I Will Defy

by Rook837

"You're just another Ionian coward, too weak to stand on you own, but too proud to bow down. I can see it, plain as day, and now... everyone else can too." (Rated M for Intense Violence and Dark Content. Nothing Explicit)

17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

We stand in the lowest sub-level of the academy, a dank and dark cave-like area with only two staircases leading into it, the main one I'm used to and another from sub-level two. The two staircases each have their own hallway they open up to, connected together by a long hallway in the middle to make a shape like a capital "I". We are in one of the many rooms that line the middle connecting hallway, looking around in wonder. It's a large, cavernous room with a raised circular platform of stone in the middle. Ornate rune design covers the entirety of the platforms floor except for five small circles where the floor is completely smooth and clear.

That's where the summoners stand. That's where we stand. I barely suppress the shiver of excitement that works it's way through me, keeping my face as passive as I can I look to Dumont, who clears his throat to get our attention.

"We will now commence our first League match," Dumont says, clapping his hands together. "Each of you has your own summoning orb with the modified shell already enchanted into it, so you will have no worries about someone cheating or using abilities they shouldn't. I input each shell personally, to make sure all the stats and abilities matched up perfectly."

I blink in surprise. I know that the officials, the RIOTers, usually handle creating the shells for champions because of how complicated it is. I mean, creating a shell that mirrors someone else's body and then limiting it to casting certain spells and stats that progress at a fixed rate is… well, it's more than a little complicated. For Dumont to be able to do that means he's way beyond what I can do in technical terms of magic. I'm sure he had help from other teachers at the academy, but still. Wow.

I guess that explains the black rings underneath his eyes and why we got the message to meet here after lunch. It must have taken him all night and morning to enchant each orb correctly.

"The one last thing we must do is pick teams," Dumont yawns, rubbing his eyes. "I'll give you ten seconds to evenly split into two teams of five. If you can't, we'll do picks by captains. Go."

The nobles all but instantly separate from us, and I almost smile until I realize that there is only four of them and six of us.

One of us has to be on their team

One of us has to work with them.

I clench my fists, all too aware that we don't have time to debate who's going over there. I open my mouth to say something when I suddenly see Devon move away from us, joining the group of nobles. I stare at him with a shocked expression, about to protest, but he nods at me softly, stopping my words before they come. I grit my teeth, looking away from Elizabeth as she smirks.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Dumont asks, looking between the two of us.

"He's the only one we trust to actually be on our team anyway," Elizabeth says, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "After all, he's the most Noxian of any of you weaklings and traitors. We'll take him so long as he doesn't throw the match purposefully."

Dumont looks skeptically at them before shrugging.

"Alright then," he says, turning on his heel and looking at the nobles. "You five follow me to the other summoning room. I'll get you set up with your summoning orbs and then these five. You will be team red and they will be team blue. Everyone remember that the winning team's participant will get one point and the losing team's will lose one. Now, let's get started, shall we?"

Dumont starts to leave, the nobles and Devon following close behind. I watch them go, my stomach tightening as a sour taste enters mouth. Devon just made a huge sacrifice for us. Anyone else would have struggled to even be civil with the nobles, but, in reality, Devon hasn't done anything to them. The only reason they have to exclude him is his low birth and hanging with us, but that can be overlooked by them.

I know he's the only logical choice, and that they won't do anything to him. They can't, even if they wanted to. He's fine.

So why do I feel so sick?

I turn, swallowing down the stale, sour taste, looking towards my allies. I need to focus on the match. This is just a game, and even summoners who are friends play against each other. This is fine. We'll make it work.

"So," Xander says in the silence. "I thought the team colors were blue and purple, not red."

"Some people can't see color," I say quickly, grateful for the distraction "The League broadcasts the matches in an alternate set of colors so they can see easier. They're starting to change to that now actually."

"Huh," Xander says, scrunching his eyebrows. "I wonder how the magic behind that works…"

"Well I'm sure Aria would be more than happy to explain," Alex jumps in just as I'm about to speak. "But I think we should focus more on our game plan."

I close my mouth, giving him a flat stare and then a conceding sigh.

"Well, we need to appoint a team captain first," I say, brushing my hair back lightly. "I'd say Xander's our best bet with his tactical mind."

They snap their heads to me, eyes wide, and I blink in surprise.

"W-what?" I ask.

"Umm…" Alex begins. "Well… as much as I'd love to be able to blame Xander after the match when his plan inevitably goes wrong-"

"Hey!"

"-I think I speak for everyone when I say you would be the better choice," Alex finishes, rolling his eyes at Xander.

"Umm…" I begin to say, but stop as Alex gives me a piercing look with his green eyes, nodding his head towards the rest. I stare back at him for a second, the torchlight playing over his long hair, giving it an orange tint. Then I look at the others.

Molly nods her head vigorously, only stopping to brush the blond hair behind her back.

Seth gives a short little nod at me, his face neutral behind his guarded brown eyes.

Finally, I look at Xander, his white hair the brightest thing in the dim light, and he smiles brightly back at me.

"I appreciate the suggestion," he says, giving a shrug with his hands out on either side. "I think you might have me beat when it come to League tactics and knowledge. It's up to you, boss."

My heart clenches tight, and I feel a mixture of pride that they recognize my skills and fear that they are placing the fate of this game in my hands. Part of me wants to be able to lead them because I really do feel like I know the most, but the other hates the idea. I don't want to have the responsibility of making decisions that could cost us.

I swallow, my thoughts racing. Maybe if I suggest being the second in command, or adviser Xander will accept. That way I can steer him on course. Then no one will get hurt because of me.

I can't fail them if I don't try, can I?

I open my mouth to decline, but that's when I see Seth staring at me, a determined look in his eyes. He says nothing, but he doesn't have to. His confident gaze says it all.

I close my mouth, not trusting my voice, and I nod, the panic slowing down in my heart.

I can do this. I can make plans, give them advice, and show them how to win. It won't be like last time. This isn't a risk that I'm taking for them. This is for me. I need this point, desperately, and if I want it, I'm going to have to be the captain for this match.

I can do this.

I have to.

"So what's the plan?" Alex asks curiously, crossing his arms. "How we going to win against them."

"Just give me a second to think," I say, raising a finger and closing my eyes.

I push away the thoughts of fear, trying to focus. All right. Fighting the nobles. I helped all of my allies with their abilities, so I know how they should and can play. That means only the four nobles are a mystery, but, if I think about it carefully…

"Alright," I say, slowly opening my eyes. "The first and most important thing is to anticipate their abilities. We already know Devon's, but we have to guess close on the other three. Based on what I've already seen, I think I can predict close to their original magic, or at least what they're going to use…"

"Original magic?" Molly asks, tilting her head.

"Yeah," I say, waving a hand absently. "Every mage has one. Basically, it's the magic that comes most easily to the mage. It's the primal magic that every mage derives most of their spells from. For instance, a mage skilled with fire, a pyromancer, would have his original magic be fire. They can use it and change it's form to use different types of offensive, defensive, and utility spells, which are the three major groups spells are split into."

"Oh," Molly says, snapping her fingers. "So if someone had an original magic of water they might use water for any of the three groups, but they could also use ice magic for one of them too, right?"

"Exactly," I nod at her. "Because ice is close to water, it can become one of the proxy magics, one of the magics derived from the original magic. For instance, someone might have an original magic of earth, but they could have proxy magics of metal, gems, and gravity for the offensive, defensive, and utility specializations. The thing is, most wizards don't start using their original magic off the bat. It takes a lot of training to find it. Just because Elizabeth is keen to fire, I doubt it's her original magic. It's just one of the proxy magics, and I'd guess it fills out her offensive specialization."

"Wait," Xander asks, holding up a hand. "So you're telling me mages usually have four different magics they are naturally good at?"

"Some," I say, with a shrug. "It's not an exact science, and sometimes one type can cover two or even three of the specializations. The idea behind original magic is that it's the very core of your soul, the reason why you can use your will to shape and make reality bend to you with magic in the first place. People who want power generally have very destructive original magic, for instance. Someone who is naturally stoic and unmoving might have an original magic of earth or stone. It's sort of a reflection of who the person is. "

"Pssh," Alex says, rolling his eyes. "And you were so hesitant about being the leader."

I smile, my cheeks warming a little. "Well, it's a fairly basic idea, so don't be too impressed. Original magic is like a tree. Sure the branches are good and important, but the trunk is the whole basis. Original magic is the trunk, and the branches are whatever the specialized proxy magics are. Some might have lots while others have few. The point is, everything stems from a core, so if we can figure it out, we won't be surprised if they pull some random magic out of their hat that we weren't ready for."

"Alright," Alex nods thoughtfully. "Original magic is the key, but most mages take time to find it. It's important because they might use different magics between offensive, defensive, and utility, but they could also be the same. So, what do you think theirs are then?"

I bite my lip softly, thinking and double checking. Flashes of memory from when they were trying to break down the barrier I set up during the first week of training enter my mind, and I try to remember not just what their magics looked like, but what they did and felt like.

"Okay," I say slowly, chewing my lip. "Elizabeth's original magic is probably related to destruction and brute force, so I doubt she'll use anything but fire magic. Jackson is all about physical violence, so he'll probably just use basic magic to enhance his physical durability and skills. Cody is going to focus on stealth magic that can also strike fear and poison. I would guess Edward is cocky and aggressive, so he'll probably use magic that makes him unpredictable while relying on his offensive capabilities instead of defense. Devon I already know exactly because I helped him, so I'll tell you guys in the match."

I look around at my team as I take a breath, evaluating our options.

A Zaunite scientist, a somewhat honorable Noxian, a stoic soldier, and a diplomat's daughter stare back at me.

Heh. Sounds like the start to a bad joke. At least I have a good idea of what our roles will be and how to start the match…

Wait.

Maybe I can use that.

Just as we're planning against what we think they'll do, they're going to be planning for what they think we're going to do. So, if I were them, what would I guess we would do? What positions would we play? What would our strategy be?

Pieces start fitting together in my mind as I think out possibly solutions and ideas, one plan starting to stick out above the rest.

"I think I have an idea," I say, my heart beginning to pound. "But it's going to be a little… counter-logical."

I take a deep breath and hold it, closing my eyes.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Minions have spawned!" the announcer's voice says, ringing clearly through the air.

I open my eyes.

I still haven't gotten used to the semi-transparent heads-up-display that now obscures the corners of my vision. My health bar showing how much defensive magic protects me before I "die" takes up the upper left corner of my vision, a small amount of numbers next to symbols lies in the lower left, and a real time map lies in the lower right corner. It annoys me when I flick my eyes around quickly, because I constantly keep startling myself when I end up focusing on one of the displays accidentally.

That's okay though, because if it bothers me, then it must really be messing with the others. I can take advantage of that.

I crouch down next to the blue tower, a giant statue of an armored soldier holding a staff with a hammer with a blue crystal in the hammer's head, and the grassy area around me seems be almost too calm and serene.

Too bad it won't last long.

I focus on inward, taking my focus away from the shell and back to my real body, making my thoughts as strong and powerful as I can.

"Status reports?" I ask in my mind, and I feel the mouth of my real body move to ask those words while my shell remains silent.

The feeling is odd, and I shiver in discomfort. Summoners were never meant to be both keeping the summoning spell and being summoned, so the actual feel of it is… disconcerting. I can feel two separate bodies, one inside the match and one outside. The only difference is whichever one I focus on controlling becomes more real, the feelings and sensations becoming more powerful.

"It's just like you thought," Alex's voice suddenly says, resounding through my mind. "They had everyone at their ancient golem to protect it from us in case we invaded."

"Even Jackson?" I ask, slightly surprised.

"Yeah. Guess they were scared we were going to be aggressive like you predicted."

I smile triumphantly. I knew it. Of course the Noxians would expect me to try and prove myself in a league match by pulling a risky move at the start of the game like invading their side of the map for an early attack.

"Alright," I say back. "Seth, you sure you got our golem with just a pull from Xander?"

"No problem," he says, sounding focused and slightly far away.

"Molly, you got a look at their positioning yet?"

"Y-yeah," she responds, her voice tense. "Looks like you were right. Jackson's moving top now, Elizabeth is going to be mid, Edward is their attack damage carry-er, I mean, ADC, and Devon is supporting. So Cody must be their jungler."

"Perfect," I say, wincing at the obvious strain Molly has over trying to keep up the summoning spell, move around in the match, and talk with her real body. "Take your positions everyone, and remember, stay defensive. Stick to the plan."

"Roger," a chorus of voices respond, and I stand up, taking in another deep breath.

So far, so good. I glance at the minimap display, just to make sure Molly's assessment was correct.

The map itself is fairly simple. Its consists of a square shape with a river running between the upper left and lower right corners of the map to split the square into two equal triangles. Three lanes, or roads, split the map even more, one running along the left and top side of the map, one running diagonally from the lower left corner to the upper right, and one running along the bottom and right side. In between each lane is a jungle full of thick foliage and trees that obscure vision with a few makeshift paths to allow for some awkward traversing. Finally, in the lower left and upper right corners, where the paths meet up, are the two bases, one blue base, and one purple. The blue base and towers are on the bottom left side while purple are on the upper right.

The entire gameplay of the League is centered around the map's design. Each lane, the "top," middle," and "bot," corresponded to the paths that run between the bases. Each lane, and even the jungle, has it's own positions and reasons behind it. I tried explaining it to my allies before the game, but that ended up being too confusing. So, I simply told them where I thought the Nobles and Devon would be going and what their play-style would be like.

Jackson would be going top lane, and his job would be to become a brawler that could dish out damage as well as absorb it.

Elizabeth would be their mid, a mage with an amazing amount of burst damage to wipe people out in the blink of an eye. Her damage and potential relies solely in her four abilities, meaning once they're used and on their cooldown period, she'll be vulnerable.

Cody would be their jungler, sticking out of our sight ranges and killing the neutral monsters that lurk and spawn in the jungle to get gold and experience. He'll be jumping out and ambushing us with surprising amounts of damage to turn the tables.

Edward would be their ADC, or attack damage carry, focusing on making his normal attacks as fast and damaging as possible. He'll play somewhat like an archer, focusing on staying on the edge of combat and getting continuous, damaging attacks on us while using the four abilities he's allotted to supplement his damage.

Finally, they would relegate Devon to be their support. My best guess is he would be the tanky type, the one that helps their ADC in the bot lane by absorbing hits and trying to line up kills for them.

The minimap confirms Molly's assessment, flickering icons of both my teammates and the Nobles whenever they enter the line of sight of one of us. Looks like I predicted accurately. Technically, even if I was wrong about who was going where, the play-style of the positions are generally the same. Still though, it feels good to have been right.

I stand up, and brush the dirt off the dark blue robes I wear. The robes are thick, mostly because of the heavy leather armoring the outside portions of my arms, shoulders, torso, and legs on the exterior of my robe. The leather is a darker blue, almost black really, and I shrug as I try to get comfortable in the clothes I'll be wearing for most of the match. Luckily, the leather armor bits are tied tight enough to rein in the robes and keep them snug around my body to avoid hindering or tripping me. Besides the robes, I wear simple cloth clothes underneath them along with leather pants and boots. The robes split down the middle below the waist in the front and back to provide me with mobility, so it seemed like a good idea to also put the extra leather armoring around my legs.

I hear the soft stomping of feet behind me, and I shrug a few more times to get used to my armor before I draw my katana and start moving forward.

My position is top lane, meaning I'll be facing Jackson for the early part of the match.

No pressure.

Calm down. I tied with him before without even using magic. I can do this.

I stop moving and wait for the minions to walk past me and engage the enemy ones. They're funny looking creatures, only about as tall as my knee and covered in cloaks and armor to mask their appearances. They spawn at periodic intervals from the center building of each base, the Nexus, walking mindlessly down each lane towards their enemy. They only come in four simple types.

I shake my head. Focus. Don't wander off now.

I watch as three melee and three caster minions tromp past me, covered by their blue cloaks. As they start moving further from me, the shared team vision from them causes the fog obscuring my vision to fade away, and I watch as the opposing minions come into view, armed with similar weapons. I wait until the blue and purple robes meet each other in battle, almost casually slamming their weapons and casting bolts of magic at their opponents. They all move and attack at a set pace, never alternating, never deviating, and never blocking. They might as well be machines.

I shiver, and then step forward, moving towards the minions. Jackson will be late if he really stuck around to help Cody get started killing jungle monsters, and I can take advantage of that. I watch the enemy minions, and whenever my eyes land on one, a green bar appears above their head showing me their health. I see one starting to get low on health, and so I move forward, into the middle of the battle.

To them, I might as well be invisible. Minions will only attack champions if they are the only thing in range, or if they are attacking an allied champion near them. So they move out of my way, continually slamming their hammers into each other and taking hits with seemingly no bother. I wait until the enemy melee minion's health gets down to a sliver, and then I strike, slicing at his head.

My blow lands, cutting through where a normal person's eyes would be, and my blade cuts through cleanly like it's slicing through thick cotton. I shiver at the feeling, and I watch as a small amount of odd looking pale, red blood sprays out, way less then what a human would be bleeding, and the minion falls over, dead.

I shiver. I'm not sure whether them not even feeling human when I cut them makes them more creepy or not. I try to shake it off, my eyes moving towards the upper right of my vision. I hadn't noticed the faint yellow numbers until now, when they suddenly glowed slightly and increased. It takes me a second of looking before it clicks, and I shake my head, going back to paying attentions to the minions.

It's my gold count of how much money I have, which can be used to buy items back at the shop in the base to increase my powers and even give me new abilities. It goes up naturally at about one gold per second, but landing the killing blow on minions and neutral monsters of the jungle grants even more depending what's killed.

Which is why I should really focus on killing minions and not reviewing dumb facts to try and distract myself. Any other day, I would be more than happy to indulge in such a distraction, but not today.

Today, I need to bring everything I've got.

I keep landing the killing blow on minions, ignoring the softness and too pale blood. I keep my head on a swivel, looking around me to the fog, looking for where Jackson will approach.

I finish killing the entirety of the first wave, last hitting five of the six minions successfully before Jackson comes, wearing the same sleeveless, light leather armor he wore when I dueled him. He comes from his side, just as I get within sight of his outermost tower in top lane. It stands tall, a giant statue with a crystal staff. I know getting too close will cause the statue to lash out with energy projectiles, so I stay my ground as the last minions of my own wave are slain by Jackson's new one.

I back off, staying out of the range of Jackson's long glaive. The new minions from each side clash after a moment, now slightly pushed towards the purple team's territory. I pace back and forth among the minions, watching Jackson without ever stopping my constant movements.

I need to learn his abilities quickly.

I move up, crouching as if to finish a minion, and Jackson takes the bait. I turn my forward step into a stutter step just as he lunges with his spear, green energy condensing around it as it plunges towards me, missing me by almost nothing.

I smile, ignoring the minion I was going to kill as it dies, and Jackson gives me a almost respectful nod.

"You're more mobile than I thought in those robes," Jackson comments as he idly twirls the glaive to bisect a minion. "That leather armor over it must be tight."

"You have no idea," I reply as I stab a melee minion, the leather vambraces cutting into my wrist uncomfortably as I twirl my katana away.

"Jackson's first ability is a stabbing lunge," I say to my teammates with my real body, careful that my shell doesn't say it too. "Spear is bathed in green light, probably does magic damage or penetrates armor."

A second later, I feel a surge of power, and looking to my stats in the lower left corner of my vision, I see that I've been around enough combat to earn level two. A small prompt appears on the left side of my vision, asking what ability to spend my new level on, and I pick one with my thoughts quickly, trying to refocus on the minions.

Jackson and I take turns stepping sideways, juking, lunging, faking, and killing minions, taking the occasional opportunity to hit each other when we overextend. None of us land anything solid, just glancing blows off each others' armor or weapon when we can. Still, it's enough to register as a hit by the League's system, and it takes the damage out of our health bar even if we don't feel more than a slight jarring sensation with each block.

I constantly check the scoreboard, a small window that pops up when I think with a little force, watching as we last hit. I keep on eye on everyone's last hitting, doing my best to gauge power levels as I go.

Jackson plays defensively, only showcasing his lunge ability to poke and harass me away from potential minion kills. I manage to sidestep and dodge for the most part, getting the kills anyway, and I see him frown, almost in concentration as his glaive comes within an inch of stabbing into my armor for the sixth or seventh time.

"Most people underestimate a spear or glaive's range," he finally says as we shuffle in our little dance of death. "But you seem to understand it incredibly well."

"What can I say," I say back, sidestepping a lunge thrown right as I began speaking. "I had a good teacher."

"Ah," he grunts, stepping back and parrying a blow deftly as I send a quick retaliatory slash at him to drop his health some more. "I didn't realize Fairfax was a spear user."

"He's not," I say, stepping back to catch my breath for a second. "My teacher just understood how important range was in combat."

He gives another grunt, and we go back to our silent combat. The only time we really end up trading blows is when the siege minion, a minion operating a small cannon, comes around. They're worth more gold than the others, so it's especially important to get them. Jackson does a good job of keeping me out of his territory by using his lunge ability to deal enough damage to catch up with the disadvantage he had from not being in position right away. Still, though, my wave and therefore position starts to push closer and closer to his tower, and I find myself playing extra defensive so I don't go too deep and get ambushed by Cody or one of the others.

Throughout the battle, my teammates call out the abilities of the noble's as they're used as well as their position and condition. Alexander and Molly end up getting beat on pretty bad until Seth drops by to help out. No one ends up netting a kill, so both sides teleport back to base to heal up and buy new equipment before resuming their positions. Xander seems to do okay against Elizabeth, although he does let out the occasional yelp of pain or curse when Elizabeth lands one of her many fire spells.

Besides saying absolutely necessary things, our team barely chats except for the occasional comment or joke. It's not that they don't want to, but they probably just can't. Even for me, keeping a summoning spell that transfers my consciousness to a shell and also fighting in game is difficult, so for them it probably costs every ounce of concentration they can muster.

So we fight, in absolute concentration and silence, focusing on killing our enemies.

Eight minutes in, I see Jackson falter mid-step, his eyes fluttering, and then he jerks back into motion. The action is so slight I almost miss it all together. An uncomfortable feeling settles in my stomach, and it takes me second to identify it.

This whole time, Jackson and I have been trading blows enough that I've gotten to see his other two "normal" abilities, one that makes his glaive glow red and pierce armor, and one that makes him jump in a direction with a spin of his glaive, dealing area damage as he goes. More than that, I haven't even used one of my abilities, and I've still managed to get him down to half health and use all the health potions he came to lane with. My health, in comparison, stays roughly at three-quarters full.

Slowly but surely, I've been pushing closer and closer to his tower, getting more confident the more damage I do against him. Whether he's meant to or not, he's lured me into his territory, away from the safety of my own tower.

A quick glance at the minimap confirms my suspicions, seeing that Cody has taken Elizabeth's place in the middle lane. They probably hope we assume she's just going back to base for health and mana. I probably wouldn't have even realized if I hadn't seen Elizabeth head in my direction just before she entered the fog of war and Cody take her spot in a coordinated manner. I had thought she was getting some jungle monster kills before she went back, a common practice, but now…

Panic shoots through my heart, but I force myself to keep playing naturally, killing the minions as they reach low health.

"Seth, get over here right now!" I all but shout with my real body. "Elizabeth's going to be here any second for an ambush."

"On my way, but it's going to take a while. Can you hold out?"

I blink in dismay as I look at the map to see Seth is near the neutral dragon monster near the bottom of the map, far away from me.

Too far away.

Don't panic, just focus.

"Cancel that order, I'll get out." I say, gritting my teeth in both worlds. "Ambush middle or bottom and try to use the momentum to get the neutral dragon. The gold and experience he gives would be nice."

"Roger," Seth replies. "Xander, prepare for some help. Bait out Cody if you can."

"'Kay,"

Immediately after I finish hearing Seth's response, I turn on my heel and start booking it back towards my tower, running as fast as my shell will allow me. The magical body has limits placed on it to keep the games fair, and one of those, annoyingly enough, is movement speed. Without purchasing some boots for my Aether self, I move at a top speed of a jog. It feels almost like a nightmare, not being able to run at full speed not matter how hard I try.

The second I turn and run, Jackson reacts. He uses his jumping spin ability to fly over the minions, forcing me to parry the blow awkwardly over my shoulder. He lands gracefully, his spear bursting into red sparks, and he lunges at me, green light adding on to the blow. I manage to get my sword close enough to my body and twist in time so that the glaive hits my blade and shrieks off it instead of piercing through me, and I shove off the thrust annoyingly, backstepping as fast as I can and blocking one more attack before I get out of range of his strikes.

Even though I barely manage to block his full combo, my health still dips to fifty percent, and I wince. Technically, I really don't have to block his attacks because they still do the same amount health damage either way, but it does prevent the pain of being constantly sliced open. I can't afford to be distracted by being cut open and then healed by the defensive magic protecting me. It would slow me down even more than blocking his attacks does.

Still, as I begin to get close enough that my vision clears the fog of war around my tower, I hear a shout and explosion of fire. Elizabeth rushes at me, using one of her abilities to blast flame out of her heels and propel herself forward from the fog. She wears an elegant robe of gold and orange with a phoenix-esque theme to it. I see her hands move, casting another spell as she dashes forward towards me at alarming speed, and she throws a small orb or golden fire at me. Meanwhile, Jackson prepares to lunge forward again, green light sparking into existence around his glaive.

I have maybe two seconds before the orb of fire, Elizabeth's fire rush, and Jackson's stab reach me. That's two seconds to save my life.

It's enough.

I turn on my heel, skidding to a halt and facing them in a low crouch, willing magic into existence within me as I prepare to unleash one of the fastest and most complicated spells I know. Light Blue energy sparks around my right hand as I use the momentum to swing it around and slam it into the ground.

More blue energy bursts into existence when it hits the ground, expanding into a complicated pattern that makes a circle around me. I have all of a second to see the magical circle with crisscrossing lines, looking almost akin to a magical pentagram but with more lines and symbols. Then pale blue light erupts from the symbol of energy carved into the ground around me, and it flows towards me, wrapping me in golden light bright enough to blind both me and my unprepared enemies.

I feel the energy sink into my clothes, turning them into a form of something that feels like liquid but is more like energy, and the sudden feeling of shifting cloth and metal slithers across the entirety of my skin. The clothes now transformed into energy shift, changing their shape into something bigger, something more menacing, and then the light flashes gold to blue one last time, materializing into a final form.

All of this happens in a second, and I barely have enough time to raise my right hand to shield my helmetless face from Elizabeth as her charge ends, fire exploding around her and the orb splashing into me a moment later. The sheer heat of the golden fire is enough to singe the exposed skin of my face, and the smell of burning hair hits me hard. I feel my skin heat up uncomfortably, but my new clothes and armor hold. I feel Edward's glaive dig into my left arm's armor, striking me and sliding of with a screech. A second later, his glaive hits me again as he spins away, and Elizabeth also back away, smirking at me through the flames.

Fire engulfs the land around me, the sound and golden light almost drowning everything else out. My breath comes out quickly, and I look at my health quickly as my heart pounds too quickly. A second later though, a feeling of elation hits me, and I turn my wolfish grin to Elizabeth and Jackson as the fire fades, standing to my full height.

Their eyes widen.

No longer am I covered in robes bound by tight fitting leather armor. Now, I wear thick robes with shining, heavy plate armor strapped on me, layered enough to make me look like some sort of knight or paladin. The armor turns me from the skinny girl to an armored mass with robes covered in chainmail peeking out underneath where the plates are separated.

My health remains at a steady thirty percent, and I let out a quick laugh before I start backpedaling, my steps now slowed even more by my ridiculously heavy armor. Just as I designed it though, I feel none of the weight actually on me. The magical runes and glyphs carved into the armor keep me feeling light and mobile, even if I am actually slowed down by it.

Jackson and Elizabeth recover from their surprise at my sudden transformation from sensible mage to plate-armored knight, and they rush at me, Elizabeth unleashing a ring of golden fire that burns across the ground as it rotates towards towards me like a wheel of death.

I let out a laugh, sticking out an armored hand, and the ring starts rotating uselessly against the plate armor, pushing me back slightly. My health drops a small amount, but soon enough, the fire wheel dissipates, and I brush away the remnants as it fades, still backpedaling.

I reach the tower range, I know by the sudden feel of the harder dirt on my greaves, and Jackson stops short, his eyes narrowing. His health is at a low thirty percent because of all the minion damage he took attacking me, and he backs off, opening his mouth to say something. Before he can though, I let out a scorning laugh, sheathing my sword and putting my arms out to both sides in a mocking gesture of being defenseless.

"What, is that all you got?" I shout, giving my best cocky smile even though knots form in my stomach. "Just a little heat?"

Jackson doesn't take the bait, continuing to back away from me, but it was never meant for him. Elizabeth's eyes flare with anger, and she runs at me, letting loose a ball of fire, her normal attack. I slap it away carelessly, ignoring the health damage, which only makes her angrier.

And then she does it.

She steps within range of my tower.

The statue flares to life, a line of light tracing its path from the giant crystal on its hammer to Elizabeth, and then the crystal shines brightly for moment, letting loose a blast of magical energy that hits Elizabeth hard, exploding the ground around her and taking a chunk of her health away. She blinks, stunned, and that's when I make my move.

I slam my palms together, once again pulling energy together for a spell. This time, scarlet light blasts into the ground from my hands to carve a symbol of the same color. The sigil then releases even more red energy to wrap around my armor, turning it into golden energy. Once again, I get the uncomfortable feeling of shifting cloth and metal, but it ends quickly enough, the gold light flashing away to reveal me wearing a standard Ionian's martial arts uniform in red with light Ionian armor covering my shins, forearms, and chest. The sleeves are short and billowy, only going to about halfway down my bicep, which reveals the white wrap covering the entirety of my arms and hands, small and almost imperceptible symbols carved into them.

I reach for my magic once more, this time not the magic in my shell but the magic stored in my actual body, using one of the two special summoner spells we're allowed to bring into the match. There's a flash of light as my shell is suddenly moved from in front of Elizabeth's form to behind it, and I let out a triumphant smile.

Flash, the instantaneous summoner spell normally used to instantly teleport your shell a short distance, is usually used defensively.

Which is why Elizabeth's face looks so surprised as her head turns to look at my new position, shock in her eyes.

I reach out with my mind to my armor, and I feel the energy stored in the lightest armor set I've donned today snap back at me in excitement. I force the energy into the runes and sigils covering my white, martial art wrapped arm, and they glow with a purple light hungrily.

I let out a shout, slamming my palm into Elizabeth's back, and purple energy explodes out along my arm and through my palm, exploding out to enforce my strike with unnatural energy and strength. The blow sends Elizabeth flying towards my tower, and she slams and rolls across the ground, recovering quickly enough to stand and face me with a snarl.

And, also, just in time for another blast of energy to hit her from my tower, taking another chunk of health. When the dust clears, she immediately starts running towards Jackson, panic and pain on her face as she realizes I just pushed her deeper into my tower's attack range. I run towards her, delivering another quick punch as she passes, this one without the energy enforcing it. Still, it's enough to deal a good amount of damage, more than I actually ever did with my sword to Jackson. I jog past her after that, not having to look as another tower blast shoots out towards her.

I hear a shout of pain and rage, followed by the sound of the announcer's voice ringing out.

"First blood! An enemy has been slain!"

I smile, snapping my fingers and releasing green light as I do so. It carves another symbol into the ground just like my other two spells, and the light shines out, swirling around me until my clothes finish shifting back to my original outfit, the mage robes with leather armor. I glance back at Jackson, who stares at me in shock.

I can tell. He can't figure it out. The glowing light from the symbol is bright enough to even make me blink. He can't actually see how my magic functions, how I'm doing what I'm doing, and because of that, he can't figure out what my abilities are capable of.

I give him a light smile and wave before I send out a small effort of will from my real body, and blue light engulfs me as I start the teleportation ritual back to my base. He stares at me the whole time, but soon enough, I vanish with a wink of blue light.

Elizabeth will be back in action soon enough, respawning in her base after a short penalty timer for dying, giving our team a small advantage that we can push if we play right.

Let the games begin.

"I'm sorry guys," Alex says, his voice ragged. "I'm really bringing us down, huh?"

"It's fine," I say back, killing a minion with an idle flick of my sword. "We're going to change that soon enough. Just play like you have been."

"Alright," Alex says, his voice resigned with frustration seeping in.

Twenty-four minutes into the game, and things have started getting a little bumpy. My lane actually went amazingly easy because of the early kill on Elizabeth and the bonus gold that came with it. I managed to kill Jackson twice after that and take down the first tower in the lane, leaving only the inner tower deep in their territory and the base tower guarding their top entrance.

Middle lane also went well for Xander, with him picking up a kill on Elizabeth and Seth getting one on her with a well timed ambush. She only managed to get a retaliatory kill on Xander once, leaving us with the net gain.

However, bottom lane was going very, very badly. Well timed attacks by Cody had decimated Alex and Molly, getting Alex killed four times and Molly twice. If that wasn't bad enough, we've lost all three of our outer towers in each lane due to their constant pressuring on all fronts.

Even worse, the fact that Alex, Molly, and Xander actually felt their shells die while they were in them had proven… traumatic. Being burned alive and cut to ribbons even in a fake body and world can't be easy for them to deal with, and it's starting to show in their voices.

The only thing we have going for us so far is that they've been pushing themselves with everything they've got while we've been playing as conservatively as possible. So, at least the plan's technically still working.

I just hope it pays off.

I finish killing the last minion of the wave, and look at my minimap. I can see Alex and Molly being pushed back down bottom lane by Edward and Devon with Cody following close behind.

"I think Elizabeth is heading your way," Xander says suddenly. "What should I do?"

"Push middle lane," I answer, pulling my focus slightly away from my shell. "I've got this. Be ready on my mark Seth."

"Roger."

I watch as the Molly and Alex run, waiting for them to get past one of the tall pieces of brush that obscures sight. They manage to, and that's when I make my move, focusing on the vision ward I had Molly place in it a minute before. The small, invisible little item that grants vision also acts as a temporary structure, meaning I could use the second of my summoner spells, teleport, to go directly to it after a short spell casting period.

I send a strong effort of will, letting loose the framework of the spell to move my shell across the map. Just as I do, I see the icon of Elizabeth appear in bottom lane as she emerges from the jungle.

"Now!" I say just as purple light engulfs my shell's eyes.

I feel a sudden and nauseating lurching feeling jar my body, but it passes quickly, leaving me standing hidden in a tall piece of brush a few short steps away from the battle raging in front of me.

The first people I identify are Cody, Elizabeth, Devon, and Edward. Elizabeth wears the same elaborate "phoenix" styled robe I first saw her in, and fire pours from her hands as she throws an orb with a shout.

Cody wears a mixture of dark leather and cloth armor, giving him a shadowy and assassin like appearance, and he appears to be living up to it, throwing a dagger made of black, ink like energy.

Devon appears fairly plain, wearing simply chainmail and leather armor with a large kiteshield and broadsword, and he charges with a neutral look.

Edward is the most distinct of them all. He wears a combination of metal and cloth armor that makes him look almost like a barbarian, all scrapped together and tough, and he holds a metal contraption with both his hands that looks almost like a dragon, fire belching from its mouth.

My two allies, Molly in a plain white and gold robe with two bags filled with scrolls and Alex in elegant red and black clothes, sprint away from the attacks as fast as they can. Exhaustion covers Molly's face, and I see sweat on her brow. Alex, on the other hand, has a look of pain on his face mixed with something else, something I'm all too familiar with, his eyes tearing up as he sprints towards the inner tower.

Fear.

He doesn't look like the person I know, the constantly joking and light-hearted ally who looks at everything positively. His eyes just make him like someone in pain, someone who's gotten tired of fighting the inevitable. It's a familiar look, one I'm used to seeing on Ionians instead of Noxians.

One I'm used to seeing on myself.

Something twists in my heart at that, and I find myself clenching my fists and gnashing my teeth. I knew Alex would be in rough shape after having to experience dying four times, but seeing him like this…

Red flares across my vision as I see Elizabeth's orb of fire reach the limit of its range, expanding and burning Alex's back before it disappears. He lets out an almost breathless cry of pain, his eyes widening, and I see a streak of water go down his face.

I'm going to ki-

Everything stops except for the sound of my heartbeat. I feel myself grow shaky as I realize how angry I've become. I can feel energy crackling around me, and as I pull my consciousness back, I see the aura around my actual body condensing into a thick cloak of purple energy and light. Bolts of energy snap between my hands and the summoning orb, and I force myself to stop, and take a breath.

I can't lose myself. Not again.

Seth already figured out he could use anger against me, and I let him. I can't ever let something like that happen again. Especially not after… everything. I won't become one of them.

I can help Alex without giving into my anger. I know I can.

So I let out the anger with a shaky breath, time resuming as I calm myself, and I step from the bush, clenching my hands into fists.

"Hey!" I shout, standing firm in the leather armored robes I wore at the beginning of the match. "Why don't you pick a fair fight for once?"

The three of them turn on around almost instantly, Elizabeth, Cody, and Edward immediately unleashing their abilities the second they see where I am, and Devon follows up a moment later.

Devon charges at me, raising his shield, but Cody flies past him, moving with inhuman speed and leaving a trail of black energy in his wake. Elizabeth makes motions with her hand, and lines of fire start scorching around me, burning a star shaped pattern around me with me in the middle of it. Edward's dragon-like flamethrower, for lack of better word, unleashes a huge torrent of blue fire at me, the metal dragon's eyes actually alighting and spewing smoke as it goes into some sort of overdrive.

I simply call up my will as all this happens, forming the spell in my head with simple efficiency. Then I once again slam my palm to the ground, releasing blue energy around me to once again carve the symbol of the spell that will give my most protective form. After a flash of light and the usual writhing feeling of my transforming clothes, I sit in a crouch, facing my enemies and their attacks with a snarl in my plate and chain armor.

I bring my Arms together in a defensive "X" shape as all their attacks land at once, Cody slamming his daggers into my forearms, Devon bashing into me with his shield, Edward's blue fire exploding against me, and Elizabeth's star sharp erupting into flames that scorch skyward, burning everything caught in the pattern.

Golden and blue fire, a shadowy explosion, and a jarring hit engulf my senses for a moment, and I feel my heart flutter as my health begins to lower and various feeling of pain shoot through me. Scalding heat splashes against the exposed skin of my face, and I squint to see through. As the fire and shadows fade though, I see that it's settled at a steady sixty percent. Sadly, one can't hurt teammates in a League match, otherwise Cody and Devon would be fairly low too from the fiery attacks of their teammates.

If it weren't for my huge gold and item lead, the fact that three of the four of them just used their ultimate abilities, the strongest of the four abilities they're allowed to use, I would probably be dead. But with my heavy defensive and magic resistant armor being backed up by a myriad of defensive oriented items, their attacks didn't stand a chance of taking me out instantly.

Too bad for them, because now, it's my turn.

I slam my hand into the ground before they have a chance to do anything else, and a shockwave of violet let explodes out, slamming into all four of them. I see them tense in pain as their health drops drastically. I'm not done yet, though, and I clap my hands together. After the familiar ritual of red light, sigil, and armor shifting, I stand before them in my red martial uniform.

Cody is the first to recover, leaping at me in twirling motion with his daggers stretched out to hit me as he passes. Before he can fly over me, I simply punch the air, letting loose the energy stored in my hand's wrap. It explodes out, catching Cody mid-air and throwing him back past everyone towards Molly and Alex. They should be able to take care of him easily.

I face Devon, punching at him. He easily blocks it with his shield, sending a jarring feeling through my hand, but his health drops significantly from the blow. He may look armored, but playing a support in a League match meant he got barely any gold to spend on items, making him a lot more vulnerable than he looks.

His eyes widen slightly in surprise, and he stabs at me almost reflexively, which I easily slap away with my hand to avoid the distracting pain of being gutted. Looking past Devon, I can see Elizabeth and Edward finally deciding to focus on me, their attention briefly split between taking me out and helping Cody against my allies.

They made the decision to leave Cody to die by Molly and Alex, a sacrifice to get their revenge against me.

Just like I thought they would.

Both Edward and Elizabeth unleash torrents of flame at me, their fire blending together and making it impossible for me to tell which abilities they're using.

Not that it matters, because I see Molly step forward with a shout, throwing a scroll that sticks out of the ground in front of me, the runes written on it shining vigorously. A sudden sphere of white light surrounds Devon and me, and through it's slight transparency I can see the fire blasting away against it harmlessly.

I grin and continue punching at Devon, hitting his shield over and over again. Each blow shakes the metal shield and wrenches his arm painfully. My knuckles only hurt slightly from each punch, so I continue attacking him, fast enough that he can't recover. His health drops quickly, and soon he's left with none, his shell crumpling to the ground as if he suddenly fainted.

Molly's white shield around me starts cracking, and I quickly change back to my heavy knight armor just as it shatters, and I'm engulfed in fire once again. It cracks the skin of my face before I can lift my arms in defense, and I let out a soft cry as my face bursts into hot, dagger pinpricks. The heat lessens after a second when Elizabeth's spell runs its course, but the barrage of blue flame stays constant, one of the abilities Edward's flamethrower has.

So, I stay crouched, my face buried in my forearms. My armor doesn't make me invincible though, and I soon start to feel the metal and cloth heating up. I can feel the light clothes I wear underneath my plate armored robe start to become singed, flaking away and landing on my skin with scorching heat. The only place I don't sweat is my forehead because the heat instantly evaporates any moisture exposed to the air.

I hear a shrieking sound as my armor starts to melt and warp at the intense heat. The air itself eats away at my nose and lungs as I breathe it in, and I find myself taking shallow, gasping breaths that leave myself light headed and half coughing. Even my health bar has started to lower, going down further and further as I watch.

Maybe I will get to feel what death feels like.

So far, though, I'm not impressed.

I've felt worse.

At least death brings an end.

Maybe even peace.

Just as I finish those thoughts, though, the flames stop, and I force myself to snap into action, standing up and blinking tears into my dry eyes as I observe the situation through the engulfing pain.

Molly and Alex seemed to have finished Cody off judging by his still, burnt form near the tower, and they've now turned on Elizabeth. Molly's thrown another scroll, this one unleashing a storm of orange magical energy that cuts into Edward and Elizabeth and seems to blind them. Meanwhile, Alex is electrocuting Elizabeth with a continuous stream of crimson energy that does ridiculous amounts of damage every second. With all this, Elizabeth seems to have faltered, dropping to her knees and screaming in agony at the storm and constant electrocution.

As for Edward, Seth has finally arrived to set upon him. Seth wears a long, dark red coat, black cloth pants, leather boots, and a dark tunic with a leather chestpiece over it. He carries a one-handed bearded axe that he swings at Edward in efficient, geometric motions. His attacks seem to be mirrored by a shadowy afterimage of himself that follows each of his movements and attacks a second afterward. Edward tries turning his flamethrower on Seth, but he ends up almost dropping it with a cry of pain as Seth hacks into his shoulder, pulling the blade out only for his shadow to hack even deeper. The wound starts festering with black ooze as the shadow pulls its axe out, and Edward's eyes widen in surprise and pain.

Edward crouches down and unleashes a torrent of flame from his weapon that pushes him backwards, away from Seth. He also spins in air as he does so, sending flames shooting out all around him. I brush the weak attack off and take a step to chase, but Seth lets out a shout and swings his axe horizontally with both hands before I can take more than a step.

A crescent of black energy archs from his axe, following the path of his slash towards Edward. The cutting wave hits Edward, slicing through his midsection before it continues onward. A flash of red mist sprays from his midsection, and he falters.

I snap my gaze away before I can see Edward fall into pieces, turning my attention to Elizabeth.

I shouldn't have bothered. Her screaming stops just as I turn to look, and the only thing left of her is a charred corpse vaguely resembling her. The smell of burnt flesh and hair wafts into my nostrils, mixing with the scent of iron and blood. I blink a few times, overwhelmed by the sudden sensations.

"Good job," Seth says from next to me, and I just give him a nod, looking away from Elizabeth's body.

"You okay?" Alex asks, walking up to me, and I just give him a nod.

"Y-yeah," I answer raspily. "You guys go back to base, I'll be there in a sec."

They give me nods and blue light engulfs them as they begin the teleportation ritual. Molly makes sure to give me a reassuring smile from her shaken, pale looking face, her eyes looking more distant than ever. A second later, they flash from existence, leaving me alone with four corpses.

I blink a few times, walking over to the nearby tower and leaning my head against it, staring at the ground as my heart beats in my throat.

I should feel good, that we won. I mean, four kills for none really turns the game around for us. Instead, I just feel sick. The smell of fire and charred flesh stings my nose, and my stomach turns as the image of red mist spraying from Edward flashes across my vision. I close my eyes, trying to keep down my lunch.

The only times I killed in this match were by depleting the health bars, never by actually killing. I landed all my kills on Jackson by just attacking him and letting his health deplete as he blocked my attacks. Seeing Elizabeth and Cody's electrocuted corpses and Edward being bisected was different though. They actually felt the death. The feeling of their shells being mutilated and destroyed with savage abandon by people who genuinely wanted to hurt them.

For all intents and purposes, they just felt death.

And we were the ones who gave it to them.

My stomach does another somersault, and I bend lower with a groan.

What are we doing here, at this academy? Using shells with artificial souls like the League actually does wouldn't bother me, but actually using our consciousnesses with matching shells is just so… vicious. The League is supposed to be more like a game, not a killing field to torture other people's minds.

No matter how you cut it, Noxus is having us train by repeatedly killing each other. The duels were one thing, but this… this is something else.

Maybe I have no right to feel sickened by the ease of which my allies and enemies kill though. After all, I did cut Elizabeth in half during my weapons duel with her, but that was different.

Wasn't it?

I mean, I had no choice. I had to win that match, and she isn't the type to surrender even when she's beat. At least I made it quick as I could for her.

Yeah, this is definitely different. My allies are choosing to kill the Nobles now. They could just as easily aim their attacks to be easily blocked or just scrape by them, and they would still end up defeating the nobles. It doesn't matter how solidly a hit lands, the League still subtracts the same amount of damage from their health. Instead, though, they're choosing to flat out kill them, aiming their attacks for vitals and even using painful spells to take them out. None of them so much as blinked except for Molly, who looked a little shaken while she was teleporting back.

Everytime I try to get used to being surround by Noxians, who only care about strength and winning, I get a painful reminder of the truth. I shouldn't be so surprised by now. I really shouldn't.

But still… why kill when you can just defeat them?

I let out a sigh, pulling from my shell just enough to cast the teleport spell to start sending my shell back to base.

Maybe I shouldn't feel bad. The Nobles have been targeting and killing Alex multiple times, so he's just giving back what they did to him. It's no excuse, but it does make sense. It's revenge, pure and simple.

I wonder if he even realizes he's doing it, though, or if he has just convinced himself he's playing his part in the match like he has to.

I let out one last weary sigh, and then I'm teleported back to base in a flash of blue light.

This is going to be a long match.

"I'm tapping out," Xander gasps, and I blink in surprise. "Sorry I couldn't make it longer."

"You made it way longer than you had to," I say back, wiping some sweat from my forehead absently. "You did good. Now go get some rest and make sure Molly is okay."

"Alright," Xander rasps, and a second later, I hear the announcement that a Xander has disconnected from the match.

I let out a sigh, looking at my two remaining teammates. Seth and Alex stand on either side of me, Alex giving me a little nod while Seth merely flexes his axe hand a few times in anticipation. Both of them look all too pale, their faces and clothes shining with sweat. The amount of sheer will and concentration to constantly keep up the summoning spell in the back of their minds and cast new spells in the Aether has taken its toll, and both look about ready to drop at any moment.

Considering we're forty-two minutes into the match, they're actually doing a lot better than I expected. Molly had to drop at thirty, which really put us on the defensive. Luckily, Jackson dropped out at thirty-four minutes in, probably because of how much I pushed him in lane just to stay alive. He may be a good brawler, but luckily, he's not nearly as good at magic.

So, with Xander now having to leave, it's a four versus three, and they've pushed all the way down middle lane to our final turret, the one that protects a vaguely circular structure called the inhibitor. It's more of a mound of stone with engravings and a crystal in the middle, but it's importance far outweighs its humble appearance. If an inhibitor gets destroyed, the enemy team's minions get a huge bonus in strength, and some "super" minions even start spawning to come down the lanes.

The three inhibitors are the last dominos, and if they fall, defeat becomes almost certain. Even one being destroyed gives the enemy a huge advantage, allowing them to easily destroy the other ones as their minions start naturally pushing at our base.

So, all in all, this is the final battle.

Just like I planned.

The three of us stand at edge of the stone platform that separates our base from the grassy territory we once used to own. The large Statue-turret looms a few short steps behind us, with the inhibitor just behind it. Each of us hold as steady as we can, Alex's hands crackling with red energy, my hands tightly gripped around my katana, and Seth holding his bearded axe with his right hand firmly.

"Remember," I say quietly, blinking a drop of sweat out of my eyes. "We've made them pay for every step. We beat them here and now, and they're going to have to drop out. They won't have any energy left after playing so aggressively for so long."

"You're sure, right?" Alex asks, shifting his feet nervously. "I mean, I know the plan was to wear them out in the match to force them to drop out, but I kinda screwed that up dying so much-"

"No," I interrupt, glancing at him quickly. "They kept going all out to take you out, and that wore them out even more than just fighting them could. Trust me."

There's a short, strained silence.

"Alright," Alex says, his voice shaking. "Let's just get this over with then…"

I open my mouth to say something, but figures step from the shadows before I can, and my mouth closes quickly as I snap my attention to our enemies.

Edward, Elizabeth, Devon, and Cody all step from the fog, standing just at the edge of our vision range with smirks.

"Well, well, well," Elizabeth says, smirking. "Looks like its a four on three now. You ready to give up yet?"

I squint at them, looking at each of them quickly but carefully. They all look pale, even more so than my two allies, and Devon and Edward look shaky, like they're barely staying on their feet.

"I w-wonder how it feels," Elizabeth stutters, shifting her weight slightly. "To be so far ahead in kills and yet still lose?"

"You're making a mistake," I say, slowly sheathing my sword and crossing my arms. "Your assuming our we were trying to win."

Elizabeth's eyes narrow at me, her hands shaking slightly.

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" She asks angrily, her breathing getting heavier.

"Don't you think its odd?" I ask. "That we kept playing so defensively and never took risks? That we would attack only to back off once you used your ultimate abilities and a bunch of spells? That we never pushed down towers until late in the game, even when we could?"

"S-shut up," Elizabeth whispers angrily, a wisp of fire flashing in her hand. "You either win, or you lose this game. That's how the League works. One team beats the other. You can't trick me."

"In point of fact," I say, drawing out my power and concentrating on preparing my spell. "I already have. Look at yourselves."

She blinks and looks quickly around quickly, and her eyes widen in realization. I smile as she finally notices how weak they all are, how close they are to having to drop out.

"This whole time," I say, my voice measured, a slight hint of triumph seeping in. "Our goal wasn't to beat you. We just were trying to outlast you. In the real world, our team has the advantage of being stronger mages, which means we can keep our summoning spells up longer than you. Once all of you drop out of the match, the victory automatically goes to the remaining team."

Elizabeth grits her teeth in seething rage, her fists clenched tight. I knew that beating them with a team who had never played together was only fifty-fifty at best. The four nobles knew each other too well and would have naturally better teamwork than us.

Luckily, we have more raw skill, both in the League match and in the real world with our magic.

"I wonder," I say, taunting her more, slowly taking a few steps back. "How long it will take you to drop out after we defeat you here. Will you drop out right when we destroy your shells, or will desperately try to hold on a few more minutes, trying to fight us one last time before you fall down. I bet you won't even be able to cast spells by then."

"You t-think you're so smart?" Elizabeth spits, stepping closer as I continue backing up. "What makes you think you'll win this battle? Huh?"

"I don't know," I say, trying to sound nonchalant as my heart starts beating out of my chest. "Maybe it's the fact that you all are so weak I haven't had to use my ultimate ability even once this match. I mean, talk about being pathetic-"

Elizabeth shouts at that, golden fire exploding from her feet as she propels herself forward at me, one hand holding a growing sphere of fire and the other tracing lines of fire to make a star shape below me. Cody also rushes forward, inky black energy engulfing him and speeding him up rapidly. Edward and Devon are slow to act, but they also move after a second, ready to engage us.

My heart jumps into my throat, and my anxiety spikes as they come at me with enough magic to destroy a small building.

Here goes nothing.

I push on my katana's hilt with my left thumb, freeing it from the scabbard, and I release my ultimate spell as I do, crouching lower to the ground as purple energy explodes from my sword into the ground, making a fourth, unique sigil of magic that bursts forth faster and more violently than the rest, wrapping me in violet energy. The feeling of my armor and clothes shifting is much faster this time, and the light winks out of existence quickly, leaving me in my fourth set of armor.

This time, I simply wear the iconic black kimono of the Ionian samurai, the one that most probably imagine when they think of a samurai fighting. Underneath is a loose fitting white tunic and tighter white cloth pants, both hidden by the billowing black clothes over them. All of this is tied off by a purple sash around my waist, completing my outfit.

I see their eyes widen in surprise at my completely unarmored form, but that quickly disappears as I draw my sword, releasing the final part of the spell. A shockwave of purple energy explodes from my sheath as my blade slides out, slightly damaging and slowing down the enemies around me while ignoring my allies.

Only perhaps a second has passed since they started rushing me, and they are almost within range of me, both Cody and Elizabeth mere moments away from releasing their spells designed to do ridiculous amounts of damage and devastation on the exact spot I stand.

Sadly for them, they've overextended.

As I was talking to Elizabeth, I slowly stepped backwards, closer and closer to the tower behind me, and my allies followed suit. The nobles naturally advanced like any predator would, also bringing themselves closer to our middle tower. Seth and Alex made sure to make their retreats slightly away from me, to make sure that when Elizabeth and Cody inevitably rushed me and used their strongest abilities, they would be a safe distance away when the spells went off.

Now, all that's left for me to do is escape before the Elizabeth's three fire spells and Cody's shadow rush hit me.

I focus everything on my muscles, calling as much energy as I can muster to my body. I feel my clothes with their almost imperceptible glyphs and sigils hum in response, amplifying and enhancing the energy as it enters my body and muscles.

And then everything goes into slow motion except for me. Literally.

I know I don't have much time due to the sheer amount of energy I'm expending to keep the spell running, so I don't bother admiring beauty of the slow moving world. I run forward, careful to run between Elizabeth and Cody, staying between the vicious inferno of flames and the acidic black energy. I make sure to spin by them as I pass their bodies, though, slicing each of them as I dash by. My concentration begins to falter as the pressure in my head increases, the pure pain and focus making my vision blur, and I skid to a stop next to Edward and Devon, releasing the spell.

Time resumes its normal pace, and I hear the explosion of fire and shadow energy behind me along with cries of surprised pain. I don't pay any attention to them, though. Instead, I twirl at Edward, sending a flurry of strikes at him with inhuman speed that even my eyes can't follow.

I may not be moving through a slow motion world anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm still not really fast in this armor.

The strikes hit him, slashing into both his weapon and nicking his skin and light armor over and over again. His eyes widen in alarm, and he lets out a cry of pain and surprise, turning his weapon on me. I don't let him though, and I strike over and over again at his flamethrower, hitting with such speed and force to throw off his aim, a gout of flame spraying over my head.

Meanwhile, the health bar above his head drops at a sickenly fast rate, lowering in chunks with each hit.

I shouldn't be surprised. This whole game, he's only bought upgrades from the store to increase his attack power, leaving him with incredibly low defenses. Normally, that would make perfect sense for a ranged combatant. The thing is, if he can't stop me from getting close, I can unleash the wrath of someone who's gotten multiple kills and had an easy time earning tons of gold throughout the game, and with my combination of defensive and offensive based items…

He doesn't stand a chance.

So I watch as his health bar drops to zero in a few short moments, his eyes rolling into his head as his shell collapses. The back of my suddenly neck explodes in a tingle of nervous energy as I sense something coming at me.

I quickly draw forth another large amount of magical energy, once again putting my concentration to the test as I turn on my heel. The distance between Devon and Edward combined with both of their exhaustion kept Devon from acting quickly enough to save Edward from my devastatingly swift strikes. Now, though, he sprints at me, a mere foot away from bashing into me with his full weight and shield.

I take advantage of the brief moment of slow motion, and I run by Devon, striking his shield hard enough to send a ringing sensation through my katana and arm along with a flash of slow moving sparks. I stop my motion just behind him as time resumes its normal flow around me. Devon stops, his arm recoiling from my katana hit. Devon seems to stumble forward in confusion at me no longer being next to Edward's falling shell, but he flips around surprisingly quickly, his shield raised in a defensive position.

Which is just in time to receive a hard overhand slash from me. Devon digs his heels into the ground, but the violent speed and force behind my attack still pushes him backwards, sending another wave of prickling force through my arms and sparks from my blade. I ignore it though, and simply follow my instincts, sending another few dozen of slashes at his shield faster than my eyes or mind can process.

Each hit strikes Devon with enough force to push him another inch backwards, sparks and a sharp ringing sound filling the air. I angle each of my strikes slightly to push Devon's shield arm slightly out of position, forcing him to readjust for my next attack. I capitalize on the small amount of time it takes him to recover, always sending another slash at his shield before he can do anything else.

I keep attacking him, my arms going numb as the blows land again and again, scratches beginning to dig into his shield. I alternate between one-handed and two-handed strikes to change the speed, angle, and force of each slash, forcing him to adapt to each strike. Finally, after what seems like forever, his health drops to zero, and his shell falls as his consciousness is suddenly forced out.

I let out a gasp, sweat drenching my face and hair. I stumble backwards, turning my attention back to our tower, and I raise my sword, preparing to release another chunk of energy to dash back into battle.

I needn't have bothered. Both Cody and Elizabeth lay on the ground, one in a pool of blood and the other electrocuted into a black husk. Alex leans on the tower, panting and looking at me with the whisper of a smile, and Seth is on one knee, propping himself against his axe with his face low to the ground.

We did it.

We won.

The sheer exhaustion, Cody and Elizabeth overextending into our tower's attack range, and the surprise of my fourth ability were enough to take them all out. I sheath my sword, bending over and leaning on my knees as I breathe heavily, trying to catch my breath. I feel myself slowly tensing as I wait to hear the final indicator that our plan worked.

"A summoner has disconnected!" the announcer's voice rings out, and I let out a short breath of laughter as it repeats itself three more times.

I stand up, looking over my shoulder in time to see a massive explosion come from the direction of the enemy base, smoke billowing over the trees and towers.

I turn to Alex and Seth, giving them a quick smile and nod as I walk over.

"Blue team victory!" the announcer shouts as I walk over to them, triumph radiating from my bones.

"Come on," I say. "Let's disconnect and congratulate the others."

They both nod and their shells drop a moment later, abandoned by their consciousnesses as they return from the Aether to reality.

I stick around for a moment after they leave, looking between Elizabeth and Cody.

Cody lies curled up, his muscles all tensed in whatever agony he felt before his health blissfully disappeared and forced his consciousness out. Most of him is a husky black, looking more like burnt firewood than a person. The few parts of his skin that haven't been electrocuted to a crisp are raw and scarlet, like his flesh was boiled. Wisps of smoke rise from him, and I feel nausea set into me as the smell hits me.

My eyes tear up, and I look away, trying to remind myself that it's just a shell and not a person. Besides, he's Noxian. He wanted this, to fight, die, and become stronger. No one forced him to fight us. Pain might as well be a hobby for him.

As I keep reminding myself of that, my eyes finally focus through the tears, and my breath stops.

Elizabeth lays a few feet from me in a pool of blood. I couldn't see before, but now I have a clear view of the stump that remains of her neck.

I slam my eyes closed before I can start searching for her head, the tears flowing down my face.

This is sick.

I don't care if they're Noxians, they still can feel. They aren't emotionless.

So how much of it did Elizabeth feel as she was beheaded? How much did Cody feel as he was electrocuted?

I sink to my knees, pressing my hands over my mouth to stifle a groan as I begin to realize the full extent of our training.

Noxus isn't just trying to train summoners here. They're trying to train cold, calculating, and above all else heartless soldiers. The constant duels, training, and stress is meant to break us, to dig into us like needle thin blades every moment we're here. They've mutilated the purpose of the League, somehow turning a system meant to avoid death and pain into one that actually allows it to happen multiple times. The use of our actual consciousnesses in the shells was never meant to happen… sure, actual champions put themselves in these matches sometimes, but they've had training to cope with the pain and feeling of death.

The difference is, this is our training.

When we fight, they break us physically through pain and grueling workouts.

When we're in our offtime, they break our spirits through simple social betrayal and interacting with each other.

Every moment we're here, they break our minds with having to fight our classmates each day, competing to kick each other out of the academy. Every moment of violence and the contrasting "peace" that follows is meant to forge us into the perfect warriors, ones made in Noxus's image heart, mind, and soul.

I clench my teeth together.

I can't win against that…

…Can't I?

Maybe I can. I mean, I have so far, right? I haven't stooped to their level like they've wanted me to. I haven't given up. I haven't tortured anyone or caused unnecessary pain. I'm still here, too. After all their plans to get me out, I've survived. All of this without giving in.

I am my own.

The silent, but steady power of my will surges through me at that thought, replacing the sorrow with strength. I force myself to stand, wiping away my tears and steadying my breath. I can do this. Just like I won this match, I will win against this academy.

I make sure to put on a neutral expression, and then I force myself to let go of the spell that's been thrumming in the back of my head for the entirety of the match. My vision blurs black, and there's a moment of intense motion as I snap back to my actual body, grabbing the summoning orb and staggering as my eyes adjust to the sudden darkness of the cavern.

Surprisingly, my actual body feels much less tired than my shell did. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, considering how deep my mana reserves are. My mind does feel slightly hazy from the constant focus and fighting, though, and it takes me a second to adjust to being in my normal body again.

I look around at my teammates who are all sitting down and panting in their sweat drenched clothes. I stand in contrast to them, only a few beads of sweat on my brow and nose, my breathing coming out normally.

"W…wow," Xander gasps out, still trying his best to recover. "I c-can't believe that worked."

"Of course it did," Molly says tiredly, looking like she's about to fall asleep where she sits. "Don't you remember what they said her potential summoning time was when we first got here? She can probably go all day. They didn't stand a chance."

"W-well," I say, my cheeks heating up. "I couldn't have done it by myself. You guys did good. I mean, keeping up a summoning spell in the back of your mind while using spells in the Aether through a shell…"

"Yeah, yeah," Xander says, waving a hand dismissively. "Thanks for the attempt, but I think we all know who the real hero here was."

I blush full out, looking away and hoping the cavern is dark enough to hide my face. I'm not a hero…

"Also," Xander says, giving me a stern look. "What in the world kind of magic was that?"

Everyone looks at me, expecting an answer, and I fidget uncomfortably.

"I mean, that whole engulfed by light and then suddenly having new armor was sick," Xander says, his eyes slowly relighting with the spark of curiosity. "And I have no idea what any of that whole sigil-rune-glyph business that always happened before the flash of energy and light was. Plus, each set was so… so… different. I've never heard of spells that change someone's defense and offense so much."

"I-uhh," I stutter, fiddling with the summoning orb awkwardly. "How about I tell you guys about it later, when we're not all sweaty and stuff? It's uhh… complicated."

"Alright," Xander concedes sullenly. "But you gotta tell us about that magic at the end there. I mean, I was watching through the observer screen and it totally looked like you just disappeared and then reappeared next to Edward. There wasn't a flash of light or anything, though, so you couldn't have actually teleported with your summoner spell, which means…"

I feel myself tense up as Xander's eyes widen, my throat tightening.

Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't-

"Time magic!" Xander shouts, his eyes wide. "You used time magic to slow everyone else down, and then you moved while everyone seemed to be still! You probably could have even stopped time altogether while you moved! Holy night, Aria, stopping time and then moving normally! That's insane! That's what you did, isn't it?"

I let out a sigh, and just give a little shrug and weary smile.

"Who knows?" I mumble, rubbing my tired eyes.

"Aww, that's not fair," Xander whines. "You gotta-"

"Oh, lay off Xander," Molly says, giving him a gentle push. "Can't you see she's exhausted? Probably from having to save your butt so many times."

"Pfft, fine," Xander says. "But you gotta' tell us later, alright?"

I give him a simple nod and smile, and I almost jump in surprise as I hear the door open behind me.

Dumont walks in slowly, clapping his hands together with a smile on his face.

"Congratulations," he murmurs. "A unique but effective strategy. As you are the winners of this match, you will all be earning another point. Again, congratulations. I suggest you all clean up, get some supper, and rest. You've earned it."

He smiles and walks out, and I feel a little butterfly in my stomach. Another point. That brings me up to four. I'm that much further from being forced out now.

My allies smile and help each other up, leaving in almost silent victory. I set down the summoning orb and start to leave with them, only stopping when I realize Alex is still in the room, a lost, faraway look in his eyes as he stands almost completely still. He stares at the ground, his jaw set almost painfully.

"Alex?" I ask quietly, and he jumps looking up at me in surprise.

"Oh, uh-I, um," he stumbles, not meeting my gaze.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, stepping closer to him,.

He lets out a choked-up laugh, his eyes watering up as he steps back from me.

"That's supposed to be my line, ya know?" he says, letting his long hair hide his face from me. "You're the one completely out of your element here, being constantly attacked and beaten. I shouldn't be the one needing… whatever this is."

"Alex," I say softly as I feels something break and stab into me at his tone. "It's okay. We did good. Just… just tell me what's wrong."

"You did good," Alex says, turning further away from me. "I was just dead weight. Useless. My dying almost cost us that match."

"You did your best, and you'll only get better" I insist, my heart beating faster. This isn't like him. He's supposed to be strong and easy going. Not… not this. It isn't like him to be so hurt about needing help, or being beat. He's never been like this before. Why is he so broken up about-

I stop, my heart dropping, fear shivering in my bones as I remember the images of Elizabeth and Cody's corpse. The flash of red mist from Edward's bisected body.

"Alex," I say carefully, choosing my words. "Are you okay?"

He flinches away, letting out another little laugh. It echoes through the cavern oddly, disappearing with its tinges of sorrow and anger into silence. I stand there, wanting to reach out to him, to comfort him, but I don't know what to say. So, I do nothing, standing in the silence with him.

Alex sighs, wiping his face lightly before facing me. He looks like the normal Alex, the one who constantly teases with Xander at lunch and always is asking me about the books I'm reading. Except for his eyes. His eyes look strained.

"I'm sorry," he says, his voice raw. "It was just… rough. You know. Dying so many times. That burning sensation…"

He trails off with a shudder, and a twinge goes through my heart.

"Alex," I say, putting as much sincerity into the words as I can. "It will get easier. They can't target you every match, and as you get used to being in a shell, you'll know when and how to pull out if the pain becomes too much. Our next match, you'll know exactly how much focus to put on your shell and your real body. If you split it right, you won't even feel the pain."

After a moment, he meets my eyes, his deep green eyes wavering.

"...Really?" he finally asks, his voice no louder than a whisper.

"Yes," I say with a firm nod. "You can do it. You just need to practice focusing away from the pain. Then, you'll be golden. No more pain. I promise."

He looks at me and nods a few times, resting his gaze back at the ground.

They got to him. The fact that Alex seems like a Noxian who's lived in Ionia his whole life, or at least most of it, means he's more susceptible. He's probably not used to the constant psychological torture they put on their citizens by having them constantly in conflicts. He's been sheltered somewhat here in Ionia, and it's starting to show.

The nobles focused on shutting down Alex, and killed him seven times in one game. They aren't trying to just go for me now. They're aiming for my allies, maybe out of retribution for what Seth and Xander pulled, or maybe because they think it will just be easier to get to me this way.

And if they can make Alex falter this much, what happens when they target Xander or Molly…

I need to make sure I train them. Teach them to focus more on their real body instead of the shell. How to pull out when they feel too much pain. They're all skills I've practiced more than I would've liked, things I've taken for granted until now. I need to make sure my allies know how to do these things.

Maybe this is another reason summoners act as the strategists while champions or artificial souls of champions control themselves. To go through the constant pain of battles is something anyone can do, but feeling yourself die… that's something only someone with lots of training can constantly go through over and over again.

Or, someone like me.

My stomach twists.

Alex chooses that moment to walk past me, stopping for a moment as he reaches my side.

"Thank you, Aria," he whispers, relief flooding his voice. "Thank you for everything."

I give him a simple nod, not trusting myself to speak.

"Let's go clean up and celebrate with the others, yeah?" Alex says, his voice gaining back some strength.

I glance at him, and he gives me a shaky smile. He looks sturdier now, though, and I see a spark in his eyes, like he has a plan of some sort.

He walks away, and I find myself smiling grimly.

He may be Noxian.

He may be someone I can never trust.

But that doesn't mean that I don't want to.

How could I mistrust someone so much like me?

I let out a frustrated breath of air, my throat catching. Alex lets his emotions guide him, trying to do the right thing but sometimes falling short. This small moment of weakness won't get to him again. Now that he knows there's a light, he won't back down. I know, because that's what I would do in his situation.

He's strong, and willful, and funny, and nice.

And I wish I could trust him more than anything.

But… I can't…

I can't trust any of them.

I clench my fists, and walk towards the exit.

I may have won today, but if I want to have any hope of winning later on, I need to figure out how to help my teammates overcome the pain that's going to come with the League matches. If Alex got this hurt after dying seven times in a row, then Molly and Xander are going to be in lots of trouble if the Nobles ever choose to target them.

The question is, how do I help them if I can't trust them?

No. The real question is, do I help them, hoping they have light inside of them, or do I let them suffer, refusing to give them what I so desperately needed from them these past days?

Either way is a risk. So which will I regret more?

There's only one way to find out, and if I'm not careful choosing, it might just cost me a lot more than just an ally.

It might cost me everything.