"No, I'm not, I didn't, I don't know anything!"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Duke shook his head so quickly it was almost a reflex, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.
"It was just an accident just now, you've got the wrong hero!"
"Really, you have to believe me!"
"But you picked it up, you lifted the hammer!"
Poppy's tiny fists clenched tight, her round eyes sparkling with excitement as she stared at Duke. He could only roll his eyes in exasperation. Yordles were always like this, single-minded to the extreme.
Take Vex, for example, all gloom. Heimerdinger was curiosity incarnate. Ziggs was explosions, Veigar delusions of grandeur, and now this hammer-wielding Yordle before him, unyielding stubbornness.
"Listen to me, Poppy."
Duke rested a hand on her shoulder, pointing at the hammer beside them. "I know this will sting a little, but the truth is, anyone can pick up that hammer."
"That's not the same! You lifted it. That makes you the real hero!"
"You can lead Demacia to true glory!"
"But I'm from Piltover and Zaun, I'm a Twin-Cities man!"
"That doesn't matter. We should abandon these petty boundaries. A true hero, fearless, brave, willing to sacrifice for honor, would never be bound by something as trivial as geography!"
"And besides, I searched the whole of Demacia. Out of countless people, you're the only one I found who could lift it and not die a miserable death!"
"…Wait. Did you just say something… about dying miserably?"
Duke narrowed his eyes at her. Poppy's long ears drooped as she glanced about nervously. "Did I?"
"What do you think?"
Duke turned to Siseria. If she dared say even half a word in denial, he'd toss her into his anti-gravity field and send her sky-high.
"I heard it. She said anyone else who lifted the hammer died horribly."
"That's because they weren't real heroes!" Poppy argued desperately, staring at Duke with a pleading, hopeful gaze.
Her life's mission was to find a true hero worthy of the hammer. Few could understand her obsession, but her perseverance was something even stone would respect.
Literally. The Justice Statue in Mithril City, if you pumped it full of magic, could actually change expressions.
This hammer had been in Poppy's hands for centuries. Her search for a hero had long since turned into obsession. But every so-called "hero" she had chosen before met an awful end.
Perhaps because the hammer itself had absorbed her magic and rejected others. Or maybe Poppy's intense supervision and blind admiration made those people overconfident, only to die charging recklessly ahead.
Either way, Duke had no intention of becoming that kind of "hero."
Heroic deeds? Noble sacrifices? That was nothing compared to locking himself in a lab and doing research.
If he were given a body that never tired, never rested, never died, Duke could bury himself in his lab until the end of time.
So no, he would never accept this hammer.
Looking at Poppy's earnest expression, Duke sighed. "You mean to say, anyone who can lift this hammer is the hero you've been looking for?"
"Exactly!" she nodded hard.
So Duke stood, casually flipped the hammer up by its handle, and lifted it with ease. He could feel the current of magic running through it, magic that felt identical to the little Yordle's own aura.
No wonder, it had been in her hands for centuries. Even a lump of iron left near a strong magnet for that long would become magnetized. Otherwise, the hammer would've crumbled long ago.
Demacia didn't have the ancient history of Noxus. A finely crafted hammer, yes, but still just a mortal's tool. Mordekaiser's mace, sure, that could withstand the ages. But this hammer? Untouched by time, perfectly preserved?
Even Thresh wouldn't buy that.
"Here, catch."
Duke tossed it to Pride. Pride caught it one-handed, gave his deck a few knocks with it, scratching the spot where the wyvern's claws had raked across earlier.
"See? He can lift it too."
"But…" Poppy's eyes darted between Duke and Pride. On Duke's signal, Pride passed the hammer to Gluttony. The gluttonous one twirled it like firewood, drooling as if he were about to take a bite out of it.
Before Gluttony could chew the thing, Duke snatched it back and shoved it into Siseria's hands. She might look frail, but she had hefted a warhammer before, no problem at all lifting it.
"So by your logic, if lifting the hammer makes someone the chosen hero, then all of us qualify, don't we?"
Duke's counterargument was sharp. If one person's strength was proof, then everyone's strength proved nothing.
"This… I… I…"
Poppy's eyes grew hazy with confusion, her little hands clenching tight.
Duke pressed while the iron was hot. "Maybe the hero you've been searching for… has been within your reach all along."
"Really?"
Her eyes lit up.
"Yes," Duke said smoothly. "She has long, shining blonde hair, tied into two knots at the top. Her gaze is full of determination, and no challenge can ever hold her back. And most importantly…" He smiled, "…she carries a hammer."
"I know!!" Poppy suddenly cried, excited. Duke leaned forward, expectant.
"It must be… the Demon-Slayer I've been searching for all this time!"
"…It's you. I was talking about you."
Duke rubbed his temples. Poppy's face was covered in question marks. "Me? Impossible!" She shook her head frantically.
"If anyone is worthy of this hammer, it's you." Duke's tone grew heavy with meaning. "Think back to what its maker told you."
"Ornn said this holy hammer was forged for Demacia's greatest hero. Only they could protect Demacia's unity."
"And I've been searching for him ever since!"
"Then why not you?" Duke pressed.
"No, it can't be me!"
"You're only lacking confidence and a sense of self."
He took the hammer back from Siseria and placed it firmly into Poppy's hands. "This belongs to you."
"But I think, "
"I don't want what you think. I want what I think." Duke cut her off flatly. "And I think you can. You really can."
"I…" Poppy looked down at the hammer, silent.
Duke waited, but her expression kept shifting. Finally, he sighed. "If you really can't accept it yet… then come with us on the road. See for yourself."
"Come… with you?"
"That's right." Duke nodded, pointing at the wyvern corpse not far away. "We were heading to Fosbarrow before that thing showed up. You saw it, when it died, a shadow spirit burst out of the body. There will be more of that to come. If you really are the hero, then you'll protect us."
Siseria rolled her eyes. More like he just wanted free labor.
"I… can I really do that?"
"Of course you can. All you need is confidence."
Duke flashed her a bright, persuasive smile.
Poppy looked from him to the hammer and back, then finally nodded. "Alright. These frenzied beasts will bring trouble to the nearby villages. I have to help deal with them."
"See? You've already made your resolve. And you still say you're not the hero you seek?"
"This is just the duty of any honorable, brave warrior, nothing more," she muttered, searching for excuses to hide her lack of confidence.
Duke could only sigh again. Ever since meeting her, he'd lost count of how many times he'd sighed.
This Yordle really was impossibly stubborn. Call it "resolute" if you wanted to be polite, but really, she was just pig-headed. And insecure, too.
Ornn, you blasted old goat. Playing riddles on your deathbed, did you realize how much trouble you've caused for generations?
Damn it.
He'd have to find Ornn's grave someday and burn some newspapers on it as an offering.
"So, you're heading to Fosbarrow next?" Poppy asked.
"Yes. We'll stay there for two days to recover, then on to Mithril City, and from there south to the capital."
"Alright. When do we leave?"
"In a moment. I need to have a word with this young lady first."
Duke smiled politely at her. Poppy shrugged and turned instead to Pride. "Wow, you're tall!"
"And you're short," Pride rumbled bluntly. "Like another Yordle I met once."
"You met another Yordle? What was he like?"
"He was… well…"
As the two of them talked, Duke pulled Siseria aside, folding his arms. "You know there are some things you shouldn't say aloud, don't you?"
"Which two things?" she asked cautiously, pointing toward Pride and Gluttony.
He nodded. "Exactly. Now you see, we each know a little of each other's secrets."
"So we'd better keep them, together."
"You agree?"
Faced with Duke's deceptively kind smile, Siseria swallowed. "Of… of course."
"Good. Very wise. In return, I can guarantee you'll never have a Seeker knocking on your door in this lifetime."
She forced a laugh. "That's… great."
"Yes." Duke clapped her shoulder and nodded toward Poppy. "You hide yourself well, little mage girl."
End of chapter....
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