Chapter 6: The Entrance Match II
Disclaimer: The League of Legends do not belong to me. Only my fic and my OCs are mine.
Walking back from the shop, the newly equipped fighters huddled in a circle as they awaited Lux's plan. So far, they've made some good progress, and the tide of battle is almost overwhelmingly in their favor, thanks to the blonde mage's directions. A suicidal defense, a premature dragon hunt, and now the final push? Despite the tense atmosphere, the wind blew gently on their faces. The base was silent save for the minions' footsteps, and the afternoon sun is slowly setting on the horizon.
"Ah…the wind feels nice, doesn't it?" the Lady of Luminosity sighed, letting her hair blow by the wind. The others were eagerly waiting instruction from her as she took a minute to recollect her thoughts. What Grey said was supposedly a lot.
"So, what's the next step?" Lux said. It took a good while before she got a response. A long one.
"Alright, listen up. As much as possible I don't want any of us to screw up. We want this to be fast, effective and clean. If my understanding of Swain is correct here, a little slip will be enough to give us off, so be extra careful."
She nodded, taking out a notepad and pencil from God knows where.
"Here's the deal. I want you to—"
Her recall was cut short by Garen, who had his suit repaired. It now had little mounds where wedges from enemy strikes were and his sword is brand new. It seems that the rest of the crew are also done with their preparations. Galio had himself repaired and varnished, while Quinn got a fresh supply of bolts.
"All set?" Lux smiled at the crew, who cheered in response.
"Then let's get 'em!" She exclaimed, marching down the middle lane. Her fellow champions are slightly behind her with determined looks on their faces. Garen clutched his sword tightly as he steeled himself,. Xin Zhao gently stabbed at the soil, eager to win. Quinn is pulling her crossbow taut as Valor took to the skies while Galio glided above the group.
"Let's rock!"
Meanwhile, the Noxus team is getting restless as they continuously get beaten by the Blue team, which are Demacians in this match. Draven banged his fist miserably on a stone wall, frustrated at the unexpected turn of events. They'd expected another batch of those spoiled, stuck-up brats who knew nothing but to complain and demand. They weren't prepared for a teammate being vaporized in a second. They were prepared for neither sneak dragons nor grass ambushes. This is a bit too much for first-timers!
"Got beaten by those guys? Get yourself together, kid!" Draven muttered to his Summoner, who is in a panic. On the other hand, Swain silently sat on a stool not too far away from the shop, while Kat leaned on another section of the stone wall.
"Pretty interesting, huh?" The red-headed rogue smirked, flipping her knife like a coin.
"Yes…It's been a long time since we've had a good match, let alone from an entrance test. Honestly, my own Summoner here is already out of the game. He's already left." Swain replied, feeding Beatrice with a cookie.
"And? What about the academe entrance test thing?" Katarina continued.
"I won't be surprised if he skips the entire thing. Those are history, law, ethics, and all other things related to the League. Bleh, most of those are useless in a real fight anyways, and this kid's doing good so far." The semi-bald man finished. An idea came up to him as he called the rest around him.
"Gather 'round, my fellow Noxians."
"Got a plan?" Darius said, spitting a twig that he had in his mouth. The ground shook slightly as Sion stomped his way angrily behind the Noxian general. He can't stand losing to a flying rock bat just like that. A rock bat of all things, embarrassing him by surviving his full frontal assault?! Madness!
"Now, listen closely. Here's what we're going to do…"
"It's convenient that my fellow teammates aren't being stubborn in this, don't you think?" Lux heard her Summoner say as the Demacians marched onward. The formation was to have Garen and Galio in front, Quinn in the middle and Lux at the back, with Xin keeping up with them through the jungle paths.
"Yeah, they're being weirdly submissive about it." She replied. According to her teammates, their respective Summoners, upon seeing the initial success in mid-lane, started being overconfident. Though thankfully none of them really "fed" the enemy, they were basically throwing away minions and just standing below the tower, "fulfilling their role as stalwart guardians" and "halting the advance of the heathens as protectors". They also proclaimed that there was no need to press the assault for "good shall always prevail against evil" anyways.
Grey sighed, exasperated. It's exactly that kind of mindset how the good underdog defeats the evil tyrant.
After the Red team regained their composure and started pushing back, it was at this time that the mysterious Summoner controlling Lux started "roaming", or so he said, between lanes and in the enemy jungle. They'd even went as far to describe him as omniscient as he, or rather his partner Lux, seemed to be there waiting in an ambush every time somebody feels sneaky and decides for a quick "Red buff" as he calls it. Not only her, her allies are quick to respond whenever the blonde mage sends a color-coded flare to an area, each with a complete message behind it.
The red flare stands for danger. She often deploys this whenever she feels that a raid, or "gank", is about to happen. With a hundred-percent accuracy, half the raids are often prevented easily, while the other half are either met with a counter-ambush or the raid goes successfully due to their Summoner's "nobly and valiantly giving their lives for the glory of Demacia".
The yellow flare stood for the word "caution" and it is the flare she most often fires out, mostly due to the allied Summoners' "unwavering courage". More often than not Garen or somebody else will tell Lux what their Summoners told them about her Summoner. Said that he was a coward, that he employed "barbaric tactics unworthy of the Demacian standard", that he didn't have enough discipline to stay in his post. All these got a giggle as a reply from Lux. Sure, they were unorthodox, but they were effective. And it's not as if those minions are actual living creatures anyway. They're more similar to golems (the conjured type, not the elemental/nature spirit type) rather than people, and are most often used outside matches for mundane tasks like cleaning or washing the dishes.
The green flare meant that she was coming, and will often use this even when she's still in her lane whilst "farming", a peculiar use of the term for the Runeterrans. Lux'll even go as far as to tell her brother or whoever was in that lane to charge ahead of time and fling themselves in the midst of enemies. This was the time that her orders seemed suicidal and her Summoner has "grown mad". While the Demacian Summoners were skeptical, the Demacian Champions had faith in them and did it anyway, albeit a bit reluctantly. Only Xin Zhao, true to his mantra, was able to fight peerlessly even at the presence of an overwhelming force as his gladiatorial prowess took over in the rush of battle. Surprisingly, Lux's promises often came through as the enemy kept walking right towards her ground zero, sieged by an assault of flashing lights. It was a strange feeling, but a good one.
The blue flag flare meant that an area needed help. Weirdly, she never used it on herself, but rather always on some far-away lane. Often, she would send out a flag flare at the opposite lane that she was raiding, leaving only one Champion to help her in the assault. Her Summoner coined it as "split-pushing". It made sense, since they're giving the push on enemies in different lanes at the same time, and with the pressure it gave the foe, Lux had an easier time moving around to do what she had to.
The most unused flare perhaps is the blue circle one, which is fired to simply catch attention. Both she and her Summoner thought it's somewhat useless, but from time to time she'll light it on some bush and ask for a ward placement.
All this was easy enough for the Lady of Luminosity to do. After all, magical flares are in her domain of specialty, and it was useful for communication while not being too reliant on telepathy, thus giving much appreciated silence to at least her and her partner. It was a little difficult keeping up with all the information he's explaining while running around the area, but at least it gave her a distraction from all the overkill she's been doing.
Oddly enough, no single Noxian Champion is guarding the second turret as they advanced deeper into the enemy territory. No clue of their whereabouts are to be found either. No footprints, no bird calls, nothing.
"Hah! Those scoundrels have now scurried back to their hiding holes. To arms!" Garen led sway, charging towards the tower with great zeal as the rest followed suit. Lux was about to go into the fray as well, but her Summoner stopped her immediately.
"No! Fall back. Fall back, now! All of you!" Grey sounded almost panicked as his Champion ran back towards the river, flinging yellow flares into the air.
"What're you doing, Luxanna? We're winning! You should be pushing, like the rest of us." Quinn shouted to the blonde mage, receiving no reply. She shrugged as she turned back to the tower and kept firing.
Upon getting near the river bank, Lux sat down, exhausted.
"What're we retreating from? There's nothing—"
"Go get some higher ground, and you'll see what I mean." Grey explained. With strained effort, Lux managed to get on a tree branch and finally understood what her Summoner meant. Near the bushes, just about to spring out are the Noxians, who're in perfect position to trap her allies between them and their turret. Sion was right behind the Blue Team, about to charge down the lane in full rage. Katarina is silently hiding behind her turret's head, waiting for the perfect moment. The Blood Brothers Darius and Draven are both running towards the Demacians with toothy grins, and Swain walked down the steps as confident as ever.
She nearly forgot about her precarious position and was about to scream out the imminent ambush, but her Summoner stopped her once again.
"Don't! It's too dangerous. You need to get out of there and go up top lane! While your allies are providing a distraction, you can manage to destroy the top tower and recall back just before reinforcements can arrive." Grey urged, but Lux simply climbed down the tree and silently hid behind a bush.
"Distraction?! My brother's in there, Grey! My brother. I've got to do something—"
"Listen! Do you think being there will do your team any good? You'll only get slaughtered beside them! You'd best go over to top right now."
A few moments passed and Sion charged. With finality in her breath, she exhaled.
"A true Demacian does not cower in the face of adversity." Lux told to herself, eyes glowing faintly with power. A few steps afterwards, she heard Grey's voice again.
"Wait."
"You can't stop me from going there, Grey." She stated firmly.
"No, that's not it, I…good luck out there. Make sure to take down Draven first and not get Katarina close to you, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm not mad at you, you know, so you don't need to sound like a rejected puppy." She smiled, and broke into a jog.
As the four Blue Team champions were busy pushing down the middle turret, they heard a distant roar, followed by the sound of fast, heavy feet hitting the ground like a stampede.
"Uh-oh." Quinn's grin quickly turned upside down at the sight of a grey juggernaut charging at them in full speed, wrapped in flames. Axes flew towards them from the left flank as a laughing Draven walked out, spinning an axe with each hand.
"Men, retreat! To the right jungle!" Garen rallied his allies as they ran to the enemy jungle, hoping to lose the enemy in the jungle. While the Vanguard General guarded their rear, Quinn quickly led the retreat, her feet carrying her as fast as they could to the bushes, while Valor flew back to help Garen delay Sion and Draven. Unknown to them, a red streak leaped from tree to tree, tailing Quinn as she separated from the others. Galio took to the opposite direction closest to the Red Team tower, while Xin Zhao went to the middle route, expecting to see the Gromp, only to be met by the blunt end of a giant axe.
"We meet again, Xin Zhao." Darius appeared behind a stiff Gromp, which fell down immediately, lifeless. With his right hand below his left, he gripped his axe tightly and swung down.
Garen followed Draven as he ran towards the left jungle.
That man has quick feet. He thought to himself. Whenever he'd turn a corner, he'd only see the fleeting shadow of his enemy. Flattened grass here and broken twigs are all there is left for him to follow as he was left alone in the woods. The snowfall also made footsteps, especially those in fur and light armor, silent and almost imperceptible.
The elder Crownguard tensed as he heard the soft rustling of grass. A twinge of nervousness crept inside him, but he steeled himself. For some, like Draven, this match is nothing but a game, a little skirmish for fun and practice. For him, it was another chance to prove himself and gain honor without bloodshed.
He pulled his scarf a little tighter as the air grew cold and crisp. The snowfall made the air so dense that he almost didn't see a pair of axes spinning rapidly towards him.
"Gh!" Garen grunted as he barely brought his sword up in time to block. Stepping out of the grass is Draven, whose fur armor is patched with snow. He shook off the snow off his head and spun his axes, dancing around as he did so.
"Stop horsing around and take this seriously, ruffian." The armored man declared, gripping his claymore roughly with his two hands. The Noxian executioner waved him off nonchalantly, laughing at his foe for taking it too seriously. What did he expect from a Demacian? At least he'll serve as a nice exhibition target. He stretched his legs cockily, taunting the armored man in front of him.
"Let's do this." Draven smirked, tossing his right axe. Garen parried the first axe, but he was hit by the other as Draven ran once again, going through the bushes. Garen gave chase as he brushed aside. Another wave of axes met him as they struck him down, the force of the axes surprisingly strong. A loud thud resounded as he fell on the snowy soil, with his sword overhead, still in his grasp.
"Well, well, well, what have we here? Fancy a blanket? Hahahahaha!" The Blood Brother taunted, imitating a certain Piltover sheriff's accent.
"Haa!" Garen swung his sword downwards as he lifted his upper body. Draven hopped back and picked up his axes, giving Garen enough time to stand up and ready himself.
"Prepare yourself!" He charged, parrying two axes. Draven drew his two spare axes and slashed downwards in an arc, straight from his back and into Garen's joints. The Noxian felt his arm twitch as the earlier swing shook him a little, but it was just enough to keep him distracted.
This damned hypocrite—
Garen shoved the axes off the gridlock and slashed at the narcissistic Noxian. The first slash missed, but the second bit through the fur and opened a weak spot in Draven's unusually thick fur armor. The executioner's blood boiled both in anger and elation as Garen continued to chase and strike at him.
"Well, damn it all. Back to the game!" Axes started flying again as Draven's ego amped him up. While able to catch up to the executioner's style, Garen is slowly being weakened by the cold. It's much more tolerable than the biting ice realm that is the Freljord, but he isn't really suited up for snow duty. He felt his armor getting heavier and clunkier while Draven didn't seem to have a care in the world.
"That's what ya get for not preparing for this and filling your head with that honor bull—"
"DO NOT QUESTION MY HONOR!" Anger surged through Garen as he struck Draven's gut with his sword pommel. Air is knocked out of Draven's lungs. He slashed upward and sideward, the fur armor barely holding. He felt his grip tighten as he raised his sword.
"Well, shit." Draven muttered, surrendering to his fate.
JUSTICE!
Lux offered Galio a hand as he shook off bits of snow from his body.
"I thank you, Luxanna Crownguard, for coming to my aid." Galio bowed.
"Ah, sure, no—" Suddenly, a white dagger erupted from the snow-tipped trees. While Lux did not see the blade zip through the air, it did not escape Galio's watchful gaze as he threw himself to the younger Crownguard, shielding her from the blade—and the storm of throwing knives that followed it.
"Run…Earn us…our, our victory." The weary gargoyle expression resembled a smile as light enveloped him and burst. Lux stood frozen for moments. Another hail of blades came from out of nowhere, but before they could reach her, she held out her hand and shielded herself, the knives splitting to two directions at contact. However, the last one pierced through the shield, striking the blonde mage at her left arm. She let out a small cry of pain.
"Aah!"
Out of the trees came Katarina, with a smug look on her face.
"Let's dance."
The red-haired rogue threw another dagger. Lux deflected the blade but was hit by Katarina's sideflip kick. One, two kicks hit her in the stomach, followed by a backflip kick. Katarina's smile widened as Lux was lifted off the ground and fell.
"Is that all you've got?"
Lux raised herself with difficulty, clutching her stomach in pain. She spit the blood in her mouth, wiped the rest from her mouth with the back of her hand, and grinned with spunk
"Is that all you've got?"
She returned the question right back at Katarina as she tossed a Light Bindingat point-blank range, but she dodged it with a back hop and a quick right foot. Both women danced in a deadly battle of skill as Lux kept Katarina at bay, while Katarina kept dodging Lux's attacks. An idea caught up to Lux.
"Hey Kat! Catch!" Lux shouted, tossing a snowball. The Noxian assassin made no attempt to dodge the cold projectile as it smacked right on her face. The snow fell down, her beautiful face, revealing her displeasure.
"What's that supposed to—" She was cut short as she suddenly can't move!
"That woman! How could I let myself off guard?!" She mentally cursed to herself as Lux hit her with the blunt end of her staff, knocking the wind out of her. And another hit. The Lady of Luminosity held nothing back as she swung her staff like a baton.
Lux stepped back and struck her with her light orbs.
"You bastard!" Katarina broke free as the magic wore off, punching her at the gut. Lux tried to dodge, but to no avail as the leather protecting her crumpled. It didn't hurt much, but it dazed the young mage long enough for Katarina to regain her bearings. This time, the rogue played her cards defensively. She sideflipped backwards and spun on her heel. The kick connected square on Lux's chin. The Noxian crouched and drew her blades, tumbling to her target's direction. She grinned wolfishly as the blonde Demacian steadied her vision. The moment Lux's world stopped spinning, Katarina sliced her knife upward and spun. Her folded right leg sprang on Lux's sternum. The combined attack broke Lux's armor straps.
"Aah!" This caught the Lady of Luminosity off-guard. While it didn't expose her impressive body completely, the leather suit and the cloth beneath hugged her figure snugly, and it made her feel naked. Uncomfortable.
The red assassin pressed the advantage, striking in a flurry of limb and steel. The catatonic mage barely managed to kick back at her assailant, with her own pell-mell version of the attack. She is in a state of total panic. With her eyes closed, limbs flailing, and muscles twitching, she had no idea where her fists (at least, that's what it felt like to her) hit.
Until a single fist hit her sternum.
The blow sent her staggering backwards and landing on her bottom, wheezing with pain.
At a distance, the hulking gray juggernaut rose from the "dead", his red eyes glowing with uncontrollable bloodlust and fury. His hands were balled into a fist of red destruction, and Sion himself seemed to glow ominously red. He caught sight of the two women locked in combat and barely recognized the scarlet one as an ally. With all the hatred and fury he can muster-
"DIE!"
He roared, a surge of rage and deathpushing his feet to greater speed. Lux's feet froze in terror.
"BLOOD!"
However, just as he was about to reach the terrified mage, a figure in heavy armor dashed from the bushes, slamming at the undead berserker.
"Run!" Garen shouted as he kept the Noxian madman at bay. Lux saw Katarina running away as she herself pulled back. Taking a breather, she sat down and leaned on a tree, exhaling her nervousness away.
"Hey! Hey, speak up!" Lux clamored. The Demacian team has been losing, and Grey hadn't made a response since earlier.
"Hey!" Finally, her Summoner is awoke from his stupor.
"O-Oh. Hi. Nice work out there." Grey stuttered. It's obvious that he is out of sorts, despite his best efforts to hide it.
"What happened? You're growing more and more quiet. Is something wrong?" His charge inquired. She sounded worried.
"What's this? Worried about your Summoner? Oh, what a champion we have here!"
"Stop playing with me! Right now, I, we, we need your help. Your fellow Summoners did a good job with their champions, but the fight's tiding to their favor. C'mon, give me something?" The urgency of the situation deflected Grey's joke.
"Alright, alright, sorry. Just, just give me a minute, I-I'll come up with something in a jiffy. You delay their siege as much as you can WITHOUT getting yourself killed, and if possible, anyone else on the Blue side." The panic spread to the rookie Summoner as he started thinking of ideas.
Both Galio and Xin Zhao are in the infirmary. Lux is at one-fourths. Garen is also taken down. Only Quinn is in good condition. On the other hand, the Noxians have two down, and the other three are in good condition. Swain is also confidently pushing down the mid-lane, his intimidating presence lowering the morale of his enemy Summoners. Both incapacitated Noxians are also about to respawn, while Galio and Xin Zhao are still a ways off.
"That's one other thing I noticed; respawn times are more than double in length."
It's true. There are more differences that he observed, such as the champions having no concept of "levels", though they had something similar as a system. While his Materia's HUD did show levels and experience points, he could tell that that wasn't what the champions are feeling. If anything, they seem oblivious to it. Probably a limiter of sorts?
"There's one last crucial thing."
He can't seem to communicate with his teammates. Even if the Materia provided a chat system, he still wasn't successful in communication. The Blue team Summoners are too busy to hear him out verbally also. This is the main reason why he asks Lux to relay orders for him. That, and he feels comfortable to talk with Lux for some reason.
"I'd better wrap this up. I'm getting tired." Yawning, he stretched in his seat for a bit and popped some finger joints. A deep exhale to get rid of nervousness, a deep breath, and he's set.
"So, Lux. You full of energy now?" His voice shook a bit. While the adrenaline that numbed him from the anxiety earlier has faded since then, his commanding tone is still there.
"Y-Yeah, I guess…ouch, ouchey." The young Crownguard stood up, her feet pushing against the ground with the tree as support. The task proved a bit difficult because of the slippery snow, but she managed nonetheless. Though she was wounded, she looked no less worthy for battle. Using her baton-staff as a clutch, she hobbled towards a nearby patch of grass.
As she walked towards the frosted green, a blue feather appeared. She raised her brow in confusion. In response, an entire wing appeared.
"Ah, I get it!" Hobbling as fast as she could, she let herself fall on the ground. Besides her lies Quinn, with Valor sitting like a chicken. The Demacian ranger was in prone position, with her crossbow ready to fire at any target that crossed her sights. Aside from the bolts attached to her belt pack, she has two fresh extra packs just in case she ran out, slightly scattered on the snow. Valor himself is busy cleaning up of blood from the fight earlier.
"Hi there, Lux." Quinn greeted without turning. "Sorry to be a bit rude, but I can't keep my eye off these sights, else I won't see that bitch rogue waltz right in here."
"She isn't really mad, if anything she looks like she's enjoying herself, but…" Lux observed. Quinn's breathing is rather strained, and her movement is somewhat ragged. Her outfit is also lined with cuts and gashes everywhere, but it isn't very deep. It most likely came from her running past thorny bushes.
"She's exhausted."
Turning her view a bit to the left, she could see Valor still preening himself. She didn't notice it earlier, but Lux saw a blue and gold bandage around the bird's right wing.
"That must be where Sion rammed and pinned it with his shoulders, huh?"
"No, that's not the reason why Valor can't fly right now."
Lux suppressed a small eep.
"Don't scare me like that!" She cried indignantly inside her mind.
"Oh, c'mon, you know better. Our minds are connected, aren't they?"
"Sure they are, but…ah, nevermind, there's much time to talk later. Right now, have you come up with something yet?"
"I'm not sure if this is gonna work, but if the snowfall's what I think it is, then it just might." There is newfound courage in Grey's voice as the shakes started receding.
"I'm listening."
"Well, let me make sure of some things first. Valor can't fly yet, right?"
Lux glanced over at the bird.
"No, definitely not."
"Can it run fast?"
Lux tapped Quinn's shoulders lightly.
"Can Valor run fast?" She said, echoing her Summoner's inquiry.
"Yeah, sure. Just not for too long, he tends to get tired really quickly on foot. Why, what've you got?" Quinn nodded her head a little, gesturing to Lux's Summoner.
"Nothing yet."
"Alright, keep me posted." The ranger returned to her crossbow and aligned her eyes on the iron sights.
"Well, you heard the woman."
"Righto, let's get this thing started." Flexing his fingers outward, Grey tuned out the world around them.
"Here's what you gonna do…"
Grey noticed that playing the role of the Summoner is fundamentally different from those back home in almost, if not every single aspect. For one, in Earth the role of a Summoner is to control the champion like one would a robot. The game was very number-based, and the "meta" rotates around a select pool of champions. Sure, you can potentially win with any champion you wanted to use, but your chances will be substantially higher if you picked on of the "in-guys" or those popular in the current meta. In the real thing, it's a little different. More accurately, a lot different. For starters—
Whoops.
Grey saw Lux righting herself up with her baton, leaning against a stone wall both for protection and stealth. Tresses of her hair covered half of her face, leaving the bloodied part exposed. Her eyes burned with determination, making the whole scene exciting, invigorating…a bit sexy?
Where's the popcorn when you need them?
Lux held the weapon tight as she shakily helped herself up. She silently relaxed herself on a wall, reaching for another potion in her pack.
Not a single sound.
It was a good thing that the snow keeps getting harder. The granular material muffled their movements, and their armor of white and blue blended well with the background. She peeked near the edge of the rock, her eyes scanning the area.
"See anything?" Quinn asked.
"No, nothing yet." Lux waited for a few seconds before beckoning the injured avian beside her. It was wary of the blonde mage, but nevertheless it followed her command.
"Hey, Valor. Can you please go over and drop this ward over there?" The Crownguard sibling smiled as sweetly as she can. The blue eagle, seeing the order as suicidal, scoffed and was about to walk away when it heard it's partner.
"Val. Do as she says." Quinn reprimanded, her eyes fixed on the middle lane. Grudgingly, the bird yielded. Crossing the lane, it was spotted by a handful of minions, who are now running at it as fast as their stubby golem legs could. This resulted in Valor indignantly running towards the appointed bush like a chicken. It shoved the blunt end of the ward on the ground and swiftly ran back, dodging the minions with his uninjured wing. The minions' squabbling was enough to catch the attention of Darius, who came back from taking the Bramblehulk's Red Buff. The Noxian chuckled to himself.
"Oh, I could go for a roast eagle today!" Breaking into a run, the general's armor thudded heavily on the floor as his steps felt like tremors to Valor's unfit legs. It shook as it ran, with Darius closing the distance with each step.
Valor squawked in panic, narrowly dodging an axe swing.
Darius' smile grew wider. He stomped the ground, throwing the eagle off guard. It laid prone on the blood-stained white.
Swing. Valor saw the axe raised. It slowly reached it's arc zenith. The bird closed it's eyes and accepted it's faith.
GO!
Blue feet came out of the white as Quinn came to Valor's rescue, kicking the peerless warrior back. Landing with one knee on the ground, Quinn followed up with a shot, stopping Darius from retaliating. At this, two magical orbs flew directly at the Noxian, snaring him on the ground, while the other had smaller lights orbiting around it like an atom. Then the red laser.
Then the shout of the Demacian light mage.
And then, there was light.
It scattered and rose to the sky, signaling his trip to the infirmary.
"Let's push, quickly!" Quinn urged. The two Demacian fighters ran to help their minions siege the tower. It was halfway to tumbling down, yet it seemed like they're taking eternity. Finally, the structure collapsed.
"Hurry!" Lux threw all her spells at the next wave of enemy minions, wiping them out instantly. The top and bot inhibitor was about to be destroyed until they heard a roar of anguish.
The two Demacians looked at each other in shock.
"Sion!"
They saw the hulking gray juggernaut kicking the stone beneath his feet like a bull. Quinn looked at Lux.
"Brace yourself." Quinn hopped back a few steps.
"Wh-What're you—aah!" Lux raised her hand in reflex. The Demacian scout kicked on it like a springboard, sending the mage near the Red Base Entrance. Lux saw Quinn shout something, but whatever it was, it was drowned by the sound of Sion charging towards the blue ranger.
"CRUSH!"
Quinn acted on instinct, diving to her right. The minions there just finished taking down the inhibitor.
Maybe I can lose him through the minions!
As she stood up, a sharp pain rocked her back waist, forcing her back on the ground. The Undead Juggernaut saw this and reared his glowing red axe.
"BLOOD!"
"No!" Lux turned back to cast a spell, but she felt her knees buckle with pain. She looked down. It bled.
"Remember me?" Katarina grinned, kicking Lux in a roundhouse. It sent her on the floor as Lux managed to deflect most of the force, but it still knocked her down. She was lying face-up on the snow, her limbs spread open. Katana du Couteau kicked the baton away and applied pressure on Lux's wrist with her heels. She looked down on the Demacian and grinned widely. Lux returned the favor with a dirty eye.
"Without merc—" Katarina was cut-off as Valor rose from the snow and into her face, it's wing completely healed.
Wow, that was fast.
Lux heard her summoner speak for the first time since earlier. His voice is low and hushed, as if he is talking to himself. Valor kept the rogue distracted as Lux picked up her baton and saw her brother, along with Galio and Xin Zhao, march from the base. Garen stopped beside her sister, gave her a flask, and patted her on the head.
"Nice job. Now, let us finish the match for you. You have earned some rest."
At this, Lux gently slapped the palm away, earning her a raised eyebrow from all three. Katarina is well off now, having escaped Valor's deadly talons with a lucky Shunpo.
"I'm not a baby anymore that needs to be coddled time and again!" The hot-headed sibling stomped childishly. Shaking his head, Garen smiled to himself.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Bottoms up. The Noxians won't sit on their bottoms waiting for us, you know." Marching on, the two warriors ran to the hulking gray Noxian. Galio took flight and flung himself to the giant. The other two, Garen and Xin Zhao, jumped off Sion's body to reach the towers—until large raven claws erupted from the ground, trapping them in place. Out behind the tower came Swain, along with the other three champions: Darius, Draven and Katarina.
"Dispatch these worms!" Swain ordered.
A purple beam of magical energy erupted from Beatrice's mouth, shooting towards Xin Zhao. The former gladiator braced for combat but before it reached him it swerved towards the ground.
"Huh?"
It looped around his legs, his torso, his arms. Before he knew it, the coils surrounding him tightened, greatly slowing him down. He gritted his teeth as the arcane wire burned against his skin, but he kept forward. Garen charged towards the tactician.
"DEMACIA!"
He charged. Swain sidestepped the attack and deflected a strike with his cane. Garen slashed diagonally twice, but both got parried. He then brought his sword in front of him and spun around. The balding general stepped back as Darius took his place, swinging to meet his foe's axis.
"Ha! Fight me." The two clashed blades as Galio tossed the barely-conscious Sion into the fray. Swinging his hammerfists up, with a mighty flap he rose into the air and landed in the middle of the fray. He smashed Sion's face twice, launched him into the air and hit him with a Resolute Smite, killing the warrior once more.
Lux arrived at the scene slightly better. Her leg wounds have healed and her arms are now swinging properly. Her stomach area still hurt, but she ignored it and carried on. Dropping the flask, she called to her summoner.
"Hey. A bit of help?" She asked sheepishly.
"Yep, was waiting for that. Hmm, okay, let's start by snaring Kat over there. Throw your Binding behind Xin."
"Eh? But Kat's right beside—"
"Trust me on this one."
Alright. Lux resigned to herself . Firing the projectile, it seemed to be aimed nowhere…until Katarina Shunpo'd her way behind Xin and tried to slice his throat.
"Gah!" The rogue screamed as light rings formed around her wrists and ankles, rooting her in place. The Seneschal thrusted his spear backwards, hitting Katarina straight on the stomach. He then did a Crescent Sweep, sending the surrounding Noxians flying.
"Haayaah!" The red-headed assassin yelled, dodging a spear thrust. She landed on his shoulders, pinned his head between her feet, and spinned backward. Xin Zhao was thrown to his feet, his neck aching.
"Tch." He shook his head and charged at Katarina, but she leapt overhead and landed between the three Demacians.
"Lux, now! Cast a shield on them!"
The blonde mage's shield arrived just in time as a sphere of light deflected streams of knives being tossed at them. Xin Zhao ducked, narrowly dodging a flying axe. Deflecting two axes in his way, he ran towards the Executioner.
"Naughty, eh? Catch this!" Draven exclaimed, two axes spinning horizontally towards Xin's feet. The warrior is pushed aside, entering Darius's range.
"Two for one? Perfect." He spun his axe, scarring a large dent on the two Demacians' armor. Garen and Xin Zhao charged him. Meanwhile, Galio is trying to catch Katarina as she leapt and wove through his bulky frame. A slide down, a spinning kick, a spinning backflip, all while throwing daggers. The gargoyle is slowly being worn away as Katarina played her little game.
"Lux, Draven's open now. Fire all you've got at him!"
Complying to his command, Lux fired off her earlier combo. Snare, pop, boom. Two rapid projectiles went right under their noses as Draven got hit. Upon hitting, Lux rose into the air, her staff rapidly spinning in front of her.
"Yiiiyah!" The beam of arcane light hit Draven on the chest, past his hair, through his form. He was evaporated in less than a second. The victory gave her a boost as she cheered. Katarina saw this and tossed a Bouncing Blade.
"Lux, to your left!"
A knife is spinning in her direction, but it's too fast to dodge! Lux brought her hands up on reflex, when suddenly…
Ting! The knife bounced off harmlessly as she saw a barrier envelop her. Galio's Bulwark protected her from a wave of axes as she barely felt the pain. The protection of the sentinel gave her courage, a sense of confidence emerging from within her as she sent another wave of spells in the clash. Targeted twice, the Hand of Noxus lost his momentum, prompting a counterattack from Xin. In the corner of her eye, she saw her brother Garen slowly succumbing to Swain, whose bird Beatrice is bounding Garen down with it's Deceprify.
"Hey you, birdbrain!" Lux picked up a rock and tossed it at Swain's head. It didn't do much to hurt the Noxian general, in fact he almost didn't feel anything, but it was enough distraction for Garen to break out of Beatrice's shackles and into Swain's personal space.
Swoosh. Garen's sword came down hard as Swain tried to block it with his staff, but it got sliced in half. Darius also fell as Xin Zhao slammed him at the gut and smashed the spearhead to his face with an upward strike. At this, Katarina leaped from the white and into the fray, a graceful shunpo to Xin's back, and stab.
"Xin!" Lux cried as light enveloped the warrior and shattered.
This shocked the Blue Team as Katarina took advantage, another shunpo to Galio, a kick in the face, and a Death Lotus. The blade storm slowly tore through Galio's defenses. In a moment of courage, Galio slammed his shoulder at Katarina, landed in the middle of the clash, and cast the Idol of Durand. A whirlwind of magical energy compelled the Noxians to strike him, who is harder than stone.
"Lux, now! Focus your skills on Katarina! Open fire!"
Agreed! Lux sent a wave of attacks, finally apprehending the Sinister Blade. The twisting energies finally coalesced around Galio and exploded, killing Darius and Katarina. Only Swain was left as he used what's left of his wooden staff to help himself up.
"Surrender!" Garen Demacians chanted in unison as they surrounded the Master Tactician. Lux walked towards the man to finish the match. She's tired, and is almost out of mana. She just has enough for one burst, but alas, she doesn't need it anyway.
"Or will you?"
She heard Grey's voice in her head. He's not planning to stop them again, is he? He's been a good Summoner from the beginning to say the least, and his plans and techniques have always succeeded. But this one's just one baton slap away from victory! The middle and bottom minions are already tearing down the enemy nexus, and all Noxians, except for Swain, are currently waiting for respawn. What's supposed to stop them now? A sneeze?
"C'mon, Grey. I can see your point earlier, but now you're just being unreasonable."
"I…don't feel so victorious yet. Seriously, don't go near him. His title, the Master Tactician, is there for a reason. He—"
"Relax. I don't know why you're so paranoid about things, but rest assured we can handle it from here."
"If…tch, if you say so." Grey resigned, though he sounded very unconvinced.
Lux walked. Garen and Xin Zhao ran to secure, while Galio folded his wings and tiredly walked towards the target. His wings revealed multiple large cracks, mostly from axe hacks. Drinking a potion from out of nowhere, he sat a good distance between Lux and the Nexus and watched. As the Blue champions moved slowly towards Swain, he grasped his head and laughed.
The Demacians stopped in their tracks. A second passes.
"FOOLS!" Swain's voice boomed as massive raven claws appeared from a magical circle and trapped two of them. Galio flung itself onto him, but he sidestepped the attack, causing the gargoyle to crash on the ground. The ground turned slippery, causing Garen to fall. Xin Zhao charged at him, but Beatrice fired a magical bolt at the ground, causing the snow to melt. The Demacians are motionless as ravens flocked to Swain, enveloping his form. They made a unified cawing noise, as if chanting a spell, and when they dispersed, a monstrous raven-human hybrid appeared.
"Let's see who's stronger now!"
Swain casted another Nevermove at the two fighters, hitting Garen with Torment and Deceprify.
"Burn!"
Xin Zhao rose from the snow and leaped in front of him. He slashed at the transformed mage twice; one diagonal, one horizontal. He found flesh as his weapon sliced at him, but Swain didn't seem to notice. The murder of crows turned their attention to the gladiator as they left Garen, who is being enveloped by white light. Swain shoved Xin Zhao, causing him to slip and fall into a green magic circle.
Galio rose from the ground and struck the flock away with his Resolute Smite, but it's too late. Xin Zhao is gone.
"No!" Lux cried. Galio tried to smash Swain with his fists, but the mage simply tethered him with Deceprify and Torment, causing it to fall as well. Galio's form shook terribly as he tried to raise himself—but he failed. Magical stone slumped as light enveloped him and shattered, leaving Lux alone with the monstrous creature in front of her.
There's one thing left to do.
"Run! Whatever you do, don't let Swain get near you."
Adrenaline surged through Lux as she turned tails and dashed to the base exit, with Swain right at her feet. The oncoming minions gave them some space in between as she exited the base and went to the remaining topside defenses. The minions there are pushing the tower down. While they aren't very significant by themselves, their sheer numbers should discourage the Master Tactician from following her there.
Or would it?
The foe in question is currently marching towards the top lane in human form, making it just after the tower fell. He confidently strode into the fray and transformed, the ravens scattering in a nova of beak and claw. The minion wave dissipated like meat in a piranha attack, giving Swain a truckload of gold.
"Doesn't look good, does it?"
"…Yeah." Lux exhaled, unknowingly holding her breath the entire time.
"Unfortunately, he's back to full health at the moment. I have a thing that just might work. Might." Grey offered. It appears that real life Swain doesn't have the three-raven output limit; he can send an individual raven, obviously magical, to any target near the immediate area. This makes things all the more harder.
Oh wait.
Lux didn't hear it, but Grey heard the call of a familiar Demacian eagle from the base platform.
Wait. Let's re-assess the situation.
There is currently only one inhibitor standing up. The rest are minions marching to destroy the Nexus turrets in a fruitless siege, since that Swain is there in his bird form. The Noxian champs are still a few minutes away, and the Demacians are even farther.
Except for Quinn, who is already making her way towards the Red Base with a fresh wave of minions plus the one in a mecha-like suit. Valor is flying ahead, scouting for anything that will give them an edge for the battle.
The duo is currently unaware of Swain. If only I can talk to Valor somehow, then maybe I can make this work.
"Lux." Grey called. The champion in question is currently trying to ward off the approaching Swain, still in his bird form.
"…Y-Yeah?" Lux replied with ragged breathing. While Swain drew on a seemingly endless stream of energy, she is already in a state where the ending of the match will be a godsend, regardless of the result. She dropped herself on the snow, letting the chilly wind sway her exhausted body.
"You still have any energy left for flares?"
Lux checked. No, not a chance. She just spent the last of her mana forcing Swain to return and kill off the minions' siege at the Nexus towers, and his ravens keep sustaining him from the battle strain.
"Sorry…I-I don't have much left in me. I'm sorry if I failed you; you're so full of vitality and strength and yet…" The Demacian let out a tired sigh.
"It's been a really great match, you know. It's been a long time, a really long time since I had to push myself this hard. I had a lot of fun!" She laughed. Her lungs pulsed with pain, immediately stopping her. A sad smile showed on her lips.
"Thanks for being such a great summoner…friend." Her eyes felt heavy. What she wouldn't give to just close her eyes and let the darkness comfort her…
"Hey, HEY!" Grey screamed. "Don't be so damn melodramatic! You aren't going to die here even if I throw you in the middle of the Red platform! Pull yourself together girl!"
Lux slowly opened her eyes.
It's that commanding voice again…
"What? Do I have to get down there myself and kick your ass to life! Wake the fuck up, soldier! Who do you think I am? Coward McWeakling? Hell no, and so are you! You can do this!"
Looking down her body, she could see another fresh batch of wounds oozing blood. Her leather armor's all torn apart, and it's barely holding up. Her staff's scratched up, but it still glowed with power. Her power.
"I'm waiting, young lady."
Lux chuckled. He sounded exactly like Garen when she was just fresh in the military. Gripping on the steel baton, she shakily stood up. A renewed sense of strength washed over her.
I've already gotten this far. Might as well win this thing.
She smiled. It isn't a smile of ignorance, or one that accepted defeat. It's a confident smile that Grey saw; a smile in knowing that certain victory is at hand.
"That's my girl! Now, you got any mana or something for flares?"
"No way. Too tired."
"Well then, find something to signal Valor. He's flying overhead; you might be able to alert him to you and ask him to get some potions. I know a few bottles of health and mana potions won't be enough, but it'll have to do. We don't have much time until the Red champs spawn. Luckily, Quinn's already in the way. She can deal with Swain—providing she listens to me."
Lux paused a bit to chew on the information.
"Are you certain? That avian form is…problematic, to say the least."
"Which is why we'll need that scouting duo. Now, how do I connect to Quinn/Valor's mind?"
The Materia coalesced and shaped into a USB in his hand, symbolizing his connection to a champion. He noticed that one flash drive is plugged into a floating port.
Must be Lux's.
"You can't, not this time anyway. There are match types such as Warlord where a single summoner is given control to 5 individual champions. There are also a few more but the match right now is just a normal match but with spectators and evaluators; an audition, if you will." She explained as her stamina slowly recovered.
"Why didn't you tell this to me earlier?"
"Um, you never asked?"
"You did realize that this match would've been a lot easier right? Anyway, I don't have enough rapport to guarantee Quinn/Valor summoner's aid, but you might, with your fellow champion. I honestly don't know how to do that, so I'll leave it up to you how you'll have her listen to me."
"Okay, leave it to me."
Swain effortlessly slew the last minion wave. For him, the game has gone far too long, and he's weary of his summoner being tactically…lacking. Had it not been for Lux and her summoner, he would've just forfeited the match out of sheer boredom a long time ago. His spies have informed him of a certain alien that the Voidwalker picked up from one of his walks. He apparently was picked up for a potential "cultural exchange", but Swain knew better; one would not discover a country and merely smile at them.
The tactician is broken from his thoughts as Lux appeared. Her armor is barely holding itself, but the mage seemed eager. Eager to end it all.
"It seems that you grow weary of this fight as well."
"I do, that's why I have a proposal for you."
"I'm listening."
"Let's have a duel in front of the Baron."
"And what? Let the minions shred my Nexus to nothingness? You're…fine. I'm tired of this anyway." He agreed, surprisingly.
"W-What?!"
"Yes, my dear enemy, I will duel you for the victory on one condition. We will duel here. Right here, right now."
Lux closed her eyes for a moment. After mouthing a few words, probably to her summoner, she nodded.
Both took a deep breath.
Lux leaped sideways as raven claws rose from the ground, almost pinning her in place. Her right foot broke her tumble. She used the remaining momentum to launch herself forward, rushing at Swain. Moving at him faster than he thought, Lux brought her baton behind her and swung it like a broadsword. Swain managed to duck out of the way. Lux swung back, but this time, Swain parries it with his hardwood staff. At that moment, both combatants heave themselves off. Swain lost his footing but quickly regained his balance while Lux landed on her bottom, again. Prepared, she drew her limbs and rolled sideways, dodging another Nevermove. She broke onto a kneeling position and cast a Light Binding, snaring Swain in place. She placed her hands on the floor, adjusted her legs to kneeling position, and pushed—
"W-what?!" Her fatigue caught up to her as her knees gave way, forcing her back down. Her body suddenly felt very heavy, and it started aching all over. Clutching a knee wound, Lux bit her lip, trying to will herself up. Seeing this, Swain laughed maniacally.
"Hahahahaha! Who would've thought that the famous Lady of Luminosity—Luxanna Crownguard—would fail at a time like this? While you have been running around all the time, I've been gathering energy, readying myself for battle. After all," He leaned close to Lux.
"The taller they stand, the harder they fall." Swain transformed into his Raven form and was about to finish the Demacian mage, but—
Valor dived from the skies as he transformed himself into a living projectile. The feathered bullet hit Swain square on the chest, pushing him back. The Demacian eagle continued his rapid assault, weaving around the monster's large frame. Ravens followed in pursuit, but he easily dodged and tore through them, with Lux's shield defending him from harm.
"You..." Now, it's Lux's time to grin as Swain tried to hit the speeding wings at melee.
"Never saw that coming, huh mister Tactician? It's a trap, one of the oldest tricks in the book." Quinn appeared from the oncoming minion wave, tossing Lux a bandage kit and a potion. Finally, the blue whirlwind sped back to his partner as he left Swain tired and wounded. A smile was exchanged by the three combatants as they watched the Red Nexus slowly being torn down.
"Bah. My mind's exhausted anyway, trying to find a way to help these fools." He pointed to his head, chuckling under his breath.
EDIT: Finally noticed why the line formatting isn't doing so well (stupid me). I put in the lines so that it'll be a lot less confusing. Thanks for the support everyone!