait would never ever simply forget something like this! He always keeps his promises!"
"Well then maybe the letter will arrive soon? It's not like it will just magically appear here once he sent it here."
"But... That's exactly what would happen. You know they use magic to send letters from other places to the League and vice versa, right? It would take waaay to long if someone would bring them all here!"
"Oh... Well, not like I receive any fan mail or have anyone to write to like you guys, so no, I didn't know that." Oh wow... Now I feel more sad for him than myself. But he continued talking immediately.
"Anyway, it could also be that all the magic letter people in Bandle are experiencing the pain. There are many explanations why the letter isn't here. So I wouldn't worry about it too much." I guess he's right. I shouldn't worry. At least not yet.
"Yeah... You're right! Thanks Rumble! You're the beeeest!"
"Haha, I know that! If you need anyone to talk to, you know where you'll find me! Bye now!" He said his goodbyes and then walked off. I smiled and made my way home again, now much calmer. But once I got closer to my home that calmness vanished once more as I saw Vait standing there! I ran to him and hugged him!
"Hi there Vait! Man, I was starting to worry because you weren't here earlier and there wasn't a letter from you and that was kinda scary! But now you're here again which is great!" I grinned brightly, but that grins vanished as quickly as it came once he began talking.
"Yes, I am Vait and totally not Neeko! Hi there, Ziggs!"
"... Neeko?" And suddenly the appearance of Vait began to disappear and instead of him Neeko was standing there.
"Aww, you found out! Neeko is getting better at impressions, right?"
"Yes that was... good..." Man, what a bummer... I really thought that was Vait!
"But... Something weird."
"Weird? What's weird?"
"Well, Neeko trains her disguises often, so by now Neeko knows the Sho'ma of everyone well. But Vait Sho'ma felt weird today, so Neeko wanted to see him. But he not here. Is Vait on vacation?"
"It felt weird? Weird how exactly?" I didn't understand much of that Sho'ma stuff, but I knew it had something to do with their spirit or something like that.
"Well, usually Vait Sho'ma is all happy and joyful, like most Yordles! But today it felt... empty? Yes! Empty describes it well! So Neeko worried! Something happened to Vait? That's usually it when Sho'ma changes so suddenly!"
"I... have to go..."
"Go? Go where?" But I didn't answer her. I just ran.
"Man, Yordles are strange!"
There are days where I don't like the fact that I'm such a helpful guy, but today certainly was not one of them. I knocked on the door of the huge house and after a while a man opened.
"Ziggs? What do you want? It's kinda late, you know?"
"Yes yes, I know! But I need a portal to Bandle like right now!"
"What? What for?"
"Doesn't matter! You still owe me for that one time I used my cute Yordle charm to help you get a date with that one girl, remember?"
"Of course I do... But have you even asked if you are allowed to leave?"
"No, and I know that that's wrong, but please, it's really, really important!"
"... You can get into a lot of trouble if they find out."
"Yes yes, I don't mind! Hurry up and open it! Now!" He shook his head, but still opened that portal up reluctantly.
"When they ask, I had nothing to do with this, got it?" I nodded and then entered the portal. A moment later I found myself in Bandle. But something was already weird. I saw many people walking around and talking. Shouldn't they be ill? Did Vait already help them?
"Ah, Zigmund! That''s a surprise! Is there any specific reason you're here?" I turned around and saw that the mayor of Bandle was talking to me.
"Where's Vait?" I didn't have time for long explanations.
"Vait? I thought he went back to the League already? The pain that many of the Yordles experienced suddenly stopped and I thought that once he heard that he went back."
"So he didn't even do anything to help? It just disappeared?"
"It would seem so, yes. But what are you..." I didn't let him finish. I left and headed straight to Vaits house.
"... Zigmund? Ah, he's always been a strange one..."
I knocked on the door once I got there and Vaits father opened the door.
"Ziggs? What brings you here?"
"Hi there! I assume you don't know where Vait it, right?"
"No, isn't he back in the League?" I shook my head.
"No, that's why I'm a little worried!" Understatement of the year, Ziggs!
"Hm... Sorry, but I have no idea where he could be right now..."
"Well, no worries! I'll find him! Can I come in for a minute? Maybe I'll find something in his room that could help me find him!" Of course he let me in and I rushed to Vaits room. But I didn't see anything that could be a clue. The only thing that stood out was one of his vials on his working table. It looked like he used it recently.
"So he was here... He always cleans up after he's finished, so something must have interrupted him..." But that didn't really help me figure out anything. I left the house and looked around.
"Now what? Where should I even begin searching? I have no lead!" But then a small girl came up to me.
"Uhm... Excuse me mister? You are looking for Vait, right?"
"Yes! Do you know anything?"
"Well... Yesterday I saw a Yordle carrying a large bag coming out of this house... I don't think it was Vait who came out, though... Maybe that could help?"
"Yes yes yes! Please tell me you saw where that Yordle went to!"
"Uhm... He went into that forest that the adults always warn us about..." She pointed in the direction.
"Oh thank you sooo much! That'll help me greatly! I owe you!" I started running into that forest.
I'll definitely find you, Vait!