NOTE: This is the second story in the series. For the first part, look up The Runeterra Adventures and the Champion of Demacia.

Chapter 1

Massive waves crashed against the rocky, cove walls, forcing heavy, wooden ships to scrape against their harbor docks, while ragged pirate flags whipped violently as the wind tore at each fiber. Panic is the flavor in the air, but not because of the weather, no, the citizens of Bilgewater were used to the storms. Its buildings, though rough in appearance, were built sturdy and true, while the time worn docks stood firm. The longer one decides to live in the buccaneer capitol of Runeterra, the quicker you realize that you both live and die by the sea and its rules. Something else was afloat, something…evil, but all too familiar. Darkness quickly swallowed the sun as screams were shot into the darkened and turbulent skies. A smothering fog engulfed the outer banks of the city as a haunting figure began to emerge. It was no doubt that she was the harbinger of this storm.

"We are vengeance," a shriek came from within the fog. A silhouette suddenly appeared in the middle of the streets of Bilgewater. Residents fled like the very rats that infested their city.

"It is time," the figure proclaimed as she removed a ghostly spear from her back and took aim at man who was cowering at a dead end junction of cobblestone and brick. Rain hid the tears streaming down his face as realized he was trapped.

"K…K…Kalista, please," the man pleaded.

"None can evade us," she replied as she slowly closed in on her target and raised her spear, poised to attack.

"I'm counting on it," a deep voice came from behind her.

Kalista quickly spun on her heels only to be greeted by a tall, slender man who was shrouded by a black cape. Two pistols hung proudly at his side.

"Gunslinger!" Kalista hissed with her ghostly voice.

"Don't look so grim, Kalista," Lucian replied readying his fingers on the triggers of his pistols. "Surrender now and I'll give you a merciful death."

"We have no mercy!" Kalista yelled as she hurled a spear at the sentinel.

With ease, Lucian dashed out of the way returning a volley of shots as he quickly backed down the corridor.

A scream echoed from the alley as Kalista shot towards the sky before landing among Bilgewater's roofs. Like steam from a boiling pot, Kalista's skin burned from the pistol's blinding shots. Lucian watched as the fog swirled overhead yet again, rejuvenating Kalista and preparing her for battle. Lucian darted down the street, keeping his eyes focused upwards as he fired more volleys from his weapons. Kalista glided effortlessly across the wet, clay shingles keeping pace with her new foe on the cobblestone streets below. A hail of gunfire and spears filled the streets of Bilgewater as the two tried unsuccessfully to best the other. Suddenly, Lucian fired a huge star of energy, sending broken shingles flying in every direction and ending Kalista's path, forcing her to the ground. She rebounded easily and rolled to the ground as if she was floating on air.

As she recovered, Kalista launched a spear full force towards Lucian who didn't have time to change his direction. Barely ducking in time, the spear sliced his left shoulder pinning him against a nearby wall. As he hung against the cold, brick wall, he noticed the stream of blood flowing down his armor and he could hear the cackling of his opponent.

"Bleed, betrayer!" Kalista growled. "It was foolish to attack me alone."

Kalista slowly closed the gap between her and Lucian, reading the spear that would end his life. Lucian tugged with all his might, but the spectral spear was holding him firm. He could see the hate boiling in her eyes and the desire for a fresh kill. His pistol, his trusty weapon laid just out of reach. Try as he might to scrape against the ground, he just couldn't reach. The more he tugged, the more blood that trickled down his arm. Before Kalista readied another attack, a voice echoed through the air.

"He's not alone!" a voice came as a large crescent blast forced Kalista into the sky once again.

"Insect!" Kalista hissed towards Ezreal who had quickly taken his place next to Lucian's side.

Kalista focused her sights on the blonde boy and readied her spear, but before she could rebound, a large, fiery shell caught her in the chest and flung her into the churning waters below.

"End of the line," came Graves' voice laughing in a cloud of cigar smoke. He hurried over next to Ezreal and helped Lucian to his feet. As soon as Kalista disappeared into the ocean below, the spear faded into pure smoke.

"Thanks," Lucian says as he gripped his shoulder. "She's stronger than I remember."

"We weren't going to let you take her on alone," Ezreal replied.

"This is why we have to contain the Mist," Lucian continued before they were caught off guard once again.

Kalista burst from the waves as she chucked the largest spear yet in the heroes' direction.

"You are condemned!" she yelled as she watched the spear with glee. With no time to counter, Lucian, Ezreal, and Graves merely watched as the ghostly weapon closed in on their location. Ezreal raised his hands only to watch the spear explode in mid-air. Lucian smirked as a bubble of light now surrounded each of them.

"Why?!" Kalista yelled as she watched her attack fail. Before she could prepare another spear, Kalista was interrupted by an echoing, girlish yell.

Within seconds, Kalista was swallowed by a beam of burning light. She shrieked as she was ripped from her feet and her pale, ghostly skin was completely singed. With a loud thud she skidded across the cobblestone street before coming to an abrupt stop just before returning to the dark ocean below.

"Lux!" Ezreal exclaimed as the radiant, blonde mage landed beside the group.

"Sorry I'm late!" Lux said apologizing profusely. "I didn't exactly know where Bilgewater was located."

"Better late than never," Ezreal laughed as he embraced Lux with a hug.

As the three greeted each other, Ezreal noticed that Lucian was no longer among them. Looking around for his friend, Ezreal noticed Lucian walking towards Kalista's now unmoving body. Unsure of her actual demise, Ezreal called out.

"Lucian! Wait! What are you doing?"

Lucian ignored the call, and instead walked until he was hovering over the banshee's body. He glanced down at his opponent with a snarl noticing that she was barely clinging to life. Lucian chuckled under his breath and reached for one of his pistols.

Pointing it towards Kalista's head he said, "This is mercy!"

A single shot rang through the group's ears as Kalista fell still. They watched as her body slowly disintegrated and fluttered in the breeze returning to the very fog that delivered her. As if someone had flipped a switch, the ocean calmed, the sky brightened, and the fog dissipated.

"Well that was…odd," Ezreal said walking up behind Lucian. "So, I guess she brought the storm and that weird fog, huh?"

"Not exactly," Lucian replied as he holstered his trusty weapons. "Kalista used it as a vessel, but that fog is actually referred to as the Black Mist."

Lucian could see the confusion on Ezreal's face so he continued, "The Black Mist is a cancer on this world. It originated from the Shadow Isles and brings with it nothing but death and despair. Kalista and her ilk are a blight on this world and it is up to me and the Sentinels to vanquish them."

Lucian could see that Ezreal was having a hard time internalizing all this information. He was scratching his head and Lucian noticed the gauntlet on his arm.

"This is why I need your help," Lucian continued. "Recently, the Sentinels and I have been losing our war with the Shadow Isles, allowing these monstrosities into the world. Something has been feeding their power and I believe it rests within the very isles themselves."

"Well then let's go!" Ezreal said fearlessly. "If we can take on Noxus, then a group of islands shouldn't be hard."

Lucian's stare hardened and his face didn't crack, "Be careful boy wonder. These islands swallow their foes. The first problem we have is that I don't know my way around the islands very well at all. Not many people have ventured there and returned alive."

Before Ezreal could speak again, a voice interrupted them, "I can help with that."

Lucian and Ezreal turned to Graves who had wondered over to their position.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but an old partner of mine has been there…"

"And returned in one piece?" Lucian quipped.

"Yeah," Graves replied furrowing his brow at the skeptical Lucian.

"I highly doubt that," Lucian replied.

"We can ask him ourselves," Graves said hardening his tone, "Unless you don't want the help."

Lucian, who was now preoccupied with fashioning a makeshift bandage around his shoulder, replied, "Fine. Where is this friendof yours?"

Graves scratched the back of his head as a few ashes fell from his spent cigar, "Well, I wouldn't consider him a friend rather more of an acquaintance now. He should be at his favorite tavern here in Bilgewater."

"How convenient," Lucian replied as Graves turned and made his way down the street with his friends in tow.

Though the rain had stopped, the sun was setting ushering in the night and allowing the old, metal streetlamps to shine. The citizens of Bilgewater had returned to their daily routines and were busy bustling under the moonlight. A group of men could be seen loading crates of supplies onto a nearby pirate ship as the captain yelled orders from the deck. A mix of low tide, smoke, and some other unidentifiable stench blew with the ocean breeze forcing Lux to bristle her nose.

"Is this place far?" Lux asked as she clinched her nose. Her wand was held tight at her side as if she was expecting a monster to grab her at any second.

"I'm not exactly sure," Graves said as they rounded another corner. "I've only been there once before."

"You're not sure?!" Lux yelled as she swore she saw some sort of tentacle slither into a nearby drain. "This place is creepy, so please try to remember."

Just as the words left Lux's lips, the group rounded a corner only to come face to face with a large, hanging sign. The wood on its face had been worn by the salty ocean breeze and the chains squeaked with the blowing wind. Lux looked up cautiously at the bolts that were halfway bent away from the old brick wall. In faded, green letters the name The Salty Seadog could barely be made out. Some sort of wolfish head with an eyepatch sat above two crossbones under the name.

"Yep, this is it," Graves announced to the group as the seagulls cawed overhead. Everyone looked nervously up towards the sign and back down to the heavy, wooden door.

"Alright then, let's go. We don't have much time to…" Lucian said as he grabbed the door handle. Before he could enter, Graves aggressively pushed the door back into place.

"Listen, there is something you need to know about this guy," Graves said. "He has many loan sharks after him and he's very flighty. If we show up in a group he's likely to run."

"Okay so what's the plan?" Ezreal asked cheerfully.

Graves scratched his chin before continuing, "Me and Ezreal will go inside and try to find him while Lux and trigger happy here will wait outside and cover the exit."

Lucian frowned at the obvious dig towards him, but didn't say a word. Ezreal and Lux nodded in agreement as they continued to follow the plan.

Graves turned to Lux and Lucian and continued, "If he gets past Ezreal and I you two need to catch him any way you can. Just don't kill him, obviously."

"How can you guarantee this guy is even going to help us?" Lucian finally asked. "Besides if you know him won't he just talk to you?"

Graves' neck let out a loud cracking noise as he twisted his head side to side and rolled his shoulders before saying, "We have a complicated relationship. I used to hunt him down for the sharks that were after him. Let's worry about catching him first. Let's go, Ezreal."

Lucian's eyes grew wide as he watched Graves and Ezreal disappear behind the tavern door. He stood back and readied his hands near his trusty pistols as he let out a deep sigh.

As soon as they entered the tavern, Graves and Ezreal were greeted with loud accordion music that was being played from a rather exuberant man with a large hat in one of the far corners of the tavern. It was obvious that The Salty Seadog was old, as memoirs from sunken ships and photos of famous pirates adorned the walls while many of the planks of wood that made up the walls were cut, damaged, or warped. Ezreal couldn't help but feel like the tavern was even older than Bilgewater itself, if that was even possible.

As they made their way across the beer soaked floor, Ezreal quickly realized that they were catching glances from the patrons. Though Ezreal stuck out more than Graves, it was obvious that they didn't belong. Ezreal merely followed behind Graves as he walked up to the old bar that ran across the right side of the tavern. As they approached, Ezreal noticed that the bar had been constructed out of various ship parts and had been made to look like the vessels he had seen in the nearby harbors. Colorful flags hung behind the bar along with a massive, mounted shark that Ezreal could only imagine once swam out in the lagoon. Within a few seconds, a rugged and burly man approached them from behind the bar.

"What'll you have?" the man gurgled with a gruff voice. His breath reeked of alcohol and his mouth was minus a few teeth. As he placed his arms on the bar, Ezreal could see the roadmap of tattoos that stretched from his knuckles to his shoulders and a pistol hung at his side.

"Not drinking. I just need to find a man and I was wondering if you could tell me if he was here," Graves replied.

"Name?" the old man muttered.

"He goes by Twisted Fate," Graves replied quickly. "Is he here?"

The old man's eyes widened as he stepped back from the bar, "Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. My old mind gets a little fuzzy and needs a…jumpstart every once in a while. If you know what I mean."

Graves sighed and reached into his pocket before slamming a gold coin onto the rickety bar.

"Seems like my memory is getting a little clearer, but I still can't quite remember," the old man continued, now with a smirk on his face.

Graves again reached into his pocket and slammed another gold coin on top of the previous one. He locked eyes with the old man with a stone cold gaze.

"Hmm I can almost remember, but I'm not sure…"

With lightning speed, Graves had removed his prized shotgun from his back and had now pressed it against the old man's face. Shocked that he didn't have time to react, the old man stood still with fear.

"I'm done with your games, old man," Graves said calmly, but sternly. "Is he here, or not?"

"Yeah…Yeah…He's in the back room," the man stammered as he backed against the wall. Though frozen in place, Ezreal looked around the room only to be shocked by the lack of panic this caused in the tavern's patrons. This display was obviously nothing out of the ordinary as men all around them carried on with their drinks and music. It didn't seem to instill fear in these people as it did in Ezreal.

"Thanks," Graves said as he replaced his shotgun and shoved the two gold coins off the counter and towards the man. "Keep the money. For your…troubles."

Graves quickly walked away, but before following, Ezreal shot a glance at the old man who was frantically picking up the coins.

As they made their way to the back of the tavern, Graves and Ezreal eventually ended up in front of a doorway that was covered by a velvet curtain. They could hear the sounds of chatter and momentary bouts of both cheering and jeering. Graves peaked through the curtain only to see several men and women gathered around a circular, wooden table and watching some sort of game.

"Alright," Graves whispered to Ezreal as he slowly let the curtain back into place, "You are going to have to go in first."

"Me?!" Ezreal exclaimed with a nervous look. "Why?"

"Twisted Fate cannot see me initially. If he does he may flee. I need you to try to reason with him first," Graves explained.

Ezreal gulped and nodded his head. He didn't like going into unknown situations even though those are the ones he tended to find himself in lately.

"Just remember," Graves continued, "Twisted Fate is a very skilled magician who wields some powerful magic. Don't get caught up in his tricks."

Ezreal nodded and eased back the curtain. The number of people crammed in the small room that was lit by a single chandelier was astounding. Ezreal slowly crept through the room with Graves not far behind, trying to make his way to the center. Luckily, everyone was focused towards the middle of the room so their entrance went largely unnoticed. As he neared the table, he saw the man who was the center of attention. A sort of dark, cowboy hat covered most of his face showing only a smirk and his well-trimmed beard while an equally dark cloak flowed down his chair. A deck of average playing cards were laid before him on the table while a variation of yellow, red, and blue cards fluttered around the man as if they had a mind of their own. Ezreal edged closer until he could see their game.

"It's my lucky day!" Twisted Fate exclaimed as he scrapped a large pile of gold coins across the table towards himself at the displeasure of his opponent.

The scruffy looking man pounded the table and quickly removed himself while Twisted Fate counted his winnings.

"Who's next?" he asked gleefully with his rough voice as he twisted a gold coin between his fingers.

Acting quickly, Ezreal sat down in the chair across the table from Twisted Fate and said, "Deal me in!"

As if not expecting to see him, Twisted Fate tipped his hat back and narrowed his eyes as he stared at Ezreal. He laughed under his breath and turned his gaze back to his previous winnings.

"Move along kid before you lose your lunch money."

Angry, Ezreal thrusted his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pile of gold coins. With more force than he anticipated he slammed them on the table, sending a few careening into the center of the table. Graves, realizing the diversion Ezreal was providing, snuck quietly around the crowd and closer to Twisted Fate.

"Ha, I'm not sure if its spunk or stupidity, but you've got something kid," Twisted Fate said as he situated himself in his chair holding a deck of cards, "And I like it!"

Ezreal watched in awe as the magician created a show with the deck of cards. Back and forth the little squares of plastic shot from his hands as if they were as much as a part of Twisted Fate as his very fingers. He stretched his arms wide as far as they would go and the cards followed creating an accordion type wave. Though the normal cards were twisting and turning, the colorful cards never stopped their pattern as they continued to float overhead. Ezreal assumed that Twisted Fate was controlling them with some other magic. After a few seconds, he placed the deck on the table and returned his gaze to Ezreal.

"Name of the game is Blackjack. You ready?"

Ezreal nodded nervously as he stared down the deck of cards. Twisted Fate dealt him two cards face up, the eight of hearts and the two of clubs. Not bad, he thought to himself. It was definitely a good start.

Next, Twisted Fate dealt himself one card face up and one face down. The face up card was the ace of spades. It wasn't your typical ace of spades, however, because where the spade normally sat a black skull took its place. This wasn't good. Though Ezreal didn't know a whole lot about the game of blackjack, he did know that the ace was the most versatile card.

"What'll it be?" Twisted Fate asked Ezreal.

"Hit me!" Ezreal said immediately.

Ezreal watched as Twisted Fate dealt the seven of diamonds and placed it on his pile.

"Seventeen. Looks like trouble!" Twisted Fate exclaimed with a smile. He continued to stare at Ezreal. "Looks like you better stay where it's safe, kid."

Ezreal could feel the sweat on his forehead. Everyone in the room was now watching to see what he would do. Should I hit or stay? Ezreal thought to himself. He knew seventeen wasn't the safest place to be, but it also didn't make Ezreal feel comfortable enough to win. And, to top it off, he wanted to wipe that smirk off Twisted Fate's slimy face.

"Hit me!" he yelled once again.

A surprised look took over Twisted Fate's face as he dealt yet another card. The three of diamonds appeared on Ezreal's pile. Elated, all Ezreal could do was sit back and smile. His gamble had paid off, but for some reason Twisted Fate didn't seem worried. Ezreal was shocked to see him smiling larger than ever.

Twisted Fate flipped over his face down card to reveal the eight of spades. He smiled. Twisted Fate now had two options, either nine or nineteen.

"All or nothin!" Twisted Fate yelled as he raised his hand in the air causing the colorful cards to swirl. At the same time, he placed his opposite hand back on the deck to deal another card.

Just then, Ezreal caught a glimpse of his sleeve. Faster than a flash of light, a card slid down his wrist and fashioned perfectly on top of the deck. If Ezreal would have blinked, he would have missed it. He looked around the group frantically to see if anyone else had caught the trick, but was disappointed to see each and every person focused on the magic show overhead.

"Lady luck is smiling!" Twisted Fate yelled as he dealt his next card. The two of hearts. He had created twenty-one and with it, blackjack. Twisted Fate had won, but he had cheated! "Better luck next time kid."

"But, you cheated!" Ezreal yelled as Twisted Fate collected his winnings. Hearing this, the room erupted in laughter along with the magician himself.

"Don't be a sore loser, boy. You lost fair and square," Twisted Fate said mockingly. "Next!"

"But you did!" Ezreal continued as a nearby man tried to haul him from his seat. "The card, it slid down your sleeve!"

"Move! You lost!" the man said still trying to force Ezreal to his feet.

As he struggled against the man, Twisted Fate leaned in, and with a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye, said, "Cheater's just a fancy word for winner."

Ezreal's face contorted to the meanest frown after hearing those words. The man had finally gotten Ezreal to his feet, but before he could turn to knock him away, something else caught his attention.

"The jig is up. You're coming with us!" Graves said as he had removed his shotgun from his back and was holding the barrel against Twisted Fate's head.

"Malcolm Graves," Twisted Fate said with a mocking laugh. "Getting a boy to do your dirty work for you now? That's low, even for you."

"Shut it, Fate," Graves replied as he pushed the barrel even closer against Twisted Fate's head. "Now, get up we're leaving!"

Twisted Fate smiled as he calmly placed both of his hands on the table in front of him.

"Sorry, that's not happening!" Twisted Fate yelled at the same time he grabbed the barrel of Graves' shotgun and forced it to the ceiling.

A loud shot rang from the gun cutting the chain to the chandelier and sending it crashing onto the table below in a pile of glass and flame. Everyone in the room screamed and fled through the velvet curtain in a chaotic flood. Twisted Fate stood from his chair, knocking the card table over in the process, and immediately turned to Graves who had just finished reloading his shotgun.

"Freeze!" Graves yelled as he pointed the gun, yet again at his old friend.

Without a word, Twisted Fate waved his hands commanding the cards above him to swirl around his body. Ezreal watched as a bright red card separated itself from the rest and hit Graves dead center in the chest. The explosive blast it let out startled Ezreal as it flung Graves through the nearby wooden wall with ease.

Ezreal raised his gauntlet towards the magician, but before he could react, the cards swirled around Twisted Fate again flinging yet another card from the shuffle. Without warning, a bright yellow card collided with Ezreal, but instead of propelling him across the room, this one froze him in place. Try as he might, Ezreal couldn't move a single thing on his body other than his eyeballs.

Twisted Fate laughed and kicked the card table in Ezreal's direction. The magic of the yellow card had engulfed Ezreal and left him helpless as all he could do was watch as the table crashed into him and pinned him against the wall. Though he couldn't see the rest of the room, he heard Twisted Fate make his quick escape.

Outside The Salty Sea Dog, a bored Lucian was leaning against a brick wall taking practice shots at nearby seagulls. Each shot found its mark perfectly as the birds let out a final, loud squawk. He sighed as he looked out over the darkened harbor wondering if they would ever be able to reach the Shadow Isles. A loud crash suddenly brought him out of his stupor and he could hear what sounded like a large crowd headed his way.

Lucian pushed off the wall just in time to have the chaotic crowd burst through the door, flooding the previously empty streets of Bilgewater. Men and women, old and young, of all different colors passed him by in a flash. It wasn't until now that Lucian realized he had no idea what this guy looked like, or even if he truly was a guy to begin with. Lucian kept his fingers over his pistols and scanned the crowd for anyone suspicious.

After the entire crowd had cleared, a man in a dark cowboy hat and a long cloak appeared in the doorway. For a split second, they exchanged glances without saying a word. Something in Lucian's gut told him that this was his guy. He drew his pistols and stood his ground.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot!" Lucian threatened.

"Not the first time I've heard that today," Twisted Fate replied. "Sorry, but I have places to be and its far away from here."

Twisted Fate thrusted his arm towards Lucian as multiple, razor sharp, blue cards came flying from within the bar and straight towards him seeking his blood as they flew. Lucian back peddled, firing off glaring shots with impressive speed and nailing each card before it could strike its target. As he rebounded, Lucian noticed that his target was trying to escape.

"Not so fast!" Lucian yelled as he fired a beaming star shot directly in front of Twisted Fate's path.

Twisted Fate turned revealing a red card between two of his fingers, "I told you, I don't have time to hang around."

He launched the card towards The Salty Seadog's heavy sign, blowing away the supports and sending the old sign to the ground creating a solid wall of debris between him and his pursuer. Lucian darted out of the way just in time, but quickly realized there was no way around. Twisted Fate smirked before running off down the old, cobblestone street.

He didn't get far before another pulsing ball of light cut his path short. Without warning, it exploded, blinding him and forcing his arm over his eyes. Twisted Fate stumbled and through blurry eyes could barely make out a figure in front of him standing stanch with a wand at their side.

"You aren't going anywhere," said the girlish voice.

Though he couldn't see, Twisted Fate knew there was a street to his right. He turned and darted down the alley headfast trying to get away from this new threat. He felt his way along the damp, brick walls until he came to one that ended his trek. He had wound up in a dead end alley and knew he was trapped.

"End of the line," Lux called as she caught up to Twisted Fate. "Give up. There is nowhere else to go."

Twisted Fate turned, he was closed in on all sides. His vision had returned just in enough time to see Lucian join Lux near the alley's only exit. Just as before, he wore a scowl across his face and had both pistols focused directly in the center of Twisted Fate's chest.

"Guess you aren't so lucky after all, huh?" Lucian quipped.

Twisted Fate let out a short laugh before allowing both his arms to fall at his side. Within seconds, a variety of multicolored cards appeared at his feet. Faster and faster they swirled around him like a colorful tornado. Lux and Lucian stopped and watched the magician as if they were a captive audience in one of his freak sideshows.

Finally, Twisted Fate tipped his hat and replied, "It ain't luck, it's destiny."

In the blink of an eye, the tornado stopped and he was gone. Stunned, Lux and Lucian ran to the brick wall and felt it up and down for any signs of a secret escape. They both stared at each other, communicating without a word trying to make sure that both of them had just witnessed the same thing. They felt every crack and every brick meticulously trying hard to figure out how the man had vanished into thin air.

High above them on the rooftop, Twisted Fate laughed to himself, again as he leaned against a soot soaked chimney and watched the two run back down the alleyway in a panic.

"Chumps," he said to himself as he straightened his hat back down over his eyes.

"When will they learn that I'm one of a…" Twisted Fate started before he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck.

He immediately reached up and pulled out a small dart with tiny purple feathers attached to the end. As he stared at the dart, his vision became distorted and he suddenly felt woozy. Before he knew it, his legs failed him and he was lying face down on the rain soaked roof. Childish laughter rang through his ears as he quickly succumbed to the dart's toxin and allowed his unconscious mind to take him.