Chapter 26
Gwen
Gwen grunted as she dodged an attack from the centaur-like being as it swung its halberd at her. Ducking underneath another swing from the halberd, Gwen threw some, blue sewing needles at the centaur being, the needles glowing bright with magical power. The centaur roared out in rage as the needles found chink in his armor and dug deep inside him. The magic doing its work, and the centaur felt pain he never felt before. Enraged at the attack, the centaur engaged Gwen again.
"You'll pay for that whelp!" Yelled the Centaur as it engaged the young woman further, trying to stab or slice her up with his halberd. "You will pay for defying the Iron Order!"
"I'm afraid that won't happen!" Yelled Gwen as she continued to dodge the centaur's attacks. In the meantime, Rogier was engaging the centaur's allies and was dealing with them quite soundly and easily it seemed with how none seemed to be helping their leader against Gwen. All of them were engaging the robbed wraith that was Gwen's ally. Rogier was quite an impressive fighter for him to engage over a dozen wraiths on horses by himself and not require help. "You will be the one that will pay! For all the death and misery that you inflicted on this world! Both when you were among the living and in death!" If the Centaur was surprised at this declaration, he didn't show it. Instead, Gwen had to feel it through herself via her abilities.
She can feel the shock coming from what's left of his soul when he hears her speak about his sins, specifically the part about his deeds in the living. He must have thought no one left among the living knew about his exploits when he was among the living. Not that Gwen blamed for having such thoughts. After all, it was centuries since he was among the living. No one among the living should know who he was when he was alive. No one. It also helped that he didn't know who this girl was and how she knew about his deeds when he was among the living. And he had good reason to. After all, it wasn't every day that your former queen's doll would come to life and come to fight you in defense of a village of little recognition.
Yes, Gwen used to be little more than a children's doll. Meant to entertain young girls. But she was more than those types of dolls, at least to whom she belonged in the days she was just a simple doll. She was the doll of this centaur's queen. Queen Isolde. A commoner of a far distance and forgotten kingdom of the ancient past called Camavor.
Long ago, in the eastern regions of Runeterra, long before the reign of Noxus, there was a powerful kingdom called Camavor. This kingdom was strong, possessing a military might that was strong for its time, possessing dozens of knightly orders of various strengths and sizes within Camavor as well as a large army called the Host. Had it not fallen long ago, it may have been a threat to Mordekaiser during his second reign in Runeterra. Perhaps even prevent the formation of Noxus once the Iron Revenant fell by traitorous hands. However, that never came to pass, and Camavor fell into ruin and became little more than a forgotten kingdom that no one remembers beyond those who knew of its existence long ago. All this happened because of the foolishness of its last king and his inability to let his queen rest in peace.
Isolde, previously a poor commoner within a colony in Camavor, was taken as the wife of the last king of Camavor, a man named Viego. Appointed King of Camavor after the death of his father and his elder brothers, Viego encountered Isolde shortly into his reign as King. For some reason or another, Viego fell in love with Isolde when his eyes came upon her. Despite her being a commoner, which annoyed and angered many nobles within Viego's courts, and possessing no outstanding beauty or wealth, Viego took her hand in marriage. And Isolde, both desiring to marry a king and live happily ever after like in her dreams as well as to support her family, accepted. While all this in itself was not an issue that would bring ruin to a kingdom, the issue lay in how Viego ruled after his marriage with Isolde.
Viego, in harsh words, was obsessed with Isolde. He focused more on spending time with his new wife than actually governing his Kingdom. This led to the people suffering and the Kingdom waning and crumple under Viego's neglectful rule. Realizing this, Viego's enemies and former allies begin to make plans to rid Camavor of Viego before the entire kingdom falls to ruin. Unfortunately, all they did was just accelerate the kingdom's fall.
An assassin was sent to kill Viego with a poisoned weapon of which there was no actual cure for it. To their credit the assassin would have succeeded had it not been Viego's most trusted general, his niece Kalista. Acting quickly, Kalista saved her uncle's life from the assassin's blade. Unfortunately, in the process, Isolde was poisoned instead. When this happened, Viego just…lost it.
Focused entirely on saving his wife's life, even as she was slowly dying from the poison, Viego neglected his duties as king even further. The Camavor king ordered the nation's greatest healers and scholars to find a cure for the queen. He even sent Kalista to search for one when the healers and scholars failed to find a cure for the poison. As for the king himself, he stayed by his queen's side, ignoring his duties and ordering his personnel guard to prevent anyone from disturbing him no matter what unless they brought news of a cure for his queen.
This, of course, led to the kingdom descending further into anarchy and ruin, resulting in uprisings plaguing the country in ever-increasing frequency as the people suffered from Viego's negligence as ruler. These uprisings eventually led to Viego ordering his most powerful knightly order, the Iron Order, to quash these insurrections in any way they see fit, which, to them, meant the sword. Hundreds, even thousands, of people were put to death. All for the crime of rebelling against an ineffectual ruler. It was said, that the Iron Order's commander, a bloodthirsty man by the name of Hecarim, enjoyed the slaughter and did whatever he could to ensure it would never end.
Eventually, after a miserable existence of living with a poison that ravaged her body and inflicted pains that couldn't be tended to by medicines at the time, Isolde passed and Viego sank into a deep depression. Had that been the only thing that came of it, only Camavor would have been affected by all this and, at worst, fallen apart into various states as whatever allegiances the people had to Viego and the royal family dissipated and the various knightly orders left to serve themselves. Unfortunately, it didn't and what happened next would have consequences for all the world.
Soon after Isolde passed, Kalista returned, bringing news of a possible cure for Isolde. Unfortunately, she came too late, something that pained Kalista greatly. Perhaps even more unfortunate, Viego was told of this cure by Kalista herself. Thinking it could bring Isolde back from the dead, Viego ordered/demanded Kalista to take him to this cure. Kalista, at first refused, but eventually relented and took him to a land called the Blessed Isles. The original name of the Shadow Isles. What happened there is lost too, but what is known was that Viego took a large army there along with his wife's corpse. Eventually, something corrupted the Blessed Isles and turned it into the horror that it was now. Viego was lost and so were all of his soldiers. With both its king and a large part of its army and Knightly orders gone, Camavor finally fell apart. Its people either abandoned the kingdom, fled to other parts of the world, or died to unknown causes.
That is how Camavor fell and that is how the Shadow Isles came to be. It was also how Gwen came to be. How she became a living creature and not just some doll created by a queen.
Although she loved her existence and enjoyed every moment of it, well every moment not fighting that is, Gwen couldn't help but loathe how she came to be. All the suffering that was caused because of the husband of her maker. Of his negligence. Of his inability to let go of her maker. And, perhaps above all, she loathed those who allowed the Shadow Isles to existence. One of whom she was facing right now.
The centaur being that she was facing off was known as Hecarim, the very same Knight Commander that had killed thousands on the orders of Viego to put down rebellions against his rule. While she didn't know exactly how many innocents he and his order put to death, she knew that he was responsible, at least partially, for the creation of the Shadow Isles as well as causing distress to her maker. She recalled distant memories of Isolde being fearful of Hecarim. Of how he scared her with his bloodlust and his desire for killing. Thus, she hated the man-turned-wraith and would do whatever it took to make sure he didn't hurt anyone else anymore.
Unfortunately, that will prove difficult as undeath has only strengthened Hecarim's fighting skills and abilities.
Grunting as he dodged an attack from Gwen, Hecarim swung his halberd at Gwen once more, only for her to dodge his attack again. Now outright annoyed, Hecarim decided that enough was enough and ended this whelp's existence.
When Gwen dodged another of his attacks, Hecarim unleashed and let out a roar before charging forward to where she dodged his attack. Summoning a wave of miasma and black mist from his body, Hecarim led a wave of spectral riders towards Gwen all the while yelling out a battle cry. Stunned at the sudden charge from Hecarim, Gwen tried to step out of harm's way but whatever Hecarim unleashed when he charged had rendered Gwen immobile. Thus, she couldn't do anything as Hecarim and his spectral riders charged at her. Unable to move out of the way, Gwen could only brace herself for the inevitable attack, knowing that it would likely end her. As Hecarim came barreling towards her, Gwen felt a tear going on her face as she realized this attack would likely kill her. Fearing her life, Gwen wanted something, anything, to come save her. She still had so much to experience and do.
Fortunately for her, someone did come to her aid. And he wasn't too pleased with what was happening.
Mere seconds before Hecarim touched Gwen, Rogier landed in front of Gwen and slammed his mace to the ground. The resulting attack sent shockwaves to the ground that sent Hecarim, his riders, and Gwen to the ground from sheer force alone. On the ground, Gwen looked at Rogier in shock.
"Rogier." Said Gwen, stunned that he had saved her just in time. Looking back at Gwen, Rogier/Mordekaiser said nothing before turning to face Hecarim as he got up.
"You're my ally." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Hecarim, enraged that his original quarry was spared from his wrath. "I will not let you die when I have the option to prevent it. Besides, I dealt with this whelp's warriors. He's the only one left." Upon hearing that, Gwen looked to see that Hecarim's original followers were indeed all slain. All of them were either beaten down to pulps or were ripped in half by Rogier's mace. As true of the magical nature of Rogier's mace, the battered remains of Hecarim's followers weren't reconstituting themselves, preventing them from returning to the fight. Thus, leaving only Hecarim alone.
"Ignorant whelp." Said Hecarim as he got up and glared at Rogier, not knowing who he is. "You will pay for interfering with my next kill."
"If you desire a kill, then do so with me and not my ally." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at the fool who tried to kill his ally. "I advise you, however, to just leave while you still have the chance. Otherwise, you'll suffer a fate worse than what befell you when you died." Upon hearing that, Hecarim let loose a bark of laughter.
"I have seen things that would make mortals quake in fear." Said Hecarim. "I have killed beings stronger than anything you could ever be. You do not instill fear in me. The fact that you do not fear me is a testament to your foolishness." Rogier/Mordekaiser couldn't help but internally chuckle at the stupidity of this undead warrior. If only he knew. He would have obliterated this one if he wasn't potentially useful for Mordekaiser later on. After all, he intended to conquer all of Runeterra for himself, not to mention Earth, Hell, and Heaven, and he needed all the warriors he could acquire for those tasks. So, for now, he'll settle in simply teaching this fool a lesson.
"Then prove that claim." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he pointed his mace at Hecarim. "Prove that I am wrong. If what you say is true, then you should easily defeat me and my ally." Hecarim merely scoffed.
"You will regret ever challenging me in battle, whelp." Said Hecarim as he prepared to fight Rogier/Mordekaiser. Looking at each other, the two undead warriors waited for a moment before attacking one another. Charging at the disguised Mordekaiser, Hecarim unleashed his attack from earlier, intending to kill him and the girl that he was with. That was a mistake.
Watching as Hecarim charged at him, Rogier/Mordekaiser did nothing for a bit until he was close to impact. That was when the Iron Revenant made his move.
Raising his left hand to the air, Rogier/Mordekaiser let summoned a spectral hand around Hecarim and closed it shut, stopping Hecarim's charge in its track despite its momentum. Stunned that he was stopped so easily, Hecarim looked at Rogier/Mordekaiser in shock. Before he or Gwen could say Rogier/Mordekaiser spoke.
"You have made a grave mistake this day." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Hecarim, trapped in his constructed hand. "You should have fled when you had the chance. Then you wouldn't have to endure this." With that, Rogier/Mordekaiser had the hand closed around Hecarim's frame. Gwen could hear Hecarim's metal frame screeching in protest as the hand closed around Hecarim. She even heard Hecarim letting out screams of pain, something she never thought she hear from the undead monster. She then watched as the clawed hand that her ally made closed fully around Hecarim, ending his screams of pain. Once the screams ended, the hand opened up, revealing Hecarim's crushed armor pieces and bits of essence as well.
"You…you killed him." Said Gwen in shock. While she wouldn't shed tears at Hecarim's true death, he was pure evil in her eyes, she was stunned at how easily her ally killed him. While giving the common wraiths and other undead of the Shadow Isles a permanent death was relatively attainable via magical means, those who still retained an identity were more difficult to do so. Attainable still, but near impossible at the same time. Something that many who faced such beings and either defeated them or survived their wrath can attest to. And yet Rogier managed to do so without much difficulty.
"Do not be absurd." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Gwen. "If it was that easy to kill a being of the Shadow Isles that still pertains a semblance of their old selves, the Isles would not be an issue at all. He'll reconstitute in time, along with his followers. Though, it should take more time than usual I believe." Truth be told, if he wanted to, Mordekaiser could have easily granted a permanent death to this Centaur being and his minions without much issue at all. His mastery over the ancient necromantic arts gives him knowledge over all aspects of the undead, including how to give such beings a True Death, the concept of killing an undead being and preventing them from resurrecting again. Hence the name, "True Death." However, he had nothing to gain by giving the Centaur being and his subordinates a True Death at the moment. So, he resorted to simply obliterating their current physical forms. Thereby, saving the village and its inhabitants from the Shadow Isles for the moment and, if he wanted to later, convert these undead beings to his side when the day of his return to Runeterra comes. And, as a bonus, he managed to save this Gwen from harm. That would surely gain her trust and give him more opportunities to study her and, if he could, gain her as a potential ally if he played his cards right. All in all, he wins on all accounts.
"He'll return along with those others." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he went to help Gwen up. Offering a bony hand for Gwen to take, Rogier/Mordekaiser watched as she graciously took his hand with a smile. "In time anyway. For now, however, the village is safe. However, I do not believe that this place is safe anymore." Gwen sighed at his declaration, knowing he was right.
"I'm afraid that you are right." Said Gwen. "Hecarim will come again and he will remember what happened here today. While he'll mostly yearn for us as we were the ones that defeated, he'll also remember the prey that he failed to take this day. And this isn't taking note of other foes that seek this village for their desires. We need to move the villagers from here. Although I'm not sure they'll take kindly to the fact that they need to leave their homes. Probably forever." Rogier/Mordekaiser couldn't help but scoff at that.
"They will not, but they have little choice in the matter. If they wish to survive that is." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Gwen. "It's that simple."
"It isn't." Said Gwen as she looked at her ally. "They'll be leaving their homes. The place that they grew up in and their children played in. It will be hard for them to simply leave it all. A home is a sacred thing to a person, is it not?" Rogier/Mordekaiser refrained from scoffing at the naivety of this woman. Truly it was astounding she lived this long with such naïve views of the world.
"If they care about their lives as well as that of their loved ones, then they will accept what needs to be done for their survival." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Gwen, who frowned at his answer. Seeing this, he sighed before defending his argument. "Tell me, what is more fragile and irreplaceable? A child or a home?" Upon hearing that, Gwen blinked before responding.
"The child." Said Gwen, not understanding where he was going with this. He soon explained to her, however.
"Yes, a child is a unique thing." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser. "A unique soul with its traits and abilities. Some may be similar to that of another but the fact remains each child and that of adults as well, are unique beings and, as such, the loss of one is a tragedy. Even more to those who were close to that being. Whereas a home is something that can be replaced more easily. Yes, as much as it's annoying to me, there are certain things that a home possesses that makes it more attachable to those that call something a home, but at the end of the day, a home is an inanimate object. It can be rebuilt. It can even be replaceable. And, if one needs to, it can be forsaken for a more suitable home for one reason or another. You cannot do that with a child or another being. Not as easily anyway. Do you understand?"
Gwen, upon hearing that, processed all that he was trying to say and simply nodded.
"I see your point." Said Gwen as she looked at her ally, respect and understanding growing inside her as he explained his reasoning. "You're saying that it's better to place the needs of the people over their wants, yes?"
"In some ways, yes." Admitted Rogier/Mordekaiser. "What I'm trying to make you understand, however, is that it's more practical to put the wellbeing of the villagers over that of the village." Rogier/Mordekaiser then pointed to the village.
"This village is a home to the people we just defended, yes, but this village is nothing without its people." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser. "Without them, it would just be buildings of wood and stone. Buildings that never would have been built in the first place without its inhabitants. Without them, this village lacks the uniqueness, heart, and soul, that makes it a home to people. For the villagers, however, while they will miss some things about this village, they can live without them. For they have their memories and those close to them still to give them…comfort." Mordekaiser said the last word with some slight hesitance, but he said it nonetheless. Gwen, stunned at hearing all that Rogier said, took a moment to process everything he said. Once she did, she gave a big smile that surprised the Iron Revenant. Wondering what she was thinking about, Rogier/Mordekaiser was about to speak when Gwen beat him to it.
"You do care about these people." Said Gwen as if it was the most important thing in the world. Raising a nonexistent eyebrow at her declaration, Rogier/Mordekaiser spoke up.
"If by caring, you mean caring about them living to see another day, then yes." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at his ally, wondering where she was going with this.
"That's wonderful news!" Exclaimed Gwen, her smile getting bigger. "I knew that there was more to you than meets the eye! While I had my suspicions before when you volunteered to help defend this village when you didn't need to and when you gave me comfort before we fought Hecarim and his soldiers, now I know for sure. You do have a heart! At least something akin to it." Rogier/Mordekaiser, processing all that she said, spoke up.
"That is a large leap." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser, unsure of how to properly react to her saying such a claim about him. "I do not know why you think such a claim has any grounds about me." Gwen simply smiled at that.
"You wouldn't have made that speech if you didn't." Said Gwen knowingly with a beaming smile. "You would have made a speech about something else. Like it being pointless to save this village, the villagers will just have to endure what fate has given them or perhaps even say nothing at all. Instead, you choose to make a speech about the people. Their uniqueness. How they're ultimately more important than this village and that they're what make a village. Only someone that cares about these people and getting them to safety would have made such a speech."
"You are jumping to conclusions." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he turned away from her. "That speech was only meant to justify my thoughts on this matter. It was not meant to impart this foolish notion on you." Gwen simply giggled at his denial of what she just said. It was a bit rude, yes, but she couldn't help it. It was a bit funny honestly, seeing him deny what was obvious to her. , despite some clear disagreements between them regarding certain topics and viewpoints, she can see that he cared about the welfare of other people, even if he tried to deny it.
"I'll respect your stance on this matter, but that's what I believe." Said Gwen with a bright smile as Rogier/Mordekaiser turned to face her. "Let's get back to the villagers. We have a lot to tell them." Rogier/Mordekaiser just nodded. The two then took off for the village lodge. As they did, Mordekaiser looked at Gwen, processing what she said to him earlier.
"Foolish girl." Thought Mordekaiser as he looked at the back of his ally. "You have no idea what you're speaking of." And yet, he cannot bring himself to tell her that straight at her face. Not like last time. Why? He didn't know and it annoyed him.
Later
Mordekaiser
"I'm leaving now." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he walked away from the lodge, Gwen following him.
"Are you sure?" Asked Gwen as she followed her ally, a frown on her face. "The villagers could use your help more?"
"I'm sure." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he turned to face Gwen. "Even if they accept my help in escorting them to safety, I doubt the people of Bilgewater will take kindly to my appearance. Not after what had occurred earlier. They will not take kindly to any further undead."
"I suppose that is true." Said Gwen reluctantly, realizing that he was indeed correct. "Still, I wish that you would be here to help bring the villagers to Bilgewater. After all, if it wasn't for you, the village elder likely wouldn't have agreed to move to the city." That would have been an understatement. The village elder, despite being grateful for them saving the village and all its people, was livid with the idea of abandoning the village and moving to Bilgewater or anywhere else for that matter. Gwen was fairly certain that, if she and Rogier didn't just save the village from the undead, he would have the villagers chase them out of their homes. It took some words and some pleading from Gwen and Rogier, the pleading being solely from Gwen with Rogier handling most of the words, to make him understand that leaving the village and moving somewhere else was the right course of action. It hurt Gwen to see the pain and reluctance on the village elder's face when he realized that, to ensure the survival of his people, they had to abandon their homes and make new ones.
She wanted to comfort him, to assure him that his people would return back to their village eventually, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Not until she knew for certain that it was safe for the villagers to return here. That the denizens of the Shadow Isles won't return to reap the souls they were denied that day. At least she can escort them to safety in Bilgewater. A shame that Rogier can't come help with that, but he was right. The people of Bilgewater won't take kindly to an undead warrior coming to Bilgewater after the recent Ruined King assaults it. They likely won't even give them a chance to explain before shooting or whatever else Bilgewater people do to those they despise.
"You would be the only one." Said Rogie/Mordekaiser as they reached the outskirts of the village. The village elder didn't seem pleased with me. Although he was grateful for my assistance in defending his people and their homes, he wasn't exactly thrilled to find out I was the one who suggested this course of action. I doubt the other villagers would take kindly to me now." Gwen frowned at that.
"You shouldn't be so cynical about that." Said Gwen with a frown, sad that her ally has such a cynical viewpoint about what others think of him, even if it was founded in many regards. "Some may have more positive views on you. After all, you saved their lives today. That should amount to something with at least some of them." Mordekaiser would have laughed at that if he didn't already know what she was likely going to say. In ages past, he would have been more critical and harsher in his views and opinions of others, but, since his first death, he's learned to temper and withhold his opinions. Time has…taught him that sometimes, to achieve his goals he must not be as open with his intentions as he would like. At least unless he has all the advantages or if it was of little consequence to be completely honest about his intentions.
Those lessons are being applied to Gwen. At least, that was what he was telling himself. The young woman, without intentionally doing so, reminded him much of Moxxie. At least in terms of personality and how she perceives him. Moxxie, as much as the boy would probably be annoyed with him if he heard how he compared him to this young woman. If only a bit.
"You have a most naïve point of view on things." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Gwen. She frowned at his words but then brightened up when she heard his next words. "But it's something that I find myself appreciating the longer that I'm around you. You have a…way of making people feel joy and make your views not as…ridiculous as they seem to be." Gwen couldn't help but giggle at his words. They weren't exactly the nicest of words, but she could appreciate them nonetheless. Especially when it was clear to her how hard it was for him to say them in the first place."
"And I appreciate you having the courage to tell me all this." Said Gwen as she lifted the hem of her dress and lifted it as she bowed at Rogier/Mordekaiser as a sign of respect. "Since I can't convince you to stay, this is goodbye. I hope that we see each other again. Under more pleasant circumstances." Rogier/Mordekaiser stayed silent at that, looking at Gwen's different colored eyes filled with hope and joy in them, before nodding.
"As do I." Said Rogier/Mordekaiser as he looked at Gwen's smiling face before making his departure. As he walked away, Mordekaiser thought of Moxxie and pondered on whether he would be friends with this Gwen.
Later
Mitna Rachnun
"I'm glad that you returned safely, milord." Said Keira as Mordekaiser sat on his throne. "How was your trip to Runeterra? Has it been informative?"
"In some ways, it was." Said Mordekaiser as he thought of Gwen and made a note to have someone keep an eye on her. He had a feeling that she would be of some interest to him later. Perhaps when he returns to Runeterra, she will join his side. Or, at the very least, help in taking down the Ruined King when he decides it's time to deal with him. For now, she'll simply be something that has his attention at the moment amongst other things. In the meantime, he had other duties to attend. "But enough of that now, tell me how Blitzo has managed to fare in the assignment that I gave him. Has he succeeded or failed?"
"Perhaps surprisingly, he succeeded, milord." Said Kiera, pleasing Mordekaiser a bit. Though he will admit, he was surprised to hear that Blitzo succeeded. He honestly thought the Imp's stupidity would be his downfall. A pity, but so long as he was useful and learned his lesson, he'll tolerate his existence.
"Explain how he completed the task." Ordered Mordekaiser, to which Keira did so.