Chapter Two: The Settling Sands
"Breathe in and out, acolyte. You need all the air you can get."
"Damn, the raw power you're drawing is insane! No wonder you got in."
"Watch your energy fluctuations, acolyte! Do you want to blow up the entirety of the Augorium?"
"The accursed devil's cutting through our forces like paper! Do something, Vanguard!"
"Reginald!"
Jax woke abruptly with a pounding headache, his techmaturgical mask planted firmly in the ground. The wrinkles in his clothes drooped onto a muddy ground, with vibrant, green vegetation all around him. His heart was pounding a hole through his chest. Oxygen came in and out of his nose like the gusts of a great wind. Slowly and cautiously, he stood up.
Everything seemed to be in order. Arms in place, knees in check, head on the right side; the kid had gotten that right, at least. But where was he? What time was it? He looked to the canopy for his surroundings, but found that the fauna blocked all but a few choice rays of light through, leaving him in the intimidating dusk of the forests without a will, nor a way.
The forests chirped with life around him as the animals of the ecosystem chattered away, discussing their new arrival. The predators glared at the newcomer with hungry eyes and intelligent hesitation, just waiting for the right moment to test their mettle. The lower mammals took little notice, either completely oblivious or indifferent altogether. The lowest of life-forms scurried away and fled at the mere sight of the purple interloper, fearing for their short and pitiful lives. Even the plants around him seemed to have some sort of opinion already.
Brushing himself off with dirt and insects, he plucked up his fallen lamppost and strung it across his back. He checked his concealed leather pack for supplies. He still seemed to have one health potion left. He couldn't remember when he had bought it. Must've been weeks ago. Closing the pack, he then reached for a canteen at his belt and took a good, long whiff of it. The smell was bitter and pungent, with just a hint of rye grain remaining. Great. Just what he needed out in the middle of nowhere. Not water, but a canteen filled with expired, Graggy-brand whiskey. With a bit more vehemence than usual, he massaged his head and cursed his alcoholic habits.
"Sod it all," he moaned into the deep, dark, empty forest.
"What was that, Grandmaster?" the forest inquired back.
The warrior jumped in place an spun around quickly, only to see a pair of glowing red eyes atop a tree staring back at him, curiously.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Jax demanded. His heart was pounding again. He quickly and subtly moved a hand to his lamp.
"As you wish," the voice replied, and out came a stone gargoyle of dark blue and yellow, with an underbite that would make Sejuani's boar look like a scholar. No one could presume to know the mind of Durand, but Jax was certainly not one given to underestimating anyone. The gargoyle was no Piltover scientist, but he could wager that he was certainly no mindless construct. He could practically see the magic teeming from the gargoyle's hextech skin. The massive creature flapped its mighty wings in descent before coming to a rest at Jax's feet.
"Galio, at your service."
"Yeah, I know who you are. I've seen you around."
"And I, you. You've made quite a name for yourself around the Institute, Grandmaster-at-Arms." Galio flashed a knowing grin at the unamused mercenary.
"Just Jax, for now, thanks. How did you get here?" The gargoyle simply raised and opened his hand in response, revealing a small, black box, not three inches around.
"Durand's. A small trinket from his past. Given his line of work, I'd be given to assume he found its contents in some magical ruin somewhere. I had journeyed back to Durand to reclaim it when it became... restless near the Institute."
"So you think it brought us wherever we are?"
"I don't think so. I know so. What I don't know is why it reacted so harshly."
After thinking for a second, Jax responded, "I really wouldn't know."
"Hrm..."
"Hey, how'd you find me, by the way? This place looks like a labyrinth."
Galio pointed to a spot near Jax. "I landed there when we were transported. You were next to me, out cold."
"Really? No offense, but it seems a bit far-fetched."
The gargoyle raised an eyebrow. "Is it really? Perhaps a bit unlikely, but given that I've seen to your well-being for the past few days, I believe that your judgements are misplaced."
Now it was Jax's turn to raise an eyebrow. "A few days? How long?"
"Two to three days. Maximum." At Jax's nearly voiced apprehension, "I have never slept a day in my existence. Is it really such a leap that I can withstand guarding you for a mere two days?"
Jax pondered that for just a moment. "Two to three days, huh? Well, I... guess I appreciate that. I suppose I can expect no less from the Demacian standard, huh?"
"Demacian standard? Oh, no. Think of it simply as a comrade's duty." The gargoyle gave an earnest smile. Jax frowned in silence before quickly shaking it off and giving an aloof grunt of acknowledgement. "Which drives me to ask as well: what brought you here?"
The warrior sighed as his mind turned to the day's events. "Some new kid full of ambition and hot air. Wanted to revolutionize the League with a brand new summoning technique and ends up ejecting himself from my mind and me from the Institute. After this, who knows what the kid's future'll be." Jax cradled his head in exhaustion with a hint of guilt as Galio thought intently.
"No... no, that's not it..." he muttered.
"What?" Jax asked.
"Oh, yes. Your summoner. Very apologetic about his failure, but it wasn't expressly his fault. It may have disjointed you from the main summoning grid, but that wouldn't have summoned you in a completely different area. At worst, it would have disconnected his consciousness from yours, as you said. No, my being is half magic. I would know if that were the case. But this," he held up the box, "was reacting to something far more powerful than a botched summoning."
"That's rather distressing." Jax almost sighed again. He was going to run out of oxygen at this rate. And alcohol, if he kept getting news like that.
"Yes, I know. But we won't get anything done standing here." He took to the air as a means of letting Jax know his intentions.
Jax examined his surroundings again before focusing his and Galio's attention up towards the sky. "See anything interesting up there? Maybe some sort of marker about where we are?"
Galio gave another grin. "I've not a clue where we are, but, as for something interesting, I located a river not far from here."
"And what do you suggest?"
"The mightiest of civilizations began from humble roots, and the earliest nomadic tribes of Valoran were known to settle around advantageous geographical landmarks. The Noxians, the discreet plains. The Demacians, the flowing ocean. The Ionians, the hidden, foggy mountain peaks."
"So you want us to follow the river downstream?"
"Precisely, yes."
"Then just say that. I'll pass on the geography lessons."
"As you wish, Grandmaster."
"Don't do that."
"Very well, Armsmaster."
Jax swallowed a knot, bit his tongue and gestured for Galio to follow. For a restless automaton, "not far from here" could mean any number of things. So he prepared for the long haul. Who knew what they would find on the way there. He took a swig from his canteen, blanched, and dumped its contents on the forest floor.
"Hey, think the river water's clean?"
"And another damned snake!" Jax cursed as he stepped over another slithering serpent. "If I see another of those accursed things, I'll have it for dinner!"
The forest seemed to be mocking them, now. Since they had left the clearing that they had arrived in, the forest seemed to have picked up on every little quirk that annoyed him and proceeded to make his life a living hell.
"It's bullshit, by- agh!" Jax made an angered, strangled noise in his throat as another hidden tree branch blindsided him. Galio graciously pulled it out of Jax's way. The tree frequency had become far too high to continue flight, so he settled for traveling from branch to branch like a heavier, more artificial bird.
"I'm no expert on organic needs and tendencies, but I'd recommend you contain your temper before you run out of energy for traveling."
"I have oodles of energy. I'm tempted to show the forest just how much." Jax growled through his teeth. The forest had grown silent.
"Jax..." Galio warned. The grasshoppers had stopped chirping.
"No! I mean it! I am just about ready to unleash hell on these damn trees, these damn snakes, this damn mud that keeps getting in my boots..." Leaves had suddenly stopped rustling.
"Silence yourself, fool!" Galio urgently demanded.
"I can hear everything in this forest, and everything is making a damned joke of my misery! I've just about had it!"
"Then you didn't hear the roaring getting closer as we walked?" The gargoyle chastised. Jax shut his mouth.
The sound of metal and bone against tree became prevalent in the air, as well as the crazed roars of a monster unlike any the forest had ever seen. Jax had no idea how he'd missed it. It was a cacophony of rage and anger, making the environment itself tremble in fear as the sounds grew more and more furious. Jax drew his companion's attention and beckoned him to his side.
"The hell is that?"
"No idea," Galio whispered back. "We should look for it. It might be near the river, and if it is, it would be fruitful to formulate a plan first."
"Are you completely insane? Who knows what that thing is? It could be a dragon with its unnatural hearing," Jax replied fervently, before stopping for a moment and flicking himself in the head. "How silly of me to ask. We weren't inducted into the League for nothing. What's the plan for approach?"
"I will scout from the sky. You continue on foot, and avoid making a sound. Proceed with caution." Galio silently scaled the trees to the open sky, and flew closer to the source of the chaos.
Jax creeped closer, sticking to the much-abhorred shrubbery even has it scrubbed against his skin like a thousand paper cuts. And that was through his robes. Closer and closer he came, the sounds growing louder and louder, before he realized that he wasn't the only one moving forward. He dived out of his previous path stealthily, preferring a more secluded and out-of-the-way vantage point. Eventually, he came to the source.
A large, reptilian creature snarled and roared into the darkness, carving a path of destruction through the forest with a curved blade that did not originate from Runeterra. His maw dripped with blood and his skin was dirtied and devastated. Even without looking at the creature, Jax knew from the trail of dead creatures and animals who this was.
The dull flapping of wings came to Jax's ears, and Galio was by his side.
"The forest looks as if it's suffered a wound, from the sky," he whispered to the lamppost-wielding warrior.
"I know," Jax replied quietly. "I think I know what the source of your magic disruption was."
"Really? And that is?"
Jax pointed to the alligator-like creature. "Renekton. You know of him?" Galio nodded. "The genius summoners found a cure for whatever happened to him. They did a spell for it, and they must have screwed it up somehow. Pretty typical, honestly." Jax was assured of the problem's roots being solved already. Galio wasn't quite as sure.
"The box reacts," he held up a slightly glowing black box, "but it's not as intense. This wasn't the source. Something else happened."
"How can you know?"
Galio pointed through the darkness. "Because I can set it off. See?" He channeled a bit of magic, but it increased the glowing only slightly. Then, he abruptly stopped. "But that isn't the current problem."
"Then... what is?"
"The fact that you still aren't paying attention." The carnage had grown silent.
"I can smell you!" A roar of fury and joyful malice came from the clearing, followed by frenzied steps and the sound of metal against wood.
Galio reacted. "We're leaving. Now." He grabbed Jax by the armpits and took off straight through the trees, bursting into the sky in a flurry of leaves and splinters. Jax let out a cry of surprise, then warning as a reptilian claw shot out from the foliage and took hold of Galio in mid-flight. He buckled immediately.
"Argh! Off of me, creature!" Galio shouted in anger. He sent a blast of energy through to his leg, only to have Renekton cackle in amusement and transition to his wing.
"Carnage!" the soul-eater bellowed, and drove them to the ground. He swung with his visceral blade, missing Jax by inches due to the rocking and shaking of their pilot. They were going down fast. He could see the river. Unsheathing his weapon, he made a decision.
"Let me go!" Jax ordered. Galio didn't argue. Galio let his legs droop, and Jax, in one swift movement, grabbed his lamppost and drove the pole across their passenger's open maw.
Renekton roared in shocked anger and let go of Galio's wing instinctually. The two of them fell from the sky at an unreal pace. Steeling himself, Jax took hold of both sides of his weapon on both sides of Renekton's head. He hooked the flailing monster's legs with his own, drove his weight into the soul-eater's back, and rode the crashing plane straight into riverboat rafting. The two collapsed into the water with a brutal splash, forcing Jax to release his hold of Renekton and ride the current.
The rocks and water bashed and battered at him, testing every inch of his constitution and vitality. Then, with the hand of an angry god, he was picked up like a kitten and thrown against a tree in a riverside forest clearing, nearly causing the thing to unroot. He nearly coughed up a lung into his mask. Renekton roared behind him. Alligator was fast out of the water. Who would have guessed?
He reached into his pack as quickly as possible and downed the potion inside like a starved hobo, casting aside his mask in little time. The forest was a lot darker without Runeterra's finest hextech techmaturgy to help him see. He hefted his lamppost up in preparation.
"Fight me again, mercenary! See what happens!" Renekton grinned terribly and lifted his own weapon in anticipation. Jax only grunted in response before charging into the fray.
Renekton came at him with a flurry of swings. Easy enough to dodge. Every fight in the Fields of Justice had gone this way, but this time was different. His usual dodge into counterattack was interrupted by a prepared whip of the tail, sending Jax straight into the path of a blade that was only blocked by years of experience and a sharp reaction time. The hardened, metal pole didn't hurt, either. This was wrong. Renekton never anticipated. He only acted. He was more... cunning, somehow.
Having seen Jax block the blow, Renekton snarled and planted a kick in his side, sending the champion reeling. He immediately followed up with a relentless torrent of swipes, putting the now-unmasked warrior on the defensive. Then, correctly anticipating his opponent's next attack, Jax parried a downwards strike and drove his shoulder into the Butcher's chest, driving the two of them deep into the forest...
... and straight off a hill. The duelists tumbled and fought the whole way, neither close enough to use their weapons. Renekton clawed and bit at the veteran, but found him irritatingly wiry and mobile. Jax knew his body well, and he knew exactly how to maneuver it. As soon as the ground became flat, Jax righted himself and landed a crucial elbow to the back of Renekton's head, eliciting a pained growl from the latter and allowing him to get a grip on Jax's robes. He dislodged the purple-clad annoyance from his back once again and threw him aside, which, to his endless rage, was landed successfully by the mercenary.
The soul-eater's world was not all mindless rage, however, and he soon found a plan forming in his head. The ledge behind his opponent looked oddly appealing...
Jax took the initiative. He leaped at his enraged opponent, bashing Renekton's skull in mid-flight and landing into a stunning blow with the base of his staff in quick succession. Jax's foot barely found purchase as his maneuver had took him straight to the edge of the pit. His mind screamed at him to find better footing immediately.
Renekton took his chance. He charged at the Grandmaster-at-Arms, blade raised and ready, and, as predicted, the veteran warrior skillfully sidestepped and landed a swift blow to the Butcher's back. Down he went off the steep ledge, but not without easily hooking Jax's clothing and positioning him below the soul-eater's own body.
Of course, that's how it should have gone. What neither Renekton nor his victim could have counted on was the impossibly dextrous hook flaring out from the trees above and ensnaring Jax, leaving Renekton falling alone into a pit of thickly grown, sickly blue flowers. His roars of anguish only ceased when he reached the bottom.
Silence now ruled.
Several minutes later, Jax still hung, tethered by a rusted, metal chain connected somewhere in the trees. He had no clue what had saved him, but he had a feeling. And judging by the penetrating silence, it had most definitely saved him. What he couldn't comprehend was why. Galio, maybe? But him? Jax didn't know what was going on.
Carefully, Jax unhooked himself and began his ascent, confident of the chain's strength.
As long as something didn't pull it out from under him.
He climbed the chain as quickly as possible.
At the top, he found it connected to the large branch of a tree, precariously overlooking the enormous pit. It was perfect vantage point of all their locations of fighting, from the top of the hill to the edge of the pit. The sun shone through a small opening between the treetops. On the side of the tree, however, was the thing that interested him most. It was a crudely carved arrow pointing westward, judging by the sun, with the word, "town" underneath. Soon after, the flapping of wings came to Jax's ears, and Galio was behind him. The sentinel had Jax's mask in his claw.
"I believe this is yours."
"Thanks." Jax secured it in place, and the forest was once again simple to navigate. Well, not exactly simple, but it was brighter.
"I was worried that you wouldn't make it out of that one, Armsmaster. I tried to help, but you fought and moved far too quickly for me to find you."
"Yeah." Jax could still feel his spine snapping on the tree. "Hey, you see this?"
"Indeed I do." Galio looked at it contemplatively.
"What do you think we should do about it?" Jax asked.
Galio thought for only a moment before replying, "I think we should follow it."
Jax had a feeling that they should've, but he couldn't help but feel like he was being led into something. "Are you positive? You see that?" He pointed at the chain. "You know who this is. Still think we should trust the message in the middle of a deep, dark forest? Who knows what it could mean?"
"We were going to follow the river anyways. It's all we have. And it's more than he will have." Galio pointed downwards.
Jax hesitated, but yielded. "Then I suppose we should go. We only have a few hours of daylight."
"Shall we fly, then?"
Jax grimaced. "Yeah, no." He hated flying. Hated those Zaunite blimps. Hated falling. Just hated getting off the ground.
Galio shrugged and just started flying. "Very well. I will lead. Civilization awaits." Jax dropped down the tree with a grunt and started walking after him.
Night had fallen in the forest. Wolves of wood and creatures from hell howled and screamed into the dark air, echoing through the trees. And in the battleground on which two giants had clashed, one stirred from his slumber at the bottom of an overgrown pit.
Not only did he stir from physical unconsciousness, but he found his existence filled with pain and regret. The rage of a thousand men exploded in his mind, simultaneously filled with terror as his blade found their throats. He felt the memories of a millennia of existence surge into him, flooding his brain with data. The smell of the desert, the gentle silence of the library, the justice of his post; they were all things he once held dear. But vengeance had found his mind and ripped it asunder. But apart, it was no more.
The pieces of a broken soul were now mended. Dilated, reptilian pupils widened and evened out, filled with confusion and intelligence. His breath became labored and erratic as the energies of a soul-eater came rushing back as he absorbed the life from the flowers around him.
Renekton was awake.
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Bad writer my ass. I'm am so very compelled right now. There are so very few league fanfic's and even fewer decent ones that its nice to see an new take on a champion(s) moving universes. Granted I might be biased because renek's my favorite champion ever and i love redemption fic's and whatnot. Either way I'm eagerly awaiting more.
Bullshit
You don't have bad writing all you need is inspiration and more league
Add me (Zhipeng222) btw I'm always ADC or mid or jungle
Also use Jax Jesus mode always dodging attacks like a boss.
3167812>>3167880 Thanks, guys. You really don't have to reassure me, though. I'll let the ratings do that for me. Not fishing for compliments, here. But it does feel nice.
3167923. NP I hardly see league related stories and well written one in a while since most of them died out but keep up the good work.
Yeah, this was pretty good. You can calm your pants about being a bad writer. Calm them.
Dude, don't you dare give us this 'Im bad' BS. I tip my hat to you sir. This fic is great, I approve! Only thing it could use are some more chapters, but I'm sure you'll get to that.
Truth be told, this fic motivated me to continue my own LoL fic. Definitely got some ideas for when I'm done with my current project.
Anyway, fic is awesome, keep it up, and have a nice day.
3169988 I'm just gonna completely remove the first part of that AN. I'm not feeling any depression or something towards my writing, lol. It was just a small aside, nothing more.