Forge of worlds - League of legends fanfic

Chapter 25 - Without thought

Echoes of the travellers footsteps bounced from the walls, with every step deeper into the tunnels the air had become thicker, more humid. Though there was not a single ray of light coming from the outside, Kai'Sa's jets radiated purple that guided them through the darkness. They did not have to see to guess they were getting closer to the jungles of Ixtal, their damp armpits and overdressed clothing reminded it for them.
Neeko happily embraced the humid air, her tail that reflected the light of the purple fumes. The tunnels echoed her laughter of joy. 'Don't worry, Nidalee! Neeko is almost home!'
Splashes of water that dropped into a puddle had made the tunnel more lively than they would have thought, along with the rustling sound of leafs scraping onto each other they knew that Ixtal was only a few minutes away.
'What do you consider home, Neeko?' Kai'Sa asked in wonder as the light had slowly reached out to their location.
Neeko stood still, her frame finally shown in the faint light that had brightened the cave. 'Home is where the heart is. To me, that means I can be whoever I want to be, without judgement.'
The explorer did not pay much attention to the conversation that took place between the two women, instead he traced with his fingers over the walls to see if there could have been hidden passages and ways. Rubble and sharp edges of rock indicated that the cave served more services than just a passage, if he did not know better there could be harsh gems beyond the walls. Would it be worth to take some back home?
A shadow crept over his and he looked over his shoulder when Kai'Sa look at the same rock as he did, her eyes more vibrant than before. 'Found anything interesting?'
Ezreal shook his head, whatever laid behind it was not worth his time to explore. It would be just a pretty rock that some people find pretty and kill one another with just to have. No, he wanted real riches. Artefacts that were held for ages, held great powers and had an influence on the world, not just a glistening stone that was hollow within and made merchants happy. 'Not really, the best thing you can find is rubble and some shiny rocks, I'm not really fond of them.'
The daughter of the void raised both brows as they resumed their pace, following the path that slowly became more clear in the reach of the light. 'What is it that you're looking for?'
'Stuff that holds a lot of power and value, something that you meet only once in your life.'
A stream of water trailed down the tunnel, indicating that whatever was at the end must mean that they were near a waterfall or it were raining, since the sun was out, they assumed it were the first possibility, but who really knew when it came to a jungle. 'Like what?'
Lost in thought he went back into time to all the artefacts he had taken, the crown of Averosa, the jewels of Shurima, what could be memorable enough for her? 'The tear of the goddess.'
'Didn't you drop that item?' A moment of silence fell in between them when their first encounter had flashed before his eyes again, where he had held onto the strongest magic source of Shurima, that provided him the energy he needed to never run out. He could perfectly envision the moment that he had dropped it when he knew Kai'Sa was fighting a war alone and for once had he not ran off with a treasure that costed the life of another.
'I guess I did, didn't I?' Ever since Kai'Sa had plucked it from the bloodbath and given it back to him he had never looked at it the same way, it always sent him back to the first time he looked back onto a moment and rethought his steps. Ezreal realised that Neeko was no longer in their presence, the air was humid enough to wander freely again without being hindered by the drought of her skin.
Kai'Sa folded her hands behind her back and stood still when the two of them stood at the exit of the tunnel, a sight that was truly a change to the sand and mountains. Not a single colour dominated the entire canvas, there were hints of pink and yellow, even the waterfall their eyes fell on was transparent enough to show the moss and water plants that grew from the bottom. She did not have to say anything for Ezreal to know what exactly went through her mind, he had been long enough to know how she would react to certain things. Lost in amazement and wonder she tilted her head, staring in to the water. 'Thank you again, for helping me.'
Ezreal looked over his shoulder to look down on the girl that dreamed off at the sight of a new place, her eyes looking hopeful to feel the water and take a dive, but he doubted that her voidling would like the feeling as much as she would. With a deep sigh he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned against her, staring in to the wilderness just as her, promising to himself and in thought to her that he would take her out for a swim when times were more suitable. 'Usually I'd ask a price for it, but for monstrous creatures that look like they're about to blow my head off I do it for free.' Kai'Sa looked over to him with a smirk on her face, crossing her eyes to him when he glanced back with a mocking grin on face.
'This is fantastic!' Their eye contact was cut off when the chameleon ran back towards them, her green hands that had cupped her cheeks as she twirled on her spot. 'I have found Nidalee's shoma! Thank you so much for bringing Neeko to safety!'
Kai'Sa bowed her head to Neeko, reaching her hand out to give her a last, formal goodbye before the pair would walk bank into the tunnel, scavenging for their next treasure to conquer. The chameleon looked curiously to the gloved hand that was reached out to her, taking every inch and detail into her vision before she took jumped into wrap her arms around her neck for a tight embrace. A gasp sounded from Kai'Sa as her arms hovered in the air at the sudden friendly gesture, not sure how to respond in the first second Neeko held onto her. Ezreal smiled and bumped against her arm to bring her back on the world. With trembling fingers Kai'Sa finally engaged in the hug, something that had felt so surreal to her as she had only hugged Ezreal so far and she had known him for months. When Neeko finally let go, she waved once more and jumped into a wildly grown bush to wander off into the depths of the jungle. Kai'Sa still stared in wonder, overwhelmed by what just had happened.
'She has not been scared of me once and she saw me in action,' Blinking wildly as if she had tears gather before them she looked back to Ezreal. 'So have you.'
The explorer chuckled, placing both hands on her shoulders a shadow had drawn itself onto her face. 'Not everyone is afraid of you, Kai'Sa.' As if it had been the words she had only heard in her dreams another tear streamed down her face, making her bottom lip shake just lightly. Ezreal rolled his eyes at her and took her in for another embrace. 'Ten times stronger, yet you cry at almost every human interaction that includes making new friends. You really know how to make yourself memorable, don't you?'
With her face pressed against his shoulder her chuckle sound muffled. 'Is it that bad?'
Ezreal shook his head, lost in thought to every time he had seen her in combat, alone and the very first time they had ever met. A cold, hollow person that only knew how to kill and survive. Her entire life had been bittersweet, she often spoke of how people ran away at the first sight of her, when all she tried was to help them. It had been hard for her to accept she became the nightmare of every civilian in Shurima, the same horrid creature that her father told her about. She was so lost in a spotlight she never belonged in, living on memories of the past before she became like them. 'I don't mind it one bit, but don't rely on people too much,' A dark tone had taken over Ezreal's usual enthusiastic appearance. 'They can use it against you.'
Flashbacks of when he were in the maze of truth had resurfaced, but this time he had hardened himself plenty to fight it off. His own feelings and attachment had turned itself against him, was used like a tool to control him. He refused to let Kai'Sa live the same fate.
'Last one at the end of the tunnel is a loser?' Struck by surprise Ezreal looked down at the girl in his arms that grinned widely, it reminded him awfully lot of himself to see her grow so quickly. Challenged by the look on her face he looked semi in thought before he charged his gauntlet to warp into the cave, his footsteps that echoed from the walls as he kept running.