The Day the River Died: A Short Story

The rift was vastly different when no battle was taking place. Not in appearance, but in sound, or the lack thereof. It was a tranquil forest on top of a scenic though somewhat bloodstained mountain. During most matches, battle cries and death rattles made it a completely different place. The natural beauty might have really cheered up Zyra, if it were not for the memories of the gruesome battle she had most recently participated in around this area, the path from the raptor habitat to the river. Darius had brutally but cleanly beheaded three of her teammates without any assistance in a show of force that she would require many more nature walks to forget.

The presence of her natural friend Maokai was somewhat soothing though, and she continued onward with no outward signs of her troubled thoughts. His lumbering steps raked the soil with his stray roots, releasing an earthy scent into the air. She breathed it in with gusto as the sound of running water grew in volume.

Arriving at the southern river bank, Zyra realized her leisurely pace and enjoyment of the jungle canopy's beauty had made her and the treant last to arrive. Zyra exchanged brief eye contact with Fizz, Nami, Tahm'Kench, Garen and Darius before settling uneasily on Darius' axe. She was begrudgingly impressed in a morbid way that he had made an axe so thoroughly coated in brain matter and blood shine like a mirror only hours after the massacre.

"How is it so clean?"

Oops. She had said that aloud. The loudly ponderous interior Zyra had finally leaked to the surface.

Tahm's beady eyes blinked and his cavernous maw started to open, stopped, then started again, "My dear, have you come down with amnesia or did you forget that I invited you here for the very opposite reason? This river is filthy."

And it was. Not bothering to explain her earlier words that had audibly punctuated her train of thought, she beheld the sight before her. It was not polluted with dirt, blood or trash. It was polluted with animals. Dead animals. The stench alone was unsettling on a deeply visceral level. A ferret of some sort lay rotting in a sunbeam breaking through the leaves, and multiple fish were belly up and flowing powerlessly with the current.

To see nature in so dire a state made Zyra physically ill in a way unique to her. Maokai's leaves and branches drooped at the sight of it. Fizz and Nami, who almost never missed a chance to play in water, would not put so much as a scale in. The River King himself appeared vexed and perhaps even sad. He was quite proud of his ability to independently manage what he considered his territory, which indicated to Zyra that the scale of this yet unexplained tragedy had moved him greatly given that he had asked for help.

Those he had invited who had not shown up included Bard, which in and of itself meant this problem was one that was solvable by mortal means.

Those he hadn't invited who did show up included Garen and Darius. The long time foes had taken a few moments to be surprised by the watery graveyard in front of them and then resumed the dagger eyed machismo staring contest that defined their every interaction outside of Summoner battles. Not only did they not have expertise in this matter, but would likely slow progress with their bickering as well.

"Smells like the streets of Demacia's capital" Darius commented.

"Here we go" everyone but the rivals thought in unison.

"VILE SCOURGE! This is the handiwork of foul Noxians, guaranteed. It basically has your signature Darius." Garen grunted the last word through gritted teeth.

"My signature? My signature is written in red ink with an axe on flesh paper. Come over here and I'll give you my autograph."

"Cease this jabbering you pugilant yappering mutts" Tahm interjected with annoyance in his thick drawl. "We are here to assess the abysmal state of the river. Each of you that I welcomed here has a unique penchant for the preservation of natural purity, and as such are naturally suited to uncovering the source of this revolting mess."

Nami spoke up, "Darius has a point...none of these animals have any cuts, marks or signs of being killed. These animals died from being in the water or drinking it."

Fizz added, "But we can't see or smell poison. It's fishy but-" Fizz realized his untimely and poor choice of words and looked down at his feet.

Tahm turned to Zyra and Maokai. "What have you two to say on this?"

Maokai, whose suspicions naturally targeted mages as the causes of such disasters could only say, "I sense no dark magics at work here."

Zyra knew this jungle very well. Every plant here had whispered to her at some point and every vine reached where she encouraged it to grow. The observation she made was very obvious to her, "No plants grow along the river banks anymore."

The other champions then realized this was true. Nowhere the water ran had a sign of growth anymore. The tall,  healthy brush that grew right in the middle was wilted and whithered for the first time in their collective memories.

Finally, Nami dared to touch the water. Fizz reached a hand out to stop her but she shook it off her shoulder. "I can observe many properties of water. Don't worry friend, I cannot be harmed by my own element." She scooped a handful into her cupped hand. No immediate effects seemed to be felt, and she whispered words of purity magic. Her staff briefly glowed a deep blue then faded.

Nami's expression contorted into utterly dumbfounded.

"...It is not corrupted by any poison."

"Then what is the cause of these critters' demise?" asked Tahm.

Nami seemed unable to come to terms with something.

"It is not river water. It is not freshwater. It is...what do you call it...human water?"

Garen clarified, "Human water? Do you mean tears?"

Nami nodded. "The river has been completely saturated with salt. This whole river...is running with tears."

And that's how the juggernaut patch changed the landscape of Summoner's Rift forever.