There, in the middle of the big alcove, leaning against a stone Pillar was a huge guy, at least a head taller than him with muscles so defined that they might as well have been carved out of stone. Protruding from his untamed red hair that partially covered his right eye was a set of small foxlike ears, but his appearance paled in comparison to his sheer, domineering presence.
All the Champions he had met so far had their own unique presence that he could feel clearer the stronger he got. Some had a calm presence, like Yone. Others had subtle presences, like Katarina. But this man's presence was something he had never felt before.
It was wild and hungry like a starving beast. It was Untamable and powerful like a storm. It was Overwhelming.
His entire being wanted to take a step back as the man pushed himself off the pillar, but he suppressed his body's reaction and instead forced himself to take a step forward, closing in on the beast of a man.
"Oh, you're approaching me?"
With every step Narlou took towards the Boss, the pressure increased dramatically, causing beads of sweat to roll down his face by the time he came to a stop in front of him.
'Taking away the evil part, this feels almost exactly like when I first met that spirit back in the small village.' Narlou idly thought, his breathing labored and heavy.
His eyes finally rose to meet those of the taller man and a wave of goosebumps spread over his body like a strong disease.
'Only significantly stronger and much more intimidating!'
Eyes full of supreme confidence leered down at him like a predator would gaze at his wounded prey. Those were the eyes of someone who simply knew that they were superior, that they could easily annihilate their opponent without so much as a second thought.
His heart pounded against his ribcage and his instincts were screaming at him to move back, to submit. He felt his body begging him to look away from those terrifying eyes of the man in front of him, to just turn around and run for his life or else he would die right then and there!
But he didn't listen.
This guy thought he could force him into submission just like when he was still in the mines? After all the power he had accumulated through blood, sweat and tears, after all the enemies he had defeated and after all the pain he had gone through to stand where he stood now, this guy thought he could treat him as if he hadn't changed at all?
He wasn't that weak and defenseless child in the mines anymore! He wasn't the same person who used to submit without a second thought to avoid punishment anymore!
In any other situation, Narlou would've given in, because no matter how much it would hurt his pride, his life was significantly more important than that. In front of any other enemy of similar of even greater strength, he would've immediately turned tail and fled without a second thought.
But right here and now, his emotions were rampaging under his skin with memories of his terrible past striking something deep inside his heart.
Was it stupid and reckless to stand his ground? Yes. Was it simple daydreaming that he thought of defeating the man in front of him? Absolutely.
But he didn't care. He couldn't care.
Because he had something to prove to himself.
And so, without another thought, Narlou Unleashed hell onto the man standing in his way so arrogantly.
In the fraction of a second, he released all the power he currently possessed against the Presence with crushing ferocity, trying to overwhelm it, to annihilate it. Cracks formed on the ground and the walls around them and the air itself seemed to shudder as Narlou stood his ground, his Presence leashing out like a feral beast backed into a corner with nothing left to lose.
The man took a step back and Narlou felt cold satisfaction filling his veins. Yet, he did not dare to break his concentration even once.
"Hoo, how interesting!"
And just like that, everything changed once more.
The man's gaze became predatory, his smile bloodthirsty and his Presence seemed to almost double in power, physically pushing Narlou back as the Boss was now the one to move forward. Where previously only cracks covered the stone, whole chunks of the rock were now falling from the walls and ceiling. He could feel the ground vibrating intensely and his ears were ringing as if someone had just cast an explosion right next to them.
He fought back with all he got, but nothing seemed to work against this force of nature. His stomach dropped, and where previously satisfaction was filling his body, it was now replaced by unstoppable, undisguised desperation. The sudden realization hit him like a Noxian Battle-axe. No matter how strong he became, how much power he got or how much he trained, there would always be someone stronger out there. Someone could play around with him as if he was just a toy. As if he was just another form of entertainment.
Looking into the man's eyes, he was not just a wild beast anymore. He was a demon playing with its prey.
He was never meant to win this battle from the very beginning, was he? This clash was not one he could win with his current power. This man was physically the strongest person he had ever encountered, making even Riven's strength seem like a child in front of him.
And yet, as he kept getting pushed back more and more, Narlou didn't just give up. He didn't just accept defeat like he would've done less than a year ago.
Because he could still fight! Because he was still standing! Because he was still Breathing!
Even though it became more hopeless as the seconds went by, Narlou felt a smile form on his face at the same time as his desperation seemed to just vanish into thin air.
He could fight! He was not powerless! He could do something! Yes, it was a pitiful effort, but it was effort nonetheless! How could he not give his everything during every single second when he still had yet to become so much stronger?! How could he not try his absolute best as long as there was still something he could do?!
"RAAAAAAHH!"
With a last powerful roar, Narlou pushed back with every last bit of strength he had, blood flowing out of his nose and eyes and his muscles almost ripping with how much effort he was putting into his last attack, but his enemy barely even acknowledged his effort, and with his last energy spent, the brunet was immediately overwhelmed.
A terrifying shiver ran down his spine and he suddenly felt his body being heavily pressured from everywhere at once, choking the air out of his lungs and cracking the bones under his skin and muscle.
Was this it? Would he die at the hands of a Champion he'd only met just a few minutes ago?
Despite his vision slowly fading and his thoughts becoming a mess without any sense to them, Narlou smiled. He smiled at how incredibly stupid he was to challenge this person, he smiled at his own stupid pride being the reason he would vanish from this world. But he also smiled at his determination to not give up. He smiled at how he hadn't backed down despite the odds.
He smiled, because at least, he would die an honorable death against an opponent who was simply stronger.
And then, everything vanished. The pressure, the presence, everything just disappeared.
Falling to his knees, Narlou panted like a dog as he tried to get fresh air into his aching body, his thoughts slowly came back to him.
"What…?" he barely wheezed out, his head still throbbing as if someone was using his brain as a war drum.
Steadily, his swimming vision cleared up and he was immediately met with two new windows forcing themselves in front of his eyes like puppies eager for his attention.
Congratulations!
You have achieved an incredible feat!
Unyielding spirit:
Don't give up, and even at your lowest, you shall not falter.
...
Quest Alert!
You have earned the respect of 'The Boss', who is now hungry for a REAL battle with you!
Objective: Impress 'The Boss' with your fighting skills!
Bonus Objective: Make 'The Boss' bleed during battle
2nd Bonus Objective: Defeat 'The Boss' in a fair battle
Reward: A favor from 'The Boss'
Bonus Reward: 'The Boss''s Fighting Style, A gift from 'The Boss'
2nd Bonus Reward: ?
His eyes widened as he quickly skimmed through both messages.
The quest was surprising, but also not unexpected. It was the achievement that really shocked him.
'Don't give up, and even at your lowest, you shall not falter?'
Usually, the System was very straightforward with its messages and rewards -Ignoring the weird ones about powerful beings being aware of him- but this one could mean just about anything. He could already think of a few different possible effects, but those were just theories, nothing more.
'Guess I'll have to find out what exactly that means by mys-!'
His musing was cut short when Narlou suddenly felt himself being grabbed by his collar, a pair of strong hands lifting him off the ground where he found himself face to face with the manically grinning Vastayan.
"Fight me, right now!"
"W-what?"
Luckily, Two choose that exact moment to speak up.
"Boss! You can't be serious right now!"
He felt himself being put back on his still wobbly feet as the man gave Two an eye roll.
"Fine. Another time, then."
Taking a step back, the man held out a hand with his confident grin back on his face, as if the last few minutes had never even happened.
"Sorry 'bout that, I might've gone a bit overboard there since you got me all excited! I'm Sett, though the people 'round here call me The Boss."
Narlou took the offered hand with a small, uncertain smile of his own, shaking it with all the physical strength he had left. If the man was even a little how he expected him to be, Narlou knew better than to expect this handshake to just be a normal one.
As predicted, Sett matched his strength immediately, a hungry smile slowly building on his face.
"I'm Narlou, nice to meet you."
He was already feeling his muscles give out from the intense use, but before that happened, Sett released his hand with a pleased smirk. Crossing his arms in front of his scar covered chest, he leaned forward slightly, towering over the smaller Narlou like an unshakable wall.
"Hmm, so you're the guy who took out those annoying rats, huh?"
The man's eyes roamed up and down his body as if analyzing him, making Narlou just a tad self-conscious about himself. Yet, he did not lean back as the Boss invaded his personal space, trying his best to ignore the mass of muscle on Sett's very exposed upper body mere inches from his face.
'Why do I suddenly feel the need to hug a woman?'
The cheers and shouts of the Pit, which he had ignored until now, were suddenly increasing in volume, making him realize that the show had just continued despite their little "dispute". Surely, with their levels of power, someone would've noticed their clash?
'Unless they don't care. Which would mean that this isn't the first time that someone's fighting their boss right in front of the entire Underground…'
The realization made his respect for the man in front of him rise even more. Just how often was he challenged that no one cared about any of this?
Putting the thought away for later, Narlou focused his attention back on the person who'd almost just killed him, deciding that keeping such a person waiting any longer would surely not end well for him.
"Uhh… Yes?"
Thankfully, Sett had leaned back again, now appearing much more relaxed than before.
"I was quite curious who did it. imagine my surprise when Two came lookin' for me yesterday, just to tell me that the group of fuck-faces that she had been tracking already had their ugly mugs punched in! You ain't hearin' much about vigilantes in Ionia these days, so that some good news, lemme tell ya!"
Narlou regarded the tall man with badly hidden curiosity. He was obviously strong enough to take care of these people himself, so why didn't he just do that? Surely he wasn't just lazy, right?
"I know what you're thinkin', but you better not be getting' the wrong idea, lil' gleamy! You think all these volks down here behave on their own?" He made a sweeping hand motion in the direction of the wild crown. "Someone gotta make sure that there's order 'round here, and who's better for it than the strongest in town, ME!"
As he said that, he pointed a thumb at his chest, a confident expression finalizing the pose.
'Gleamy? Did he just call me gleamy?'
"You get what I mean, yeah? Anyways, you look exhausted my friend. How 'bout you go back up there and rest so you can come here tomorrow fresh and ready to fight me like a real man with fists and everything!"
Sett's sharp teeth menacingly completed his battle-hungry smile, his gaze boring into his eyes with excitement as clear as the blue sky. Any lesser man would've crumbled under the intense look of the monster named Sett, but as Narlou continued to hold his gaze, an equally bloodthirsty grin appeared on his face. The quest was definitely nice, but the possibility of fighting someone so far above his level without the risk of death was much too enticing to ignore. Despite the exhaustion from their confrontation, his blood was already rushing through his veins like a wild, unstoppable flood, eagerly awaiting the next time he could push his body to its absolute limit and beyond.
Staying in these safe, Ionian walls where no threat could reach him, where he was never in danger and where he could never push himself was definitely wearing on him. He missed his fights against Riven. He missed training until he couldn't stand anymore. He missed the rush of battle.
And Sett had just awakened that desire again.
"Don't worry, I'll come back and fight you. Like a real man."
Narlou didn't think it was possible, but Sett's smile grew even wider, now holding a lethal edge to it that made Narlou shiver in excitement.
Who would've thought that the man who had almost sent him to the afterlife just a short while ago was now the one to ignite the fire in his veins again?
'Life sure has it's ways of making things entertaining sometimes!'
"Looks like I didn't misjudge you! Two, bring our friend to the surface, would ya?"
Said woman, who had silently watched them until now, stepped up to him, giving a short bow in Sett's direction before departing with silent steps.
"Of course, Boss."
Narlou followed her along the path that led them back into the maze that was the underground, but before he turned a corner, he looked back at his soon-to-be opponent. Their eyes met, and he could've sworn that his eyes flashed red for the fraction of a second, as if they were challenging him, daring him to disappoint the man.
"That cheeky fucker." He mumbled under his breath with an amused chuckle.
He really couldn't wait to fight that guy.
He rounded the corner, breaking eye contact as his gaze fell onto the dull grey stone floor. As if a switch had been flipped, all the energy left him at once. The sudden loss made him almost stumble, but he caught himself just before crashing into his guide's back.
'That was… dangerous.' He mused, dragging his now tired body behind Two to keep up with her pace.
When he originally agreed to meet The Boss, he was just acting on a feeling. He didn't know who was waiting for him, what their intentions were and whether they were even good or bad people. He had just been walking into a potential death trap without a worry in the world.
In retrospect, he had simply been much too confident in his abilities. Besides Riven, there had already been no one that could make him sweat anymore. Then he completely wiped the floor with those bandits, and after that, he even almost killed the right hand of The Boss. He did all of that without much difficulty, so he naturally assumed that The Boss would not be that much stronger.
'How wrong I was.'
Had Sett been just a bit less friendly, he would've died there. Just like that. No fighting back, no playing tricks on him. He would just die. Sett was simply that much stronger.
It was a concerning thought, to say the least. And yet, he didn't regret coming down here to meet the man. Yes, he would not do something that risky ever again if he had the choice, but the possible outcome of this meeting might've just earned him a really fucking powerful ally.
'Besides, now that I think about it, the rewards for the quest are really damn useful! Especially the first one!'
Usually, the bonus rewards were much better than the first ones, especially the further down on the number he went, but in this case a favor from such a powerful person that had both influence and insane strength was just too good to ignore.
'Speaking of influence…'
He walked up to Two and steadied his pace once next to her, forcing down a frown at how she once again tensed her body at his approach.
"Say, how much influence does the underground actually have?"
"More than people would assume." She answered cryptically without looking in his direction.
"There are many people visiting and spending the majority of their time down here. Too many for the council up on the surface to do anything about. Sure, most of them are criminals, mercenaries, or something else of that sort, but they are a significant part of Navori's economy since we get our supplies and other things we need from up there as well."
'So that's why such a place can even exist. Good to know.'
"Besides," Two added as they rounded another corner, sneaking a not-so-sneaky glance at him, "It's not like we do anything bad down here. They might not necessarily approve of our Pits, but we don't do slavery or any crimes of that sort here and we get our supplies legally with our money."
She stayed silent for a few seconds, allowing Narlou to think about her words for a few seconds before she added one final thing.
"And if there is someone who breaks any of our rules, they have to face our Boss in a Pit fight."
She paused for a second, seemingly remembering something.
"…And those who survive are given over to the surface police."
Narlou suppressed a shudder.
"Those who survive, huh…"
There was another pregnant pause as the two of them walked side by side towards an exit of the Underground.
"So, Sett just beats misbehaving people to an inch of their life or just outright kills them. Sounds like he rules this place without mercy."
"That's why he's The Boss." Two answered immediately, naked respect evident in her words.
Eventually, they reached one of the doors that would lead them to the surface, causing Two to come to a stop.
"I trust that you can find your way home from here. You may come when the sun goes down tomorrow."
"Alright. I will be there." He responded, glancing at her one last time before he turned around, pushing the door to the outside open.
"Narlou…" her voice trailed off as he turned around again, curiously glancing at her.
'This is the first time she's called me by my name.' He noted in the back of his mind.
"Allow me to apologize. Though it doesn't rectify my mistake, I have definitely learned from it." She bowed down, her expression hidden from Narlou's view.
Though she couldn't see it, he gently smiled down at her.
"Then allow me to apologize as well. A mistake doesn't justify a murder attempt, and I was wrong to act so carelessly. We both aren't perfect, so let's just forget about it, yeah?"
She straightened herself, a small smile on her face as well.
"Thank you. Please get home safe."
He nodded, turning towards the open exit. He was greeted with an already dark sky and the sound of the nightly active animals going about their work. A fresh breeze carried over the quiet chatter of a few people some distance away, and Narlou found himself smiling.
Despite everything that had happened, he had learned a lot today.
Hearing the door quietly close behind him, he began walking back towards his temporary home, when a sudden thought wiped the smile of his face.
"Fuck, the kids must be worried sick about me!"
And with that, Narlou dashed off into the distance.
A person sat in an isolated corner of a filled bar, quietly sipping on his drink as he observed the people around him celebrating and laughing with full drinks and delicious smelling food on every table. A long, thick coat necessary to survive the harsh colds in this region covered his entire body with a hood casting a shadow over his face, making it impossible for anyone to see anything under it.
"WHAT?!"
The exclamation pierced through the already loud talks of others in the bar and pulled his attention towards a group of middle-aged men sitting a few tables away. They were packed with muscles and their short hair and tattoos all over their exposed arms and faces immediately told him what kind of people they were.
Mercenaries. Though they were known to be brainless idiots who only knew how to swing around their weapons, mercenaries usually had quite reliable information.
"Shhh! Not so loud!" One of them said, causing them to huddle and speak only in quiet whispers.
The man clicked his tongue and made a motion with his fingers. Immediately, the whispers of the men became exponentially louder for him, so that he could comfortably listen to them without the distraction of other people.
"…true! Lyrann told me!"
"And how the fuck would Lyrann get this kind of information?"
"I don't know! I forgot to ask him."
"I think he's telling the truth." A third voice spoke up. "I've also heard some rumors going around about this Ezreal guy."
The man in the corner raised his head slightly.
Rumors about Ezreal? All the way up here? That couldn't be right.
"Apparently, he tried to steal something from those Haunted Island, but there was a demon that chased him away! Almost killed him, from what I've heard. A close friend of mine has some connections to Bildgewater, which is where this Ezreal apparently lives right now, and he told me that he lost some kind of important stone there as well."
"Maybe we should quit our jobs and go looking for this stone! Surely it must be valuable!"
"Yea-"
The man cancelled the spell and stood up, his long, wild beard swaying left and right as he grabbed the giant scroll leaning against the wall next to him and moved towards the exit.
If even half of what the men said were true, he just got a really good lead to his next target.
He had no time to waste, there was much to do.
A/N: I'm gonna be honest, the reason why I took so long with updating this fic is because I'm not very satisfied with it anymore. I've looked at the reviews, I've spend some time looking at other works that Inspire me and I just don't see this fic being what I wanted it to be.
Which leaves me unsure of what to do. Despite everything, this is still something that I've put lots of effort into and I don't just wanna throw it all away, but I also don't see the reason to continue writing something that I'm unsatisfied with.
With that in mind, I'll probably keep updating it. Maybe I'll even update some older chapters since I'd like to think that my writing has improved a bit since than, no promise tho. But I want to write something new as well, so I guess we can only wait and see.
I've added a note at the beginning of my first chapter, but I'm gonna say it here again just to be sure:
A lot in this fanfic is NOT lore accurate. Take everything written here with a grain of salt, and if you are curious about something, go look it up on the League's official lore page.
Still, thank you for reading :) Until next time.
