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

o. o. o.

Chapter 17

Champion Insight: Fiora

"So, in other words," Luxanna began, her brows knitted together most likely. She always wore that expression when attempting to understand a new concept. "To use your magic, you have to learn and master techniques for each of the elements? And there are more than a hundred of these techniques?"

"They are called Axioms, not techniques," Qiyana corrected. "They are sacred, complex, and for most people, it takes years to master even one of them. It is insulting to just deem them as just mere techniques."

"That makes sense. Wait. You said it takes years to learn them, but you mastered them when you were young? That's amazing!"

"Naturally." Fiora took her eyes off the caravan and glanced towards Qiyana who seemingly took the compliment in stride. However, from the way she slightly straightened her posture, she appreciated it more than she let on. "I am the most talented amongst my sisters and empress of the elements after all."

If she has sisters, she was most likely the youngest among them. It certainly explained her attitude. And didn't she introduce herself as a princess, not an empress? Quite the jump in status.

The duelist shook her head and looked back towards the path they were on with the village not too far ahead. Pointing out the discrepancies would only ruin the princess's good mood which she had no intention of doing. Her ears would not be able to handle another barrage of irritating insults and complaints. Although there was the consequence that her ego would grow to the point of overconfidence if left unchecked.

Thankfully, the numerous times she and Luxanna had to rescue her dealt with that issue somewhat. At the same time, it gave her a legitimate reason to scold her. The few times the princess attempted to speak out was shot down by Luxanna of all people. Even someone as gentle as her learned when to put her foot down when the situation called for it.

A certain someone impossibly turning a peaceful moment into something disastrous was one such example.

As Fiora and her fellow companions headed deeper into the village, the sound of the minions running around and performing tasks were getting louder. Tasks such as construction, organization, and logistics. Even though days had passed, a mere few hours outside of the Rift, she had yet to see their workload decrease. In fact, they seemed to be getting busier despite their large numbers.

She watched as one of the minions walked up to the caravan they were escorting and began a conversation with only those floating, rectangular screens and their eyes. From what little she could see over their shoulder, not only did they communicate what had been found, but they also reported events that occurred during the quest such as encounters with monsters or small setbacks with equipment. It did not matter if the details were small or large. Everything was noted.

…Would it be too much to ask questions as to how they operated? But if she wanted answers, it was better to ask the person in charge.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Qiyana clicked her tongue and mumbled to herself. "Forcing me to do work and without a reward no less. Does he think I'm one of his minions?"

"The quests we previously completed did not say that there was no reward. It said a reward will be distributed at a later time or when he is less busy," Fiora replied even though there was no need to.

For a moment, Qiyana did not reply, slightly irritated that she had been heard. "And what exactly is he busy with that is so important?"

As if to answer her question, multiple lights shot down from the sky and onto the fountain, the platform they arrived from whenever they entered Summoner's Rift. Before Fiora could take in the appearance of the four individuals who just arrived, six more dropping right on top of them prevented her from doing so.

"Causing more complicated situations apparently," Fiora said. Once more, she looked at the minions doing their work and nodded to herself as she began to walk towards the platform.

"And what exactly are you doing?" Qiyana nearly shouted. "We still have to complete this quest!"

"Getting involved in a complicated situation," she shrugged. "You are free to turn in the quest yourself. I just want to make sure they do not cause too much trouble."

Although it looked like she did not have anything to worry about. Some of them were unconscious and the few exceptions were in no condition to move about. However, that did not stop them from attempting to do so.

"Your wounds will heal, and your strength will recover in a few minutes. Moving too much will only add unnecessary delay." Fiora told them. It was one of the many benefits of the contract they were under.

A woman with a sword and shield glared at her. "What are you planning to do with us?"

She focused on her which had the effect of making the young woman flinch. However, the woman quickly recovered by tightening her grip on her weapons and intensifying her gaze.

Fiora narrowed her eyes but closed them when she recalled her first meeting with Qiyana and the words her benefactor said before he left. She did not want another repeat of that moment. "Nothing. And so long as you and your companions do not cause trouble, everyone in this place will do the same."

Of course, Qiyana chose to include herself in the conversation just as the woman was lowering her guard. "Not like they can do much even if they were at full strength."

With just those words, the newcomer in front of her gritted her teeth. Fiora pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "The goal is to deescalate the situation, not the opposite."

"Pointing out their humiliating state due to their incompetency is another form of de-escalation. They can't do anything, and they should be aware of that," Qiyana scoffed. In response, the woman tried to get up to challenge that belief only to end up on her knees. "Although they don't seem smart enough to comprehend something so obvious."

"We would not be in this situation if it wasn't for that man, Zike!"

Fiora tilted her head. There was no reason for there to be such…no wait. She was being too generous. Her expression blanked out and she looked at Luxanna to find that she had the same look.

"He-"

"Used you as a distraction which almost got you killed and did something worse afterward?" Both she and Luxanna deadpanned with stunning synchrony that even made Qiyana confused.

The woman blinked. "Yes…actually. How did-"

"He does these sorts of things frequently," Fiora sighed. "It is very irritating."

Luxanna gently grabbed the woman's shoulder and gave her a dead look which caused her to shudder in place. "You'll get used to it."

The moment passed with her face transforming into a bright smile as she offered her hand. "My name is Luxanna by the way, but you can call me Lux. Nice to meet you."

The woman hesitantly took her hand and shook it. "Leona…"

Fiora waited for the man in question to jump in at this opportune moment, but it did not come. She looked around but found him nowhere in sight.

Luxanna realized this as well. "Wait, where is he? Wasn't he with you?"

o. o. o.

"…"

Trees and exotic plants surrounded him on all sides with even more variety on the ground below. It was a wild guess, but he was probably in Ixtal. He hasn't seen any animals or monsters to confirm it yet, which was a good thing. They would have been circling him, waiting for the opportunity to tear him apart and make a meal out of him once the vine attached to his leg snapped. Hard to tell the time of day with skies being as clouded as they were. Probably around noon since that Noxus fiasco happened in the morning within a few hours and his trip to Zaun took a little bit longer.

He could have just opened the client and read the time along with other information but that would have been too easy. The blood rushing to his head courtesy of a vine suspending him upside down demanded a challenge. It was probably a champion's doing, specifically the one who controls dangerous plants. Wait, this wasn't aggressive enough. Plus, he was still alive so there is no way this was that champion's doing.

But if it was…

"Hi, my name is Zike. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation," Zike muttered. "Well, it all started when I was minding my own business and met this woman who-"

The vine currently holding onto his leg chose that moment to start snapping.

"It was a joke. I only have eyes for you, my baby. My darling. My sweety. My honey." For a moment, the snapping stopped. "Yes, my eyes would never wander to another woman…unless said woman-"

The vine completely snapped.

"Shit."

He did not cry out when his body was quickly spiraling towards the ground. The branches and twigs that constantly hit him for his infidelity robbed him of that opportunity. The little breath he had was instead used to curse them out for getting involved in what was obviously a private matter. Meanwhile his brain, specifically the little part of it that was still working and rationally processing the situation, successfully timed out when he would hit the ground and activated barrier just as he hit the ground.

"…"

Now on his back and covered with leaves and scratches, Zike opened his client as the rest of his brain began to reboot itself. Yes, he was in Ixtal, it was indeed around noon, and as for the reason why he wasn't in Summoner's Rift…

Great Contracting Quest Bonanza

He looked at the quests surrounding it and his eye twitched when he realized that it was given to him back in the Rift when he was making up plans. So that's what woke him up before. Why didn't it give him this right after he left Noxus?!

"Given the current state of Runeterra and your previous efforts in blah, blah, blah. Yeah whatever. Skip, skip, skip." That stuff can be read later. He scrolled past all the useless details until he found what he was looking for. "Here we go. You will be unable to return to Summoner's Rift until the moment before you leave for the final emergency quest. At the same time, you will be unable to summon any previously contracted champions nor contact them if they are not involved in whatever quest you are currently in…"

Once he finished reading, a quest appeared in front of him.

Emergency Contracting Quest #2

Make a contract with all the champions you come across within the given time limit.

Warning: You will no longer be given quests or teleported to them in the future once the final emergency contracting quest has been given.

Time Remaining: 5 Hours

Reward: New features, New Summoner Spells, and Blue Essence depending on how many contracts you establish.

Failure: Possible death, capture, or Alteration of the champions you encounter

Complete alteration of the Ixtal region

Zike rolled his eyes and stood up. "Oh no, don't make it normal like get this thing for a few blue essences. I need to be aware of what's at stake."

His hands moved to brush off the leaves and twigs that still stuck to him but stopped. They were wet. So was the rest of his body and clothes. It hadn't been long since he swam in Zaun's sewers which also means…

He brought an arm up to his nose. It didn't even make it halfway through its journey when he started to gag.

o. o. o.

"Ah…" Zike sighed, beginning to settle into the gentle flowing river he had found nearby. Map was open and the control ward nearby would warn him if anything was coming. Another screen had updates on Summoner's Rift and its developments, but he only glanced at it every now and then. Most of his focus was on brushing up his knowledge of Ixtal. "That's better."

No running around and escaping from danger. No champions around to bug him or try to kill him whether it be intentional or otherwise. It was just him, the eerily quiet jungle around him, and the sound of the water lapping against the shore.

There was still the time limit to worry about, but this was important. If he didn't get rid of the disgusting smell coming from him, predators would be able to easily track him down. It could be used as a deterrent, but he would prefer to not be discovered at all with it. After this, he had to work on masking it from his clothes. It won't be perfect, but anything was better than nothing.

He grabbed a handful of water and splashed it against his face, making sure to avoid his mouth and nose. Diseases and bacteria ran rampant in places like this and although his spells could negate them, he didn't want to be completely dependent on them. There was a chance they could be negated with something like petricite at the worst possible moment. Demacia holds a monopoly on them, but he would be stupid to assume that there weren't any alternatives to using that magic-negating tree bark.

Now if only there was an alternative to using a spell like ghost or barrier. Attempting to work out yielded little to no results due to the game. Running did not increase his stamina and speed. Weightlifting and the farm work he did in Trevale didn't increase his strength nor his durability. His growth in stats was dependent on how many champions he was currently contracted with and even then, they would increase by a miniscule amount compared to a champion. Meanwhile, they get a massive boost in every single aspect from just signing the contract he gives to them.

Was his current state even average compared to some random person in a place like Piltover or less than so?

"These abilities are for them, not for me," Zike snorted. "I always get the short end of the stick."

He opened a few more screens. Although he couldn't spend much time here, he was going to make the most of it.

o. o. o.

After a few more minutes of washing himself and preparation, he was heading out, no longer wet and without a smell on him. Thankfully, the game decided to throw him a bone and wash his clothes. They just disappeared for one second and reappeared in the next, folded, and dry. Saved him a bit of time doing some extra work.

He was going to need every second to make this work. With Ixtal being larger than the city of Zaun, finding champions would be difficult, especially if they were natives. They had ways of keeping themselves hidden and have no reason to make themselves known or seek him out. With a particular spear-wielding champion, he could possibly draw her out by using her pack of cougars against her. However, he still had to find said pack, survive an encounter with the big cats, and then survive an encounter with a pissed off champion who would get help from big cats.

At some point he had to figure out where to get some catnip and chuck it at their faces. That would be an interesting sight.

Long story short, hoping things would kick off like they did in Zaun wouldn't work. He would have to put in a bit more effort than usual to seek out the champions here. Fortunately, he had a hunch where to find one of them although his chances of surviving were less than ideal.

But he had nothing else to work with so less than ideal chances it is.

He looked at his map to make sure he was heading in the right direction. Ixaocan in the south would kill any invaders or anything that would harm their home. Nothing in the west since that is where the Shuriman desert was. He wouldn't find what he was looking for in the north towards Piltover and Zaun. Human settlements would be made to explore the region and acquire materials for research. It would be the same for the east as well although he would find Noxians and pirates instead to sell their wares.

No, he was heading towards the center of the region mostly untouched by all four sides. From there, he would hear some interesting rumors from the few locals living in the area which most wouldn't pay that much attention to. If he found abandoned homes and corpses instead, it would still give him a lead as to where he needed to go.

"But it's still too quiet," Zike yawned, rubbing his eyes.

Nothing appeared on his map despite holding a ward whether it be neutral or enemy. There was no sound of birds or even wind rustling trees. No bugs carrying diseases to swat away or the occasional small critter scurrying about. It was just him with the only sounds being his breathing and footsteps.

The quest did say that if he failed, the entire region would undergo an alteration completely. There was a good chance it was going through the process at this moment. He had a few guesses as to what the alteration would be but there was no way to confirm it. Regardless of the result, it was going to be a pain to deal with the longer he stayed in the region.

For a time, nothing happened other than pushing away the occasional foliage that got in his way. That changed after pushing another one of them and coming across a wooden home. It wasn't anything large and extravagant. Just enough for a small family. Even had a small garden patch as well.

Home? Check. Corpses? Pending.

Zike approached the home with hands in his pockets but eyes facing towards the ground. There were multiple tracks, both man and beast, and deep enough to tell him that both were in a rush. However, there was more of the latter than the former. No signs of blood but if he followed the trail, he might find some. The most interesting thing was a spot on the ground indicating that something large was here at some point. No signs of where it came from or in what direction it left in.

Once he reached the door, he lazily lifted a foot and kicked it open. If there was anyone inside, his ward would have told him. There were cabinets left open with some jars and bottles left shattered on the ground. Furniture knocked over and a few clothes scattere across the floor. An attempt was made to take everything but ended with them only taking the necessities.

He played around with one cabinet but backed away when the door to it suddenly came off its hinges. "Looks like they were in quite the rush."

Didn't even have the time to close the window.

Just as he was about to leave, his map opened in front of him. One enemy. It wasn't moving that quickly which meant it hasn't discovered him yet. Unfortunately, it was still making its way towards him. If he tried to leave, he would be discovered, and he didn't want to risk a confrontation with something he knew little about.

Zike quickly grabbed the door to the cabinet that was still on the ground and with the help of a table that was flipped over, jumped towards the ceiling. His other hand grabbed one of the beams of the home and he used the rest of his momentum to wrap his legs around it. He looked back towards his map and the door leading into the home.

He didn't have to wait long.

The thing that stepped through the doorway looked like a dog. It had the usual four legs and a tail but that was where the similarities ended. It was big, about the size of a bear with black fur. The most distinguishing thing about it was the mask on its face and the purple eyes that flashed through it.

He narrowed his eyes. It wasn't a mask. It was its skeleton. Everything around its mouth was clear of fur and muscle yet it was still alive and breathing. It was the same for its feet as well, yet they looked unusually sharp.

It roamed around the house, eyes looking left and right. Despite its large body, it had enough awareness to avoid all the objects that came in its path during its exploration of the house. In fact, it barely made a sound except the ones its feet made when touching the floorboards. Although it was searching each and every corner, it kept coming back to one spot.

A spot that was directly below him. The moment its nose started to move towards the ground was when he made his move.

Zike threw the door still in his hand away from him and at the same time, unlatched his legs to fling himself through the still open window nearby. He landed outside and heard a deep growl from inside the home, but the monster did not come crashing through the wooden wall to kill him. He peeked out from the window to find it inspecting the door and ceiling, attempting to make sense on what had just occurred.

He was expecting overgrown plants looking for some bondage action not some demonic looking monster. But this works too since this encounter confirmed a few things.

The first was that champions were not the only ones who could undergo an alteration. He saw signs of it in Zaun but that could be chalked up as possession rather than an alteration. This, however, proved otherwise since he recognized the beast thanks to brushing up his knowledge on Ixtal. It wasn't a complete match due to the alteration, but its appearance was similar to the one he read about.

Second, he was dealing with Coven this time. The other guesses he had were the Infernal or Dragon World skin lines, or the entire region of the Shadow Isles. Although he was glad he didn't have to deal with jungle fires, giant lizards, or the undead, this was still a problem since Coven was ancient and magical. The Old Gods especially. If they had the power and knowledge to back up such a grand title…

Zike shook his head. He can think about that later.

The third wasn't so much as a confirmation as much as getting closer to one. At some point, there was a family living in this home. However, going off the things he discovered so far, they were suddenly forced to leave and were evacuated by air. It explained why everything was in disarray when he was inside and explained the signs of something large being here at some point. From there, it just led to more guesses such as who was helping them and why.

Another growl coming from inside the home turned his attention back to the situation he was in. Although this was the perfect opportunity to make his escape, he didn't take it. There was still one last thing he had to confirm.

He waited until the beast finally gave up its search and left the home, continuing its aimless trek through the jungle. He waited until it was on the edge of his map and began to follow it. There was no way for it to notice him unless it decided to suddenly go back the way it came, especially with there being no strong wind to work against him.

Minutes passed as he did his utmost best to stay silent and follow the monster. Every now and then it would stop to look around. If it was next to a body of water, it would take a drink from it although the water would later turn into a deadly purple color because of it. Puncture wounds would not be the only problem to deal with should it ever bite someone.

It was only when it no longer headed in a straight line that he stopped following it. It changed directions, although very slightly. What was important was that there was nothing that led up to it. No loud sounds in the distance nor its nose touching the ground and catching a scent. Yet, it changed directions with a purpose.

A purpose to guard something or someone. And with a little bit of fiddling on his map based off when it changed directions and a guess that it wasn't the only one doing the guarding…

o. o. o.

"I wonder what would have happened if I didn't have these abilities," Zike muttered to himself with a nasally voice.

It was a random and pointless question, but he could only walk and look around this large den of roots, flowers, and thorns for so long before boredom sets in. The way they were glitching out got old quick since it rendered them harmless at the moment. There weren't even any of those monsters to worry about after he snuck in because most of them were outside. The ones that could fly were especially annoying to get past because of their damn, randomly twitching heads.

Would have thrown a rock at one of them if it wouldn't have alerted the rest of their kind.

But seeing the glitching plants linger on one form more than the others, it was easy to see why he didn't have much trouble. The alteration process was almost complete and once that happens, these seemingly harmless plants around him would turn the place into a death trap. Alluring scents or hallucinations to confuse, poison and thorns to kill. The monsters outside were better suited for scouting and hunting down anything they came across to secure the area for the arrival of their new ally.

If someone hadn't known about this and prepared ahead of time by doing something like stuffing their nose with leaves or if that wasn't effective enough, had spells suitable for this exact situation, they would have already met their end. On that note, he really didn't enjoy the feeling of his nose being clogged up.

"Probably would still be at that farm in Trevale." He jumped over a large root that was as thick as a large man. The sizes of them were increasing the deeper he went which meant he was heading in the right direction. "Food was horrible, everyone was an asshole, but things were simple back then. The only thing to worry about is if someone had the thought to purge all weaklings."

The ground trembled and he stepped out of the way before a large root could pierce him from below. "With what's happening in Runeterra, it wouldn't last long. If that happened, I would have gone to Demacia or something. Piltover and Zaun would have been better, but they're too far away and the trip is too dangerous."

He tilted his head and frowned, avoiding one of the smaller roots from lashing out at him during its brief escape from glitching. "Unless someone or something prevented me from traveling. Yeah, that sounds more likely. Things would be more challenging but doable."

Zike stopped walking. "And there you are."

The tunnel of deadly pants led him to an extremely large chamber and a pod in the center of it, pulsing an eerie yellow light with the rhythm of a heartbeat. With each pulse, the distortion of the entire area halted which lasted longer with each passing second. The roots became more active, twitching erratically and some of the flowers began to bloom, no doubt releasing harmful and toxic material into the environment

Unable to retrieve the bond level of Zyra due to the champion undergoing an alteration.

And of course, the champion he was looking for was in that pod.

Going off her biography, she was a champion that controlled plants although he didn't know if she could control all plants or the ones that she made herself. In a place like Ixtal, the entire region was her playground, and she and her plants did not like to share. She would kill anyone and anything that came across her while expanding her territory, using them as nourishment to grow.

As for why she wasn't awake and doing that now, she and her kind were nuked by some mage centuries ago and it took time for her to grow and be reborn. However, it looks like Coven got to her before she could awaken but even if they hadn't, she would have been troublesome to deal with.

Zike hummed, recalling the dog-like monster from before corrupting the water by simply drinking it. It was much different from the masks and rituals of Blood Moon and easier to spread. If Coven manages to alternate her so that everything she touched in the region, including its food and water, causes an alternation and can hide this from an unsuspecting traveler or merchant bringing their spoils back to their own home or city…

Then things wouldn't stop with just the alternation of the Ixtal region. Like a virus, it would continue to spread until all of Runeterra was infected.

It would be a shame if he threw a wrench in their plans by interrupting the process and taking her away. Of course, he wouldn't be able to escape from them if they decided to hunt him down unless they were distracted by something else. Something like an area rigged with whatever explosives he had left going off at random intervals.

Even if that didn't stop them, they were still going to be a bit sluggish since they were chemical explosives which he definitely did not steal from the chem-punks when he was in Zaun.

"If it worked once, it'll work again," Zike said, taking out the detonator. "I'm gonna pull what's called a pro gamer move."

And then he pressed the trigger.

Contract with Zyra, Rise of the Thorns, has been established.

Summoner and Contracted Champions Stats and Abilities have increased.

o. o. o.

Author's Note:

…I could have made a story about Zike still being in Trevale. No Summoner abilities but he would still have to deal with alterations. Coming across champions and making up a name for himself. The story would have been called "The Lord of Trevale".

Never mind. Looking ahead, that wouldn't have worked out in the end.

Now, let's talk about this chapter.

Qiyana is begrudgingly starting to accept her situation thanks to Lux's personality although that may change once their summoner returns and makes a mess of things. At this moment, he has yet to spend that much time with champions other than the first five he made a contract with so to most of them and eventual newcomers, they still don't know what they are dealing with nor what his goals are.

Hence why Battle Academia students still hate him for what he did to them but hopefully their views change the more time they spend in the Rift.

At this point, I should talk about Zike given that he is given the spotlight, but future chapters will shed his mysteries. Anything I say will just be repeating what will happen in the future although I will comment on key moments.

And finally, Coven is attempting to win before anything even started, and they were very close to doing so. Those bastards. Luckily, Zike managed to save Ixtal and the entire world from danger and thanks to the great contracting qu- nah, I'm just kidding. Without spoiling the story too much, in this arc currently comprising of Zaun and Ixtal at the moment, Ixtal is the halfway point.

Oh yeah. This crazy idea is all coming together.

That is all I have to say for now.

Thanks for reading and be sure to comment and review so that I may improve as a writer!