Chapter 4: Engage the Trial
Disclaimer: The League of Legends is not mine and belongs to Riot.
Wake up…
The gentle swoon of music soothed his mind as Grey was roused from his sleep. It was a soft, clear voice, echoing mystically as if they were in a cave.
"What the…hell?" Opening his eyes, he realized that he was in a room. It was a plain creamy-ish white room, decorated with an ornate table with magical runes, tomes stacked on top. He was lying down on a simple bed with white sheets and a duvet, and the room was lighted by a small chandelier hanging down from the ceiling, shining a clear light over the room. A draft blew in from an open window as he rose.
"What…how does that chandelier…what the hell is that glowing ball thing?"
He rubbed his eyes when the same tune sharply changed, from a soothing one to that of a happy, lively tune.
The doorknob unlocked.
"Who-Who's there?!"
"Relax, it's just me." A familiar blonde head appeared as Lux entered carrying a stack of books, specifically seven, and in varying thickness. Each also had varying colors: marble white, red, blue, bronze, sea green, jungle green and dark blue respectively.
"Seems familiar, but I can't point out where I last saw these…"
Lux dropped the tomes at a nearby desk as she sighed and murmured inaudibly. Immediately, a black leather bag seemingly materialized at her back, straps hanging from her shoulders.
"That's-!"
"Yeah, it's your bag! Sorry if I took a bit long, I had stuff to get through." As she sat on the edge of the bed, Grey couldn't help but wonder.
"Hey Lux."
"Hm?" She cocked her head.
"Um, why do you do all this for me? What do you get out of this? I mean, I'm just a stranger, and—"
"Grey, look." Lux firmly said, startling the semi-panicked guy.
"It's not because of what I get, or who I'll impress. It's because I genuinely like helping out other people. Don't you like that awesome feeling when you see a person become happy because of you? And besides, you're from a different dimension! I'm really curious about you. Your culture, your way of living, everything!" She explained, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
It then occurred to him that just because Lux is a champion, it doesn't necessarily mean that she had to be a battle-hardened, ever-vigilant creature. She's still human, after all.
At that moment, something popped in his mind.
"Ah, wait a sec." Dipping his hand into the bag, Grey fished out his glasses.
"There! The world just turned 1080p, full HD." He smiled.
"Now, back to the topic. So, what you're saying is that you don't really mind doing all this for me because you like doing this stuff? I mean, learning new cultures and stuff?"
"Yeah! Well, if you're a native of Valoran I'll still help you whether you're a foreigner or not, but you being an alien kinda makes the experience a lot better."
"Intrinsic motivation…what else can I know, can't think of anything at the moment."
There was an awkward moment of silence before Grey was able to blurt out a response.
"Um, you're…how should I say this, thanks Lux." He said.
"No problem. By the way, you really should get to reading those books. Anytime now, someone will be sent to take you to the Proving Grounds. I'll be going now, it's my break after all. Take care!" With that, the blonde mage left to enjoy her week of leisure.
"This music…must be Sona."
Sure enough, Grey saw Sona walking through the hallway as he peeked from the peephole. She was softly plucking her etwal, humming happily as she passed.
"Some things never change…" He chuckled as he glancing at her large pair of…twintails.
"Best get to work..."
Some time later…
Grey was reading the first book –the white one- as a knock rapped on the door.
"Finally! Man, I'm getting headaches already…"
"Yes?" A man in blue appeared at his doorstep, wearing a robe similar to those of the minions in the Rift. The man pulled a letter from his robes as he bowed politely.
"Greetings, summoner. My name is Baba. Please follow me."
Walking through the corridor, Grey can't help but notice that the walls are made of cement…or something similar. From time to time a stray portrait emerges from the walls, and the wall itself is decorated to be simple yet decorative. Various rooms are labeled with plaques attached next to their doorframes, with lights attached on the other side. The frames themselves are also decorated depending on where their doors led. Offices and meeting halls were decorated in a luxurious yet strict note, while food halls were designed to tease the appetite, and so on.
These corridors eventually led to the main lobby, a hall so vast Grey bet that this hall can give those ancient Greek temples a run for their money. Majestic pillars supported the massive ceiling as they passed by.
After passing a few more wings, they finally stopped in front of a double-door, lined with blue runes. The man known as Baba took a deep breath before raising both his hands and facing his palms to the door, starting his chant.
"At this point, I don't think even the world's worst jumpscare can surprise me now." Grey sighed.
"…APERTUM!" Baba finished, as if commanding the door.
"Apertum? That means 'open' in La—Super shocker." The would-be summoner grunted sarcastically as the doors flew open, revealing a portal.
"Now then, your fellow rookies are waiting on the other side, along with your instructors and a few champions. Once again, welcome to your new life as a Summoner and the best of luck to you." Baba said, leaving Grey to himself.
Just as he was about to enter the portal, he heard footsteps. Not loud, thudding strides but more like hurried, yet dainty steps.
"Oh Maker I'm late!" A girl appeared from the left corridor, her clearly oversized robes fluttering behind her.
"She's gonna misstep, trip and fall over, I guarantee it."
Sure enough, her left foot caught on a fold and she almost tripped, her right foot planting itself on the floor on reflex. Grey sighed in relief.
Too early.
"AAAAAHHH!" The girl said, her foot bending awkwardly as she fell.
THUD
"You! Why didn't you help me?!" She demanded, rubbing her forehead as she sat up.
"You're kinda out of my range, and if I tried to help when you did you'll only get a foot on your face, so…yeah. Sorry 'bout that." The girl took Grey's hand and stood up.
"I know, it's just…ugh, forget it. Hey, look, the bridge door's closing! Hurry!" She tugged on his shirt.
"Well, it's time. Let's go!" With excitement, Grey leaped into the portal.
...
"...AAAA—OW!"
"…What are you doing?" The girl remarked.
"Ah, nothi—ooh, it's cold." Grey shivered a bit, rubbing his the sheer cold. Fortunately, the "robe" he was wearing also served as a coat, partially shielding him from the cold.
A tiny bit, that is.
"Geez, you're an idiot. We're going to Freljord and you didn't bring anything to warm yourself with?"
"Wow, nice going there, picking on somebody you don't even know huh?" He snorted.
"Calm down, I'm just kidding. Name's Jaina, by the way." The girl known as Jaina smiled, offering her hand.
"Nice. Name's Grey." He replied, wiping some snow off his glasses.
"Look, they're all over there already. Let's not keep them waiting, shall we?" She was wearing a red coat, with rune-like inscriptions written on the back of her cloak. Her staff led the way as they walked towards the motely group surrounding a large, blue crystal, emanating with silk-like strands floating around it.
"A portal…? Those strings must be magic or something similar."
The group was in a circle formation, with their instructor in the middle. The students wore a generally similar design, with only minor details changed, such as color, fold, and other minor details.
"Ah, you two are here. We can finally begin." Shouts and sighs of relief were heard as the instructor led them towards the crystalline edifice. There were six of them present in the group, including both of them and the instructor.
When they got to the base of the structure, there were exactly five figures waiting for them. There were two females; one with a predatory bird perched on her arm and the other with a magic staff. Two were men in armor, one with a longsword and the other with a spear. The last one had the figure of a gargoyle.
"Hm…Quinn, Lux, Garen, Xin and Galio? Team Demacia?"
"Wow! Those are the heroes of our state!"
"Yeah! Hi Sir Garen!"
"Marry me Lux!"
The third one irked Grey a bit, but he shrugged it off. They're personalities so it makes sense for them to have some…dedicated fans. The champion in question saw Grey, nudged her brother, and waved. Garen shot a smile his way, making the girl in front of the intended person blush and giggle.
Grey chuckled.
"Now, before we proceed, I'd like to give you these." The instructor raised his staff –which suspiciously looked just like a Rylai's Crystal Scepter- and out of thin air materialized five gauntlets, this time looking almost exactly like Ezreal's handpiece, albeit in color blue.
"Erm, isn't this Ezreal's?" Grey raised his hand.
"No, it isn't. This is the Summoner's Hand, a device that we use as summoners. Go on, take them, take what you want. Except for you, young man. Here's yours." The instructor took out a metallic-grey gauntlet and gave it to him. It was similar in design to Ezreal's, but it had pointed digits and was made of a mixture of rubber and leather, with a large, dull, empty orb in the middle of it, right in the center of the back of his hand. It was large, large enough to take most of the backhand part's surface.
The item vibrated gently in his hand as he held it. He knew that it wasn't vibrating physically, but something inside it somehow resonates with him, as if the item has its own will and wants him to wear it. Following his intuition, he put it on his right hand. It fit perfectly.
The others' orbs though immediately lit up with magic from the inside, with different patterns and colors for each. The instructor did not seem to notice Grey's problem and ushered the group to pick their partners.
Lux then motioned for him to come closer. Before the boy was even able to react, she pulled him in and struck the orb with her palm. Immediately, the orb lit with a glow similar to those at the ends of her staff.
"I'm letting you borrow some of my magic, we can't let people be suspicious about you." She whispered before grasping his hand.
"Aye! Partners!"
"The real life version of Champion Select feels too limited. Maybe because this is just a trial of sorts?"
"Alright people, listen up." The instructor gestured for the students to follow him, leading them to the fence-like wall.
"Didn't know we were on a cliff."
"See that? That's the battlefield you'll be fighting in."
The area was a fusion of Summoner's Rift and Howling Abyss, kind of like the Winter Summoner's Rift from past "season", but with ruins replacing the trees, and the jungle monsters replaced by golems a lot less like Nunu Bot and more like Mokujin.
"On the other side of this arena is the Noxus side, so do your best and prove your skill. The Arena Masters will be watching closely to analyze each and every little moment that passes and the results will determine how long you'll remain in Summoner Academy and in which part of it will you spend most of your time. Good luck." Wishing them well, the instructor left them with a quick recall.
"Arena Masters?" Grey turned to Lux for an explanation.
"Oh, them? They are responsible for maintaining the arena, as well as summoning illusions for the jungle monsters—"
"They're illusions?"
"The real ones are much more powerful, and raising plus maintaining them are just too much of a hassle, since there are quite a number of arenas around Valoran. But barring their strength, they're just the same as the real thing. Oh, and real monsters' gifts are different from the illusions'."
"So, what are the real monsters' gifts?" He asked, his curiosity piqued to the maximum.
"Pardon my intrusion but, Lady Lux, the battle is about to start." Galio flew over, bowing before the two.
"Thank you Galio. I'll be in your care, Grey!" Lux cheered. Galio nodded and offered his fist, earning a fistbump from the summoner, which confused yet reassured the gargoyle. Taking their places, the champions channeled their power and…
"TELEPORT!"