Chapter 5: Demacia!
On the western most coast of Valoran, beyond the lush expanses of the Kaladoun Marshes, lay the shining city known as Demacia. A fortress of awe and beauty, Demacia stood on the opposite end of Noxus as did their concepts of life. While Noxus valued power and status above all else, Demacia viewed law and order to be the most important aspects of society. This ideal was reflected in the architecture of their city as well.
Tall gleaming white spires reached towards the heavens, and at the center of the city one could easily spot the large castle that shone brilliantly under the sunlight. Impenetrable walls surrounded the city as the denizens within its own streets bustled about in their everyday lives. Soldiers bearing the flamboyant blue, gold and white colors on their armor would patrol the streets periodically.
Amongst the Demacian citizens was a particular soldier running down the street. A young girl squeezed passed the crowds, apologizing along the way to any citizens she accidentally bumped into. Her golden hair would sometimes shimmer in the sunlight as it danced through the wind. The girl's attire differed from the normal Demacian soldier, having white armor and a silver breast plate covering a black body suit. Her weapon of choice, a long baton with what appeared to be golden crowns at each end, was kept snug against her waist.
The vibrant girl dashed towards one of the four towers that surrounded the palace. A giant violet hued crest glowed brilliantly on at the top. Each tower possessed a different symbol with a different crest. At the foot of the marble tower lay giant double gates with a four squared window-like design carved into them. A woman in violet robes stood at the front with two oversized camping bags on the ground beside her, it seemed somewhat comical to think that the woman could carry both bags at once.
"Jessica!" The radiant girl jovially yelled as she broke into a jumping hug at the woman.
Jessica seemed mildly surprised, though not unpleasant in the least bit as she gave a small laugh and hugged the girl back, "Aha! Lux, it's been awhile. How are you?"
"Great!" She responded adding a playful laugh, "I saw your match on the broadcasts, congratulations!"
"Thank you, Lu-"
"Though…I never took you for one to be using the bait strategy. Poor Kassadin must've been hurting all over after that ordeal." Lux added in an innocent manner.
"Eheh…" Jessica gave a fake laugh accompanied by a forced smile. She could never really tell if the girl was teasing her or actually being serious.
Jessica Cross had known Lux since she was a small child. The Cross family and the Crownguard family had heavy ties to each other, dating back to Jarvan II's coronation. While the Crownguards had upheld a long tradition of raising valiant warriors in the service of Demacia, the Cross house had been known for their magus upbringing. As a result the two houses shared a familial bond within, and outside, the Demacian military.
"Here, I'll help you with that." Lux said as she picked up one of the colossal bags. What seemed comical that Jessica was lugging the bag seemed overly exaggerated when Lux managed to sling one of the bags onto her shoulder. She almost seemed dwarfed considering she was a good foot or two shorter than Jessica.
"Thanks Lux, but…don't you have things to do?" The two proceeded down the steps of the spire and towards the crowded Demacian streets.
"Off duty, just got back from a match. I heard you were coming back from your trip so I thought I'd come and welcome you back." The Crownguard girl explained and then gave her friend a disappointed glance, "And here I was thinking you'd be glad to see me."
A nervous laugh painted itself across Jessica's face, "Oh come on Lux! I was just worried you skipped out on your duties again."
The Lady of Luminosity, as she was widely known, giggled in amusement, "I know, I was just teasing."
As they walked further away from the central grounds and into the residential streets, the traffic became much heavier.
"What's the occasion?" Jessica asked curiously as she peeked over the flood of people.
"Mages and merchants from the outlying cities. High Summoner Rem is about to unveil their findings on sigil teleportation. It's supposedly going to replace the crystal teleportation we use." Lux explained as she shuffled passed the crowd.
"Ah, I see…" The Summoner replied unenthusiastically. At current, city-states aligned with Demacia used crystal nodes to teleport from one city-state to another. It was quick and served its purpose, however it was now being deemed inefficient as the nodes themselves wore out after three years and crystals of an appropriate size were getting harder to find.
Sigil teleportation was, as the name implied, using symbols to channel magic in order to use a teleportation spell. It was theorized to be more efficient and simpler.
It was not that Jessica did not think highly of the development, she was just more interested in other areas.
It was then that Lux nudged her lightly on the arm, "By the way, speaking of findings, did you find anything of interest in those ruins?"
"Hmmm…well it's hard to describe. We found strange symbols all over the place, and a musty old tome…"
Lux cocked a peculiar eyebrow, "A musty old tome?"
"Yeah, it had a list of names in it. The strangest thing was that it contained the names of a couple Summoners in the League, specifically Noxian Summoners. There were also several Noxian soldiers in the ruins."
The girl shot Jessica a stare of utter disbelief, "Noxian soldiers? I thought the match decided which city-state got to explore the ruins?"
"It did, I guess Noxus had other plans. Though the Noxians weren't the only ones there…" Jessica explained, the image of the bodies of the soldiers still haunted her memories.
"What?"
"Listen Lux, I didn't tell the League any of this…but…I think…whatever was in ruins was what killed the Noxian soldiers."
"Times have changed since your last emergence, old one. Noxus is no longer the dominating force that we were centuries ago. Our might and power was halted by the Demacian's military power." Marcus du Couteau leaned against the fireplace as the great embers lit his old features up. He gave the other presence in the room a cocky grin.
The other person he addressed was a tall figure, wrapped in black robes and expression covered by two bent metal plates. This person tilted his masked head slightly, giving off a quizzical gesture.
"That is not the only thing that stands in the way of our conquest. The League of Legends is an organization made to mediate our wars. They told us that our battles were escalating to catastrophic levels, that our very power would tear this world apart. Preposterous!"
The old general spoke in a dramatic manner, his hand gestures also reflecting this. "But enough of that, I have summoned you here for a purpose."
Like a vigilante statue the masked man did not move, he merely listened. "The three Summoners you killed are part of a secretive cult that is spread thinly through Valoran. They are worshippers of the Voidbourne. Merely knowing this much apparently gave them enough reason to look for me. When they could not find me, they started to panic and made their way into a newly discovered location…your sleeping place. The League had uncovered the ruins you were sealed in several days ago. I sent some of my men to intercept them, I had feared the worst when none of them had returned on the following day, but it seems they were successful. Thus here I am, face to face with you."
"…" The man remained silent. Such calm is hard to find in today's hot blooded Noxians, the Noxian general thought to himself, especially the soldiers this day and age where death on the battlefield was treated as the ultimate form of art. Marcus du Couteau walked around the masked figure, still studying the mysterious form. When he had heard stories of The Destroyer from his forefathers, he had expected a man of collossal nature wielding brutish strength. Yet here stood a being of normal human stature.
"I have heard many refer to you as Ein, is that your name?" The man nodded slowly, yet confidently. A wide grin played across the general's face as he stood in front of the man named Ein, "Good, Now for the task at hand. There are supposedly eleven more members that are alive, scattered throughout Valoran. I needn't tell you my reasons, nor do I think you care anyways. I just need these cultists disposed of...as soon as possible." He finished his pacing of the room and returned to his place beside the crackling fireplace.
The dim lighting from the fires played darkly across Marcus's face, giving off a dark and serious tone in contrast to his earlier confident grins. "Do you think you can do it? Travel across Valoran, journey city to city, search out a few humans in these vast lands. No allies no friends, perhaps the world your enemy…or perhaps you have several questions you want answered?"
For a moment, the only sound that filled the room was the crackling of the fires. Then, as if the air itself was speaking to Du Couteau, a deep voice resounded through the room. The tone was rough, almost a bark, yet it possessed a soft echo.
"…tell us where we begin, and we shall bring an end…"