Author's note: Ah ok, this chapter is waaay late. Holidays got busier than I thought. Between graduating, road trip, parent's moving house and starting work it's been kinda hectic. I'm really hoping now that I've started work, I can get back into the regular updates again, but I can't promise. Anyway, have an extra long chapter to make up for it :).
Poppy got up early the next morning to begin her search. As she navigated the unfamiliar streets for information, she couldn't help but take in the sights and the culture that the city had to offer. In many ways, it held the fundamental similarities that all cities shared; with merchants hawking their wares, children playing games on the streets and parents conversing in front of their homes; albeit it was a lot more rambunctious and all round grittier than the yordle was used to in Demacia or Bandle City.
But there were also many differences as well; it was hard to ignore the foreboding gates and guards barring entrance to every tier, the occasional duel or roughhousing in the streets and the dark, foreboding mountain looming over them all. But perhaps the most surprising difference was the diverse nature of the citizens. The streets of Noxus were packed with people from every nation of Runeterra; from the burly giants of the Freljord to the dark skinned Shurimans to hexaugmented Zaunites. But the diversity of the human citizens was not the only variety the yordle had seen. The city was also home to a great range of creatures too. So far Poppy had spotted Minotaurs, bear anthros, giants, as well as the occasional yordle. In fact, the girl was sure she had even glimpsed a large, white lion figure amongst the crowd.
Truthfully, Poppy had never experienced such a vast assortment of citizens in one city before. Bandle City was too secluded to gather many foreigners, and despite Demacia's appearance as a benevolent ally, the general xenophobia of non-human, non-yordle creatures the majority of the population held made it very rare to find as much variety amongst the citizens.
Despite her general knowledge of Noxus growing, by the mid-afternoon Poppy had yet to find any information on her target. With a sigh, the yordle girl made her way over to a quiet, cobblers shop, her hope dwindling but her resolve as strong as ever.
She paused in the doorway briefly to take in an intricately carved flower in the dark wood of the door, when a brief flicker of movement caught her attention. The girl remained still however, as she glimpsed the dark wing slide back out of sight in the alley across from her. She knew Galio had been tailing her all morning as she had spotted brief glimpses of his form in the dark back-streets and heard the occasional sound of his familiar steps. Once she had realised he was following her, the young yordle had (for the most part) ignored his presence, content, for now, with the assurance that she wasn't alone should something go wrong.
Entering the shoe shop, the yordle girl was surprised to find a relatively short and unfocused man behind the counter. Most of the citizens she had encountered were much larger than the average – a by-product of the city-state's motto – and all carried an alert, almost daring, look in their eyes.
The pale man's expression never wavered from his bored look as his eyes slid over the girl. "I don't usually see yordles in my shop. I thought your kind didn't like our shoes."
"We don't," Poppy said shortly, as she approached the counter. "I'm looking for a man. He goes by the name Andreas; a little taller than you, broad shoulders, dark hair and a short beard."
The man looked down at her for a couple of seconds before answering, "I don't know anyone of that description. Is he a friend of yours?"
The blue yordle sighed, "Figures. No one I've talked to this morning has either. And no, we're not friends."
"Strange that you would spend so much time searching for someone you barely know," the short man commented.
"He has something I want back," was the girl's clipped answer, but it was answer enough.
"Ah," the cobbler nodded, "then I wish you luck. You'll probably need it. Now, if you're done with your questions and you're not going to buy anything, you can get out or you'll drive away customers."
"Very well," Poppy didn't bother to mention that the shop had no customers anyway. Already her brief stay in Noxus had taught her that reputation and image meant just as much here as it did in Demacia.
As the girl turned back to the door, her stomach rumbled. She'd spent so long searching she hadn't had the chance to find lunch. After pondering her situation, the girl turned back to the shopkeeper. After all, he had been pretty receptive. "You wouldn't happen to know any good places for food in this area?" she asked.
The man paused to think before he answered as lethargically as before, "There's a stall in the markets to the south of here that does some nice spicy tacos."
"Thank you," Poppy nodded before heading out of the dark shop.
Well, Poppy thought as her mouth watered from the tantalising smell of the sizzling meat and hot sauce of her taco, that shopkeeper may have the emotional capacity of a slug, but he has good taste.
Thanking the stall keeper, Poppy started walking away to continue her search, unwrapping the hot food to eat on the go.
Just as she was going to take a bite however, she felt someone yank on her pigtails as prying hands tried to pull the food from her grasp.
Poppy was having none of it however, tightening her grip on her tacos. Pushing back, the yordle felt the pull on her hair loosen before she flipped the figure behind her up and over her head. There was a paired set of startled cries as the flung thief landed on their companion. Fluidly, Poppy pulled her hammer up and ready, only to stop in surprise at the tangle of children before her.
Both had thin, gaunt skin that was covered in dirt. The eldest, who could be no more than ten, sent her a frustrated glare as he pulled the younger girl to her feet. Then, before Poppy could even make a sound, the two were off and running down the street and away from the young girl.
"Wait!" Poppy called, chasing after them, cursing as they began to pull away from her. "Oh for crying out loud. Do you want this food or not?" she shouted after them.
The words brought the children to a stop and they suspiciously watched her as she drew close again.
The boy sneered at her as he eyed the food. "We don't need your charity."
The yordle girl rolled her eyes – typical Noxian pride. "I'm not giving it to you for free," Poppy told them evenly. "I'm selling it for information."
They seemed more receptive to that, though still wary.
"What sort of information?" the little girl asked.
"What makes you think we'll know anything about it," the boy continued suspiciously. "And how do you know we will tell you the truth?"
"I'm looking for a person," the blue teen told them. "And I figure you may know something because I know that people tend to ignore the small, seemingly unimportant people around them when discussing things. As for the truth, well, I'll just have to take that chance. But considering I'm giving you the food for any information – even none – I don't think you have any reason to lie to me. So do we have a deal?"
The two kids exchanged looks before hesitantly nodding.
"Alright," the boy answered.
"I'm looking for an Andreas. He's the leader of a group of assassins He's taller than average, with dark hair and a short beard." As soon as Poppy mentioned the guy, she could see the signs of recognition in the children.
Still, they hesitated, conversing silently before the boy answered. "If you're talking about who I think you are, then that's Andreas Nightwing, leader of the Blackthorns," he told her seriously.
"Where would I find him?" Poppy asked.
The two shrugged. "Don't know exactly. All we know is that their territory is on the east side."
"Thank you," the yordle responded genuinely, passing the still hot meal to the two children.
They grabbed the food before scurrying towards the nearest alleyway, shovelling the food in their mouths as they went.
As Poppy turned to go however, the boy called out to her, "If I was you I'd leave. The man you're looking for is lethal. If you go after him, he'll kill you." And with that last word of warning, he scampered off after the girl.
It was too late in the day to travel all the way to the other side of the city; particularly as the yordle girl had no wish to be caught there at night without a plan. Instead she bought herself a map before retiring to her room to plan her next course of action.
Spreading the parchment out on the floor, Poppy marked her current position before sectioning the two relevant sectors. So far, she had been in Noxus for one and a half days and had barely covered half of the current section. The east sector was just as large, meaning that even by narrowing down her region of search, she still had a lot of ground left to cover.
Her eyes narrowed in thought: it would take her a fair while to travel to the other sector, let alone back. She was probably better off finding a room on the other side tomorrow. Hopefully, she wouldn't have too many problems bartering for one.
With the timing sorted out, Poppy turned her attention to the next problem. The children had told her that the Blackthorns controlled the sector, meaning that her chances of staying undetected once she started asking around there was slim.
The girl sighed, there wasn't much she could do about that. Their plan with Galio as backup was still the most effective one. She would just have to stay on alert.
Her musings were brought to an end as her stomach rumbled. In her haste, she had forgotten to eat anything for lunch. Rolling up the map, the yordle leisurely made her way out to the main area of the inn.
Poppy came back from dinner with a much clearer idea of what the eastern quadrant was like. She had also talked to the innkeeper about leaving tomorrow, thanking the lady for the hospitality.
By the time she was back in her room, it was almost time for her to meet up with Galio.
As the yordle opened the window to leave however, a familiar figure dropped down to meet her.
Poppy raised an eyebrow, unsurprised by the stone golem's appearance. "So you were following me," she stated bluntly.
Galio gave her a guilty, but ultimately unapologetic, smile. "Sorry."
She let it go with a smile. "It's alright. It was nice to know you were there if I needed you. How much did you hear?"
"Not much," the gargoyle admitted. "I was more in position to watch your back rather than eavesdrop."
The yordle nodded. "Well, I managed to find out more about Andreas," situating herself on the windowsill, the blue girl explained seriously. "Apparently, he's the leader of a gang called the Blackthorns. And they have territory on the Eastern side. So that's where I'm headed tomorrow."
"That's bound to draw attention," Galio pointed out.
"I've been thinking about that," Poppy confirmed. "But I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. With you watching from out of sight, we'll still have the upper hand in a fight. And from what I've seen, if I draw suspicion, they're much more likely to attack than report it. Which will tell us whether we're on the right track. It's risky, but I think it'll work."
Galio nodded. "That makes sense. Just be wary."
Poppy nodded. "Don't worry, I plan on it."
Dark wooden walls rose up around her, in a maze of corridors, barely lit by the sparsely spaced crystal lamps hanging overhead. That suited her just fine, as the long shadows made it easier to creep along unseen. So far she hadn't seen anybody, but she could hear voices up ahead.
She followed the murmured conversation, navigating the twists and turns until she reached a large storage space. Pausing up against the doorway, she looked out to see the one she had been searching for, with his back towards her as he conversed with a subordinate.
A flurry of emotions swept through the girl at the sight of the broad cloaked shoulders and proud stance; the man who had haunted her for a year. Pushing down at the overwhelming anger, fear and sadness that threatened to overcome her, she watched intently as the other Noxian nodded before exiting the room. Excitement stirred: this was her chance. Readying her hammer, the girl got ready to charge, when the man spoke.
"I know you're there."
She froze as he turned towards where she was hiding.
"I was wondering if you were going to show up," he continued as she approached into the dim light. All around them, the shadows flickered and danced along the walls, but the girl's attention was fixed on the familiar, arrogant face across from her. "So why did you come? Was it for revenge, closure, death? I can guarantee at least one of those."
The teen felt her blood boil in anger and she readied her hammer, "I came to take back what's mine. But if I have to go through you to do it, then that's fine by me."
His infuriatingly, iconic smirk grew as she rushed him, the grin staying fixed on his face as he dodged each and every swing she threw at him. The yordle felt her fury grow and with an all-mighty yell, she bull-rushed him once more.
He was ready for her however, neatly sidestepping the charge before twisting and backhanding the girl as she passed. Her momentum turned against her, the yordle found herself hurled across the room.
"You'll have to do better than that," the man commented dryly.
Resolutely, she got to her feet and readied her hammer, only to stall in surprise when the familiar weight was no longer in her grip. Frantically, she glanced around for her precious weapon.
"Looking for something?" Glancing up at the mellow question, she froze at the sight of her hammer rolling ideally between the Noxian's hands, her burning anger replaced in an instant by a cold feeling sinking to the bottom of her gut.
Frantically, she lunged to the side to avoid the overhead swing he sent using her very own hammer. Rolling to a stop, she looked up as he laughed humourlessly.
"End of the line little yordle. And this time, there's no one here to save you."
Suddenly, there was a resounding crash from one of the sky lights and a giant, stone gargoyle landed in between the two figures, hard red eyes fixed firmly on the Noxian.
"I would beg to differ," he stated.
The assassin blinked before throwing his head back in laughter, "Unbelievable, you decided to come with her." Meeting the giant's gaze with a confident grin, he continued, "And here I thought I wouldn't get a real challenge."
The gargoyle's glare intensified, "Fighting the two of us may be the last challenge you ever face."
The man beckoned the stone golem on, "Only one way to find out."
The gargoyle didn't rush him, instead he cautiously approached. Once he was in range, the Noxian swung with the stolen hammer, but the gargoyle struck faster, dodging the swing and punching towards the man's face.
The assassin caught the stone golem's punch, but was unable to dodge as the gargoyle whipped his tail around the Noxian's other wrist, twisting it at an odd angle and causing him to drop the hammer.
"Catch!" Her friend called out, throwing the hammer towards the girl.
Feeling the comforting weight of her weapon, the yordle felt her confidence return and she charged in to join the fight.
As the man pulled out his sword to thrust toward the stone giant, the yordle girl caught the swing with her hammer, pushing the sword down and away from him. He tried to pull his sword free, but she continued to hold it down. As she did, her friend threw another punch, aiming for the stuck Noxian's face.
Unexpectedly, the man dropped his sword before ducking forward and under the swing. As he pivoted around, his foot caught the girl in the gut, sending her backwards before he rolled over the golem's back. As he passed, his hand flashed into his pocket for a knife, scraping it along the stony hide and leaving a long gash in his wake.
The gargoyle roared in pain, snatching at the man but he was already up and running towards the downed girl. Just as the Noxian reached her, however, a gust of magically-charged wind knocked him away. He was thrown to the ground, knife clattering out of his hand as the air was knocked out of his lunges.
Ceasing the wing created gale, the stone giant stalked towards the assassin. "You will not hurt my friend," he spoke resolutely.
An unsettling feeling twisted at her insides as the yordle noticed the man's hidden smirk. Something was wrong. The anxious tightened before blooming into freezing horror as she noticed the glint of sharpened steel in the Noxian's concealed hand. He'd retrieved his sword, and her friend didn't know it.
Desperately, she tried to run and help, only to find herself frozen in place. The yordle struggled with all her might, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move a muscle. Even her desperate cries had become stuck in her throat. With a heavy heart, she realised she could do nothing but watch.
With a mighty roar, the gargoyle wrenched his arms down towards the man. And that's when the Noxian struck; swiftly thrusting the sword though the centre of his chest.
"No!" she cried out as the sword was plunged deep into her friend's stony hide. Watching helplessly, as the life ebbed out of his warm eyes and his form cracked as it impacted the ground.
Slowly, the ground shifted; dirt and leaf debris replacing stone and living trees preplacing lifeless wood. The scenery morphing to form a hauntingly familiar spot.
As it did, so too, did the body; shifting into a large bushy yordle, with calluses from years of forge work and a determined look still set upon his face.
"Daddy," the word broke with emotion and she felt tears running down her face. She wanted to run to him; she wanted to turn from the scene before her. But she could do neither. All she could do was scream and weep like she wished she'd been able to do the first time; a heart wrenching wail for the person who had been her whole world.
Only when the smirking Noxian stepped up to her was she finally able to tear her eyes away from the petrifying scene before her, eyes still streaming with tears.
"Don't worry," he whispered, "you'll be with them soon enough." And he plunged his sword into her chest.
Poppy awoke with a start, gasping for air. As she focused on slowing her breathing, she cradled her head in her hands.
It was just a dream, she told herself, it won't happen like that.
Slowly, her breathing steadied and the girl wiped her eyes before lying back down. Her unfocused gaze wandered the ceiling as she resigned herself to yet another sleepless night.
What have I gotten myself into? she wondered.