I do not own League of Legends, or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

League 15

Champion Insight: Katarina (Project Alteration)

"Are you going to get lost again. Maybe you need me to hold your hand. Would that make you feel better?"

Katarina kept her face forward, focusing only on the little creatures called minions and the path before her. Those were the only things that mattered to her. Therefore, things like mocking words and fingers snapping in front of her face went ignored.

"Kha'Zix, I think she's broken. What should we do?"

She tensed up when the void target landed behind her. At one point, she assumed that among her targets, Leblanc was the most dangerous threat. This one was quickly moving up that short list. "A little bit of pain can get her to scream."

"I'm not broken, and I can talk just fine," Katarina shot back, trying to keep the uneasiness out of her voice. The void target chuckled and when she risked taking a quick glance behind her, it was already gone.

She let out a harsh sigh. Originally, these two weren't that annoying despite having a hand in the failure of her mission. Riven answered any questions that she had despite being rude about it, and the void target kept himself hidden when there wasn't a fight. All of this changed when she decided to enact her plan of looking for a way out of this place by slipping away when they weren't looking.

She only lasted a few seconds. Then she died. She still wasn't sure if it was some random beast or the void target. The only thing she was sure about was that she failed once again.

Or at least, that was what she thought at first. The two still managed to complete the quest without her and even gave her another chance to join them. But they were not willing to let her blunder go and as much as it annoyed her, she couldn't begrudge them for this. They would probably stop if she apologized, but there was no way she was going to apologize to the people who-

"Maybe we should put a collar on her?"

"I'm sorry for going off on my own and getting myself killed," Katarina finally said, her voice completely monotone. She wanted to be done with this as soon as possible.

"And?"

Katarina pinched the bridge of her nose. "For not communicating my intentions with the both of you before doing something stupid."

"Hmph," Riven grunted. "Good enough. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Katarina looked at her and didn't see a hint of a smile or any sort of amusement. Not even one last joke. "You're going to let it go? Just like that?"

The silver-haired woman shrugged. "You're better company than Rek'Sai."

It took only a moment for Katarina to recall who she was referring to. Yes, that's very a good reason.

"Plus, if you do something stupid like that again, we'll just kick you out of the group and tell Zike your being uncooperative."

Katarina frowned. "And why should I be afraid of him?"

Although she didn't want to ruin another opportunity to explore this place by spitting on their good will, she wanted to get a better idea of the man's capabilities. Not only did he avoid her attempt to kill him when they first met, but he also managed to sic her targets against her. Granted, she did kidnap most of them which made things easier for him but getting them to work together was not a simple task with their unique personalities.

Instead of getting an answer however, Riven shivered. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Katarina spotted a few leaves falling from a tree. It seems that the void target agreed with her. But she wanted a clear answer. "Why should I be afraid of him?" Katarina repeated.

"It's not that you should be afraid of him. It's just…" Riven trailed off for a moment and scratched her head. "A feeling. Like something bad will happen if we don't do what he says. It's hard to explain."

Katarina was about to make her try harder until she heard the caw of a crow. Her head snapped towards the sound, but she calmed herself down when she saw that Riven didn't pay it much mind.

"No…I get it." As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to feel less frustration over Zike's involvement. She thought she had a few hours until the Tyrant arrived not minutes. If he was that close, her mission was doomed from the beginning and if Zike hadn't come when he did…

Katarina shook her head. Focus. She needed to try a different angle. "And that's why you're following him? Because you fear that something bad will happen?"

"It's not just that." Riven frowned. "Despite being an asshole, he's the only person that was willing to help me out when I needed it."

Katarina tilted her head. Noxus had their recruitment tests around this time. Although it's a stretch since they were far from the testing grounds but, "Did he help you join Noxus?"

Riven stopped walking.

She must have hit a nerve. Good. Just a little more. "From your reaction, it looks like it was something you always wanted."

"And from your words," the void target said right next to her. She froze. "You hope to gain an understanding of your prey."

Katarina leapt back and drew her daggers. But instead of a fight, all she received were unamused looks. Not only from the void target but the minions as well who stopped to see what the commotion was about.

Riven wasn't the same. She was frowning. But more than that, she was calm. "He saved you but the only thing you're thinking about is killing him?"

"…That's just how the world works," Katarina said. "You wouldn't understand."

"Then why didn't he kill you? Why didn't he leave you to die?"

She didn't have an answer for that. If he wanted information, he already had Leblanc. If he wanted to control her, there was no need to give her the option to make a choice. If he thought of her as an enemy, there was no point in letting her do as she please. It would have been better to just lock her up or better yet, leave her to die like Riven said.

She was always told that outside of those she served and fought alongside with, everyone wanted her dead and would think of her as an enemy. But here she was, alive and not even considered a prisoner by those before her.

Riven crossed her arms. "You do realize you're doing something stupid again, right?"

Katarina sighed. "To be honest, I don't know anymore."

"Then it's a good thing you're here." With that, the minions started to move again, and the void target made himself scarce. "Now come on, let's hurry up and finish this up. I'm getting hungry."

Just before Riven followed the group, she stopped and turned to face her. "And even if you manage to get past us and tried to kill him, I'm not sure you can. You got killed before by some random monster because you went off the route we're supposed to follow."

There was little relief in confirming that she wasn't killed by the void target. "And your point is?"

"Who do you think made these routes all by himself?"

Katarina was about to say the minions but then she realized that if they were that capable, why were they even escorting them? Which meant that only one person could have done this. I don't believe you."

She couldn't believe someone like that could be better than her.

Riven raised an eyebrow. "We didn't even know you were in Noxus. We had a plan, and he didn't say anything about you. But we still beat you easily even though you were strong. And you want to try and kill him?"

The Noxian shook her head and began to catch up with the group. "If I were you and had someone like that helping me out, I would ask him how to do the things I want to do instead of trying to kill him."

Katarina watched as she was left behind. Although she got information out of her, she was beginning to wish she didn't.

o. o. o.

"Hello?" Zike said into one of the many screens before him.

"Hey guys," Seraphine said on the other end, "did you hear that?"

He smirked as she tried to explain that she really heard something and that no, she's not crazy. It was one of the reasons why he was hesitant to use this feature of the game. That, and he wanted to be sure that those he did not have a contract with could not hear him. Having people think Seraphine was crazy was just a bonus.

Shame that he couldn't tease her further due to the time limit. Just as he was opened his mouth, he caught something in the corner of his eye. "Don't press that button and no, you're not going crazy Seraphine. People I don't have a contract with can't hear me."

"Zike, how are you-"

"Not important but I got your message."

"But that was ten minutes ago."

"I was busy. And don't touch that button either."

"What?"

"I said what's your situation right now."

It was faint but he could hear voices on the other end that wasn't her own. "Do you know anything about Blood Moon?"

Ah yes, the name of the cult they were dealing with. He had his suspicions and now Seraphine just confirmed it. He was about to give a reply but a loud ringing noise cut off his thoughts. "I thought I told you not to press that button!"

"They all look the same!" Vi shot back as she tinkered with the explosive in front of her that could blow them up if she makes a mistake. A device he had obtained thanks to his plundering in Noxus which he had little time to teach Vi how to use. He would do it himself but between guiding Ekko and using him to keep track of the large group of cultists, monitoring Seraphine's current situation, and planning out multiple escape routes that relied on his memory to keep them from encountering toxic fumes and creatures, his hands were full.

Oh, and because Vi wanted to see the explosions. Now she played a part in making it happen. Ekko wanted to come too but someone had to help out Seraphine's group. It couldn't be himself because he was the key to pulling this off and it couldn't be Vi because…well, that's self-explanatory.

And speaking of Seraphine's current situation, "Someone's coaching you in how to talk to me," he stated. It was the only reason why she hesitated to give a response when he asked her a question. "And you're also lost which is another reason why you called. I can see you and your friends going around in circles."

"…Caitlyn, he knows." He blinked. Did she just call someone Caitlyn? Caitlyn, as in the sheriff of Piltover who is also a champion? There were a few seconds of indistinct chatter before she continued. "I mean, we're not lost, and we know what we're doing."

"Hm." He ignored the clear sound of a slap on her end. "Then I have two questions to make sure of that. Is Caitlyn wearing a hat?"

"Uh…no. She's not. That's against her school's dress code."

This time he heard multiple slaps. On his end, that confirmed that he was dealing with a Battle Academia alteration of Caitlyn, not the sheriff of Piltover. It lined up with Seraphine mentioning a dress code and she didn't have a hat. On one hand, he was glad that he didn't have to deal with law enforcement but on the other hand, he now had to deal with a student who was in over her head. Or should he say students since there were three others with them.

But he was getting off track. He had yet to ask the more important second question, "And if you all know what you're doing, do you also know that you're walking toward a large gathering of Blood Moon cultists?"

"…What?" Her dumbstruck response was followed by silence for a few seconds. The silence was broken when someone shouted run loud enough that he could hear it clearly on his end.

Zike casually inspected his fingernails. "I guess you also know that things will get bad if you kill even one of them, but you probably know that too. Since you already have everything well in order despite heading towards a dead end, I guess I'll end this call short and-"

"Just tell us what to do!"

"Don't worry." But they should worry that only a small portion of the group of cultists went after Seraphine. Most of them were headed to the upper levels of Zaun. There was nothing they could do about that. "I'm entirely focused on your situation to make sure everyone gets through this okay."

A beeping noise that began to repeat made him look up from his screens. Vi was now panicking and the explosive she was working with was now counting down.

"For about two minutes."

"What?!"

He opened his map, quickly rearranging the route for Ekko to follow. He would get confused and complain about this later, but he'll figure it out. "I'm already sending someone to help you out once our time is up. You'll be fine."

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you help us yourself?!"

He looked at the bomb that Vi was panicking over and recalled that he had already set up many more in places that looked important. "Renovations. Because I'm doing renovations."

"What does- ugh!" He heard gunshots coming through her end. Hopefully they were following his advice not to kill. "Can this person you're sending help me get to my friend?"

"What? No, of course not. That's a lost cause," Zike waved off. "At this point your job is to be a good distraction."

"A distraction?! But-"

"I'm already at the place you were planning to go to. It was quite easy to do thanks to all the attention you're getting."

In fact, he and Vi had yet to encounter anyone. Which was both a good and bad thing. Good in that it was easier to infiltrate this place and bad in that it meant they were almost done with whatever they were doing. It was the only explanation for why they would leave their base unguarded.

Of course, the other explanation was that only a few of their more skilled warriors were necessary to defend the place. Which meant that things would be difficult once they encountered someone. Best not to dwell on that thought.

But it wasn't as if he was throwing Seraphine to the wolves and hoping for the best. He was setting up charges in case things get too hot on her end. Once they go off, every Blood Moon cultist will come rushing back to their base. As for how to deal with that situation should he still be inside…

Meh, he'll figure that out later.

"If you come to where I am, it's going to be much more difficult to rescue your friend." He paused for a moment, but it wasn't because of the countdown of the bomb in the background. "Also, what's the name of your friend?"

"…Sona." But when she said this, he noted that there was little hope in her voice. "Her name is Sona."

Another champion. "All I needed was a name. I'll find her and get her back to you. Just focus on listening to the person I sent to help you and getting away from your pursuers. Everything will be fine. Okay?"

"Okay." Although it was hard to catch, her voice had a little bit of hope in it.

Once he finished mapping out their route, he closed all the screens in front of him and walked over to Vi who ran past him and out the door. There were only ten seconds left until the bomb went off but all he needed to do was press a small button to stop the countdown. After that, it turned it into a bomb that relied on a detonator.

"And that takes care of that," Zike said casually as he walked past Vi who was too busy gawking at the bomb. "We have less than half an hour before everything goes to hell. Let's go."

There was nothing to note about the hallways he was walking through except the eerie blue and red torches placed on the walls. Even then, they barely lit up the dark path before him. If someone came rushing towards them to kill, he wouldn't know it until it was too late. But he wasn't too worried. Wards were very useful.

Although it did take a few minutes for him to realize that they were more than just decorations and nightlights. This entire place was a maze and somehow the lights magically affected the path he was on. After figuring that out and noticing the patterns, the place became much easier to navigate through.

It was still a pain to mark it on his map to make sure he didn't screw himself over at the worst possible moment. A moment that will happen soon if what he is sensing from Vi is anything to go by.

He glanced behind him to find her following close behind, nervously looking at the lights. She was afraid but that fear was being smothered by her frustration and anger. It was probably the only thing keeping her moving at this point.

While it is good that she found a way to move past her fear, it was a double-edged sword. If she gets too frustrated and they come across something, there was a chance she would no longer listen to him. Once that happens, they were screwed if they came across someone strong. She was literally a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment.

"So, is there a reason why you're brooding so much right now?" Zike asked her.

She flinched at his sudden voice but snapped her head away from him. "None of your business."

"Okay then."

He turned his head forward so she wouldn't see his smirk. As time went on however, she started to get more frustrated. That was the plan after all. There was no stopping the bomb so why bother? It would just be a waste of time.

Instead, it was better for it to just go off now instead of at an important moment.

He heard her mumble something and he looked at her. "What was that?"

"You make everything look too easy. Like it's nothing but a game to you," Vi said. "And it pisses me off."

His mouth twitched but he had a feeling that it wasn't all there was to it. There was another reason why she was frustrated but the question was how to bring it up as politely as possible…

"Oh, so you're jealous that you're not that good at this stuff," Zike said, snapping his fingers. "I see. I get it now. And you also must hate the fact that you can only follow and listen to find your sister. Must be feeling pretty useless right now."

Or as polite as a wrecking ball. The goal was to set her off so of course he would find and cut the red wire that would trigger the bomb.

Maybe he did this too well since she suddenly charged him, her eyes wide and her teeth flashing. But because he was expecting it and she was not in the right state of mind, it was easy to knock her to the ground despite her overwhelming strength and speed.

However, "You do realize that if you punched me and knocked me out," or more realistically, killed him thanks to the power of the contract, "that it would be impossible to find your sister, right?"

He doubted she would be aware enough to pick up how this maze worked. It would have only been a matter of time before she was found by someone and dealt with.

Turns out she did realize this because she didn't get back up to try and fight him. Instead, she punched the ground and covered her eyes with her arm, refusing to show him her face.

"Damn it!"

Zike sighed. He didn't know that much about her story. A champion's biography only gives a brief overview of their life. It didn't give him any of the details such as what happened between her and Jinx nor as to how they became separated.

But while he didn't know every detail of their history, he did know how to deal with a situation like this.

"If you want another piece of advice to deal with whatever you're going through now Vi," he began, crouching down to move her arm away from eyes. She didn't fight against it and he could see tears welling up in her eyes. "Then listen closely."

Then he flicked her forehead, causing some of the tears in her eyes to fly away.

"Suck it up and learn."

Zike tapped her chest. "There's nothing you can do right now that can get rid of what's in here. But an opportunity will come. It always does. You can either continue to be frustrated and dig yourself into a deeper hole or you can bear with it and be ready to climb out of it. The choice is yours."

He stood up and looked down on her as she comprehended his words. "Now get up and make sure you don't cry. I don't want you giving ourselves away."

She glared at him but thankfully didn't try to punch him. "You're an asshole!"

He leaned towards her and raised an eyebrow. "You tried to beat me up multiple times. And what did you say before? Oh right, 'But don't think you've won, Piltie. This isn't over.' And what exactly happened before that?"

She flinched. "I'm…sorry."

Zike leaned back and rolled his eyes. "It's a start." He turned around and started walking. "But if you're sorry, then pick yourself up and move forward. You won't be able to do anything by sitting down all the time feeling frustrated."

It took a few seconds to finally hear her footsteps and with it, a new message from the game.

Vi's Bond Score Increased from Level 3 to Level 4!

He shook his head and closed the screen that popped up. Still don't know what that means.

o. o. o.

It was only a few minutes later that he found something other than darkness and eerie lights. But it wasn't what he was looking for.

He heard a voice.

Not in his head or anything like that but nearby coming from one of the larger chambers in these tunnels. The voice had a cowboy accent to it but also something demonic. It was the only way to explain the echo and deepness of his words whenever the owner of the voice spoke. The owner was talking to someone or something and probably the reason why he didn't leave with all the other cultists.

Although a small part of him wish he did since he had to go through the trouble of holding back Vi from rushing in and attempting to punch him.

"No, you are not fighting him," Zike whispered as quietly as he could, holding the collar of her shirt. He placed a hand over her mouth before she could reply. "And not too loud."

She removed his hand. "But isn't he the one causing this mess?"

"Maybe. But you're still not fighting him. It's not our goal." Which was to find out if champions were being kept here and rescue them. "Plus, this is our best chance to learn what they're doing in Zaun."

He crept closer to the entrance to the chamber, but he didn't dare look inside. He didn't want to be discovered and if this person was a champion, didn't want to meet him. The quest told him to make a contract with whoever he meets, but he doubted he would like what would happen after making a contract with him.

Also, he didn't want to be part of a cult so there's that too.

"…And finally, some of your subjects went to deal with the intruders. Even though Project isn't with them, they are putting up quite a fight. Quite a shame that not all the fish took the bait we laid out. I'll clean things up once everything is done," the voice said.

Zike could only hear the crackle of torches for a moment. It was annoying that he couldn't hear what was coming from the other hand. But beggars can't be choosers.

"Now, now, I assure you that everything is under control and that we shouldn't rush the alteration process. You've already seen what happens when you aren't careful enough."

He frowned. That word again. Alteration. All he knew was that it meant that a champion was in a skin instead of their original forms. As for how it is caused, he still had no clue…

"Much like a game of cards, it's a game of luck and chance for all those involved. Only a select few individuals can turn it into a guarantee. You've chosen the right person for the job by choosing me since I'm one of those individuals. However, it'll take just a bit more time. Less than half an hour if you want the specifics."

…Until now.

Zike quickly opened a screen and glanced at it.

Time Remaining: 23 Minutes

"But as a sign of goodwill, I'll ease your worries and entertain the intruders to make sure there are no complications. However, since this is outside of the agreement we established, my employer will expect a favor for our generosity."

The man chuckled. "You know how she is. Greedy and ambitious. Best to keep someone like that sated or else her eyes will start to wonder."

So not only was he working for someone who has a hand in this mess, but they are also making alliances. How fun.

"Pleasure doing business with you. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

After that, he heard a loud noise but didn't risk checking to make sure he was gone until a minute passed by. A quick glance into the chamber revealed a dark and empty chamber with all the lights inside of it extinguished.

Zike sent a quick message to Seraphine and Ekko, warning them about the newcomer before pressing on. "I've already warned the others about him so le- urgk!"

Vi, after grabbing his shirt which chocked him a bit, turned him around so he could see her furious expression. "I told you we should have just taken him on!" Vi shouted. "He's going to go after Ekko."

So much for not caring about Ekko. Even remembered his name too.

"Entertain. That's what he said," Zike said, while rubbing his neck. "There's a good chance he won't kill them."

"And how sure are you of that?"

"Because he's going up against students and if I know anything about students, they are annoying and always wearing plot armor."

That threw Vi off for a moment. "What?"

Zike just waved her off. "Just trust me on this. Plus, we can't really do anything about it right now since we've yet to find anyone else here." If they activate the charges and give a hint as to what they're trying to do, he doubted that the man they heard would 'entertain' them like the others. "All we can do is just hurry up and finish what we're supposed to do."

He was ready to make a few other points but tilted his head when Vi took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Fine, then let's hurry up and go."

Zike hummed. "It shouldn't take too long now. I've already gotten used to this place and if I were to make a guess as to where we should go next…"

It took a few turns to get to where he wanted. It was a tunnel that had none of those eerie lights. He was able to confirm his guess when he made a control ward appear which revealed that two dots were nearby.

But it was strange. The colors of the dots were continually changing colors. One moment they were green, and the next, grey or red. They were constantly shifting and changing but often, it lingered on red.

Like that man said, their alteration was almost complete and although he wouldn't face them now, there was a good chance he would in the future…unless he did something to ruin their plans. In his defense, it's their fault for being overconfident and leaving their stuff unguarded.

"What are you doing?" Vi said as he slowly moved forward. He had to grab her shoulder to guide her. He would use a light, but he wasn't sure if that would trigger an alarm or prevent him from entering the room due to magic.

"Looking for the entrance," Zike said. "I wonder if we're supposed to light a torch…never mind." His hand slipped went through one of the walls as if it wasn't even there although there was a little bit of resistance. Must be some sort of illusion trick. "There we go."

He guided her through the wall and out of the darkness into another chamber and one of the largest so far. It was well-lit compared to the rest of the place thanks to more torches being placed in the room…

And the glowing magical symbols on the floor with two people in the center of them.

Their eyes were closed while tossing and turning on the ground. More concerning was how they were glitching out like something in a video game which looked like a painful experience if their grunts were anything to go buy. Their appearances constantly changed, and it was like a battle was going on to decide which one they would settle on.

One of them was Sona since she had blue hair fixed into twin tails. But he was more focused on the second person here which both surprised and concerned him.

Unable to retrieve the bond levels of Sona and Evelynn due to both champions undergoing an alteration.

Zike hummed to himself. Evelynn was one of the more troublesome champions not only because she was likely to abuse the contract but also torture and kill him. Maybe both. She's a literal demon who thrived on the pain of others and he recalled her mentioning wanting to start another rune war. The last one almost destroyed Runeterra itself. Even if she didn't get that far, she would still murder a lot of people just because she liked it.

Then again, weren't Kha'Zix and Rek'Sai similar? They may seem docile now but the moment they were left to their own devices outside of the Rift, wouldn't they kill a lot of people as well?

Should he just leave her here…

…She smiled because she knew that she had one person that wouldn't look at her as a monster or a blight to everyone and everything around her. One person that would remember that at first, she was someone who-

"Hey!" Vi shook him, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You okay? You looked a little lost there."

"Yeah…yeah." Zike took a deep breath and let it out.

If he was able to make a contract with a champion and make sure he wasn't controlled by them once he did, he should do it no matter the consequences. That way, even if they did something, he could prepare to deal with the fallout. He wasn't going to leave anyone behind because of who they are.

End of story.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zike said more resolutely.

He focused on the champions on the ground who were currently undergoing a struggle. "Now how are we going to do this…"

He had to be careful or else he would do more harm than good. Even that demonic man from before said the same thing. While he didn't know what would happen, he would rather not risk it.

…Maybe using his foot to scrub off the magical symbols would work. Nah, he doubted it would be that simple. But if grabbed one of the torches from outside and tried to burn it-

"Ow," Vi cried out.

"Stop playing with magic Vi or else you'll get burned or something," Zike said without even looking at her. It wasn't hard to guess that she tried to walk past the magical symbols. At the very least, she crossed out just walking in there and grabbing the two for him.

"I didn't get burned," she said, rubbing her head. "Just got a small headache."

Just as Zike was about to reply, he received a message from the game.

Vi resisted an alteration due to the contract.

He blinked. He hadn't even thought of giving the two a contract because they weren't exactly conscious. But if the game was able to resist it, maybe it was possible to stop it altogether despite this?

"Meh, worth a shot." At the very least, he could try and if it didn't work, he would just go back to the drawing board and think of something else.

He offered the two champions the contract and the game didn't say that it was impossible due to their current states. What did happen was that their struggles became more erratic but there was nothing he could do about that. All he could do was wait and see what happens.

And something did happen. The symbols on the ground shattered like glass and flew across the room. Nothing happened when he was hit by one of those shards. It simply passed through him before eventually fading away into nothingness. He couldn't say the same for Vi who was-

"Ow. Give out a warning next time!"

Vi resisted an alteration due to the contract.

Never mind. She was fine. Worst case scenario was that she was going to have to deal with a splitting headache for a while.

Contract with Sona, Maven of the Strings, has been established.

Summoner and Contracted Champions Stats and Abilities have increased.

Contract with Evelynn, The Widowmaker, has been established.

Summoner and Contracted Champions Stats and Abilities have increased.

Due to making a contract with 15 champions, you have unlocked the spell: Cleanse

Oh? In the game, cleanse was a spell that cleansed any crowd control or debuffs but it would probably do a lot more in reality.

Zike approached Sona and pressed a finger against her neck. The pulse was weak, but she was still alive and breathing. He did the same thing for Evelynn whose skin felt much colder compared to Sona yet got the same results. But what was strange for the demon was that she was in her shade form, not her usual exhibitionist one. Not only that but it looked a little…unrefined.

It's hard to put into words. It's like…the only way he could tell she was a woman was because of her small chest. No, even that was strange.

He shook his head. He could figure this out later. Right now, it was best to send them to Summoner's Rift and get out of here so he could activate the explosives to cause a distraction. "Okay Vi let's get out of here and…"

Hold on. That man from before mentioned bait and not all the fish catching it. He also mentioned Project. Zike looked at Sona and Evelynn. They had little connections to them save for Sona's PsyOps skin.

And then he looked at Vi who blinked once she noticed that he was looking at her.

He could be wrong…but if he was right…

"Change of plans Vi." He closed the screen that was about to send the two to Summoner's Rift. After that, he opened a map, picked one of the escape routes he had drawn out earlier, and passed it to her. It floated in front of her. "Take these two and make your escape. There's still something I want to check before we finish things up."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why can't we just go together?"

He shook his head and pointed to the two unconscious champions on the ground. "Because then we would have to worry about them. We also can't leave them here since there's no way of knowing when that man we heard before will come back."

And by taking them, she wouldn't do anything stupid to put their lives at risk.

Vi continued to stare at him. "You're hiding something. Something you don't want me finding out?"

He opened his mouth but closed it a second later and shrugged. "I'm always hiding something and yes. But it depends on if my guess is right. You'll learn about it soon if I'm right."

That calmed her down a little. "And you're sure you'll be fine?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

She rolled her eyes and picked up the two champions with little effort. He followed her outside the room but once they got there, they would be heading in two different directions. "Just don't do anything stupid."

He was about to raise an eyebrow but stopped since she wouldn't be able to see it in this darkness. "Again, shouldn't I be the one saying that? You just hurry up and get out of here. I'll be fine."

She grunted but started to run away. He waited a few seconds after he no longer heard her footsteps before running himself while opening a map.

"Right here. Left there. Another right…"

The smell of blood told him that he was heading in the right direction. Every now and then, the eerie lights would illuminate one of the many chambers in this place and show him the fate of those unfortunate enough to encounter these cultists. A possible explanation was that they were used in some sort of ritual, or they failed a test to join their numbers. They were gruesome sights, and the smell was horrible, but it was the fastest way to traverse this magical maze.

Suddenly, a screen popped up in front of him showing him the status of Seraphine. Her health was depleting. The only reason Ekko's status wasn't also shown was because he sent him off for a different task once he found out that someone was headed for them.

"I know, I know," Zike said, touching the walls as he continued to run. He was supposed to activate the explosives right now to cause a distraction, but he had to delay it thanks to this detour. He could still set them off right now, but he didn't want to risk getting found by that man.

Plus, if his guess was right, holding off on blowing this place up may end up helping him immensely.

Just as he sent out a message to Seraphine telling her to hold on for just a few more minutes, he began to hear footsteps. Someone was running just like him. He made a ward appear in his hand, telling him that they were neutral. They stopped once they realized they weren't alone and fortunately for him, they just happened to be near one of those eerie torches.

She wasn't in a good state. Not only did she look tired, but she was also covered in blood. Hard to tell if it was someone else's or her own. Her pink hair with a few strands highlighted blue was in disarray and from how he could see her ribs, she hasn't eaten in days. It was clear that she was attempting to escape this place but was having a bit of trouble pulling it off.

Jinx's (Project Alteration) Bond Score: Level 0

Yeah, it was an extremely good thing he sent Vi away. Also, a bond level of zero? That's a first but wasn't that surprising. After all, she was leveling a bloody knife at him, but was cautious enough not to attack him right then and there.

"I'm not involved with your captors, and you are hurt," Zike said slowly. Even if she looked weak, she was still a champion. Best to assume that one wrong move will get him killed. "I'm going to raise my arm and heal you with a spell."

"…"

He slowly raised his arm despite her tensing up and true to his word, casted heal on her which got rid of any wounds she had. She slowly relaxed but she kept a knife leveled at him.

"Do you know where you are?" Zike asked, recalling that the man he heard from before mentioned the risks of rushing an alteration.

"…"

"Do you know how you got here?"

"…"

"Do you remember anything?"

"…Only my name. Jinx."

Zike sighed. "Well then Jinx, right now you're tired and you don't know where you're going. I can help you with both those things if you'll let me."

"…"

He took the detonator for the explosives out of his inventory and smirked. "I'll also let you blow this place up as a bonus."

She froze. Slowly a crazed smile formed on her face which challenged his own expression.

"Deal."

Jinx's (Project Alteration) Bond Score Increased from Level 0 to Level 4

Contract with Jinx, The Loose Cannon, has been established.

Summoner and Contracted Champions Stats and Abilities have increased.

o. o. o.

Author's Note:

Missed the deadline but it hasn't been an entire month yet, so I'll take it. Completing this chapter took longer than I expected. If I don't make it in the two-week deadline, I'll at least get a chapter in by the end of the month.

Also, before I forget, yes, I am keeping up with League's new Arcane series involving numerous Piltover and Zaun champions. As for what I'll do with this new information, that's a secret but it won't drastically change the story. If anything, it gives me more to work with when I write about the champions.

I also need to brush up on the Legends of Runeterra card game a bit. Not the game itself but the lore. Shame that, as of the release of this chapter, it's still missing the Void and Ixtal regions.

As for the story itself, one of the fears I have for this story is that some may think there's not enough action…yet. But in my defense, we're seeing things from Zike's perspective and he's a summoner.

Usually when there's a story where the main character gets special abilities, they are right in the center of the action. Epic battles, latent power, a progression of that power, and all that jazz. But you can already imagine how that would go if Zike tried to fight someone like Darius all by himself right now if he had that mindset. So, he must play the game differently.

I want to say more but the story will say the rest in future chapters.

What else? I changed the name 'Rift Shenanigan' into 'Champion Insight' since there will be things that occur outside of the Rift. Other than that, Katarina is confused, Vi is frustrated with herself for some reason but Zike slapped some sense back into her, Seraphine is still in trouble, and Zike is turning what seems like a bad situation into his favor. Ah, and of course, there is Jinx. It's going to be interesting to see how Vi reacts to this situation.

And then there's Blood Moon and Project but this author's note is already long enough as it is, so I'll end things here.

Be sure to comment and review so that I may improve as a writer!