"Bah, bureaucrats. As soon as you outlive your usefulness, he'll cut you loose."
"You sound as if you know about this sort of thing." Delancey said with a slight frown. Jarvan and his guards had left General Lorcan's outer office, and were now deep within the confines of the Demacian Palace. "I liked the old man. General Lorcan? He seemed nice."
"They always do." The sergeant major growled ominously. "At first." He twisted his hands around. "If you're lucky, they'll just stab you in the back, rather than sending you flying like some sort of poor rag doll caught in their flaming explosion of power-lust and greed." He grunted angrily, reigning his temper back in as he shook his head in disgust. "Nothing but a bunch of pussies. That's all I have to say about their type."
"Sounds like there's quite a bit more that you left unsaid." Delancey murmured thoughtfully, eying the sergeant major curiously. A predatory grin spread on her face as she leaned in closer to him. "You haven't told us much about yourself, sergeant major. Perhaps this is a little seen side of your past?"
"Enough." Jarvan said, forestalling the explosion and subsequent argument he could see building in Perrywinkle and Delancey's faces. "Regardless of ulterior motives, he's helping us for now. I'll play along if it helps me get Quinn free." Delancey frowned for a few moments before she shrugged and fell in behind Jarvan as he continued through the halls of the Demacian Palace, deeper away from the palace proper, and onwards towards another of the many wings, particularly the one that housed the high command.
"Speaking of this 'Quinn'." Delancey said, quickening her stride to better try and match Jarvan's pace, "How are you sure you can trust her?"
Jarvan glanced down at her but didn't slow his pace, turning a corner and continuing down another hallway. "She saved Shyvana and I's lives more times than I can count on one hand. She helped us avenge the death of my men, my friends. She guided us to the monster that slew them." Jarvan had to slow his pace to calm the fury that was building in his voice. "She earned my trust long ago, and what I paid her in coin was merely a drop in the bucket to what I truly owe her."
"Sorry." Delancey muttered, realizing she had struck a nerve, falling back into stride with the sergeant major a few steps behind Jarvan. "I didn't realize how good a friend she was to you."
"It's fine." Jarvan said, sighing, and shaking his head. He slowed to a halt at the intersection of two hallways, glancing around and frowning slightly.
"Left, sir." Perrywinkle growled, his impassible frown seated on his face. Jarvan nodded, waiting till a patrol passed, nodding at the soldiers and then making the turn and resuming his long strides as he headed towards the DSB headquarters.
"What do you know about the Security Brigade's current commander, Sergeant Major?" Jarvan asked as they walked.
"Well, considering he reports directly to your father, the officer who serves as the commandant of the brigade is Brigadier General Geoffrey Jormander." The sergeant major's face was a stony mask as he walked, a perpetual frown marring his face. "He's young, a military marksman turned officer, turned intelligence spook. Master of long range reconnaissance, and experienced as far as assassination, information gathering and subterfuge goes. He's dangerous and highly capable."
"I've heard stories about him." Jarvan murmured, frowning. "He led an experimental program to adopt Piltover arms into the service for our marksmen, right?"
"Yes, sir." The sergeant major nodded. "He started his career in the border towns, patrolling and fighting in endless numbers of skirmishes with the Noxians. There, he mastered small unit tactics and recon operations, with which he used to help reorganize the special forces many years ago. It would be best to be on your guard, sir."
"Very well." Jarvan said, nodding. He slowed outside the doorway to the Security Brigade's headquarters. The unit's crest hung on each of the double doors, the circular background showing a winged sword overlain atop a bow and arrows, with a stylized storm cloud with lightning striking in the background. There were two guards posted along either side of the door, their lances held at the ready, though they did not oppose Jarvan as he went for the door. He opened it and moved in, noting that Delancey had moved slightly closer as they moved into the hallways beyond. Jarvan noted that there weren't any noticeable difference between the hallway they had just entered and the one they had just left, glancing back over his shoulder. There were various different hangings on the wall, Jarvan noting that some of the tapestries depicting Demacia troops in battles that he had never heard of. Other empty sections of wall between doorways had been filled with framed awards and medals that had been awarded, often posthumously Jarvan noted, to members of the Security Brigade.
Jarvan paused before and read the citation below a Demacian Distinguished Service Cross that had been paired with a Piltover Medal of Valor detailing how a Security Brigade team had prevented an act of terrorism in Piltover. The citation went on to tell of how the unit's commander had been awarded the two medals after he had sacrificed himself to contain the explosion that was meant to trigger a chain reaction that would have brought the city to its knees.
"Captain Hal Faulentoss is one of the most important heroes that Demacia and Piltover have never heard of." A high pitched voice announced, approaching from the far end of the hallway. Jarvan stood up and straightened his tunic, surprised when the short blonde soldier smiled warmly at him. "Greetings, Prince Jarvan." Luxanna Crownguard bowed, though there was a sparkle in her blue eyes as she looked back up at him. "It's been a long time."
"Lux?" Jarvan blinked a few times and shook his head, trying to hide his surprise with a smile. He ran a hand through his hair trying to remember the last time he had seen the young woman. She hadn't been much taller than his waist, and though she didn't even come close to his shoulder even now, she had grown up. "Indeed. It's been..."
"Years." The youngest Crownguard said with a glowing smile. She turned towards Delancey, a moment of surprise showing as her smile grew wider. "Vivian! It's been so long!" She stepped forward and hugged the sergeant, stepping back and leaving the green-eyed sergeant looking like she had just been shot. A few moments passed as the shock passed over Delancey's face, a smile slowly starting to spread.
"Hi, Lux." Delancey said awkwardly, but the smile obviously was meant to downplay her surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here..." Lux nodded at the sergeant, shrugging slightly as she turned back to Jarvan with an expectant smile.
"Unfortunately, I don't have a huge amount of time." Lux said, regret seeping into her voice. "The General asked me to come and greet you, a friendly face and all that." She smiled at Jarvan again, dimpling prettily as she gestured for the three to follow. "I'll show you to the command center. If you'll follow me?"
"Light the way." Jarvan murmured, grinning slightly as Lux shot him a sarcastic grin, rolling her eyes as he fell in next to the short blonde Demacian. "How have you been, Lux? Last time I saw you. you were still at the Arcane Academy." The blonde mage nodded sagely and then smiled up at the prince.
"I graduated not long after you left Demacia." Lux giggled softly. "I was recruited by Demsec not long after that and I've served with them for close to two years now." She paused, pondering, tapping the tip of her short staff against her chin thoughtfully. "I've been serving with Brother at the Institute of War recently, though I still do favors for some of the officers here at Demsec in my spare time."
Jarvan nodded his head, impressed, reconsidering the young Demacian Sorceress as she gestured to a wall. He frowned and opened his mouth to question the directions, but Lux grinned and shook her head to forestall the comment. She waved her hand over the wall and Jarvan watched as the stone shimmered and dissolved, revealing a staircase that descended deeper into the castle. "Usually we don't bother with lifting the barrier, but I figured that since its your first time, it'd be easier to let you see where the step is."
"Fucking step." The sergeant major grumbled as he passed through the entrance way, glancing over his shoulder with a frown.
"You took a fall your first time, didn't you?" Lux said, hiding her mischievous smile as the noncom growled menacingly. "It's common practice for new Demsec officers to walk in blindly. It teaches them that appearances can be deceiving and that caution and vigilance must be constant."
Jarvan snorted, glancing at the sergeant major who rubbed his nose as if an old wound was tingling. "Crude, but effective." The prince noted with a grin.
"It doesn't take much to make a mark." Lux said, matching the prince's grin. They emerged from the staircase into an open room, not much larger than Jarvan's bedroom, a large desk off to the right side, and a large archway behind it. Guards were posted around the room, watching the newcomers with unease. There were secretaries posted behind the high desk, looking down towards the small group led by the young blonde mage. She waved to the secretary and smiled, the black haired woman with icy blue eyes glaring at the the prince, Delancey and the sergeant major, each in turn, glancing at her desk. "Guests for the general." Lux announced happily.
The woman wore a frown, as she leafed through her papers, finally sighing and glaring back down at the prince. "Very well." She muttered testily, hitting an unseen button. A section of the desk disappeared into the floor, allowing the prince and his guards to follow Lux through. "Step through, one at a time." Lux went first, prancing through and then gesturing for Jarvan to follow. As he stepped through, he felt the tickle of something against his skin, like a wave gently washing over his body all at once.
"What was that?" He murmured, shaking his head to try and clear the moment of disorientation that had followed.
"Hey, my weapons!" Delancey shouted, patting herself down. She still had her armor on, but Jarvan noted that her sheath was empty and her clothes looked slightly baggy in places.
"Techmaturgical defense barrier." Lux said, grinning. "It removes any and all weapons and holds them on a separate plane. When you walk back through, they'll reappear on your person, same as before."
"Handy." Jarvan murmured, grinning at Delancey's dejected look.
"I feel so... bare..." Delancey muttered, holding her arms over her chest plate. "I want my weapons back."
"Stop sniveling and deal." The sergeant major growled. Delancey shot him a dejected frown but Jarvan's glare silenced them both. They stepped into a short tunnel beyond, passing guards posted at regular intervals, luminescent strips glowing along the ground.
"Sorry about the secretary, she's never very pleasant towards visitors, no matter how important they are." Lux said, trying to make light conversation. The Sergeant Major grunted from behind, but he didn't have time to actually say anything. Lux smiled. "Welcome to the heart of Demsec." Lux spread her arms as she gestured to the massive room the tunnel emptied into. Jarvan felt his mouth drop open as the chaotic scene unfolded before him.
There were hundreds of personnel moving about the room, mages calling out communiques, clerks filing and attending to paperwork, and officers lost among the mix, sorting out the chaos into something orderly, barely resembling command and control. The centerpiece of the massive, open room was a vertical board across the back wall that had a map of Valoran on it. There were other smaller maps along the sides that represented some of the outlying city-states, a large board that Jarvan recognized as Ionia dominating a small section of the wall off to the right of the main board. Soldiers attended to the boards from a gantry that hung next to it, using long poles to move various unit markers from place to place. Jarvan noted a surprising presence in each of the city states, as well as other markers that hung from the pegs that dotted the board, some colored red, others purple and even a few of other colors.
"I assume the blue markers are Demacian, the red are Noxian and the others..." He frowned as he tried to determine what belonged to who.
"Purple represents Piltover, yellow, Zaun, and so forth." A strong voice announced over the din of the busy command center.
"Officer on deck!" A faceless voice shouted as, who Jarvan could only assume was the brigadier general, stepped out from a small room that was attached to the command center, his hands resting on the railing before him that lined the staircase that descended to the floor of the command center. Silence descended upon the command center, leaving Jarvan dumbfounded as he glanced around the room.
Perfect silence. Impressive...
"As you were." The voice was strong and firm, the young officer, not much older than Jarvan at first glance, descended from the stairs towards the prince as the din slowly rose again as the chaos resumed. The brigadier general slowly approached, taking his time as he observed the work of his men and their efficient methods as they went about their tasks with absolute precision. He turned to face Jarvan and a thin smile spread on his face. "Greetings and salutations, Prince Jarvan Lightshield IV. Welcome to Demacian Security." He paused a hand full of paces from the prince, taking a few moments to eye the prince up and down. "You're taller than I would have imagined."
Jarvan forced a tight lipped smile onto his face, taking the moment of silence to size the officer up for himself. Dressed in a downplayed and simple set of Demacian fatigues, there was only a single gleaming star upon his shoulder epaulets to denote his rank. The strip on his chest read 'Jormander' and the Demacian coat of arms and the Demsec patches rode on his right and left shoulders respectively. He had pale blonde hair that was short cropped on the sides, though it was slightly longer along the top. He had slightly tanned skin, though it wasn't as dark as the sergeant major, and dark brown eyes, almost red in color, that glimmered coldly. Jarvan raised his hand to his brow and saluted, noting with satisfaction that both of his subordinates did the same.
General Jormander saluted and then extended his hand towards the prince. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." There was a smile upon his face, but Jarvan felt like he was looking into the eyes of a snake, rather than a man. Though the smile carried the appearance of being normal, it lacked all of the warmth and invitation that was normally associated with the gesture. Jarvan shook his hand briefly before he produced the letter of introduction from General Lorcan.
"From General Lorcan." Jarvan extended the letter towards the general, waiting for him to accept it.
After several long moments he did, the general glancing at the seal before he turned to the young Demacian Sorceress. "That will be all, Miss Crownguard. Thank you for your assistance, I don't want to delay your departure any longer."
"Departure?" Jarvan echoed, looking down at the sorceress.
She nodded and smiled. "I'm heading back to the Institute to try and help coordinate the rescue efforts regarding the trapped miners in Kalamanda." She stepped towards Delancey and gave her a brief hug again. "We should catch up sometime, Vivian."
"Sure." Delancey said, smiling and nodding. "Soon as you get back, alright?"
Lux nodded and smiled as she turned to Jarvan. "It was good to see you again." She glanced away, blushing slightly but finally decided that a hug was appropriate, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. She took a step back nervously, looking up at him with a small smile. "You, brother, and I should catch up some time as well. It's been too long since we saw each other."
"Alright." Jarvan said gruffly, trying to let his mind catch up with his body as he watched the sorceress turn and start away from the group.
Lux stopped before the entrance tunnel, spun on her heel and waved happily. "See ya, Jarvan!" She disappeared down the tunnel before Jarvan had the chance to say anything.
"If you'll follow me, we can speak in my office." The general said with an amused smile. He turned and started slowly moving towards his office on the far wall, again taking his time to observe and watch as his men worked. He held the letter in hand, both of them clasped behind his back.
"Quite the player, eh, Prince?" Delancey said, grinning, nudging Jarvan in the side with her elbow.
"Who, Lux?" Jarvan said, blinking a few times before giving his sergeant a disapproving glare. "Hardly. She's like a little sister to me, nothing more."
"I see." Delancey singsonged, a sly smile spreading on her face. "That's always an easy way to get laid." She snickered, clasping her hands in front of her face, looking up at Jarvan with sparkling big eyes, batting her eyelashes. "'Oniichan! Oniichan! Can you pweeaase help me out of this dress? It's oh so tight...'" Jarvan glared at her, aghast as the sergeant giggled to herself, strutting happily as she continued to giggle. She matched Jarvan's pace, the smile on her face growing even larger. "Hey, I know! If you want, I can call you big brother too!" She stroked her chin in a mocking 'thoughtful' expression, looking up at Jarvan with a devious grin. "If you really want, I'm sure Alicia and I could convince Shyvana to call you 'big brother' as well." Jarvan's frown turned decidedly surly as he continued to glare at the sergeant, sending her into another fit of giggles.
"I've heard that the warriors of the Rakkor tribe atop Mount Targon call every woman of the tribe 'mother'." Jarvan said, watching as Delancey's laughter fizzled out, ending with a curious glance up at him. "And every tribal elder is called 'grandfather'. If you truly think that our unit would benefit from the addition of such practices, you can call me what you wish." Delancey stared up at him in disbelief, blinking rapidly as a grin slid onto Jarvan's face. "Perhaps you'd like to write a report on its effectiveness, Delancey? I'm sure it could prove to be most interesting. Maybe ten pages? Better make it thirty, just to be safe."
"No, thank you, sir." Delancey grumbled, disappointment flooding her voice as she rolled her eyes, pouting slightly.
"Then perhaps you'd like to-..."
"I'll be quiet now." Delancey muttered.
"If any of you sumbitches try and call me grandpa..." The Sergeant Major's walleyed glare turned on Jarvan and Delancey in turn, each looking over at him in surprise. A moment of silence followed the group as the general started up the steps. "...I'll kill you."
"Noted." Jarvan said with a snort and a grin as the General opened his office door and ushered them inside. Jarvan had to duck his head as he stepped into the office, taking a quick glance around the room as he stood up straight. There room was surprisingly spacious, open space abound as he looked around. The room had been lined in a very blonde wood, giving it a desert cast, the lights keeping the room bright. The pale wood gleamed, hiding the fact that they were deep underground. There were two guards posted to the left side of the room, though Jarvan's gaze was drawn to a large rifle that was ceremonially hung across the back wall. The general stepped in behind Jarvan and his men, closing the door and then moving towards the desk. He paused next to it, holding the letter of introduction from General Lorcan in his hand. He slid a finger under the parchment up against the wax seal, but he paused. The general stared at the letter, his eyes playing over the seal on the parchment envelope, a thoughtful expression on his face.
General Jormander ripped the letter in half and cast it into the trash, looking up to Jarvan with a thinly veiled smile. "I always found letters to be such... deceiving representations of character." He mused, delighted with himself. "They're so polished and clinical, where as a face to face is so raw and definitive, wouldn't you say, Prince Jarvan?" Jarvan was too stunned to respond right away, his eyes still stuck on the envelope that had been ripped asunder and discarded without even a cursory glance.
"Jarvan?" The sounds of shackles clanking around immediately drew Jarvan's attention to the wall to the left. "Jarvan!" Quinn stood up, the chains that bound her manacled hands to the spears of two attending guards clanked and jingled as she tugged on the chain. The guard to her left and grabbed her shoulder and roughly shoved her back down onto the padded bench she was sitting on. She glared hatefully at the guard.
"Keep quiet." The guard growled. Quinn glared at the guard, hatred burning in her eyes, the flames dying down as she looked back to Jarvan, fear and pain washing over her face.
"Quinn?" Jarvan said, blinking. He turned to the general, a smile upon the officer's lips. "If you've harmed her in any way, you're going to burn." Jarvan growled, his voice deep and guttural now. "What's the meaning of this, general?"
"So she is an acquaintance of yours, then?" The general said, maneuvering past the prince and his two escorts, moving up to his desk and then seating himself in his chair, lacing his fingers together as he leaned backwards, kicking his feet up on the desk, a mildly amused gin on his face.
"She's a good friend." Jarvan growled, glancing at Quinn as her face lit up, a smile spreading over it. She turned to the general, tugging on the manacles, nodding vigorously.
"See! I told you!" She said, turning back to Jarvan. "They've had me held down here for days and days."
"I've heard." Jarvan growled, still staring at the general, aas he posted his fist on his hip. "So, Jor-gun, perhaps you'd like to release my friend here, and then you can start explaining why you've got members of your command spying on me." The general gave Jarvan a curt, impressed nod, his smile spreading to his eyes for a brief moment, like a duelist acknowledging a particularly good strike from his opponent. He spun a bit and chuckled to himself, nodding thoughtfully as he looked to the guards.
"You've heard of my nickname? Very well, gentlemen." The general said, nodding, waving his hands at the guards. "You heard the man: release her." He waited as one of the guards nodded and then unlocked the chains, releasing the manacles. "You're dismissed."
"Sir." The lead guard said, saluting and then moving to the door, leaving the officer along with Quinn, Jarvan and the prince's escorts.
"You look confused, prince." General Jormander said, still wearing his faintly amused smile. "Perhaps you'd like an explanation?" He turned to Quinn and then smiled coldly, his eyes glittering in the dim light. "Ahh, but first, perhaps you'd like to explain to him what you were doing? Maybe your story will change slightly now that the prince is here." The pleasantries in his voice were so artificial and the amusement so thick that is almost hurt Jarvan's ears to listen. The general turned towards Jarvan and spread his hands apart, using one to point to Quinn and the other to shrug. "She's refused to answer certain questions, and while I was not above the prospect of torturing them out of her, I figured I would give her the courtesy of actually trying to confirm her story."
"Shyvana or Forsythe could have easily confirmed the story." Jarvan growled menacingly. "Why keep her locked up for a week and a half?"
The general laughed. "You say that like I would trust the word of a former street urchin and a half-beast who is sleeping with the estranged prince." Jarvan's frown darkened, and the general's smile broadened and he clapped his hands together as he pulled himself to his feet, stepping around his desk and beginning to pace. "You thought that a secret perhaps? Ah but that's hardly a secret to me, young prince, I know all about you." He tapped the saber on his hip thoughtfully. "Why do you think I held onto this one?" He gestured to Quinn. "I confirmed her story easily, and I even managed to cross check her background in the first two days." His gaze tracked to Jarvan, his dark eyes narrowing as a malicious smile settled on his face, his lips revealing rows of pearly white teeth. "I wanted to meet with you, Prince Jarvan, and welcome you to my warfare. This is my territory... you'd best tread lightly, lest you like all your secrets to come to light."
"Bullshit." Jarvan snapped. "You don't know anything."
"Where to start." He stepped closer to Jarvan, looking up at him with a cold smile. "I know all of your secrets, prince." He chuckled maliciously, stepping back and beginning to pace again, like a wolf closing on its prey. "Shall we start with the possibilities of treason you face? What exactly are you doing for Katarina Du Couteau anyways? Perhaps you'd like to explain what happened in the depths of the Noxian prison you were held in? Or perhaps what you spoke about with Jericho Swain."
"What the hell do you want with me?" Jarvan snarled, his anger still building steadily.
"Nothing, yet." The general's laugh echoed around the room, but there was nothing pleasant or remotely comforting about the sound. "You'll funnel all of your information through me from now on, including that interesting little theory you've been working on in your study. I'm quite fascinated about the possibility of a split in the Noxian Forces. It would prove most helpful to my own information networks if you'd let me in on your little investigation."
"Bite me, you sniveling little cunt." Jarvan snapped back, his fist now quivering in anger.
"Ah, ah, ah." The general waggled his finger in a mocking tone. "That's not how you talk to a superior officer." He tucked his arms behind his back as he moved towards the side of the room, chuckling to himself as he strolled about with an amused smile on his face. He glanced back to the prince and then chuckled again, running his hand along the opulent, sandy wooden panel that lined the rough stone walls. "Such a loud bark, but do you have any bite?" He chuckled at his joke, only the sound of his laughter filling the void in the room that was rapidly developing between the general and Jarvan and his staff.
"What do you want, asshole?" Jarvan growled through gritted teeth.
"Oooh, feisty." The general cackled as he rested his hand atop the saber that hung on his belt, his other hand resting on the sandy wood of a book shelf. He traced his finger along the grain of the wood, running his fingertip down towards the books, running along several spines before he paused atop an ancient looking tome, pulling it out and then running his hand along the cover before he cracked the book open and started leafing through the pages. "Long before the Lightshield Dynasty, there was chaos amid Demacia. Nobles squabbled among themselves, everyone fighting for control of the throne and the power that was wielded by the king. Wars raged both inside and outside of Demacia as Noxus vied for control over much of Valoran" The general ran a finger along a page of the tome and then paused, tapping the page with the tip of his finger, a thin smile spreading onto his face. "However, both of the city-states were merely the playthings of a greater king. They had been given power and dominion of their lands to control as they saw fit by the true kind of Valoran."
"You speak of the legends of the oldest of the Ruined Kings." Jarvan said, a frown on his face as he shifted from foot to foot, adjusting his sling to try and remove some of the pressure on his arm.
"You know the legend?" The general said, raising his brow, seemingly impressed for the first time since Jarvan had met him. "I didn't think a realist like you would have known of such things." He chuckled.
"My caretaker had a thing for old tales." Jarvan said, again shifting from foot to foot.
"Halsington." The general said, noting with satisfaction that a shiver and a frown ran through Jarvan. He nodded slightly, his eyes dropping back to the book. "The oldest of the Ruined Kings had dominion over almost all of Runeterra. His lands stretched from the Conqueror's Sea to the Guardian's Sea, from the Plague Jungles to the Freljord. He laughed and listened to stories of the fighting between Noxus and Demacia while he dined on the finest Runeterra had to offer. He was content to watch his subjects squabble for his entertainment. He was a god among men."
"You think yourself the same?" Jarvan said, wearing an incredulous smile. "At first I thought you an asshole. Now, I think you a madman."
A cruel smile spread over the face of the general. "I learned to enjoy killing Noxians during the border wars, dear prince. Do not mistake madness for a lack of patriotism." Jarvan smile faded. "While the Ruined King was content to enjoy his holdings, realizing he had conquered everything he could, there was another, a son. The eldest son of the king, a prince just like you, sought to discover what he could do to earn his father's approval. He scoured the lands in search of foes that when slain, he could present to his father to garner his favor, and in time, his lands and holdings that he would hope it inherit."
"My journey was not to garner the favor of my father." Jarvan growled, his face burning in embarrassment at the suggestions.
The general laughed haughtily, waving the prince off with an admonishing smile. "And yet you desire to slay your draconian girlfriend with your sword in hopes of producing a more powerful heir?" Jarvan felt fire course through his veins, a snarl building in his throat as the desire to haul off and deck the bastard mounted to an all time high. "My story isn't finished yet." The general chuckled, forestalling further comment from Jarvan. "The prince struggled to find a foe that was his equal. In time, in his endless search, he ended getting killed in his pursuits. The king was distraught, and in his grief, he failed to realize the dissent that was building underneath his rule, that the killer was actually in his midst." The general's smile sent a shiver down Jarvan's spine again. "One of the general's lieutenants was leading a coup, starting with the slaughter of the king's posterity. He ended it by killing the king, breaking apart his holdings and taking one to govern as his own. That lieutenant secured the general as one of the Ruined Kings of old."
"The king's lieutenant ended up naming himself King Eradicus." Jarvan said with a frown. "He was said to take Noxus as his own, and put himself on the throne as the first of the Grand Generals. He established the long standing tradition of dominance through strength as the deciding factor. So what, you want to conquer Noxus and take it as your own?"
"Funny." Jormander chuckled, though it lacked the humor it had previously carried. "No, but I wanted you to know that if you take to pursuing your own petty quests, and lead Demacia down a road that leads to ruin, I will have to shot dead, drug into the street, and lauded as the bastard son who ruined Demacia. You will become the newest Ruined King."
"Treason is a hefty charge to bear, General." Jarvan said with a menacing growl. "If you'd like to pursue this further, I'm sure my father would be interested in hearing what you have to say."
General Jormander laughed shrilly. "Who do you think put me up to this?" He gestured to the room and towards the door, indicating the entire Security Brigade. "I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be in charge of this entire unit if the king did not trust me as intimately as his own son." The general pointed his finger at Jarvan's chest, driving it forwards like a harpoon. "You need to watch yourself, prince. There are people gunning for you, for me, for your father, and you just keep prancing about like it's nothing. As soon as you prove to be a threat of the safety of Demacia and her people, I will end you."
"You're a bastard, you know that?" Jarvan hissed, angrily. The general looked pleased, despite the harsh tone of Jarvan's words.
"No need to be so negative, Jarvan." The general chuckled, sitting on the edge of his desk and picking up a small cube. He rolled it in his hands for a few moments before tossing it up and catching it in his palm, shifting it from hand to hand, tossing it and catching it again, repeating the cycle. "All you have to do is work with me, rather than against me."
"What is you want then?" Jarvan growled as menacingly as possible. The general paid him no heed, instead, continuing to toy with the small cube. Jarvan lashed out and slapped the cube aside, sending it bouncing across the room, skittering along the ground, before it came to a rest underneath the bench Quinn had been seated upon. "I've had it with these damned games of yours! What the fuck do you want from me?"
General Jormander's jovial tone instantly flat lined, his temperament completely shifting from friendly commanding officer to that of a snake about to strike. He stood up straight and raised himself to his full height, still only coming to the prince's nose, but suddenly Jarvan felt dwarfed by the man. The simple change in posture had completely changed his image from conniving, shadow bound mastermind to the sharply cut officer that represented the very best that Demacia had to offer. He took a single step forward, bringing him within a hair's width of Jarvan, chest to chest as he glared up at him with a molten gaze. "I want full disclosure, full information and every detail about everything you find out, see, or come across. Anything out of the ordinary, you run it by me. Anything you want to do or see? I hear about it first. Anything you so much as think about, you ask me for permission. You so much as want to bone that disgusting half-bitch tramp that you so adore, you don't do it unless you get my permission. From now on, I own you."
"Or what?" Jarvan growled, his fist quivering in anger.
Malicious intent seemed to manifest in the air, coalescing like a cloud among the room, hanging in the air like an oppressive stench. Jormander grinned in a devious way, leaving him with the appearance somewhere between a snake and a shark, ruthless as the shark and as slippery as the snake. He turned away, moving towards the back wall, his hand hesitating over a book. "Your pretty little bitch?" The general mused with a cruel sneer, glancing over his shoulder to see Jarvan's reaction, laughing as he turned back to his bookshelf. He let his hands play over the spines of several more books. "Well, it'd be a shame if she were to see the more brutal side of a soldier's life. How does that old saying go? Something, pillage, and plunder... oh, I can never remember that first one." He chuckled menacingly as Jarvan felt his face turn red in fury, his teeth gritting in anger.
"If you so much as lay a finger on her." Jarvan seethed, his voice wavered as he struggled to control his rage. "If she doesn't kill you first, I'll rip the black hole of a heart right out of your chest."
"I'll mark that up as 'message received' and leave it at that." The general murmured happily, chuckling as his dark side seemed to evaporate, moving to a side cupboard and pouring a few fingers of a pungent alcohol from a decanter. He returned the crystal stopper to the neck of the crystal bottle and then slid into the strider-suede backed chair. He kicked his feet up and stared at Jarvan openly, challenging the prince to defy him. "Now, unless you have any problems that need be addressed, you can take your friend here and escort her from the premiss."
"Perhaps you'd like to withdraw your dogs from my command then?" Jarvan growled, though some of the anger and menace had drained from his voice. "I do believe Wallace Lee is on your payroll?"
"Now why would you think that?" The general mused as he sipped the pungent liquid.
"I overheard him talking in a pub with another man about you, Jarvan." Quinn said uneasily, frowning. "They talked about controlling you and trying to keep you from meddling in their affair by using Shyvana. At first I thought they were spies, and I started trailing the tall gay guy under your command to see who it was, but I kept coming up with blanks." She glowered. "Turns out he was spying on you for these jerks. I don't know if that's better or worse than some sort of conspiracy."
"So, still going to deny it? Or should I turn Sergeant Lee over to the MPs to be dealt with?" Jarvan said, meeting the general's glare.
"Keep him." The general shrugged. "I'll pull him eventually. For now, do what you want with him."
"Fine." Jarvan grunted. "So was the failed assassination attempt your doing as well?"
Jarvan watched as the general's disposition changed again, his face hardening into a mask of frustration. "No, and that's the most infuriating part. Anything you know about them will be well rewarded."
Jarvan snorted. "What, too hard for you to go out and do a honest days work and get the information yourself?" The prince shook his head in disgust. "Idealism and honor are dead the day monstrosities like you are allowed power."
"Quaint and blind you are, my young prince." The general said with a grin as he tipped some of the liquid into his mouth, savoring the burn as it trickled down his throat. "In this day an age, the man who values idealism over his goals is doomed to fail. You of all people should know that."
Jarvan felt an icy fist clamp down around his heart. "You'll learn in time, general, that if you do nothing but lair among the darkness... the darkness with consume and define you. If you ever get the chance to step into the light, I suggest you take it. It will change the way you look at the world."
"You speak of light and yet you wallow amid the corpses of hundreds." The general said haughtily, his arrogance starting to shift towards anger and resentment. "You think a single mote of flame will change all of that?"
"No, I don't think it will." Jarvan said firmly, meeting the General's gaze and remaining calm, raising his head up to further look down at him. "But that light, that flame, has certainly changed me." The prince brought his head up defiantly, glaring at the general.
"You're a fool." The general snarled, refusing to meet Jarvan's gaze as his fist shook around the short, stout glass of liquor. "Get out. Leave before my patience sees fit to run out." The general strummed his fingers along his glass in an attempt to appear thoughtful, examining the surface of the liquid intently, but the damage had been done. Jarvan was triumphant, no matter how small the victory.
Jarvan started to raise his hand to salute, but Quinn cut him off: "Where is Valor?"
"Who?" The general raised an eyebrow and glanced at the young tracker.
"My eagle." She said, her hand balled into frustrated fists. "Where is he?"
"Ah yes, the Demacian Eagle." The general said nodding, pulling his feet down and setting his glass down on the desk. He opened a drawer and drew out a pad of paper and a pen, scratching out a few lines before ripping the paper from the pad and holding it out for her. "You'll find him here, at this address. We saw to it he got good medical attention."
Quinn looked hesitant to accept the paper, looking at his hand as if it were a viper, finally snatching it away from him. "Thanks." She mumbled quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. The general chuckled as he slipped the pad of paper away and then turned back to Jarvan, as if he was expecting something else. Jarvan glanced back at his escorts, but both were stony faced and glum looking.
"Well, I think we're done here. Farewell, prince. Go forth, drown in your ideals and die." The general chimed, a lightness to his voice that could have belayed the malice, but there was nothing polite or nice about his tone of voice. Hatred and loathing seethed like boiling oil as Jarvan turned away. He glowered as he directed Quinn through the doorway and then followed her, his two escorts following him out. They cleared the bottom of the steps before anyone spoke up.
"I really, really, REALLY don't like him." Delancey hissed as they moved across the open floor of the DemSec command center. "He's kind of an ass."
"Now you see why I got the hell out when I could." The sergeant major grunted.
"Kind of?" Quinn grumbled as she fell into step with Jarvan, eying the soldiers who milled about doing their jobs, though Jarvan did note that many of them made show of doing something but were sneaking glances at he and the others as they swiftly made for the exit. "That bastard kept me either chained up or locked up for the past ten days." She growled, frustration balling her fists up.
"Don't worry." Jarvan growled. "I'll see to it that he gets what's coming for him."
"Your highness?" Delancey started to ask if he was feeling well, but her question died in her throat when she saw the rage on his face.
"He will suffer my fury." Jarvan snarled. "He has faced nothing like me."
The walk through the palace was quiet, Delancey, Quinn and the sergeant major following in the princes wake as he moved through the hallways. Officers and other personnel parted to let the prince pass. He said nothing as he headed for the entrance of the palace, waving soldiers off and ignoring others as they moved. He pushed open the massive doors and stepped out into the evening in front of the palace, looking over city skyline. Jarvan took a deep breath of the cool evening air and then exhaled it slowly, running his good arm over his head and through his hair.
"You going to be alright, Jarvan?" Quinn said hesitantly as she looked up at him, poised at the top of the steps to the path that led towards the gate and Demacia beyond.
Jarvan shrugged with some effort. "Soon as this arm is healed, I will be." The prince said with a cocky grin. "Jormander may be an complete ass, but he sure as hell won't get the better of me."
"Okay..." Quinn said hesitantly, starting down the steps of the palace. Some of Jarvan's confidence brought a smile to her face. "Just let me know if you need a hand. You seem a bit out of your element here." She smiled at him as he rolled his eyes and chuckled softly.
"Yeah, yeah." Jarvan muttered. "What are you going to do now?"
"First, I'm going to find Valor and then take a nice long soak at the inn." Quinn said, her smile growing. "From there, I'm going to enlist."
Jarvan gestured back towards the castle. "If you want I can-..."
"Thanks, but no thanks, Jarvan." Quinn said, smiling at him again. "I told you once before, this is something I want to do on my own." Jarvan watched her for a few moments, her golden eyes shimmering with determination. Jarvan sighed.
"Very well." Jarvan said, nodding once and the waving goodbye. "Take care of yourself."
"Don't worry, I'll be around." Quinn said, waving her hand over her shoulder as she started down the path towards the gates to the palace grounds. "Say 'hi' to Shyvana for me."
"Will do." Jarvan murmured, turning back to castle, his thoughts turning to the dragoness. He took a deep breath and held if for a few moments before he exhaled heavily, fatigue washing over him.
I hope you're safe, Shy... there are forces out to get us, even among our own.