The Portal floats just above the ground, giving off a faint purple glow.
I sigh, and walk around the thing, examining the obsidian, the Hellstone, the swirling dark vortex that will, supposedly, take me and Vinyl home.
[Is is satisfactory, Judgement?] a nearby monster asks. I give it a last scrutinizing glance and nod.
[It is.] I say. [I'm going to go get Vinyl.]
The monster flies away, and I grapple onto a nearby ledge, pulling myself into a small tunnel that stretches all the way to the surface. By grappling onto the walls and jumping up, I slowly make my way to the top and breathe in the (relatively) clean air of the surface.
I walk along the Corruption, avoiding carefully the thorns and pits that mark the landscape. Soon, a slime approaches.
[I'm here for Vinyl.] I say. The slime wobbles slightly, as if confused.
[The 'Regicide'?]
No response.
[Another Player like me. She'd have come through here a while ago.]
Most likely sobbing, I add mentally. From the time the monsters had made her their queen, she'd been crying. I simply didn't know what was wrong with her. It was just a game, after all. Soon, we'd be home, and we could forget about all of this.
The slime bounces in place and heads in the direction of the house I'd stayed at with the Virus and the Guide.
The house comes into view, and I see a group of slimes gathered around the front door, which is shut. I can just see Vinyl's head through one of the windows.
['Bout time, Tavi.] Vinyl says. [Come in. Don't let any of the slimes in with you. They get everywhere; it's not pretty.]
I approach the door, and Vinyl's arm grabs me by the shirt and pulls me in. I step inside and take a good look at my friend.
Vinyl's hair is ragged and dirty, and her clothes aren't much better, although I shouldn't be talking - several days in the Corruption does unpleasant things to one's attire - and her eyes are wild and sunk back into her head.
[Vinyl...] I begin. [You know how the monsters that live in the Corruption can go through the earth?]
Vinyl tenses up, but nods.
[Well, they found something. A Portal. It leads out of this world. We can finally go home.]
Vinyl stays still for a few seconds before wrapping me into a hug.
[Thank you, Tavi.] she says. She doesn't have to say anything else. I know how hard it must have been for her. She always did get too wrapped up in things like video games.
Soon, we're both in front of the Portal, a large crowd of monsters floating behind us.
[Regicide?] one of them asks timidly. [We know we haven't been the subjects you've wanted us to be, but we've tried as hard as we can. Please reconsider?]
Vinyl looks at the thing, her face unreadable.
[No,] she replies. [I'm going home. I never wanted to kill your leader. I didn't want to be your Queen. I just want to wake up tomorrow back in my bed where things are normal.]
She steps through, and I shrug, preparing to go in after her. One of the monsters stops me.
[Judgement, we have a gift.] it says. [For you and the Regicide.]
Two monsters approach, bearing the purple sword Vinyl had made from the Eater of Worlds and what looks like a giant purple hammer.
[The blade is for the Regicide.] the monster says. [The Breaker is yours.]
[What's the breaker?] I ask. [Is it that giant purple hammer?]
[The Breaker is an unsacred warhammer forged in darkness and the depths of the earth. It excels at rending flesh and shattering bone.] the monster says, a hint of pride in his voice.
[So it's this giant purple hammer.] I say, picking the weapon up. It glows a soft purple and is oddly light. I give it an experimental swing. [I like it.]
[Fare thee well, Judgement!] the monster calls, flying away. [May your travels bring you and the Regicide peace!]
I turn, take a deep breath, settle the sword in my inventory and the hammer on my back, and walk through the portal.
Somewhere across the Arcade
Garen leapt from the thick undergrowth, flinging himself into a high-speed spin, sword held out in front of him and a scream on his lips. His target, a small purple yordle with a red hat and a large stick, turned and ran at the sight of him, her companion fairy following closely behind.
"Honestly," Thresh mused from a nearby bush. "It's almost like he enjoys killing that one."
His thoughts were cut off when Garen approached, still screaming 'Demacia!' at the top of his lungs. He readied his trusty chain, twirling it around in anticipation. It had been a good match so far; they were up two Dragons and twenty kills, and they'd reduced the enemy team's defenses until they were down to their inhibitor turrets. There was only Baron to defeat, and then victory was only a matter of time.
Garen got close to the bush, and Thresh sent his hook almost lazily through the air, catching the Demacian warrior and pulling him into the brush.
"Boo." Thresh said as he activated his chain's second ability, sending the spectral warden flying towards Garen. Once he arrived, he swept his chains across the ground, forcing Garen towards his teammate.
"Transmogulate!" Lulu cried, firing a blast of magic at Garen and turning him into a small, furry animal. The creature ran around for a few seconds, Thresh and Lulu both attacking it repeatedly, until it turned back into Garen, who promptly slammed his sword into Thresh, causing a giant blade to fall from the sky and onto the Chain Warden.
Thresh began to retreat; his health was low, and Cho'Gath was nearby. If he could just get to him, then they could turn on Garen and it would be another kill for their team.
His plans were foiled when another yordle, this one wearing a green hat and brandishing a blowpipe, appeared from somewhere beside him and began shooting him with blinding darts.
"Curse that passive!" Thresh yelled, casting his lantern over a nearby wall, hoping that Cho'Gath was near enough to reach it.
His hopes bore fruit when a robotic behemoth flew towards him, a Rupture already popping the hapless Teemo into the air.
After a quick hook, Teemo's health dropped, and Thresh turned back to Garen, the sound of chomping behind him telling more than anything else what had happened to the poor yordle.
Lulu shrunk back to normal size, Garen's corpse falling at her feet, and grinned.
"And they say Teemo's the one with the global taunt." she said, giggling. "That poor Demacian can't seem to stop going after me. Maybe it's because I keep turning him into a squirrel..."
Thresh gestured to the nearby alcove in the stone walls that guided River on its way through Summoner's Rift.
"Come on, Lulu." he said. "Baron's about to spawn."
Cho'Gath joined the Chain Warden as he and Lulu waited for the rest of their team to show up. Soon, Lee Sin and Jinx appeared, rounding a corner.
"Baron in ten." Jinx giggled. "You boys - and yordle - ready?"
"First Baron of the new Rift?" Lulu replied. "You bet!"
Ten seconds passed, and a circular hole in space appeared, floating off of the ground and glowing purple.
"Here it comes!" Lee Sin yelled. "Ready yourselves!"
Soon, a figure fell from the portal, but it looked nothing like the colossal purple monster that was Baron Nashor. It had blue hair, a white shirt, and was screaming as it fell.
A few seconds later, another human fell from the Portal, the rift in space closing behind her as she fell next to her friend.
[Purple Team has slain Baron Nashor!] the game proclaimed, and sure enough, the familiar purple aura enveloped Thresh, Lee Sin, Jinx, Lulu, and Cho'Gath.
"What just happened?" Thresh asked, after the initial shock had worn off.
"These two new organisms seem ripe for consumption." Cho'Gath said menacingly. "Initiating Murder.exe in 5..."
"I don't think they're enemies..." Lee Sin said, walking up to the two prone forms. "And besides," he continued. "Blue team's started a surrender vote. See?"
Jinx giggled at the unintentional joke the blind monk had made, and gestured to the small window floating in everyone's peripheral vision:
[Enemy team agreed to a surrender with 4 votes for and 1 against!]
After a few seconds, a small window appeared, showing the enemy Nexus exploding.
As the word 'Victory' appeared in the sky, everyone - the two strange humans included - disappeared.