Work Text:
The Silverwings and their riders appeared to dance through the air.
“Well, what do you think,” Poppy asked the treasure she had been entrusted to guard, “do you think one of them is the hero?”
Poppy sat on the hillside and watched the enormous birds glide effortlessly on their sky colored wings as the metal of their riders shone like starlight in the midday sun. She took a bite from an apple and watched them for several peaceful minutes. When her lunch was finished, she let out a contented sigh and stood.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she spoke again to the weapon, “a hammer probably isn’t the best choice for someone trained to use the lance. But maybe someone in their camp is the hero. It wouldn’t hurt to look.”
She strapped her buckler to her back and buried the apple core. Lastly, she knelt beside her charge, the legendary weapon known as Orlon’s Hammer, and examined it. With a cloth, she rubbed off any dirt and polished the golden embellishments until she could see her own reflection in them. After all, it wouldn’t be appropriate for the hero to receive their weapon and have it be covered in grime. Satisfied with the weapon’s cleanliness, she hefted the great hammer onto her shoulder and began her way down the hill.
At the base, stood the ruins of a fortress believed to be from the kingdom’s founding. They were certainly old enough to be, with not much remaining of the original structure other than a pair of towers, whose stability was dubious at best, and walls that were covered in a patchwork of moss and lichen. Unlike the castles that stood closer to the kingdom’s capital, this ancient building was not constructed of petricite, the magic absorbing material which Demacia had prided itself on. This fact added credit to the theory of the structure’s age, since it was likely erected before the invention of the invaluable petricite.
It was also this fact that lead to a fresh crop of rumors about the fortress. Over a week ago, children from a nearby town had dared each other to enter the ruins at night, but as they stepped inside the crumbling tower, a great noise like a clap of thunder and a flash of cold light flashed before them. They fled back to town, screaming that there must have been mages hiding in the ruins. And just like that, the town was in a panic. The town’s guard visited the ruins the next night and again, there were the strange noises and lights.
Fearing that fugitive mages were hiding nearby and plotting to assault their village, the local guard petitioned for the Demacian army themselves to come and investigate. It was a request the army was more than willing to fulfill. After the devastation in the capital at the hands of mages, many soldiers were eager to avenge their king and the many others who were killed. They believed that a show of force here would restore the people’s faith in the crown’s ability to protect them and, more importantly, strike fear into the hearts of any other mages even considering rebellion.
It was for those reasons that such a needlessly large force was encamped around the ruins. Nearly seventy soldiers, ten mounted knights, half a dozen Silverwings and their riders, three mageseekers, and one band of war chefs, bustled through the camp. What was most impressive though was not the size of forces gathered, but rather what they brought with them; the Colossus Galio. Nobody knew exactly how many strings were pulled or how many favors the Knight Major of this excursion had to call on to accomplish this, but he had managed to convince the capital to allow him to take the great petricite statue with him. If this whole operation was to be show of force, then why not bring the ancient symbol of Demacia’s might with them?
Ultimately, the move was unnecessary, as no mages were found at the old fortress. Instead, the strange lights and noises came from the fortress itself. The ground had collapsed, revealing hidden dungeons below the structure. In these secret chambers was a cache of artifacts from the Rune Wars. But for every mundane piece of pottery or rusted bit of cutlery that would keep historians entertained for hours, there was a magical item. There were enchanted arms and armor, swords cursed to deliver wounds that would not cease bleeding, shield inscribed with runes of warding, and staves charged with raw arcane might. So even though no renegades were found, there was more than enough work to keep the mageseekers busy recording and containing these items. The rest of the force however, was quite bored, and it was these unamused soldiers that Poppy approached at the edge of the camp.
“Halt,” the guard ordered as he quickly pulled himself up from slouching, “sorry, but you can go no further. This place is under official investigation by the Demacian military.”
“Oh, I figured that,” Poppy replied cheerfully.
She tried to step around the guard but he moved in front of her.
“Miss, please return safely to your home,” he said, “only members of the military and mageseekers are allowed past this point. The ruins are quite dangerous right now.”
“I’m not here for the ruins. I’m here to see the soldiers. One of them might be the hero. Exploring dangerous ruins does sound like a heroic thing, right?”
“Hero? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, leave. I cannot allow any civilian to pass.”
“Hey! Do I look like a civilian?”
By now their conversation had attracted the attention of several of the other soldiers and a small crowd was beginning to form. Within the minute, the captain had been alerted to the disturbance.
“Is there a problem,” the Captain asked as she approached her guard.
“No, Captain,” he responded, “just turning a curious civilian away.”
“I not a civilian,” Poppy protested, “but I am curious. Excuse me, Captain, but may I enter your camp. I need to have a look around.”
The captain looked down at the Yordle and could not contain the expression of surprise and excitement that crossed her face.
“Do you know who this is,” the Captain asked.
“No, Captain,” the guard responded as he suddenly began to worry if his position was at stake.
“This is Poppy, the Keeper of the Hammer.”
At the mention of her title, Poppy smiled and adjusted the hammer so that it gleamed in the sun.
“That’s right,” the Yordle added, “I was entrusted by Mister Orlon himself to guard this hammer until the hero destined to wield it is found.”
“Orlon himself,” the guard repeated, flabbergasted, “but that would mean you’re, well, I don’t want to be rude, but you’ve been carrying that hammer around longer than the Colossus has even existed.”
“Yes,” Poppy chirped.
“Your dedication is admirable,” he commended.
“Thanks, so may I come into your camp now?”
The guard looked to his Captain for confirmation before allowing their guest to pass.
“We would be honored to host you,” the Captain said, “please, allow me to show you around. My name is Captain Agathe. I hope you are able to find your hero here. Demacia could use a hero right now.”
As they walked through the camp, heads turned to watch them pass, but a quick glance from Captain Agathe was more than enough to send the nosey soldiers back to their work. Still, Poppy noticed the expressions of those that watched her. There was hope and curiosity, both of which she anticipated, but there were also many faces marred by grief, anxiety, and deep anger. Above all, Poppy noticed that the camp was unusually quiet despite its size; a far cry from the noisy comradery she had come to expect from Demacian soldiers.
“Everyone is so serious looking,” Poppy commented.
“We are trained soldiers,” Agathe replied, “we all take our positions seriously.”
“I know, but still, something feels off.”
Agathe sighed.
“I agree,” she confessed, “but I cannot blame them. I assume you have heard about the devastation in the capital?”
“Yes, I have,” Poppy replied somberly, “I wish I could have been there.”
“As do I. As do many of the soldiers here.”
Captain Agathe introduced Poppy to the other military commanders in the camp and pointed out any warriors of note. She also offered the Yordle her tent to sleep in if she planned on staying for several days to better evaluate the soldiers; an offer which Poppy graciously accepted. The tour was uneventful until the pair was intercepted by the leader of the mageseekers and his two apprentices.
“Mageseeker Manish,” Agathe greeted coldly.
“Captain Agathe,” he returned in an equally icy tone.
The tall man looked down at Poppy, his dark eyes narrowing.
“Captain,” Manish continued, “what is a Yordle doing here?”
“This Yordle is our honored guest,” Agathe answered, “she is Poppy, keeper of Orlon’s Hammer.”
“I don’t care if she’s the keeper of Durand’s manuscripts. Having her here is a security risk.”
“With all due respect,” Agathe retorted, “I fail to see how having another capable warrior around poses a security risk.”
Manish was unmoved by her response and confrontational tone.
“With all due respect,” he returned with equal bitterness, “but I fail to see how someone with as much experience as you can fail to see how keeping an inherently magical being here could do anything but risk the safety of your fellow soldiers.”
“Yordles may be more in tune with magic, yes, but Poppy is not a mage if that is your concern. She is a warrior, just as I am.”
“She can never be just as you are. Yordles are beings of magic and cannot be trusted.”
“I’m plenty trustworthy,” Poppy interrupted, “Mister Orlon entrusted me with this hammer after all and I’ve done an incredible job looking after it all these years!”
“Looking after it but never finding the hero,” Manish sneered, “one may think that you simply want to keep the weapon for yourself and never give it to its rightful owner.”
Poppy scowled.
“Are you calling me a thief and a liar?” she demanded.
“Enough!” Agathe cut in, “Manish, you may have the say in how the magical artifacts are contained and transported, but this camp is under the command of the Demacian military, not its mageskeer order. If you have a problem with our guest, you are welcome to take it up with the Knight Major and if not, you should act like a Demacian and show proper hospitality. Lastly, if you are so paranoid about her posing a security risk, I will vouch for her character and will take full responsibility for her actions.”
“Very well, Agathe,” Manish said, “I will allow it, but if she jeopardizes this operation, I will ensure that you are demoted.”
With that parting threat, Manish departed with his apprentices in tow. Agathe clenched her fists and took a steadying breath. Poppy looked up at her.
“Captain,” she asked.
“Poppy,” Agathe responded, “please forgive his rudeness. This is not the way we should be treating our guests.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Poppy said, “you stood up for me and I appreciate it.”
“But I shouldn’t have had to in the first place,” Agathe sighed before whispering, “I fear what we are becoming.”
“What?”
“It is nothing, Poppy. I am simply frustrated, that is all. Please, let me finish showing you around camp.”
The rest of Agathe’s tour passed without incident and, upon its conclusion, she left Poppy to her own devices for the remainder of the afternoon. Poppy immediately began to wander through the camp and strike up a conversation with everyone and anyone who would speak with her. She was quite pleased by the vast majority of the camp being eager to chat, but her excitement was soon overwhelmed by uncertainty. It seemed that for every questioned she asked about a potential hero, they responded with twice as many questions of their own.
What are you looking for in the hero? How huge must the hero be to wield that kind of weapon? What was Orlon like when he was alive? Just how old are you? Do you think the Silverwings could learn to fight with someone who wielded a hammer? What are the odds that a chef could be the hero? Do you have a time for a game of Tellstones? Is there a chance that there have been multiple heroes you have missed over the years? Can I try holding the hammer? What makes you think the hero is here? Do you think the Prince, err King now, might be the hero? Have you ever fought a dragon before? What about a troll? Have you brought the weapon to a Crownguard yet?
All manner of questions were asked, but the one thought that seemed to permeate them all was, “can you find the hero, Poppy? Demacia could really use the hero right now.”
Poppy did her best to ease the worries of the Demacians and selected a few who seemed like hero material to try and wield the mighty hammer. She invited them to meet her at the base of the Colossus, figuring that the monument would make for a fitting backdrop for the feats of strength she had planned. They all agreed to meet there an hour before sunset. After enlisting a few volunteers, Poppy began to prepare the area around Galio.
“The first test will be the easiest one,” Poppy told her volunteers, “I want to see if they can even lift the weapon. After that, comes the smashing. Let’s look for some stuff to break.”
“This isn’t going to put Galio at risk, is it?” a quiet voice asked.
“Thomas, is that you?” one of the soldiers asked, “come out and speak louder please.”
From behind Galio’s plinth, Thomas stepped out. The young man was one of Manish’s apprentice mageseekers, and now that he was no longer in his master’s sight, his truer, more timid self was on display. His posture slumped and he couldn’t bring his gaze up to look Poppy in the eyes as he spoke.
“Thomas,” the soldier sighed, “you’re a Demacian, boy. Be a little bit bolder and try to look at the person you’re talking to. Just because Manish refuses to treat a Yordle like a respected guest doesn’t mean you have to as well. We won’t tell on you.”
“I know Yordles are magical but we don’t bite,” Poppy said with a smile, “well most of us don’t. I definitely don’t at least. You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
“I know that,” Thomas said, as he forced his eyes upwards, “but can you please answer my question? What you’re doing isn’t going to put Galio at risk, is it?”
“Of course not,” Poppy reassured, “I wouldn’t dream of hurting the big guy. He’s been in Demacia longer than I have.”
“That’s a relief,” Thomas said with a sigh, “I don’t think Demacia could deal with any more tragedy right now. I know I couldn’t.”
“You really care about Galio, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. He’s a national treasure. He shouldn’t even be here. He should be moved to the palace to protect the King. Having him here is frivolous and we all know it.” Thomas sighed, “we should all be going home, but we’re all stuck here. I can’t do anything about that. I may as well make the most of it while I’m here, which is why I snuck away from Master Manish. I – I wanted a closer look at Orlon’s hammer.”
“Is that so?” Poppy asked.
“Yes,” Thomas admitted sheepishly.
Poppy’s expression lightened as she bounded over to the young man, weapon in hand.
“Don’t be shy,” she said as the set the hammer down before him, “take a look. You can even try picking it up if you want.”
“Thank you, but I know I’m not worthy to wield it. And look at how scrawny my arms are. I could never lift it. But still,”
He reached out and wrapped his hands around the weapon’s grip. A delicate smile graced his face as, for a brief moment, he envisioned himself as a hero.
“Do you want to stay and watch the others?” Poppy asked.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that,” Thomas answered, “I’ve been away from Master Manish longer than I should have been. Besides, there is still one magical artifact we need to extract and contain this evening. It’s some awful sealed scroll. It’s oozing an eerie aura and I know I’m not the only one creeped out by this thing. Whoever put it down there surrounded it with runes of warding. Ugh, creepy stuff. I know I won’t be able to fully relax until I know that cursed thing is properly contained. Thank you, though Miss Yordle.”
“Poppy.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you, Poppy. Well, I’ll just let you get back to work then. Good bye.”
As Poppy and her volunteers continued to work, they found no shortage of rocks and old bricks to break for the trials, and a sizable mound was gathered. A few of the soldiers had the idea to ask the mageseekers for one of the enchanted armors to break, but this idea was immediately vetoed by Manish the second he caught word of it. Poppy wasn’t too bothered by this though. If you could smash a rock, you could smash armor just as well. Instead she focused on devising a test of agility, wit, and endurance. As she was putting together the final touches, Agathe approached.
“Oh, hello Captain,” Poppy greeted, “did you want to participate? I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier.”
Agathe shook her head.
“I don’t think I’m the hero you are looking for,” she said, “besides, even if I were, I couldn’t leave my soldiers here without me. Thank you, Poppy, but I am content as I am. I am curious though, who are you considering?”
“It wasn’t easy, but I narrowed it down to seven: Sundar, Daveth, Teresa, Csenge, Abel, Silvestre, and Zsófia.”
Agathe nodded with approval.
“Silvestre is one of the finest Silverwing riders I have ever seen. Sundar is fearless in battle. Zsófia has a selfless heart. I could praise them all, but I do not want to waste your time. They are all excellent soldiers, Poppy.”
“I thought so. I hope Mister Orlon would be satisfied if one of them turns out to be the hero.”
“He trusted you with the hammer, didn’t he? Anyone you would see as worthy I am sure he would see as worthy.”
“He did trust me,” Poppy smiled, “I miss my friend. I want more than anything to fulfill his final wish and to do it right.”
She looked up at the Colossus above her and watched the evening sun glint off its golden wings.
“It’s almost time to get started,” she commented, “well, Captain, even if you don’t want to participate, you are more than welcome to stay and watch.”
“Thank you, Poppy. I just might.”
The Yordle could hardly contain the skip in her step as the seven soldiers she had selected gathered before her. Behind them, a small crowd of their friends and comrades was beginning to form, including Silvestre’s Silverwing. Content that everything was ready to go, began.
As she had predicted, the fist of her tests was the easiest. All seven of her chosen were able to lift the hammer, though none of them were able to do it with the swiftness and ease that Poppy could.
“This must weigh more than twice as much as you do,” Sundar said with a breathless chuckle as he let the weapon drop heavily, “you have my respect, Keeper.”
“I’ve had centuries to practice,” Poppy said, “if you’re the hero, you will have plenty of time to practice with the weapon.”
“Even if I were, I’m only human. I won’t have the centuries you Yordles have.”
“Maybe the hammer allows its chosen to learn three times as fast,” Zsófia commented, “we won’t know what destiny has planned until the rightful hero is found. Come on, Sundar, catch your breath. We still have more trials to go.”
“She’s right,” Poppy chirped, “on to the test of strength!”
She walked over to the collected rubble and hoisted Orlon’s hammer high over her shoulder.
“Time for the trials of whumping,” she announced, “but first, let me show you how it’s done.”
For an extra bit of excitement, Poppy spun the great weapon above her head several times before bringing it down upon a boulder with all her might. And it was at that moment that the evening quickly turned to chaos.
The moment the hammer collided with the ground was the same moment that the mageseekers were transferring the cursed scroll from its worn containment seal to a petricite lined case. As the shaking of the ground delighted those watching above, the disruption cracked the floors of the basement below. And much to the horror of the mageseekers, the tiles that had been etched with sealing runes were broken, and the curse on the scroll unleashed.
There was a scream from down below. A dark miasma like an oily smoke began to seep upwards through the cracks in the ground. Agathe was the first to react. She sounded the alarm, ordering everyone to arm themselves and be on guard. Even as she shouted commands over the confusion, the ground below them sundered open, releasing a plume of shadows upwards. In the black mass of magic, figures began to emerge, wretched things that almost resembled known creatures, but always something about them was warped.
A swarm of shadowy gremlins were first to pour out of the plume. They skittered across the campsite with claws outstretched, ready to tear into whatever they could reach. Poppy swung the hammer, knocking away three in a single blow. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Zsófia at her side. The soldier swung her mace at an approaching monster. The spikes of the weapon sunk into the beast’s skull but before it could collapse to the ground and vanished in swirl of smoke.
“Praise the Virtues,” Zsófia cheered, “petricite dispels them!”
But there was little time for celebration as more shadow monsters spilled from the earth. Sundar charged ahead with his javelin held high.
“Drive these monsters back,” he shouted, “for Demacia!”
All those Poppy had deemed to be hero material, save Silverstre who was already astride his Silverwing, followed Sundar into the fray. Even in the heat of battle, Poppy couldn’t help but smile. Her impressions of them were right. They all were heroic. She didn’t have time to dwell on this though, as a cry for help caught her attention.
“Poppy!”
It was Thomas’s voice.
She rushed over and found Thomas, along with his fellow apprentice, propping up the body of Manish. His mageseeker’s mask was broken and claw marks were raked across his face, but he was breathing.
“Those things,” Thomas said through chattering teeth, “the scroll unraveled itself and they came pouring out of it. I’ve never seen magic like this. I didn’t know how to stop it.”
“Nobody has,” Manish said as he coughed up blood, “it hasn’t been seen in this part of the world since the Rune Wars. Shadow magic.”
His speech was labored and slow and he struggled to regain his balance.
“You two aren’t strong enough to stop this storm. Go evacuate the village. Get them out. I’ll stay and try to contain this nightmare. It will only get worse after nightfall.”
“You’ll die,” Thomas protested.
“Nobody is dying here today,” Poppy said, “Thomas, you and your friend get Manish out of here. I’ll hold off the monsters.”
“Why bother?” a voice asked.
Poppy and the others turned, seeking the source of the voice.
“Did you hear that,” Thomas asked, “it sounded like me.”
“What?” Poppy responded, “it sounded like me.”
“It can sound like any of us,” Manish explained, “the doombeast.”
He pointed towards the shadow of the old tower where a large creature crouched. Its body was like that of an enormous panther clad in armor. It was nearly formless in the darkness, save for its glowing red eyes and luminous tentacles that spilled from helmet. The beast strode out of the shadows and as it did, Thomas clutched his head and began to scream. Wisps of blue mist began to drift from his mouth as he cried and the beast turned hungrily towards its prey.
“Get out of my head!” he cried, “It’s not true! The capital isn’t burning! It can’t be!”
“Don’t listen to it,” Manish ordered, “repeat the mantras you were taught! Your fears are feeding it!”
The doombeast’s tentacles writhed and reached for Thomas. Fast as a bolt, the monster lunged for the boy. But fast as it was, Poppy was faster. She rushed between the two and raised her buckler, catching the incoming beast. She grunted under the force of the blow, but Poppy was as stubborn as they come, and she shoved the shadow off of her shield. The doombeast shook itself and glared at the being who denied it its meal. It howled, creating a harsh rasping sound, like an executioner’s blade on a grindstone.
“You don’t scare me!” Poppy challenged, “I’ve fought far worse than you!”
But as she spoke, there was a crack like thunder, and the plume of shadows twisted into one massive form; a colossal serpentine monstrosity with three heads. Each head was armed with tusks like a boar and one cyclopean eye, its whip-like tail was tipped with barbs, and the length of it was plated with spiked armor. Poppy’s jaw dropped at the sight of the shadehydra and again she could hear the doombeast mocking her in her mind.
“Everybody is dying here today,” it chuckled, “because the hero isn’t here, little Yordle. You will never find the hero to unite them and this country will tear itself asunder. Its light will be extinguished forever because you helped free us.”
Poppy could feel dread sinking into her as the twisted version of her own voice taunted her and she looked upon the massive monster she unwittingly freed. However, she refused to let the fear rule her. If she were to die here, she was going to go down swinging. She lifted her hammer.
“Ready, hammer?”
She let out a war cry and charged. The doombeast crouched, ready to pounce. And then there was another loud crack. But unlike before, this was not the snap of thunder, but more like the roar of a rockslide. The ground trembled and both Poppy and the doombeast turned just in time to see a massive petricite fist come smashing down onto one of the shadehydra’s heads. Then there was booming laughter.
“Yes!” a deep voice cheered, “a challenger! Fight me large shadow snake!”
Poppy didn’t spare any time to process what she had just witnessed. Instead she set upon the now distracted doombeast. She charged into its side, knocking the beast back into the old tower wall. Its head snapped back, colliding with the stone, dazing it. Poppy pressed her attack, bringing the hammer down on the creature’s neck. The spines on its armor snapped under the blow but the monster refused to stay down.
It lashed at the Yordle with its spiked tail, striking her in the shoulder. Poppy grunted as the creature ripped its barbs from the wound. The attack had bought the doombeast an opening to dash away from the tower before turning back on her. It raised itself up on its hind paws, determined to crush its prey. Poppy however was quite used to fighting foes much larger than herself and she didn’t flinch. She threw her buckler up at the doombeast. The metal edge struck the beast’s neck, where its armor was weak. Thrown off balance, it toppled to the side. Once more, she set upon the monster.
“I’m going to beat you,” she promised, “one whomp at a time.”
As Poppy battled the doombeast, Galio, now awakened, clashed with the shadehydra.
“Boom!” the colossus declared as it hammered a powerful hook to one of the creature’s heads.
The center head, largest of the three, pulled itself back and prepared to strike. Galio met this attack head on. As it struck, Galio charged in and delivered an uppercut right into the jaw of the offending head.
“Up you go!” he laughed.
So great was the force of this blow, that the shadehydra was set flying backwards, right over the wall of the old fortress.
“Sorry about the trees,” he said as he leapt after his opponent, “I’ll worry about them when I’m done smashing!"
The ground trembled as the massive combatants brawled, allowing the doombeast to break away from Poppy a second time. Rather than attempt another attack from above, it crouched low, striking out rapidly with its claws. Poppy’s buckler lay on the ground out of reach. Still she attempted to block the attacks, this time using the handle of the hammer to protect herself. This however, proved to be an insufficient defense, and the claws of the beast tore into her armor’s weak spot on her thighs.
Poppy grunted in pain as she felt the warmth of blood seeping into the quilted padding of her armor. There was pain, yes, but she could still move her leg, and, if she could move, she could fight. It was moments like this she was grateful that she was stubborn to a fault.
“Not today!” she declared as the doombeast made another lunge at her.
As nimbly as she could, she rolled to her buckler. She grabbed it and pivoted just in time to block the scythe like claws from connecting with her shoulder. They stood there for a moment, shoving against each other with all their might. The doombeast growled, a phosphorous smoke rising from below its helmet. Poppy grit her teeth and deepened her stance, refusing to budge. Only another earth shaking blow from the dueling behemoths was enough to knock them both off balance.
The shadehydra had struck at Galio with all three of its heads at once. To protect himself, Galio wrapped his wings before himself like a shield. Two of the heads bounced off the wing with a resounding clang, while the third bit down on the edge of one. If this hurt the colossus, he didn’t let it show. Instead he just smirked and said,
“Not bad, but now it’s my turn.”
unfurled his wing with a snap. The edge of the metal limbs sliced through the flesh of the shadehydra, severing the offending head in an instant. The monster reeled in pain, snapping trees as it thrashed. Capitalizing on this, Galio beat his wings again, sending the slicing gust of wind to pick up the debris and further batter the beast. But over its pained hissing, it began to produce an awful chortling sound.
“I don’t know why your voice is in my head, snake thing,” Galio said, “or why your voice sounds so handsome, but I don’t think you’ll be regrowing that head or getting any new ones.”
The reaming heads of the shadehydra whipped around to look and see that their stump, rather than springing back with three new heads, was beginning to shrivel.
“Here’s the thing, big thing,” Galio explained, “you are made of magic and I EAT MAGIC!”
As he shouted this, Galio leapt into the air and came crashing down on the shadehydra’s back. There was a resounding crack, and it was impossible to tell if the noise came from the snapping of trees, the crushing of the monster’s bones, the breaking of the ground, or some combination of the three. With the beast pinned beneath him, Galio set himself to destroy the creature. He clasped his hands together, slamming them down upon one of the heads. The head crashed into the ground, motionless. Galio reached down to finish the job. He wrapped his hand around the main neck of the beast and held it in place as he wound up a haymaker. With his final punch, his fist smashed right through the skull of the shadehyra and in a great expulsion smoke, it was vanquished.
Poppy and the doombeast both struggled to maintain their balance as the earth trembled. The two glared at each other from across their battlefield. The sun would soon set, meaning that Poppy’s enemy would soon grow more powerful. It was time for her to end this, and she planned to do in the same way that started this whole mess. She spun the hammer above her head, drawing up all her remaining strength. The doombeast sensed that its prey was up to something and set itself to finish her in one blow. It charged directly towards her, aiming to snap her neck with one powerful blow. Poppy waited until the monster was only the hammer’s length away before slamming the mighty weapon into the ground.
The earth below the doombeast erupted. Shards of stone splintered upwards, piercing into the beast’s belly. Skyward the shards and the doombeast both tumbled. For a brief moment, the monster’s slender form was silhouetted against the setting sun, before it too began to fade into smoke and nothing. Poppy looked around her and saw that the Demacians were successfully pushing back the shadowy assailants, petricite weapons dispelling the magic that brought the foul things here. At last, she gave a sigh of relief.
The sigh of the relief quickly became as gasp of surprise as a shadow passed over her. Poppy’s attention immediately snapped up, but rather than a monster leering at her, Galio was grinning down at her.
“That was mighty impressive, small blue thing,” he said, “suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I see this strange cat thing is launched into the air and you’re the one who did it.”
He let out a booming laugh.
“Come here, my vision is already getting blurry and I want I good look at the thing that can smash almost as good as I can.”
He reached down and held his palm open. Poppy stepped inside, doubting she would be able to evade the Colossus if she were to try and flee. Galio raised her up to his eye level with surprising gentleness. He dark, sculpted eyes were motionless, but she could tell his gaze was focused entirely on her.
“Ah, that’s better,” he commented, “hey! Now that I see you closer, blue thing, I think I recognize you. Usually when the small people stop passing by me, I never see them again, but I think I have seen you before. Not many blue things with big hammers after all.”
“My name is Poppy,” she replied, “and yes, I have seen you before.”
“Poppy,” Galio laughed, “like how you make your enemies pop? Hah, what a great name!”
“Oh, thank you,” Poppy replied, “but as I was saying, I have seen you before, Galio, though I suppose this is my first time really meeting you. I saw you whenever I passed by the capital. I even remember the first time Mister Orlon and I saw you centuries ago, back when Demacia was young.”
“Centuries? Has it really been that long? I’m not very good with time. It’s all very blurry.”
“I know. Mister Orlon is a figure of legend to them, but I remember training with him as though it were yesterday. They live such short lives.”
Galio began walking back to his plinth.
“It’s a good thing then that they have little blue heroes to keep them safe while I sleep. It shouldn’t be long now.”
“I’m no hero,” Poppy sighed.
“You smashed the cat thing,” Galio protested.
“But only because I helped unleash them. If I didn’t mess up, nobody here would have been in danger.”
Poppy was silent for a moment. She looked down the length of the hammer that was destined for the hero. With a deep sigh, she held it up and presented it to Galio.
“Maybe you should take it. The people of Demacia already look to you as a symbol of protection. Maybe you are also the hero. Either way, it shouldn’t be in the hands of a foolish Yordle who sets monsters loose on the countryside.”
Galio carefully picked up the hammer, straining his fading vision to try and focus on the weapon.
“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t take this.”
He handed the weapon back.
“Maybe you did help the monsters break out,” he said, “maybe they would have gotten out anyways. What does it matter? When it came to fighting, you held your ground and fought. Besides, I don’t think I could use this half as well as you can. It’s a bit small for me, but for you it looks like just the right size.”
Poppy smiled.
“Oh bother,” Galio grumbled, “I can feel myself growing stiff again. Better make a nice heroic pose if that’s how I’m going to be stuck. I think you’re still in my hand. It’s getting pretty dark and I can’t really see you any more, small blue Poppy.”
He moved his hand up to his shoulder so she could climb off. His movements had become sluggish and his legs had ceased moving altogether.
“If you’re still there, you should enjoy the sunset. I can still see those colors and light. It’s a nice view from up here. Peaceful.”
Poppy hopped off his hand as Galio assumed a noble pose.
“I’ll stay with you until you are asleep, Galio.”
“Thank you, Poppy. It’s easier to fall asleep knowing that the little Demacians will be taken care of by you.”
“I’ll do my best.”
But there was no response from the colossus.
Poppy remained on Galio’s shoulder until the last light of the sun had finally faded before she began her descent. By the time she reached the bottom, the moon was high in the sky and most of the soldiers were asleep, exhausted from the surprise battle. They didn’t notice Poppy, which was perfectly alright with her. She was also exhausted and promptly fell into a deep sleep under Galio’s protective shadow.