Chapter 17: Explanations
"We'll be back in about an hour or so. You guys go ahead and talk it out. Come on Annie." says Ezreal, tugging along the pink-haired mage with him. After an hour Elias had finished his story of where he was. "So... You were in your world. The entire time you were missing, correct?" asks the platinum-haired woman sitting on the bed. Elias had just finished with explaining where he had disappeared to for over a month and nodded or shook his head at her every question. "So how the hell do you look so much... older?" asks Katarina with her arms crossed. He sighs again and looks at them "You want the Zilean version? Or my version?" The two women look at each other before Riven speaks up. "Your version." "Well... Time passes a lot faster in my world apparently. A month here equals about a year or so there, so my body decided to catch up with all of the time I missed there. Nothing like going from being nineteen to twenty-six in under an hour..." he says the last part with a shiver.
Katarina looked at him in disbelief. "Wait you were nineteen? I thought you were at least twenty-one." Kat asks surprised. "Yeah I was a teenager. Why is that such a surprise?" he replies. "Well you sure acted a lot mature than your age. That's probably why." the redhead says. Elias was about to retort until he remembered how Jinx acted and shrugs. "You make a fair point" he says to her. "So do you mind telling us what took so damn long to get back to our world? Not even the Summoner's had an explanation as to how you even went back to your world alone without their help." Katarina asked, this time glaring at him. Elias sighed and shook his head again, "My version or Kassadin's?"
"Humor us and give us his version." she replies. "According to him, what I did was more or less what the creatures of the Void do to enter our world. Sorta like this." Elias says before flicking his wrist, summoning a black portal next to him. "But to get back to my world apparently needed either an immense amount of power, or an intense desire to return. In other words-" he was cut off by Riven interrupting. "Your 'break' from the League was enough to do so." He nods and looks up at her with a small smile on his face. "Exactly. In any event, what has been going on around here since I was gone? I noticed a lot of defenses up surrounding the city and the Institute." Elias asks the two female champions.
The air seemed to change around them when the Judge asked that. "That bastard Xerath attacked the city with his followers, Renekton leading the charge. Heimerdinger and Orianna luckily created a makeshift defense system that defended the city from any more harm, which thankfully has been improved upon. Then there was the ordeal with Annie being kidnapped in Piltover and returned back to Riven and Ezreal by some woman. I heard that he suffered a pretty nasty fate according to Caitlyn and Vi. Whoever put that creep in his place, I'd sure love to high-five for doing it for me." Katarina tells him. A small smirk appears on Elias' face and he slowly raises his hand up.
"You don't have to raise your hand to talk. We're all adults here; speak your mind." Riven said with a small smile, the first one she'd formed in over a month. The redheaded assassin shakes her head slightly and look at him in disbelief. "You did it? You were the mysterious man that saved Annie?" Kat says shocked. The Judge nods and waves his hand in her face, "I believe you owe me a high-five Kat." Katarina's face lit up with a smirk of her own and clasped hands with her raven-haired friend. "No one hurts my family without getting their just dues." he says with a small smile.
The trio laughs and sits there for a while to take in each other's company. "Another question: You've obviously been traveling around Runeterra. What for though? You trying to put together your own army to take down Xerath?" Katarina says the last part like a joke. "Actually... I have been doing exactly that. So far I have some unlikely supporters, but I'd like to get the whole continent's help before I make my move." he replies, looking at his hands. The redhead nods but Riven looks at him confusedly. "Are you ok Elias? You seem kind of... uneasy." she asks looking into his eyes.
"Yes, Elias. Why are you so uneasy?" interrupts a harsh voice. Talon steps out of the shadows with his arms crossed and a furious expression on his face. "Talon? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with Cass all week." Katarina asks surprised. "I was. Until I caught wind of a secret meeting between two powerful figures in Noxus and Demacia." he says in a cold tone, glaring daggers at the Judge. "Talon you-" Elias started before Talon lifted him up by the collar with his blade at his neck. "Where. Is. He!" barks the assassin. Katarina and Riven at this point attempted to pull the other Noxian off of Elias, but he simply moved his blade closer to his throat.
"Talon, I cannot tell you where he is. You should know this of all people!" the Judge pleads with the assassin. The hooded assassin presses his blade closer to the Judge's neck before angrily letting go of him. Talon was about to turn to walk out before his adoptive sister slammed her fist into his jaw. "What the FUCK is wrong with you Talon?!" she says, practically screaming at him. "He knows where Marcus is! And I know that you are only other person more determined to find him other than I Kat!"
She stands there stunned for a second to take in what he had just said. "Is that true Elias?" Katarina says turning to the Judge. He sighs heavily and nods, "Yes I do Kat. But I cannot tell you where or how you can find him." A frown comes across her face and she looks down. "Is he ok at least?" the redhead whispers. Smiling slightly Elias nods. "He's fine. A few gray streaks scattered throughout his hair, but he's still lively as ever." She smiles slightly and Talon tries to hide his own small smile as well. "Thank you Elias. It means a lot to know that my father is at least alive and kicking." Katarina tells him.
"Well, I must head back to Cass now. Do you want to tell her father is alive, or shall I?" Talon asks Kat. She shakes her head and looks back at him, "No I'll go tell her. I have to visit Noxus anyway for a meeting with Swain." He nods and vanishes from the room. "I'll talk to you when I get back Riven. And you. I expect you to stay around for good." Kat pokes Elias with her finger, a playful grin on her face. "I'm here for good now Kat. Don't worry about it." She nods and turns to exit the room. "Also Elias... Good to have you back." And with that she vanishes from the room.
After Katarina had left, Riven sits down and waves Elias to come to her. He does so and sits next to her. "Yes?" asks Elias. She simply shakes her head and lays it down on his shoulder, "I just missed you is all..." she says in almost a whisper. Elias smiles and pats her gently on the head. "I missed you too Riv." They sit there in silence as time seems to slow down around them. The platinum-haired woman looks down at his hands and starts to reach for them. She at first is hesitant but eventually musters up some courage and slips her hand into his. Elias noticed this and blushes some, but besides that he didn't say anything. The two took comfort in each others company before someone knocked loudly at the door.
Elias sighed and got up, leaving Riven with a small frown across her face. He smiled slightly at her and opened the door. "Hello Elias. I was asked by monsieur Ezreal to come and retrieve you. He is currently waiting in the atrium gardens leading to the pre-game lobby. "D'Artagnan says when the door is opened. "Oh, hello D'Art. Why did Ezreal send you instead of coming himself?" he asks. She shrugs and turns around, looking over her shoulder as she does so, "He said he was busy and could not go retrieve you himself." With that she walks away waving, Elias waves as well and closes the door. Riven sits up when the door was closed and looks at him. "You two seem close." she teases.
He chuckles and shakes his head. "D'Art and I were part of an organization made up of various peoples from all over my world who were sent to keep the peace between nations. It was made up of forty people when it started but after a massive attack at our base happened… there was only three left: me, D'Artagnan, and her now-husband Victor. During our time together though, it was us three that made up a group of what was nicknamed "The Three Musketeers". After a while of nothing happening I told them my plan of returning here and planning for the defense against Xerath. D'Art was for the idea, but Victor didn't want his wife to return back to intense combat; especially in an unknown place. He eventually let her go and well… the rest you know."
After his long speech Elias had noticed Riven staring at him with intrigued eyes. "I'll explain more if you want later. For now we have to find Ezreal." She sighs and nods in agreement. "I'll come with you then." she says lifting herself off the bed. He nods and opens the door letting her go out first. Riven exits the room and Elias follows soon afterwards. They start walking towards the atrium gardens in silence, Riven sneaking glances at his face as they go. She started to examine his changes from before and after he had left Runeterra. He had become more handsome than before: his jawline more defined, eyes more experienced looking, and his hair was more wild yet she found it mature in some way.
Elias seemed to notice this and chuckles. "Notice something you like?" he teases. The platinum-haired woman immediately turns her head away with a shade of crimson on her face. The Judge chuckles to himself and shakes his head. "Still easy to tease I see." She sticks her tongue out at him and looks back down, her face still reddened from before. A few moments later, Elias is tackled to the ground by a blur of pink. "ELI!" squeals an ecstatic Annie. "Annie! I told you not to run otherwise- Oh. Nevermind then." Ezreal says with a small chuckle. Elias laughs and pats her on the head, "Miss me that much?" She nods excitedly and clings onto the Judge as if he'd disappear again.
"So I guess you two have finished talking?" Ezreal asks. Elias nods and stands up, "Yeah, for now. Thanks for taking care of Annie, Ez." The blonde shakes his head and smiles, "Not a problem." Elias then plucks the pink-haired child and places her on his shoulders, earning a giggle from both her and Riven. The Prodigal Explorer looks at the three of them and chuckles to himself. "What is it Ez?" asks the Judge. "You guys just look like a happy couple touring the Institute with your child is all." he says with a small smirk.
Being called a couple caused Riven to turn a bright shade of pink which made Ezreal and Elias chuckle in unison. "I'll let you guys go. See you in the next match Elias." With that, Ezreal waves goodbye and walks away from the trio. "So what do you two want to do? We still have the rest of the day to spend, and I'm down for anything." the Judge asks the two female champions. They stand there for a second before Riven speaks up. "I think a walk through the atrium gardens would be nice. I remember you liked to walk through it every now again." she says with a smile. Elias and Annie nod in agreement and begin heading towards the atrium gardens.
On the way there they talk about how well Riven and Annie's matches have been going, the places Elias toured while he was in his world, and various other things that have happened. "Oh yeah, how are Zed and Syndra doing by the way?" the Judge asks Riven. She looks at him questioningly but shrugs, "They're ok I guess. Don't really talk to them much. Why do you ask?" "Just curious." he replies with a small grin. She tries to say something in reply, but shakes her head and continues walking.
A few minutes later they reached the gardens. Elias stood there and stared up at the various plants and wildlife that inhabited it. His favorites however were the black-and-white roses that were scattered across the entrance. "Glad to see those still are here." he says with a saddened sigh. "Yeah, not much has changed since you left Eli. Well here anyway. I mean things have changed but- You know what I mean." rambles Riven as she looks around.
A voice then comes over the global P.A. system and starts to list off the next matches taking place. And substituting for Irelia will be Riven. The match begins in 5 minutes. All champions are to be in the lobby before the match starts. Riven looks at Elias and Annie shocked and slightly disappointed, "I thought she was going to show up to her match! Damn it all, I won't make it in time for the match!" As the Exile stands there panicking about her match Elias just stands there and can't help but to smile. He found her cute when she was worrying about little things like this. "Hey, don't worry Rivs. I know a way to get you to your match on time." he tells her while still keeping his grin.
Both Annie and Riven have puzzled looks on their faces until he waved his hand and a dark portal appeared in front of them. "Ladies first," he says with a dramatic bow. They both eye him wearily but decide to walk through the portal with Elias in they arrived on the other side the trio was greeted by Riven's teammates. They were all startled at the sudden appearance of the group but Master Yi finally broke the silence, "Thank you Riven for coming on such a short notice." She gives a nervous chuckles and rubs the back of her neck before looking to Elias. "Was that the same thing you used in the match against me?" she asks him. "Yeah. Except I can use a much powerful version outside of the Rift." he says with a small smile. "We'll you had better get going. I'll be watching the match. Good luck!" Elias says while he and Annie wave goodbye.
Riven waves goodbye as well and joins her team in the pre-game lobby. "So, who am I laning against?" asks the silver-haired woman. "My brother unfortunately. Sorry girl." Draven says mockingly from the back of the group. She flinched some from remembering her last run in with the Hand of Noxus, "Since when were you two allowed to join matches again?" "Last week if you payed attention you pathetic excuse of a Noxian. But hey, just let Draven carry your worthless self and it'll all be good sweetcheeks." laughs the arrogant Noxian. She was about to say something before Master Yi stood in between the two and glared at them through his goggles. "Enough fighting you two. Arguing before the match even begins won't get us anything but a loss. Set aside your differences for now and focus on the task at hand." the Wuju master said sternly.
Janna merely shook her head and sat there out of the conflict. A few minutes later the team was enveloped in a blue light and magically appeared onto the Rift. After buying her items Riven looked over at Draven with a scowl, "You're lucky Yi stopped me. Otherwise you would have had my sword shoved up your ass, douchebag." He simple scoffed at her remark and ran down to his own lane. She was about to do the same before she felt a hand place itself on her shoulder. "You showed a great amount of restraint Riven. I understand it is hard for you to not kill that arrogant Noxian after what his brother and him did to both you and Elias, but you managed to stave off the feeling. Oh, and I'll camp top for you. Just get ready for the gank when you see me." Master Yi says with a small smile, which causes her to smile in return.
In the viewing area...
"Godbless Yi. If he didn't stop Riven from killing Draven there would have been another fiasco." Elias sighs while sipping on his drink. Annie looks up at him and nods in agreement which is mirrored by D'artagnan who also sips on her own drink. "Is Rivey gonna be ok, Eli?" asks the Dark Child. He sits there and swirls his drink in his hand with a blank expression across his face. Annie looks at him worriedly as D'Art simply snaps her fingers in his face, "Elias. You did the thing again." The raven-haired champion's attention snapped back to reality and looked down at his adoptive sister. "Yes. Sorry, I zoned out there. Riven will definitely win. There's no doubt in my mind." he says with a grin.
Annie giggles and flashes one of the brightest smiles she's made since Elias' return. This warmed the Judge's heart and he returned his gaze back to the match. A few minutes pass by and nothing has really happened. Both teams are farming safely, neither jungler has ganked yet, and overall it was a boring game. And although he didn't want to switch his attention to another match Elias found the one he was watching too boring to continue with. He then shifts his gaze around to other monitors and finds a match where Shyvana is fighting against an enemy Volibear.
The two champions were fighting ferociously with one-another. Shyvana was still in her human form and was holding her own against the massive bear. They both clawed and scratched at each other with their claws, both viciously trying to kill the other. "Enough, you sniveling cub! I'll show you how a true warrior fights!" roared Volibear. He stretches his paw high into the sky and an arc of purple lightning envelops his arms, then releases a loud roar to challenge the Half-Dragon. "A true warrior? Oh little bear, I have fought foes much worse than you on the battlefield. I will dance in your ashes!" Shyvana retorts. Her form slowly begins to change as wings sprout from her back, and her face shifts more into a snout. After a few seconds, the Half-Dragon has transformed into her true form: a large red dragon.
"He's soooo fucking dead!" Elias laughs but then ends up being slapped by someone. "Do not say zat in front of a small child Elias." scolds D'Artagnan. He rubs his face and looks up at her, "No wonder Vic is scared of you." She eyes him as if to say "keep talking, and see what happens" but he decided to not continue. They all watch the screen as the fight between Volibear and Shyvana had grown more intense. Voli was at about half health while Shyvana still had 75% of her health. After a few more hits the armored bear's passive kicked in which gave him a large boost of health regeneration. However it didn't matter as Shyvana's E ability "Flame Breath" came back up and she went back to mowing down his health. After a few more slashes and bites, Shyvana had won the fight and roared triumphantly over her foe.
"Yup. That's how I would have done it." says Elias with a smile on his face. Annie looks at him strangely before her attention shifts towards the lobby where Riven had gone in. The doors had opened and each team came walking through either grumbling or sighing. The Exile came out last and scanned the area before she had spotted her friends and walked towards them. "That was rather fast. You guys win that quickly?" asks Elias. Riven shakes her head and breathes a sigh of relief, "No we had to remake the game because Darius refused to fight me. So the match was cancelled, and since I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place I was able to get out of the match." The Judge ponders for a moment and stares blankly into space. "Elias... You're doing it again." D'Art tells him.
The Judge comes back to reality and looks around as if he was stunned. "Sorry. I got to thinking about how the game and how this world has changed alongside with it. Got carried away though." he says rubbing the back of his head, flashing his signature grin as he did so. "Anyway! I bet you guys are hungry right? Lets go get something to eat yeah?" Elias proposed. Annie nodded her head vigorously while Riven simply nodded, and D'Art shook her head in reply. "Aw come on! I know this great place in Ionia that I'm sure you'll love D'Art." The Judge says with a smile. "I highly doubt zat sir. What could possibly be in Ionia that I wou-" D'Art says but is cut off by Elias' hand. "Ionian food is much like Asian cuisine~." he says in a sing-songy tone. This immediately triggered a reaction in D'Artagnan's face that can only described as pure excitement. She gives a small cough before tipping her hat, "Well... if you say it's like Asian food... Then I have to reason to say no!" This causes the other three champions to laugh before Elias summons a portal to take them to Ionia.
When they had arrived in Ionia the first thing that surprised the group was that Irelia had been waiting for them. "Judge, Riven, Annie, and... I do not know who you are." Irelia says to the group. "This is D'Artagnan, the Iron Will. She's a new champion that just joined recently." replies Elias. The Ionian general nods and turns to Riven. "I wanted to apologize to you for having you fill in on such short notice. Some political business came up here in Ionia and I had to attend to it." The Exile shakes her head and smiles at the Ionian, "No it's fine. They ended up cancelling the match because Darius refused to fight me." Irelia nods her head and bows. "Bigger question: How the hell did you figure out where we would be when I used my corridor?" Elias asks slightly angry. Irelia just shakes her head and looks at him, "We have our ways, Judge. Also, Riven, I need to talk to you privately for a moment, I would greatly appreciate that." says The Will of the Blades to Riven. The platinum-haired champion looked confused for a second but nodded and the two walked off for a moment.
"I wanted to make it up to you somehow for putting you through that at the last second, so I managed to snag some tickets to The Blossom Festival that happens in a few days." Irelia says with a smile. "Wait, a festival? Why a festival?" Riven asks with a concerned tone. A devilish smile appears on Irelia's face and she wraps an arm around The Exile's shoulder, "Aw come on! It'll be a good time to get close to a certain someone that I know you like. I'm pretty sure you'll both enjoy it." Riven's face turns into a shade of crimson and looks down. "O-ok. But how can I tell him?" the platinum-haired champion asks the Ionian. She merely shrugs and hands her the tickets, "I dunno. But I'm sure you can figure out a way." The Exile takes them from her hands and nods meekly.
The two female champions return to the other three and Irelia bows once more before taking her leave. "What was that about?" asks Elias. "Oh nothing. She just wanted to give a more personal thank you in private is all." replies Riven, her clutching the tickets behind her back as she does so. He nods and turns to start walking, "We have about a mile's worth of walking before we get to the restaurant. Let's go before it gets too dark yeah?" The other champions nod in unison before following his lead.
After half an hour of walking the group finally arrives at a small building with the name "Igei Ton" in Ionian carved into a sign. "I haven't seen this place before while traveling Ionia. Was it just built?" asks Riven. Elias nods and walks up to the door, "Yeah. A buddy of mine from the League told me about this place and recommended it. So I figured I would take us there today." She gives a small nod in reply and the group follows Elias into the building.
Once inside the group was greeted by an old Ionian woman that bowed at the group. "Welcome, Champions of the League. We have been expecting your arrival." she says before coming back up. Elias returns the greeting with his own bow and looks around the place. "A lovely place you have here ma'am." he says with a smile. "And I hope it stays that way, Judge." says a man's voice from behind the elder. A tall man with a rather long pony-tail wearing tattered remains of what looks to be an old blue uniform of sorts with a sword strapped to his side comes up and bows to the group. Annie hides behind Elias when the man comes out and clutches Tibbers tightly. "Don't worry Yas; we came here to try the food you recommended to me the other day." The Judge says reassuringly.
The swordsman scratches his scruff before turning to the elder Ionian woman. Both of them exchange words in Ionian for a moment before Yasuo heads to the kitchen while the woman takes the group of champions to their table. Once they were seated, the Ionian elder pulls out a small kettle and begins to pour tea into some cups. She then distributes the cups to the four champions and then walks off after bowing to them. "Zis place iz quite beautiful Elias." D'Art says between sips of her tea. He nods in agreement and blows on his tea before drinking it. Riven and Annie do the same, to which the child smiles from the taste. "This is really good Eli!" the cherry-haired girl squeals in delight. This puts a smile on Elias' and Riven's face; his smile causing Riven to blush from looking at it.
The group of champions talk amongst each other about various things like their opinions on recent events, how life at the Institute was going, and playing catch up some more between them. Twenty minutes pass before Yasuo and the elderly Ionian come out with large platters of food. They both lay the platters across the table stocked with various Ionian foods and bow before leaving the group to themselves. They all gasp excitedly as they stare at the platter of food and begin digging into the meal. "Thish is really good Elias!" says Annie between bites of food. Riven and D'Art nod in agreement as they also mow down the delicious food. He smiles and continues to eat himself.
A few minutes later though a shiver makes it way down Elias' spine and he jolts upright as if on high alert. "Elias? What is it?" Riven asks slightly worried. He doesn't reply and only darts his eyes around the room. "D'Art I have to go. Watch these two, and tell Yasuo I'll pay him when I come back." he tells his friend seriously. She looks alarmed but merely nods. The Judge then summons a portal and looks over at Annie and Riven, "I'll explain when I get back. Just be safe in the meanwhile yeah?" Before either of them could reply he had already disappeared.
In the Marshes of Kaladoun...
"Protect the King! No matter what, keep him safe!" yells one of the guards protecting Jarvan III. An army of the undead had surrounded the carriage that was transporting the King of Demacia back to his home and they were barely being kept at bay by his soldiers. Various hellish ghouls snarled and gnashed their rotted teeth at the group of soldiers but did nothing; almost as if they were waiting for something. They soon parted and a ghostly figure made its way through the ranks. The King stepped out of his carriage and eyed wearily at the being before saying anything, "Who are you spirit? You look... oddly familiar." The ghostly figure floats there for a second before taking a dramatic bow. "I am The Deathsinger, Karthus. And I am here to bring you into the sweet embrace of Death." the Lich says with a cackle. This causes the King's men to gather in a tightened formation around their King and they all raised their weapons at The Deathsinger.
"Pitiful attempt I'm afraid. Now, SING WITH YOUR FINAL BREATH!" roars Karthus. He raises his staff and book into the air and begins to channel his "Requiem" ability to end the lives of the King and his men. A gunshot and a hole appears in the Lich's ethereal form, causing him to stop his channel. "Not today Karthus. They don't die unless I say so." says a voice from afar. When Karthus and the King looks over to where the voice is they see a man shrouded in silver holding a single pistol. "Judge..." growls Karthus as he sights his new enemy.
A.N: Uh... hi. Here's a new chapter. Long story short: Finished my senior year, lost the spark to write, just started college in August, and now I'm back. I'll try to get chapters out in a semi-timely manner but... how long will that last. Also I was climbing to Plat (which I got) so that took a lot of my time as well. Anyway, see you next chapter... whenever that is. *insert obligatory "hehe xd"*