Chapter 11

Ashes to Ashe

"Ezreal, I thought you said you were bringing me here to talk to Caitlyn." A tall woman with pale skin and snow white hair said as she observed the field of battle. She watched intensely as a woman was thrown high into the air and came down with massive power.

"That is exactly what I came to you for, I asked for your help but you wanted to assess the situation yourself, with all due respect it may already be too late." Ezreal said as he too watched the giant cloud of dust spread over a section of the battle. "But as you can see, our problems are worse than I thought. None of us thought this would escalate so quickly." He pointed out the half build defenses. "Do you think that I lie to you still?" He said desperately.

"No I do not, but I do not see how this effects me and my people. Sejuani would love to fight on the fields of battle but she has little care for the lives of our people individually. Lissandra would not dare to go on the offense, nor help anyone other than herself. That is why you came to me, because you already knew this." Ashe turned to him and looked straight into his eyes. "I cannot bring my people-"

"If we don't stop them here, next goes Demacia. Who comes after that? Do you think that the Noxians will have respect for you because you did not fight in the war? Just like the Ionians?" Ezreal spoke passionately with tears in his eyes. Ashe looked away and back to the battle, the dust had settled.

"I can go now, and come back in a week's time with a thousand soldiers." Ashe said flatly. Ezreal groaned.

"Is there nothing you can do now?" He tapped on her bow. "Fight with me, please. For our people." Ashe looked down at her bow and back up to Ezreal and he saw a faint tear go down her cheek. She stood up fast and held her icy bow forward, the everlasting ice freezing the air around it.

"Avarosa, guide this arrow true and strike those who would bring harm to our people." Ezreal's hair rose up as a bow made of pure energy appeared in his hands. Ashe drew her bow and fired. Nothing came forth and Ezreal looked at her confused but then heard a shimmering as he looked on towards the battle as the air turned to ice and a massive arrow flew straight into the Zaunite front. Ezreal brought his own energy to the bow and jumped up high and fired a massive barrage of energy that followed closely from behind the frozen arrow.

Vi was mid charge when she was sent flying backwards when a massive explosion of ice broke the Zaunite lines apart. She stood up and a massive wave on energy flew over her head and thundered into the frozen combatants, tearing them apart. Vi turned to her soldiers and cheered and they all joined her in their charge straight into the confused and wounded lines.

Ashe and Ezreal looked on as the Piltover army rallied itself and tore through the Zaunite army. "I will go now, and bring what forces I can. I should not be long. I will see you again soon. Ashe ran back to her horse and turned once more back to Ezreal and nodded before she galloped away. Ezreal watched her as she went away and smiled. He disappeared in a flash of yellow energy and reappeared in the main charge, blasting bolts of energy at his foes.

In an hours time the remaining five hundred Piltover soldiers stormed through a thousand of the Zaunites before they gave a full retreat. Vi stood atop a hill on the edge of the battle field and watched the forces of Zaun run. She then looked back and sank to her knees, fatigued and in despair. She looked at her losses and shuddered, a thousand and five hundred dead and wounded. A soldier helped her to her feet and she made her way to the marksmen's position. Ziggs was hurt, he had been hit by a thrown ax and fell off his tower, the ax did not pierce his helmet but he was still hurt very badly from the impact. Vi sent some soldiers to care for him and looked for Caitlyn but she was no where to be found, there were no bodies. The only trace of her and her men were spent rifle casings. Vi looked towards the battlefield and thought that the angle was bad so she moved to the right.

"Caitlyn!" She called out, the area was forested, some of the trees had been cut down to serve as sections of cover for the marksmen. She heard some noise in the distance and she moved quickly but quietly. She hid behind a tree as she heard a rather high pitched voice, a voice she knew. She turned to move to the next tree but half stumbled over the body of a dead marksman. He was rittled with bullets in his chest. Vi looked on and saw half a dozen more bodies as the forest got denser, she followed them until a clearing was within view. There was a fire there and she could understand what the voice was saying now.

"Oh you! Silly Hat Lady! You thought you could just 'sit over here and shoot your big guns' without anyone noticing?!" The voice was high pitched and manic and Vi simmered with hate. "And now I've got ya! What do you have to say for yourself now!? Nothing! Ahahaha!" Vi edged closer, she heard a muffled voice very faintly. "Oh? What was that? Your big bad girlfriend is gonna save you? No chance! Big hat, big hands you guys make a perfect match! But I'm afraid she's going to have to..." The voice was directed in Vi's direction now. "DIE!"

Vi rolled to the side as a barrage of bullets cut the tree in half, she rolled again to avoid being crushed and then sprinted as a line of bullets chased her around. A great manic laughter rang out throughout the forest. Vi slid down a grabbed a rock and tossed it towards the source of the bullets and they stopped. "Ow!" the voice rang out and Vi popped out of the brush and tackled down her target. It was a very petite woman, even smaller than Caitlyn. She had long blue ponytail styled hair and bore a giant smile. Her eyes were big and pink and was barely clothed. A strange pistol was holstered in her belt and two massive guns lay at her flanks.

"Hey Fat Hands!" She smiled up at her. "It is about time you showed up! This lady is sooooo boring!" She looked at Caitlyn, who was tied and a few feet away, and frowned. Vi's cheek muscles twitched in anger as her foe tormented her even in the face of death. "What's wrong, Vi? Cait got your tongue?" She grinned wickedly and Vi rose her fist high into the air but she squealed.

"No! Please!" she pleaded and Vi was caught off guard. "I don't wanna die..." Vi was astonished now.

"Jinx, you torment me but you ask for mercy?" Vi, still red with anger, asked. Jinx smiled weakly back at her.

"I just..." she looked up at Vi and slowly brought her hand up to her cheek. "You look so much like mom." Vi closed her eyes for a minute and then slapped Jinx's hand away.

"Do not try to sweet talk your way out of this." She said sternly and Jinx sighed.

"I don't think there is a way out of this, sis. You've been waiting a long time for this." Vi stood up then and walked over to Caitlyn and unbound her mouth. She did not saying anything she just looked up at Vi and smiled. When she turned to Jinx she frowned but was not angry. Jinx was sitting up now and looking at the two sadly. She raised both of her hands as Vi approached. "Take me away, I haven't got any fight left." Vi grabbed her hand softly and knelt down to her level.

"I can't arrest you, that would be worse than killing you. I have to let you go..." Vi looked back at Caitlyn who nodded in approval. "I hope you can change sis, like I did." She stood up and turned away Caitlyn saw tears well up in her eyes as she walked away. Jinx just sat and watched Vi walk with a strange look on her face. She looked down at her guns, Pow-Pow and Fish Bones and kicked them. Caitlyn now approached her and sat down next to her.

"What do you want, Hat Lady?" She said. She did not sound condescending, just sad. Caitlyn put her arms around her and Jinx burst into tears. "I'm so sorry!" She wailed. She cried like a small child and Vi too shed even more tears. A few minutes later Caitlyn stood up and approached Vi as Jinx sniffled and stood up.

"What are we going to do with her?" Vi asked. Caitlyn looked back for a second.

"She wants to be with us, maybe not for the right reasons but she does not want to go against you anymore. She said she will help our cause if she can, but she really does not know much." Vi turned slowly and looked at her sister who had her back turned against them.

"Alright."