Chapter 4

Set in Motion

Finally, face to face with her goal.

Rengar stood before the three of them, seeming rather relaxed, but Vi knew better, it was a front to goad out an attack from them so he could claim self-defense to the Institute of War should he prevail.

But did he really think he could defeat all three of them if they actually did attack him?

Either way now was her chance.

"Pridestalker" she shouted, "we're here to…"

But a primal roar, a fierce battle cry of defiance and rage interrupted her, completely drowning her out.

It came from behind her.

She noticed an almost gleeful grin on the lion's face just before a large cat lunged past her directly at the newcomer.

"Nidalee, stop!" Ezreal shouted after her, but it was no use.

Nidalee, the Bestial Huntress, had transformed into a large, orange predatory cat, as she was known to do, and apparently could not hold back her hate of the Pridestalker very long at all.

She lunged claws first at Rengar, squarely aimed at his neck, but a quick back step and twist of his wrist had her flying at a large reverse blade instead.

A frantic jerk of her hind paws had her touch ground and stop before skewering herself on the weapon, but she wasn't done her attack yet.

Fainting another lunge she forced Rengar to bring his left claws around instead, but at the last moment she jumped to his left side.

She took a hard hit from the backside of his claws as he retracted them to block her attack, but she grabbed hold of his forearm in her powerful jaws at the same moment.

He roared through the pain and tried to swing his arm back around but she dug her claws into the earth below her, intent on ripping his arm off.

His blade in the opposite hand came high then, for a quick kill, but a well-placed mystic shot from Ezreal knocked it from his grasp. It was all he could do at that moment to keep her alive.

Vi didn't know how to stop this, she had been shouting at them to make peace so she could explain the reason they came out into the jungle in the first place, but neither combatant was listening.

Vi wanted to jump in, but didn't know how to stop these two powerful fighters or who to fight beside and against should she choose that route.

The Huntress was shacking her head back and forth, causing as much damage as she could, so she was caught completely off-guard when the lion stepped towards her and drove her back with him.

She had been so focused on holding herself steady she was not prepared for the sudden movement backwards, and her claws came right out of the ground.

Up into the air she went, still holding strong, but only until Rengar drove her back hard into a large tree trunk.

The air was knocked completely out of her lungs and she reflexively loosened her jaws.

The Pridestalker seized his chance and grabbed her tail in his right hand, then whipped her completely around himself and into another trunk on his other side. In the same motion his now free left hand swung around, claws aimed at her abdomen.

Seeing the killing blow heading her way Nidalee shifted back to human form, a form with no tail, and she managed to twist her body enough to avoid the lion's claws.

They stuck into the tree behind her and she jumped away to collect herself, she had to gather her bearings quickly, she had underestimated Rengar's strength.

Vi made note of that as well. It was common knowledge among all champions that limitations of power had been placed on a few to keep them in check, like Jax the Grandmaster at Arms, and she was fairly certain that while on Summoner's Rift Rengar could not throw Nidalee with one hand that forcefully.

Had they restricted his strength as well?

He pulled claws free and began to steadily make his way to his dropped blade, but Vi took this opportunity to make her move, and she stepped in between the lion and his weapon.

"Are you finally joining the fight, Enforcer?" he said in his growling tone.

"No, Rengar, I came to ask for your help back in Piltover!"

He answered with a quizzical expression, obviously a bit surprised by the odd request, but once again Vi was forced into the back seat.

Seeing her opening Nidalee picked her spear up and launched it at the lion's chest.

Rengar was distracted so only barely managed to dodge backwards out of the way, taking a glancing blow to his armored right shoulder.

Before the spear even struck Nidalee was back in cat form and lunging once more.

Forgetting his larger blade Rengar leaped her way as well, intent on finishing this fight.

Claw against claw they fought on, exchanging many blows and cuts, all through the cries for peace from both Piltover citizens, but one thing was apparent through it all.

Nidalee could not win.

Not only was Rengar armored, not only did he still have very sharp hook claws on his left wrist, not only did he know this ground better then Nidalee did, but he possessed physical strength none had expected.

Nidalee could not win.

Realizing this Vi had to take action, she may not have had jurisdiction out in the freaking jungle, but she was still an officer of the law and she considered Nidalee at least some-what of a friend. This had to stop fast.

The enforcer came forward just then with a charging punch of her hextech gauntlet, knocking back the unsuspecting Pridestalker.

"Nidalee you have to stop this, he will kill you!" she pleaded with the huntress.

With a look of utter defiance and inner rage, the cat lunged at the staggering lion once more, and found herself forced back just as before.

Seeing that the only way to end this was too incapacitate one of them Vi joined Nidalee in her fight.

The lion was hard pressed then, Nidalee was strong but Vi had advanced weaponry in the form of her gauntlets, and with only his left claws to block he found himself spinning around constantly defending a double fronted assault.

He managed to side step around the outside of one of Vi's left hooks however and arced his claws around past Nidalee towards Vi's stomach, forcing both woman back a step.

With a bestial laugh he simply vanished.

Vi couldn't believe it, had they just lost their chance to finally end the reign of Jinx because this huntress couldn't contain her emotions!?

She was about to spin on Nidalee and beat her to a pulp in her anger but held back just as Ezreal shouted.

"His sword, Vi! He got his sword back!"

She spun just in time to deflect an attack from what appeared to be a floating blade, before it too vanished.

He was still here then! The thought re-energized her as well as worried her, she knew Rengar wished to kill them, but maybe he was interested in her proposal she managed to squeak out earlier?

"Rengar, sorry about attacking you and all that, " she started, "but I was being serious about my offer earlier, interested at all?"

Nidalee then morphed back to human form, apparently realizing she had missed her chance to finish her nemesis off, and willing to surrender that point, finally.

But Rengar was not done.

As she relaxed he appeared behind her, swinging his claws down behind her knees.

With a scream she fell to her knees, utterly shocked at the surprise attack.

The lion then stepped up and placed his foot on her head and drove it down to the ground, smashing her face first into the hard earth, and she was still.

"Now that she's finally silent, I give you the option to speak or fight," he growled, "I'm curious as to why you need me of all people, but know that I would enjoy continuing our battle should you so choose."

"The first one!" Ezreal shouted over, some distance away.

Vi relaxed a bit, showing the Pridestalker she did infact choose to explain.

"So I'm sure you've heard of the new champion to join the Institute of War, right?" She started.

"You mean that small blue haired girl with all the guns?" He responded.

Finally getting somewhere she continued with renewed enthusiasm, " Exactly! Well she is actually destroying our city-state, Piltover, in real life as we speak."

With a puzzled look he replied, "and why should I care?"

"I just thought you might like to know that none of us have been able to find her, none of us have been successful at hunting her down," she answered, deliberately focusing on the word "hunting."

It worked, as she mentioned the word his eyes seemed to light up with excitement.

"Should I go to your home and collect this problem of yours, would I not in turn be hunted by the Institute for killing another champion?"

And the final piece of her plan, potentially the most important part and the reason she could not include Caitlyn or Jayce.

"Don't worry about that, we've already cleared it with them and they say if someone is talented and skilled enough to find her and take her down they won't take action, she has been named a felon by the sheriff of Piltover afterall."

The lie.

She could tell Rengar didn't believe her, at least not fully, but he hadn't said no yet, a good sign.

She glanced at Ezreal then, remembering he was there, listening. He had a look of shame almost, he knew she had lied to him and he obviously didn't approve. Thankfully he wasn't revealing her ruse, she knew she owed him to explain in private later.

"Fine, this hunt sounds quite enticing, bring me to this Piltover and I will claim her head!"

She had done it! Vi had tricked the Pridestalker into solving her Jinx problem! Of course that was just a maybe though, it was entirely possible Jinx would kill him instead, but it was a risk she'd gladly take.

She was brought back to their situation with Rengar's typical growl however, "but it will be done on my terms," he announced.

"Just name it."

"I will be left alone, no one will interfere with my query while I hunt, and I will be given as long as I desire to deliver her head."

"Deal!"

It was done, she had finally, truly taken that crucial step to saving her city-state.

"But what about Nidalee?" Ezreal offered, now joining them, "she looks pretty bad."

Vi looked her over and agreed, aside from the lion foot resting on the back of her head, she was covered in cuts and gashes, and the backs of her legs from that last attack would need healing.

"We can bring her back to Piltover to be healed, and then you can show her back when she's ready, Ezreal," she added, realizing having her and Rengar both in Piltover together could only be bad news.

Ezreal nodded his agreement and Vi motioned for Rengar to move so she could carry Nidalee back.

They were finally on their way.

We're coming for you Jinx!