"...That much of it is food and little trinkets?" Caleb looked at the pile of goods stacked like a small hill, then cast Kai'Sa a hesitant glance.
She had been dragged into the Void as a child, and the fact that she'd survived all these years meant she was exceptional in plenty of ways. In a fight, for example, she could practically blink from place to place while firing like mad with both hands and the pods on her back. Purple energy bolts filled the air like a storm, blanketing everything in sight, and every shot detonated with violent force.
But when it came to talking to people, or even just daily life, she went right back to the mindset of a seven-year-old.
Take that shopping spree just now. It had cost Caleb a lot of money.
Thankfully, most of what she'd picked out were delicate little decorations, and she hadn't chosen anything overly extravagant.
"Good thing I happen to run a city, otherwise I'd be bankrupt right now."
Caleb flipped open his wallet and checked what was left. He had spent a little too much gold.
In a place like this, ancient tombs were everywhere, so gold coins were worth less instead.
"Miscalculated..." Caleb pressed a hand to his forehead with a sigh.
Ziggs had been a lot more well-behaved these last few days.
There was a reason for that. Caleb had figured out that the bowstring on the Hextech multifunction bow could also be used like a rope.
The energy cord bound Ziggs so tightly he had no way out, and his big mouth had been stuffed with a wad of cloth.
Caleb's admiration for Viktor had only grown deeper.
What a genius.
"So, what's your deal?"
He pulled the soggy gag from Ziggs's mouth and asked with a pleasant smile.
"I'll tell you where the portal is, you just dump me there."
Ziggs looked like he was about to cry.
In all his years, he had never suffered such humiliation.
No matter where yordles went, they were treated with respect.
But this brat, even after learning about his achievements in the art of demolition, still dared treat him like this.
Ziggs felt humiliated beyond words, but what made it even worse was that Caleb was patient.
He searched him several times a day, so there was never any chance to stockpile materials.
Then later he started tying him up with rope and force-feeding him food and water every day.
No. Ziggs would rather go to Bandle City, stay there for a while, and come back out later.
Since yordles lived so long, what awaited Ziggs was basically a prison sentence that could stretch for centuries.
That part he could live with. At least you could break out of Bandle City.
And more importantly, he wouldn't have to be stripped bare by Caleb every single day, getting pawed all over while all his hidden supplies were shaken loose.
And Caleb did it right in front of other people.
That girl in purple had even stood there and watched.
Tch.
It all came down to one thing.
Disgusting.
Ziggs didn't even do that with the lights on himself.
"Sure," Caleb said, not believing him for a second.
Leaving Kai'Sa behind to sort through the little things she had bought, Caleb grabbed Ziggs in one hand and started walking into the distance.
Trust Ziggs?
Then the little madman would blow Caleb and Kai'Sa sky-high, stand there cackling by himself, and call it a great day.
There was no way Caleb was giving him that opportunity.
Yordles lived too long for Caleb to think of Ziggs as a normal prisoner.
And in this stretch of Shurima, even with the initiative in his hands, Caleb was still the outsider.
"Let's go." Caleb beckoned to Kai'Sa behind him, and she immediately wrapped all her newly bought trinkets in her cloak.
Perfect timing, too. The road ahead was the same one both of them needed to take, assuming you didn't count the Ziggs dangling from Caleb's hand like a lantern.
"Woo..." Ziggs was overwhelmed with grief.
This might have been the first time in his entire life that he regretted setting off explosions without caring how other people felt.
...
Sivir woke from unconsciousness.
The wall before her was lavish beyond belief.
She only remembered taking a job. Then, after seeing that relief carving, a strange sense of familiarity had washed over her.
In that same instant, a dagger had pierced straight through her abdomen.
Cassiopeia, that Noxian noblewoman, had betrayed her, betrayed her entire mercenary band...
The last thing she had seen before blacking out was venomous fangs erupting from the relief and sinking into that treacherous woman's body...
"I... where am I?"
She slowly pushed herself up. The crossblade she normally kept on her at all times was nowhere to be seen.
"Looking for this?"
A towering figure stepped out of the shadows and held it out to her.
He was dressed in gold from head to toe, radiating imperial splendor.
The scepter in his hand was almost an afterthought beside that hawk-like head.
"You are..." Sivir's pupils widened as she stared at the being before her in disbelief.
The Ascended Azir, his stories were everywhere in Shurima.
In prophecies and folktales alike, he was fated to return.
But life in Shurima had been too hard for too long.
People struggling just to survive had long since forgotten the fallen empire of the desert, no matter how glorious it had once been.
Azir was extremely patient with the Sivir before him. Slowly, he said, "Shurima, your emperor has returned."
...
"What is it?"
Atop a dune, Kai'Sa was planting a wooden stake into the sand.
While traveling, the dunes shifted constantly with the wind.
So to make sure they kept moving in a straight line, Caleb had resorted to a map, a compass, and a system of markers.
If all else failed, following the stakes he'd planted would lead them back the way they came.
Caleb finally understood why this stretch of desert felt so different from the places he had crossed before.
On earlier roads, no matter how desolate things got, there was always something to use as a point of reference.
A dried-up riverbed. Some ancient structure. Even a patch of oasis.
But here, there was nothing.
Only endless yellow sand swirling through the air, making every step forward a struggle.
"Are we close?"
Kai'Sa caught up to him.
Compared with Caleb, Kai'Sa was undeniably far more efficient when it came to moving around.
"We should be."
Caleb looked out in every direction. Even if the portal site had shifted, there was nothing here but sand, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.
Then suddenly, Caleb turned and looked toward another direction.
"What happened?" A trace of worry appeared on Kai'Sa's face.
This place was definitely safer than the Void.
But the environment wasn't exactly good either.
Surely they weren't about to get ambushed out here too. That would be unbelievably bad luck.
Kai'Sa thought to herself.
"After we go to Bandle City, we'll head to the Sun Disc."
Caleb lowered his head, glanced at the compass, and pointed at the map.
"Okay." Kai'Sa chose to trust Caleb almost without hesitation.
She knew the scent of the Void, but beyond that, she was willing to leave the rest to him.
Just like their three meals a day.
Caleb looked at Kai'Sa's expressionless face, then remembered the way she could absolutely demolish a meal.
He couldn't help laughing a little.
It was, in a way, weirdly cute.
He hadn't forgotten the main quest, but he still wanted to visit Bandle City.
A place where yordles gathered was somewhere Caleb might end up shamelessly asking for help from in the future.
What if Veigar really had stacked his Q tens of thousands of times?
Wouldn't that blast the Void to pieces in one shot?
Who would need tunnels then?
He could just blow a giant crater straight into the ground.
What living thing would still be left after that?
There was another reason too. Caleb had serious questions about one of the items in his pack.
Lost Chapter.
After taking a look at it, it seemed like some kind of portal to somewhere.
But since he had no idea where it led, he had never tried using it.
What if there was a meat grinder waiting on the other side of the portal, right?
This trip was also a chance to see whether some yordle mage could clear things up for him.
"Found it!"
Kai'Sa's sharp eyes quickly spotted a towering stone wall in the distance and shouted.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.