A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

"Humans cast a spell every night. Every time they fall asleep."~ Lillia, The Bashful Bloom

Why does ginger cost more than a 6-pack beer? What even is this place? Also why do I have to walk an hour to the university? Why can't I get a cycle?

I wake up every day and remove the clown make up that reforms on my face...

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The next few days were just travel. They covered a solid amount of ground. Slow but methodical. Scavenging for food when the necessity arose while also hunting for meat.

Gregori found the ordeal working in his favor, with the kids growing closer to not only each other but to him as well.

It was great.

The fresh air and freedom was doing wonders for them. The pleasant colors helped a lot as well. The greens of the forest, bright and muted kept the children engaged. The clear fresh water was also something they had never seen before. Annie being the only exception to these things but even she had missed this.

Noxian architecture and color scheme was to blame for this. The dull grays, blacks and crimson reds could be stifling.

To those who grew up in that setting.... the outside world looked wonderous. They couldn't believe things like this could exist.

What was more interesting to see was that despite having learnt of various creatures..... most of them had never seen them. The elation when they spotted a real life Bellswayer just watching them from a distance was heartwarming. It did however, take multiple children to hold Briar back from chasing after the creature.

As proud as they were, they were still wary of humans. And the funny looking group did that idea no favors.

Briar... something about her seemed off in the recent days. She often stood around in thought. Her face scrunched up in thought and wondering. It seemed like she was trying to recall something that was consistently evading her.

Despite being asked if she was fine multiple times, she just brushed them off with the words, "I'm thinking."

Gregori couldn't force her further after that.

Around this time was when the kids started to open themselves up. They showed things that they had kept hidden for a while. Daani and Sydell being the most secretive.

Daani scared the daylights out of them by changing shape into Rell and tapping her on her shoulder. The shriek and scampering that followed was immensely memorable. That solved one of the things Gregori was worrying about, hiding Daani's features in certain places was paramount and with the ability to shapeshift that worry was now nonexistent.

The other was Sydell. His ability to communicate with spiders and shoot those webs were not where they ended. His physiology had something more in common with spiders than he had originally expected.

In a situation where they couldn't quite reach for a fruit on a tree, Gregori reached out to it with magic but before he pulled it down, Sydell leapt to the tree. The leap covered half of the tree's length but it was what happened next that shook him. He watched in shock as Sydell grabbed onto the thick bark and stood straight. Straight for him. But to everyone on the ground he was standing horizontally. This gravity defying feat was just that... gravity defying.

The lack of hair on his head made it even more so.

With a little shake of his shoulder, he walked up the tree like it was the ground and grabbed the fruit like it was no big deal.

There were a lot of open mouths staring at him when he jumped down.

Attention he reveled in.

Gregori did not mind the little attitude. The children were their own people. They needed to be distinct from each other. There was nothing to be gained by forcing them all to act and behave the same.

Not to be outdone by the little talent show, Faye started to levitate his bag along the way. It was tiring for her but she did it anyway. Her need to prove herself pushed her to her limits. It left were exhausted at the end of every day but she still went through with it.

Annie chose a different route. She used her magic to start the fires they used. It was quick and instant. There was no need to wait for the rune to start the sparks and eventually guide the fire to become a blazing flame. There was also no need to fish for the rune stone through the ashes the next day.

But that wasn't all she did. It took her a while to adjust to the fact that she had to share her father's affection with one other person but now it was split seven ways. That was when she resorted to the thing every child does when they feel attention starved.

They threw tantrums.

Annie's tantrums were localized. But they were still there. She stuck close to Gregori, walking between his legs. She refused to sleep away from him as night fell. Even while eating she stuck close to him, often snagging the first bite.

But Gregori intervened once she had thrown a ball of fire at Sydell and Faye.

It had taken a lot of convincing and coaxing for the three children to put their differences aside. Even ordinary bribery did not suffice..... no they needed his attention. They needed his approval. And it was becoming hard for him.

Splitting his attention six ways was difficult for him as well.

Doing so while constantly paying attention around him? 

That was infinitely worse.

But as an experience? He loved it. Multiple children was a good thing. Kept his mind occupied. Kept the other kids occupied.

Another thing he had noticed was the group's behavior toward Briar. They all seemed to treat Briar very affectionately. It seemed they accepted Briar as she was and behaved well with her. It wasn't fair to Briar but the kids did not care... they never fought with her and were very calm with her.

Gregori hoped that the social interaction and the care and affection that was being showed to Briar would help her mind catch up to her body in growth. And there were positive changes.... she was growing more controlled of her actions. She was also trying to replicate behavioral patterns of the other kids by asking questions and trying to copy their actions.

Sometimes, even if she did not know why everyone was laughing, she joined them in laughter. 

Simple things like this would eventually compound into her developing mentally.

"Oi! What're you doing on MY land?" Came a shout from behind them.

They all turned around to look at who claimed to own the land... though Gregori had a pretty good idea of who it might be.

With the pitter patter of tiny feet a fierce looking Yordle with a hat walked up to them, a scar ran through its right eye leaving it blind. In his hands, pointed at them, was a miniature double barrel shotgun. Standing next to him with a derpy face was a Drakalops. 

The same one Gregori had seen before.

It stared at them.

They stared back.

It's tongue flicked up and it licked it eyeballs.

Gregori nodded again.

"Ewww!" Came the combined voices of kids in front of him.

Using that moment as an opportunity, Gregori slid in front of the children and put himself between them and the creatures.

"You look plenty suspicious to me large man.... tell me why I should let you live?" The Yordle spoke with a snarl.

Gregori looked at the one functional eye of the Yordle, "I apologize for trespassing General Kled-"

"That's High Major Commodore of the First Legion Third Multiplication Double Admiral Artillery Vanguard Company to you!" Kled cut him off.

"Ah." Gregori said, "As I was saying High Major Commodore of the First Legion Third Multiplication Double Admiral Artillery Vanguard Company, my children and I were travelling through the mountains and into the Freljord. We were moving through the forest as you found us."

The Yordle squinted.... then frowned.... then turned to his companion, "What'd ya say Skaarl?"

The Drakalops looked at him before squawking.

"No! No one tells me what to do!" He yelled at the creature, "Not even you lizard!"

Using this opportunity, Gregori interrupted, "I have heard of you sir." His body took the pose of a soldier as he did. "Tales of your actions in battle are legendary!" Pushing as much excitement and feeling into his words.

"Of course you would know me!" Kled turned around with a smile or what could be considered a smile since it looked evil. "I didn't become a Rear Forward Brigadier Admiral from running!"

"Wasn't he something else?" Briar asked innocently.

Gregori's face fell as he winced.

"Something else?!"

Stepping in again, Gregori turned to Briar, "Briar my child, Sir Kled has gotten many titles in his life. Sometimes he gets them mixed up. It is an honor to be talking to him." He convinced her. His actions seemed to convince everyone else except for Rell and Sydell.

"Of course! Did you serve?!" He asked in a shouting voice.

Gregori stood in attention, "Yes sir! Undead Battalion of the Gray Legion sir!"

"Still serving?" He asked.

Gregori shook his head. "Retired for family sir!"

"Running kind?!" Kled yelled.

Shaking his head, Gregori answered, "Our battalion was retired after our success sir! There was no running."

"Which general did you serve?"

"Served with General Darius sir!"

"The young upstart?!" Kled yelled out again. "There is no good generals in these times. DO you know who I served with?!"

Before Gregori could reply, Kled turned to Skaarl and yelled at it, "Shut up lizard just shut up!"

Just like before, Briar asked, "But it didn't talk?" 

Turning back, Kled yelled, "I know that lizard ain't talking, but I still hear him."

"You served with General Sion sir!" Gregori calmly called out.

Kled's head shot up in surprise, "You know?"

"Yes sir! There is a statue of him at the capital. He is immortalized in history." Gregori answered with reverence.

Kled looked at him in thought. After sometime he squinted once more before slowly speaking, "You do realize.... that you are on my property?"

Gregori sighed internally, great the Yordle had dementia. Then he replied, "We were passing through sir. We know all this land is yours. All sixty gazillion acres of it." He tried to calm the Yordle down before it leapt to battle.