A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

"Now we must choose: a world smothered in midnight, or ringed with flame." ~ Leona, The Radiant Dawn (Solar Eclipse)

Soo.... I uploaded Chapter 70 a day early. This shifted the update schedule, meaning you got two chapters back to back. I will still continue with the normal chapters but unless Im dropping 2 or 5 chapters together you won't be seeing that again.

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As he led the children though the forest, he pointed out various edible fruits and mushrooms. Food which the children diligently collected.

As expected, he had to chastise Briar from eating any thing that resembled a fruit or mushroom. She just chucked them into her mouth without checking if anything was poisonous.

There was even a moment where he had to shove his fingers into her mouth to pull out something she wasn't spitting out.

Completely mindboggling.

He had expected her childlike nature to be present but her mental age was so far removed form her physical age that it was baffling. It was as if someone put a four year old in the body of a teenager.

Gregori looked at the position the star was at and he tried to estimate their current location. They couldn't be too far from the Bastion despite half a day of travel. And they were in a mountainous place which held a bountiful forest.

They were quite possibly close to the Dalamor Plains. 

It was a very real possibility.

With the star pointing north-west, if they went north they would end up at Drugne or at least close to it.

By estimating their position with his memory of Noxus and and its surroundings, Gregori came to a conclusion.

If they needed water, they needed to go west or north.

Both were not ideal decisions.

The chances were that word was already being sent to every major outpost that there were criminals around. They wouldn't receive full descriptions but they would be told to pull out those who stood out in a suspicious manner.

And with the conquests and such in the north, there would be heavy searches and identity checks. In the west things would be even worse due to the ongoing conflict with Demacia.

Warbands would move through the routes.

The two major rivers ran through only those two places.

If he had to prioritize safety, there was only one option.

Walk north till the first sight of a river. Drink up and refill. Then head west. Straight west without any detours.... right through the mountains.

Any dangerous creatures they would eventually meet wouldn't pose a threat since every child here could hold their own in any situation for a small amount of time and together? Gregori did not think there would be anything that could face them unless it was a being of higher power or a highly trained anti-mage squad armed to the teeth with runes or Petricite.

From there they could travel along the side of the mountains sticking close to the river and in about a month they should be at Rakelstake.

That was the plan for now.

How it would change he did not know..... But things always went different from plans. The few days in the bastion proved that.

He had gone in expecting a month or two passing before he found his daughter but it wasn't like that. He lucked out with his connections. What was originally something that would take many many days just took a little under two weeks.

But it also didn't work the way he expected it to.....

His eyes fell on the multiple children around him.

He had expected to return with one child only.

"Children you have to be silent." He reminded them. "You cannot hunt for food if you scare away anything that you could eat."

That got a few alarmed eyebrow raises before they all placed a finger on their lips. 

"Wha-" Rell looked between the children and Gregori.

Briar quickly scrambled up to Rell and lifted Rell's hand and placed it on her lips. Rell gave no resistance but widened her eyes at the close contact. She had not expected anyone to come this close despite having her guard up.

After a soft chuckle at the scene, Gregori led the group through the forest while also keeping an eye on the ground. For any footprints. Rabbits would be the most ideal food source but the younger children might put up a fuss.

Deer was next on the list. Or the occasional Elmark. Killing an Elmark would be a little too much for the amount that the children would mostly eat. But if that was all he could find, then they would have to make do.

In the search, Gregori noticed something interesting. A field with a particular plant growing in abundance.

He observed the plant before reaching for its head of leaves and pulling it out. It was firmly rooted into the ground.

Shaking it side to side, Gregori eased the plant out.

It was a root.

A root similar to carrots.

Naaps.

He hadn't seen naaps in so long. It wasn't something that you would find near the capital anyway. They were a Rokrund specialty and Rokrund was closer to Shurima than here.

"Kids?" He called as he started to pluck them out one by one. Turning around he looked at the open-mouthed kids. "Pick these out... they taste pretty good after cooking."

They looked skeptical but followed his words.

Within the hour, they pulled out about half the field. It did not matter if this was wild or if someone planted these naaps for profit, Gregori did not care.

But he was gentlemanly.

He placed ten gold on the ground and led the children each with handfuls of dirty naaps.

Looking at them struggle to hold them, he searched for something that could be fashioned into some sort of bag or a sling. The only feasible idea was removing his shirt and making a sling out of it.

Almost as he pulled it over his head, an idea struck.

Rell!

Her control over metal extended to the shapes of the metal as well.....

A quick conversation later, they had their creature of labor. A little four legged magical metal bowl, filled to the brim with naaps.

"After a quick wash, we can boil or roast them to eat." He explained as he led them forward. "They are a little sweet but you will like it." 

"Now... we only need some meat." Muttering to himself, he weaved through the shrubbery. Not bothering to check if they were all following. He had been doing it for many hours now and they had stuck to him like skin to bones.

Even Briar did not go around exploring. She followed him like a puppy. He attributed that to her seeing him as a primary caregiver. A true parent.

A few more hours of just pushing through the forest and having arrived at the edge of it, his legs almost giving out multiple times, he spotted a group of deer in the distance, grazing on the plains past the forest. The plains opened up to a river that would eventually lead up to the bastion.

"Deer." He called out to the kids behind him. "Be silent."

Closing his eyes, he felt the magic inside him bubble up. He raised a hand in the direction of an isolated deer and walked slowly toward it.

The deer, now alert after having spotted the approaching Gregori, bleated. That alerted all the other deer and they sprinted away. The deer however, stayed still. It kept calling out but its body did not move.

Gregori pulled out his hunter's knife and struck its head ending its life in a swift move. After killing the creature, he looked to the kids. Most of them looked at the scene in horror while Annie and Briar looked as if nothing was out of place.

Pointing to the river, Gregori directed them, "Go to the river and wash the naaps." 

Annie and Briar jumped along to the river while the rest stood still.

"It is food." Gregori shrugged while glancing at them, "What did you think hunting is? If you expected placing a trap and waiting hours..... I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Hunting this way is both easy and fast."

Gregori then dragged the corpse to the river. His movement shocked the rest into moving as well.

"Don't turn to look at me butchering the deer. It is not pretty." He announced as he placed himself further down and start to skin and butcher the creature. As he washed the blood into the flowing river, he called out to them. "Fill the waterskins and drink some water as well."

"River water will make you sick." Sydell said as he folded his hands. Daani and Faye looked at Gregori in worry and askance.

Gregori shook his head in denial, "It won't. Your magic is pretty potent. Tell me Sydell.... How many times have you gotten sick in your life?"

Sydell fell into thought and then replied after contemplating. "Never."

"That's your magic." Gregori waved around the knife as he spoke, "A mage's magic is their first line of protection. Even if your magic is weak.... it will always keep you healthy."

Those words were like a revelation to the boy and the other two. In an instant, they rushed to the river and started swallowing the water in little cupped handfuls. Briar dipped her head right into the river and drank. Annie having seen Briar, did the same.... Only to raise her head back up and sputter as water came out of her nose. Rell made a little cup with her metal before filling it up and drinking.

"Another big metal bucket please Rell." Gregori called as he finished butchering the deer. He placed all the neatly cut meat into the bucket while discarding the organs.

After filling up the waterskins while also getting a proper drink from the river, Gregori had Rell make him another bucket to fill with water alone.

She did it without a word, her initial suspicion and skepticism disappearing after watching Gregori lead them through the forest.

At first, Gregori thought of making a stew with the water but then decided against it. The waterskins were for travel. This water would be for the thirst after eating meat and roots.

He led them to the other forest across the river and placed the wards around a large tree. One with roots pushing out of the ground. They were the most optimal ones since they could provide more support to lay on and the ground was generally softer there.

Gregori gathered some twigs and fallen wood and started a fire with a rune stone. He shoved sticks through the naaps and mushrooms and placed them over the fire. With a little more planning and building, he created a little set up that held the salted meat over the flame. The naaps were right under the meat, the fat that cooked through fell onto the skewers, enriching their flavor. 

Within minutes, the kids all gathered around the fire in expectation. The smell of the cooking food was so enticing that they were all drooling.

The naaps cooked quickly, the fat making it taste savory while its sweetness shone through as well. The mushroom tasted chewy yet filling. It was a big hit with the kids. Enough for them to scramble over each other to get the next skewer.

As each portion of the meat cooked through, Gregori used his knife to cut off little pieces and generously fed every child.

It was in that moment he spotted the true Rell. Her smile was blinding as she chewed her food. The pleasure on her face making her seem like an actual child. It was also the first time he had spotted the constant frown leave her face.

After the succulent meal, every child and Gregori could feel the sleep coming for them. They had been travelling for an entire day while only eating some berries and fruits they could scavenge. The water and the heavy dinner was very necessary.

Gregori placed the leftover meat on a plate and covered it with another bucket. He placed some of the smoking coal around it and smoked the meat for a couple more hours. That would be part of their meal for tomorrow and would last for a little while.

Looking around him, he spotted the children all laid across the roots of the tree completely asleep with a satisfied look on their faces. He pulled out the warming rune and placed it near the children.... he cursed himself for forgetting to give it to Annie the day before. They must have suffered through the cold of the night.

Now, with the burning fire and the warming rune, they would sleep well.

An hour later, after cleaning up, he leaned against a large root and fell asleep.