Hey y'all! I apologize in advance for this chapter, because it's PRETTY LONG. I totally didn't intend for that at first, it just sorta... got away from me. A lot of the info at the end is basically pure exposition, so if you'd rather just skip it and get on with the VeigarLulu fluff, by all means, do so. Next chapter should be out tomorrow! I'm hoping to do quite a bit of drafting once I hit the next chapter, because we'll really be getting into the meat of things. Thank you so so much for reading my fic! ~Aurora
Edit: I've now updated Chapter 2! Just some grammar stuff here and there, things to improve the flow, etc.
""N-no. I'm not really interested in buying a… Hextech Gunblade? Thank you for the offer though!" The shady man frowned at Lulu, clearly disappointed.
"A young sorceress such as yourself would surely benefit from such a purchase! Think of all the damage you could do with this thing!" The man boasted, holding aloft his crazed invention. Lulu winced at the sight of the jagged device. It was hideous!
"I'm um… more of a healing type." She smiled apologetically, before brushing past him and making a hasty retreat into the alleyways of Zaun.
The man watched her go, shouting after her. "JUST YOU WAIT! THIS IS GONNA BE HUGE! THE NEXT BIG THING!"
Hurrying down the twists and turns of the strange Zaun infrastructure, Lulu quickly put distance between herself and the strange salesman. The citystate of Zaun seemed to be full of truly weird and frightening people, so different from Bandle City. She couldn't even begin to understand how anyone could live here, much less a yordle.
She sighed inwardly, praying to the Fae that she wouldn't run into HIM during her trip through the warring city states. Rounding a corner, she was so lost in thought that she ran straight into someone, falling flat on her butt. As the other person was knocked over, the box they were holding clattered to the ground. Rubbing her head where she'd collided, she looked up to see who she'd bumped in to.
"I'm so sorry! I was really distracted thinking of purple and-" Her heart sank when she saw who it was. The small yordle was in the middle of picking himself off the ground, his goggles obscuring his eyes and frankly most of his face, but Lulu recognized him instantly. Ziggs coughed, black smoke blowing from his nose as he cleared his throat. Looking around, he spotted Lulu, and his face lit up in an enormous grin.
"Lulu! So nice to run into ya here! I was actually JUST thinking about the last time we met!" Lulu frowned at the coincidental fact that she, too, was thinking of that exact moment. She pushed herself to her feet and dusted off her skirt, glaring daggers at Ziggs.
"What I remember was that you burned down an entire section of the forest in an attempt to show me "purple fireworks", and they weren't even purple!" Lulu huffed angrily at him, stamping her foot as she recalled his wanton devastation of nature. Ziggs' grin faltered slightly and he scratched the back of his head.
"Look Lulu, mistakes happen! It's what hexscience is all about. I didn't mean nothin by it, and I've apologized like ten times! But hey, I've got somethin I wanna show ya!" Rummaging through his fallen crate he was carrying, he pulled out a long, purple stick of dynamite and tossed it in the air and catching it again.
(art by the wonderful purple-lulu. You can find her on Tumblr, go support her amazing art!)
Lulu frowned at it, suspicious of Ziggs and his explosives. "What is it? Another forest destroyer?"
Ziggs shook his head and grinned even wider. "I like to think of it as my masterpiece! It explodes everything that isn't a plant, and causes no fires! Isn't that GREAT?" He put his hands on his hips, clearly proud of himself.
Lulu opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the sound of metal scraping on metal. Turning around, she stepped back in shock as a monstrosity of metal and flesh lumbered towards them slowly, scraping metallic claws along the wall as it stalked ever closer.
The creature moaned in agony, blood oozing from various holes in its' side. It looked as if it had just burst through a large window, with long scratches stretching across its back and sides. The abomination approached the duo with staggered steps, skin sloughing off the various limbs protruding from its large torso. Ziggs instantly stowed the purple dynamite in the crate at his feet and reached into the pouches at his side, pulling out already lit hexbombs.
Lulu put her hands on Ziggs' shoulder, eyeing the creature with curiosity. "Wait! Don't hurt him Ziggs! Let me try talking to it." Ziggs glanced at Lulu in shock as she slowly approached the beast.
"Lulu! What are you-" Lulu ignored him, stepping towards the beast one foot at a time, carefully observing him. The creature tilted its head as it observed Lulu approaching it. It let out a strange squeak, its ears (or what Lulu assumed were its ears) perked as it watched her intently.
Coming to a stop directly in front of the beast, Lulu slowly extended a hand to touch the creature. Closing her eyes, her hand began emitting a purple hue. Pix floated above Lulu nervously, darting back and forth behind her as they watched Lulu work.
Ziggs stared in disbelief as the creature seemed to relax its entire body. The moans of pain withered and died in its throat, replaced by a strange humming noise. Lulu opened her eyes and took a step backward, removing her hand from the creature.
In response to Lulu's touch leaving it, the creature shivered violently. It leaned its head in close to Lulu, eyeing her up and down. Lulu smiled at the creature, then turned to look back at Ziggs. "See? There is always a peaceful solution! You don't always have to resort to blowing-"
She was promptly interrupted as the creature behind her let out a terrifying roar. Lulu whipped around just in time to see one of the creatures many limbs swing into her. Slamming into her stomach, it instantly knocked the wind out of her, sending her flying backwards. Ziggs let out a cry of anger, throwing a bomb at the creature's face. The entire alleyway shook as Ziggs' bomb collided with the creature, throwing up an enormous dust cloud.
Ziggs dashed over to Lulu, praying behind hope that she was okay. That strike could have killed a grown man! How could Lulu possibly have survived? To his shock, when he arrived at her side, her breathing was steady. Shaking her awake, she let out a choked gasp, sitting up with a start.
Her hand immediately went to where the beast struck her, but to both her and Ziggs' astonishment, there wasn't even a bruise. Before they could investigate the mystery any further, their attention was diverted by another roar. The creature pushed its way out of the dust cloud and charged in their direction, claws outstretched, eyes wide with bloodlust.
Ziggs cursed and reached for his belt, trying to ignite one of his hexbombs. The creature cleared the distance with frightening speed, swinging one of its enormous arms down towards the two yordles.
Suddenly, an enormous rocket blasted from one of the alleyways, launching the beast through the wall. The two yordles stared in shock as the speeding missile pushed the creature up and out of the city, where it exploded in a shower of sparks.
"How'd ya like THAT one Ziggs?" A shrill voice called from the alleyway, pulling Lulu's attention away from the lightshow above. "I took some inspiration from yer bombs for my Mega Death Rocket!" Lulu spotted a thin woman standing in the alleyway, silhouetted by the streetlights behind her. Her slender frame was accentuated by quite the strange getup, and she was shouldering a rocket launcher with a shark's face on the front. Her neon teal hair was tied back in twin ponytails, her eyes alight with sinister glee.
"Jinx! Boy am I glad to see you." Ziggs said, walking over to her. Lulu pushed herself back to her feet.
This is the second time I've been knocked flat in this city! she thought to herself, snatching her staff from where it had fallen. Pix worridely pushed up her shirt, also inspecting what should have been a particularly nasty wound. He let out a confused hum as he observed her body.
Lulu smiled at Jinx and walked up to her, sticking out a hand in greeting and donning a friendly smile. "Thanks for the save crazy lady! I'm Lulu, the Fae Sorceress. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Jinx frowned down at her and put her hands on her hips. "Who ya callin crazy, shortstuff? Ziggs is this yer girlfriend or somethin?"
"No! Definitely not." Lulu said quickly, blushing slightly. Ziggs' ears lowered in disappointment, but he nodded in agreement.
"Yea she's just a friend Jinx." He said, clearly disappointed. "I met her a few weeks ago when she was venturing south."
Jinx smirked and crouched down to look Lulu in the eyes. "Well girly, this ain't the place for someone like you!" Lulu nodded rapidly. She didn't enjoy the perpetual darkness that seemed to hang over the streets of the malicious tech city. The enormous buildings seemed to lean in above her, blocking out the sun. A nature oriented girl such as herself could never be happy in a place like this. She was honestly unsure of how Ziggs could bear living here, seeing as how he was a yordle just like her.
"Would you be willing to help me out of the city?" Lulu asked, still a little on edge from their encounter. Jinx grinned and cocked her rocket launcher attached to her shoulder.
"You betchur lil butt I can getcha outta here lickity split! It'll cost ya tho." Jinx said, and held out her free hand. Lulu frowned, not sure what to do.
"I'm sorry Jinx, I don't really have any money. All I have is this coin, and I can't give it up." Lulu held out her gift from Veigar, the League coin she had received yesterday. Ziggs gaped at the coin in her hand, then pulled out one himself.
"You got a coin, Lulu? How? I never would have thought you'd have done something like that to a person." Ziggs seemed apprehensive to explain just what that was. Lulu frowned, confused.
"What do you mean, Ziggs? I got it as a gift. A weird yordle in the jungle gave it to me, as a reward for saving his life!" Ziggs frowned at that and looked to Jinx for advice. Jinx shrugged, unsure of how to break the news to Lulu.
Ziggs put his hand on Lulu's shoulder, seeming somber. "Lulu… to get one of these coins, you have to be chosen by the League, like Jinx or I. The only other way to get one is to… take it."
Lulu tilted her head, even more confused than she was at first. "What are you saying? I never took anything, and I'm sure Veigar wouldn't have done that either! He seemed nice to me."
Ziggs spluttered and stumbled backwards, almost falling over. "V-VEIGAR? You got the coin from VEIGAR?" Jinx stared wide eyed at Lulu. For a split second, Lulu was convinced she saw a slight twinge of suspicion in her eyes.
"Well, yea! He was in the woods when I was on my way back. Why, what's wrong with that?" Ziggs plopped to a sitting position on the ground, holding his forehead in confusion.
"Veigar is the first of our kind to go truly bad, Lulu." Ziggs said, brow creased with worry. "He's been around for CENTURIES, and he's done unspeakable things. If he gave you that coin, he gave it to you for a reason. One that is most likely sinister in nature."
Lulu worriedly observed the coin, then looked at Jinx and Ziggs. "Do you think I should get rid of it, then?"
Ziggs grimaced. "Try throwing it away, Lulu." Lulu stared at the coin, then reluctantly threw the coin as hard as she could down the alleyway. She watched as it rolled to a stop right outside a storm drain. A stream of water trickled down a storm pipe, washing the coin down the hole. Lulu gasped, running over to try and retrieve it. "My coin!"
Ziggs walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Check your pocket, Lulu." With shock, as Lulu stuck her hand in her pocket, she found that the coin was still inside. Pulling it out, she stared at it in wonder.
"The coin is bound to you now, Lulu. There's no way anyone can take it from you, and you can't lose it. It also provides some measure of protection, which explains how you were able to take that strike from earlier." Reflexively, Lulu touched her side where she'd been struck. Well that explains one mystery she thought.
"But wait," She exclaimed," How did Veigar manage to give me one if they're bound to the user?"
Ziggs shrugged his shoulders, unsure. "He probably had one of his own. You can only bind to one at a time. The bond is for life, too. So long as you draw breath, the coin will be with you." Lulu frowned, the gears in her head turning.
"Does that mean…?" Ziggs nodded grimly. Lulu reeled from the realization that the first person she'd found that was nice to her (besides Ziggs) was a murderer.
Jinx laughed and shook her head. "Lulu how can you be surprised by this? The world is crazy right now!"
"I just got here! I don't know WHAT is happening!" Lulu huffed angrily. Jinx stared at her in confusion, before dismissing it with a shrug. "Well, whatever. Seein as how you're a fellow League champ like yours truly, I'd be more than willin ta help you out. Just this once! I aint no taxi service, ya hear?"
Lulu stared at Jinx with visible confusion. "Tack-see?" Jinx laughed and grabbed the Yordle by the collar of her dress. "Alley-oop! Hold on tight missy! You're in for a wild ride!" Seemingly out of nowhere, Jinx pulled out an enormous rocket. A crude painting of a shark shone proudly on the front. This girl is almost as crazy about sharks as I am about purple! Lulu thought, examining the front of the rocket.
Jinx bent over and picked Lulu up by the scruff of her jacket. She set Lulu on top of the rocket, jumping up behind her. Lulu stared wild eyed at Jinx, then looked at Ziggs. "IS THIS EVEN SAFE?"
Ziggs shrugged and said "I dunno! I've never been dumb enough to ride with Jinx on one of those. Good luck Lulu!"
Lulu opened her mouth to reply, but her voice was instantly drowned out as the rocket roared to life, blasting them off up, up, and out of the city. Lulu screamed as they raced into the sky, only to have it die in her throat as she beheld the land of Runeterra from the sky above.
Her heart stopped as she beheld the ruined landscape laid out before her. In the distance, large plumes of malevolent energy, so large that she could see them even from so far away, roared in the distance. Large violet cracks ran along various parts of the land, emitting a menacing glow.
So this was the reason Pix wanted to leave the Glade. The world… it's… dying.
Veigar stalked out of the last few trees bordering the Shurima desert. The temperature had steadily been rising as he neared the barren landscape, and he had long since abandoned his cloak, evaporating it into the aether. Wiping his brow with a free hand, Veigar surveyed the dunes rising before him.
Groaning inwardly at what was sure to be a miserable trek through miles of sand, Veigar made his way west. It was about midday when he started through the sandy hills of Shurima. The sun blazed overhead, as if in spite to Veigar's plight. No longer able to bear the immense heat, Veigar waved his staff and called upon his magic. Immediately he began to cool, the hot rays of the sun no longer bothering him. Dark energies swirled around his entire being, enveloping him in an unnatural cold.
The rest of the journey was simple enough, now that the heat was no longer a nuisance. As night fell, Veigar arrived at a small village amongst a series of ancient ruins. Due to most people's reaction to his appearance, he resigned to a fate of sleeping outside. However, sooner or later he'd have to confront some of the townsfolk for water and food. He'd only brought enough supplies with him for a short journey, and wasn't prepared for a long voyage into the sands.
If not now, then when? he thought bitterly. I may as well see if I can snag a quick drink and some food in the inn before spending the night in a barn or something. Pushing open the double doors of the inn, he was startled to find it rather full. A large crowd of scavengers and desertfolk were bunched around something he couldn't quite see, cheering loudly.
All the better for my needs. Let the rabble distract themselves with silly games. He stalked over to the bartender, who was also enjoying the show from behind his counter. Veigar cleared his throat loudly and the broad shouldered man looked down, smiling.
"Well hello there little one. Are you here for your friends?" the barkeep asked. Veigar balked at the blatant disrespect. Did he not recognize who he was? With a start, he remembered he was no longer wearing his signature cloak. The only piece of his outfit that remained was his hat, which was quite dusty due to his day in the dunes. He had hidden his staff in the aether, but he didn't even think to readorn his cloak. The shroud of shadows he wore obscured his features, but without his gauntlets and robe, he was nigh unrecognizable.
Veigar sighed. All the better, honestly. If the bartender didn't know who he was, he might get better service. "No, I'm afraid I have no friends around these parts. I'm here for water and a meal. I have a long journey ahead."
The bartender looked at him with surprise. "Someone as small as you is making a journey through the desert? Must be pretty important! Sorry for assuming the yordles over there were your friends. Suppose that's racist to think."
Veigar's eyes widened at the mention of his kind. Turning around, he pushed his way through the crowd, controlling his temper as he was jostled about by the cheering men and women. His heart leapt to his throat when he spotted them.
Sitting across from each other, locked in an intense arm wrestling match, were the yordles Tristana and Poppy. The former, a short silver haired girl with lilac fur and yellow eyes, sat rigidly in her seat. Sweat formed on Tristana's brow as she tried desperately to gain clearance. Poppy smirked, her twin pigtails wiggling behind her as she laughed. Quite tall for a yordle, Poppy leaned in against Tristana's grip, smirking triumphantly.
Veigar groaned inwardly. His nemesis, Teemo, was nowhere to be found. However, the female gunner was almost as bad, being Teemo's mate. Poppy was even WORSE, constantly spouting out "valuable advice" and lecturing about "morality".
Poppy laughed at Tristana, her arm flexing slightly as the gunner struggled to budge her steel-like grip. "What's the matter, Trist?" Poppy asked confidently, "Don't have it in you?"
Tristana grimaced, leaning heavily into Poppy's arm in a vain attempt to move the blacksmith. "It's not exactly a fair matchup, Poppy! You and that damn hammer of yours have been inseparable for ages, it's a wonder you haven't broken my arm!"
As if on queue, Poppy grinned and smashed Tristana's hand into the table. Tristana let out a yelp and stuck her hand in her mouth, attempting to nurse her wound. What hurt more, undoubtedly, was her pride.
"I win again Trist! You know the drill." Poppy was smiling from ear to ear, clearly very excited. Tristana groaned, popping her hand out of her mouth and pushing herself to her feet. She climbed on the table and looked at everyone in the bar.
"I would just like everyone to know that Poppy is the strongest, bravest yordle I've ever met, and she could really use a nice drink." Poppy roared with laughter as Tristana squirmed with each word. A bet, no doubt. Veigar snorted with derision. How the gunner yordle ever thought she would beat the blacksmith was beyond him. He turned to leave, then heard Poppy's voice.
"Hey Trist, is that another yordle? Did you bring one of your gunners with you?" Tristana turned and looked at where Poppy was pointing, spotting Veigar as he attempted to slip through the crowd. Veigar cursed his poor fortune under his breath, hastening his pace.
"No, Poppy, I did not. Hey! You there! Wait up a sec!" Tristana leaped off the table, gaining quite the height with her jump. She landed gracefully only a few feet behind Veigar. The crowd parted, interested to see what was happening. Veigar slowed to a stop, turning slightly.
"Is there something you require from me?" Veigar may have been able to fool the barkeep, but there was no point in lying to another yordle about his identity. They would have recognized him anywhere.
Tristana gasped and quickly drew her large cannon, aiming it at him. "Veigar! What the hell are YOU doing here, you traitor?" Poppy pushed back from the table, grabbing the hammer sitting next to her and sprinted to Tristana's side. She glowered at Veigar, readying her mighty weapon.
"You have to the count of three," Tristana exclaimed, "to explain yourself before we attack. One… two…" Poppy clenched her fist around her hammer, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. Veigar turned towards the two yordles and smiled devilishly.
"Fortunately for you, I have no business with two pathetic mortals such as yourselves. I have much more important matters to attend to. Now unless you would like me to kill everyone in this bar as well as yourselves, I suggest you lower your weapons and treat me with the proper respect!" Tristana and Poppy shared a look before begrudgingly lowering their weapons. They still stood at the ready, ready to attack if the need arose.
"What would the Master of Evil want with a small town in Shurima?" Poppy said, nearly spitting when she said his title. Tristana glared at him with open malice but said nothing, seemingly content with letting Poppy do the talking.
Veigar spread his hands in a gesture of peace. "Not a thing! I simply desire something of great power that is hidden within the dunes. I tell you this only because I know you have no chance of stopping me from acquiring what I desire."
"Wanna bet?" Tristana said, loading a buster shot in her cannon. "Make my day, Veigar. I'm sure Teemo would appreciate the good news once I get back."
Veigar eyed the moon outside. It was reaching its zenith, which was all too convenient for him. A few more moments and it would be midnight, and he would be able to unleash the full power of the cosmos on these fools. Distracting them for that long would be a simple task.
"Ah, and how IS the boyscout? Still pretending to be big and strong, like he knows what is right for our fair nation?" Saying "our nation" was a bitter taste in Veigar's mouth, but he knew Tristana wouldn't be able to resist rising to the bait.
"It's not your nation, Veigar. Not after you attacked the town. Because of you, the town elders banned the use of magic for ALL yordles in Bandle City. Because of you, we had to make Lulu an OUTCAST." Veigar paused, surprised to hear the strange girl's name again.
"Lulu? The Fae Sorceress? I'm surprised you care for her. She's more like me than you know. And thanks to your elders, she's surely feeling quite vulnerable right now. Ah, how poetic it would be to turn her against you. In your vain attempts to stop me, you would only have strengthened my power." Sneering at the two girls, Veigar contemplated the possibility of converting Lulu to his cause. The jab was meant to infuriate them, but the prospect gave him pause. She was impressionable, impulsive, and wielded powerful magics; the perfect candidate for an evil servant. But how can you ever trust someone to help you after what you've been through? Veigar asked himself.
Unfortunately for him, the taunt worked too well. "You stay away from her you monster!" Tristana shouted, letting loose a blast from her cannon. It smashed into Veigar's barrier, sending him careening backwards through the wall, landing with a thud in the cold sands outside. Veigar winced at the pain and glanced upwards at the moon. Midnight at last!
He laughed, pulling his scepter and cloak from the aether. Twisted energies swirled around him as he rose, growing more and more violent as he strode towards them. "FOOLS! You have sealed your fate!" Outstretching his staff, he readied a Primordial Burst, preparing to level this inn and everyone inside.
…
Suddenly, he was no longer standing in front of the inn. Poppy and Tristana were still there, but the three of them were surrounded by a large crowd of unfamiliar faces. Lowering his staff, he did a double take. To his surprise, they were standing in a large antechamber in the League Arcanium. A few years ago Veigar had stumbled across this hidden college during his quest, but was turned away by the residents. Glancing around at the others nearby, he was shocked to see several of them were yordles. Standing behind him, looking equally confused, was Teemo. He was flanked by a few others he didn't recognize, as well as the obnoxious mech pilot Rumble.
This must have been the Grand Summoners doing. Veigar thought. More than likely they had been teleported through the power of the coin. He fished it out of his pocket, the smooth surface glowing a bright, golden hue. A few of the other yordles noticed what he was doing and followed suit, pulling out their own coins.
A voice called out to him. "Veigar!" He groaned, recognizing the unique intonations. Lulu sprinted over to Veigar, skidding to a halt in front of him. "You must have given me that coin just in time! Is this it, the big meeting of champions? Who are all these other yordles? Who are all these people?" Veigar held up a hand, pinching the bridge of his nose with the other.
"Slow down, Witch. I do not know everything about what is happening, but I am sure the Grand Summoners will explain shortly." Lulu tilted her head, eyeing him up and down.
"Who are the Grand Summoners?" She asked.
Veigar laughed at that. "You wanted a coin, and yet you don't know who the Grand Summoners are? What kind of fool are you?"
Lulu frowned, folding her arms. "Hey I just got out of the Glade remember? I haven't been around for awhile. All I know is that the coin is important in saving the world! Pix told me so." She gestured to her fairy, who was floating lazily overhead. Veigar started to say something, but was cut off by a loud, booming voice.
"Greetings, Champions. Many of you are most likely confused as to where you are. This is the Arcanium, where we house many of our most powerful casters. Welcome, one and all." The voice originated from a woman in a large, flowing purple robe. Her hair was pure white, her eyes an icy blue. She surveyed everyone in the hall with what could only be described as contempt, despite her polite greeting.
Veigar clenched his fists with anger. He DEFINITELY didn't appreciate being condescended to, no matter who was speaking. Another robed figure, this time a large broad shouldered man with jet black hair, stepped up next to the woman.
"You are all here because you represent something. You represent Runeterra's first step towards peace. As I am sure all of you know, the world is being torn apart by your wars. For as long as we can remember, our order has stepped aside, allowing you all to govern yourselves and fight amongst each other. However, due to recent events, this is no longer an option. Should you all continue in your quest to slaughter each other, the world will not recover.
"Great rifts spread across the surface, emanating enormous waves of corrupted magical energy. To the south, the Void emerges from Icathia. The very soil is being corrupted by all the magic that is being misused in your conflicts." A murmur ran through the crowd of champions as they listened.
A man dressed in strange armor, colored a deep purple, glided forward. Veigar believed his name was Kassadin. "Grand Summoners, you speak of the threat of the Void, and yet I see members of their side standing within these very halls." To make his point clear, he gestured towards the corner of the room. Veigar's heart leapt to his throat. How had he not noticed them before?
Standing in the back end of the room were two enormous creatures, easily several stories tall. One was a dark reddish purple, with enormous pincers and a maw that could tear apart an entire town. The other was a strange, slightly smaller creature, akin to a mole but far more terrifying. Razor sharp talons adorned its paws, and its face was a mask with no eyes that Veigar could perceive. As Kassadin pointed them out, the larger one spoke in a guttural voice.
"We were invited by the Grand Masters themselves. They fear our power, and so they involve us in this grand scheme of theirs. Be warned, if this is not favorable to the void, we will devour each and every one of you and raze your world to ash."
"That is enough." A third voice sounded from the podium in the center of the grand hall. An imposing robed figure stood up next to the other two. His features were nearly indecipherable, and his voice was strangely soothing, despite the hectic environment. "Cho'Gath, you know as well as I that the Void is linked with our world. In your quest to destroy us, our rebellion against you would surely mean the end of BOTH our worlds."
The figure turned to address everyone at once. "We have brought you all here for a reason, and one reason only. You shall no longer wage war against each other. This land will see eternal peace under our careful watch." At that, a roar of outrage surged through the room. Two men in particular, the Crown Prince of Demacia and the Raven General of Noxus, were quite vocal against this proclamation.
As the shouting died down, the Raven General Swain was first to speak up. "You mean to strip away our freedom? What gives you the right to do so? Do you believe yourselves powerful enough to stop all of us?"
The woman smirked at him. "Our power is not the issue here. However, you make a fair point, and one we intend to address. We are not here to take away the freedom and rights of you or your people. We are here to mediate in conflict between nations and powerful individuals alike. Instead of dangerous armed conflicts being waged, you will select champions to represent your nation. These champions, you, will fight against another team of champions for any conflict that may arise. The winner of such duels will receive the full backing of the League in their goal, whatever it may be.
One of the yordles, who Veigar recognized as Corki, stepped forward. "But yer majesties, this presents a distinct disadvantage to the smaller nations who simply want to live in peace, such as Bandle City. Under your rules, any nation could lay claim to our hidden city or our secrets!"
The robed man raised his hand to silence the murmurs of interest that followed Corki's statement. "Each battle must have equal wagers from both sides, and must be agreed to by both parties before the battle begins. We will not allow the unjust termination of any nation, lest they themselves willingly allow it to happen."
The woman nodded. "We are also enforcing a neutral alignment policy. Champions will not be selected based on nation when satisfying conflicts. Many of you may end up fighting against your fellow comrade with such a system.
"We are able to enforce this through the use of Summoning magic. The coins you all possess allow you to be controlled by Summoners. These summoners have been hand selected from each of your collectives, and THEY will be the ones to represent your interests during conflict. You will still maintain control of yourself through the course of each "match", but your will can be influenced by that of your Summoner." The hall was completely silent, as if in shock of this outrageous plan of action.
The large creature in the middle stepped off the podium, now standing on level with everyone else. "Many of you will find this a violation of your rights. Know that we did not come to this decision lightly. Something else you should know, is that the coins you have will keep you alive, so long as you are on the Fields of Justice. Should you fall in battle, you will be resurrected to continue the fight. This effect is lessened outside the Institute due to the limit of its range. Several of you may have found that you are far more durable than you used to be. This is the weakened effect of the coins."
Veigar stared at the figure, mouth agape. They could resurrect people? Such magic was unheard of until now! In fact, it should have been absolutely impossible, if his readings on magic were correct. Unable to stay silent, Veigar stepped forward.
"Resurrection is impossible." He stated, forcing himself to keep his tone level. "Everyone knows it. The gods that created our world made sure of this fact." His voice felt small in such an enormous room, but he did his best to appear powerful in the face of such tremendous revelations.
The female summoner smiled at him, clearly amused by his presence. Veigar glared daggers at her, cursing whatever she was under his breath. "Very astute, Veigar. Resurrection magic is impossible for this world. However, we are working in direct service to your gods. They have granted us this power, and a few others, in order to enforce this plan. Would you care for a demonstration?"
Veigar frowned, wary of deception. Eventually, he gave the woman a curt nod. The female summoner spun on her heels and aimed her palm at him. Stepping back with a start, he was too slow to dodge as she blasted a beam of pure light at him. Striking his barrier, Veigar was horrified to see it blast through with ease. Burning away his flesh, his last thought was one of regret.
…
He let out a choked gasp as he sat up, the darkness giving way to the light of the hall. Glancing around, Veigar caught the gazes of everyone in the room as they stared at him with wonder. He had been killed so easily, as if not but an insect. Yet here he was, alive again.
"Oh my god Veigar! Are you okay?" Lulu shouted, falling to her knees beside him.
"Get off of me! I don't need your help." Veigar shoved her aside, pulling himself to his feet. Glancing up at the summoner woman, he desperately wished for the ability to kill someone with hate alone. The woman smiled at him maliciously, and the large robbed figure in the front cleared his throat.
"As you can see, so long as you are within the walls of the Institute, you will return to life. Our plan has been in the works for generations, and we decided it was finally time to unveil it. Now, I am sure you wish to return to your people and inform them of this change. Before you go, I must make clear to you the rules the League will be imposing.
"One, you may not kill another champion outside of the Fields of Justice unless absolutely necessary. Such a loss would be painful to the League, and we do not condone it. Second, the roster of Champions is final. Should any of you die outside of the Fields, your coin will simply cease to exist. We may introduce new champions as we see fit, but until further notice, you are looking at your potential allies and enemies for the future to come."
Veigar bemusedly eyed his fellow yordles, who were busy murmuring amongst themselves. The woman stepped forward once more and said "Lastly, and this one should be obvious, there will be no external conflicts between nations or powerful individuals. Such conflicts MUST be taken up with the League, and be resolved in the fields of Justice."
The robbed man pulled out a scroll and held it aloft for everyone to see. "We will be granting all of you unique powers that exist only for summoners such as ourselves. Use them as you see fit, we have emplaced no limits on your powers outside the Fields of Justice. Upon your return to wherever you came from, you will find a scroll detailing the rest of the proceedings of this endeavor."
The three Summoners stepped back on the podium and turned to face one another, clasping their hands together in a circle. Blue tinted magic materialized at their feet, swirling around them in a column of power. Veigar had never seen such a large amount of magic before, even during the Rune Wars. The energy expanded, enveloping everyone in the Hall. Veigar felt a familiar lurch in his stomach, akin to what he had felt when they were first transported here. Sure enough, he was standing back in the desert, face to face with Tristana and Poppy.
Needless to say, all three of them looked very confused. Veigar was the first to break the silence. "I see no reason to continue our battle. Do you?" Both girls shook their heads, still reeling from the enormous weight they'd all been shouldered with. Veigar smirked, turned on his heels, and stalked off into the dunes. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight, that was for sure.