"They came for our magics. They'll pay with their lives."~ Irelia, The Blade Dancer
Beatbreak finally got the evolution we've been waiting for and its.... alright. A little too overdesigned for my tastes.
Also, another part of the AU if you guys haven't realized already. Briar is not human. She is a homunculus. A meat puppet which is sentient. I changed it to be a human that's been transformed by extreme blood magic.
I said that I was sick in that little update chapter. Yeah. But I powered through.
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"The Herald awaits." Said a man at the entrance to the commune.
Faye frowned, "He knew of our arrival?"
"Word travels fast my friend." The man smiled.
Faye noticed something different about this man. The marks of magic. It was on his face. And it resembled a hand, grasping at his face.
The solitary marks were very similar to fingerprints.
She wanted to ask but decided against it.
"No word travels that fast." Sevika looked at him in suspicion.
The man smiled at her and spoke calmly, " It does here. Please enter."
As they began to walk in, the man spoke once more.
"But.... I must ask you to surrender your weapons."
"No." Daisy answered instantly.
"Then I cannot permit your entry miss." The man answered, "The commune is built for peace. Nothing that can cause harm is allowed inside."
"You can take your sword back later." Jinx told her, "Leave it here."
"No." Daisy shook her head.
Daani stepped forward, "You cannot ask an Iceborn to surrender their weapon. Especially a True Ice one."
"I'll stay with her." Rell answered, "Outside. Until you lot handle everything you need to."
"Then who carries our friend inside?" Daani asked.
Annie stepped to the side, "I'll stay out. Tibbers doesn't like this place."
Jinx handed her pistol to Annie and joined the rest as they walked inside the commune.
"Why doesn't Tibbers like it?" Daisy asked after making sure that no one was near them.
Annie stared at Tibbers, "He says that they don't feel guilt."
"They don't?" Daisy looked almost impressed.
Annie nodded.
"Then this place isn't as good as they thought is it?" Daisy leaned on one of the metal structures erupting form the ground, her hand placed on the hilt of her sword. "Don't be afraid of fighting our way in if they don't come out."
"I'll burn it down." Annie answered, conviction in her eyes.
Daisy chuckled, "I like it cold but you can do whatever firefly."
"Shut up flower." Annie retorted.
And the two devolved into chuckles.
"I wonder what daddy would say after he learns of our little mission." Daisy pondered.
Annie shrugged, "I don't think he would care. We had a reason. A proper one. And we did it without anyone getting harmed."
"Anyone among us getting harmed." Daisy corrected, "There were plenty dead in our mission."
"Did you see the change in Briar?" Annie asked.
Daisy nodded, "She looks like how she did back when we were children."
"Not exactly but it is similar." Annie explained, "She bled and the blood enforced her. More than anything she had done in our training."
"The elbows." Daisy nodded, "It was just the hair before. But its gone now."
"It slowly returned to its original state." Annie thought aloud, "And she was completely under control."
"Daddy made sure that we did not bleed near her long ago." Daisy said.
"Flower we need to talk about something." Annie spoke seriously.
Daisy looked at her questioningly, "What?"
"Tibbers says that if daddy uses Caalyx any more... he won't make it back." Annie pushed out, her voice softer than ever before.
Daisy's eyes widened, "What? That's not-"
"Its why he started using the wrapping on his arms as well. The same runes he used on Briar when we were younger." She interrupted. "Caalyx is where blood magic comes from."
"And its killing daddy?" Daisy asked.
Annie nodded, her eyes tearing up.
Daisy reached for Annie and pulled her into a hug, "We won't let him die. He won't die Annie."
-x-
"All this.... in Zaun?" Jinx asked as she saw development the likes she had never seen.
Soft sunlight. Clean air. Fresh water. Green plants. Happy people.
Everything that Zaun was.... this place wasn't.
The people who once had metal implants now had normal human body parts. Their arms and legs whole.
"The Herald has brought salvation to Zaun. All in his never ending compassion." The man continued leading them forward to the center, the highest spot.
On the spot stood a giant structure. An intricately shaped sphere with two webbed structures erupting from the sides, curving inward.
"That looks similar to the Piltover symbol." Faye commented pointing to the structure.
The man nodded, "It is. This particular structure was from the days when both cities were one. The old council building before the explosion that split the two cities into their current states. Both cities used to once be called Zaun. Now that name is ours..... just like its history."
"And the Herald stays there?" Rell asked, feeling the metals around her. They weren't normal. Every structure had the same webbed look around it. Multicolored. Unnatural. But they were all charged with heavy magic.
"Indeed he does." The man answered.
As they continued a person walked up to them with bottles of water.
"Water?" The man leading them asked.
"No thank you." Answered Daani, Faye, Rell and Briar.
But Sevika and Isha accepted.
The man smiled kindly at them, "You do not need to worry about tampering. The Herald has no desire to harm you. He only wants peace."
Finally, Mel couldn't hold herself back.
Pulling down her hood, she asked the man, "The Herald... His name is Viktor right?"
"Councilwoman?" The man asked before shaking his head, "The Herald would be pleased to meet you."
The group noted his twitch there.
"Are... are you alright?" Daani asked.
"I'm completely fine." The man replied, "Thank you for inquiring."
Arriving in front of the structure, the man took a large metal pipe with its head wrapped in cloth and banged it against a giant bell.
BONGGGGGG
The bell echoed.
"Its a custom." He explained.
Slowly, the group entered the area near the entrance of the sphere and standing there, with his back to the group was a man with long hair.
"Herald. I've brought our guests." The man said as he stepped away from the group.
The man turned around and walked toward them, the light catching his features. His metal cane ringing off the metal floor.
The dark blue clothing covering his body did little to hide how different he was from them all.
Aside from his face, most of his body was covered with gold metallic lines. His arms a cacophony of gray metallic wires imitating muscles. His skin, a shade of gray.
His face was surprisingly normal but underneath, there was the same color that was in the buildings around them. A sort of a constant flow between purples and blues. His eyes a bright gold.
The man looked both ethereal but also barely like a man.
"We heard you could heal people." Jinx stepped forward.
Rell willed the metal to drop Vander to the ground. The man's eyes fell on Rell as he observed her for a moment. And then he turned to the beast.
"He is barely human." He observed. "I must investigate further." He began walking toward them.
"Viktor!" Mel couldn't hold herself back, "You've... you've changed."
"Mel." He answered with a smile, "I am happy to see you alive and safe. Can I assume Jayce is the same?"
Mel's face fell, "I don't know where he is."
Viktor looked saddened, "I... see."
"What happened to you?" She asked.
Viktor looked at her, taking note of the gold lines that ran across her own face and body, "I suppose I went through a similar change like you. But I can help everyone with it as well."
"You are barely human." Daani commented.
Viktor smiled at him, "My physical state doesn't make me any less human than you my friend. This is a price I pay to help others."
"But you are using Hextech." Briar pointed out.
Viktor shook his head, "No I am not. I am using the Arcane. It is a derivative of Hextechbut more in touch with its magical side."
"Daddy would disagree." She replied.
"I'm saddened to hear that." He turned to the monster, no, man imprisoned in the cage. Reaching out, he placed an hand on the Vander's fur covered face.
Then his head leaned back as it shook. Sparks of purple, blue and gold magic flew from his palm.
He jerked back falling to his knees. His body making a metallic clang as he fell. He took shaky breaths clutching at his cane.
Looking at the surprised faces of those around him, he rose to his feet and then stared at Vander.
"He is worth the risk." He said, as if answering someone.
Briar's eye took a red hue for an instant and returned back to normal, leaving her frowning.
But the very act of talking out loud drew quite a few doubtful looks.
"Come." He said as he began walking down to the little town he built.