Soon after the blue fireworks display, Eniah felt the tug of magic bring him to the Institute where Michael was waiting. "You can be summoned from anywhere in the Institute but you'll generally return to the summoning chamber, here. So, welcome to the summoning chamber, the cocky one is Hazel," he said, pointing at a young brunette summoner walking towards him. Her medallion was positioned as prominently as possible, drawing to the attention that she was a rank higher than Michael. She walked towards them with a smirk and a spring in her steps as Corki hopped off his plane.
"Well, Michael, you remember your wager correct?"
"I do," he sighed.
"Wait a minute. You wagered on my debut match?" Eniah said incredulously.
"This was not your debut match, your debut will be a five on five on the Rift. And yes, we did wager," she sneered. "Michael here bet he could beat me." She turned to Michael as a teasing glint came over her eyes. "Since you lost, you owe me a dare and I dare you to pick a feather from Anivia."
"Are you insane? Anivia will kill me!" he panicked.
"No, she'll just stick you inside a glacier or something."
"And that's better how?"
"It's not, really, but you do get to make a nice sculpture," she laughed. "C'mon, you just have to ask, alright? If she kills you, I'll make sure to write an obituary in the Journal of Justice."
"Aren't we friends? Give me a fucking break, Hazel."
"It's because we're friends that I can do this. I really want a cryophoenix feather. They do look so pretty."
"So... Corki, what's up?" Eniah asked, backing away from the arguing summoners.
"Trying not to get involved in the marriage dispute, that's what," he chuckled.
"Heard that," the two summoners glared. Corki just chuckled and walked out, motioning for Eniah to follow.
My head still hurts... Fuck Gragas, he thought to himself as he tailed Corki.
"So, looks like you'll be a top lane bruiser," spoke a sentient blob. Just outside the summoning chamber was a hall designed for spectators within the League to cheer on the champions. Waiting for them was Zac, Nami, Shyvana, Alistar, Quinn, and a certain swordswoman. Spying the woman with a dyed red streak in her hair, Corki immediately ran back inside. They heard the revving of his plane's engine and saw him soar out through a large window designed to accommodate bigger champions like Bristle and Cho'Gath.
"Hahaha, he fucking bailed on you, dude," Zac crowed.
The beauty he assumed was Fiora walked confidently towards him, making Quinn scoot back a few steps for personal safety. "Hello, my name is Fiora Laurent, the Grand Duelist and champion of the League. You are quite the impressive swordsman, Desolate Wolf," she said in a deceptively calm voice. Somehow, the sharp accent seemed to add weight and an edge to her words, jabbing at his conscience.
"Uhh... hi. Please call me Eniah, Lady Laurent. I assure you I meant no offense by my earlier actions it's just..."
"It seems my reputation precedes me, Eniah," she growled, still walking towards him with an icy grin plastered across her face.
If she'd be more docile, she'd be really cute, he thought. Out loud, he said, "Uhh, yes, even Corki acknowledges your swordsmanship," he laughed nervously as he backed into a wall. Michael and Hazel stepped out at that moment. Hazel took one look at the two, snorted, and decided to pull up a seat to join the peanut gallery.
"I'm not quite talking about my swordsmanship, though I'd be more than happy to show you."
"W-what I heard were just rumors, I swear."
"And you decide an Institute wide broadcast is the perfect place to discuss these rumors, correct?" she smiled, moving close enough for him to feel her breath.
"No, I wasn't even the one who brought you up," he cried.
"Oh, please don't worry about the furry grease monkey. I promise I will see to him in time. Now, how would you like to pay for this offense, oh honored friend of the prince?"
"I blame the twelve shots?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, I did hear about that from Rumble. Your sword is sharper than your judgment." She leaned closer so only he could hear and whispered, "If you ever, in any circumstance, mention my name again, I will skewer you through your ass and roast you on a fucking spit. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'm," he gulped. He let out a sigh of relief as she pulled away from him and turned to Quinn.
"And you, commoner, come hither," she said with a demonic grin.
Panicked, Quinn shouted, "Valor to me!" With a flurry of azure feathers, Valor beat down on them all, briefly blinding them as she made a swift getaway.
"The best ranger Demacia has to offer and this is how she puts her talents to use," chuckled Shyvana.
"Oh well, the beauty of the League is that I know where you all live," Fiora said, glaring daggers towards Eniah. "Tata." She strolled off, leaving them with the most thinly veiled threat still hanging heavily in the air.
"I'm tired and I want a fucking nap. No one bothers me until dinner," Eniah declared, walking towards his room.
Four extra hours of sleep did wonders for his hangover, finally dispersing the muddled fog brought on by Gragas' brew. He lazily washed the dregs of sleep from his eyes and headed to the cafeteria, receiving more than a few glares from the waitress from this morning. With what he hoped qualified for an apologetic smile, he grabbed a katsu dish that appealed to him and headed for his familiar circle of friends.
"Hold it," a menacing growl came from behind him, accompanied by an unfriendly rustle of feathers.
"Umm, hi, Quinn. Sor-"
"Sorry? You're sorry? Do you know how hard it is to run from Fiora? You get off with a warning because you're the prince's friend or whatever, but I'm not! She's going to skewer me and it's all you're fault!" she wailed.
"Will she roast you on a spit too?" he asked, amused.
"You have no idea how serious this is," she shuddered. "That woman is a demon incarnate." Seeing the stunned expression on Eniah's face, she immediately dropped her voice. "And I swear," she whispered. "If she's right behind me I'm holding you-"
"Hello, Quinn, it's good to see you getting along with the other Demacians."
She turned around slowly, face to face with the very prince who granted her knighthood. "H-hello, your majesty," she stuttered, a visible blush creeping along her cheeks.
"What's up, J4?" Eniah called.
"One, don't call me your majesty. Two, don't learn from Lux," he sighed. "Three, I think Michael has a few things to explain to you in light of your match on the Proving Grounds. I hear you were... indisposed... towards further knowledge, Eniah," said with a chuckle as Eniah put on his best innocent face.
"Alright, I was on my way to eat with him now. Why are you here?"
"Business. I'll be on my free rotation, but I also had to meet every Demacian champion. I have some orders from my father. You are invited in the strictest confidence, Eniah."
"I'll be there. I do owe you a few favors after all."
"Thank you." He walked towards the Demacian table, Quinn closely following behind.
Eniah made a beeline for Michael and his friends who were accompanied by Hazel and took a seat beside Shyvana. "So I hear you wanted to talk, Mike?"
"Yes there are a few things I need to explain. First, do you know how Corki shredded you so easily towards the end?"
"Ugh, don't remind me. Those missiles hurt."
"It wasn't just Corki you were fighting. It was also his summoner adding her own mana reserves to Corki's that gave an extra boost. Throughout the match, summoners are only permitted two spells to directly interfere in the match, other than the basic recall spell. However, because our minds are linked, we use our own mana reserves to bolster both defense and offense. The better your relationship is with a certain summoner, the better your link is and the more power you will receive."
"It also helps that I'm silver and he's bronze," quipped Hazel.
Ignoring her, Michael continued. "You were so hung over that I just couldn't send much mana your way so make sure you're in your best shape mentally before a match. Summoners do quite a bit more than the occasional spell and map vision."
"Ok, I got it. Is there any place I can go to look up my match times and sign up for a rotation or something?"
"Like I said, you can make a contract with a summoner. You're not obliged to fight as a rotational champion yet, but you can sign up in the main hall. There is a large bulletin there with announcements and a recording tablet for champions who want to fill their quotas."
"Hey, Eniah? I wanted to ask you something that's been bugging me for a while now," said Hazel.
She's considerably more reserved with anyone but Mike, he noted. "Shoot."
"You teleported right? When you used that skill to summon wolves. How was it done?"
"It's not like I can go wherever I please. Freki and Geri are... bonded... to me. They literally hold slivers of my soul and I hold parts of theirs as well. Because of that, when I let them out, I am tearing a piece of my soul out of my body so it takes quite a toll on my body. On the other hand, I can warp almost instantly to wherever one of these wolves are, because I just need to let my soul call to the rest of my existence. That's how I got behind Corki."
"That... might be a bit overpowered if it didn't have such a large penalty to using it."
"Yeah, is there a rule or something that says I can't warp across the map?"
"No, there are at least a few champions who can attack across the map, but all such skills tend to come with large costs of mana, time, and stamina. Sometimes, the High Council will ban or restrict the repeated use of a certain skill on the Rift because it is almost too powerful. Such champions are kept from becoming too dominant, making sure the powers they represent do not hold an outright hegemony in the League."
"I see. Thank you. Until I find out what I am fighting for, you won't have to worry about that, Hazel."
"Glad to hear it."
After a relaxing meal, Eniah met up with a still glaring Quinn, dragging a reluctant Shyvana along to the Demacian embassy within the League.
"Are you sure I'm invited? I mean, he didn't say anything about this."
"Of course you are, silly," said Lux, seemingly materializing beside them as they walked. The three jumped back, Valor flying high enough from Quinn's shoulder to earn an unpleasant scrape against the ceiling.
"Why the hell would you do that?" they shouted.
"Because it's fun," Lux giggled. "More importantly, he invited everyone and sent me to find you, Shyv. If he called Eniah, he'd call you. You're the one that actually swore fealty to the king after all. What you are doesn't matter to us." Relief and gratitude washed over Shyvana as her words sank in. The time spent running just so she wouldn't have to kill to defend herself was over.
They stopped at the embassy, a building bearing a giant standard of Demacia and the Lightshield house. The inside was similar to the palace as Eniah remembered it: shinning white marble, golden outlines, and rows of glow crystals that lent the room a warm, welcoming visage. The room was as elegantly bare as the palace with just one great marble table at the center. The table was engraved with a map of Valoran, the domains of every city state marked with their respective hues. At the head of the table, Jarvan stood waiting, along with a very impatient looking woman in red sunglasses with a monstrous crossbow at her back and a man who seemed to be of Ionian descent with a parted spear. "Take a seat, all of you. The rest should join us soon." Quinn looked reproachfully towards Eniah but moved to obey her prince.
Within the minute, four others arrived, a gargoyle with dangerous runes carved into his body, the ever impatient duelist, a blue haired beauty carrying a lyre of some kind, and the captain of the Vanguard. "Now, every champion of Demacia, and one I hope will lend us his strength is here. We have much to discuss and I have need of your powers," Jarvan spoke. Eniah looked around; the table could easily seat thirty people, but the presence of ten of Demacia's greatest filled the room with a solemn aura.
A/N: I did say I'd tail the happenings regarding Kalamanda and other major events in the Journal and it's about time I got things back on track. If you didn't catch it, the ten champions from Demacia are J4, Lux, Garen, Xin, Vayne, Fiora, Quinn, Galio, Shyvana, and Sona. Eniah did not swear fealty to the king as Shyvana had and while Vayne just kills anything that is remotely related to the undead, she is originally from Demacia, as is Sona.
Recently, I've been looking over some of my chapters and I realized that my grammar and spelling are horrible so please help me edit if you catch something. As always, tell me if something is not up to canon as far as champion lore and events.
Yes, I do realize some champions were published much later than a certain event, but I would still use them because they're interesting. Ahem, Quinn.
