Morphine Ch7


A step in the right direction?


The room was so eerily quiet, it seemed as though all the subtle sounds that a normal building in a large city like this would have had all been sucked out by some extranormal force… actually I suppose that would make some sense: apparently summoning is a complicated magic that requires a lot of concentration so I imagine they silence the building in order to help them practice their ability to concentrate in peace… or maybe I just have to get my audio receptors fixed.

As I mull over the idea of seeing if I can find a decently skilled mechanic or technician Adaphon walks in with a silver tray loaded with a wide assortment of small snack foods and an ornate teapot floating beside him; it just hovers in place about three feet off the ground between me and the adjacent chair he took,

"Apologizes for the wait Miss Mora but I wasn't expecting to entertain tonight."

"Well to be honest I didn't expect to have an emotional breakdown."

Adaphon pauses mid sip, I probably said something odd again; Adaphon then grabs a book off a nearby shelf and opens it up, he thumbs through a few pages and I try to lean a bit closer to see what he's reading but then I remember something Sona said about 'personal space' and back off,

"Alright miss Mora I have some things I will need to go over with you, that is if you do still intend to become a champion?"

"I do intend to do that, from what I've heard it may be my best chance to stop disrupting important ceremonies or causing property damage."

"You'd be surprised miss Mora, I'll start with the basics;" he clears his throat and takes another quick sip of tea "As a champion of the League of Legends you will be called upon by a summoner to participate in battles for various reasons including but not limited to: political dispute, ceremonial battle, or to entertain some lonely teenagers."

I can't help but tilt my head at that last one but he retains a straight face and continues;

"As a champion, you will be tasked with battling with fellow champions, said battles are usually scheduled well ahead of time though in rare circumstances a summoner may contact you to bring you to the institute,"

He pauses to take a sip of tea while I consider writing this information down… ohh wait I have audio recording software I don't need pencils.

"As a champion, you will be provided with your own fully furnished room within the Institute, a bi-weekly allowance which is yours to spend as you please, you'll also be given a passport for travelling Valoran and provides you with diplomatic immunity."

Sweet buttery crumpets I didn't realise I'd get so much just to beat people up, I can see why Vi likes this job so much now.

Adaphon continues for a few minutes reading of terms and conditions and asking me to check mark a little box before setting down the book and finishing his tea; "- and you can not fight with other champions on Institute grounds unless it's a sparring match overseen by at least two summoners.. Well that covers all the essential information, are you still interested?"

"To be honest I'm more interested now then I was half an hour ago; and I was very interested then."

"Very well,"

He sets the book aside and muttered something under his breath and a small portal appears in the floor in front of us; I lean in to look inside but as fast as it appears it shoots out a rolled-up paper and closes,

"Hmm, I suppose Artryom was a bit upset I woke him at this hour to send the papers…"

Adaphon takes the scroll and opens it up then presents it too me; the print is very fine cursive which I have trouble reading but after a few milliseconds I manage to make it out; I'd tell you exactly what it said and all the little details of it but from the recent texts I've reviewed I get the feeling that would bore whoever reads this,

"In signing this for Miss Mora I am giving my word that I believe you have what it takes to become a champion."

He rolls the scroll back up and seals it then hands it too me; as I grasp it I can feel a small amount of residual magic hit me causing the spell that summoned the portal to flash in my mind for a moment before being stored elsewhere in my memory, apparently I don't have strong enough mana to use it now.

"In order to officially be recognized as a champion you will have to pass some tests, they will be… unconventional to say the least though I'm not permitted to detail them, I hope you understand."

I don't really understand at all but I'm going to nod and hope he doesn't read my thoughts,

"That's about all we can do from here; you'll need to travel to the Institute to 'try out', I recommend traveling with champion Nami… on that note is she aware you are here? She seemed quite distraught when the two of you were last separated."

I can't help but shift in my seat a little;

"To be honest I waited until she fell asleep then I snuck out and left without telling anyone where I was going or what I was doing after having an emotional breakdown earlier today."

"… You should probably go back to her before anyone realises you've left; you weren't perchance staying at champion Ezreal's home were you?"

"Yes I was; Nami apparently stays there a lot."

"Then allow me to give you a safe trip home."

Adaphon begins to softly chant some sort of incantation and a blue circle appears at me feet and slowly closes in on itself, I recognize it as the recall spell used in the league match; the circle flashes and everything turns blue for a moment but before I have time to blink I'm standing in Ezreal's living room.

I slide back into the guest room to find Nami lying at the foot of the bed again, her tail gently waving as she slept; I slide back into bed as carefully as I can so as not to disturb her but once I'm in bed she starts shifting until she wrapped her arms around me, I wonder why she only does that when I'm also in the bed, do Marai prefer sleeping in pairs to share body heat during the nights perhaps; they are mammals so it would make sense would it not? One of these days I need to simply ask Nami about her culture as apposed to lay awake at night wondering about it.


I feel as though my erratic sleep schedule isn't beneficial to my health, then again nothing I've done within the past week has been good for me so why start now… well that's somewhat depressing; I should probably talk to someone about this when I find the chance.

"You okay Mora? You've barely touched your hash brown, I learned how to cook hash browns just for you."

I'm pulled out of my deeper processing as Nami prods me though her words catch in my mind;

"What do you mean? How'd did you know I like them?"

"You talked in your sleep the other night, it was actually pretty adorable."

"Uhh, thank you Nami…"

I talk in my sleep now? Why does my mental state keep degrading like this? I really need to look into getting my software checked soon I can't allow myself to leak personal information so easily or else… or else what? Why do I need to keep things hidden again? My mind feels as though a layer of fog shrouds a piece of my memory; I don't understand how or why that is given that my father said my mind was designed to operate without restrictions and yet this seemed locked away… perhaps I could consult Adaphon or another summoner on the matter soon... oh shoot I have yet to inform Nami of my intent to join the League, should I do it now or wait; on one hand she might be proud of me and happy for the chance to work together but on the other hand she's afraid that I'd end up killing myself if I leave her line of sight, not an irrational fear if I'm honest but still.

My train of processing is interrupted by Lux and Ezreal walking in, odd how they only seem to show up after Nami and I have been in the kitchen for about an hour.

"Good morning Nami, Good morning Mora!"

Lux's sunny disposition has yet to waver in all the time I've known her… that's about two days I believe?

"Morning you two; Ezreal you want to make an awkward statement again today or are you good?"

"To be honest Nami I think within the past few days I've filled my quota for the next month."

Ezreal take a moment to pour himself a cup of coffee and Luz whispers something to him that I don't catch; he nods to her and she takes a seat next to me at the table and he motions Nami over, I try to listen in but Lux distracts me which irks me more than I thought it would for whatever reason, most of what Lux says is just idle banter which I don't need to pay to much attention too other than occasionally nodding or making a grunting noise to make it seem like I was listening; I only managed to pick up on every third word of what Nami and Ezreal are saying and most of it makes no sense without the rest of it, after about two minutes I give up and pay more attention to Lux;

"- and that's why I think you should get some, what do you think?"

Oh fudge,

"Uhh I dunno, I think I should talk to Nami about that…"

I try to bluff my way into making her say more information without making it look like I wasn't listening; Lux gives me an odd look but before she says anything else Ezreal and Nami finally sit down, all three of them look directly at me and I can feel about fifteen subroutines telling me to run the f**k away… I wonder why my programs use such crass language? Before I can continue to question the nonsensical design of my entire being Nami clears her throat,

"Soooooooooo… apparently a number of the champions you've met within the past week, including these two if that wasn't obvious, think you should…" She pauses and looks strangely uneasy, I think I know what she's trying to say given what she had just said so I try to finish this for her;

"Lux, Ezreal and some of the others I've met think I should become a champion… you don't want me to though."

She looks a little surprised but nods in confirmation, she avoids eye-contact with me now for some reason and Ezreal picks up where she left off,

"Uhh, to make a long story short after seeing what you're capable of; fighting Jayce, mastering foreign spells so quickly, and not getting killed by Vi just from what I've heard, it seems like a good way to apply your talents in a constructive and worthwhile manner would be to become a champion."

"To be honest with all of you; I've already spoken with summoner Adaphon and he gave me this;" I pull the scroll out of my arm and show them the seal before putting it back into my arm goop, "I have full intent to join you within the league… at least I've been thinking about it; though Nami's concern is unnerving."

Luz and Ezreal turn to look at Nami now who finally looks at me again,

"Its not so much that I don't want you to be a champion its just… I'm afraid you'll get hurt because of me; every time you get hurt its because I drag you somewhere: when I left you to fight at the docks Vi started chasing you, then I took you to a concert when you were still weak and you passed out a lot, then I took you to a League match and didn't make sure you were safe and then you got pulled into the match and then even after the match with Jayce and you always asked me about being a champion and I never went into detail and.. and.."

She starts to sputter and tears well up in her eyes; I climb onto the table and launch myself across and tackle/hug her to the floor in the same way she had always done to me as I also break out in tears, she wraps her arms around me and I choke out the best reassurance I can muster;

"Its not *sniff* its not your fault, you tried to help me but I did things wrong and I try to help but I just mess up and I drink to much soda an-"

"No its my fault you're new to this world and you don't know things and I just expected you too know things and I didn't teach you things and-"

"Its not your fault how could you have known that I didn't know an… and…"

I start to feel faint like last time I got so worked up but I refuse to let myself pass out now, still clinging to Nami I pull us both up into a sitting position;

*Panting* "Nami, I'm so sorry; I had no idea you felt like that but look at it this way: if I do become a champion the odds of me injuring myself or causing large scale property damage would become exponentially smaller, I just thought this way I could better myself… and stay with you longer."

I don't know why I decided to whisper that last part but after that Nami and I had calmed down and I only now realise Lux and Ezreal had been awkwardly trying to avoid staring at us during that scene… nobody really says anything for the next few minutes and we


just clean up the food I'd managed to knock onto the floor; I hope my tendency to make messes can be overcome soon lest I'd probably earn the ire of a lot of people.

The rest of the day is mostly quiet and uneventful; Lux and Ezreal left for some errands around noon so Nami and I spend the day on the couch talking in depth about the league; mostly Nami's personal experiences with other champions, the battles in the rift, and how to speak with a summoner; as we spoke she seemed to calm down about the idea of me joining the league.

"- and whatever you do DO NOT get between Diana and Leona in the cafeteria; I nearly got chopped into sushi that day.. *shudders* I've never felt the same about Taco Thursday since…"

Before I had a chance to ask Nami what a 'taco' was a knock at the door so she summoned her pool together and floated out of the living room leaving me alone on the couch with nothing but my thoughts,

I decided to follow Nami and see who was at the door in favor of hearing anymore voices and to my surprise the visitor was Janna who Nami had already invited inside,

"Oh Mora thank goodness you're still here."

I didn't notice at first because I was once again caught up in Janna outfit choice but looking up I saw her face was a bit red as though she was tired from exerting herself though given she floats everywhere I don't quite understand how that works,

"Yes I'm here, I'm honestly not sure where else I would be that could concern you so much"

Nami hands Janna a glass of water as I spoke and she quickly downs the drink and continues:

*hah* "I'm concerned because I recently received a word from an old friend near Zaun that footage of you fighting Jayce with his technology was leaked and supposedly there are people who are looking for you and its not for an autograph."

"What? But why would anyone be looking for me; I'm just a failed prototype-"

"Of a CF9-23 unit designed for wetwork intel gathering and assassination and replacement of key figures, paired with an experimental Hextech replicator under the codename 'Gwalit Mysto' or reveal secrets."

Without so much as a knock or warning of any kind Jayce had invited himself in and interrupted our conversation,

"After your attempted assault on me for being kind enough to autograph your cheap shirt-"

I swear if I had my case right now…

"- I delved into some old paperwork I recovered from the rubble of a lab which belonged to a former colleague of mine as I recalled documents detailing a synthetic lifeform capable of shapeshifting and replicating weaponry such as yourself and sure enough I found them; you are a bio weapon that was commissioned by the former leader of Noxus that was thought lost after the laboratory where you were conceived was destroyed somehow."

I.. I never knew any of that, my father told me he wasn't sure why I was built in the first place; only that my mother didn't want me to be used for the wrong purposes.. It now occurs to me the 'wrong purposes' might be referring to assassination in the name of Noxus.

"On top of that you're clearly malfunctioning, and I'm not just referring to your bad attitude and lack of social tact;"

At this point Nami had to hold me back to stop me from attacking Jayce, I'm not proud of myself for this aggression but I also don't regret it.

"To make a long story short; you are broken, you are dangerous, and many people want you for themselves or to sell to someone with less then moral motives. I think its for the best, and I mean this is the most sincere way possible; that you should get the hell out of my town and get your head examined before you destroy anything else."

Janna and Nami stare daggers into Jayce's black void of a soul before he opens his wretched mouth once more:

"I know that may sound like I'm being harsh but I do mean it; you need to get away from here and you need help," He stops for a moment to pull out a small pad of post-it notes and a pen and scrawls something down while I continue trying to break free of Nami's grasp to do unspeakable things to his spine; "Here is the contact information of someone who should be able to help you."

He pulls the note from the bundle and places the adhesive to my forehead only making me angrier but he already turned to leave;

"They lives at the edge of the city so you should go sooner then later; I've already informed the police who plan to close the bridges and lifts from Zaun but that's not going to stop the hunters from coming after you… for what its worth; I hope you escape."

He brushes past Janna and begins to make his way down the street and out of view; only then does the weight of everything he's revealed begin to sink and I feel faint all over again, Nami sets me down on the floor so I can sit as a sickly feeling wells up in the area that would be my stomach.

As I sit and try not to overreact Nami gently removes the sticky note from my forehead and reads it; a worried look crosses her face as she hand the note to Janna while disappearing into the kitchen and quickly returning with a glass of water which she hands to me while Janna speaks;

"I'm sorry that this is how things turned out Mora but I see no other option then to take Jayce's orders and go see Corin Reveck."

The uneasy look Nami had before was now also evident on Janna's face as I tried to search for any references to 'Corin Reveck' in my memory to which only one result came up titled 'Orianna'.


A small change to this chapter as I had a hard time figuring out what to do from here but some new ideas came to be and I rewrote the ending portion to set up a new chapter that I think will flow much better, I'll try not to take forever writing this one.