Apologies for the much delayed update. School has started for me, and I was occupied with moving and travelling and getting work done. Updates will be slow from now onwards, but I hope it would be a little more punctual than this chapter.

Hope you enjoy this new update :).

The full moon was barely visible through the heavy branches that loomed overhead. The surrounding grasses sprout tall, brushing against the torso of the cursed Ionian as he crept cautiously through the forest in almost blind darkness. He wasn't too sure that he knew what he was doing, or where he was going, but he was compelled to go on, determined to know if it really was the plant mage behind those vines, and what exactly her intentions were by invading the living quarters of a Noxian general. Further deep into the darkness he went as he carefully pushed away the flora that became seemingly numerous every step he took.

Suddenly a thick root bulged up from beneath his feet and knocked Varus off his feet and he fell to the ground. Groaning, he scanned the ground to see what he hit, eyes finally adjusting to the pitch darkness as he scrambled to his feet. Numerous vines and roots sprawled suspiciously on the forest floor. Their mastermind however seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Damn this plant mage.

Just before Varus was fully at his feet, the seemingly dormant roots suddenly sprung up and grabbed onto his ankles. Distracted by the sudden attack from below, Varus was oblivious to the barrage of vines which shot down from above him. Within seconds they coiled around his shoulders, chest, and up to his neck, knocking his breath clean from his lungs

Varus panicked as he was lifted off the ground. He choked on his breath, focusing with all his might to summon his bow. Swiftly, a great arc of dark, crystalline amethyst broke out from his left arm, bursting through the swarm of vines trying to restrain it. He quickly slashed away at the vines restraining his other arm and as he did, noticed significant rustling from the nearby thicket on the other side of the clearing. Without delay, he released a blighted quiver towards the invading entity.

A large flower rapidly blossomed in front of the thicket, halting the glimmering quiver in its path before shivering and wilting away.

"My, my. I knew I've caught large prey tonight…" Slowly, the branches of the bush gave way as a slender figure emerged from the darkness. "...but I hadn't imagined it would be so feisty."

"Unroot me or face death." Varus snarled.

"Death?" Zyra chuckled. "You're quite the bundle of fun. " She stepped gracefully into a narrow beam of moonlight. The soft, blue light of the moon cascaded down on the plant mage, but her face remained hidden in the shadows.

"Dying isn't quite on my immediate list of priorities I'm afraid." She smiled. "I'm not the type to play with my food but tonight... I seem to be in the mood."

She lifted her hand up and gestured towards him. The vines ensnaring the cursed Ionian quickly tightened and lunged him forward into the clearing.

"It seems however you seek business of a more serious nature. Cup of tea?" A nearby vine coiled around from behind the pair, presenting a small cream coloured teacup with a saucer. The Ionian momentarily entertained the thought of the plant mage before him having semi-pseudo cannibalistic habits. He peered into the cup.

Freshly boiled bees and beetles stirred weakly on the surface. Varus stared exasperatedly at her silly gesture although the cold expression on his face remained unchanged.

"Don't play games with me Zyra. I've taken the heads of many foolish who have tried." Varus said quietly.

"But you'd rather stomp right into a person's home and then disregard their hospitality?" Zyra asked sarcastically.

Varus hesitated for a moment. He considered the events leading up to this moment and decided there's no real point in making sense out of anything. He stretched out his hand and reached over to the small porcelain cup, curling his fingers around it. Upon closer inspection, the wares were indeed stolen from the Dining Hall at the Institute of War. Varus took in a breath, and allowed the vile corruption to flicker and flow from his fingers to the cup. Thin, headless snakes dipped into the water before constricting themselves around the dying insects, seemingly squeezing them of their last breaths. The insects flake as they each turn into a dark amethyst hue before disintegrating into the water.

"Fascinating" Zyra murmured as she observed the swirling purple murk that lay present in his hand. "A powerful creature of corruption manifested in the body of a human." Varus watched her as she picked the porcelain off his hand, distressed by the vines he feels constricting his lower body as they begun again to climb and curl around the rest of him. He grabbed firmly onto his bow. "Such a case is one that I am quite familiar with indeed." Zyra mused as she abruptly seized Varus' free arm to observe its oily, dark texture. Her fingers stroked boldly through the multiple layers of dark, jagged tendrils. Appalled, Varus quickly released a tentacle from his wrist, engulfing her throat as he flinched his arm away.

She must be mad. No one has ever dared to come too close to this monstrous alien body of his, let alone make contact with it.

"Your mockery poses little threat, plant mage. I can assure you, that you and I are nothing alike." Varus snarled as he shot a barrage of piercing arrow through the entangling growth that trapped his legs, freeing himself while Zyra struggled. "Unlike you I have not lost myself to a mindless parasite." He jumped down onto the forest floor, only to find it infested with seeding bulbs, now clearly visible in the moonlight.

"Are we?" Zyra lashed her arm vines into the ground. In a puff of red pollen the forest floor erupted with vines. Varus raced across the ground, stomping on the premature bulbs while trying frantically to dodge the grasping wild growth that came unceasingly from all directions. "Tell me then, what were you doing, creeping around the chambers of a Noxian General?" The plant mage had disappeared swarming thicket while he was kept busy. Her voice echoed through the trees.

"None of your business you hypocrite!" Varus snapped. She must be vulnerable up close if she's hiding from me, Varus considered. "You think just because your plants do your dirty work, you can't be held responsible?" He turned around and fired a piercing arrow through the growth, ripping through the stalks as they fell. But more vines he slashed the more they seemed to sprout again.

He had to stop the vines from the source. Varus fired another piercing arrow, lower down this time so that he could catch a glimpse of the floor. He spotted her feet just briefly before the slashed vines collapsed onto the ground. Quickly he fired a hail of arrows, desecrating the ground before the seeds could resprout. He dashed to the side, dodging the vines that emerged from behind him, and again shredded through the growth before poisoning the ground with his blighted quivers.

But as the vines withered away, Zyra was nowhere to be seen on the forest floor. A flash of green and red caught Varus' eye from above. Varus quickly glanced up and spotted her at last in the branches of a low lying tree. Without wasting much time, he ran towards her, unleashing a chain of corruption from his bow, which flew towards the plant mage and locked down her limbs and neck. "Surprise!" A heavy vine swiped the Ionian off his unguarded feet, sending him flying forward towards the low lying tree.

Varus crash landed against tree. His back scratched painfully against the rough surface while his head spun. A crash resounded from above him as Zyra too was knocked off the branches. Instinctively he unplanted his face from the ground and spun around to stretch out his arms and brace for impact.

Thump.

The soft evening light cast upon the clearing intensified as the moon moved away from behind the clouds.

Varus lay panting in confusion as he held the plant mage in his arms. Zyra seemed to radiate under the pale glow of the moon, her skin and body leaves lightly discoloured from scratches and bruises that covered her body. Her face, now unhindered by the shadows of the forest, revealed a strange expression of euphoria, seemingly oblivious to the harsh battle that just occurred. The blighted tendrils coiled heavily around her body posed no damper her fearless spirits.

"Tell me your name, champion of justice." She whispered, her fingers combing through the Ionian's silver locks.

"Varus." he replied breathlessly. "Varus….of Ionia."

"Varus of Ionia…." She repeated quietly to herself, and then smiled. "You should be less shy about wanting to play."

Slowly, vines from around them rose from the thicket. They carefully peeled the plant mage away from Varus' hold and lifted her off his body. He watched as she was seemingly swallowed by the thicket, melted into the darkness and the rest of the forest fell back into a peaceful silence.