The Family Wolf Inn, an odd name but it somehow seemed to fit the little building. The atmosphere was welcoming, the people were friendly, and the mead was warm. It had been three days in Demacia for the Mistress of lies and Profit of the void and it seemed waiting was all they had left for Kha'zix. They had been able to check on his body recently, the wound was healed, but the hunter seemed stuck in a coma. So they stayed, hidden in plain sight and anxiously waiting for a recovery.
This particular night, dark clouds had swirled and rain seemed to start without any warning and stop just as quickly, it was bad outside and patrons would occasionally come in to simply be out of the storm.
"And here's yours," Leblanc set the final drink down for the four men crowded around the table. Demacian bar maidens had far less reveling outfits than that of Noxus, another thing to be thankful for.
"Thank you darling," One of the men said and turned to his drinking companions. Leblanc silently cursed them for the lack of a tip but brushed it off and returned to the bartender, whom she now knew as Jacob.
"Good work Ana…" He eyed the men carefully. "You more than deserve a tip for all the work you put into for those hog monkeys."
"Thanks… Where's Nicholas?" She asked.
"Moving some crates for me, ale is getting bad."
"Well, I-"
"Hey! I'm out of mead over here!" One of the men called back to her and Leblanc felt herself cringe a bit.
"I'll be there in a minute," She called with forced kindness and Jacob placed a full mug in front of her to be delivered "Here you are," she drop the glass off and returned to Jacob.
"Don't worry about them, just being jerks." Jacob said when she returned, and Leblanc eyed the four another moment but returned to her work, she had others to attend to anyway. The night continued on, people walking in and stumbling out. Malzahar returned from the storm outside, his clothes wet and his face irritated.
"What's the status in here?" He turned to Jacob. "Better than outside I pray."
"Your sister has a knack for charming customers out of their money… She must be a friendly person."
"…Among all the words to describe her; that is not one that comes to mind…" Malzahar muttered more to himself as he watched Leblanc serves drinks in the disguised body she had given herself. "Is there any other labor you require of me?"
"Nah, have a seat, we should be closing the bar soon anyway." As Jacob predicted, the scene was winding down, to Leblanc's relief the four hooligans took their leave. There was only twenty minutes left in the working day when a final, hooded man burst in from the storm. His face was shadowed and he wore a long cloak to disguise the rest of his body. He quickly found a seat in front of Jacob, next to where Malzahar sat and patiently sat for a drink. "You look like hell boy, where you in from?" Jacob asked as he poured the man a drink.
"Not here." Was all the man answered and quietly sipped his drink. "I hear this is the favorite pub of the prince?" An odd question which caused Malzahar's ears to perk up.
"You'd be right; Prince Jarvan and lady Shyvana will always make an effort to stop when on leave from the institute of war." The shady man took another sip. "Were you hoping to meet him? I hear Demacia and Noxus are in heading to the fields of Justice next week, something about a mine?"
"Actually it's the Axura mine." This caught Leblanc's attention, the mine's name wasn't exactly public knowledge and she stood on the side of the man, opposite of Malzahar. "See, Noxus needs raw materials to add the finishing touches to a weapon of immense power, so if the prince were to say… Come down with a serious case of iron lung, that'd be a very fortunate occurrence for Noxus."
"What are getting at son?" Jacob looked a bit harder at the man. The man looked up from his hood with a sly grin and eyes that Leblanc knew all too well.
"Talon…" She whispered.
"Finally some recognition" Talon commented. Leblanc was grateful he did not recognize her, but she was horrified that he was in Demacia. "I'm telling you this because I'm going to kill all three of you and replace you with Noxus assassins, any objections?"
"Plenty" Jacob cocked a hand gun he had under his bar and Talon just menacingly laughed.
"Do you truly believe you can stop me with a hand gun?" His famous dagger slid out from his wrist and he rested it on the table. "Don't blink." Was all he said and in a fraction of a second he sent the blade at Jacob. Leblanc turned away and Jacob had shut his eyes, waiting for the pain to come, but when it didn't, he forced his eyes to peel open. There seemed to be a strange wall of purple energy blocking the blade's path from piercing his flesh, Talon recognized this energy, but was very confused by it. His eyes moved to where Malzahar sat next to him and he focused on this average man next to him.
"What is this?" Talon withdrew his blade and got in Malzahar's face.
"Ana… Remove Jacob and any others in this establishment from the vicinity," Malzahar ordered Leblanc.
"But I can-" She tried to protest.
"Do as you are commanded." Malzahar's voice once again rung with the anger of when she was held 'captive' by Draven and so she reluctantly obeyed.
"Come along then Jacob," She helped him out of the Inn.
"I've seen your power before," Talon questioned the man who was still calmly sitting in front of him. "You are another from the Void?" This sent Malzahar into a fit of laughter.
"No, not another," A Voidling spawned on his shoulder and hissed at Talon, who stood from his stool in response. Then the walls seemed to begin melting, everything started to become a dream sequence, dark and horrific; this spell, a Malefic Vision, was very familiar to Talon.
"You… You are Malzahar?"
"The very same" Malzahar stood from the bar stool and levitated as his eyes shined their brilliant white light. "Now leave this city, before I offer your bones to the Void."
"I saw you depart," Talon's eyes moved around the room as he tried to figure out why the priest was in this city and looking nothing like himself. "You left for Icathia five days ago, lady Leblanc with you." It was at this moment the Voidling latched onto Talon and started the jab its spike like hands into him. It was an annoyance at most, but it was enough to leave him open and Malzahar launched a burst of magical energy at him. Talon felt the magic burn his skin and send him back a bit. "I'll figure it out later, right now you're going to die."
"Do you truly believe you can kill me?"
"No…" Talon shifted his feet into a position, ready to strike "But I can put you down long enough to find that bartender and your girl."
"She is not mine!" Malzahar boomed and launched energy in all direction, Talon covering his eyes with his blade.
"Looks like I touched a nerve," He smirked and sent out his Rake attack. Glass shattered, wood snapped and the scene was overall chaotic, but Malzahar was unfazed by the blades and simply kept his eyes open as to where the assassin had gone. The blades returned to a center mass and formed into Talon, leaping towards Malzahar at top speed.
Leblanc saw an enormous purple flash shine through the inn's windows and she felt concern spread over her visage. She looked back to the group of four people who she escorted from the building, they appeared to be as entranced with the scene as she was, as another flash of purple broke through the windows. Slowly, other citizens on the streets noticed the lights and flocked to the scene.
Talon thrust his blade forward, Malzahar blocked with a wall of psychic energy and a Voidling from his shoulder countered by leaping onto Talon's face. Talon quickly threw the small creature to the ground and crushed it under his boot, only to be hit by another one of Malzahar's burst fire attacks in his shoulder.
"Why are you fighting me?" Talon held his injury. "Is Icathia in Demacia?"
"Do not be ridiculous, Icathia is on a plane of existence far outside this pitiful city."
"Then why? What do you care if Noxus wins the rights to this mine?"
"I…" Malzahar ceased the energy swelling in his hands. He came down from his levitation and thought about the events of the last days. "I do not know."He said to himself. "I do not care for this mine, the materials in it nor for these people." Talon wasn't expecting Malzahar to have a crisis of faith in the middle of combat, but thought it best to capitalize on this. He struck out one final time but felt his blade arm snag, a great, demonic arm had sprung from a void tear behind him to hold Talon in place.
"You thought to strike while I contemplate?" Malzahar questioned.
"…It seemed a good idea a moment ago…"
"But not any longer" And he placed his hand on Talon's forehead, surging with void nightmares. "Now you and I are going to talk."
Leblanc kept starring out to the Inn, showing more emotion than she'd prefer but she knew Talon and his skill in combat, she felt very justified in worrying over Malzahar. Jacob placed a hand on her shoulder, an oddly comforting gesture, but she kept looking for any sign that the Void Priest was okay.
"He's not your brother, is he?" Jacob spoke, Leblanc turned back with surprise and an objection, but the old man's kind smile left their no need to lie.
"He is not." She admitted.
Malzahar struck Talon once again. Talon let out a low grunt in response. "Noxus has a weapon, of astronomical power, but needs to be connected to the Void in order to be charged." He explain as Malzahar paced in front of him.
"How did they plan on obtaining such power?"
"I do not know." And Malzahar struck him again. "We are not told the missions of other agents for this very reason."
"Very well…" Malzahar continued to pace in front of his captive.
"Tell me; what have you done with the lady of lies? I do not see her in your company." Blood fell from his lips and nose as he said this.
"Leblanc? You are aware of her pilgrimage?" Internally, Talon was relieved to see she had not been discovered, though it disturbed him that he did not see her.
"Noxus misses her oh so badly, I thought if I killed you I could bring her back to her senses." He tried to cover his question with a lie.
"I will send you back to your Lords; do not let me catch you here again." Malzahar opened a tear in reality and kicked Talon through it. He'd end up in Noxus… Probably. Malzahar calmed his power to the point where he could disguise it again and exited the building.
"Nicholas!" He heard as soon as he closed the door behind him and he was wrapped by a woman's arms. He looked down to see the disguised Leblanc affectionately hugging his figure. "How dare you make me worry, I could have helped you." She said, releasing him.
"I was concerned you would hesitate while fighting a former ally. Regardless, I thank you for your concern." Jacob was next to arrive and pat Malzahar on the back. "I apologize for the décor, it is not in the state you left it in."
"No, I thank you a thousand times for fighting off that man. Not many would stand up to such a skilled assassin from Noxus. You saved my life with your magical gift. Demacia is always looking for more representatives in the league if you ever felt a higher calling." Malzahar brushed this comment aside and hadn't noticed the crowd of people that had flocked to the commotion he had created while fighting Talon. Demcians stepped forward to thank the hero, several were bold enough to hoist him on their shoulders and parade him around.
"What is this!? Put me down you fools!" Malzahar called, but his rants were drowned out by cheering in the streets. It was a small mob, twenty or so people, but it was enough to make a small reputation for himself. Leblanc simply stood off to the side, slightly chuckling at his reaction to the scene. This ceremony continued for a short duration, but it did subside… Eventually.
