Chapter 1: A busy day
"More than just precious stones, I bring you an ancient power."
It was going to be a busy day at the Institute of War. Every summoner worth his salt wanted to try out the new battlefield available for combat in League of Legends. The recent events in Kalamanda were something to behold, but after the League had put a decisive end to the fighting between Demacia and Noxus, the topic started to die down. Citizens of Valoran moved on, glad that another war had been ended before it even had a chance to break out for good.
Only after the League announced that Kalamanda was to be reshaped into a Field of Justice did the media explode with excitement. Not even Twisted Treeline caused so many emotions upon being recognized as an official battlefield in League of Legends. To top it all off, with the addition of the Crystal Scar (“Kalamanda” was not dramatic enough to be a name for a Field of Justice, apparently) as an all-new battlefield, a new champion had been accepted into the League. Skarner, a huge, crystalline scorpion, piqued the interests of many spectators, summoners and champions.
Taric, the Gem Knight, belonged to the last group. He was a huge, handsome man, blue of eyes, his long brown hair tied into a ponytail. His title's origin was obvious to anyone who'd taken as much as a passing glance at him (however, a “passing” glance was hardly possible, as Taric was a stare magnet... even for some men). The Gem Knight wore a heavy, silver armor embellished with... well, gems. Huge, cyan jewels were omnipresent on his person. His pauldrons were stacks of crystals. An egg-sized gem adorned the man's headband. Shiny rocks were socketed into his breastplate, shin guards, sabatons, even the belt. A gem larger than a grown troll's head shone in the middle of his shield. Taric's huge warhammer was a deposit of precious stones by iself. If he wanted to, he could buy an entire town just by selling one of his armor sets. He had at least four of them.
The jewels weren't there just for decoration, though. The Gem Knight owed his power to the precious stones. They allowed him to heal others as well as hurt them. They protected him from blows and shielded his allies, but could also be used to shatter the defenses of his enemies. Their radiant glow filled his companions with strength and at the same time bedazzled those who sought to hurt him.
The Gem Knight was walking the halls of the Institute of War, light of the torches reflecting off of his fabulous apparel. It gave him a somewhat otherworldly appearance, which was quite fitting. Runeterra, the planet that housed the continent of Valoran, was not Taric's homeworld, after all.
A short, bearded man in summoner's robes approached him. The Gem Knight recognized him as Senior Summoner Ralston Farnsley, the commentator for Journal of Justice inside the League.
“Ah, Sir Taric. I am glad to see you. I believe you are well?” Farnsley had to look up to see Taric's face.
“Good morning, Master Farnsley. I do feel fine this morning. What about you?” For a huge man wielding a hammer almost as big as himself, his voice was soft and soothing. Any conversational partner could easily forget that Taric was perfectly capable of smashing their face in.
“Likewise,” the summoner responded. “Although I have to admit, today is rather busy, even at this time of day. Introduction of the Crystal Scar as a Field of Justice got everyone on their feet. I can only wonder how many summoners will be queued up to the Summoning Chamber later today.”
“Master Farnsley, I would gladly stop for some small talk, but as you said, today is going to be a toilsome day. Is there any urgent business you wish to discuss with me?” Taric was one of the most gallant champions, perhaps only topped by the pompous Garen Crownguard and prince Jarvan Lightshield IV. Demacians loved their drama a bit too much.
Farnsley nodded. “Ah, yes, I'd hate to keep you away from your duties. You see, I am working on my column for the newest Journal of Justice. May I ask you a question concerning the League's newest champion, Skarner? Many readers want to know your opinion on him, it seems.”
Ah, yes. Being a champion in the League of Legends was a fame warranty all on its own, but Taric had become something of a celebrity. It probably had to do with his stunning looks, noble behavior and sheer usefulness on the Fields of Justice. He wasn't much of a fame seeker, though. The Gem Knight usually politely declined any interview requests. Somehow, that seemed to boost his popularity even further.
This time, however, he decided to share his thoughts with the readers of the Journal. Skarner was an interesting creature, after all. Taric felt like he could learn a lot from him.
“I have come across many kinds of magic during my time in Runeterra,” the knight said with a nod. “Until the arrival of Skarner, no magic in this land has struck so closely to that of my home. It is a bit presumptuous, but I like to imagine that perhaps our worlds share a deeper connection than we think.” He waited as the summoner took notes on a piece of parchment.
“Now, you must excuse me, Master Farnsley. I'd hate to keep the summoners waiting.”
“But of course. Good luck on the Fields of Justice, Sir Taric.”
With that, they parted ways. A few minutes later, the Gem Knight reached the main hall of the Institute of war. It was a beautiful, if a little crude chamber. It was huge enough to contain a small village. Huge statues of ancient warriors stood proud on either side of it. Torches and arcane crystals were the main sources of light in this cavernous room. Simple benches stood here and there, offering rest to tired visitors coming from various parts of Valoran to see the famed Institute of War with their own eyes.
A female voice filled the hall.
“Will following champions please arrive at the Summoning Chamber: Ashe, the Frost Archer. Taric, the Gem Knight. Kassadin, the Void Walker.”
The Summoning Chamber was a room that made it easier for summoners to call upon the champions present in the Institute of War. It was much faster to summon a champion from that location than to haul them all the way from the Shurima Desert, for example.
As Taric reached the Summoning Chamber, Ashe and Kassadin were already waiting, standing on enchanted marble platforms. Or actually, floating, in the latter's case. The Frost Archer was a beautiful woman dressed in a simple, brown coat, while the Void Walker looked like a demon, wearing a huge, dark mask that helped him breathe. His glowing, yellow eyes didn't do much to improve his frightening appearance.
The Gem Knight nodded politely. “Lady Ashe, Master Kassadin.”
Ashe flicked her silver hair and smiled. “It looks like we will be fighting on the same lane again, Sir Taric.”
“It will be a pleasure,” Taric responded. “And with Master Kassadin residing on the middle lane, we won't have to worry much about any magician the opposing team will have.
Kassadin chuckled. “I am going to enjoy this,” his deep voice echoed, amplified by the mask.
Taric stepped on his platform. A familiar gust of barely visible, gray-hued magic engulfed the three champions. The Gem Knight heard a familiar voice in his head.
“Well, good morning, Gem Knight."
The voice belonged to Asir, a summoner that had never actually worked with Taric before. He was one of the most powerful summoners in the League. The knight had no idea why Asir would choose to summon him, as he preferred swift, deadly champions.
"Good morning, Master Asir," Taric replied. "May I ask the reason for picking me today?"
“Oh, the reason is simple," said the summoner with a voice that oozed venom. "I picked you so I could send you away from this world. Every time my champions face you, you keep foiling my plans. No more."
It wasn't easy to frighten Taric, and yet, at that moment, he was terrified. While under the effects of the summoning spell, he could do nothing. If he tried to step out of the vortex, his body could be badly damaged by the magical vortex surrounding him and, in time, he would lose control of his body until he found himself on the Field of Justice. Which might not be the case this time.
The Gem Knight wanted to call out to Ashe and Kassadin, but all three of them were already in the process of being summoned to the Field of Justice. Even if he could physically manage to speak to them, they wouldn't be able to hear him.
Finally, he disappeared from the Summoning Chamber, drifting in the empty space that served as a middle point between the Institute of War and Summoner's Rift, the Field of Justice he was headed to. He heard Asir in his head again.
“Don't worry, I will try to send you back to your homeworld. Or actually, worry a lot. It would require at least three qualified summoners, so I think I'll just drop you somewhere inbetween worlds.”
Taric gasped. “Asir, stop this foolishness! Summon me to the Field of Justice, conduct the match and forget it! If you send me away, the League will severely punish you!”
The only response was laughter. "Do you really think I'd do this if I haven't taken the right precautions? I've already made preparations so it could all look like a simple summoning mishap. Goodbye, Taric."
“ASIR, NO!”
But it was too late for the Gem Knight. He was hauled into the black void between the worlds, the remains of Asir's summoning spell protecting him from suffocating and freezing. It wouldn't, however, keep him safe from the creatures dwelling in this seemingly empty space. Taric had already faced two dangerous voidspawns during his service in the League. He wasn't eager to meet more of them.
The summoner didn't send Taric all the way to his homeworld, just as the knight expected. Instead, he was suspended in the empty space, the protective spell slowly losing its power.
The fright in Taric's mind slowly died out, making space for acceptance. The Gem Knight hadn't suspected that he'd die in the void between worlds as a result of a respected summoner violating the strictest rules of the League all of sudden.
At least it won't happen to any other champion now, Taric thought to himself. The League was quick to find out about any misconduct and its reactions were usually harsh and decisive. Asir was no doubt going to be severely punished and serve as an example while the League imposed even harsher restrictions on summoners to prevent future incidents.
If the league ever found out that Asir doomed the Gem Knight on purpose, of course.
As he drifted through the void, he could feel the presence of its denizens advancing on him. It wouldn't be long before he served as an offering to the empty space. If he was lucky, he could end up like Malzahar, who had lost his sanity and gained enormous magical power as a result of his contact with the void. Kassadin was a victim of this abyss as well, although he had managed to keep his mind mostly intact.
But then, a glimmer of hope shone in the Gem Knight's heart. He sensed a power generated by a huge amount of gems. It felt as if the precious stones were calling out to him, trying to pry him away from the clutches of the void. It seemed that Taric was in a vicinity of a gem-rich world. He reached out to harness the power of the stones.
He lost his consciousness.
***
The Gem Knight woke up with a terrible headache. Eyes still closed, he touched the gem on his headband. It gave off a jade glow. The pain was gone.
The warrior took a deep breath. Wherever he was, the air was fresh. It smelled of dirt and rocks. He could also feel a strong power emanating from everywhere around him, meaning there was an abundance of gems in his immediate surroundings.
Taric stood up and opened his eyes.
The place he woke up in was some kind of dirt plain. Rocks jutted out of the ground here and there, but for the most part, the environment was rather dull. It was clear that if there were any gems in the area, they were lying underground.
Looking around, Taric noticed a forest and what looked like a town looming in the distance. He decided it'd be best for him to go there. The knight had no idea what world he ended up on this time, but he was starting to get tired of all the unwanted traveling he'd been going through. Maybe somebody in the town could help him or at least tell him where he was.
Taric was making his way to the settlement as he heard the dirt move behind him. The Gem Knight turned around to see a brown, dog-like head sticking out of a hole in the ground. He wasn't very surprised. He'd seen a lot of strange creatures before.
“Ah, here it is,” said the dogface. Now, that was a bit more surprising. “A creature made of precious gems.”
The animal got out of its burrow, revealing the rest of its body. It had long forelegs, giving it a gorilla-like appearance. Its short tail was covered in spikes. It wore a jacket and a diamond-studded collar.
Taric approached the creature. Maybe it could answer some of his questions.
“Who are you?” he asked, forgetting about courtesies for the moment. “And what is this place?”
“I am Spot and you are on my turf,” the animal growled. It then proceeded to leap at Taric.
“Give me your gems!” it yelled in midair. The Gem Knight raised his shield, but the creature clung to it, trying to pry it out of his hand.
“Gems, all these precious gems,” it kept muttering to itself.
Taric had no choice. He pulled the shield out of the creature's grasp and gave it a whack with the side of his hammer. The dog yelped and flew a good two meters before landing.
It stood up and howled. Moments after that, two other dogs emerged from beneath the ground, both larger than their companion. They were colored two different shades of gray.
“Look, brothers!” the brown one squealed. “That thing has a lot of gems! But it doesn't want to share!”
Taric assumed a defensive stance.
“Leave me alone and you will come to no harm,” he said calmly. “I cannot guarantee your safety otherwise.” A thick shell of gemstones started to grow on his armor. It was an ancient technique that made Taric more resilient against physical blows. It had saved his life many times on the Fields of Justice.
“Look, he's making more gems!” the largest dog exclaimed, pointing at Taric.
“Let's take him with us!” said the other one. “We will have infinite diamonds!”
With that, the trio advanced on the knight. Taric concentrated and sent out a small ball of light from the gem on his shield. It hit the biggest dog, which fell to the ground, stunned. Other beasts did not seem to care. The medium one jumped at the warrior, but was welcomed with a blow of his shield. The one that called itself Spot leaped at Taric's shoulders and tried to steal his headband. The Gem Knight tried to shake it off, but to no avail.
The two dazed dogs got up on their feet as Taric struggled with their brother. They prepared for another jump.
At that moment, the crystalline shell that covered the knight's armor shattered, sending gemstone shards flying everywhere. The beasts yelped as the sharp pieces of crystal dug into their flesh. The small dog fell off of Taric's shoulders, while its brothers ran away as fast as they could.
Taric picked up the brown dog by its collar, keeping it in front of him.
“Let that be a lesson for you. Now go away and lick your wounds.”
He let go of the creature, which ran after its brothers, squealing.
Just then, Taric heard yet another voice.
“Whoah! That was awesome!”
He turned around to see a purple reptile emerge from behind a rock. It looked at him with admiration.
“How did you do that? They couldn't even do their little trick with hole digging!”
The knight knelt on one knee to take a better look at the scaled being. Maybe trying to communicate with this creature would yield better results.
“It was but a small display of the gems' might,” he said. “My name is Taric. Who are you and where am I?”
The purple animal puffed its chest proudly. “Name's Spike. I'm a dragon. And you're currently in the beautiful land of Equestria.” The dragon looked at Taric, puzzlement in its eyes. “You know what Equestria is, don't you?”
“Actually-” Taric wanted to reply, but got interrupted by a female voice coming from the same direction that Spike came from.
“Spike, darling, what's going on? I heard an awful lot of noise.”
A four-legged animal emerged from behind the rock Spike had taken as a shelter from the flying crystal shards. It froze in place upon noticing Taric.
The knight looked at the creature and recognized it as a unicorn. His own homeworld had lots of them, but this one looked quite different. Its coat was snow-white, its mane purple. It was a lot smaller than the unicorns he remembered and had some kind of mark on its flank. Three diamonds.
The unicorn was staring at him in terror, but Spike ran up to it.
“Don't worry, Rarity!” he said in a reassuring tone. “He's a good guy! I saw him beat up the Diamond Dogs!” He then proceeded to imitate Taric's movements while making some “woosh” and “hiyaa” sounds.
The white animal didn't seem to be relieved upon hearing that.
"I'm not sure that's an indication of goodwill, Spike," she replied.
Taric stood up and bowed his head a little. "I mean no harm. I harmed those creatures, yes, but it was done in self-defense."
The unicorn seemed to relax a bit upon hearing that.
"Well, that does sound believable. They are a rather fierce bunch, those Diamond Dogs. Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Rarity, Ponyville's fashion designer and gemcrafter. What do they call you, dear sir?"
“I am Taric, sometimes called the Gem Knight,” the man answered.
“Very well then, mister Taric.” Rarity tilted her head to the side a bit. “May I inquire about your origins? You definitely don't look like a pony to me.”
So Rarity was a pony. That'd explain why she wasn't as big as Taric thought she should be. It also seemed safe to assume that he ended up on a world inhabited by sapient animals.
“I am not of this world. I am a human,” the knight said. “My story is rather long. I'd rather discuss it in a more welcoming place.”
The unicorn smiled, apparently having come to a conclusion that Taric meant no harm. It was hard to tell how much of the sympathy had to do with the knight being a walking gemstone mine.
“Oh, I think we should head to my boutique then,” Rarity said. “Let us take the gems me and Spike gathered and then we can hear your tale over a cup of tea, mr. Taric.”
The knight smiled at the idea. Tea would definitely be welcome after all the thrilling events of the day.