AN: This chapter took a little more work then expected. It was written last month, but I wasn't happy with it so last week I took nearly half of the chapter out and started over again. However, I had also written over 3/4s of the next chapter and by removing what I did, rendered a good third of that chapter irrelevant so I ended up having to scrap some of that too. Now, I have a deleted scenes word doc with nearly 8K words just chilling on the sidelines, waiting to be recycled in case I decide to include parts of it at a later date.
Tip for any new writers: NEVER just erase and delete sections you take out. Store it somewhere (be sure to label why you got rid of it) just in case you go back and look through it and get an idea for the future.
Ionia (city), Ionia
"Better wrap up any business you have in this city today." Mute said as soon as Isaac finished closing the door to his room. "We're leaving tomorrow with the Ionians."
Isaac nodded. Guess that meant today was the last day he would be able to enjoy proper meals, coffee, and a nice bed too.
Whatever, he was used to shit sucking.
Isaac got a few steps down the hall when one of the doors in front of him opened, and out stepped a beautiful woman with nine-tails.
She noticed Isaac immediately and gave him a small wave.
"Why good morning Archangel." Ahri called to him. "I wasn't aware you were staying in a room so close to mine."
That's because I don't want any of you to know where it is I sleep…
Some call that paranoia. Isaac called it taking precautions.
Still, Isaac attempted to be pleasant and gave her a nod. "Morning."
"Are you on your way to the lounge?" She asked, falling into step beside him.
Isaac nodded again, and Ahri gave him a grin.
"Funny, so am I. Shall we enjoy breakfast together?" She asked.
…. I might change my mind now…
But, like Mute and Blitzkrieg had been telling him, having allies was a benefit. Even when those allies are known to eat people's memories… or something like that.
Isaac shrugged. "I suppose you'll get your dinner with me after all."
Ahri chuckled at that. "Indeed, it seems I shall."
A few minutes later, they were sitting across from one another at a small table in the lounge. It was somewhat deserted so early in the morning, so Isaac assumed that most people hadn't gotten up yet.
After having given their orders, Isaac watched Ahri carefully. He still had his visor down, so the fox-girl couldn't see that he was looking her over and make assumptions. Sure, Ahri was beautiful, but Isaac still had trust issues with her.
Being someone who could take people's memories didn't really make Ahri an easy to trust woman… even more so when she apparently had pretty powerful magic.
"So…" Ahri broke the silence. "Only one day until everything begins hmm?"
Isaac tilted his head to the side in question. What was she referring to now?
Ahri gave him a grin. "Oh? I'm sure you know what it is I'm speaking of. I'm talking about the upcoming campaign that our lovely lady Irelia will be leading."
"Is that becoming common knowledge?" Isaac asked.
"Seeing how we depart tomorrow, yes."
"… We?"
Ahri nodded. "Yes, we. You are going, I am going. Therefore, WE."
Isaac had to resist the need to groan. "Why are YOU going?"
Ahri chuckled. "Please, a powerful magic wielder such as myself? Of course, they would request that I accompany them. Karma didn't give the recall order just to invite everyone over for a reunion. Without any League matches being held for the foreseeable future, we all have much more free time."
He could understand that… as much as he felt a small sense of dread washing over him. This meant that he would likely be seeing more of Ahri soon, seeing how they'll be spending days together on the road with the army.
Great… I get to spend more time with the mind-reading memory eating fox girl… lucky me.
"So… you know what we're going up against?"
Ahri nodded, smile fading. "Yes, it is quite sad that we must act against Zed, but desperate times call for desperate measures." She sighed. "I've known him for some time, through the League, and I never took him as an evil man. I wonder what caused him to turn to the Ascension."
"Ambition makes people do strange things."
"They say the same of love. In fact, they say the same of many things."
"Isn't that the truth…" Isaac rolled his neck around. His morning workout hadn't gotten out all the kinks.
Ahri gave him a deviant look. One that said that Isaac probably wasn't going to enjoy where this conversation was heading. "I wonder… how will you eat if you hid behind that mask?"
Well… I guess that's not as bad of a conversation as it could've been…
Isaac tapped his helmet's mouthpiece. "It slides up. I don't need to take if off to eat."
"Convenient." Ahri nodded. "I overheard a strange rumor yesterday…"
"Oh?"
"They said your face resembles a cutting board."
Isaac couldn't stop himself from groaning. "As much as that annoys me, I can see how they would make that comparison." Isaac sighed and tapped the side of his helmet, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.
His visor slid up, robbing him of the joys of a HUD, and revealing his face to Ahri.
Mute will set off alarms in my helmet if she detects a magic burst from Ahri… if that bitch uses that charm spell on me I swear to God… I'm taking one of her tails as a trophy. And I don't even keep trophies.
Isaac felt somewhat awkward as Ahri shamelessly inspected his recently shaven face from a distance.
"I can see how those rumors came to be…" She said in such a quiet tone, that Isaac almost didn't hear it.
After a few seconds of staring, Ahri suddenly got up out of her chair and leaned over the table. Isaac had to resist reaching for a weapon or moving backwards as he watched the nine-tailed human fox reach over the table and reached for his face.
Her hand got to about a few centimetres from his face before Isaac decided that was close enough and he quickly snatched her wrist, preventing her from touching him.
Ahri let out a small squeak and froze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked Isaac right back in his own distrusting ones.
"No. Touching." Isaac stated with a serious tone.
Another deviant smile broke out on Ahri's face. "Oh? I thought boys liked it when girls touched them."
"Not when those girls are insanely powerful mages who can charm others and take memories."
Ahri sighed. "Please. I already said I have no interest in taking your memories. There is no need to be so on edge Archangel. I've been in the League for years and you don't see any other champions being so paranoid around me."
"I've also seen how no one keeps you company either." Isaac rebuffed. What did Ahri take him for, a fool? He had yet to see her alongside anyone, and most people kept the fox girl a good arm's length.
His words must have struck a nerve, since he saw one of Ahri's eyes twitch and her smile fade. He could've swore he saw the fox-human hybrid snarl for a moment before her grin came back, although now it seemed forced. "Oh? And yet here you are, keeping me company at breakfast. Are you saying you don't fear me when you're paranoid to the point where you fear my touch?"
Isaac rolled his eyes. "Please… I've seen war, I know what fear is. This is just me being careful given your abilities. That, and I'm not comfortable with you running your fingers along my face out here."
Silence fell over them both as they stared each other down. After a good six seconds, Ahri blinked first and sighed, her wrist going slack in Isaac's grip. He responded by letting her go, and Ahri returned to her seat.
"We don't need to be enemies, Archangel." Ahri sighed. "There is no need for this passive aggressiveness you hold against me."
The fox girl closed her eyes and slumping into her seat, bringing a hand to her head and started massaging her temple.
Before Isaac could respond, he heard Mute speak up.
"Well, as much as I agree on taking precautions against Ahri's abilities, I don't think your current attitude towards her is going to win you any favors." Mute said.
Isaac had to refrain from biting his lip as he thought about what Mute said. She was right, but Isaac couldn't help but hold a degree of distrust towards Ahri. And he knew that it was entirely personal, her ability to take memories or read them had everything to do with it.
Also, being around a potentially wild-card magic user made him uneasy as well, since magic was the only real threat to him on this world. Minus the Ascension of course.
"Isaac, Ahri is a powerful mage." Mute continued. "Having her on our side would be a pretty nice boost to our contacts since they're lacking pretty badly. On top of that, her ability to take another's essence is a boon in its own right if she points it at the Ascension."
So… what? Have her read the minds of the Ascension? Isaac thought. He had to find himself agreeing with Mute, it would be a real boost to their information gathering abilities.
I suppose I should smooth things over a bit though… maybe be honest with her.
Isaac sighed. "Look, Ahri…" He began, causing Ahri to open her eyes and watch him carefully. "I don't hate you, I hardly know you. And I agree, we don't need to be enemies… but I'll be honest with you."
Isaac paused to give her a serious look. "I don't trust you. It's nothing personal, I just don't trust people easily and, why should I? Everyone on this damn rock you call home wants something from me. The people of Ionia hate me, but want me to help fight their war. Demacia attempted to use subversion to get me in their pocket, and they just did that by trying to gain access to my mind through lies. So, when you have a similar ability, it's going to take a bit of time for me to trust you."
Assuming we're going to be around each other long enough for that trust to grow.
Ahri listened to his words without so much as a peep. Their breakfast arrived at their table and silence reigned over them as they ate.
After a minute or so, Ahri spoke up again.
"I suppose I understand where you're coming from. To be honest with myself, I should have come to such an understanding earlier. From my past experiences with humans, I should remember how trust is something that doesn't come easily." Ahri nodded. "People have always been cautious of my abilities. Afraid of them. I don't blame them for it at all. Human emotions can be more volatile than even the deepest magic, after all."
"Isn't that the truth…" Isaac mumbled in response, knowing he said it just loud enough for Ahri to hear. Silence resumed its place over them for a brief time as Isaac thought about the fox-human girl sitting across from him, eating her food. He had a sneaking suspicion that Ahri didn't exactly have the most pleasant of pasts, and like him, wasn't really interested in sharing it.
There might be more in common between us then I want to admit… He thought.
"So… what are you plans for your final day in the city?" She asked, striking up a new conversation to break the silence.
"I'll be meeting with Sona at lunch. Demacia wants information on the Ascension, although they're starting to sound desperate." Isaac told her truthfully. It wasn't some big secret.
Ahri raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I didn't realize things were bad over there too. That's sad to hear." She took a sip from her water. "A shame really… I thought Demacia was stronger then that."
Seems like I'm not the only one who thinks that.
"Still… I hope you treat Sona well. She's a nice girl." She gave Isaac a small deviant grin. "Although… she isn't as naïve as she pretends to be."
"… What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Ahri chuckled. "Although probably not at your lunch date."
… Not you too…
"It's not a date."
"Sure, sure…" Ahri waved him off with a laugh. "Quality time with Sona aside…" She trailed off, obviously leaving it there for Isaac to finish.
"Nothing really. I'll either coop myself up in my room preparing for tomorrow, or I'll give one last tour around the city. Doubt I'll be back here."
"Oh? Planning on leaving Ionia behind as soon as you can?"
"The Ascension are making moves around the world. I can't ignore that. Besides, the Ionians have made it pretty clear that they don't like me loitering around their city."
Ahri sighed. "I suppose not. The struggles of being a hero I suppose."
Isaac's eye twitched. "I'm not a hero."
"Yet you go around trying to save the world from an invading force, my previous statements on how danger follows you around notwithstanding." Ahri chuckled. "Like it or not, that is pretty much the definition of a hero. A paranoid one, but a hero nonetheless."
Don't get literal with me…
Mute spoke up. "Actually, I think the term anti-hero would fit you better." She said.
Hero, anti-hero, whatever… its not me. Isaac thought. He didn't say anything since he knew Mute would argue with him over how he fit the definition of anti-hero too well. Just because he was aware he fit the shoe, doesn't mean he was going to wear it.
"What about you?" He asked the fox-girl.
"Irelia wants to see me, she's been meeting with every champion who has arrived so far, trying to find places for them in her battle plans I'd guess." She answered. "It's a little harder for me, since most humans are uneasy around a vastaya such as myself."
Vastaya? That her race or something? Isaac thought. He was a little worried that there was an entire race of individuals like Ahri roaming around somewhere. That would be the kind of thing that the Ascension would jump on.
It wasn't something he was going to question her on right then and there, so Isaac sighed and left it at that. Instead, he focused on finishing up on his meal, cleaning his plate around the same time Ahri did.
"Well then…" Ahri began as she stood up from her seat. "As much as I would like to say I enjoyed our conversation, that would be lying. Although, I do feel it cleared the air between us."
Isaac nodded. "At least we can agree on a few things."
Ahri gave a small smile. "Indeed. Seeing how we'll be on the road together, I imagine we'll have plenty of chances to… get closer." She said while giving him a seductive wink.
Isaac heard Mute groan in his earpiece. "SERIOUSLY?! You openly told her you don't trust her a few damn minutes ago! Now she's flirting with you!?"
Isaac ignored Mute's remark, deciding to play along with Ahri for now. Trust issues and his caution around Ahri's abilities aside, he couldn't deny the fact that Ahri was incredibility attractive.
"I'll be sure to keep you're remarks in mind." Isaac said as he tapped the side of his helmet, letting his visor slid back down into place and becoming the faceless meta-human killer he was. "When I'm alone at night."
He heard Mute groan again, but he ignored it. If Ahri wanted to play a little flirty, why not return it a bit? As Mute and Blitzkrieg had been telling him, he needed to be a little more friendly after all.
Ahri's response was rather enjoyable. For a moment she seemed kind of surprised that he had made such a remark, before her deviant and playful expression that had been absent for most of the morning had returned.
"Well, then... I'll be sure to pay you a visit if I feel my desires getting a hold of me." She said with a giggle.
Ahri made her way around the table, stopping when she was within arm's reach of Isaac. Her face shifted slightly from playful to having traces of a predator observing it's prey, a facial expression Isaac had a little bit of mixed feelings on.
"I do find scars quite attractive after all, so I might not wait until you trust me… I think I would enjoy it more." Her voice was almost a whisper, and Isaac caught the dangerous tone of it, causing him to slow his breathing and absentmindedly think of what the proper counter to Ahri would be if she suddenly turned hostile then and there.
But before he could respond, Ahri giggled again, and walked past him.
"Enjoy your last day in Ionia Archangel… I'll be seeing you on the road." And she parted with those words.
Mute let out a low whistle. "Wow… I can't get a fix on that one. One moment she's telling you she doesn't trust you, next she's having a heart to heart, the next she's flirty, then she's either flirting in some messed up way or subtly threating you."
Isaac sighed and relaxed himself. He couldn't deny it: his feelings on Ahri were mixed at best.
"You sure she's the kind of person we WANT on our side?" He asked his AI.
"I'm a hundred percent certain she is the kind of person we want to avoid getting on their bad side." Mute replied.
Isaac agreed, assuming that her magic was as powerful as he was being told. "Do we have any way to actively monitor her ability to charm, or if she's stealing… essence?" He asked his AI.
"I can monitor her for magical pulses, like we detected when she used that charm spell on those guards that one time. If her ability to steal memories is magic related in any way, I can let you know later that she did something. If her ability is not magic related, I can monitor her for any strange or sudden shifts in behavior that may signal a problem." Mute explained.
Isaac nodded. "So we have a way. That's better then nothing."
"So… now that we danced with the temptress a second time, now what?" Mute asked.
Isaac turned from his table and made his way out of the lounge, knowing full well that he would be back in a few hours. "First, I'm going to work out a bit since I've been cooped up here too long. Then, we need to prepare for our meeting with Sona."
Hopefully, it would be much easier then meeting with Ahri.
He met with Sona at lunch as promised at the Blooming Lotus's lounge.
"This is it." Isaac said to the blue haired maiden as he sat down, lightly dropping off the brainchild of his writing hand from the last twenty on-and-off hours onto the table in front of her.
The report he wrote had a general overrun of the Ascension's make up and tactics, like the one he had given Kasubel last month, but a little more detailed.
Sona took a sip of her tea and lifted the small report up. She started looking over it, but Isaac could see that she was skimming it. It wasn't intended for he anyways so Isaac doubted she found it important.
True enough, before she even finished reading the second page she suddenly flipped through the whole thing and set it down. She produced a notepad and started to write. After a few seconds, she handed Isaac the note.
"Thank you for this! I'll be sure to get this to Demacia as soon as we're done here." Isaac read, tapping the side of his helmet to lift his visor.
As he sat down, he noticed Sona was writing again.
This whole note writing things is pretty inconvenient, but there really isn't another option since she's a mute.
…
Ok, she does have another option but we're not taking it.
As he thought that, Sona finished up and handed him another note. "If you don't mind, I have some more questions for you. It can wait until after we have our lunch if you prefer."
"You can ask now if you want." Isaac replied. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't a big fan of having to constantly answer questions everywhere he went, but given that he was the outworlder and the Ascension was the world's greatest threat… he really couldn't blame people for wanting to know more.
"I apologize if this question appears blunt, but what is this TRANS-Ops? What is the difference between it and the Ascension?"
Isaac gave a slight hmm after he finished reading. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really told anyone about his own organization had he? Blitzkrieg might have, but since Sona was asking it was likely he had only mentioned it.
I can't tell her too much. Classified information and all that… but I can give her an overview.
"TRANS-Ops is an accornym for Transhumanism Operatives for World-Wide Special Operations." He noticed the puzzled look on Sona's face. "In a nutshell, we're the Anti-Ascension."
Sona nodded and made to write another note but Isaac raised his hand. "I'm not done." She stopped.
"TRANS-Ops was formed during the Ascension War after it started becoming public knowledge that the Ascension were fielding soldiers with unnatural abilities and powers. A small group of meta-humans unaffiliated with the Ascension came to a group called the United Nations, which is kind of like our version of the Insititue of War, and pledged to help fight the Ascension. After a bunch of complicated stuff later that I won't bore you with, TRANS-Ops was formed and sent out to help the world's nations fight back against the Ascension." He explained.
This time he didn't interrupt Sona as she wrote another note and handed it to him.
"Why did you join?" It read.
"Well…" Isaac began, unsure how to explain it without giving away too much about himself. "Before TRANS-Ops was announced publicly the world was losing it's mind. We had a global conflict on our hands and the enemy had superhumans and technology that was years ahead of the rest of the world. After TRANS-Ops was announced it got people thinking… are there more meta-humans in hiding? Truth be told, before the war began, most meta-humans were actually still in hiding, myself included. When the war broke out it kind of felt like… we all had to choose a side. It also helped that both TRANS-Ops and the Ascension had located most of the in-hiding meta humans and had tried to convince them to join a side. I chose to side with TRANS-Ops."
As Isaac watched Sona as she mulled over all that information, he hoped she wouldn't pick up on how Isaac had dodged part of her question. The truth behind him joining was a little… more complicated then that.
The one who had convinced Isaac to join TRANS-Ops was none other then Kasumi herself. She had showed up in the middle of the night in the abandoned industrial park where Isaac had made his home. It… had been a long and awkward conversation seeing how they hadn't seen each other in… what, years?
But she convinced him. And now here he was.
And now she's dead…
Isaac shook that thought out of his head. Good timing for him too, since Sona was sliding another note across the table to him.
"So, TRANS-Ops is the counter to the Ascension? Is that why you both appear similar in appearance?" She asked.
"To a degree." Isaac nodded. "We were given the top-of-the-line most advanced technology and equipment the world had at the moment in order to give us the ability to go toe-to-toe with the Ascension. However, during the war said technology and equipment was still several steps behind the Ascension's. Designs like this suit…" Isaac pointed to himself, "Didn't come to us until after the war ended. Like you said though, it is based off the Ascension suits, which is why they appear so similar."
The best teacher in war is always the enemy. Unfortunately since our suits were more or less reverse-engineered from the Ascension ones, we're still a step or two behind theirs.
Before Sona could ask any more questions, a waiter came to drop off lunch for them. Sona passed Isaac a quick note.
"Let us enjoy our lunch, we'll talk after."
Isaac nodded. Although… he was the one doing all the talking… she was just writing notes.
While the two ate in silence, Isaac was discreetly watching Sona.
Given her mannerisms, Isaac was all but certain she was some kind of noble woman. Given her affiliation with Demacia, Isaac assumed she was connected to some sort of noble household there.
He was still somewhat suspicious of her and Demacia by extension, but he could at least tell that Sona was a bit more genuine then her two companions. Of course, she could also be a scheming witch, but Isaac thought that he was a pretty good judge of character.
Speaking of which, Isaac hadn't seen Galio or Shyvana since their little spat a few nights ago. He wanted to ask her about that but at the same time… he really didn't care.
As the two of the ate, Isaac absentmindedly noted how weird he and Sona looked sitting at a table together. Her upper-class and eloquent manners and way of eating versus his near total lack thereof. Isaac hoped he wasn't offending her somehow… it would've been a shitty way to lose a potential ally over dinner manners.
Sona seemed to pay him little mind though, focusing entirely on her meal. At least, that's what appeared like. For all Isaac knew, she could be watching and observing him with some kind of ability.
Either way, they both finished their meals and Sona once again took to her notepad.
"My companions and I received a new order this morning." It read. "Since Demacia and Ionia are friends, our services were offered to assist with the campaign."
Isaac knew where this was going and he had to do his best not to groan.
Great, just great…
"Let me guess." Isaac did he best to ensure his annoyance didn't seep into his voice. "You're all coming along?"
Sona simply nodded in response.
Isaac sighed.
Great. Not only did he have Ahri to handle during the campaign, but now he had passive aggressive Galio and outright aggressive Shyvana with him too.
Sona must have caught on to his displease, and she quickly wrote another note and handed it to Isaac.
"Do not worry for Shyvana. We will be fighting on the same side, she will not let your past disagreements get in the way during battle." Isaac read.
Sure, disagreements, that's a light way of putting it.
"… Wait…" Isaac paused. "Are YOU going too?"
Sona didn't seem like a fighter at all. Sure she was a League Champion but taking part in a military campaign? How…?
To his surprise, she nodded, and jotted down another note.
"I may not appear it, but I have a special magic that will be of a great boon to the Ionian forces."
Isaac looked her up and down.
Sure, why not? Only that if she goes into battle wearing that dress… well… man I don't even know anymore. This whole world is all kinds of fucked up when it comes to logic…
Sona suddenly rose from her seat and gave Isaac. He took the hint that she was saying goodbye for now and gave her a nod.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then?" ISaac asked.
The blue haired beauty gave him a small smile and a nod in response before taking her leave.
"Well…" Mute finally spoke up. "This campaign is going to be a little more crowded then we though, huh?"
"It's a military campaign Mute, theres going to be hundreds if not more with us." Isaac rolled his eyes. "Whats a few more?"
"Those FEW MORE are kind of passive aggressive towards you, and we know at least ONE of them is totally aggressive towards you and that one is a dragon."
"… Point taken."
The Celestial Fortress, Ionia
The Celestial Fortress. Once a home for one of Ionia's most gifted and respected teachers of magic, a temple of sorts, now a dark fortress of magic floating high among the clouds.
Its Queen sat atop a high chair in a self-styled throne room, arm up on the armrest and leaning into her hand, clearly bored. She was dressed in an attire that could be described as a somewhat scantily clad dark priestess outfit, a mix of black with purple assents. A black headpiece with a purple gemstone rested on her head, which was both a crown and a mockery of the Ionian Mantle of Decorum.
She waved her other hand around, summoning forth various maps, scrolls, books, and the like. Such used her magic to pull each one to her one at a time, scoured over them, only to scowl herself and throw it aside into a growing pile of books and papers on the floor in the corner of the room.
With a lazy wave of her hand she summoned forth a book, using her magic to turn through the pages. After quickly scanning over it's contents she sighed and with another wave, the book was launched across the room and was added to the pile.
"No." The self-styled sovereign of the Celestial Fortress sighed, summing forth another before repeating the process.
"No…" She said to herself again and repeating it again, over and over.
"No…"
"Not that one…"
"Nothing…"
"Nothing.
"No."
After what seemed to be hours passing by, Syndra let a growl and bolted up in her chair, slamming her foot down with a cry of rage and power, sending every book, report, and object aside from her throne flying across the room in various directions.
"NOTHING!" She screamed in anger. Her voice echoed throughout the empty halls of her home and she began grumbling to herself.
"Hundreds of tomes in this stupid fortress and NOTHING!" She growled as she slumped back into her throne. She waved a hand around and a closet off to the side of the room opened, a glass and bottle of wine coming flying out towards her. When it came to a stop in front of her, Syndra waved her hand around again and the bottle uncorked itself and poured its contents into the glass.
Still grumbling, Syndra took the full glass of wine and raised her other hand in the air, causing the cork to go back into the bottle and sent the bottle back off into the closet it came from.
She took a sip of the wine, letting its contents slide down her throat for a moment before sighing and propping up her elbow on the armrest.
"Is there anything in those damn libraries that old fool kept that has anything on these damn outworlders?" She grumbled to herself as she rested her chin on her hand as she swilled the wine around with the other.
She had likely poured through nearly all the books and tomes in her magical floating fortress and she had found nothing, not a single mention of anything that could have resembled the outworlders that now plagued Runeterra.
Only works about the Void… nothing about humans or meta humans or whatever the fuck they're called.
No mentioning of outworlders, no mentioning of advanced technology, no humans with non-magic powers from other dimensions.
No Ascension.
And no fucking Archangel.
Syndra felt her frustration rise when she thought of the name. It took all the restraint she had not to whip her wine glass across the room at the very thought of that damned outworlder champion.
"This is all his fault…" She mumbled to herself and downed her sorrows in her fruity wine.
I'm going to need to restock this soon… She sighed mentally. I've almost gone through the entire damn collection this last two weeks alone!
She didn't need to remember why she was on this damned search through her books and tomes for information on the outworlders. She couldn't get it out of her fucking head!
It started nearly two months ago during that damn League match. She only remained part of the League of Legends just to have access to more magic related material so she could grow her powers. And the ability to test them out at will on her enemies on the Fields of Justice, hah, what a treat that was.
Even more so when her opponents were her enemies: Irelia and Karma. It sucked how she wasn't able to kill them for good in those matches, but damn did it feel good making their bodies explode time and time again.
But what she was expecting to be a normal League match changed when she heard that one of her opponents was a new champion making his debut. She thought that perhaps it would be an interesting match.
Then she saw the one calling himself Archangel give first blood, and she had found herself rolling her eyes. Another weakling she had thought.
But then as the match went on and Archangel started racking up kills she found herself curious as to the identity of this new champion.
Then… she had seen him.
It had been at the turning point of the match, a team fight in the middle lane when suddenly Archangel had leapt from the side at Vi. Syndra had paid him no mind at first… until four tendrils of dark magic (or what she had assumed was magic at the time) sprouted out from his back.
She didn't see what happened next, she had been too involved and distracted by her own fight with the enemy. But when she looked back over in Archangel's direction she had been mildly surprised to see everyone on her team but her and Taric lying dead.
Then the moment of truth happened. She saw Archangel fire some sort of beam of dark energy at her, she only survived thanks to Taric jumping in the way. The blast never reached her, but she had felt it. Felt the power in it, the darkness.
How it reminded her so much of her own power.
She had been taken completely by surprise then and there. Having no other choice, she had attempted to withdraw, getting a good look at this man called Archangel in the process. His unrecognizable armor black as night, clearly appearing like he had come from another land.
After the match was over, Syndra wasted no time in trying to find out more about the new champion. She wanted to know what kind of magic he had, where he learned to wield it, what kind of power he had.
What was his limit… and could his powers be the key she needed to further her own?
She had to know the truth!
Syndra scowled as she thought over the origins of her new-found obsession and subsequent frustration. She waved the wine bottle back over to give herself another glass.
The truth… was far more surprising then I thought… She thought, shaking her head. In hindsight, she regretted even considering Archangel and his origins… now he was all she could think about.
She had originally found nothing on him, and that only made her want to know even more. He appeared in no more league matches after that so she was unable to observe him, which irritated her but didn't dampen her desire to learn about him and his powers. Then she learned of an interview he had given and sought out a copy. After acquiring it, she found herself very surprised, and with even more questions.
The outworlder… Archangel, if that was even his real name, was from another world that was apparently without magic but centuries ahead of Runeterra technologically wise. He had been brought to their world on what appeared to be some kind of accident. He was a soldier, and apparently a very good one (although from how some had talked about him Syndra suspected he had more in common with an assassin then a soldier). Enhanced by some sort of external means to grant him (what his world considered) unnatural power with the full intention of making him into some sort of killing machine.
Judging by what she had witnessed on the Fields of Justice, whoever had enhanced him had without a doubt succeeded.
Everything else about him was a mystery. But what got her attention the most were his powers. More specifically the fact that they weren't magical in nature. That shot down the idea that his powers could unlock her own. However…
At the same time… his powers had felt somehow like her own magic. The raw energy... the power…
She had to know more about them.
So, she had set off for the Institute of War to meet Archangel face to face and learn what she could. She was willing to interrogate him if necessary. She would NOT be denied.
… Only to discover that she had missed him leaving by a measly day… and no one but the League's Minister of Valoran Security knowing where he had gone off to.
She couldn't force HIM to answer… or else she'd have to contend with the entire League's army of summoners and magic that outranked her own… for now.
Defeated but not willing to accept it, Syndra had returned home and began going through all the information at her fingertips in her flying castle. At first, she had been doing it at a leisurely pace. If anything, it was to kill time and possibly find out anything she could on outworlders or this world that Archangel hailed from until she would be able to find him and speak with him.
Then… Bilgewater was sacked by the Ascension.
She had been visiting the Institute of War for a League match, when suddenly everyone in the place began running around as if the buildings were on fire. It didn't take long before everyone knew what had happened at Bilgewater.
That… changed everything. League matches were put on hold, and the world shit itself in fear of an invading army of outworlders.
Syndra had whisked herself back to her home and forwent her former leisurely pace of glossing over the libraries that dotted her home, and instead started rushing though everything for answers.
It wasn't just about her idle curiosity anymore… it was suddenly a life and death related situation. The Ascension had made it clear that they didn't care for Runeterra or anyone in it, and they had immersive power at their fingertips, ready to be used on unsuspecting cities on a whim.
And, they were strong enough to injure Archangel. That meant they were also a danger to her.
To make matters even more complicated, other outworlders with appearances similar to Archangel's had been spotted. It seemed that whatever faction Archangel was part of was at war with the Ascension, seeing how both sides had fought one another at Bilgewater.
Before Syndra had realized it, her desire to know more about Archangel, the Ascension, and outworlders in general had become a full-fledged obsession. Her ally Zed had noticed it and he had voiced his displeasure, not that Syndra listened to it.
It doesn't help that its obvious that damn shadow ninja is keeping secrets from me…
When she had asked him about the outworlders on the off chance he knew something he became suddenly… dismissive? Distant?
Evasive…. That was the word for it. He had even muttered a veiled and subtle threat about how she should drop her obsession like a volatile mana crystal.
Either Zed was trying to downplay the sudden appearance of humans with deadly dark powers from another world… he or knew more then he was letting on.
So much for trusted allies… Syndra scoffed as she downed the rest of her wine. Getting fed up of sitting in a single spot, she floated out of her throne and left the room. Going down a series of dark dimly lit halls, she emerged out onto a terrace.
It was cold outside, seeing how her home was so up high in the air, so she cast a quick spell over herself to keep her warm. She set herself down, barefooted as she normally was, onto the cold floor. She gave a quick glance up to the starry sky above, unblocked by the clouds below her.
Originally, Syndra didn't care too much about the stars… but then after everything that had happened lately… she found more solace in them.
Maybe it was because of the discovery of other humans of worlds beyond her own… or maybe because it reminded her about her own powers, and how they were omnipotent.
Turning her attention away from the sky and down to the Earth below, Syndra couldn't stop herself from scowling at the sight and land before her.
Kilometers below her… was the city of Ionia itself… where her swore enemies, the elders of Ionia, were residing. And on top of that, Archangel's whereabouts.
After discovering that Archangel had apparently been transported to Ionia aboard a Demacian ship… Syndra knew exactly where he was being taken. She had casted a spell to make her flying castle invisible from those below, and moved it closer to the city… hoping to move it out to the ocean where she might be able to intercept the ship.
Only to discover she had been too late. And now… Archangel was in the very same city she could not enter. Sure, she could cast a spell on herself to make herself invisible and infiltrate the city, but given the current state of the world, the entire city was on edge. Magic wards had been erected around the walls and soldiers were everywhere.
There was no way someone WOULDN'T notice someone of her level of power entering the city
She bit her lower lip in frustration. In that damn city was both her sworn enemy and the object of her obsession… it pissed her off!
Even the recall order Karma had sent out pissed her off. She, of course, was NOT recalled… the elders, and by extension Karma would never work with her. They feared her too much… hated her for being as powerful as she was.
Syndra glared down at the city with hatred… she would have her revenge.
But right now, she had to find out more… even she could recognize that the Ascension and those outworlders could pose a danger to the world… and more importantly, to herself and her goal of achieving her ultimate power.
After staring out at the city beneath her for awhile Syndra let out an annoyed huff and floated back inside, determined to find the answers she sought.
However, as she returned to her sanctum… she didn't see the group of aircraft uncloak themselves near her balcony…
"Target has gone back inside."
"Good. Team one you're clear."
"Understood, we're beginning op."
The COM chatter from the Ascension dropships ceased for a moment, and two of the four ship's approached the balcony and turn about so that the rears of the aircraft were facing the flying fortress. The rears of both aircraft opened and a squad of jetpack equipped Ascension shock troopers soared out of each, armed to the teeth with modified rifles, larger prototype anti-magic weapons, and a several of the troopers had circular shields strapped behind their backs.
Using their jetpacks, the two squads of eight landed on the balcony and cautiously spread out.
"Team One preparing to entire target's home."
"Affirmative. Team Two on standby. Meta human deploying."
"Prepare containment and anti-magic gear."
Two of the shock troopers had heavier weapons that appeared like small battering rams. The two soldiers tapped some buttons on the sides of said weapons and they blinked to life for a moment before powering down again.
"Dischargers ready."
A few of the soldiers equipped with the shields strapped their rifles over their backs and banished the shields, drawing batons that sparked with electrical energy. The shields appeared somewhat unremarkable aside from the Ascension insignias, but one of the soldiers pressed a button on the shield's grip and a field of energy sprouted from the front of the shield outwards to encompass the entire thing, pouring over the edges of the defensive weapon.
"Null-magic shields online."
A seventeenth Ascension soldier landed cautiously between the shock troopers. This one was armored slightly differently in a modified suit of armor that had a pair of small metal fighter-jet wings attached to his jetpack with a pair of small mounted cannons protruding from them. Upon landing the wings retracted back slightly to give the soldier more room to move.
In addition to the modified jetpack, the navy-blue armor appeared to me more mechanical in nature then those of the shock troopers or other suits of armor worn by Ascension meta-humans. In fact, it made this soldier appear more robotic then human.
"Starscream… on site." The Ascension meta-human chuckled in a sinister voice. "Ready for action."
"Alright… Team One move in. Keep your stealth units online, we don't know if we can avoid her wards forever."
"Yes sir. Let's capture this bitch."
It wasn't until she was nearly back to her throne room that Syndra noticed something seemed… off.
She floated up to the entrance to her favorite room when she, trying to put her mind at ease, floated over to a small panel and laid a hand upon it. The panel in question was one of several she had set up in her fortress that was connected to a network of wards she had set up around her home to warn her for intruders.
Of course, no alarms had been raised or she'd know about it instantly, but Syndra decided that since she was basically floating her home over the city of her enemies, it wouldn't hurt to check on the status of the wards.
The panel came to light as her hand touched it, showing her the status of the wards around her castle. Sure enough, they were all fine.
Maybe I'm being paranoid… Syndra sighed, shaking her head. Maybe I should just get some rest… this whole thing is driving me insane.
Just as she was about to pull her hand away from the panel, she noticed one of her wards flicker for a second. Syndra froze. She stared at the panel for another second before that same ward flickered. No alarm was raised, but something was clearly wrong.
And the ward in question was very close to her position.
I'm not alone!
As if in sync with her thoughts, another ward flickered, this time…
Syndra pushed herself away from the panel and towards the center of the room. Suddenly the doors to her right and left slammed open.
She dropped down to the floor and slammed an open palm down, summoning up a barrier around her.
And just in time too. Two strange objects slammed into the barrier she hastily erected.
She quickly darted her head around the room. Several figures in dark blue armor of the like she had never seen before had entered the room from either side and were in the middle of surrounding her. They were all carrying a variety of rifles, shields, and oversized weapons, and two of them were holding smaller firearms that had cords sticking out of the barrels. Syndra traced the cords to the two small objects on the floor that had hit her barrier moments before, sparks emitting from strange prongs on the ends.
Her home had been invaded.
Syndra gritted her teeth in anger and stood up straight, and with a shout, three orbs of dark magic materialized before her and started floating around her.
"Who DARES!?" Syndra shouted. "Who dares invade MY CASTLE!?"
She glared at the intruders from within her barrier, formulating a plan to take them down. While observing the armored figures, she noticed one of them had a much odder appearance.
"You!" She thrust an accusing finger at that figure. "Do YOU lead these men? Who are you?!"
The one she accused of being the ring leader started to emit a chuckle that Syndra felt would make Zed envy. "Did you need magic to tell that?" He taunted her.
"WHO ARE YOU!? BEGONE FROM MY HOME!" Syndra was having none of his taunts. She was only infuriated more when the figure started laughing.
"Silly, silly, girl." He raised both his hands in the air as if he was some sort of priest. "The Ascension takes not orders from inferior beings. I think this home of yours is our home now."
Syndra couldn't stop the shock from showing on her face. The Ascension?
Ascension… here?
The Ascension was in her home… and they were after her.
"How…?" Syndra couldn't stop the word from leaving her lips in her stupor. The man started laughing again.
"Should've chosen your allies a little more carefully bitch." He laughed.
Syndra snarled. "I don't have any all….." She couldn't finish. Realization hit her.
She had one ally, only one.
… Zed?
The man cocked his head to the side. "Figured it out huh? And judging by the look of surprise on your face you didn't expect it. Man, you're stupid! You trusted a ninja?" He turned his head side to side to look at his soldiers. "What are you apes waiting for? Fire the damn dischargers!"
Syndra barely noticed the two Ascension soldiers carrying heavier weapons tap some buttons on their weapons, causing them to light up. She was too shocked at the news she had just heard.
Zed betrayed me… to the Ascension? He sold me out to them?
He knew… that son of a bitch knew all along…
Syndra's shock quickly gave way to rage. She let out a howl. "HE DARES?!"
"Fire!"
The two heavy weapons flashed, and Syndra suddenly felt her barrier cracking.
What is this?! She mentally raged, her attention directed to the strange weapons. They were starting to light up again.
She had just felt her magic take a blow there… what were those weapons doing? Casting some kind of silencing magic on her?
They're going to fire again…
Syndra was beyond enraged now. The Ascension had invaded her home, informed her Zed had essentially handed her over to the Ascension as if it was his right, and now the Ascension was DARING to contain her by taking her magic away.
NEVER!
Syndra raised both her hands in the air and brought them slamming down to the ground. She dispelled her barrier at the same time and let out a massive shock-wave, sending the intruders that had surrounded her slamming into the walls.
"I WILL NOT BE RESTRAINED!" She screamed out in defiance. "NOT BY YOU! NOT BY ANYONE!"
As she screamed at her new enemies, she summoned forth more of her seemingly endless supply of magic. She cursed as she saw that the soldiers were quickly recovering from being stunned.
She had to get out of here! She was at disadvantage in this room and she was surrounded.
Syndra redirected her magic upwards and fired it up at the roof, blowing a hole in it. She had to escape and take the fight into the sky. That was her best bet!
She leapt up into the air and took flight, determined to get to a better position.
"Don't let her escape!" Someone shouted as Syndra flew through the hole and into the night sky.
She floated up higher into the air and looked down at the hole she had escaped from. She snarled when she saw a pair of the Ascension soldiers fly out thanks to some sort of pack they were wearing.
"RAH!" Syndra let out an enraged shout as she summoned up four dark orbs and flung them at her enemies. The soldiers managed to weave out of the way of the first two, but each one was hit by the second pair, sending them crashing into the roof of her home.
She was about to finish them off when she noticed a pair of large shapes moving towards her from the other side of her home. She looked away from her foes to see what they were, expecting more enemies.
She was right about that. Unfortunately, Syndra also realized what she was looking at: A pair of large aircraft of the like she had never seen before. To make matters worse, she saw more of those damn Ascension soldiers with packs on their backs flying around the ships.
Syndra snapped a finger, summoning up several defensive wards around her to protect her along with another seven of her black orbs. With her defenses in place, she threw a hand out at one of the approaching ships and her newly summoned orbs zoomed towards it with ill intent.
"HAH!" Syndra cried out as she unleashed her power. The first five orbs hit some kind of invisible barrier around the ship that flashed blue when her orbs struck it. However, when the sixth one hit it the barrier flashed red, and the seventh orb bypassed the defense altogether.
The dark magic orb struck an object on the side of the ship, causing an explosion. The aircraft stopped flying towards her and changed its course, pulling away from the fight.
"T-15, we're hit!"
"Break off! Break off!"
"Open fire, take her shields down!"
"Null-shields out!"
The soldiers flying along the remaining aircraft zoomed towards her even faster, firing away with their rifles while the front soldiers had shields in hand that seemed to radiate a form of energy field around them.
Syndra's wards took the bullets, protecting her from harm, but she didn't want to test how long her wards and barriers would hold up against the constant gunfire.
She summoned up several more orbs and flung them at her attackers with a battle cry. The attackers spread out and tried to dodge, and in some cases, they were successful. One of the soldiers wasn't fast enough and one of Syndra's orbs hit the pack on his back, causing it to explode and sending the soldier plunging down to the earth several kilometers below.
However, Syndra scowled when she saw some of her orbs hit those damn shields some of the soldiers were carrying and bounce off them harmlessly. Well, somewhat harmlessly. The impact from her attack still sent the soldiers off course, but otherwise they appeared unharmed.
They have some kind of anti-magic defenses! Syndra cursed mentally. She could feel how her magic seemed to be getting nullified when it hit the shields, as if they were some creating a kind of null-magic zone around them.
That just means I have to hit them harder! She thought as she prepared to launch another wave at the soldiers. Suddenly, several blue bolts fired up past her from below, causing Syndra to curse and fly backwards.
She looked down and saw that the soldiers she had left behind in her home were filling out of the hole she had made in number, revealing to her that there had been far more inside her castle then she had originally believed.
Shit! Syndra darted away, using her magic to help her fly faster to dodge the attacks, summoning up another magical barrier to protect her from the hail of attacks that were being fired at her.
She had taken the fight to the air in hopes of taking advantage of her magic over the Ascension's lack thereof. Instead, she had walked out of one trap and into another, with the Ascension aircraft starting to circle around her and the soldiers from beneath. On top of that, she saw another two flying ships appear out of thin air a short distance away, zooming towards her.
Syndra bit her lower lip as she realized just in how much shit she was actually in. She needed to get out of here, even if it meant leaving her home behind. She could tell they wanted her alive, and there was no way she was going to let herself be taken prisoner by some outworlders who wanted to contain her.
With another curse, Syndra took off into the night, trying to put as much distance between her and her enemy.
Ionia (city), Ionia
Isaac sat in his room at his desk, going over his current situation in his head yet again. He wasn't wearing the majority of his armor at the moment, only wearing his helmet, his boots, and his gauntlets. The rest of it was in a heap on the other side of the room.
Zed is getting assistance from the Ascension… why?
There were a few possibilities. First and most obvious was that the Ascension like to cause internal strife in nations. It weakened them, making them easier to take over. People don't know who to trust during civil wars, so the Ascension could easily take advantage of that and privately support someone who worked for them.
If that didn't work, the Ascension could always just muscle their way in. Magic aside, Isaac wasn't sure how well the Ionians could resist an Ascension invasion.
The second possibility was that Zed was leading a ninja order. Ninjas are expert saboteurs, spies, and assassins. It would make perfect sense for the Ascension to want to have a ninja order in their pocket.
The third possibility was that if Zed was somehow able to grow in power to the point where he could actually threaten Ionia, he might be tempted to make a move. If Zed was to take total control of the island… well… Isaac was almost certain the Institute of War would have something to say about that. It could mean that the Institute would sanction a liberation movement against Ionia… send League champions to fight... either way, it would push a lot of the world's resources into fighting a war in Ionia, or at the very least, some kind of peacekeeping mission. The Ascension would be able to take advantage of that somehow, they always did.
That left another question. Why Ionia? But the more Isaac thought about it, the more it made sense. Ionia was the only island nation in Valoran aside from Bilgewater. Between the two, Ionia was a more practical choice for conquest. It was larger, had a large population, and had an abundance of magic wielders. All three would be tempting reasons for the Ascension to seek conquest.
It was also an island nation. If the Ascension were to take total control of the island, it would be difficult for the other powers in Runeterra to invade. Unless there was some sort of mass teleportation spell (and Isaac wasn't willing to rule that out), it would be unlikely that any sort of liberation campaign would gain any ground. Of course, it was also possible that there was magic that made large scale defenses, but Isaac had yet to see anything aside from personal barriers.
Given the massive technological gap between the Ascension and Runeterra, the Ascension could easily sink any fleet transporting an army via some well-placed airstrikes.
If they were willing to throw away an Avenger at Bilgewater, it was likely they had some sort of air-power in reserve.
Isaac sighed. It was all speculation at this point. If he could capture Zed somehow…
Isaac rolled his neck and decided that it wasn't worth spending the time on speculation. He got up and went to the door on the opposite side of the room, walking out onto a balcony that he never really spent much time on.
"Thinking?" Mute asked him.
"Yeah…" Isaac sighed. "Just trying to get my head around… huh?"
He could have swore he saw something flash in the night sky. It was faint, but he saw something. Before he could wave it off as his eyes playing tricks on him, he saw more flashes.
"Mute? You seeing this?" He asked with a frown.
"Yeah… I'm scanning now." Mute said before her face suddenly fell. "Oh no! Isaac, we got company!"
Isaac was going to ask her what she meant when a warning flashed across his visor, one that answered his question before he could ask it.
"Shit…" Isaac muttered as he read it.
It said: Ascension Signals Detected.
Next update will be July 31st, see you all then.