A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

Wolf: "Have they forgotten us yet, little Lamb?"

Lamb: "All still know us, though they try to forget. Soon we will remind them."

~ Kindred, The Eternal Hunters

Fun Fact: Did you know Mathew Mercer voiced both Wolf and Gangplank?

Also I hope the big Kaiju battle is fun to read. It is hard to write. Also demons will always be in bold. They are beyond broken. Worse than Darkin easily.

Naganeka's weapon form is fucking massive in cannon. I am changing that.

Also the shoulder boost thing. Imagine Vergil's Devil Trigger, where instead of the jet engine on his head its on his shoulders.

P.S. Snow is not my element. Holy shit is the Netherlands cold. Also only Toilet Paper in the bathrooms? Primitive. 

Anyways, enjoy!

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Tibbers watched as the creature, Naganeka launched the transformed Gregori through the hills. It figured out the human creature was Gregori since, it gave him a single command.

Protect the children.

The other clue was it introducing itself straightforwardly. It called itself Gregori. 

This man was so much fun. He had expected some tricks up his sleeve but this? A full transformation? Akin to his True Form?

That was something he could never have expected.

He fought like a menace too!

Leaping, rolling dodging.

Kicking, throwing, punching.

He had also realized that Gregori was not trying to kill the creature. Rather mount it and pull the crude weapon off its back. He knew the creature's name and it was possible that he knew its weakness.

One Tibbers would gladly abuse but he needed a little bit of preparation before he could use his True Form. Despite that, he bared his teeth and claw at the incoming creature.

He had a job after all.

Naganeka turned to face Tibbers and the children. They had stopped screaming from fear and were now just shocked at what was happening in front of them.

After having had the giant introduce himself as Gregori, most of the children's eyes shot toward Annie.

Her father was THAT?

No.

Their father was THAT?

Daani, Sydell and Briar had stars in their eyes as they watched the gigantic battle. The initial fear of death melted away as the two giants tussled, replaced with shock and awe. The blows landing were loud and booming.

Rell looked on in shock. The man that had just been smiling at her was that strong? How? Was he even human? He couldn't be. It was not possible for any human to be that strong.

Faye watched with concern in her eyes. The orphan had just experienced what a parent could be like. A warm hug. Comforting words. Piggy back rides. It was all she had ever dreamed of. All she ever wanted.

An orphan in the streets of Noxus could never experience these kinds of things.

So, she feared for Gregori. She feared losing a father she had just gained. Even if it had been only half a day since she met the man. But Annie loved him and despite their rivalry Faye knew Annie only liked people that were good.

Seeing him fight and get hit was scary.

Annie did not know what to feel. Both her daddy and Tibbers were both fighting while she could do nothing to help.

She hated seeing Tibbers be swatted away. She hated seeing her father narrowly dodge the creature's attacks. She hated it when it speared her father with its tail.

Without any control of herself, she let the magic in her loose. And it all flowed toward the one that could use it.

Tibbers.

ROUND TWO!

Tibber's voice echoed in everyone's heads.

The large bear split at the seams. Out of the seams, endless fire spilled forth. Instantly reaching a similar size to the Naganeka.

Out of the fire a horned head ballooned outward and then feet and then the entire body. Standing on all four legs Tibbers roared, fully a creature of flames.

No. Not Tibbers.

TYBALUK, The Demon of Guilt. One of the TEN.

LET ME FEEL YOUR GUILT!

With those words, Tybaluk leapt at Naganeka. Its claws raking at the creature's face. The sheer force of the impact sending him tumbling down. Its horns impaling the Darkin underneath it.

Naganeka moved its tail at Tybaluk.

I HAVE SOMETHING BETTER THAN A TAIL!

As the words sounded, arms erupted from the flames and caught the tail swinging toward it. Naganeka struggled for a second before stopping. Every arm that formed had a jagged mouth inside it.

"What are you?" It asked.

YOUR END!

Tybaluk's newly formed arms reached for the bow as he repeated his first words to the creature. This time it wanted to make sure its words were the final thing the creature would hear.

"I cannot be killed. Not by you. Not by anyone." Naganeka grunted. "I AM DARKIN! I HAVE SEEN THE WORLD RISE AND HAVE SEEN IT FALL! I HAVE SHOT THE SUN DOWN AND SPEARED THE EARTH ITSELF!" It roared, frustration turning to annoyance. "AND YOU... YOU SHALL BE BROUGHT DOWN AS WELL!"

Naganeka stopped struggling after its words.

Tybaluk's fire burning the bones and muscles in contact with it.

BANG

The newly formed arrow on Naganeka's back shot out. Aimed at nothing. But the force from its launch sent Naganeka sliding back through the ground. Tybaluk's horns that had been speared through and burned through the Darkin's body, remained stationary as they were ripped out due to the force of the launch.

Naganeka slid to a halt a distance away and staggered up. Its legs giving way for a moment before steadying themselves. The damage from Tybaluk was healed in an instant. But it was running into an issue.

It needed more blood.

It had started this hunt because it could get blood easily.

Naganeka couldn't afford to lose a body. This bovine ignored all its instincts in order to come in contact with it. And it preferred having a body rather than not, despite wanting a human host. So, it took over the creature. But staying alive needed fuel. Blood. Darkin could not die but their hosts could. That was the problem. It was why most of them chose to wage wars or attack randomly.

Sustenance.

As good a reason as any.

Its eyes shot toward the children. Fresh blood. It did not need to even consume them. Just blood spilling was enough. It could absorb it from anywhere.

As quickly as it could, Naganeka reformed the arrow it would be launching. Shooting multiple times at full power had taken a toll on it. This one would not be as strong or as fast.

But it would get the job done.

The only issue was that the burning creature was in between it and the children.

Tybaluk rushed at the creature from its position. Falling once as it got used to having legs as a formless body.

Naganeka roared out in anger before firing his arrow.

BANG

Tybaluk faced the arrow head on as it shot forward at him. The arrow made contact with him. Or that was what should have happened.

A large opening appeared as the arrow passed right through the flames and went past.

YOU MISSED!

Tybaluk gleefully called out.

Naganeka raised its head, "Wasn't aiming at you." If it had a more human face, it would be smirking right now.

Stopping its charge, Tybaluk turned around and sent one of its arms flying after it.

"My aim shall ring true and my arrows shall destroy." Naganeka recited. "My bow shall sing and my enemies shall fall."

Tybaluk's arm raced forward grabbing at the arrow.

The children looked on in horror as the arrow grew larger in front of them, the gaping maw in the flaming arm barely missing.

Instinctually, Rell summoned the nearby metal to form a wall in front of the arrow but it was torn through like paper.

BANG

A shield arrived in front of them at the exact instant the arrow would have slammed into them and deflected the arrow to the side. The shield then fell to the other side.

"I remember telling you to protect my children demon." Gregori's voice rang.

"NO!" Naganeka roared as the arrow fell to the side. "He has called for us and I will listen." It uttered as it prepared to leap at Gregori and Caalyx, one who was on the ground and one who was standing on the hill. 

The next best source of blood.

But the jump never came.

BOOM

Naganeka slammed into the ground. Every part of his body locked in stasis. It tried to move but it couldn't.

It was locked in place.

"What did you doooooo!" It yelled as its eyes remained on Gregori, far away.

"Magic." A voice sounded above it. Gregori stood above it with his hands going reaching to grab the ballista off its back. 

Naganeka's vision shifted up as it watched the afterimage on the hill fade away.

"HOW CAN YOU USE THE POWER OF A DARKIN WITHOUT HOLDING THE WEAPON??" Naganeka cried out.

Gregori and Caalyx let out a chuckle, their voices doubling, "We made a deal." 

SNAP

CRACK

CRAAAAAACK

"AAUGGHHH NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

"Sleep Naganeka." Gregori cooed. "It seems your bow has had its string snapped." 

SNAP

And the weapon came loose. He dropped it to the ground and watched as it reduced in size.

"PICK ME UP!" A disembodied voice from the weapon echoed, "CHILDREN YOU WANT POWER? I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU!" Trying to coax the children a fair distance away to pick it up.

Gregori let out a breath and his own transformation fell. His body shrunk down. Armor breaking into dust. Muscles and bones returning to their prior state.

He stumbled for a second before raising his hand.

"We need to hurry up Gregori." Caalyx spoke. "That is three different Darkin encounters in a year. Something big is going to happen.... and soon...."

Gregori shook his head blinking away the dark spots appearing in his eyes. "I..... ugh.... I understand." His bag, Caalyx and his wrapping all appeared next to him.

He wrapped Caalyx and then pulled out leather and fur from his bag. Using the runic knife he quickly carved the same runes in Caalyx's wrapping and wrapped it around the ballista. Arrow and all. As he wrapped, he noticed Naganeka's voice lowering.

Finishing the wrapping, Naganeka's voice completely drowned out. He turned his head to the kids and watched the demonic fire look at him before being sucked into itself in a spiral. It kept shrinking until all the remained was a little toy bear.

"DADDY!" Annie and Faye yelled as they ran to him. The rest of the kids followed. Daani carried, in his arms, the now small, shield with him.

Gregori dropped to the ground and opened the bag as wide as he could before trying to fit Naganeka into it. With a little bit of struggling, he forced it in fully making room for some of the other things including a precious bag of salt.

He then fell to the side as he was assaulted by two flying bullet like children.

"What was that daddy?" They asked excitedly. Faye and Annie rubbed against him while simultaneously jumping about.

"I will tell it to you later okay?" He convinced the children. "I will fall asleep for sometime now. Using that much power is tiring." He stated. Turning his attention to Rell, he asked, "How much magic do you have left?"

"A lot." She answered.

"When I sleep..... carry me on the horse, till the forest." He instructed. "Go deep inside and find flat ground near a large tree." Pulling out the warding rune stones, he handed them to Annie, "Place these around the tree in four corners. Make it a big enough square for all of us. It will keep you safe till I wake up. If something dangerous attacks you.... Annie throw out Tibbers." He looked at them all as he instructed, "And last and most important.... DO NOT and I am very serious about this.... DO NOT UNWRAP THE SPEAR OR THE BALLISTA. It will ask you to but you should never listen." He warned, "If you touch them.... you will die. There is no other way. I can only use the spear because I have a deal with it."

With those words, he looked over all of them, "Are you all unhurt?" His facial features softening at their nods. "That is good...." With that, he stopped fighting the black spots in his vision.

Sleep consumed him.