A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

"The vastaya named the world. We named the trees, the wind, the mountains. We know their power."~ Xayah, The Rebel

Comments please. Anything. Even memes. I'll even start.

Also pictures will be added tomorrow.

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"Do not let a single one live." Caalyx looked at the group with his single eye. "Set a precedent. Demacia cannot retaliate after what they have done today."

Gregori floated down and looked at his children. Immediately his eyes were drawn to Briar. Her bandages were off. Her bodily features had changed drastically. He waved, the block on top of her flew to the side. He lifted her up and checked on her.

He reached for her, "Are you fine?" He asked as he ran a hand through her blood red hair.

She nodded happily as her body healed of any damage done to it.

He then noticed the blood covering them. The blood frozen on Daisy's sword. The splatters of blood on Faye's clothes.

Rage like never before rushed through him.

Magic rushed out of him.

CRAAACCKK

The bodies on the ground sunk further.

"They are here!" A voice called from within the house.

Footsteps sounded as they all convened in their direction.

"Gregori...." Eileen whispered, "What happened to you?"

Gregori looked at her, she was taking heavy breaths, like his own children. Her armor was bloody. "You kept them safe." He stated.

"Tried to." Eileen corrected. "They ignored me and ran to fight. But I kept my eye on them for the final push."

He turned to his children once more. "You did not listen to her?"

Other than Briar, Rell and Annie, the rest of them hung their heads.

"We will talk about this afterwards." Gregori tried his hardest to speak calmly. 

"THEY ARE RIGHT THERE! CAPTURE THEM!" 

Gregori turned to the source of the voice. Soldiers and guards began to pour out of the house.

He grit his teeth and unconsciously clenched his fists.

These lot.

They were the reason his children were put in danger.

They were the reason his children had to kill.

"Look at their faces." Caalyx commented. 

Gregori turned to his children.

"That is not fear. That is excitement." Caalyx pointed out, "They are as enthusiastic about fighting as you."

"I never wanted them to." Gregori said as he turned back around.

"But you did teach them." Caalyx countered. "You taught them to fight. To kill, even if you didn't have them kill, you still taught them the principle."

"I..." Gregori couldn't reply to his words. They were true. He had taught them to kill. But it was never supposed to come to that. "I had hoped they would be spared from reality, at least until they were adults."

"They all have already seen the worst in the world Gregori." Caalyx consoled the man. "It isn't your fault that this has happened. You tried to be diplomatic."

"And they spat in my face for that attempt." Gregori finished. He turned his attention fully toward the attacking men and muttered, "It is their fault. And they will pay." He closed his eyes as his magic regained control.

He stepped forward but instead of going straight, he went up.

His eyes opened slowly.

The running men rose to the sky. Every one of them flailing as Gregori, effortlessly lifted them into the air.

Gregori walked toward the closest man and looked him up and down. "You came after my children." He stated.

The man looked on in fear an confusion.

"How.... how are you..... here?" He asked. "It... it is not possible." He began to thrash in his position in the sky.

"Why cannot it be?" Gregori asked coldly. 

"No... I refuse to believe it." He muttered.

Gregori shrugged as his anger turned cold. Calculating. "Setting a precedent huh?" He muttered out loud. He focused on the man, "Well.... you can keep choosing to not believe."

And with that, the magic holding the man was released.

With a loud scream, the man fell straight down. Down to his death.

Gregori looked at the man die and then turned his attention to the next man, "You there." He pointed.

The man stopped moving. "Me?" He asked, his voice shaky.

Gregori nodded. "Yes. You." He waved him over, "Come here."

"I... I... I can't." The man whimpered.

Gregori shook his head, "You can." He smiled, "I believe in you. Try."

The man looked at his feet and willed himself to move.

He didn't.

"It seems that you have failed my belief in you." Gregori spoke calmly. "You can join your friend."

"No. Please noAAGHHHHHHHH-" He tried to speak as he fell to his death.

"What about you?" Gregori asked the next man. "Want to try?"

With a face full of fear, he rapidly shook his head.

"Come on!" Gregori coaxed, "I believe in you."

"P...pl..please..." The man pleaded.

Gregori waved and the man shot forward.

"Now..." He patted the man's shoulder, "Be a good boy and tell me who sent you."

Despite the fear, the man shook his head.

"Why not?" He asked. "I believed in you."

"My wife works as a servant in their home." The man replied. "If... if.. I say something.... they might...."

Gregori nodded. "I understand." And then he continued, "But I will do worse. I won't just kill you now. I'll kill everyone involved with them. That includes your family. They won't even know which one of you snitched and even if they did... they won't live long enough to take action."

The man understood something at this point. None of them were making out of this alive.

Not a single one.

He steeled himself and stared death in the eye. And with the calmest voice he could muster, he said, "No."

"Impressive." Gregori stated with his one eye raised. "Well. Lets hope your friends do not crack."

"WhaAAAAAA-" The man fell to his death.

Gregori clapped his hands, "Anyone else want to try?"

A sword flew in his direction.

Gregori spotted it and smiled as it froze in position.

"HOW!" One man screamed, "IT IS PETRICITE!"

Gregori shook his head in disappointment, "You do not know how it works. Sad. I suppose only mages know how the item actually works."

He reached forward and almost touched the weapon. He looked like he was in thought, "How about....." He waved the weapon away. "You take it back." The weapon shot toward the man and impaled him.

The magical hold on him dissipated as he fell to the ground. 

"It seems...." Gregori turned to the rest of the men, "like all of you would be making the same decision...." He looked at each individual man. "Do you have anything to say?"

None of them spoke.

One of the men, in an act of defiance, called out, "Die you monster!"

Gregori nodded slowly. "Hopefully after a long and fulfilling life." He answered.

"Anyone else?" He asked to the rest.

No one else had the courage to speak.

"For the courage.." Gregori pointed to the man, "I won't drop you." He raised his finger up.

The man smiled, "I knew IIIIIITTTTT-" His voice kept going as he was launched into the sky.

"You..... you said that you won't drop him." Another soldier said shakily.

Gregori turned to him with an unhinged smile, "I didn't. I threw him."

He sighed. "Well this is getting boring. How about the next person to speak gets to live."

The group looked at each other from their positions. Heads turned.

"ME!" One man screamed.

"Well guys." Gregori pointed at him, "We have a lucky man."

The rest of the men turned to the group and they all screamed, "TRAITOR!"

"YOU FILTHY SCUM!"

"Tut tut." Gregori raised a finger, "Now.... I gave you all the same opportunity. He was the smarter one."

"I am sorry! Please forgive me!" The man screamed to the rest.

Gregori began to see himself in the man. Like the time he had run away from Aatrox. It was his want to survive that had led him to make that decision. This man had done the same. 

"Goodbye." Gregori waved.

And the men all fell in a cacophony of screams.

Their bodies all crunched onto the ground.

Gregori sighed. "You are the lucky man." He continued, "Now I will leave you alive if you go to the court that will be held soon and say what happened today. You will also go to the man who sent you and tell them this. And if he threatens your family..... you come to me. I will ensure your survival."

"Why?" The man asked. 

Gregori smiled widely, "Why not? I can do whatever I want. Who is going to stop me? You?"

The man shook his head in fear.

The two men floated down to the ground.

"AAAAGAHAHHHHH-"

SPLAT

"Ah." Gregori peeked to the side. "He landed."

Turning to the man, he spoke once more, "I suppose you can run along now."

The man nodded and ran. As he did, he tripped and fell to the ground. Then he scrambled to his feet and kept running.

He then turned to his children and walked up to them, "Now let us have a little chat now shall we?" His body returned to his original size and instantly the tiredness hit. It was compounded multiple times over considering her had transformed twice in such a short time.

The children stepped back in fear as their father still had the same scary smile.