The Longest Mile
By the time Irelia reached her house, she was exhausted. Although the warrior initially thought that carrying Syndra while she was unconscious would be easier than if she was awake, that idea was quickly proven wrong. Without Syndra's own input in helping Irelia carry her, transporting the sovereign was akin to transporting a six foot long sack of bricks. While Syndra certainly wasn't a heavy person, the simple fact remained that she was completely limp while unconscious; providing essentially no solid surface to which Irelia could balance the mage in her arms. Drenched in her own sweat, Irelia unceremoniously kicked down her own front door and practically threw herself down on her couch with the mage still in her arms.
"Phew..." the Ionian warrior sighed in relief, finally free of the mage's weight as she gently laid Syndra down next to her; the mage's head resting peacefully on Irelia's lap. Mildly exhausted from carrying the mage for such a long distance, Irelia briefly allowed her eyes to flutter shut; simultaneously taking deep, calming breaths in effort to calm her aching arms. Before the warrior could even allow her mind a second of rest, however, a loud cough pierced the silence. It could only mean one thing. Glancing down, Irelia settled her gaze on Syndra's flushed face. Her eyes were half open, gazing out in a glazed, unfocused stare. The warrior shifted slightly so that she was in view of Syndra's stare.
"Hey..." Irelia whispered softly "Catch some rest... You need it..."
Syndra's gaze hazily flicked over Irelia's face. It was clear that she was having difficulty recognizing the Ionian warrior let alone understanding what the Irelia was saying. Irelia doubted that the sovereign even realized that she was in an Ionian's home. Without a doubt, if she did know, she would have reacted... negatively... Undeterred, Irelia gently lifted her hand and brushed back a portion of Syndra's hair, trying to coax the sovereign to give in to her rest. Alas, for some unknown reason, Syndra resisted the call of slumber and instead fell into a strained string of coughing. Irelia couldn't help but cringe slightly as she watched and felt the sovereign's coughs reverberate throughout her entire body. After the spasms finally stopped, the mage slouched heavily into the cushions. The mage's eyes closed, leaving only the sound of her ragged, panting breath as a hint of her maintained consciousness.
"Syndra... just sleep..." Irelia coaxed, finally bringing her hand down to Syndra's forehead, intending to brush stray strands of hair out of her face. What she got instead was completely unexpected. Instead of gently brushing aside the mage's hair, Irelia's hand immediately felt a wall of heat slam into her fingertips the moment her hand neared the sovereign's face. Alarmed, Irelia snapped into full attention and deliberately placed her hand on Syndra's forehead.
Saying that it was hot would have been an extreme understatement. It was scorching.
"Holy Sh-" Irelia almost swore as she snapped her hand back off of Syndra's burning forehead.
"Why didn't you say anything!" Irelia demanded, fixing her alarmed gaze on Syndra's eyes.
Weakly, the mage's mouth moved silently, but no words came out.
Finally, it struck Irelia. It wasn't that Syndra didn't ask for help, it was that she couldn't. The fever she was running had long since passed the point in which it was causing severe damage to the mage. The more Irelia thought about it, the more the warrior realized that Syndra had likely passed out due to her fever rather than due to her alcohol consumption.
Instantly, Irelia sprang into action. Forgetting her previous exhaustion, Irelia shot to her feet and sprinted to her kitchen sink in one fluid motion. Snatching a clean towel off a nearby rack, Irelia dampened the towel and dashed back to Syndra's side.
"It's alright, you'll be okay..." Irelia muttered aloud, sounding more as though she were convincing herself as opposed to Syndra.
After a few minutes however, Irelia lifted the damp towel off of the sovereign's forehead only to find that the towel matched the sovereign's temperature. Irelia gulped worriedly. It wasn't helping at all. Abruptly, Syndra's exhausted form animated once more; starting and ending yet another string of coughs. Grimly, Irelia pursed her lips and assessed the mage's condition. It didn't take long for her to decide that Syndra was in need of medical attention. Nothing Irelia could do here would alleviate the mage's conditions. After wetting the towel once more, Irelia knelt down beside the mage and spoke in a firm voice.
"Syndra, I'm taking you to the hospital, okay?" Irelia said. Though her words were phrased as a question, it was more of a statement than it was a request for Syndra's permission to move her. Scooping up the sovereign in the same fashion as she did the past two times Irelia had lifted the mage, Irelia barged out her front door and rushed down the street at breakneck speed. It would be another mile to reach the hospital.
Irelia was almost entirely burned out by the time she reached the hospital. Yet, the Ionian refused to allow herself even the slightest bit of rest as she kicked down yet another door and barged into the emergency response area of the hospital. Her rather startling entry earned her more than a dozen stares from the workers around her.
"Are you just going to stand there?!" Irelia demanded through gasps of air.
"Out of my way!" A familiar voice suddenly barked out.
From behind the milling crowd of surprised workers, Soraka rushed out and arrived by Irelia's side. The star child wasted no time with questions, instead choosing to bark out orders at her subordinates.
"Gurney. NOW!" Soraka yelled. Instantly, the emergency response crew reacted, pulling out a folding stretcher from out of nowhere.
"Someone get me a breather!" Soraka yelled out shortly thereafter. Without pausing a moment, the star child turned to Irelia and beckoned to the warrior with her hand, indicating to the warrior to follow her. With that, Soraka turned the gurney and sprinted off in the direction of the nearest operating room. While she, Irelia, and a host of medical staff hurried down the hallway, Soraka finally found the time to ask Irelia what had happened to the mage.
"What happened?" Soraka demanded firmly, not taking her eyes off the feverish mage for a second.
"I'm not sure..." Irelia began until Soraka interrupted.
" 'Relia, I don't have time for that, tell me what happened. Now." Soraka demanded. It was rare hearing the healer speak so bluntly and demandingly. None the less, Irelia wasted no time hesitating.
"She started getting sick a few days ago, back when she left the hospital. I didn't think much of it, but a few hours ago I found her drunk at Sarah's bar. Took her home and she was burning up when I got there. Took her here immediately." Irelia finished as concisely as possible.
"DETOX UNIT!" Soraka shouted seconds after Irelia finished her explanation. After a few moments, one of the attendants rushed forward and hooked up an oddly shaped box to the gurney and pulled out various tubes and needles out of the box, laying the assortment of objects beside the mage in preparation for Soraka's treatment. Finally, the group arrived at a vacant room and the doctors and attendants all surged into the room, seamlessly preparing for any treatment that Soraka deemed necessary. Irelia, being an outsider, was forced to wait outside. Exhausted, the warrior finally sat herself down on one of the few chairs in the hallway. Whatever happened now, was out of her control... or so she thought.
The atmosphere within the operation room was several steps above a lively buzz. Several doctors and nurses all rushed about, preparing and readying all types of treatment while Soraka assessed Syndra's condition.
"Ma'am, her blood alcohol content is beyond fatal levels!" one of the nurses called out. Soraka seemingly materialized beside the nurse and quickly scanned the results of the measurement. Three times fatal toxicity.
"WHERES THAT DETOX UNIT!" Soraka yelled above the lively din.
"Ma'am, we can't!" A different doctor yelled back. "Her condition is unstable! If we start drawing blood now, we could lose her!"
"What?!" Soraka questioned incredulously.
"She has a fever of one hundred five degrees!" The same doctor answered. "It we draw blood now, we could cut blood flow to her brain. It would be-"
"Shit." Soraka swore in uncharacteristic agitation, not needing to hear the rest of the doctor's assessment.
"Back up, I'm going to try to force her fever to lower." Soraka barked out. Rolling up her sleeves, Soraka stepped forward and placed her hands on both sides of Syndra's head, calling forth her healing magic. Gritting her teeth from the strain, Soraka pumped a significant amount of her energy into lowering the mage's fever.
It worked.
Slightly.
"Fever is now at one hundred and four degrees." One of the nurses called out. Soraka grimaced in response. Her magic wasn't enough to lower the mage's condition into operational levels. All that effort for a mere one degree reduction. It would be impossible for her alone to reduce the fever from such a high level. Running out of ideas, Soraka mind scrambled about, frantically trying to think of another way to lower the mage's fever. And yet, there was none. Swallowing hard, Soraka quickly determined that the only way Syndra would reach a safe level was if her body alone reduced the fever. Soraka grit her teeth in rare frustration.
"Ma'am?" One of the nurses inquired, pushing Soraka out of her thoughts.
"Yes?" The star child responded immediately.
"Her immune system levels are near zero." The nurse replied mutely.
"What?" Soraka demanded, unsure if she had heard the nurse correctly.
"Her immune system is at the strength of an infant. I-... I've never seen anything like it. It's like it's never been used." The nurse replied.
"That's not possible..." Soraka muttered and turned to the sovereign. Weakly, the mage coughed and opened her glazed eyes. Still analyzing all the information she had discovered, Soraka moved beside the sovereign and spoke,
"You're going to be fine, Syndra. You're going to be fine." Soraka repeated while her mind sped about at a thousand miles per hour. Underdeveloped immune system... Soraka thought, feeling stumped.
Abruptly, a loud bang sounded, startling the healer out of her trance.
"Ma'am, you cannot enter this room, trained medical personnel"
"Out of my way! I need to talk to Soraka!" An agitated voice interrupted the nurse. It was Irelia.
"Ma'am you need to wait out-"
"SORAKA!" Irelia yelled out, craning her head to gaze above the heads of the medical staff and find the star child. Soraka turned briefly and met Irelia's eyes. Instantly, she caught the severity of her gaze spoke out.
"Let her through." Soraka barked commandingly. Irelia instantly rushed forward until she was beside Syndra and the star child.
"You can't treat her." Irelia stated flatly, somehow knowing such was the case. None the less, Soraka nodded mutely and spoke up.
"Her fever is running too high and I couldn't lower it any more than one degree with my magic..." Soraka stated, sounding slightly desperate. Behind Irelia's eyes, Soraka could see the gears in the warrior's mind turning.
"It's too convenient..." Irelia muttered.
"What?" Soraka asked immediately.
"I need her medical records." Irelia stated. Without bothering to ask Irelia about her intentions or theory, Soraka grabbed the nearest nurse.
"Give her Syndra's medical records." Soraka told the nurse and then released her. Irelia stood and turned to follow the nurse. Soraka followed suit.
A few seconds later, the nurse pulled out a folder from a cabinet and handed it to Irelia. Without wasting a second, Irelia ripped the folder open.
...
Nothing fell out.
The folder was empty.
"I knew it. It's too convenient." Irelia stated again.
" "Relia what's going on? What is too convenient?" Soraka asked breathlessly, unable to withhold her curiosity as to what Irelia had deducted.
"She's never been sick." Irelia stated flatly as though that alone was the answer to all of their questions.
"What? Everyone gets sick. What do you mean she's never been sick" Soraka asked, confused by Irelia's explanation.
"There's only one reason why she's like this. She's different from us. She has something we don't." Irelia stated, taking a breath before continuing. "She never gets sick. She never gets drunk. Yet now she is both. Only one thing has changed." Irelia finished with a confident tone.
"You don't mean..." Soraka started.
"I need to borrow your gurney." Irelia interrupted flatly and strode back to the sovereign's side.
"But Irelia, you can't just-"
"If we don't take them out... If they don't take them out... she dies." Irelia stated adamantly.
"Irelia, it's three miles to the headquarters..." Soraka answered, sounding doubtful that Irelia could make it in her condition.
"Then I need to go. Now." Irelia stated, pure determination flashing in her eyes.
With that, Irelia whirled about her heel and planted her hands firmly on the gurney.
No one dared to stop her.
By the time Irelia arrived at the Institute Headquarters, her body was beyond exhausted. Running on pure adrenaline, Irelia sprinted all three miles until she smashed through the front doors of the head quarters. Ignoring the guards that moved in to subdue or restrain her, Irelia kept straight on running until she reached the runemaster's quarters. The sounds of scuffling outside his door easily alerted the runemaster to the presence of visitors.
"Miss Irelia, please stop this disturba-"
"Out of my way!"
"Ooof!"
-CRASH-
Irelia burst headlong into the runemaster's office. For a brief moment, the Ionian scanned the room, searching frantically for the runemaster.
"uhm..."
Irelia whirled around and found the speaker of the voice.
"May I help you, Miss Irelia?" The rune master inquired hesitantly as he curiously gazed at the sweaty, panting Ionian.
"I'm here to request the immediate removal of Syndra's runes." Irelia stated firmly. After catching her breath slightly, Irelia spoke again. "As one of the champions assigned to observing the sovereign, I have the power to request this." Irelia stated, sounding confident in her own decisions.
"I... Uhhh... Uhm..." The rune master stuttered, stunned at what Irelia was saying. "Are you sure about this, Miss Irelia? I was unaware that you were given authority over this matter. Would it not be beneficial to your country to keep the sovereign in this-"
"Do not make me repeat myself." Irelia growled threateningly.
The runemaster's jaw hung open for a brief moment, stunned by the dangerous tone in Irelia's voice.
"I... eh-hem... very well, I will send a messenger for the sovereign at-"
Irelia yanked the gurney into the room; a feverish looking Syndra laying unconscious atop its surface.
"If you please." Irelia stated coldly, ignoring the surprise written all over the runemaster's face.
Nervously, the runemaster swallowed his fear and stood up from his desk.
"She is ill?" The man inquired hesitantly.
"And she will die if you continue hesitating." Irelia answered cruelly.
The runemaster only seemed to hesitate more with Irelia's statement.
"Very well, allow me to begin preparations. It will take me a few hours to have everything-"
"Now. Please." Irelia interrupted again in a flat, unyielding tone that brimmed with danger.
Again, the runemaster gulped nervously. Irelia had easily seen through his attempt to stall for time.
"Right away..." He finally squeaked meekly.
With that, the rune master pulled a few magic imbued tools from his desk and hurried over to the sovereign's side. He seemed equally afraid to be in such a close proximity of the mage as he was afraid of the danger in Irelia's voice.
"I uhm... could you..." The rune master stuttered nervously, trying to ask Irelia to shift Syndra into a serviceable position.
Irelia complied wordlessly, gently reaching out and shifting the mage onto her stomach; the three runes on her back all glowing as they continued to drain magic out of Syndra's body.
Gulping once more, the man finally stooped over the mage and a securing tool one of the mage's runes. He paused briefly and glanced at Irelia.
"Are you sure about-"
Irelia silenced the man with a cold stare before tossing her head at the runes.
"As you wish..." The man finally muttered.
Working swiftly both out of fear and skill, the runemaster used a series of tools to prod and apply energy to the first rune, repeating a complicated algorithm that only he understood. At long last, the rune flickered slightly, briefly flashing as it heaved its final flashes of life. Finally, the light faded, never to illuminate again. After repeating the process for the following two runes, the runemaster finally rose from his craned position over the sovereign's body.
"It is done." he said quietly. With that, the runemaster lifted his tools from the sovereign's back; the runes clattering to the floor as they fell lifelessly off the mage's back, leaving only scars and memories of what used to be.
"Thank you." Irelia stated, maintaining her cold tone. "I need one more thing."
The runemaster froze with apprehension, fearing what else Irelia might ask of him.
"I would like to have access to her castle." Irelia stated.
The runemaster heaved a visible sight of relief.
"Of course." He quickly replied and pulled a small rune out of his desk. "This will allow you to pass through all the barriers we have placed. The barriers and runes will be removed by tomorrow." The runemaster finished.
"Thank you." Irelia finally replied and turned about her heel, taking the unconscious mage with her. Behind her, she audibly heard the runemaster heave another relieved sigh. Alas, Irelia cared little about how the runemaster felt. As Irelia pulled the gurney out of the Institute Headquarters, she gently laid her hand on Syndra's forehead. Already, the temperature had decreased from its formerly scorching heat. Irelia smiled slightly as she gazed at the mage's peaceful face. Irelia knew that when the mage finally returned to her consciousness, her eyes would be met with the familiar sight of her home; surrounded and cloaked in the protection of her power.
Author's Notes:
Hello again readers, here we are at the end of the ninth chapter. The stage is finally set for a nice little explosion that will be the next chapter. Hopefully you all will look forward to it. As always, thank you all for your continued support. Do leave me a message should you have any questions/comments/critique, all are welcome. Hope to see you all in the chapters to come!