Of Silence and Scars finale

This is the final installment of my fan fiction! I have loved writing it, deciding to finish it out today in stead of waiting two more days. I want to thank anyone who has read every chapter along the way, and still wonder if anyone would like it if I posted the whole document in one place. I would love to hear what anyone thought of the story, and the idea of me trying to write a book about the league. Another question, I was going to write much shorter stories about small groups of champions trying to deal with the void stone dropping into their midst. Please let me know, and enjoy the final two chapters! :D

Side Note: Total word document was 90 pages long, 46955 words.

XXX Draven, Xin, and Darius descended the icy stairs, deep into the mountain fortress. Torches were sparsely spaced, leaving many stairs in total darkness. Echoes of battle rattled down the stairs behind them. After many flights of stairs, they came upon a rusted steel door. Pressing tentatively on the door, trying to remain quiet, Draven opened it silently and gazed into the room beyond. Cages of steel lined the room. On the far end was a well decorated door with two Forged guards standing expressionless. Several hideous trolls slunk around the cells, tormenting the prisoners within. Draven looked back at his companions and signaled the numbers of opponents. He whispered to Darius to take down the two Forged guards as he and Xin took out the trolls. They nodded and broke into the door. Draven hurled a spinning axe down a narrow corridor in between the nearest cages, ricocheting the blade off of the bars to slice two trolls in half. Xin Zhao charged into the nearest opponent, dispatching him with ease. The others stared down the Demacian spearman and he held them at bay with quick jabs. Draven approached from behind him and hurled a barrage of axes into their ranks as they tried to pass Xin’s guard. They were cut down easily and searched for keys to the cages. Darius ignored all that commotion and charged headlong into the Forged. These were different than ones he had encountered however. The crystals that composed these creatures was black like obsidian instead of the purple-hued usual. He swung viscously at the nearest ones mid-section. The crystal did not give in the slightest. A mere crack was all he accomplished. “Oh… shit.” He grumbled as a massive arm lifted and smacked him hard in the chest. He rolled with the blow, spinning to counter strike. Keeping them at arm’s length, the Hand of Nexus stalled their advance as he called back, “Hey guys! These guys are different. Gonna need a lot more firepower…” Draven searched the ragged tunic of the nearest troll, “I’m working, I’m working. Hold them!” Darius was losing ground steadily, “Any day now!” Sweat crawled its way into the executioner’s eye. He swiped quickly at his face, no keys in sight. He moved to the next body when a jingling of metal sounded above him. He gazed up to see Xin, dangling a ring of rusted keys. Dropping them into the Noxian’s hands, Xin let out a cry as he turned to batter the dark forms of the Forged to assist Darius. Draven ran down the cages, looking for two people in particular he remembered being taken. Scanning the darkness across faces he recognized. They pleaded to be released, and Draven answered, mostly distracted, “Yea, yea. I’ll come back you whiners…. Where the hell is… Ah ha!” Darius called out again, “Draven! Move your ass!” Draven didn’t answer as he fumbled with the small keys in the high pressure situation. Adrenaline not helping, the shaking hands clasped key after key trying to open the cage. One of the Forged grasped Xin’s spear and punched the Demacian hard, dropping him to the floor with a grunt. Xin did not rise as Darius swore quietly and put himself in between the monsters and the fallen champion. This meant he could not keep backing up though, and the fight was becoming more and more hopeless. “Draven! What the hell is taking so…” He was interrupted by a cry from his side. He glanced over just in time to see the mighty form of Garen dive headlong into the fray. Spinning and slicing viscously, the Might of Demacia unleashed all of his fury upon his captor to save his comrade. The mighty obsidian form faltered and staggered backwards under the unrelenting assault. Garen slammed into it with all of his weight to knock it off of its feet for a moment, he rammed his great sword deep into the battered chest of the crystal screaming out “Demacia!” As the larger sword of Demacian justice descended from the sky and shattered the monster. The remaining Forged behemoth stalled, trying to process what to do as the ground around it glowed blue. Spirit fire weakened its defenses as Nasus sprinted from the darkness, “You cannot contain Shurima! Perish!” He lifted his halberd high and brought it down, battering a deep crack into the shoulder of the enemy. It threw a desperate blow back at the Curator of the Sands, but he didn’t flinch as it smacked his side. Striking twice more to weaken the form further, Nasus put his full force into one last swing, shattering the foe like glass before a flying stone. Garen brushed past Darius, crouching to check on Xin Zhao. Darius rumbled, “You’re welcome. Ass.” Draven continued releasing prisoners. Nasus approached him and thanked him for the release. “Don’t thank me fido. I didn’t come for you. Where is Sona?” Nasus brushed off the comment, “The mages were taken past the far door.” Draven thanked him as the sound of voices came from the stairs. Nasus took the keys, “Go now. I will continue here. We can hold them off. I know many here who want a shot at those who would leave us caged!” Draven nodded and ran past the far door. Darius and Garen loosened tight muscles, disbanding the exhaustion and weariness. They slammed shut the steel door, locking it. The small hinges would only hold so long however. Darius looked around for his brother, not seeing him leave. He called out Draven’s name. Nasus shouted from the cage he was currently working on, “Your brother proceeded onward.” “You stupid mutt, why did you let him go?” “Noxian manners are as alive as always I see. And he asked a question, I answered. The choice was his.” He growled. Darius groaned aloud and turned to follow. A gauntlet rested on his armored shoulder, and Garen spoke softly, “Noxian, I need your help for a while. The others are not yet free, our numbers increase by the minute, but are still low. Stay until we can hold without you!” “I won’t save your worthless hide. I have my own things to do.” The gauntlet held firm, “Then think of this, how well will your mission fare if we are killed and the others stay locked up? How do your odds stand, just you and your brother versus whatever is beyond that door and an army of trolls on your heels? Your brother left, I know. He is reckless and you worry. But he will have to deal with his own troubles. Please Hand of Noxus! See reason.” Darius slapped away the hand, and after a long pause he sighed and turned back and stood beside Garen. “The moment you weaklings can hold I am out.” “Fair enough.” Garen replied and braced for the assault as fists pounded on the other side of the door. Hinges creaked as bent, spit and hair sneaking through the cracks as trolls pressed their bodies against the gap to see their prey. The door buckled and the two warriors charged into the fray. Champions trickled in to help as they were released.

Draven ran down a tunnel of ice with stone floors. Reflections and distorted light lined the walls as he ran. His footsteps echoed loudly, sound stacking on itself to a soon deafening noise. At the end of the tunnel a dim light shone. Emerging from the noise into a massive cavern, Draven took a moment to assess the chamber. Ice, huge surprise he thought, coated the walls. A walkway of dark stone wound its way across an endless chasm into the black abyss below. Strange glowing runes were embedded in each tile of stone. Draven tentatively walked out onto the path, spotting a great doorway on the other end of the chasm. Larger, more elaborate runes ran in an arch over the door, most of them were dim. Only two remained lit. To either side of the great door were cocoons of ice, each one containing the struggling form of a mage. Above the door hung the cocoon containing the Ice Phoenix Anivia. Draven walked across the path, approaching the cocoons. A voice rang out, cool and mocking. “In rides the white knight to save the damsel in distress. Glorious Draven, arriving just in time to save the day! Playing the hero instead of the fool for once. What a tale! A great story! Too bad it is just that, a story. Told to children in their beds to give them false hope.”
Malzahar floated from the darkness, standing in between Draven and the caged champions and the door. “It is almost finished Noxian. I will not fail now!” He glanced back as one of the remaining two runes flickered and faded. “The Watchers will come, and they will open the void! Your world will feed our hunger! You bones will break under our feet as we rule this new world!”
Draven smiled and laughed, “Your delusions are so cute. I think you are living in a dream my friend! Your fortress is breached, your armies under siege, and a rather handsome warrior is here to plant a leather boot in your ass before he frees everyone and is renowned as the greatest hero of all time! I will even have time to clean your blood off of my uniform before the photo shoot if I play my cards right.”
Malzahar cackled, “I am in a dream? You are the scum of a violent slum of a city-state. You dream of getting the girl and be the good guy? No. I can see the dreams that haunt you. The past weighs on you like rocks on a table, legs bowing about to snap. All they need, is one… little…” he raised an arm slowly, locking bright eyes with Draven “push.”
The eyes shone and a ringing ravaged Draven’s eardrums. It was all he could do not to vomit as he collapsed to his knees, vision hazing in and out. Images flashed in front of his eyes. He recognized them from his dreams. Fire. Screaming. Death. His hands shook, his breath was ragged and heavy. Sweat poured from his body as every fiber was assaulted by the prophet of the void. He couldn’t stop the images! They got worse, showing him his childhood home burning. The image of Darius being killed by a great black figure impaling him. The broken form of Sona staring blankly into space with a broken body. Draven let out a scream, but it did nothing to help him, the ringing only grew in intensity. 

Darius fought in the prison, now surrounded by allies. The fighting was pushed back through the tiny doorway, forming a bottleneck for one, maybe two trolls could come through at a time. Darius told Garen he was heading after Draven and the Demacian thanked him for seeing reason. Darius charged down the stone stairs into the hallway of ice. A cry of pain blasted him with noise. It echoed down the tunnel, increasing in intensity as he carried on. Each step grew in speed as the Noxian pushed his body harder when he recognized the voice to be that of his brother. The fool was going to die! Armor rattled as Darius pushed his massive frame to its limit.
Rounding the corner into the chasm, he saw Malzahar tormenting Draven. His brother had collapsed and held his head while screaming in pain. Veins pulsed along Draven’s temples and his bloodshot eyes were wide open staring at the floor. Darius lunged forward and hurled his ax at Malzahar to break his spell over Draven. The void prophet drew back, dodging the weapon but was too late to move out of the way as the Noxian tackled him, slamming iron fists into his unprotected face. Rending the opponent unconscious, he turned back to Draven. 
The Noxian was a shell of himself. He gasped for air while staring at the floor. He did not rise from his knees as the attack was fresh in his mind. He took a moment to recompose himself, then shook his head as he stood. “I didn’t need saving.” He rubbed his head gingerly, “I had him on the ropes.” 
Darius laughed heartily, “You are shameless! You are pathetic.”
Draven passed him, “Thanks though.” 
Darius patted his shoulder, “It’s what I do.” They looked to the cocoons, deciding the best course of action. Darius tested the ice. It was surprisingly brittle to his blade. They must have been reinforced against magic, not brute force. He began freeing the mages one by one as Draven looked for Sona. Scanning each cell for her face, he bypassed eight cells before he found her. Previous wounds and exhaustion forgotten, Draven slammed the ice and pulled her lithe form from it. She held him weakly, and he held her close, running his hand through her perfect hair.  He whispered comforts to her as he held her close. 
Darius chopped away at the third cell in his path, “No it’s totally fine. I like saving your sorry ass. I like doing all the hard work. I’m not tired, or pissed, or out of patience! Be an asshole. See what I care!”
Draven laid Sona gently against the wall, he couldn’t help but smile from seeing her safe, “Yea yea, you big baby. I’m coming.”

Swain ascended the stairs with Vladimir and Morgana in tow. He had crept away from the lobby fight as planned. Morgana and Vladimir had also snuck away as he had instructed in private. They entered the top room of the fortress, seeing Lissandra leaning over a balcony, watching the battle below. “Who dares to challenge me?”
Swain strode in, leaning on the aged wood of his cane, “Three mages who feel left out from the kidnapping party. We simply wish to show you why we are worth trapping.”
“Only fools rush into the jaws of death.”
“I will take my chances.” He continued the back and forth to buy time for the Crimson Reaper and Fallen Angel to spread out into the circular space. The others reached their positions as Lissandra turned.
“Enough talk! You will pay for your arrogance! My power is beyond your imagination!” Her head piece pulsed purple energy as she threw out several claws at once.  Swain stood watching as she appeared in the center of the room and sent out a tide of spikes across the room. Vladimir descended into a blood pool, sliding closer to the Ice Witch as he emerged, casting several attacks in rapid succession. She yelled out as she threw several ice spikes at him, struggling to find her mark against the evasive Noxian. Swain moved in, while Morgana held back as previously instructed. Swain transformed into a great raven and threw several spells of his own to whittle away at Lissandra. He held the spell nevermove, the plan hinged on it. Swain and Vladimir continued casting spells in intervals, trading off the damage as the other recovered his strength. Lissandra was too flustered to notice that Morgana was staying out of the fight. Anything she landed hit the two mages that were sustaining the fight through their regenerative spells. Swain’s ravens picked away at her, feeding him strength, and Vlad stole blood from her veins to sustain his strength as well. They had to hold only a little longer, waiting for her patience to break. She howled in fury and started to lash violently at her assailants, rapidly hurling spikes in all directions, even rooting both of them in place. 
This was Morgana’s cue, and she ran forward, calling out she would save them. Her flowing dress caught on a crystal protruding from the floor, she fell with a cry. Lissandra saw her laying prone, and took the free shot. Throwing a charge spike straight at the Fallen Angel, she hoped to end this fight shortly. Morgana smirked as the bait was taken, and her black shield deflected the attack. She replied with a dark binding, rooting the Ice Witch in place. Lissandra howled as Swain’s held nevermove landed for free, rooting her even longer as ravens and blood magic pummeled her. Morgana ran up close to the rooted opponent, casting out her soul shackles on Lissandra. She screamed out, “Enough!” And encased herself in a frozen tomb.
The force knocked away the three assailants, and they stood up to approach slowly. They prepared to lock her down once more when she emerged, the plan was working perfectly so far. Lissandra’s sustained damage was useless on the great sustain and traded aggression from the two hardy form of Swain and Vladimir, while Morgana stayed back just for a baited lockdown. The tomb began to lower slowly, and Swain’s eyes narrowed as the ice faded entirely, with no one inside. A shadow passed under his feet, within the ice. He swore under his breath. The power of the stone slipped from his grasp. His plans for a Noxian world slipped away under the ice and out of reach.

Draven and Darius crouched in front of the great door to the cell of the Watchers. Their muscles screamed out in protest after the effort they had put in to free all of the captured mages. Azir walked up and down the rows of tired mages, making sure all of them survived the captivity. He announced in a hearty voice, “The Watchers will not return this day, I commend you both for your courage.”
The brothers both cheered sarcastically, “Yay, we are awesome. Love to do this for no pay or reward. It rocks!”
Sona floated over and hugged Draven again, signing how happy she was to see him. He said he had missed her too and was glad she was ok. Sona kissed him passionately, ignoring Darius coughing in the background, “*cough* *cough* awkward. *Cough* please stop *cough* not the time *cough*.” 
A collective laugh ensued and Sona blushed as Draven laughed, “You are all just jealous!”
The air grew cold. They looked around as Lissandra rose from an icy patch on the path to the great doorway. “You ignorant fools think you have won? The Watchers will be freed! I cannot be defeated!” She raised an open hand to the final rune, blasting it with Icy stream of power.

Anivia and Azir rallied the other mages, “We will not be used again!” The collection of mages leapt to their sides as all cast their power at the portal. The final rune flickered, then glowed brighter than before, filling the already dulled runes with life once more. Lissandra flew into a rage, “No! I will not be stopped by mortal vermin!” She turned on them, throwing spikes into their ranks. Sona cast the Aura of Perseverance, blunting the assault, then slammed Lissandra with a crescendo. She reeled back from the magic assault as the others joined in. Light, energy, lightning, fire, and even ice slammed into her as her defenses were overwhelmed. The void stone in her headpiece glowed brightly as its power was being overdone. Azir summoned several sand soldiers that charged forward, jabbing up at her head. Lissandra leaned backward to dodge the points, and one slid onto the stone. She screamed as it was almost freed by the force of the blow. Draven saw this and spun an ax slowly. He took careful aim, knowing he had only one shot. Whipping his arm underhand, the blade flew true, hitting the stone at an upward angel. The stone flew into the air. Several spells struck the stone midair, agitating it as the glow turned from purple to bright white. All were stunned as a great flash blinded them all. A portal was torn in the air as the stone tumbled back into the void. Lissandra wailed at her failure as she used the last of her power to submerge herself into the ice. She would live to fight another day. Draven flexed and kissed his bicep, “No big deal. I am fantastic, I know.” Everyone groaned, but it did not entirely ruin their celebratory spirit. They managed a cheer as Garen and the others funneled in to join them in the chamber. Up above, the Forged warriors dissolved without the stone to sustain their presence. The voidlings scattered far and wide without the guidance of the commands from Lissandra to rally them. Trolls raised their hands in surrender as they became sorely outnumbered and did not wish to die leaderless. Trundle fled to the hills before the enemy sought out any generals of Lissandra’s force left over. The men cheered at their victory, and Jarvan smiled as he stood amongst the ruin of the battlefield. Many good men were lost. But even more good men were saved.

XXXI Swain returned to Noxus, sending out agents to try and discover if the stone would remerge somewhere else. Jarvan led the Demacians home for a great parade and to see how the repairs to his palace had come along. He was relieved to be leaving the Noxian alliance behind him. Pentakill rejoiced with the return of Sona to them. After a reunion drink in a nearby Freljord pub in Avarosa, they also parted. Most returning to the Shadow Isles, while Olaf followed the Winter’s claw back to camp. Ashe stopped Sejuani, talking briefly with her, “See? United we are a stronger people!” Sejuani spat on the ground, “I knew I should have left you to rot in your city.” Ashe shook her head as the other leader departed. Darius returned home with Swain as well, wanting to return to the quiet of his home for just a little while without being kidnapped or shipped halfway across the continent. Draven enjoyed his well-earned and promised vacation. His toes wormed through the fine white sands, enjoying the warm and peaceful bliss of the ocean. Relaxing in the blissful serenity of a small island off the coasts of Ionia, Draven laid back in his sun chair. In a bathing suit with a shark tooth necklace hanging low on his scarred chest, Draven raised his drink to take a long sip of the nectar. It was in a coconut half, which he thought was cool and Sona had humored him. Thinking of her, he glanced over at her as she laid back as well. Wearing dark sunglasses over her eyes, she seemed so peaceful. Her smile was soft and content as she absorbed the midday sun in her bright blue bikini that matched her hair. Draven stood up, the moment was just too perfect for his taste. He lifted Sona as she inquired as to what he was doing. He took her with as he walked to the water and she struggled to free herself. She failed to escape as he hurled them both into the cold water. They emerged soaked as she slapped at his shoulder and he roared in laughter. Ignoring her hits, he slid closer and embraced her tightly. She ceased hitting him and returned the hug. She leaned back and signed that she loved him, and thanked him for saving her from Lissandra. “All in a day’s work for Draaaaven!” She gave him a look, twisting her mouth. He sighed, “Fine, it might have taken a bit of effort. And I love you too.” She smiled and kissed him. He held her close going through his mental checklist of things for a perfect vacation. Of course he was there, check. Beautiful woman in a bikini, check. Ocean in the warm sun with now snow or ice in sight, check. No annoying brother or Katarina to give him hell, check. And a pervy fish thing watching them make out in the ocean… check. He raised a middle finger to Fizz who was lounging on a nearby rock, watching them. The fish laughed, “You two should get a room!” Draven broke from Sona, “We got an entire Island! What more do you want from me?” Fizz laughed, “You call this a date? The cliché department called and wanted to let you know you are abusing the lifetime membership!” “I always wanted to try my hand at making sushi! Come here fish stick!” Draven sloshed over to the rock trying to catch the playful trickster. Fizz easily avoided him, laughing all the way. Sona shook her head and smiled. She couldn’t have been happier than she was at this moment.

Deep in the dungeons of the Noxian Spire, Urgot worked away at some idle paperwork. He reached down to pat Kog’maw on the head, and the void creature cooed softly and nuzzled the metal leg of his new friend. Urgot laughed, enjoying his first friend in a long time.