[Arcane] Departure (Caitvi & Timebomb Post S2)

War (Part 2)

"We can see the shore in the distance, we will be there in approximately five minutes!" An enforcer yelled at everyone on the ship. Ekko sat down in a corner reminiscing on the time he spent with Jinx a few hours before Viktor and Ambessa launched their attack on Piltover. He would never forget it.

...

"What... is that?" Jinx asked, staring at the device Ekko was holding.

"It's a time machine... you helped make it," Ekko revealed.

"Wow, you've really lost it this time," Jinx mumbled.

"The arcane, it... got out of control. It sent me, Jayce, and Heimerdinger to other universes. I know that sounds crazy, but..." Ekko paused.

"No, I-I believe you. Crazy things were happening when I fought my sister. It looked like our weapons were... changing. Multiplying or something," Jinx recalled.

"You were... you were so happy there. We spent a lot of time together and you couldn't stop smiling. You helped me create this, then we danced the night away, and I came back here. I knew you needed to hear how much potential you have to be good and happy. You don't just have to be Jinx. You don't have to be what Silco made you. You are so much more than that," Ekko explained.

Jinx fully turned to face Ekko and he pulled her into a hug. Ekko sighed squeezed tighter. Jinx held on to Ekko for a moment before pulling her body away, but her arms still wrapped around him.

"You don't hate me?" Jinx asked.

"I told myself that I did, but... I never got over the girl I knew was in there," Ekko admitted.

Jinx stared into his eyes for a moment and smiled. She stood on her tippy toes and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Boy savior..." Jinx whispered.

...

Ekko was pulled out of the memory by the yells of enforcers.

"Look at the shore! Noxian battleships!" One yelled.

Ekko looked down and saw an all-out war breaking out on the shore of Ionia. It looked like there were... enforcers? Hextech rifles were firing at Noxian soldiers, while the Noxians shot back with some sort of hextech cannon. It fired directly at a... blue-haired girl around 300 feet away. Ekko's eyes widened.

"JINX!" Ekko screamed from the ship.

He hopped on his hoverboard and flew as fast as he could. He watched as she looked up at him, then at the cannon blast. He was 250 feet away when it impacted the ground in front of her and vaporized her in an instant. Ekko pulled the string back on his machine, exactly 4 seconds. He was back looking over the edge of the ship.

"POWDER, RUN!" Ekko yelled as he jumped off the ship with his hoverboard. She looked at the cannon and ran towards Ekko. A Noxian soldier threw a spear at Ekko and hit his board. As he closed the distance between himself and Jinx, he fell off his board around 200 feet from the shore. He pulled the string back again.

His feet landed on the hoverboard when he came back. He looked at the soldier who threw the spear and dodged past it this time. He looked at the ship firing the cannon shots and watched as it knocked down a guard tower. Ekko rushed towards Jinx. When he was 150 feet away from her, she ran towards the guard tower. Akali was fighting a soldier under it not realizing it was collapsing. She didn't look up until it was too late, and she was about to be crushed. Jinx screamed her name as the tower crumbled.

Ekko groaned and drew the string back again. A spear whizzed past him as soon as he finished the rewind and he screamed at the girl under the guard tower.

"LOOK OUT!"

Akali looked up right as the cannon hit the guard tower, and she sprinted away from it. The soldier she was fighting got instantly crushed. Akali looked up at Ekko confused. As she did, a spear went through her chest. Ekko yelled and pulled the string on the device yet again. He was about 100 feet away.

"STOP GETTING DISTRACTED!" He hollered.

Akali looked around and dodged the spear. Jinx ran to Akali and stood by her side as about 20 Noxians ran towards the two girls.

Before she left this village, Jinx knew she needed to be armed. She had grabbed her weapons she made all that time ago in Piltover for safekeeping. Little did she know she would need them immediately after grabbing them. Jinx started firing her minigun at the soldiers, holding her concentration. One of the soldiers made it through the fire and reached her, knocking her to the ground. Ekko swooped in and hit him with one of his swords.

"I'll explain... in a second!" Ekko grunted as he fought off the soldiers.

"Yeah!" Jinx agreed.

Akali charged into the ground and spun her scythe rapidly in circles. It started sparking some sort of black and white energy. It knocked the group of soldiers down and Ekko grabbed Jinx's hand before lifting her onto his hoverboard and into the air.

"Shoot the cannon!" Ekko requested.

Jinx didn't speak, only acknowledging him with a nod. She fired a rocket at the ship that hit the cannon directly. It caused a chain of explosions on the boat.

"We can't win this fight. I need you to take me to the council here!" Jinx explained.

"What about these people?" Ekko asked

"We can escort them onto the Piltie ship you came on," Jinx suggested.

"You don't want to leave?" Ekko questioned

"They need our help, Ekko," Jinx rebutted.

"Alright, well... we can buy them some time," Ekko acknowledged.

Ekko swooped down and started yelling at everyone, "Get on that ship, they can take you out of here! To the enforcers, tell Caitlyn Kiramman what is happening here. Tell her we need an army!"

Maximus, the enforcer who crashed in Ionia two months ago, directed his squad to evacuate. The civilians started to follow as everyone boarded the ship Ekko arrived on. The Noxians rushed the ship but Jinx fired a rocket into the crowd. Soldiers flew in the air and others were knocked over. Jinx watched as Akali retreated from the town and began to run towards Ionia City. Ekko watched as the ship quickly began its take-off. He guarded it for a few more seconds until the amount of spears being thrown was overwhelming. He flew out of the area with Jinx on the back of his board.

"You weren't supposed to find me," Jinx mumbled.

"Did you think I wouldn't try?" Ekko chuckled

"I'm not well... something bad will happen if I go back. I can never escape the fight. It comes to me," Jinx insisted.

"Regardless of what you call yourself, you aren't a Jinx," Ekko reminded.

The ride was pretty silent after that, neither knew what to say to the other. Ekko and Jinx eventually caught up to Akali and landed on the ground.

"Akali! We are going to get some reinforcements from our home to help us fight here," Jinx exclaimed.

"Is this that boy you said you were madly in love with?" Akali teased.

Jinx and Ekko both blushed from embarrassment.

"I-I don't know... did I say that?" Jinx stammered.

"I mean... thats nice... I'm, uh, Ekko," Ekko stuttered, extending a hand to Akali.

She accepted and firmly gripped his hand. She looked over the horizon at Ionia City. They were almost in town. A little further and they could get the country better for war.

"Ekko this, Ekko that, I heard a lot about you. You are a damn good stylist," Akali pointed to Jinx's hair.

"Akali, you've boosted his ego enough. Yes I told you he cut my hair and painted my face and costume," Jinx groaned.

"You wanted his jacket as well," Akali noted.

"Its a cool jacket," Ekko shrugged.

"A very cool jacket!" Jinx smiled.

"Its kind of crazy that a single stowaway has got the entirety of Piltover to support Ionia in this battle," Akali pondered.

"Well, Powder is the sister of the head councilwoman's girlfriend, so its not exactly easy for her to disappear. Vi would start a war for her," Ekko joked.

"Who's Powder?" Akali questioned.

"Oh, uh... never mind," Ekko mumbled.

Akali, Ekko, and Jinx made it into the city with no problems and made their way to the council building. Akali seemed to be well-known around here, and she made her way to the easily.

Akali walked into the Ionian Ruling Council's office. Irelia, one of the head members of the council, quickly turned around, mouth full of food, and locked eyes with the group.

"Oh my goodness... hello Akali and... company," Irelia gasped.

"Irelia, I-" Akali began.

"Councilwoman Irelia," Irelia corrected sarcastically.

"Nows no time for jokes," Akali informed.

"Akali? What's wrong? You never come by like this for serious matters," Irelia responded.

"Noxus. They didn't just bring some scouts. They brought an army on the shores. Wiped out my town. We got some of them evacuated on a Piltover ship. These two are fighters who stayed behind to help. We will need to get an army of our own, and Piltover will likely be sending soldiers over as well," Akali explained.

Irelia looked out the window somberly for a moment. She looked back at the group with frustration in her eyes.

"They will never free us of Noxian tyranny," Irelia sighed.

"I promise, Piltover has changed," Ekko interrupted. "Caitlyn Kiramman is the new head of the council. None of the individuals that watched their own or other nations get torn apart are filling a seat anymore," Ekko elaborated.

"You think they will help?" Irelia asked Akali.

"I trust Ekko and Jinx. They are very close with some people on the council. They promised us an army, I believe they will deliver," Akali agreed.

"Then... I will inform the other members of the council. I will have soldiers head to the coast and prevent the Noxians from reaching the city. Thank you for telling me, Akali. If you want a place in this fight, you'll have it," Irelia offered.

Akali nodded and turned to Jinx and Ekko.

"We are going to stop the Noxians."