Author's note: Last chapter! And within the week :D. Tbh, I think this has to be one of my all time favourites. Just writing this one and the last one had me super pumped (though that might have also have been because of the epic music I was listening to at the same time). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
"Galio!" Poppy screamed as her friend was brought to his knees, his wings curling around his body in a futile attempt to keep the pain at bay. His struggles weakened, as the sorcerous cage sapped away his strength but still the stone golem fought. He refused to let another precious friend die because he was unable to defend them. Even if his unceasing fight only made his limbs heavier and his vision dim. He would not give up.
"Andreas," Kade called out in a strained voice, sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to hold the stone giant down. "I don't know how long I can hold him!"
The Blackthorn's leader sighed. "Pity. I was hoping to sell him to the council or perhaps one of the noble families. But we can't have him running loose again. So I guess we'll just have to kill him now."
Grimly, he strode towards the downed gargoyle, pulling his sword from his sheath.
Poppy felt her blood freeze as images from her nightmares intermingled with the horrific scene in front of her.
No! her purple eyes narrowed and determination boiled through her veins. I refuse to let those dreams become a reality.
Pouring all her strength in an all-mighty kick, she lashed out at her captor, her foot coming to an abrupt stop as it connected with the Noxian's balls. The large man let out a high-pitched squeak, dropping the girl as he doubled over.
The yordle charged forward, picking up her fallen hammer as she went, and slamming into the Blackthorn's leader. Her weapon caught him in the stomach, sending him flying into a stack of crates for the second time that night.
Picking up a dropped shield, Poppy used it to block an incoming axe, twisting the woman to the side before sending her hammer into the back of the Noxian's head.
Huh, she appraised the shield, maybe I should get myself one of these. Then she threw the metal buckler at the Noxian holding Galio down.
Kade's eyes widened but he was unable to dodge the incoming projectile. The shield hit him square in the face, knocking him out cold.
The lit runes faded, causing Galio to fall forward, his breathing uneven and hands shaking.
"Are you alright?" Poppy knelt by her friend.
"Yes," the gargoyle's voice was laced with pain. "I will be fine. Just… give me a moment."
The girl nodded but could say no more as another assassin came at her. She ducked their swing before coming in close and directing her weapon up to collide with the Noxian's jaw, snapping the warrior's head back.
Moving closer to Galio, the yordle stalwartly stood, protecting her downed friend from the incoming Noxians. "If you want to hurt my friend, you'll have to go through me first," she challenged them.
The Noxians did not hesitate to take her up on that challenge as a pair of mace wielding assassins rushed her. Poppy ducked under the first's legs, popping back up behind the surprised man and swinging at his unshielded back. Caught off guard, the Noxian crashed into his companion before the duo was hurled across the room from the force of her blow.
Still moving with the momentum of her swing the girl twisted around to catch an incoming strike with her hammer. She grunted under the weight of the claymore's swing but held strong, locking both combatants in a battle of wills as they stared the other down.
The behemoth before her snarled as he pushed with all his strength, causing the girl to give slightly under the pressure. He barely had time to smile however, before his triumph gave way to surprise as the yordle purposely fell backwards. Pulled off balance, the Noxian had no way to stop himself from falling after the girl even as she rolled to the side before slamming her hammer into the back of the man's head. He hit the ground with a sickening crack.
A thud and a groan behind her, had the girl spinning fast, only to pull short at the sight of Galio standing over the groaning Noxian that had tried to sneak up on her. The gargoyle was still breathing hard, but his stance was strong and resolute as he spoke. "Go, confront Andreas. I've got this."
She hesitated for a second before nodding and stalking towards where the Noxian leader was finally getting to his feet.
The bearded man sneered at her as she approached. "You're just like your father," he spat. "You don't know when to quit."
Poppy felt her already simmering anger blaze up at the mention of her dad. "Seems to work out better for me than for you," she retorted, before lunging at him with a mighty battle cry.
He barely managed to dodge her attack in time, lunging to the side to grab his sword, before he seamlessly rolled back to his feet.
The yordle felt a sense of satisfaction at the grim look that had dissolved his earlier smirk. But the moment was brief, as he came at her fast. He was no longer playing; now he was dead serious.
"Oh really?" he snarled as their weapons clashed. "It didn't seem to work out that well for your father."
He pushed her off balance, causing the girl to fall backwards. She hit the ground hard, knocking the breath out of her and blurring her vision as her head collided with the stone floor. Blinking rapidly to restore her sight, the girl's eyes widened and she quickly rolled out of the way of the incoming thrust. She scrambled to her feet as the Noxian pulled his sword out of the ground before he continued.
"His stubbornness was what got him killed. And for what? So you could charge recklessly after me on a suicide mission. Doesn't seem like a great way to repay him. I wonder, if he could see you now what do you think he would say?"
Poppy went still, the burning in her gut extinguishing instantly as a memory came to her.
She was standing outside the entrance of their forge, expression unreadable as she gazed at the letter in her hand. The goodbye letter from her best friend as he left her life, most likely, forever. That was how the big yordle, found her.
"Poppy?" her dad called softly, bringing her dazed attention to him. "What's wrong?"
Wordlessly she handed the letter to him; his face growing solemn as he read.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
The blue yordle shrugged. "I don't know," her voice was rough. "I…" she trailed off, pressing her lips together tightly, unsure where to begin with what she felt.
Blomgrun just pulled her into a hug, the warmth and smoky smell calming the girl down. "It's okay to be upset," he told her. "People come and go in our lives. It's only natural; as is missing them. So cherish the time you had together. And when tomorrow comes, walk into it with your head held high, cause there will always be new things to come. Things you might miss if you don't let go. And that's not the way anyone would what you to live."
Poppy blinked rapidly, dispelling the wetness that had gathered in her eyes at the memory of an event that had happened years before the ill-fated commission had even occurred. That moment seemed like it had happened a life time ago, and, in many ways, it had. After the devastating death of her dad her whole world had been turned on its head. The girl she'd been before was gone, forever torn away after she'd shattered with grief. But now she realised, that in her agony, she had forgotten how to live. And she also knew, that was not what her father would have wanted. So she would try, in honour of him.
This time when Andreas came for her she was ready. Faster than he expected, the yordle met his swing, her hammer travelling with so much force it shattered the blade.
Andreas gaped at the sight of the glittering sword fragments until the hammer, still moving, hit him in the gut and knocked him to the ground.
Poppy stood on the man's chest, her precious Whomper levelled at the Noxian.
The assassin sneered up at her in resignation. "Well go ahead. Kill me."
"No," Poppy spoke calmly. "I will not. You were right about me: I am my father's daughter. And he would not want me to waste my life on someone as pathetic as you."
Andreas let out a short humourless laugh. "Compassion is for the stupid. I have not survived this long because of mercy."
"Well now you have," Poppy told him. "That's something to think about." And with a final mighty blow, she knocked him out.
Reaching into the unconscious Noxian's top pocket, she pulled out a familiar locket, cradling it in her hand as a flood of nostalgic memories hit her. Closing off the memories with a closed fist, she turned to see Galio knock out the last of the Blackthorns.
He turned to her with a protective look. "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.
Poppy smiled, a weight she hadn't even known she was carrying lifting from her small form. "Yeah. I'm good. But I think I'm well and truly done with this city. So, let's go home Galio."
The gargoyle nodded, picking the diminutive girl up and placing her on his back, before he took off out through the broken skylight.
As they soared away from Noxus Poppy turned, watching as the first rays of dawn bathed the mountain tops and the hulking city wedged defiantly between them in brilliant gold. Content to be leaving the ruthless city behind them, she turned to look once more at the delicate necklace resting in her palm. The yordle looked at the familiar golden flower petals before opening the locket. Inside, the smiling image of her parents and a very young Poppy gazed back at her, once more bringing tears to her eyes as she was overwhelmed with memories. This time she let them fall. With a deep breath, she closed the locket gently, before storing it in her pocket.
Daddy, she thought, I still miss you so much. But I know you wouldn't want me to grieve forever. So I'll try to live, for you.
The yordle let out another deep breath, resting her head against the sturdy hide of her friend's back as her eyes closed. And, for the first time in days, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Riven surveyed the chaotic storehouse with a critical eye as her soldiers searched the scene. Whoever had done this had left one hell of a mark, she thought grimly.
With purposeful strides, the commander strode over to a lone figure. Leaning over the well-built form of the gang's leader, she checked his pulse. Unsurprisingly, she found that his too was unresponsive.
"Well Andreas," the strong, white-haired Noxian spoke softly to the corpse, "looks like you finally met your match."
With a tired sigh, she stood up. "Alright troops, let's go."
Raphael, her second, looked up in surprise. "We're just going to leave them here?"
Riven nodded. "No point doing anything else. Whoever did this is long gone. Besides, with all the preparations for the upcoming invasion, we simply don't have the time nor the resources to go chasing after a vigilante with a grudge. Better to focus on what we can do than to chase after the past."
She turned to the door, thoughts already focusing on her role in the upcoming attack on Ionia.
He walked through the backstreets, hood shielding his face as much as the shadows around him as he made his way towards the catacombs under the mountain. There his pace quickened, navigating the rotting, maze-like tunnels with practiced ease. Eventually he came to a stop in an ancient room, seemingly untouched for centuries.
There, another figure stepped forward to meet him and he bowed at the sight of the beautiful, scantily-clad woman.
"My lady, it is done. Exactly as you planned."
"Good," the enchanting voice echoed melodically around the chamber. "Did you have any problems?"
He shook his head. "No. Though I did need to finish a couple of them off myself after they left. Quietly, of course, just a little bit of manticore venom did the trick."
"A necessary endeavour," the raven-haired woman nodded. "After all, we couldn't have the Blackthorns blabbing about some of our more convert requests." She paused, lifting the man's head. "You did good work Kade."
He looked into her face with adoration, "Anything to see the Black Rose rise once more."
So, who saw that coming? :). Anyway, this was the last chapter in this arc. I will be back probably in four weeks with the start of the new arc. And I'll give you a couple of hints: firstly, there's a very large hint about what the next story is going to be about in this chapter. And the second hint is that a new champion is going to be a prevalent part of the arc, along with some you've already met. I'm curious to see if any of you can guess who :).
Guest: Sorry, no Kennen in this one. You didn't think it would be that easy for them to meet again did you?