//------------------------------// // The Rift Beckons // Story: Quest for the Past // by Ekhidna //------------------------------// Chapter 5:The Rift Beckons "Where the hell are they!?" Irelia shouted in desperation as she looked around the teleportation platform. There were several other Champions around her; most of which looked bloodied and exhausted. "I don't know, they were right behind us!" Ekko said in a hurry and holding on to his wounded, bleeding arm. "Damn monsters...," he cursed before a summoner approached with a health potion. Bard played a few notes of his flute with two chimes floating at his side, helping the summoner heal Ekko. "Pantheon, you were covering our rear, did you saw what happened to them?" Karma asked as she helped Irelia stand up. "They leaped out of the platform in the last second. I couldn't stop them," Pantheon said while he looked at the distance and to a purple storming raging over a distant island. Irelia growled. "Those fools... Ionia was already lost," her swords swirled behind her. Her gaze now focused on the same island Pantheon and almost every other Champion present was looking at. Her homeland. "Any news about Zoe, Xerath, Azir, Amumu, Annie, Udyr, Volibear, Brand, and Fiddlesticks?" Garen asked with some difficulty. Most of his armor was covered in blood and some of it was missing. His sword was shattered at his feet. A summoner turned to face him. "Zoe and Udyr managed to escape from Rakkor along with almost the entire tribe and are heading to the City of Legends as we speak. Fiddlesticks was unleashed but was destroyed in the battle of Noxus... Katarina, Cassiopeia, and Urgot fell on the battle as well. Azir has fortified the frontiers of Shurima and has taken the yordle survivors along with the few Zaunians that managed to escape, Zilean among them. Xerath was consumed before his shackles could be broken... and Brand... he was extinguished by the Void Cho'Gath aspect form alongside Volibear, Annie, Amumu, and our Cho'Gath aspect." Garen and his fellow Champions Pantheon, Irelia, Ekko, Karma, Nami, Nidalee, Ornn, Riven, and Bard remained silent for several seconds. "I see. Thank you, Summoner," Garen said without looking at the robed mage. "Then what are we going to do about-" Nami began but was interrupted by a shining aura enveloping Irelia for a couple of seconds. Then three figures dropped to the ground. "Shen, Kennen, Gnar!" Nami shouted as she conjured a healing wave to the newly arrived. "G-Gnar..." Gnar groaned in pain while Kenen was unconscious. "..." Shen groaned in pain as two summoners arrived to check on the arrived trio and Irelia and Karma helped the ninja up. "Shen... where are the others?" Ekko asked. "... I couldn't bring them with me... Yi... they tore him to shreds. Wukong avenged him, but he too fell. Akali and Rek'Sai... they put a valiant last stand allowing our escape... and Zed," Shen growled the name. Just then, a shadow portal appeared from the ground a few steps away from the group. Out of it crawled a battered, bloodied Zed with a missing arm. The shadow portal closed and Zed rolled onto his back. "They... took away... your revenge fro--" Zed said barely looking at Shen before coughing blood and then, he went motionless. The Champions a gathered Summoners present remained silent for a few moments. "We have no time to waste. Leave the dead behind, we must prepare for what's to come," Pantheon said picking up his shield and gripping his spear tight to the point blood dribbled down the pole. "We must make haste to the City of Legends. This battle is still far from over." Pantheon woke in a jolt. He was sweating and his breathing was forced. Outside, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and everything was at peace. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Pantheon stood up from his bed and made his way to his bathroom. After tending to his morning necessities and a nice cold shower, he spent the next hour polishing and cleaning of his numerous equipment for the day. When he was ready, he grabbed a few fruits and dried meat for breakfast and then headed out for his morning patrol. It had been three weeks since Lyra had departed, and already he missed the inquisitive little pony. After being alone for so long and having no one but himself and bloodthirsty monsters to talk to, he had enjoyed his time with her. He sighed shaking his head. He hoped she would come back another time. Maybe it had been naive of him to trust her like that, but she didn't strike him to be the backstabbing kind. "Hmmm, I probably should hunt down a few lizard scouts and maybe an Elder Lizard. I am running short on meat again," Pantheon said to himself. "Maybe... I should make something for Lyra when... if she comes back. Maybe a small statue?" He mused to himself as he made his way into the Rift. --------------------------------------------------------**************************************** *Ponyville- House of Lyra and Bonbon- Noon* Bonbon listened to her friend going on and on about her adventure. Yesterday, after her arrival, Princess Twilight had come to check on her old magic kindergarten friend. After making sure Lyra was fine, the Princess of Friendship hugged her and welcomed her back. After she had left, Lyra took her second bath, ate some more, and took a long nap. When she woke up it was nearly nightfall, but that didn't stop her from telling her everything after she left Ponyville up to the point when she stumbled upon a rift. Lyra insisted to leave her story there for today, and she had agreed. Now, Bonbon always considered herself as a mare of logic. She never doubted her dear friend's belief in the 'humans', but she herself never took any of it as nothing more than silly myths. But now she could hardly believe the words coming out from her friend's mouth. Monster never before seen attacked her? Monsters with names such as Elder Lizard, Ancient Golem, Wraiths? Her arrival at the so-called Summoner's Rift and her subsequent findings and brush with a painful death? Her salvation coming in the form of an actual, living, real human!? If she didn't know any better she'd thought her friend had gone completely insane. But Lyra had shown her proof of her claims. Her notes and findings, small trinkets, even the metal figurine the human, 'Pantheon', had made for her as a parting gift. That last one alone had convinced her that Lyra was telling the truth. The level of detail and quality the figurine possessed was beyond anything she had seen before... and the scripture on the bottom of it: "To Lyra Heartstrings, The Truth Searcher. May our paths cross again. ~Pantheon, The Artisan of War. The figurine was genuine and most importantly, it was something made NOT by pony hooves or magic. The human's armor and equipment reminded her to that of a Royal Guard for some reason. But it was Lyra's drawings that had truly pushed her doubts over the edge. She had seen her drawing several times depicting humans... they were less than ideal in the best of cases. But the ones she had shown her now... they were incredibly accurate and precise. Beautiful even. Drawings based on the so-called Pantheon walking or just standing, doing a combat pose or eating or talking, of him training or resting, of his feet, hands, torso, head, face... and there were several dozens of them. And many dozens more depicting the Rift, the Institute of War, the murals and metal pictures, the statues. All of it was genuine. And as if that wasn't enough, Lyra began telling about her time with Pantheon and the stories he told her about himself and that of his fellow 'Champions'. About Valoran and its cities. About Runeterra and its conflicts. And about the League of Legends and their final last stand. "And they... perished? All of them?" Bonbon asked watching the saddened face of her friend. "Yes. Pantheon was the only one who survived. But they won and those monsters of the Void can't reach the world again," Lyra said gently. "I don't know how long it has been for Pantheon, but he lost everything, Bonbon, his family, his tribe, his friends... everything. Can you imagine it? All alone surrounded by monsters and keeping watch over the place they won in the end?" Bonbon shuddered. "I can't and I don't want to imagine it, Lyra. At least he has one friend now, no?" She smiled at the green minted unicorn. Lyra smiled at her friend. "Yeah... Yeah! Oh Bonbon, I can't wait for you to meet him! He's really nice deep down." Bonbon smiled back for a few moments. "Only if you are sure, Lyra. Hey, speaking of that... are you sure you don't want to tell the Guild about all of this?" She said spreading her forelegs over the table and all of the drawings, notes, trinkets, and the figurine. "Positive," Lyra replied. "I was in the right. My father was in the right. I may not know how much they influenced our world, but I know humans existed and are real and that there is still one alive today," her smiled widened. "My best friend believe me now. That's enough for me." Bonbon giggled. "Never change, Lyra," her eyes then landed on the figurine. "So, when can we go visit him?" Lyra hummed. "I'd say next year, just to be sure, we'll leave two weeks before yesterday. We gotta make sure we are properly packed and have enough supplies to last the entire trip," Lyra rubbed her hooves together. "Pantheon is going to be so happy! Now he's going to have two friends to talk to!" Both mares laughed as they began making their plans for their future expedition. -----------------------------------------------*********************************************** *Summoner's Rift- Four past Noon* Pantheon knelt in front of an empty nest belonging to lizards. He traced his fingers and palm over the surface and frowned. "Too dry, they haven't been here for at least a week," Pantheon stood up. "This is strange... too strange," Pantheon walked off carrying on his back three lesser lizards, a small raptor, and a murk wolf. This hunt had been remarkably poor even judging by the time of the year. He could remember a few years that had been just like this one or worse, but this time it didn't make any sense. The jungle and the forest were lush with life, the monsters should be difficult to find, yes, but nowhere near scarce as they were now. Most worrying of all, however, was the fact that he had not seen a single golem, gromp, krug, crimson raptor, wraith, or two headed wolf. The river was brimming with scutters, their usual preferred prey, and worst of all... the Herald of the Rift was nowhere to be found. "...No..." Pantheon whispered as a nasty, dark thought crossed his mind. Dropping his hunt gains, Pantheon assumed a kneeling position as the air itself below him began to be pulled inwardly towards him. After a couple of seconds, he leaped to the sky a few hundred meters. The trip lasted mere moments before he landed outside the borders of the Rift and near the path he had shown to Lyra three weeks prior. He ran and ran, his breath never faltering and hardly growing tired thanks to the blessing of Targon. By the time he arrived at the spot in which he and Lyra had departed, it was near nightfall. Pantheon felt a shiver of cold run down his spine as he moved forward for several minutes... until he found something. The bones of what used to be a lizard, a wolf, and two raptors. Monsters devoured to their last inch of meat by other bigger predators. Bones of monsters laying on the same path he had shown to Lyra... and nearly erased claw, paw, and other sorts of prints on the ground moving forward. "...Lyra...," Pantheon gripped his spear as he looked into the darkening forest. He cast a glance back to the barely visible Rift. "..." He looked at the path again. "..." Then back again at the Rift. Pantheon repeated the motion several times before making his decision. "I'll be back soon," he said taking one last short glance at the Rift. After which he sprinted forward. He needed to be fast, the monsters were days ahead of him... and days closer to Lyra and her people. Chapter 5 End.