League of Legends: Welcome to Runeterra

by Airavice

Landing on the edge of the continent of Ionia, Kaldur is a man from another world, one who has no idea how he got there or why. With the aid of his recently acquired companion, Ahri, Kaldur must learn to survive in a place he knows nothing of, as well as figure out a way back home. Can he survive his abrupt entrance to this new world full of magic and wonder? Welcome to Runeterra.

10. Rough and Ready

Authors Statement: Hey guys, thank all of you who have been around this entire time to watch this story grow. I have not been as proficient with updating these latest chapters but i hope this will do it for you. This is the longest chapter to date and I hope to have the next chapter out soon. I am currently talking with some people who manage the lore of League of Legends, and am trying to make this story as good and as canon worthy (despite the fact that it may never be) as possible. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 9: Rough and Ready

Kaldur awoke to the sound of metal striking metal and a man, whose voice he didn't recognize, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Alright shark bait, time to get up!"

Kaldur opened his eyes and was greeted by the bars of his cage, and the soreness of sleeping while sitting. Taking a look around the room to remove the grogginess of his mind, Kaldur watched as the cages were opened one by one, and the prisoners who stepped out were herded through the door.

At first Kaldur was wondering if they were moving all of the prisoners to a different location, but when Kaldur and Ahri were left in their cages away from the others, it seemed to be something different. Stretching his sore limbs as much as he could with the chains restrictions, Kaldur stood up and waited by the door to his cage. With the wound in his leg, Kaldur flinched a couple of times at the pain.

The man who was watching the other magicians exit the room seemed to notice the movement and tilted his serrated spear in his direction.

"Not you." The man called. "Capn' wants a word."

Kaldur shrugged his shoulders and began to pace the floor of his cage as his gaze fixated on whatever was interesting at the time. Kaldur had found that on multiple occasions his view would pan to Ahri, who was sitting in a meditative position with her eyes closed. Determined not to bother her with whatever she was doing, Kaldur just looked to make sure she was ok before continuing to gaze upon the rest of the room.

After the last remaining prisoner had left the room, so did the guards who were watching them. It was only a brief moment of silence before the door reopened, and in walked Grend in all his splendor, only this time he was wearing a sleeveless top that looked to be made of hard wool.

"Greetings you two. Hope your night was uneventful?" A big grin spread across his face, stretching his braided beard to mimic the smile.

Instantly the image of the beaten sailor came to Kaldurs mind, and before he could stop himself, the words came out of his mouth.

"I thought you didn't mistreat your prisoners?" Kaldur asked, a small glare coming from his eyes.

"I said I didn't mistreat them, not what happens if they attempt escape." The grin vanished from Grends face in a blink.

"Now I came down here to speak about your futures, if you test me those futures can look pretty bleak; understand?"

Kaldur didn't feel angry, but he was sure annoyed by these circumstances. Begrudgingly he nodded.

The grin on Grends face returned. "Now then, here's how this is going to work. Vastayan, you listening?"

Ahri's ears twitched in response, but to make sure Grend knew she was paying attention, she opened her eyes, the bright yellow that came out was deadly.

"Slavery here works a little different than it does in Shurima. There is no class system, there is no work force, there is you, your boss, and money. Higher-ups pay good money for magic users, and when they get sold I get paid."

Striding farther into the room, Grend reached past the bed and grabbed a small cushioned chair. Placing it with the back facing the door, Grend straddled the chair in between the two cages and rested his arms comfortably on top of the back before continuing.

"Now, in order to get the most of what I catch, there will be a series of tests that you and the rest of the magicians will do to show my clients what you can do. The better you do, the more clients want you, and the more they are willing to pay. By the end of the month, I should have a slew of clients that want you."

A big grin crossed his face as he looked at Ahri. "And the two of you are my golden chests. Especially you Vastayan."

Kaldur watched as Grend eyed Ahri with a greedy look, and the longer it stood the more the knot in his stomach grew.

"Now I am not that cruel," Grend continued. "If I can keep you both as a pair I will do that."

Ahri raised an eyebrow. "And how would that benefit you?"

Grends face kept his grin, but his eyes seemed to tell an all too different story. "This land, and the seas that surround it, can be a boon to those willing to put in the work, and those willing to struggle. But all too often does it strive to break those who don't belong, it doesn't do good to go through that alone."

"So, you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart?" Ahri asked condescendingly.

Grend laughed. "Don't get me wrong young lady, I do this for profit and nothing more. If I see a better opportunity, I'll take it."

Standing up, Grend put the chair back and turned towards the door; stopping before he opened it, Grend turned to Kaldur.

"Don't worry kid, I take care of my prize's. And when your bought by someone else, I have no worries that you will do well."

The next few days served as a learning curve for Kaldur. While he was fed, sheltered, and generally taken care of, he was still bound by these mysterious chains that nullified his abilities. Whenever he had spare time, which was few and far between, Kaldur attempted to experiment with the shackles that bound him. From what he could tell, he could still feel the magic flow through him, but every time he attempted to summon it, the magic felt like it fluttered away from where he directed it.

In between the food, and well needed rest, Kaldur and Ahri were taken far into the bowels of the island city. At first, Kaldur assumed that he was going to be worked before he could be tested on his abilities, but as the small boat came through the small canals of Bilgewater's underbelly the two companions came across something completely different.

Kaldur sat cross legged apart from Ahri in the small craft. Still bound by chains, and crushed next to Grend and his companion Derk, Kaldur kept trying to shift around to make himself comfortable. As the boat came around the last bend of wooden docking, the small band came face to face with the mountain side that shot straight into the air out of sight. In front of them looked like the entrance to a sewage tunnel where the water continued into the dark abyss that crept into the tunnel. While the structure was that of simple stone blocks in a brick patterns, the entrance felt far more menacing than it looked. With a small push of the oar, Derk directed the scuttle into the darkness.

It took a bit for Kaldur's eyes to adjust, but once they did, he noticed that the pathway was just that: a series of sewer tunnels which spread out like a maze. Curious why they would be here of all places, but not wanting to ask the question, Kaldur tried to keep track of every turn that Derk made with the boat in order to remember the path.

At first, they kept straight with the first two potential turns, but when they reached the third, the boat made a sharp left, proceeded by a right, another right, and then kept straight. After a few missed turns, the group made a double left turn and then an immediate right entering a large lit cavern that was shaped like a dome.

As the boat skimmed to a halt in a large bay area, Grend leapt off the boat and onto the shore area that was covered in dead sea coral and scattering rats with shark like appendages.

"Alright, off." Grend ordered.

Following Ahri and Derk, Kaldur stepped off the boat and onto the ground. The dome area was far larger than Kaldur initially thought, and in reminiscence it looked a lot like a coliseum. With stairs to his left that lead up to the top of a large cylindrical base, the entire center of the domed area was a rocky circular platform which was surrounded by the water in which the group had entered. The platform was nearly ten feet above the water, and as he came to the top of the massive cylinder he noticed many more sewer entrances that connected to the watery ring that surrounded them. The ceiling which made up the dome was a cream white that looked very similar to the chains he wore on his wrists; not only did it encircle the entire cavern, there were many small entrances on the walls which lead to a few rings of railed outlooks that circled the inner dome.

In the center of the dome, which sat atop the circle platform, was a smaller dome made of metal bars which was well lit and looked like a child's playground.

"This is where we will be spending our time till the tide lowers again." Grend explained.

"Kinky." Kaldur remarked, not able to help himself.

"Kinky?" Grend asked, eyebrow raised.

Kaldur chuckled. "Nevermind. Bad joke."

Grend shrugged and continued his explanation. "This is where you two will be practicing your magic and showing me what you can do. The roof itself is made of petricite; like those chains you have on, they prevent you from using your magic. Since the material has a bit of a range, the dome in the center is the only area where you can use your stuff. Here is where you will be tested in the future, so I want you to get used to it and be able to perform."

Kaldur paused for a moment as a thought struck him. "You said us, but what about the other magicians?"

Grend shook his head. "Getting the two of you in here without getting seen is hard enough, if my men were to find out I let the magicians use their magic, no amount of charisma is gonna change their attitude."

"Why?"

"I want the best price I can get for what I caught, if you lose practice you lose favor and I lose money. Since you two are interesting both of you will be worth the rest of those squablers combined."

"Careful not to put all your hopes on one dream." Ahri remarked, her head was turned away from the three others but Kaldur could tell something was off.

Trying not to seem as sentimental as he was, Kaldur turned to Grend. "So when do we start?"

Grend's infamous grin appeared. "That's the spirit."

Leading Kaldur and Ahri into the monkey cage, Grend removed their shackles and collars before stepping out and closing the makeshift door behind them. Rubbing his wrists from how sore they were, Kaldur began to warm up in his usual fashion, allowing his body and mind to free up. Ahri, on the other hand, moved to the middle of the cage and stood there for a moment, taking in deep breaths.

"You okay?" Kaldur asked, prepping to do a few squats.

Ahri didn't look back at him, but did a small smile before she replied. "I'm fine."

Kaldur paused for a moment, doubting her words. A few days ago she was trying to keep his spirits up, now she seemed … off. Shaking his head and blaming his lack of social ability for reading too deep into this, Kaldur continued what he was doing while talking to Grend. The big man turned around and found a small bench that sat near the edge of the circle to sit on while Kaldur talked.

"So, what stops magicians from using their magic on someone while they are in the cage? I mean, While you were taking our chains of, either myself or Ahri could have taken you as hostage."

Grend paused, then began laughing hysterically. "HA! You are young! First, I have a counter question for you: why didn't you do that?"

Kaldur thought for a moment. "Because even if I did I would be weaker as I tried to move out, then you could overpower… ah…"

Grend laughed again, Kaldur could swear he saw tears. "Exactly. I will grant you that most Ionians know a fair amount of hand to hand combat, but if you're a mage you become less of a threat without your magic."

"I don't know." Kaldur began sarcastically. "I think I could take you."

Grend still had a small smile on his face, but he shook his head. "You're gettin' a little too comfortable there Kaldur. Besides, I'm not stupid enough to fight you in that ring, and even if I did die to you in that ring, Derk here is more than capable of takin' you out without your magic."

Derk's head perked up a bit at that statement.

Leaning back Grend gave another smile. "Now, let's see what you can do."

The next plethora of hours were filled with Grend examining their powers and abilities; and while Kaldur was skeptical about showing his captor what he could do, it didn't mean he couldn't show off a little of what Grend had already seen when they fought before. With few meals in between, and a rigorous demand to fulfill Grend's curiosity, Kaldur began to wonder why he ever thought that his master Lee was harsh. As the first day came to a close, Kaldur and Ahri were once again bound and taken back to the tavern where they spent their night in the cage; and as the sun began to rise so did the same regime.

This process constituted most of the days for the next few weeks, and while Kaldur used it as an opportunity to gain strength, he was also using it as a chance to examine the layout of what he could see of Bilgewater; and if possible, a way to escape.

The city itself seemed the same as he first observed it, but as he watched the people on the docks he began to notice some odd things about its culture. Upon his first assumption Bilgewater was a den of thieves and brigands, but upon closer inspection people did not just look out for themselves. While there were many territorial disputes, and bickering over money, if there was a tight nit group of people those individuals were fiercely loyal to one another. With Grend to help fill in the blanks, it was also apparent that pirates and sailors were not the only dwellers on this isle. From what was explained, many natives to this island called Bilgewater the Serpent Isles or Blue Flame Isles. Each was highly respected, and while some participated in the piracy of their everyday lives, some ran the temples that are revered on the islands.

"Kaldur, see if you can infuse Ahri with your magic." Grend asked.

The island was not the only thing that had surprised Kaldur during their tenure here, Grend had proven to be a very curious individual about the ways of magic, and while he denied it fervently whenever the question was posed to him, Kaldur wondered if the man was more adept at the ways of this than he let on.

"Sorry, what?" Kaldur asked.

"See if your magic can interact with Ahri." Grend specified.

Kaldur turned to look at Ahri, who was sitting cross legged in the center of the inner cage; her back turned to them.

"Um, ok."

Kaldur shrugged and walked over to Ahri; making sure to keep his voice low. "Do you know what he is talking about?"

"No idea." Ahri responded, keeping her back to him.

Kaldur raised an eyebrow. During the last few weeks, Ahri seemed different than normal. At first Kaldur kept shrugging off the idea that something was wrong and pushed on with his observation of the city, but as the weeks crept, his gut began to feel a small amount of worry as he watched her.

Walking in front of her and kneeling down, Kaldur stared straight at her. "What's wrong?"

"I am fine, Kaldur." She replied, her eyes closed.

Kaldur took a deep sigh, and kept his voice low. "Look, I may be clueless, but even I can tell that something is wrong. I mean, at first you were the one trying to keep me from …" Kaldur looked down.

With a breath of shock, Kaldur noticed a set of bruises of Ahri's wrists and neck from where the shackles had been. At first, Kaldur thought they were just marks on her skin, but upon closer inspection, he realized that they were not bruises, but instead it looked like the skin was being eaten away.

"What is that!?" Kaldur seethed, trying to not sound that urgent.

"I have already said I am fine." Ahri stated, keeping her voice calm and collected.

"That's not…"

"Is there a problem?" Grend asked, interrupting.

Kaldur winced, and looked over Ahri's shoulder at him. "Just trying to figure this out, takes a bit of collaboration."

Grend raised an eyebrow, but after a few moments shrugged his shoulders and motioned to continue.

Kaldur returned his attention to Ahri. "What are these?" Kaldur asked again, pointing to the marks on her wrists.

"Nothing you need concern yourself with." Ahi replied.

Kaldur was taken a little aback, Ahri was stubborn, but this was something else entirely. Wracking his brain, Kaldur thought of what the chains were made out of and finally put the pieces together.

"The shackles, they don't just nullify your magic, do they?"

Ahri's eyes open slightly. "This is nothing you need to worry about."

"Ahri, this is serious. If I noticed this, there is no way Grend hasn't. If you end up weaker, or even sick, because of the perticite, than Grend may have no choice but to do something worse."

Ahri kept her eyes lowered to the floor, remaining silent.

Kaldur looked up for a moment, when it suddenly hit him. "Grend does already know, that's why he asked me to infuse you with magic."

With an excited look on his face, Kaldur gazed back at Ahri. "Take my memories."

Ahri shot up with a painful look on her face. "Kaldur, no…"

"It's the best option." Kaldur interrupted. "I don't yet know how to give you magic to heal, but you can heal by taking my memories, and the best part is that it doesn't damage me."

Ahri didn't move.

"Ahri, please." Kaldur pleaded. "I know you don't want to do this, but I am the only one who is immune. Grend doesn't know you can do this, so it will look different to him. Please, just try."

Ahri looked into his eyes for a moment, each of hers glowing a brilliant yellow before she nodded in acceptance. Leaning in closer to him, her eyes changed to a brighter pink before the bliss hit him. It was just as he remembered it: amazing happiness where all his worries and doubts disappeared. The bliss lasted for only a short moment, and went just as fast as it came. When it was done, Kaldur was looking at a livelier Ahri; all her marks removed.

"Feeling better?" Kaldur asked.

"Much." Ahri replied. "Though, I have one question: what is a waifu?"

Kaldur choked, realizing that she got that term from his memories. "I don't quite remember." He lied.

A smug look came over Ahri's face, but she shrugged and dropped the topic, much to Kaldur's relief.

Standing up and turning towards Grend, Kaldur called out. "Will that do for you?" He asked.

Grend raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see anything." Turning his head towards Ahri, he watched her stand up and brush off the dust from her knees before he remarked again. "But, it does look as though something happened."

With a small smile on his face, Grend clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Now, let's try something else."

Kaldur rolled his eyes and looked to the ceiling, there was just no stopping with this man.

For the last week, Ahri and Kaldur began to build upon their teamwork, allowing for each other to fight off the other ones weaknesses. Despite Ahri's weakness to petricite, there was only one other instance where she allowed herself to indulge on Kaldur's memories, and she refused to do it again until the day of the viewing. As for Kaldur's escape, it came as little surprise to him that the day they were supposed to fight would be the day they left this island. Not wanting to cause more trouble for Grend than he had to, Kaldur made the decision that when they were given to whomever their next captor would be would be the time to strike. Ahri, not seeing a better alternative, had agreed with this plan, and both began to make the preparations that they could in the time allotted.

Unlike the previous weeks, Grend had finally set a room for each of the prisoners to have in the red hallway which lay outside the furnished room, which had been their abode until recently. Each room contained a bed, a dresser and red lanterns which hung from the ceiling. Many were decorated in satins and silks that covered the walls, while golden paints flowed in intricate patterns on the wood furnishings. The bed itself was draped with see-through purple silk that covered the bed like a sheet, and surrounded it like walls. Two prisoners each were paired into a room, and new clothes were given to them to replace the ones that were ragged and torn from use. While the chains remained on, each slave was cleaned and fed a decent meal as they each prepared for their new future.

At first Kaldur wondered who would get the individual room, as he assumed they would give Ahri her own room, but when himself and her were locked in the same room, he found that sleeping on the floor was going to be his lot for the next week. While Ahri asked for her clothing to be washed and brought back to her, since it contained some odd durability which was far too great for normal clothing, Kaldur was given a new set of clothes which was a mixture of his, Ionian, and Bilgewater clothes.

Instead of his usual t-shit, jeans, and shoes; Kaldur was given his own grey and blue t-shirt to wear underneath and Ionian tunic with an attached hood of silver, blue and a cream color he didn't recognize. The pants he wore were definitely Bilgewater made as they seemed an odd form of wool mixed with patches of fish skin which lay on his exposed leg areas. He still wore his own tennis-shoes over some rags for socks, but they were still were the most comfortable piece he had on.

"The viewing will be three days of different tasks." Grend explained one night. "The first day you two will not be going anywhere. This is where those that are good with magic that can be used on ships will be tested to see what they can do. Most magicians aren't bought on the first day, as most people want to see what else they can do before making a decision. Some are, however, and as a result are bought that day; unless I have a bidding war on my hands and am forced to show more by those who will pay more."

"The second day is where you two will make your debut." He continued. "Here you will fight a series of people that are strong, and by winning and showing the audience what you can do will increase your value. These fights you will do alone."

"What about the third day?" Kaldur asked.

"The last day is where you will fight as a pair. Most magicians don't get this chance as people will have bought them by the end of the second day for their individual talents."

"Wait, then what normally happens on the third day?"

"Normally, this is where those who haven't been selected will try to prove themselves in an even stronger fight, or they die in the ring. Most people come to this one for entertainment, not for the goods."

Kaldur was about to interject when Grend raised his hand. "You two have been advertised as a package deal. Since most people will want to view you as a pair before they make their final decision, I am likely not going to sell anyone on the first or second day, but…" A creepy grin appeared on his face. "When you two are sold, there will be many who will pay handsomely for you, and since only one will get you two, the rest of the customers who couldn't acquire the merchandise they desired will pay even higher for the second best. I will have sold all the slaves I have for a higher price."

With the dates set, Kaldur and Ahri were given a break for the first day of the viewing. Allowed to wander the building under watch of Derk and his crew, Kaldur took his time to find anything he could about Bilgewater and relax. With very little to do under the eyes of his captors, Kaldur decided that after a quick look around he would call it early. Collapsing on his spot on the floor, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Kaldur. It's time."

Kaldur opened his eyes and was greeted by the face of Ahri. Shaking his head from the grogginess of the night's sleep, he stood up and walked out with her to where he saw all of the shipmates he had sailed with still present and accounted for.

"Nobody sold yesterday." Grend called out as he walked through the congregation of slaves to where Kaldur and Ahri stood. "Just as I predicted."

"To the boats?" Kaldur asked, stretching.

"To the boats." Grend acknowledged, grinning.

Leaving the brothel behind, Kaldur and the rest of the magicians were loaded into a series of small longboat and sailed in a single file line through the narrow water ways of the lower city. Upon arriving at the tunnels, each boat made its way through the waterways till they arrived at the same domed area where they had trained these past few weeks.

Upon removing himself from the boat, Kaldur turned to Grend. "So why are we here this early?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice the tide?"

"You mean the fact that the water rose to fill the gap your boats are currently in, no I didn't notice." Kaldur remarked sarcastically.

"Watch your tone here boy, normally I allow that but here I need you to act as if I treat you differently. You are right, though. We have until the tide comes in to prepare the stage, when that happens, the customers will come to fill the balconies."

"What do we do in the meantime?"

"Well, for starters, it's time to meet your competition."

Walking up the stairs to the round platform, Kaldur was greeted by the sight of two other groups of slaves, and Bildgewater members that surrounded them.

"Runnin' late as usual eh Grend?" Came a voice from across the way.

Grend raised his hands in the air in welcome. "Just admirin' my goods Jerreff."

The man who came to greet Grend came from the second group. Dressed in fish leather from neck to toe, the man was just as tall as Grend and just as built, but he didn't have the flowing locks or the impressive beard. Instead he had a bald head, a clean shaven face, and a large scar that ran through the top of his head from ear to ear. Kaldur thought about a comment on how all Bildgewater residents had scars as identification marks but thought better of it.

Grasping Grend in a hug, the man turned to look at the slaves just behind him. "Ha! You must be slipin' old man. You call that good wares? Their all skin and bone!"

Grend kept his smile. "You weren't there yesterday, mate. Most are sailors by trade, and many more have tricks up their sleeves."

Jerreff scoffed. "They may be useful to a normal sailor, but we sellin' to the gangs. Can't have a weakling on their crew."

Grend slapped Jerreff on the back laughing. "Hey, as long as that murdering bastard's no longer here these will do."

As if the room got ten degrees colder, Jerreff's face and voice mimicked it. "I know your reelin' to be free from him Grend, but don't dismiss them rumors just yet. Some people have seen him, and he got an arm of steel now, enough strength to take back what he wants."

Grend laughed once more, returning a little light to the chamber. "Jerreff, I don't put much stock in rumors. That bounty hunter put him to the depths, and now those of us who had some sense left when we could."

Jerreff made a halfhearted smile and turned around towards his men, stopping before he walked over. "I do hope your right, but if yur' not, I fear what he does to men that were once as devoted to him as one could get."

Grend's smile didn't vanish, but his eyes seemed to mimic the cold around him. "Was never loyal to him, it was just a means to an end."

With that, Jerreff marched over to his men and slaves and began to prepare. Grend turned and greeted the leader of the other group as well, but it was too far away for Kaldur to get a decent view of the man, and he couldn't hear the conversation. After a bit of hand shaking, Grend walked back over to his men and slaves before given them the summary of events.

"This event is tournament based, you win the fight you move up to the next one until you are the last one standing. You will not fight each other, and there can be ten winners if you all win. One group fights half of Jerreff's ravel, the other fight's Halvent's half while those two have their own half that fight's each other. The more you win, or impress, the more you are worth. If one of us wins but four of Jerreff's win, that one winner will have to fight all four of them till he drops or wins."

"Since I have the lowest amount of you," Grend continued "they have brought enough to match my amount, which means these are their best ones. Don't hold back."

"Is this to the death?" Kaldur asked.

"That, or until the other person can't fight. Just be warned, if someone dies that means there are less slaves to buy which means values go up as well. Unless one of us prevents the opponent from killing you when you are unconscious, your opponent will be trying to kill you."

Silence marked the remaining prisoners, and when Grend was satisfied the message sank in, he continued. "Take a seat on the benches here, I will get you some food, you have a couple hours before it begins."

Kaldur, Ahri, and the rest of the crew sat down on the benches. As the time ticked by, the hushed whispers of slaves on all sides seemed to fill the room. Some were just like Kaldur had imagined them to be, and yet most looked to be rugged warriors from other lands. A few of the members Kaldur recognized as Ionian in appearance and dress, though some were from places Kaldur had not yet seen before. On Jerreff's side, most of his men were people who looked to have seen combat. Some were dressed in armor, while others were based in simple garb. Halvent's side housed the other Ionian population in the chamber, and while most of them looked like simple town's folk, some looked like warriors that Kaldur had seen watching some of the larger villages.

It came by slowly, but soon various members trickled on to the balconies above them, and as the crowd grew, so did the volume of voices.

"Welcome!" Came a booming voice from the center of the circle. Kaldur turned his head to find the source as the room became quieter, and noticed that it came from a small man about a few inches shorter than Ahri. While his stature was indeed short, there was no shortage of Bilgewater attire and toughness attributed to the man. Dressed in armor made of fish scales, holding a large spear thrower, and with a tan that could make sorority girls jealous, the man's voiced bellowed through the dome.

"Today we have a special presentation for you! Three crews have come here tonight to show off their wonderous merchandise caught from the far edges of the waters. With blood, violence, and magic, you will be entertained beyond measure. Watch, wonder, and, hopefully, buy, this amazing season's catch. Let the games begin!"

The crowd cheered at the speech, and as the man wandered away from the cage in the center, the first pair of contestants were brought up. One man hailed from Jerreff's line up while the other from Halvent's.

"Our first batch starts with Jerreff versus Halvent." Cried the announcer. "The first ware on Jerreff's side is a Noxian born and raised as a warrior. With brutal combat ability, he is a man of good health, and can easily be used for any work."

The man, clearly irritated by his situation, marched through the entrance to the cage, and waited for his chains to be removed from himself before he entered the center.

"On Halvent's side, we have an Ionian warrior caught on the tides. With impeccable health, this one is guaranteed to work constantly without wear and tear."

Kaldur gritted his teeth as he watched the young Ionian walk into the caged dome with the Noxian. By being around Grend, Kaldur was unable to see how slaves were actually treated here, but now that he had it made him furious.

As if on cue, Kaldur felt two hands rest on him to calm him down. One was Ahri who had placed her hand on his bicep, and the other was Grend who was standing behind him and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"I know." Grend whispered. "I have prevented this from reaching you and the rest, now pay me back by doing well here."

Kaldur didn't turn around, but instead subtly nodded in understanding. Returning his attention to the center ring, Kaldur watched as the Noxian and the Ionian circled each other for a while as the announcer droned on.

"Each will be given a weapon of their choosing."

With a small wave of hands, two weapons were poked through the cage holes, one a spear for the Ionian, the other was a spiked sword for the Noxian. As soon as the weapons were within the hands of their users, each took a stance.

"FIGHT!" Shouted the announcer.

The Ionian dived in first, closing the distance just enough to strike at the Noxian with his spear. Taking a step forward, the spearhead thrust multiple times towards the Noxian's chest, but each were blocked by the blade of the sword or sidestepped. Even though his strikes made no contact, the Ionian kept his barrage of blows and slashes all the while keeping the Noxian out of retaliation distance.

With strike after strike, it looked as if this was a one sided fight, but despite all that, the Noxian was avoiding the strikes with ease and kept his calm throughout the fight. It was only a few minutes, but the Noxian kept his back to the cage the entire time and kept circling it as he dodged the Ionian. There were a few instances where the Ionian got a little too close to the Noxian, and as such the sword came out without a moment's hesitation, but just as he was quick with his strikes, the Ionian was quick to avoid them.

Kaldur focused on the Ionian for a bit, but as he saw the exhaustion bear down on his face, it became quite apparent that the Noxian knew what he was doing; and right when his suspicions came to light, they were also confirmed. In an instant, the Noxian took one of the spear jabs into the shoulder pad of his armor and held it there with his left hand. Bringing his sword up, the Noxian sliced straight downward into the Ionian where his face was struck with utter shock. With a stream of blood, the Ionian fell to the floor dead, the sword embedded in his head.

A cry erupted from the crowd with the victory, and while the Noxian was showed with cheers, he seemed to not pay attention as he retrieved his sword from the Ionians head, a bloodlust smile across his face.

"Jerreff has the first victory of the night!" Called the announcer. "And a swift one at that."

The crowd cheered on.

"Now, Halvent has a chance to redeem himself once more against a regular you all know so well. Grend, present your merchandise."

Grend removed himself from behind his line of slaves, and summoned the first Ionian on the far end up to the cage.

"On Grends side, we have an Ionian sailor adept at magic. While he is not the best specimen we have seen, a magician is a magician. On Halvent's side we see another fighter, but this time he is from the dessert lands of Shurima."

Kaldur turned his attention to the Shuriman who was already entering the ring, and came to view a man who was easily a blend of an African with the facial structure of an Arabic native. He wore lose baggy clothing, and some odd turban on the top of his head, but sported a knife as it came through the bars. Even though he was the only Shuriman around, the man was as calm as can be. The Ionian sailor, however, was far from calm, and kept shaking as they took the chains off him.

With no weapon, the Ionian and the Shuriman squared off with each other.

"FIGHT!" The announcer shouted.

The fight was over in a blink. The Ionian, despite all his fear, attempted to chant as fast as he could, building up magic in the arena, but just as he made it to the first phrase, a knife spin into the man's chest piercing his heart. The Ionian sailor fell to the floor, like the other man had before; and once again there was a loud cheer from the crowd.

"The fight is over, and was that a quick one." The announcer concluded.

Kaldur closed his mouth shut the moment he realized it was open. Either way, he was going to have to face one of these men. Whichever one he faced spelled a hard fight, and a possibility of losing.

"The first two fights have been resolved! Will the third one spark a winner for our dear Grend? Grend, Jerreff, bring out your next contestants."

Grend paused for a moment, and looked at the members of his trade. "Kaldur, you're up."

Kaldur's knees almost buckled as he stood up, he was first to bat against Jerreff's team. Shaking his head awake, Kaldur walked with Grend to the cage where the man began to break it down for him.

"Remember, since you are against Jerreff he has already used his most powerful member so you won't have to worry about him just yet. Ahri will take care of Halvent's men so don't worry."

"Got it." Kaldur acknowledged.

Stepping into the cage, Grend removed his shackles, and he made his way to the center of the ring, rubbing his wrists.

"The young boy you see before you is another warrior, but is also a user of magic. He hails from Ionia but is of Noxian blood. Clearly healthy, this young one is sure to bring some skills to the table."

Kaldur shook his head at the comment, quite sure that Grend had told him what to say. Turning around, Kaldur was surprised to see that his opponent to enter the cage was the only Ionian on Jerreff's side. Skinny, but well-muscled, the Ionian looked as young as he was, but his light blue skin and brown beard could almost take that age away.

"The next contestant in Jerreff's lot is a magician from the Ionian coasts. Scrawny as he is smart, this man is of high intelligence, and will grant anyone of purchase a useful prize."

Kaldur and his opponent observed each other for a moment before a man on his side came up to the cage. "Hey kid, do you want a weapon?"

Kaldur shook his head. "No thanks. Don't need one."

The man shrugged. "Alright then."

Kaldur readied himself as best he could. Centering himself and entering a stance, Kaldur breathed and focused his mind. He wasn't going to use magic this round, if he did he would risk letting his future opponents learn what he was capable of, assuming he won here.

"FIGHT!"

Kaldur dashed forward and closed the gap between him and his opponent as best he could before striking. Raising his arms, Kaldur aimed a punch at the mans exposed ribs, and struck with more power than he was intending. The surprised Ionian, who was building up power before he launched it, flew away from Kaldur as he clutched his injured side. Taking advantage of the surprise, Kaldur swept up behind the man and grabbed him in a choke hold in which he locked.

The Ionian first had no idea what was happening, but the moment it dawned on him it was too late to do anything, as he began to lose consciousness. Kaldur waited for a moment, hold intact, until he felt his opponent go limp. Releasing the man from his grip, Kaldur let him down slowly to the floor before walking to the center of the ring.

"The fight is done, and with no death either! The winner is Grend!"

Kaldur walked over to the entrance to the cage and waited for the chains to be put around him once more.

"You did good kid." Whispered Grend.

"Thanks, I just hope my team does as well."

Taking a seat on the benches, Kaldur looked to Ahri who was aiming one of her small smiles at him. Returning one to her, Kaldur's gaze came back to the arena where he waited the next fight.

Since Kaldur was the first to fight in his group, he was going to have to wait a long time before the rest of the fights came around. The next few fights went with much more flash than the first three had, as many of the contestants were magic users. The rematch between Halvent and Jerreff was very anti-climactic since Jerreff's man was ten times stronger than his opponent and thus crushed him with a hammer with the first blow. The second round with Ahri's crew went far better than the last as both were magic users, her's being far more adept than the older gentleman who was there.

When it came around to Kaldur's group, he was surprised to see another large Noxian in armor arrive on the scene who was facing his Ionian sailor. Instead of a sword, the man wielded and axe nearly his size; and while Kaldur was hoping that his man had a trick up his sleeve, instead he watched as his teammate was cut in two pieces.

As round two ended, Kaldur watched as the third round came around in Jerreffs favor; him winning two fights and Grend winning the third. The fourth series, was where the odds changed a little. The first round was between a thin Ionian from Halvents side who used two knives, and a larger man from a country area called the serpentine delta. While Kaldur had no idea where that was, he was quite sure that this man was used to living outdoors as he was dressed in an outfit one would usually find in a jungle. The battle itself was longer than most as the larger man with the spear kept trying to keep away the man with the knives, but just as the spear was pushed too far forward, the man with knives threw one into his opponent's chest and sliced his throat once he closed the distance.

The second fight drew to a close as quick as it started since the man on Ahri's team summoned the quickest wind magic he had ever seen and threw his opponent into the bars hard enough to split the enemy's skull. When Kaldur's team came up to the plate once more, it was quite the disappointment as he watched the sailor he had worked with be cut apart by a man with another serrated blade. In his mind, this was not a contest, it was a slaughter.

Before the fifth round began, Kaldur took a deep breath and kept his gaze away from the first fight as he waited to hear the result. It was little surprise to him that Jerreff became victorious, but what that truly meant was that there would only be one man on Halvent's team that could fight Jerreff, and he had to fight four men.

"Alright you brigands! This is the person you have been waiting for the entire night. A Vastayan hailing from Ionia, and a fox one at that, with magic running through her veins. This young woman is bound to help with all your needs, no matter what they are."

Kaldur looked up just in time to see Ahri stride to the entrance to the cage. Having her shackles removed, she wandered into the cage as the crowd went wild; some cheering in excitement while others leered at her with perverse eyes.

"And who shall be the opponent of this beautiful piece? A man of extraordinary strength and skill, it took over twenty men to actually bring him down and when they finally did he was still alive."

Behind the guards who were standing in the rear of Halvent's team rose a man of nearly eight feet. Built like a bear, and with hands the size of frying pans, the ground boomed with every step he took. Tan skin, black long hair, and no shirt, he was quite the specimen to look at. It took him a bit to enter the cage doorway, but once he did it became quite apparent how much larger he was to Ahri.

"FIGHT!" called the announcer.

The shout was very sudden compared to the rest, but Kaldur reasoned that it was because neither person wished for a weapon.

"Come here!" shouted the large man, his voice rocking the cage as he ran for Ahri.

Ahri didn't move.

Raising her hand to her side with her palm facing upward, a large blue and green orb floated just above it, about the size of a basketball. Thrusting her hand forward, the ball was sent hurling towards the big man. With a loud electrical sound, the ball went straight through the man causing him to stop mid stride. At first it looked like nothing had happened, but as soon as that thought struck Kaldurs mind, the large man screamed in pain and tried to charge Ahri again.

With a flick of her wrist, the ball came hurling itself back towards Ahri, and right through the man once more, but this time there was a large gaping hole in his chest. With the magic orb safely in Ahri's palm, she waved her hand and it disappeared just as the large man crashed to the floor.

"That was a show people! The winner is Grend!" The announcer erupted, just as the crowd did the same.

Kaldur smiled as Ahri walked back to the bench and sat down next to him, smiling back she nodded towards the last fight of the initial rounds and both of them turned to watch as the last Ionian sailor walked into the ring, where the guards were having trouble dragging the large body out of the cage. The final fight was a bit of a relief for Kaldur, as the young sailor won against another magician of unknown origin far better spellcasting than his opponent.

"Alright, that ends our fist fights of the night. We shall take a small breather as the ring is cleared of all debris before the next fight starts."

Walking around Grends area, Kaldur waited for the next fights as he watched some Bilgewater magicians clear the center of cage. So focused on the fights, Kaldur barely noticed how much blood and gore had accumulated in the center; it was enough to make him barf. With some magic, and a few brushes, the remains of the dead slaves were tossed into the water that had now risen, once more, to the tip of the circle platform.

"Alright, Alright, settle down, we are restarting the fights!" Called the announcer, letting the crowd settle down to a dull simmer of whispers.

"Here we have the only surviving member of the Halvent versus Jerreff fight, a man who must fight through four more champions if he must win this for his owner. Will he be able to do that against the man of Noxus?"

The large Noxian stood up and entered the ring, the large sword lounging on his shoulder as he paced the cage walls. The younger warrior on Halvert's side entered right after him; and sporting his two knives the man seemed quite confident.

"Are you ready? FIGHT!"

The Ionian darted towards the Noxian with a mass of speed, trying to close the distance. Seeing what he was up to, the Noxian raised his sword point, both hands grasping the hilt as he thrust towards the running man. The Ionian ducked under the blade and tried to slice at the Noxians legs but each was deflected by the armor. The Noxian, noticing the movement, slashed at him a few times while he had his back turned. Caught in the edge of the cage, the Ionian jumped and pushed off the wall over the swinging blade till he was far enough away; but just as he thought he was away from the man, the Noxian swept close enough to continue his barrage of strokes. Doing everything he could to stay away from the raging man, the Ionian kept striking at the chinks in the Noxians armor.

It wasn't long before the Noxian caught on, yet it was all he could do to stop the Ionian from hitting his vital points the moment he passed his guard. Taking a knee as the Ionian dashed away, the Noxian crouched lower. With a flip of his knives, the Ionian took advantage of the stationary target, and ran up behind the crouched man.

The Noxian smiled.

Rotating his sword to face backwards, the Noxian stabbed through the gap under his armpit at the Ionian, striking the young man in the stomach. There was a small pause in the commotion as the Ionian realized what happened. Dropping his knives, he fell to the floor bleeding.

"The fight is over!" Yelled the announcer. "The fight between Halvent and Jerreff has been won and Jerreff is the victor!"

The crown cheered once more as the Noxian left the cage back to his companions; all the while Halvent's men came and grabbed the wounded Ionian in hopes to keep him alive.

"You have witnessed the end of one of three arena's tonight, will the second end in much the same way for Halvent, or will his remaining champion become victorious?"

Grend, who had been watching from the back the entire time, crept up to Ahri. "You're up. Put him in the dust."

Ahri made one of her usual smiles. "I plan to."

Entering the cage with shackles removed, Ahri spun to observe her target: the Shuriman. The man did not bat an eye at her presence whatsoever, and instead radiated a calm that chilled the arena around it. Kaldur watched as the man slowly crept along the walls of the cage, and as he did so it became all too clear that this man was a professional. The only question that came to Kaldurs mind was how this man was caught in the first place.

"The pretty Vastayan has graced us with her presence once more! Will she be the victor of tonight's match, or will it be the assassin of the sands? Ready? FIGHT!"

Ahri didn't move like before, and instead waited for her target to come to her; only, this time, he didn't. Instead of rushing up to her, the assassin stood where he was, watching her. At first it looked like the two were having a starring contest, but the moment Kaldur blinked the Shuriman was already next to Ahri and aiming for her neck.

Diving away from her enemy, Ahri suffered only a minor scratch on the cheek as she summoned her orb once more. Stopping her motion, she was just about to throw it when the assassin closed the distance again; but this time Kaldur saw it: the man faded into the shadow in an instant almost as if he teleported.

Her eyes wide, Ahri ducked the knife strike and threw the orb at the man's chest, but just as it looked like it would hit him at that distance, the man shrank through the shadows and appeared behind her. Using the pull of the orb, Ahri shot away from the man and snapped her fingers, summoning three blue fox fires around her. Turning around, Ahri came into full view of nothing, the man was not in front of her; but she didn't need to see him. As if on their own, her fox fires flew to a target behind her and struck the Shuriman.

Grunting in pain, the man staggered back away from Ahri enough for her to turn around and see him. In an instant, the Shuriman stopped his cries, and instead focused on Ahri as if he were entranced by her. Building up her orb once more, Ahri looked straight into the man's eyes.

"You're mine." She said, almost playfully.

With a quick snap the Orb shot forward, and then backward, through the mans' stomach, leaving another hole. Ahri turned around and walked away from the man, leaving his body to fall to the floor.

"And another impressive display by Grend. The contest between Grend and Halvent is over! Grend is the winner!"

Ahri walked through the cage door, shackles attached, as the crown went wild for her. Sitting next to Kaldur, she refused to look up, and instead kept her gaze focused on the ground. Reaching over, Kaldur put his hand on her arm without looking at her, trying to give what little comfort he could.

"The last series of fights are now here everyone! The last battle between Grend and Jerreff is between two Champions of Grends' and three of Jerreff's. First up, we have the young Noxian magician versus the soldier on the Valoran coast."

Kaldur stood up and walked into the cage once more, rubbing his wrists once the chains were removed. Kaldur had barely watched the fight where this man had won, but he did remember that this man used a spear and was quite good with it. As the older gentleman, one who was old enough to be his father, walked into the cage Kaldur recognized the fear in the man's eyes.

"FIGHT!" cried the announcer.

It was so sudden that Kaldur hadn't had time to ready himself. Dodging the incoming spear strike, Kaldur swept around his opponent and refocused his mind on his target. As the man spun around to try and swing the spear at Kaldur, Kaldur reacted by catching the shaft of it and driving a punch into the man's gut; sending him to the floor.

The man cringed his stomach as he tried to breath and cried in pain and curled up into the fetal position. Kaldur picked up the man's spear, and pointed it at his neck, all the while looking at the announcer.

"Well look at this, the young Noxian has stopped the man without even having to draw any blood. It looks like this fight is over!"

The crowd was a mixture of boos and cheers as Kaldur walked out of the cage.

"Those are the rules people! Once a fighter has been downed and can no longer fight, they lose!"

The crowd continued its odd charade of chants while Kaldur sat back down at the bench, but soon they died back down the moment the next contestants came into view. From what Kaldur saw, it was the Noxian warrior with the battle axe and the only remaining teammate he had that cast magic.

Watching the two step into the ring, Kaldur was hoping that his man would actually win this fight and survive, but that hope felt misplaced as the announcer called the fight to start. It was over in an instant, the moment the Ionian began to cast his magic, a large battle axe flew into his chest at high speed, sending him into the dome cage walls with a ring.

Kaldur turned over Grend, who was seething silently the entire time. "Grend, this is a slaughter, those guys don't know combat magic, and the ones they can use take forever to cast."

"I know." He whispered back. "I was hoping they would be selected yesterday, but the clients wanted blood."

"Can you stop it?" Kaldur asked.

Grend shook his head. "I don't make the rules. Just be grateful it's almost over."

Kaldur sighed and turned back to the ring, he had to fight the remaining three members of Jerreff's team … and win.

"This is a spectacular turn of events people!" Cried the announcer. "The young Noxian is the only one left for Grend in the battle between him and Jerreff, will this young man be able to take on the remaining two champions?"

Standing up, Kaldur marched over to the chamber. It didn't seem like much, but Kaldur felt a weight upon his shoulders that wouldn't leave when the chains were removed from his person. Straightening up as much as he could, Kaldur stood in the center of the ring and watched as he realized he was the last contestant here.

Turning around, Kaldur saw his first opponent walk into the cage door. The man had a very similar stature to Kaldur, but instead of a young face the man was scarred beyond belief. With a devilish grin riding across his face, Kaldur's opponent reached through the cage walls and grabbed the serrated dagger held out to him. As he pulled it into the cage, the man's grin widened and he began to lick the tip of the blade, cutting it with the sharp edge.

The man was psychotic.

"Oh, boy." Kaldur mumbled, readying his stance.

"Will the young Noxian be able to hold his own against this fearsome man before him?" Came the voice of the announcer. "FIGHT!"

Kaldur kept his stance the moment the words reached his ears, as he waited, the man with the knife crept closer to him slowly.

"So young man, want to play a game?" called out his opponent.

Kaldur ignored him, and instead focused on his targets motions.

"I mean, this is a little …"

Kaldur dove forward and tackled the man to the ground mid-sentence, throwing the knife away. The man was weaker than Kaldur by far, and with his stature being the same size as the man in front of him, he had no problem with binding the man to the ground. With his knee upon his opponents back, and holding his arms behind his back, the man faced the ground in complete and utter shock.

"Let me go you little brat!"

Kaldur once again ignored him and turned towards the proctor.

"Uh, uh." The announcer began. "This time he has to be unable to move."

The crowd began to boo once more.

Kaldur made a sigh and channeled the power within him to his hand. Letting it flow out like a stream, Kaldur made a small blade appear on his knuckles while his hand still gripped the mans wrist. Making it longer, the blade sank into the mans' back. With a sharp cry of pain, the man tried to squirm, but soon stopped as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he lay on the floor, unconscious.

Kaldur stood up and moved to the other side of the cage. At first there was a low humming of whispers that filled the space, but as people began to realize what had occurred, the voices grew louder and began to cheer.

"Well that is more like it. Looks like this young Noxian has some more tricks up his sleeve than we realized."

As the guards came to retrieve the unconscious man, Kaldur oved over to them. "He is still alive, just unconscious."

The guards looked puzzled by what he said, then checked the mans' pulse. Nodding in understanding, they dragged him to Jerreff's area and set him down.

"And now, for the final fight of the night; and you're all still here! This young Noxian must fight someone of his own country, one that has tasted blood. Can he win, or will the Noxian paint the ring with his blood?"

The Noxian walked into the ring, eyeing Kaldur the entire time. Reaching out the door, a guard swung by and handed him a large battle axe, but this one looked a little different than the one that Kaldur had seen before. Instead of the usual rustic iron, Kaldur say small symbols and red hue line this one. Something was wrong.

As the door shut behind the Noxian, Kaldur saw that the man was grinning from ear to ear, much like his compatriot with the sword. Kaldur was about to enter his stance, but something about this man made Kaldur rethink his approach. Summoning his power, Kaldur created his sword and prepared to fight another way with something he never tried before.

Keeping his blade pointed at the ground and behind him, Kaldure leaned forward as if he were going to slice an uppercut.

"FIGHT!"

The Noxian bellowed and charged at Kaldur, his axe raised high in the sky. As the distance closed, Kaldur watched the axe fall to strike his face, and as it came so close that he could touch it with his head, Kaldur stepped forward and sliced at the man's midsection. At first, Kaldur thought that the blade had struck it's target, but looking down he noticed that the axe handle was blocking his path.

The Noxian was smiling.

Grabbing Kaldur by the collar, the Noxian thrust him away and into the cage walls. Kaldur struggled to land right, and when he finally came to his feet, the Noxian was already upon him, axe poised to strike. Letting the blade block the incoming blow, Kaldur slid the axe head to his side off the flattened blade. When the axe struck the wall, the metal buckled under the force, letting a few metal bars fly off into the distance. With a quick twist, Kaldur one again tried to swing at the man's midsection, but the Noxian saw it coming and pulled the axe too him, using the handle to block the blow.

Normally, Kaldur was used to the fact that most weapons and armor could not block his sword; they always passed right through unless Kaldur wanted it to by physical so he could stop incoming attacks, but this was different, the weapon was made of magic. Using his freedom of movement, Kaldur kept up his attack on the Noxian, making sure that the man had to use his only weapon for defense rather than to swing at him. At first, Kaldur would keep up his barrage, but in order to prevent himself from wearing out, he backed off a few times and used the distance to watch his opponent.

Taking a few steps to the right, Kaldur began to notice something as the man would take a swing: there was an opening that he couldn't use the axe to defend, but it would require Kaldur to let himself get caught unaware. Thinking back to his training, Kaldur almost smiled with amusement as he remembered that this was exactly like the fools' gambit that he had practiced with Riven some few months back. Taking a stance like he had earlier, Kaldur waited for the man to come closer and take his swing. The Noxian, in all his rage, ran straight at him and plummeted the axe headlong at Kaldur. Letting his guard seem down, the axe slightly changed its trajectory mid swing, but just as it did Kaldur raised his sword towards the man's left armpit and stabbed, dodging the swing in the process.

With a loud crash, and grunt that followed, the axe buried itself in the smooth stone ground. The Noxian was stunned. Kaldur quickly kept going with his sword, and sliced toward the mans' heart with virtually no resistance. The man plummeted to the ground with a loud thud, unconscious.

"The young man has done it!" Cried the announcer, the crowd wailed in applause. "Grend is the winner of this fight!"

Kaldur breathed a sigh of relief. Sitting down in the cage for a moment, it took him a bit to register how tired he actually was. Looking up he saw Ahri smiling back at him. Attempting to return the smile, Kaldur almost laughed as he saw Grend appear behind her with a hand clenched in a fist of approval.

Standing back up to remove himself from the cage, Kaldur came over to the entrance and waited as the shackles were once again put on him.

"The winners of this fight are Grend and Jerreff, with Grend at two wins and Jerreff at one. The three champions that fought will be …"

"Bang!"

The sound of gunfire interrupted the announcer, sending the crowd into a frenzy. As the people began to move and shift on the balconies, other shots were heard throughout the cavern, making the people scatter in all different directions. Initially, Kaldur wanted to know what was going on, but as he moved closer to the noise, the ground beneath him shook violently, and an explosion erupted on one of the balconies, causing it to rupture and fall apart.

All hell broke loose, men ran this way and that, breaking Kaldur away from Grend, Ahri, and the rest. As more gunfire and explosives filled the room, the room began to fall apart. Kaldur looked up to see that the cracks in the ceiling were getting larger, and as he watched them grow he came to one realization, this place was going to collapse. Frantically looking around the room, Kaldur attempted to find the stairs that would lead to the boats, but as he did he found that they were not their; the tide was high.

Trying to calm down and focus on getting out, Kaldur looked for Ahri. At first, with all the guards and other slaves that were running around trying to figure a way out he couldn't spot her, but the moment there was a clearing he noticed that she was with Grend, who was trying to remove her chains.

Running over to where she was, Kaldur began to call out when another explosion struck the area. He fell to the floor; Kaldur looked up to see people were wandering through the balcony entrances, and fighting the clients. Shaking his head, he got up and looked around for Ahri. When he spotted her again, this time her eyes were glowing a bright blue and all of her nine tails were showing. With a quick blink she dove to the edge of one of the balconies, as far away from the commotion as she could, and was holding Grend the entire time. Kaldur began to wave at her when another explosion, smaller than those before, made a sound behind him. Flinching, and turning around to see what it was, Kaldur was surprised to see a group of people coming out of where it came from. At first a few men wielding swords and spears came diving out at the crowd in droves, but near the end of the line came out a very odd looking woman.

Wielding twin pistols, and wearing a very large pirate hat atop her head, was a pale redheaded woman. She wore golden embroidered black leather pants and boots that seem to compliment one another, and a very small top of black and white that made it look like her chest was going to fall out of them. While the top exposed her stomach, shoulders, and back, the woman also wore two odd frilly sleeves that covered only her forearms and got wider as they progressed towards the hands. While it wasn't the weirdest site that Kaldur had seen, he was quite sure that she was the one behind the commotion that was occurring.

Returning his attention to Ahri, Kaldur raised his hands above his head and called out.

"Ahri!"

With her eyes still glowing blue, Ahri spotted him and began to make her way to him when the ground shook once more. With a loud crumble, Kaldur looked up as the ceiling began to fall away and a large set of petricite blocks the size of boulders fell to the platform. Diving out of the way, Kaldur landed on his chest away from the rubble.

"Kaldur!" someone called.

Turning his view around, Kaldur saw that Ahri was calling his name as gunfire surrounded her and Grend from people around the room. At first, he thought that she was going to dash to get him, but before she jumped, Grend grabbed her and pulled her down before a spray of bullets struck them.

Kaldur as quick as he could and moved for the balcony, but before he could take a step a sharp pain emerged from the back of his head and the world went black and quiet.