"Find me a cure for this mother. Do you not see what I have become?" ~Cassiopeia, The Failed Ascended
For Cassio's title I put this but in reality she is just cursed. Ascension requires the Celestials to accept it and they represent something. Which was why Xerath... well we will get to it next arc.
Another thing is how difficult it is to write this. The problem with the entire portion is that Gregori does not know anything about Piltover or Zaun. The other places he had an idea. Freljord was more being guided to a position by someone or the star. That means I have to write up random stuff until they reach the correct point in the story.
Having to come up with new characters and areas is quite difficult which was why I couldn't write something for the last two days. Especially for what I have planned for the big ending, getting there is difficult. I've been reading other Arcane fics for ideas and it has been helping.
But lets see.
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"I really don't like how this place smells." Briar said as they walked around aimlessly.
Daani nodded, "Not only does it smell bad it is really heavy."
"It is bearable." Daisy pointed out.
Annie shook her head, "They don't smell the same way as us."
"It is worse for them since their sense of smell is so heightened." Gregori explained.
He saw the two children struggle to adjust and then sighed.
"Hey it smells much better now!" Briar sniffed a couple times.
Daani frowned and sniffed a couple times to make sure he was smelling correctly, "Y...yeaaahh..." His eyes roamed around until he spotted his father looking at the two with a smile. "Thanks."
"You are welcome." Gregori replied. He had pulled the heavier air ,lower with his magic letting the children breath easier.
"Seems normal to me." Rell replied. "What'd you do?" She asked her father.
Gregori continued to walk forward, "Made it easier to breathe."
"For everyone?" Rell pushed.
"For them." Gregori clarified, "We can breathe just fine."
She knew better than to force the topic. Her father would do what he believed was right anyway.
"Are you going to be pulling Caalyx out?" Sydell asked as they stepped past a puddle of water.
Gregori shook his head.
"Why?"
"The same reason I only pulled his out once in Noxus." Gregori explained. "His magic is easily recognizable. And not only that unsealing a Darkin lets out a wave of magic. We could ignore it in Freljord, Demacia, Targon and our home but here? In an area with a lot of Noxians? I don't want to take the risk."
"The flower group?" Faye asked.
Gregori nodded, "If Noxians weren't here.... then the chances of them being here is high. And with Noxians being here..... their presence is a guarantee."
"So they can sense Caalyx?" She asked.
"Yes." Gregori answered, "His magic is quite easy to recognize for those who know how to."
"Blood magic." Daisy said, "But won't that mean they can sense Briar?"
"Not anymore." Gregori answered, "She has sufficient control over herself. And her magic has taken a different route."
He then let out a heavy sigh, "There is another problem."
"What is it?" Daisy asked.
"Magic." Gregori answered.
"Ugh..." Annie groaned, "These people hate magic too?"
"Hate?" Gregori replied, "No. But they fear it. It is a miracle how they allowed research into magic to combine it with technology."
"So you are saying that they WERE afraid of it." Rell said from the side. "That means that we are pretty fine right?"
Gregori paused for a moment before slowly nodding, "Don't show your magic unless there is an emergency."
"It is not like we are actively using it." Briar replied in whimsy.
"Are we?" Gregori eyed Sydell.
Sydell raised his hands in defeat, "I was spying..... occasionally. Just a peek every few minutes."
"On the enforcers?" Daisy asked, "What are they doing?"
"They have been trying to track down the person responsible for the attack up top." Sydell answered, "They want to.... and I quote 'smoke them out'. Pretty small party for a mission like this though."
"Probably specialized, they might be like my old group." Gregori nodded, "Maybe we need to stay away from the ventilation systems."
"And walk around in the smog?" Daani asked.
"Yes." Gregori frowned as he realized something, "No. They are not like my old group. These lives aren't expendable. They had the new councilor."
"Caitlin Kiramman." Sydell offered.
"And they are not going to be putting her in danger for something like this." Gregori pointed out, "They cannot afford the death of another one of their ruling class. This is a strike team with powerful weapons."
Though he was calmly walking, his mind was trying to figure out everything with the information presented to him.
"Sydell?" He asked, "Did they say something else or are you missing something?"
"Not really." Sydell answered, "Though they have a Noxian spy among them. The ginger haired woman. Her name is Maddie."
"How did you find that out?" Annie asked.
Sydell smiled, "She reacted to our name. The surname." He looked at his dad, "It was a small shake but it was real. And from that point on she kept her attention on the two of us. Tried to hide it but it was easy to recognize."
"That ability of yours...." Daisy said.
Sydell nodded. "Pretty reliable."
"Did they say anything about reinforcements? Or them being it?" Gregori asked, ignoring that bit of information for the time being.
"Nope."
Gregori spoke as he weighed his options, "The attack was probably done by a small group of people. A quick job. In and out. Set explosives before the meeting and then blow it up remotely."
"Is that possible?" Faye asked. "That kind of destruction..... it seemed to big for an explosion." She recollected the building being rebuilt and the massive chunk of it that was missing.
"Multiple explosives can do the trick." Gregori said, "And from what I remember.... our friend Talon has something similar."
"You have seen it?" Briar asked.
Gregori nodded, "So have you."
She frowned trying to remember.
"The day I saved you." Gregori said, "Why do you think the soldiers were running away from that place."
"The fires...." She said putting it together.
Gregori nodded, "Noxians had already developed something like that. What if it wasn't an inside job? What if the Noxians were behind it?"
"Seems plausible enough." Rell nodded, her hatred for Noxus reigniting as she imagine them trying to harm innocents.
"So the mission is a wild goose chase?" Daisy asked.
Gregori shrugged, "Or a search for a scapegoat. We just don't know."
"Now this is the kind of action I was missing out on at home!" Daani exclaimed as he rubbed his hands in excitement. "It is like a mystery that we are slowly solving. HOW FUN!"
Annie tilted her head at her brother, "Yes. He does sound crazy."
"It is annoying when we cannot hear his voice Annie." Faye pointed out.
"He doesn't care." Annie replied, "And he doesn't want to alert the Demons in this area."
"There are Demons in the area?!" Daani's mouth hung open.
Annie nodded, "Tibbers told me that there are Demons everywhere."
"But we didn't see them anywhere." Daisy looked skeptical.
"There was another Demon in Noxus." Annie said.
Gregori nodded, "He said that he freed that one."
"But Tibbers doesn't think he was free for long." Annie nodded, "They probably captured him again."
"Freljord?"
"Old spirits won't allow them there." Annie answered. "That's why he was very careful there."
"Then Demacia?"
Annie shuddered, "That one was there."
Gregori placed a hand on his shivering daughter. "Its fine. It isn't here anymore."
Annie shook her head, "It is."
"It is here?" Gregori asked.
"No." Annie answered.
Gregori frowned.
"It is everywhere." Annie completed, "Whenever someone feels scared..... it comes there. But it is very small, if you react to it then it might move."
"Alright." Gregori took a breath.
"What about Targon?" Daani realized why as he asked, "Oh the Aspects."
"So there are Demons here." Faye said, "How does that affect our plans?"
"It keeps Annie from using Tibbers." Gregori answered.
Daisy nodded but then asked, "Isn't Tibbers one of the ten strongest Demons?"
"They won't attack him alone but he is with us." Annie answered, "He will win if he was alone but he isn't confident in protecting all of us."
"I can fight them off." Daisy spoke.
Everyone raised their eyebrows at her.
"What?" She began to defend herself, "They can't touch my sword."
"We don't know if they can." Gregori corrected. "And we don't need to find out."
"Ice stops fire." She did not back down.
"Other Demons don't use fire." Annie answered, "They are all different."
"I can beat them." Daisy refused to budge.
Gregori stepped in, "I do hope you can. but let us focus on other things."
"Yeah. We can focus on dinner." Sydell answered. "There is a place one of the enforcers recommended."
Briar walked to the front of the group, "Lead us there."
"I don't think I can lead from behind you." Sydell said trying to understand her line of thought, "And even if I did manage to.... I don't know where it is."