.

The Timeless Contracts

Chapter 1 - The Forest

"Hey Ahri, how do souls taste?"

Snapped from her peaceful slumber, the foxgirl swiftly looked around, scanning the forest to see where the voice was coming from. After a moment of panicked searching, she was astonished to discover a woman with pale skin and blue-green hair reclined on a tree branch just above her, grinning. A purple tattoo mark cut across the woman's face, while her green tunic and tall armored boots marked her as a stranger in the forests of southern Ionia.

Ahri studied the woman, wondering how she knew her name, until a flash of recognition struck her. With a yelp, the foxgirl stumbled backwards as she readied her magic orb to defend herself from the intruder. She had to escape!

"Delicious, I imagine," the pale woman went on, seemingly oblivious to the attack the foxgirl was preparing. "How many have you consumed since we last met? Scores, at least. Maybe even hundreds!"

Taking a deep breath to calm her trembling hands, Ahri hurled the orb at the woman – one attack, just to stun her, then she could flee… The orb sailed through the air, crackling with magical power.

But the strange woman merely waved a finger and the orb instantly froze in place.

"No!" the foxgirl moaned as she took off running through the forest, her nine tails streaming behind her. But after a few strides, she felt her limbs tense, and then stop completely. She jolted to a halt, unable to take another step. With an effort, Ahri craned her head around and watched with alarm as the pale figure jumped off the branch and approached her.

"So the stories from the village were true," the woman said as she rubbed her hands together gleefully. "There is a fetching young lass traveling in these woods! And with magical powers, too..." She stopped before the immobilized foxgirl and gently raised a hand to caress the thin whisker lines on her captive's check. "I've been looking forward to this for a while," she purred as Ahri flinched away.

"Please…please…let me…down…" the foxgirl begged, her throat tight with fear. The woman pulled her hand away and Ahri immediately collapsed to the ground. She briefly considered trying to escape again. But where would she go? She was a wanderer; she had no friends to which she could turn. With her ears drooped in defeat, Ahri looked up at the woman. "W-what do you want with me now?"

The woman knelt so she was level with her prisoner. She waved at the frozen orb. It floated over to them and Ahri took it without a word. "Oh Ahri… You truly are as beautiful as I remember," she said with a smile, staring right into the foxgirl's amber eyes. "Has it really been ten years?"

Ahri looked away from her inviting gaze without giving an answer.

"What?" the woman asked, unfazed. "Don't you remember your old friend Timeless?"

"I-I remember," Ahri stuttered, glancing back at the pale woman. "W-why are you here?" she asked, though she already knew why.

"We had a deal, Ahri," Timeless answered, bounding to her feet. Then a dark look crept over her face as she looked down menacingly at the foxgirl. "It's been a decade. Your debt is due now. I'm here to collect!"

Ahri clutched the orb to her chest as she looked up at Timeless anxiously; it was as she feared. With her endless travels through the forests of Ionia, Ahri had pushed nearly all thoughts of the deal from her mind, though its shadow had still lingered there, a reminder that this day would eventually come. "D-debt?" she stammered, struggling to think of a way out of the situation.

Timeless laughed. "Silly Ahri! I know you remember! But maybe this will jog your mind..." She produced a scroll and held it up for Ahri to see.

The document was just as she remembered. The great wall of text in the human's language remained incomprehensible to her, but there could be no mistake when she saw the bottom of the contract – a single canine pawprint affixed to the signature line. For so long, she had struggled to forget the hazy details of that agreement, and the depths of despair that had led to her signing it. "I-I was desperate!" Ahri pleaded as she thought back to the days after her transformation. "I just wanted to stay human…"

Absorbing the life essence of a dying Noxian battle mage had let Ahri fulfill her unique ambition of leaving the animal world behind and joining the human one, but when she started turning back into a fox several weeks later, she panicked. The few friends she had made fled in terror. Ahri was left alone with no idea what to do. It was only when she found herself wandering in the forest, wiping tears from her human face with vulpine paws as the transformation undid itself, that Timeless appeared with her offer. Ahri had hastily agreed to the deal, giving little thought to how she could fulfill her obligation. The price had not mattered at the time. But now, with her creditor staring her in the face...

"A contract's a contract!" Timeless declared happily. "Shall we discuss the details of your repayment?"

Ahri glanced at Timeless, then decided to make another dash for it. She had to escape! In an instant, the foxgirl was speeding through the woods, scattering birds and insects in her wake. Her magic made her faster than most, but not fast enough. This time she heard a rush, like wind over a meadow, and as before, found herself frozen midstride by a spell.

"Oh Ahri, Ahri, Ahri…" the pale woman sighed as she walked over to the frozen foxgirl. "I'm afraid our agreement did not contain an escape clause," she lectured, waving the contract. "You were quite specific with your wish and more than happy to accept the terms my organization offered in exchange for granting it; we helped you for ten years, now you will do the same for us!" Timeless released the spell holding her in place, again letting her captive tumble to the ground. "The power to consume a soul is not one we hand out lightly, I might add."

Anger flashed through the foxgirl's eyes as she glared up at Timeless. "You never said it would be murder!" she spat. "You never told me what taking a human life would cost!"

Timeless shrugged. "That's just the way it works. Besides, there are plenty of people out there! Does taking a few really matter?"

"...Yes," Ahri answered, reflective and sullen as the memories weighed upon her. "I remember every face, every name, all those lives I cut short..."

"Hmm, then I guess that does seem kinda important to you," Timeless said, cocking her head to one side in amusement. "But don't you think you shoulda considered that before signing the contract?"

Ahri shook her head sadly. "My mind was more fox than human then. Taking another life to sustain my own wasn't that big of a deal. Foxes consume other animals all the time to survive, right? I thought this was just the same. At first. But as I saw more and more of the human world-"

"You realized you'd become a depraved monster, consuming the souls of people's loved ones just to keep yourself from transforming back into a fox for a little while longer," Timeless finished for her. "I bet the humans completely shunned you from their settlements too, huh?"

The foxgirl gave a slight nod. "I could never stay in a town for more than a day or two. That's why I've been wandering Ionia for the last ten years, going from village to village. No friendship or family, only the victims that I..." she trailed off.

"Hmm, it looks like your decade of freedom didn't go quite as planned, then. Oh well," Timeless said with a shrug. "Not our fault you didn't understand that at the time. We just gave you what you asked for: a way to stop from transforming back into a fox. But at least you got to stay human, right?" she replied, playfully grabbing the end of one of Ahri's tails.

The foxgirl jerked it back defensively.

"Well, mostly human. But at least for the important parts!" Timeless cut an hourglass figure through the air with her hands. "I was gonna ask how you got close enough to people to take their life essence, but I got it figured out," she said, making a kissing motion with her lips. "Must be great having work you can enjoy! How far do you have to go before you can take a guy's life essence? Just a kiss? Or do you-"

"It's nothing like that!" Ahri cut in defensively, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Timeless looked at her skeptically. "You mean to say that you didn't use those stunning looks of yours to seduce guys to get at their souls?"

"Well, it isn't always like that," the foxgirl admitted. "I just... find it helpful. At times. Lots of times. But I don't need to do that to take their essence! It just... makes things easier."

"Such modesty with you Ionians!" Timeless mocked. "There's nothing to be ashamed of! Besides, you're gorgeous, Ahri. Swap out those old peasant rags for a red silk dress, let your hair grow out a bit, maybe get some nice boots, and you would fit in at any royal palace in Runeterra. Everyone would find you irresistible! Gods know I do!"

"T-thanks," Ahri mumbled, looking away. "But what do you care? About what I wear or who I... lay with?"

The pale woman spread her arms as she explained. "I care because you're my property now, and even though you're beautiful, you're still limiting my options," she said sweetly, waving the contract. "The pirates in Bilgewater would have payed royally for a young maiden. Now, they'd still take you, but I wouldn't get nearly as much, even with your looks. So that's not Plan A anymore," she finished with an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you for the next ten years?"

The foxgirl stared at her, mouth agape. "You wanted to... sell me for... that?" She shook her head in disbelief. Would Timeless really sell her? Could she? What had she gotten herself into? Ahri just did not know. Once the shock wore off, she composed herself and pointed at the contract as a desperate idea came to her. "What...exactly are the terms?"

"Simple!" Timeless answered as she turned to the contract. "We gave you the power to take human life essence so you wouldn't turn back into a fox – leaving the exact method up to you, of course," she said with a wink, "and after one decade of enjoying your life, you become ours! Now to be honest, I hadn't really decided what we'd do with you after that. The Bilgewater thing wasn't even my first choice. Also, there are-"

In an instant, Ahri reignited the magical energy of her orb, and in one practiced motion, launched it directly at the contract as Timeless held it before her. She refused to be a slave! If she could only destroy that contract and escape, Timeless might think it too much trouble to find her and then just leave her alone. Distracted with the question, Timeless was too slow to react. The orb tore through the contract, incinerating the document and burning Timeless's hands before continuing on into the forest.

Timeless peered at Ahri with a hurt expression. "Now is that any way to treat-" Her sentence was cut off by the orb's return flight. It glided in from the forest and slammed into Timeless's back. She went sprawling on the ground as the magical energy washed over her body, singeing her clothes and hair. Ahri leapt gracefully to catch the orb, then made a dart for a nearby streambed as Timeless struggled to stand.

Ahri was making her way along the stream when a spear of energy shot through the brush ahead of her. She dropped to her belly just in time as a second bolt pierced the air where she'd been a moment before. With no other choice, Ahri decided to launch her most devastating attack. She lunged up out of the stream, preparing to douse Timeless with a barrage of magical energy before disappearing into the woods.

But Timeless was ready now; another energy shot grazed Ahri's leg, make her stumble. As she hit the ground, Ahri yet again found herself immobilized by Timeless's attack. She had tried three times to escape, and three times, Timeless proved superior. Sad, humiliated and defeated, Ahri remained on her knees, head downwards, even as Timeless lifted the spell. She should have known that simply destroying the contract document would not free her from its obligations...

Timeless bounded over to Ahri, laughing much of the way. "Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT!" she exclaimed gleefully, setting her hands on the foxgirls shoulders and looking her straight in the face. "I knew developing some magical talent was a possible side effect of soul consumption, but I've never seen any like that! Ahri, do you know what this means?"

Ahri shook her head, confused and worried.

"It means I figured out what to do with you!" she said with a grin. "I won't have to sell you to Bilgewater after all! Now do that thing with the orb again." Timeless pointed to a nearby tree stump. "Think you can hit that?"

The foxgirl looked at Timeless suspiciously for a moment, then shrugged. She ignited the orb again and heaved it at the stump. It was an easy shot. The stump shattered with a loud report that sent birds scattering from the forest. Only charred remnants were left on the ground to mark where the stump had been.

"That!" Timeless exclaimed. "That's what I can do with you!"

Ahri looked to the smoldering ground, then back to Timeless as a realization came to her. "You want me for my magic?" She paused as a smile grew across her face. The years of traveling on her own had given Ahri endless opportunities to practice with the magical orb she could conjure out of nothingness. She was proud of all that she'd learned to do with it, and had even come to rely on the object to defend herself, when the need arose. "You mean, not many people can do that?"

Timeless clapped her hands together. "Very few people can do what you do, Ahri. You're something special. Really special. Which is why I have a new offer! Come back with me to my organization, and we'll help you out; you won't have to hunt down innocent people and consume their souls just to remain human!"

"An offer? You mean another contract?" Ahri asked warily as her smile disappeared.

"Of course!" Timeless answered, producing a new scroll. "You just zapped your old contract. If you didn't like it, you should have just said so!"

Ahri blinked. "…That doesn't make any sense!" she cried. "Contracts don't work that way! Even you said that!"

"Well, I could bring back our old contract... if you're that anxious to go to Bilgewater," Timeless said with a smirk, then laughed as Ahri shuddered. She turned back to the scroll. As she waved her finger over it, sections of text began to appear. "But I'm being nice since you're technically between contracts at the moment. So, how about you agree to help us out from time to time with your magic? In return, you won't have to steal any more souls to stay human! I mean, you could if you want to; it actually sounds kinda fun-"

Ahri shook her head forcefully. "No. No more contract. If the old one has ended, then I'm done." She turned and began walking away, amazed that her plan seemed to have work.

"No...more...contract?" Timeless stood in shock for a moment, then ran after her. "Wait! You can't do that! I just wanna help-"

The foxgirl suddenly turned on her, feeling empowered by her victory. She pointing angrily at the woman. "Why on earth would I accept another contract? Your last one turned me into a monster!"

The pale woman grabbed Ahri's hand. "And you're still a monster," she pointed out, a new seriousness in her voice and her smile gone. "Answer me this, fox; where are you going? You don't know, do you? Not back to your friends, because you don't have any! There's no place that you can call home. You're just going to keep wandering Ionia for the rest of your life, going from one village to the next, taking souls so you don't turn back into an animal. You'll always be looking in on the human world, but never quite able to join it, and never accepted when you try."

Ahri shook her hand free, gave Timeless a pained glare, then continued walking.

"Do you ever want to do more than dream?" Timeless called after her.

Ahri paused. Even back when she was a fox, she had loved nothing more than watching and wondering at the mysterious habits of the human dwellers in her forest at the foot of the Tevasa Mountains. She watched their labors during the planting season and their celebrations at harvest. She watched with joy as children played in the meadows and she watched with sorrow as families mourned those who had passed on. She watched with a strange sense of nostalgia as the villagers talked and bickered, laughed and fell in love. And unlike the other foxes who were content to live out their short animal lives in the forest, Ahri had dreamed of something more. She had dreamed of days spent running and playing with the children, and of having real friends to celebrate with and laugh with, friends who shared her joy of life. She dreamed of a life where she would no longer have to be alone.

Her initial transformation had brought her dream tantalizingly close to coming true, though once she started consuming souls to sustain her human form, she knew the dream would remain just beyond her grasp. And yet, maybe...

With a sigh, the foxgirl turned back to Timeless. "What can you possibly do to help me?" she demanded.

"Well for one, we could keep you from being a murderer," Timeless answered. "Two, you'd get to meet other people like you; no more lonely nights spent watching others' lives go by. And three," she smiled. "You'd get to have some fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. Fun."

"Fun with what?" Ahri asked, unconvinced. "And how does my magic fit in to this?"

"For the fun!" Timeless replied, throwing her arms in the air.

"You still haven't explained what the fun is."

"Games."

"Games? My spells are offensive weapons. You want them for games?"

"Yeah! Games with other people. Some of them also magic-users!"

Ahri thought for a moment, then came to a realization. "If this is for some kind of fighting game... then you want me to use my magic to fight other people, don't you? You seem to know how many people I've killed…" she went on, a twinge of anger returning to her voice. " You really think I'd be okay with killing more? "

"No no no no no... Well, yeah," Timeless answered quickly. "But what if you weren't really killing people? Runeterra is full of magic! What if everyone you fought came back to life afterwards? You'd get to harvest life energy so you don't turn back into a fox, and you'd get the companionship of people like you. You wouldn't be a murderer, you'd be a Champion!"

Ahri looked at her suspiciously, still unsure if she could believe the woman. Though she did not relish the thought of fighting, the benefits seemed too good to be true. "You... you can really do that?" she asked, finally letting hope push aside the distrust in her mind.

The pale woman pointed to the nine tails swishing around Ahri's legs. "We gave you the power to stay mostly-human for the last decade. Of course we can bring people back to life."

The foxgirl nodded, looking around at the forest as she considered the offer. Though Ahri hated the terrible price she had to pay for her humanity and hoped to one day be welcomed in the villages, she still loved her peaceful life in the forests by the Tevasa Mountains, far from the battle lines of the humans' endless war. "I... I don't know," she said at last. "For all that I wish to change, this is my home now." She turned back to Timeless. "This place... wherever I've wandered in Ionia, I always seem to find myself back here. To this forest. Almost like the land is calling to me," she said wistfully. "I love the smell of the trees here, the sounds of the birds, the feel of a cool stream running over my feet on a warm summer day..."

Timeless listened with a sympathetic smile. "You wouldn't have to leave forever. The games only happen occasionally. The rest of the time, you can wander the forest as much as you like. Maybe even settle down in a village!"

Ahri continued to gaze around the forest as she pondered her options, thinking about all the time she'd spent dreaming about just that. Suddenly she looked back at Timeless suspiciously. "What's the catch? The last time I made a contract with you, I was tricked into becoming an outcast."

Timeless held up her hands innocently. "No catch! And that last time was just an honest misunderstanding." She held up the new contract. "Well, the games can be kinda… intense. But there's no lasting damage. See how I'm tell you in advance? The only requirement for you would be to take part. And then after you win a hundred games, you're free!"

"Free?"

"Yeah! We'd fix your transformation spell so you don't need to keep consuming life energy from other people, and then you'd be free to go."

After a few more moments of consideration, Ahri slowly nodded. While she did not consider herself a fighter, taking part in a few battles – especially with no long term risks – seemed like a small price to pay to for her to finally enjoy a complete human life. Ahri took another look around. Friendship, a path towards becoming fully human, and not being far from her forest? Try as she might, she couldn't see a downside to this contract. "Fine, I accept your proposal, Timeless."

"Awesome!" Timeless pumper her fist victoriously. "I knew you'd come around!"

But one point still didn't fit... "Wait, I know this land," Ahri began. "There's no fighting club around here, just forests and old battlefields from the war. How could I return to the forest so easily if I'm helping you with your games?"

Timeless snapped her fingers and suddenly vanished, then reappeared on the other side of a stunned Ahri. "Teleportation," she explained.

"That's how you snuck up on me…" the foxgirl realized.

"Yeah! We can do a lot of things. We can give you the friendship you want and all the souls you need to stay human! You just gotta sign right here…" Timeless was becoming impatient as she pointed to the contract.

Ahri looked at the scroll hesitantly. "I… I still can't read," she admitted.

"It's just the terms of our agreement. We grant your wish, you agree to fight until you've won a hundred battles with us. That, and a few details." Timeless snatched Ahri's arm, shoved a quill into her hand, and quickly guided it over a line at the bottom of the paper.

Ahri continued to stare blankly at the page, then looked at Timeless helplessly. "W-what do I do?"

Timeless sighed, snapped her fingers, and Ahri felt her hand move on its own. In a second, her name was scrolled over the bottom of the page. She looked up to find Timeless smiling at her. "Welcome to the League of Legends, Champion!" With that, she grabbed the foxgirl by the wrist, and the two of them vanished from the forest.