"Mess with the bull and you get the horns!"~ Alistar, The Unchained
Future Manager here.... new Darkin skins just dropped and the skin for Jarvan looks similar to what I had imagined for Caalyx. (I'll add it to this comment.)
Drop a comment or review!
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As the group continued, they came across a group of cloaked tribesmen walking solemnly across from them.
Gregori stopped.
The children continued.
"Stop." He called out firmly.
Sydell turned to him questioningly, "We can just squeeze through, there is enough space."
Gregori shook his head and remained silent.
The group stopped but were still wondering why Gregori had not let them pass.
As the tribesmen passed, they saw, floating behind them, was a stone platform with a person lain on it.
"The Farewell." Gregori spoke as they watched the floating platform carry the person off. "It is the Targonian culture of last rites for a person. They are brought to one of the AncientThresholds and are pushed off the edge."
Willa looked alarmed, "Just pushed off?"
"They don't fall." Gregori explained as he began to walk again, turning toward the floating slab. "They rise. And eventually become part of the magic surrounding this land."
Faye turned to Willa, "What do they do in Demacia?"
"Dear child they are buried." Willa explained, "In ornate caskets with some amount of Petricite in it."
"Why put Petricite?" Rell asked. "The dead don't have a use for the material do they?"
Willa nodded, "The dead indeed do not have a use for the material but it is symbolic. To indicate that magic cannot reach them even when dead."
Rell grit her teeth at those words.
"Is magic really that bad?" Daani asked.
Gregori decided to step in, "It is less about magic itself and more about necromantic magic specifically."
"Necromanny?" Daisy looked confused.
"Necro-man-cy." Gregori corrected. "It is magic that affects the dead. It is what Noxians use for their undead legions. The warriors themselves are dead but they are forced to participate in battle even then. It is very dangerous and very morally wrong." Gregori gave all of them a sweeping glance, "Demacians had good reason to follow traditions but over the years its true meanings have faded into obscurity and those who remember why choose to hide it for their own purposes."
Willa gasped as her hand rose to her chest, "Is that a real thing? Undead warriors?"
Gregori nodded, "I have seen them myself. And it was quite common for the group I was in to be shipped together with the corpses. They thought we would join them soon enough."
"You were in that much danger?" Willa was outraged. "I told you to be safe!"
"You told me to survive." Gregori raised a finger as he corrected her, the finger pointed to himself, "And I have done a pretty good job of that so far."
"You know what I meant!" She frowned. "Just because you can survive through danger does not mean I want you to go through them." She pointed to the kids, "Would you prefer that the children manage to endanger themselves?"
Gregori shook his head. It seemed like this argument was one that he could not win at any cost. And her words did make sense. He had put himself in quite a lot of danger.
But to him..... it was necessary. He needed to be stronger. More skilled.
Wielding Caalyx was not easy.
If his body and mind weren't in proper condition, he could instantly break. It was why he had waited till he was better physically prepared before he transformed. It was also why he hadn't risked a full transformation in the battle against the Winter's Claw. The loss of blood from the previous transformation and the significant problems in his own body from the imprisonment had only worsened his state.
But he couldn't expect her to understand this. Not with that comparison of hers.
He had been old enough to make that particular decision himself unlike the children but even he knew that if the children were ever in that position at the same age as he was back then... he wouldn't let them make that choice.
And then a gust of chill air came through making the kids shiver.
"The outside!" Sydell yelled as he ran in the direction.
Everyone quickly followed, the beasts even taking to a gallop.
"Take all of this in." Gregori said as he caught up to the children standing outside the cave. "You will not come across scenery as beautiful as this often."
And beautiful it was.
The cave entrance gave way to the sprawling sea that shimmered in the sunlight, giving it an almost ethereal feel. The height at which they were just drove it all home.
"They look smaller than ants!" Daisy exclaimed as she pointed to something moving far below them.
"Is that ice?" Rell asked with her attention on a part of the mountain side.
Gregori gave it a cursory glance and nodded, "A frozen lake. The few and far between rains that happen to fall on the mountain is instantly frozen." He continued, "You see a dip in the ice there?"
Rell nodded.
"It was left behind when the tribesmen harvested some for water." Gregori explained but then a tense smile crept up on his face as he thought of something. "How do you find this Rell?"
Rell looked at him seemingly not understanding the question.
"Are you enjoying all of this?" Gregori repeated, "The travel. The constant moving."
She froze for a moment before smiling, "I love it." She looked toward the horizon, "The world beyond Noxus..... it is so..... so..... vibrant." She answered as she found the word she was looking for.
"How about the rest of you?" He asked. "Anything that you guys want in the future?"
They all replied with enthusiastic smiles.
"Ummm.." Daani sounded unsure.
Gregori turned to Daani. "What is it? Anything you want in our travels?"
Daani held both his hands and looked to the ground. "I....I want a home."
"A home?" Gregori was surprised. It was something he was planning for a little later but he didn't expect one of his children to ask for it.
Daani thought that Gregori would be angered at the suggestion and tried to explain, "A home where we all can live together. Happily. I don't remember much of my old home anymore and I.... I want one."
Gregori brought the boy into a hug. "Of course we can get a home. And it will happen soon okay? Just hold on a little." He rubbed the boy's back and patted him strong once and let go.
"Can we get one like the old one?" Daisy piped up. "I liked that home."
"That was your first home." Gregori clarified. "And anything you want. If you want it just like that..... you will get one just like that. But it would need to be just a little bigger. There are quite a lot of us now."
"Big family!" Annie repeated his words from before he had brought Leanna and Daisy home.
Gregori nodded, "Indeed. Big family."
"Did someone paint that?" Faye's hand was outstretched pointing to something.
Gregori nodded as he looked at the cave opening behind them. Tribal markings were painted onto the space above the caves, in dull grays and orange.
"Onwards to the southern side." Gregori pointed along the mountain side, "For this leg of the journey I want all of you to stand one behind the other and place one hand on the person in front of you. I do not want you to slip."
Leading them forward was quite easy. But making sure they did not end up slipping or hurting themselves on the jagged rocks that were protruding? That took more of his attention than he could imagine.
He had his magic primed and ready incase anyone needed a sudden lift.
The Avalance beasts performed well at the height, the beasts were in their natural habitat after all. Their hoofed feet were built for climbing rocky areas.
An hour of such travel led them to another cave entrance. One where Gregori decided that they would rest for the rest of the day. Climbing and precarious movement was more tiring than straightforward walking.
"This is our final stop for the day." He said as he led the children inside the cave, "Tomorrow.... we make it all the way to the Astral Grove."
"Okay!" Came Briar and Daisy's excited voices. The rest nodded with various degrees of excitement.
"Will we be able to make it by tomorrow?" Willa asked unsure of how much distance they might need to cover.
"We should." Gregori answered.