"My warriors! Come and swear your allegiance to you Emperor."~ Azir, The Emperor of The Sands
New Cinematic seemed interesting. But then again it is 5 seconds of a shitty choppy video (I just don't like choppy looking videos. Probably why why it took me months after Into the Spiderverse to actually watch it. Gives me a headache.) With some Demacian bodies on the ground and some interesting looking stuff. But we get more Xin Zhao.
The Goat!
Drop a couple comments. A couple stones. Maybe even a meme.
Enjoy!
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"What's going on dad?" Daani asked as he stepped forward.
Gregori didn't reply as he stepped into the room.
"HI!" Caalyx looked at everyone with his single eye.
Everyone stared back in expectation.
"HI!" Briar waved back, her enthusiasm not waning with age.
"Daddy?" Annie asked worriedly, "Is everything alright?"
He looked over them all and then at Caalyx, taking a deep breath, "It has been five years." He began. "I know you want me to stay with you longer..... but I cannot. Caalyx and the rest have found traces of a Darkin in the Twin Cities. The two of us will be going there and capturing it."
"I'll get packing." Briar said as she stood up and began to walk out of the room.
His hand rose and blocked the door, preventing her from leaving.
"Why?" She asked.
"Too dangerous." He said as he focused on her.
"I am strong." She exclaimed, "We are strong!" She looked at everyone for support.
And they all looked sure of themselves.
He looked around the room and noticed Sydell missing.
Tap
Tap
He looked behind his shoulder, "Getting slow dad." Sydell began to walk toward the stairs.
"I don't need to be fast." Gregori said as Sydell continued walking. But he found himself unable to move as he rose an inch off the ground.
Even though his legs moved forward, his body slowly moved back. One step forward meant a step back.
"You cannot stop me from following you." Sydell said as he ended up right where he started.
"I can. And I will." Gregori answered, "Your lives. All of you. It has just become normal. The constant danger and suffering.....I do not wish it for you. Live happy. That is all."
Rell shook her head and stood up, "Danger is fine. But we are not suffering. Not anymore."
"Frankly..." Faye looked back at the letter she was writing and hastily scribbled something at the end of it. "I feel like a bit of adventure is what we need." She slid the letter into an envelope.
"I'm not staring into a sky and praying for you to come back daddy." Daisy looked at him firmly, not shifting her eyes at his gaze. "I do not want to do that again."
"And the safest place is near you no?" Daani said from beside him, "Would you rather us be with you or here where we could be attacked while you are away?"
Gregori scoffed, "This place is near impossible for anyone to enter by mistake, not to mention find and attack."
"Near impossible." Daani repeated, pointing out his words. "That is the crucial part. And it IS impossible for us to be in danger with you around."
His eyes found Annie and he stared at her.
"I'm going." She said. Her eyes burning with emotion as she refused to elaborate further or provide explanation. "Tibbers is bored." She added at the end.
"No." Gregori calmly replied.
"I think...." Willa softly spoke from her seat, "You should take them with you."
"You too?" He turned to Willa.
Briar and Daani gave her a thumbs up from behind him. She gave them a kind smile.
"Yes." She replied to Gregori. "They are children, except for those two but it doesn't matter. And they have been cooped up in here for so long. They need to meet people. To see the outside world for themselves the way someone of their age should."
"But it is dangero-"
"Of course it is." Willa cut him off. "But that is life. If you are afraid of death in every waking moment..... when will you live? Don't hold them back Gregori. Let them live. Let them grow."
Gregori looked at Caalyx.
"What do you want me to say?" Caalyx replied in his mind instead of out loud. "They DO need to be let out. You cannot coddle them forever Gregori. Five years is like a few seconds to me but to a mortal it is a lot more."
"Fine." Gregori consented. "Pack your bags. All of you. Only important things. A few sets of clothes. Waterskins. And bags. Don't get too much since we will buy clothes of the region to better blend in."
The teenagers ran up the stairs.
Rell stood in front of him for a moment before reaching out and hugging him, "Thank you..... for caring..."
"You shouldn't thank a father for loving his children Rell." He said as he held her tight, "I..... I just fear for your safety."
"And that is enough." Rell said as she broke the hug and flashed him a smile, "Now... lets get ready for another adventure. New lands. New places. New foods."
Gregori let out a small chuckle and watched as she walked up the stairs.
"They love you, you know." Willa said as she watched the display.
He nodded. "Get ready Willa."
She frowned, "Me? Not a chance. My bones creak if I walk too much." She gestured to the house, "I like this place. I'll stay here and await your return. I can manage that much. And even look after that little group downstairs."
The Darkin had tried reaching out to his children before as hosts but never had they tried to covet Willa.
An old body.
Bad host material.
Why go for the withered when the fresh stood right in front of them?
"No. I do not plan on letting the door leading underground stay open." Gregori said, "Just because they haven't moved for you now does not mean they won't once we are gone. A host can be replaced at a different location. I am not taking the chance." He fell into thought for a moment and then looked outside. "I think I will leave the two beasts with you. I am not bringing them into the desert. They are not built for the weather. It would do more harm than good. And it is also safety. For you."
"They listen to me better than you." Willa looked out of he window, "They would make things easier as well."
"Then that is that sorted." He said as he walked out of the room with Caalyx in hand, "I should get packing.
By the time the hour turned, there were eight bags neatly packed and placed outside the room near the entrance to the home.
"Tomorrow morning." Gregori said as he looked over the children once more, "We set off. It will be a straight walk to from here to Nerimazeth. It should take us a week. And then a couple days to the west near Targon, there is a Hextech Teleporter we can take straight to Piltover."
"We are taking the blue light thing?" Daisy asked remembering the structure in Kalamanda.
"Yes." Gregori said. "It is safe. I personally checked this both by looking at the incoming visitors and consulting with Soraka."
"When did you do that?" Faye frowned.
He smiled, "Two visits ago. We had time. You all were more interested in playing with the Stellarcorn."
"So.... we should be at Piltover within a week and some days?" Sydell asked to confirm.
He nodded.
"Where's Willa's bag?" Briar asked pointing out the obvious.
"I'm not coming child." She answered.
Briar looked shocked, "Why?"
Willa waved her close, She held Briar's hands and then lovingly spoke, "I cannot travel long distances child. It is why I didn't come with you lot to Targon the past few times. Age is catching up to me. The only thing I need now is rest. Not adventure. That is for you all to experience."
Briar nodded and spoke, "Then you have to be safe Willa."
"Oh I will." She replied, "Don't you worry."
"Alright then." Gregori said. "Time to sleep. All of you head back to your rooms. We have a big day tomorrow."
Everyone went to their rooms and fell asleep.
Gregori lay in his bed in thought.
In the initial few months, the children had slept in his room. But as the months passed and they got used to everything, the need for comfort had seen to them moving to their own rooms. Sydell and Daani shared a room. Rell and Briar shared a room. And the three girls shared the larger room in the attic. They like the arrangement. His room and Willa's room were close enough to every room in case anything was an issue. That seemed to reassure them further.
"Hey Gregori." Caalyx spoke from beside him.
"Yes?"
"At least you will have your children beside you in case you need to transform." He said.
"Don't curse us before we start fucker." Gregori shot back. His thumb idly running over a ring on his hand. A yellow stone softly glowing within the ring, holding the blood magic back.