//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Acceptance // Story: The Redemption of Jericho Swain // by Ghosted Note //------------------------------// The Redemption of Jericho Swain Chapter 14: Acceptance Swain’s life had been complicated recently. Of course, it had never been especially simple, between maintaining ties with Noxus’ disgraced mage-aristocracy, the Black Rose, and plotting to take control of Runeterra, all without anyone realizing the full scope of his ambitions. He’d made deals with devils, both metaphorical and literal, and he’d been more than willing to sell the greater portion of his soul on one occasion, though that had eventually been remedied. Things lately had been even crazier than normal, though. He’d been ripped into another world in another dimension, had his physical form altered for an extended period of time, and now was entered into a symbiotic relationship from the very place that sought to destroy what he sought to rule. It was enough to give him a headache. Swain was willing to recognize his limits, though, and it was due to this that he allowed himself a preordained time to relax in his study, reading and catching up on whatever personal projects he might have that were not directly related to his overarching ambition. It also served as a convenient way to isolate himself in case some of his less respected associates needed to contact him. Emilia LeBlanc was an old associate of his. He had met the head of the Black Rose shortly after being promoted to General in the Noxian army, and the two had shortly made a pact. LeBlanc would use her network of spies, illusionists, assassins, and strategically placed politicians for Swain’s benefit, and Swain would return the Black Rose to political prominence in an age where martial prowess was looked upon favorably and deception and trickery was deemed cowardly. LeBlanc was the only member of the Black Rose that functioned in a public capacity, as the leader and champion of the organization, and it was with no small amount of discomfort that Noxian politics acknowledged her friendship with their most successful General. Thus, the pair preferred that most of their business-related meetings be in private. It was also a good excuse to exchange ill-gotten information that neither should have. Swain had abstained from wearing Nightmare’s armor. “Your friends seem very interested in weeding, at the moment,” remarked LeBlanc. “It seems their efforts to replant in purple are obstructed by a few other transplanted flowers.” Swain nodded, used to the rather obvious flower metaphors that LeBlanc seemed to favor. “That’s not particularly new information, but I assume that they’re planning something new?” LeBlanc idly twirled a finger around her hair, her white painted face betraying no emotion. “It seems they wish to make a show of meeting in Zaun, to attract the attention of their overly-curious prey. The six, especially the prissy one, are conducting active investigations into their hunters, hoping to find motivation and weakness. Unfortunately for them, the Voidwalker spends more time preaching than actually giving them facts. The extent of their knowledge is that Malzahar is insane, and the Void is full of terrible things. Of course, they are unaware of your own Void connections. On that note, I would caution you to not endanger our plans by wholly committing yourself to your newest friend.” Swain matched her lack of expression as he responded. “Worry not. You know very well that I only associate with those who stand to gain something I can understand. Back to business, though. My plans require the six aliens alive. I have need of their knowledge, especially that of their government.” LeBlanc chuckled quietly, though for the sake of the exchange it was just as easily equivalent to uproarious laughter. “I didn’t take you for the sentimental type. I hope you are not getting soft. Though, I can certainly see the benefit of learning from a civilization that has stood uncontested for thousands of years. An impressive feat, considering what you’ve told me of their rather lacking military power. I suppose the appropriate question would be how to translate that into our arguably more dangerous world.” “I have a few ideas.” Swain limped toward the mannequin that held the Nightmare’s Regalia, which was rather pointedly placed outside of the room. “Perhaps I should beware of getting too dependent on my new friend, though. I’ve become rather accustomed to full use of my legs. Emilia, I’d like you to keep an eye on Malzahar, and tell me when his plans in Zaun are about to come to fruition. I must set about the task of convincing Rarity to let me send someone in her friends’ stead. Saving them from the rather obvious ambush will help me to get in their good graces.” His companion nodded. “It shall be done. I already have agents firmly entrenched within Malzahar’s organization. It is a pity we cannot kill him, but we cannot have a martyr on our hands.” Swain smiled. “Changes are coming, LeBlanc. I believe that soon I shall finally have the means I need to secure our rightful places in the world. The sacrifices that must be made are quite different than what I expected, but you know better than any human the lengths that we are willing to go to. Take care until next we meet.” - - - - Rainbow Dash grunted, staggering backward as Pantheon lunged at her, bashing her with his massive shield. She recovered almost instantly, but it had still been long enough for her opponent to score several hits on her. Bleeding and only kept standing by the mental fortitude of her Summoner, she had already resigned herself to yet another death as Pantheon readied his spear to throw. “SURPRISE!” Pantheon barely had time to turn around as Pinkie exploded out of the nearby brush, uninjured and enhanced by the various items her great success in her lane had purchased for her. Panicked at the sudden change in fortunes, Pantheon darted toward Rainbow Dash, determined to take at least one person with him, only to be tackled to the ground by a recently-arrived Applejack. Pinkie stepped backward from Pantheon after dealing several grave blows to the warrior as he vainly tried to escape. “You take this one, Dashie. You need the money more than I do.” Rainbow Dash smiled as she caught up to Pantheon, ending his squirming with a slash of her blade. Her Summoner informed her of the increase in her gold stored. “Thanks, Pinkie. This is tougher than I thought it’d be.” “As sweet as this is, y’all need to come with me to middle lane. Graves is pinned against the tower by that crazy yordle lady and that mouthy guy always throwing stuff,” interjected Applejack. Rainbow Dash nodded, taking a swig from a health potion as the trio stepped into the waters of the rather overstated ‘river’ bisecting the battlefield, which barely reached above their ankles. “I think their names are Lulu and Ashe. “Yeah! I wonder if they’d come to a party after this. They both seem so funny, and I can’t stop thinking about that Draven guy our friends fought earlier. His mustache is so funny!,” giggled Pinkie. “When I was being all sneaky to surprise Pantheon, I almost gave myself away when I started imagining everyone we’ve met with that mustache. It was so hard to stop laughing! I mean I-” “Double kill!” As the three friends stepped into the middle lane, where Twilight Sparkle stood beside a heavily injured Graves, who was looking at the former with an extremely questioning expression. The enchantments on the battlefield were in the process of healing a rather conspicuous crater in front of Twilight, and Ashe and Lulu were notably absent. “Hi girls!” called Twilight. “Graves says we should try to take down this tower while Lulu and Ashe are down, and I’m inclined to agree. We should hurry though. Pantheon is almost up.” Applejack thought it was weird that hacking against the monolithic stone structure in front of them with a sword had any effect at all, but she was beginning to think it was simply better not to question the mechanics of this violent contest any more than she needed to, and with a blinding explosion, the tower fell. - - - - “Excuse me, friends,” said Rarity as she stood up. “I’m afraid that I have to make a trip to the little fillies’ room. Do fill me in on what happens when I return, please.” “Sure thing!” called Ezreal, who was trying desperately to ignore Riven’s noisy attempts to extract Fluttershy from behind his chair, the latter having taken cover there when the action became too intense for her timid nature. Rarity smiled, but a hint of insincerity was present as she turned away, concealing the letter that had just appeared in her hands. A frown forced its way onto her lips as she reread the letter. It was from Swain, who, in complete contrast to his normally villainous character, had offered up some information on Malzahar’s activities, specifically a meeting that was going to occur in Zaun that would likely yield valuable information on their hunter. The only catch on getting the full story was that Swain wished for a brief opportunity to meet with her. Following the directions on the letter, she navigated the labyrinthine Institute of War until she came upon a door labeled as the personal suite of Grand General Jericho Swain. With a final breath to steady her nerves, she opened the door. In the growingly obvious nature of the Institute, the suite was just as plush and luxurious as her own quarters, though it was apparent by the presents of personal belongings and furnishings that this suite had been occupied far longer. Ignoring the urge to look around, Rarity walked directly into the suite’s study, where Swain waited with a smug expression. “Rarity, my dear. I’m glad you came.” “I could never resist such a gentlemanly invitation,” replied Rarity, her tone icey. “Pray tell, though, I find myself rather curious that you should still be taking such an interest in our group after you’ve reached the safety of the Institute of War.” “Perhaps it was simply destiny that we should meet again.” Swain took a moment to pour a crimson-colored wine into an expensive-looking glass flute. “Would you like some, Miss Rarity? As detestable as they are, Demacians have an undeniable a gift when it comes to the art of distillation. This vintage is simply to die for.” “I’m afraid that I must decline. It would be unseemly for me to appear before my friends in a state anywhere close to intoxication after so hurriedly excusing myself from their presence,” replied Rarity. “If you’ll forgive my rudeness, I must request that we get to the heart of this matter quickly for that very reason.” Swain grinned wolfishly. “Of course, Miss Rarity. A time and a place for all things, after all.” In truth, Swain’s own magic made him nearly impervious to intoxication when he did not so choose to be, and he had hoped to soften Rarity by plying her with alcohol. That she had refused was no surprise, but there had been no harm in trying. “I’ve heard a whisper here and there about your investigations into Malzahar, and I wished to offer a bit of information, and, if you would accept it, assistance.” Rarity suppressed a frown, noting that the effort of remaining polite to the monster in front of her was becoming more and more difficult with each word from his mouth. She had to persevere, though. She would not give Swain the satisfaction of forcing her to break her own standards. “As... lovely as that sounds, you must understand that any of us would be rather hesitant in accepting your word at face value. The circumstances under which we traveled previously were a unique occurrence, and considering your actions at Canterlot, it takes a lot more than your assurances that you have turned over a new leaf.” Swain, as he was in most conversations, was currently fighting the urge to roll his eyes and condescendingly inform his conversation partner how much he loathed having to interact with her at all. Instead, he took another sip of his wine, and chuckled softly. “I’m afraid we’ve already had that particular discussion in the past, my dear. I have never claimed to turn over a new leaf, as you so put it. I act in the interests of Noxus.” “And yourself,” added Rarity. “Make no mistake, we are fully aware of the type of being you are, and what you are capable of.” This sentence along nearly broke Swain’s composure as he struggled not to laugh at the absurdity of the statement. Rarity continued speaking, not noticing Swain’s growing amusement. “I do not trust you in the slightest, Jericho Swain, and I feel that my sentiments are shared by nearly every creature who knows about you in any capacity higher than a distant public figure. You gain something from this exchange, and for all I know that gain is facilitated through the misfortune of myself and my friends at your hands.” “Dispensing with the pretenses, then? I can... respect that,” lied Swain. “Allow me to do the same. If at any point I wished harm upon your friends during our travels, you would all be dead. I am one of the most powerful men on the face of Runeterra, and when I want something to happen, it has a rather consistent tendency of happening. Malzahar represents a clear and notable threat to Noxus, and to the entirety of Runeterra, and it has become painfully obvious that the Institute of War is too mired in its petty politics and self-proclaimed neutrality to ever do anything besides enforce its own rules. Thus, it falls to the willing and capable to deal with him. It is also painfully obvious that for whatever reason, he has become rather attached to the thought of capturing you and your friends, probably due to your backgrounds in interdimensional travel. I cannot allow him to succeed, and unless you favor being captured, then forced to aid in a cross-dimensional invasion of Runeterra that will likely result in a global extinction event, you should give my words consideration.” Rarity eyes were smoldering with hate, but for several seconds she said nothing. Just as Swain was about to resign his attempt to failure, she closed her eyes. “Speak.” Swain smiled genuinely at his victory. “In roughly a week, Malzahar will stage a meeting at Zaun. The purpose of this meeting is to catch your attention, and when you go to investigate, capture whoever comes. As of now I do not have the exact location of the meeting. What I am offering is to send someone to attend the meeting in your stead to preempt the ambush and gather any information available. You do not have to answer at this moment, or at all. If you wish to accept my offer, simply forward the information to me once Malzahar’s followers ‘accidentally’ reveal it to you.” Rarity took a deep, controlled breath. “We will consider your offer. If you will excuse me, I must return to my friends now.” Swain smiled once more, taking a sip of his wine as Rarity hurriedly fled the room. - - - - “Get lost on the way, Rarity?” inquired Riven “A true lady does not consider time a restraint when maintaining her appearance,” she answered with a glare. “Makes me glad I enlisted, then,” Riven snarked in response. “Well, aside from the whole being betrayed by my superiors in the middle of the Ionian Wars part.” Rarity chose to ignore that comment. “How have our friends been faring in my absence?” - - - - “QUADRA-KILL!! Aced!” Rainbow Dash exhaled, kneeling to rest as the blue light of the recall spell prepared to take her back to her base to heal. The rest of her team had been ambushed while she had been fighting the dragon that inhabited a small den on the south side of the river. She had arrived too late to save them, but the enemy had been so weakened, mainly by the efforts of Graves and Pinkie, that Rainbow Dash had effortlessly plowed through the four surviving enemies. With a flash of light, she was teleported to her team’s healing fountain, and approached the shop to spend the rewards of her labor. Shortly afterward, an odd, airy noise erupting behind her told her that one of her teammates had just respawned. “Good job, kid,” said Graves. “Didn’t think you had it in you. We got an inhibitor during that fight, so Ah’ll reckon now’s our shot for the Baron, as soon as your friends are back up.” A short trek through the jungle later, and they were standing in the north side of the river, where a much larger den was situated. Within it was Baron Nashor, a huge, wormlike construct modeled after a legendary beast that had once terrorized armies fighting near the Serpentine River so effectively that its roar was enough to send both sides retreating until the worm had passed. The recreation wasn’t quite as powerful, but for a mere five champions, it remained a force to be reckoned with. The reward for slaying Baron Nashor, though, was well worth it. In addition to giving the responsible team a huge bonus in gold, part of the magic animating the creature would attach itself to any surviving champions on that team, granting them massively increased combat capabilities for a time. It was for that reason that the mere act of being near Baron Nashor was enough to send the entire enemy team scrambling to prevent its slaying, or to intercept it, stealing its blessing for themselves. To safely engage Baron Nashor, the enemy team had to be accounted for, and with the enemy’s inhibitor temporarily destroyed, the resulting super minions that would spawn until it was reconstructed would force the enemy team to defend their towers, lest they risk being overrun. Rainbow Dash appraised the beast as she waited for her teammates, noting its many eyes and the acidic venom dripping from multiple mouths. From what she understood, a relatively small portion of the creature was visible, the rest hidden beneath the waters, which became very noticeably deeper around Baron Nashor. Even so, the worm towered above her by at least three times her height. Baron Nashor, for its part, stared coldly back at Rainbow Dash, waiting patiently for an excuse to rip her limb from limb with its needle-like teeth, and Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings with barely suppressed nervousness, wishing that the enchantments placed upon the battlefield didn’t limit the altitude of airborne champions. As soon as the last of her team arrived, it was time to engage. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie took turns darting in and out of Baron’s reach to distract it from Twilight and Graves, who were bombarding it from afar, though Applejack was undoubtedly the one who took the most hits as Baron whipped its massive body against them, hoping to crush and bludgeon them in the event the acid that it spewed from its mouth couldn’t finish them off. Even the waters themselves seemed to be working against the team, as seemingly random geysers endeavoured to toss Twilight and Graves about. Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, her ears registering a very faint whistling sound, but she shortly returned her attention to Baron Nashor, who was finally beginning to flag and heave in the face of the injuries it had received. Of course, the three champions who had been taking most of Baron Nashor’s attacks were in no fine shape either, and Applejack looked like she was ready to collapse. Rainbow Dash tapped her friend lightly with her blade. “Hey, AJ, back off for now, Pinks and I can take it from here.” “Thank ya kindly, Rainbow. Ah’m feelin’ a might woozy right now.” Applejack suddenly paused, and a worried expression took over her face. “Mah Summoner just said the enemy team ain’t defending their base. Ah think we might be in trouble.” At that exact moment, the whistling became unbearably loud and Rainbow Dash barely had time to register a huge projectile of swirling ice coming down from its impossible arc to strike Pinkie, who in an instant was completely encased in ice. Even worse, as the arrow impacted, shards of ice erupted everywhere, and as Baron Nashor fell with a roar and a sickening thud, the team knew it hadn’t been their strike to finish the creature off. “Everypony run!” yelled Applejack, uncaring of her linguistic slip. Her request was more easily said than done, as the ice that had frozen Pinkie in place had spread to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, making their movements sluggish and clumsy. Graves and Twilight had already started back into the jungle, but hesitated upon seeing their teammates lagging behind. Applejack waved at them to run. “Y’all don’t wait up on-” She was interrupted by a whooshing noise and an audible, bone-shattering crunch as the mighty leap that Pantheon’s enchanted equipment made him capable of came to its terminus directly on top of Applejack. She didn’t stir, and after a moment, her body promptly dissolved as her heart stopped beating. Pinkie had just managed to break free of the ice encasing her when she found herself completely surrounded as the four other enemy champions appeared in a series of bright flashes around her. She barely had time to react before the sensation of arrows perforating her body reached her brain. As her vision began to darken and swim, she managed a quiet chuckle. “Well, that was a surprise,” she said, before promptly collapsing, her body following Applejack’s lead and dissolving a few seconds later. Rainbow Dash, Graves, and Twilight were in a panicked retreat by now, trying desperately to outrun Brand, Lulu, and Shyvana, the half-dragon who had been jungling. The trio did not stop until they were safely under their tower. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “That was close, but we’re still in deep-” Twilight never got to finish her sentence as Pantheon appeared beside her in the same flash of light that had preceded the arrival of his teammates previously. He wasted no time in bashing Twilight with his shield, stunning her. As Rainbow Dash and Graves moved to help, however, Shyvanna, sporting the form of a true, if somewhat small, dragon erupted out of the jungle, knocking them backward with the force of her charge. Rainbow Dash barely had time to see Twilight hoisted into the air by Pantheon’s spear before her friend’s corpse dissolved. The two survivors fled for their lives as Pantheon took the full fury of their tower so that his teammates could attack uninhibited. Just as Rainbow Dash thought they were out of range, though, a lance of magic from a grinning yordle pierced through them both, causing them to stumble. By the time they regained their footing, the enemy team had caught up to them. Graves, who had already been heavily injured by fiery potshots from Brand during their retreat, stopped running. “Keep running and heal! Try to stall them until the others come back up!” With a grin, Graves loaded his weapon with his ‘rainy-day’ ammo, which was both incredibly hard to produce and incredibly illegal in every other context. As the enemy continued to charge, Pantheon in the lead, Graves’ grin became a full laugh as he stared Pantheon down. “Let’s see that shield block this. Oh, and before I forget, nice skirt.” With that last jab at the lower section of Pantheon’s armor, he fired, unleashing a massive explosion of shrapnel and gunpowder. When the smoke cleared, Pantheon was nowhere to be seen, but Ashe and Brand had stepped forward to take advantage of his sacrifice, the former being shielded by Lulu’s magic as she stepped into the tower’s range to finish Graves off, leaving Rainbow Dash as the sole defender. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight, though, and as she charged off of her team’s healing fountain, she gave her wings a mighty flap, and faster than any of her opponents could register, she was on Brand, slashing at him as fast as she was able before Brand’s struggling finally ceased. With a grin, she turned to Ashe, who was now heavily injured by the tower. Her team wasn’t out of the game yet! At least, that’s what Rainbow Dash believed. As she lifted her blade to strike Ashe down, she felt a strange weight on top of her head as Lulu peeked down from her new perch, her staff glowing menacingly with the promise of arcane power. In a blaze of magic, Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself staring up at Ashe, chittering nervously. A sinking realization preceded her death. ‘She turned me... into a squirrel. Ponyfeathers.’