A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

"Welcome to Sad Town. Population: Me. Everyone else get out."~ Vex, The Gloomist

My bad for being unavailable yesterday. That's why you get another chapter in 10 hours. Then another 6 hours after.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know what's funny?" Gregori grunted out as he kept pulling with his magic.

Sylas smiled coldly, "There is nothing that will be as funny as this." The force on the axe increased by a little.

The shield that was blocking him, slowly began to fold outward from the forces.

"Ah... well the only reason I was sent away was because they couldn't kill me themselves." Gregori pushed out, "I lived against all odds. Monsters the kind you cannot even imagine. I still lived."

"Now why is this funny?" Sylas asked almost maniacally.

Gregori chuckled as he let go of the pull and shield as he rolled away.

"That is such a pointless thing to do." Sylas spoke almost disappointed, "You cannot live this Gregori." He taunted.

Gregori rose to his feet with a smile.

"I thought you didn't need my help." Caalyx vibrated as he floated beside Gregori.

Gregori sighed, "My age is catching up to me."

The axe came flying at him.

Caalyx blocked it as Gregori moved him. "A true friend aren't you?"

"You are indestructible."

"Fuck you."

Caalyx's single eye spun around as it landed on Sylas. "Well there he is... the man of the hour."

"What is that?" Sylas asked.

Gregori reached out and grabbed Caalyx's spearhead. "This Sylas, this is why it is funny." He turned his attention to Caalyx. "Small boost. Like against the Draklorn."

"That is not fun." 

Gregori sighed, "Just do it Caalyx. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can leave this damned country."

"I thought you hated the people and not the country." Caalyx prodded.

"Just do it."

Caalyx sighed, "Everyone is too serious these days." The blood magic flowed through Gregori.

Gregori closed his eyes as his blood began to pump through him at an immense speed. The veins in his eyes popped as they began to fill up with blood. His body swelled a size bigger.

Sylas took a step back as he watched his adversary transform in front of his eyes. His eyes hardened as he pulled at every weapon in the vicinity and sent it flying at Gregori.

WHIZZZ

WHIZZZZZ

Gregori looked up without an expression. Sylas watched open mouthed as the weapons just came to a stop with a look from Gregori. No matter how much magic he used to move them, they did not move.

"This is more than a little Caalyx." Gregori muttered as he examined the power and magic flowing through him.

"The spearhead is stronger." Caalyx answered, "I'm choosing to do the same thing as last time. You just possess the better half right now."

"Then why am I smaller?" Gregori asked.

Caalyx hummed, "Buddy... better half for a reason. It is more condensed. You can use more power for less."

"Lets test this then." Gregori flexed his hand as the weapons around his turned slowly. He waved and the weapons shot toward Sylas's position.

Sylas's magic flowed as he pulled himself out of the barrage.

"You are learning from me." Gregori noted.

"What manner of magic is that?" Sylas asked in surprise as he felt the magic swirl through Gregori's body.

Gregori just smiled, "A little boost." 

Sylas grinned, "I think I need a little boost of my own as well."

"Ho! Look at him! Limiting his own power!" Caalyx screamed gleefully. "Look Gregori! Such fun people still exist."

"I am going to kill him." Gregori replied. 

Caalyx sighed, "It is always the brightest stars in the sky isn't it?"

"What are you spouting?" Gregori frowned.

In the meantime, Sylas grabbed the constraints on his neck and pulled at them.

CRAACCK

KRAACKA

Gregori moved to kill him as he struggled against his restraints.

"No." Caalyx spoke. "Let him. It is good practice for you."

"Practice?"

"Of course." Caalyx explained, "Watch how he uses magic. Your magic. See what counters it. Plan methods to beat yourself. Once you do win, you will have a better idea of how you can practice and use your own magic."

"Hmmm."

"It is like facing yourself in a mirror." Caalyx continued, "Just a younger, more rugged and just as angry man."

SNAP

The restraints snapped open and as they began to fall, Sylas looked up smiling as he felt the magic ebb and flow out of him. Almost as if it was overflowing past his limits.

He winced for a moment as he tried to reel it in.

Gregori looked at him and asked, "Ready?"

Sylas looked confused for a moment before nodding. 

He blinked.

Gregori wasn't there anymore.

Appearing behind him, Gregori kicked him in the back.

Overwhelming force hit the back of Sylas as he went flying through the battlefield. Before slamming into the mountainside he came to a halt above the ground.

"He is hovering." Caalyx noted, "Watch Gregori. Watch him push the limits of your power. Push him a bit more."

Without reply, Gregori appeared right in front of Sylas as he punched downward sending Sylas right into the ground, his magic not stopping him from crashing into the soil beneath.

Sylas looked up with stars in his eyes. "How is he teleporting everywhere?"

Not my eyes. Sylas realized. There was another way.

Gregori disappeared from his vision once more.

Eyes widening, Sylas leapt to the side as he swung his chains toward the closest burst of magic.

His chains halted as Gregori caught them with his hands.

"That is Petricite..." Sylas exclaimed.

Gregori nodded. "I am not holding it."

Sylas squinted as he watched Gregori's hands around the chains. No..... they weren't around the chains. He wasn't in contact with them.

"How?"

"Magic." Gregori smiled as he disappeared once again.

Sylas's magic spread out around him pulling everything straight down.

"Look at that!" Caalyx laughed, "It is a domain around him where his magic stops everything."

"I would stab you into him but right now you are practically a dagger." Gregori spoke as he stepped into the domain.

Instantly a magical force pushed down on him. His feet sank into the ground as he took step after step to Sylas.

He bent down and looked Sylas in his eyes, "Afraid?"

Sylas looked back at him without flinching, "Never."

"Then I suggest you struggle harder." Gregori encouraged as he kicked Sylas upward.

A small force dragged his feet back but the power behind it barely reduced.

BANG

WOOOOSH

Sylas shot into the sky.

Gregori looked up as he flew up in an arc and began to fall.

Sylas's consciousness faded as he got hit and halfway through the fall in returned. His eyes shot open as the wind rushed past him.

And then it stopped.

He stopped.

He sat up and looked around.

The sky was beautiful. 

His magic hadn't just gotten him to survive the impact but it actively moved to keep him alive. Now it had gotten him to stand in the sky as if it was solid ground.

It was pulling his feet and applying the same force as him when he walked on the ground.

Sylas looked down and noticed Gregori. That transformation. It was fueled by magic.

Maybe.....

"He is flying now!" Caalyx was entertained beyond belief. "I actually soo glad you are getting older Gregori. Imagine if you had killed the lad quickly. There would be no fun. No entertainment."

"I would have still liked to end this immediately." Gregori answered as he looked at the man standing in the sky.

"But now you know you can walk in the sky." Caalyx spoke. "You can pull yourself through the sky. He is giving you a better perspective of your own magic. You need that. Imagine if you hadn't preemptively picked me up? How would you have killed him?"

"I could have pulled hi- Oh." Gregori was cut off as he watched a Silverwing come sideways and bit into Sylas who was still standing in the sky.

"Oh." Caalyx muttered. "Well that was uneventful."

Gregori sighed as he watched the Silverwing continue forward.

BOOM

The Silverwing exploded from the inside raining blood onto the battlefield below, it rider screamed, flailing as he fell to his doom.

Sylas just floated in the sky, his chains just hanging off his arms.

"Oh!" Caalyx was suddenly energized, "Was that what you were going to do? Pull him inside out?"

Gregori shook his head as a small smile cracked through, "I wouldn't have let him touch me. And then I would have pulled out the ground around me and buried him under it. He wouldn't survive being buried alive. No matter the magic."

"Not as cool as blowing him up from inside out." Caalyx commented in disappointment.

Sylas took a step forward and then as if gravity finally started to function properly, he fell headfirst in Gregori's direction.

"Ah." Caalyx commented. "He has fallen for you plan."

"It was kind of obvious." Gregori answered.

"His magic is interesting but it is not as strong as one would imagine. For being forced to use only one type of magic at a time he has been given a large pool of magic. That naturally puts him at a disadvantage against you." Caalyx analyzed.

Sylas yelled as he landed on top of Gregori, smiling with satisfaction as he touched Gregori's arm.

"Your magic is mine!"