Leaves in a Windy Mind

by Shadow Master

(Drabbles, multiple crossovers) Decided to resurrect my old habit of putting any new crossover plot ideas into Drabble form rather than jump right into a full fledged story. Hope it'll help me focus on my in progress works and not get distracted. Please vote for the ones you want to see continued either as a Drabble or a true story.

6. Lady Luck is Gonna Get Me Killed

"Lady Luck is Gonna Get Me Killed" by Shadow Master

(BtVS/The Witcher Universe/Netflix's Arcane/Street Fighter universe)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit from this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing this in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy my stories. Therefore please do not take legal action against me because I am nowhere near rich enough to make any winnings worth the legal fees.

Note: I got this idea after watching the first season of the Netflix animated series 'Arcane' which is based on the PC game League of Legends (though how closely I don't know). It's an awesome series that has a unique animation style, great music regardless of whether there's any singing and a story that keeps you locked in until you hit the last one. Honestly I never expected to like it as much as I do right now but I do and I really hope they don't take too long to make season 2.

ANYway during the time I watched each episode I naturally began to imagine the various ways I could write a crossover involving this awesome show. Naturally it'd be centred on Xander since I can't really write stories centred on other BtVS all that well and I came upon a few possibilities that intrigued me and my muse. This is the one that came out on top so I hope you like it.

Note 2: I did try to find more info on the League of Legends world and lore because it is something I prefer to do to stick as close to canon as possible while still telling my story. However all the websites I checked just seemed to have stats and gameplay data on each character rather than the character's history and personality. Sure you can infer a lot from the cinematics and such but it's not nearly enough in my eyes.

Therefore I will be basing most of my world information on what's been revealed in the 'Arcane' series thus far, extrapolate on them using feasible logic and perhaps add in a few new things that I just think are cool.

If any of you reading this are big League of Legends fans please do not take it personally if I make a mistake or have a character act differently than you think they would. I can only work with what I can find on the internet or YouTube. If you know of any reliable websites that contain info on the histories and personalities of the characters from the game please send them to me. Should this receive enough reviews and praise to warrant evolving it into a full fledged fan fiction story I will use the info from these websites and adjust things as best I can.

Now ON WITH THE SHOW!

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Lady Luck is Gonna Get Me Killed

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979 A.N

Ionia

Xander's POV

CLANG!

KSH…KSH…CLANG!

It was in these moments that he felt most alive and yet at the same time the most alone.

It had been three years since that horrible Halloween night that turned to ash so much of what he knew and bestowed upon him a nightmare that only death would free him from. He couldn't count the number of times that he'd looked back on that night to figure out if there was anything that could've been changed to prevent that one moment of recklessness. The answer he unfortunately got each time though was 'no' much to his eternal bitterness. Based on what he'd known, from the moment Snyder volunteered the Scoobies to that last critical moment, he wouldn't have made any decisions different enough from the ones he had to change things.

It all would've gone down the same path.

Still were it not for what he'd gained in the aftermath of Halloween he probably would've been killed ten times over in the first year alone in this new world. That didn't mean that the first year had been entirely without troubles of any sort because landing in a new world came with a lot of learning just to survive. Language both written and spoken for one had to be learned if you wanted to improve his situation and after that came learning things that the locals took for granted. What money did they use and how it worked, what food was edible for someone like him and most importantly what things had a high chance of making him dead. In the end it'd actually been the two swords he had on his back that'd gotten him the help he needed from two passing brothers.

For a price of course.

What was that price?

To spar with them so that they could practice what they'd learned from the sword school they attended of course.

He'd thought them nuts of course since while it didn't feel like he'd lost everything from the man he'd turned into as a result of the Halloween spell he didn't think himself good enough to spar with someone.

"HAH!"

CLANG!

The younger brother had confidently said that they wouldn't go all out with him if he was so uncertain while the older brother was more encouraging of what he might be capable of them. He'd told them the lie that he'd left his master before his instruction in the way of the sword was complete and added a bit about encountering something odd on his way to Ionia. It was a lot easier for someone of this world to swallow instead of the truth. In the end he'd chosen to go along figuring that proof would show them that he'd be a poor sparring partner and at the same time it'd give him a handle on what skill had gotten stuck in his brain.

Imagine his surprise that after the first clash of blades with the younger brother the knowledge of what to do next and what not to do sprung forth to the front of his mind. It wasn't perfect of course and there were fuzzy spots that led to missteps but fortunately the number of times he got hurt were both few as well as minimal. A few light cuts, some bruising and stuff like that was all he got from his mistakes. Luckily for him his sparring partners had been willing to help patch him up afterwards and later showed him where he could purchase supplies so he could do it himself.

Not that he'd needed much in the way of supplies…

…accelerated healing had its benefits.

For a long while he'd immersed himself in his sparring with the two brothers using it to draw out more of what he'd retained from his Halloween costume. Before long his doubts about what he was capable was dispelled and all that was left to sharpen the skills he had until he would be forced to leave in order to get better. It…didn't help with the loneliness though because while he was becoming fast friends with the two brothers it didn't change the fact that he was the only one from Sunnydale in Runeterra. He didn't brood about it, THAT was Deadboy's schtick, but reminders of this fact kept hitting him in the face either metaphorically or literally depending on the situation.

It hadn't been until a little under a year ago that he'd been shown just how wrong he was about being alone.

He'd been sparring with the two brothers same as usual and getting a better grip on where he was on the infinite ladder of swordsmanship skill when a messenger had come running up. The kid had a message from the mentor of the younger brother and implied that it was important enough not to be left until later. Naturally the student opened it but when the usual cocky demeanour took on somewhat serious lines he knew something was up.

He wasn't wrong.

According to the younger brother his mentor had received word from the rulers of Ionia that there had been sightings of warriors along the edges of their territory. While this by itself wasn't too worrisome since travellers came and went everyday these warriors seemed to be going to significant lengths not to be noticed by anyone in power. Some even bolted and disappeared the moment they had reason to believe they'd been noticed with the ones doing the noticing often being too far away to make out many details. People with nothing to hide didn't bolt like that and one of the details many of the witnesses agreed upon was that the warriors possessed quality gear not the common stuff anyone could get. The message didn't speculate who could be behind it all but rather it asked the young student to go with his brother to a specific area where the mentor thought one of these warriors could be located. Observation was the recommended tactic in order to carefully learn more without giving away anything but should it become necessary capturing the warrior alive for questioning was permitted.

ONLY as a last resort though.

The younger brother seemed quite pleased with this as a welcome change of pace from sparring and learning while the older brother seemed more serious about the matter. He on the other hand was prepared to set up a solo training program for himself until the duo got back when out of the blue the youngest brother invited him to come along. It'd floored him and the older brother had voiced the concern that it might be too soon but the younger brother dismissed the worry in light of the fact that the two of them would be there. He'd still been uneasy but when it'd looked like the younger brother would just tie him up and make sure he came anyway he'd relented and agreed to go with them.

It'd taken them a few days to reach the area the mentor had mentioned and while most of the day was devoted to travel and most of the night to sleep the time in between was used for sparring. They'd also laid out a rough plan of what to do and what roles they would play both for the observation scenario as well as the capture scenario. In the end it was decided that the older brother was best suited to direct the observation scenario given his more tranquil demeanour while the younger brother would lead the charge to capture the warrior. As for him he'd been given a support role given his lesser skill and experience: in the first scenario he would record what the older brother discovered on paper while also keeping an eye out for trouble elsewhere. While the note from the mentor had stated that only one mysterious warrior was expected it was wise to consider someone arriving from outside their cone of awareness.

And if things came to the capture scenario he'd simply been assigned the job of hanging back and cutting off the warrior if he or she managed to make a break for it.

Considering the fact that most people choosing to flee rather than fight were willing to destroy any obstacle that got in their way he wasn't a fan of the plan. Still the younger brother had a point in that all he needed to do was stall long enough for him and his older brother to close the distance.

They'd stabled their horses at the nearest village to where they expected to encounter the warrior and proceeded the rest of the way on foot. While they hadn't gone full stealth mode from the get go neither had they strolled through the countryside without a care in the world talking loudly enough that anyone could hear them. It'd only been when they'd gotten to within half a mile of the target area that the brothers had shifted modes and he did his best to copy them while also call upon the skills of his Halloween costume. Fortunately none of them had clanking metal armour on and the vegetation in the area hadn't been predisposed towards loud cracks or crinkles with every step they took. When they arrived to find no one present it was presumed that they were just early and so hiding places were scouted out for each of them that'd allow for maximum concealment while not making it impossible to carry out their roles.

It was a few hours later, just as the sun began to set, that the first sounds of a presence other than their own.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he'd reached with his sword arm up to grasp the hilt of his steel sword ready to draw it from its sheath at a moment's notice. It was difficult to see who the new arrival was but from what he could make out it was a woman with black hair but the rest was covered up by a hooded cloak. One thing he could only just make out was the cloth wrapped bundle strapped to her back that was almost as tall as she was. He'd laid good odds that the bundle was another weapon, a big one, that was wrapped in order to conceal its true nature.

Nevertheless he'd remained hidden in order to allow the brothers to handle the threat.

He had only been the back up after all. Just meant to act if the woman got too far from them or looked to be trying to escape.

Much like he'd expected it'd been the younger brother who'd made the first move stepping out from cover to strike up a conversation with the woman. To her credit the woman had not acted with fear or aggression but rather had merely looked at the younger brother as he spoke. It'd only been when the younger brother's patience at the lack of reply got the better of him that he'd boldly demanded that she reveal her purpose for entering Ionia on threat of force.

This…this actually got a grin from the woman though he hadn't been able to tell if it was meant to be caused by genuine interest or mockery.

The younger brother had taken it to be the latter and despite his older brother's warning charged to attack the woman. While he'd shaken his head at the younger brother's recklessness he privately conceded that forcing the woman's hand would succeed in letting them know what they were dealing with. There were all sorts of warriors in the world after all wielding all sorts of weapons and possessing many different styles of wielding those weapons. He'd been of the opinion that at that moment a lack of information was their greatest foe and a fight would at least drag out some of the answers they'd been after.

All but the woman had been surprised when she'd reached for the bundle on her back and in one movement brought it forth to block the younger brother's blade. However since the woman'd been lacking in surprise she had been able to build on the successful block to push her foe's blade to the side and rear back to execute an attack of her own. It was to the younger brother's credit that he was able to evade the swing and bring his blade back into place to block the second one. The older brother hadn't been idle though but rather had been circling the fighting duo looking for the right moment to intervene. With twin katana at the ready that moment came the woman had found herself with a second opponent to contend with but he'd seen in the seconds between exchanges the woman's grin had developed into a full blown feral smile.

The woman to his eyes had looked to live for the thrill of battle and the worse the odds the more she'd enjoy the experience.

On and on the battle'd gone but just when he'd thought that they might be able to get the upper hand it was proven that the older sibling hadn't been the only one waiting to get involved. Just as the younger sibling was preparing to unleash an elemental attack to shatter the woman's defences a whirlwind of steel came out of nowhere to forcibly abort the attack. It'd also knocked the younger brother back half the length of a football field but it was to the credit of the swordsman's training and strength that he rose back to his feet only somewhat bruised. All looked towards where the whirlwind of steel had come from and where it returned and found a man with an arm raised to catch the whirlwind.

Tall with a golden headband that had a jade jewel at the centre and black hair made only more apparent by the mustach reaching from the nose to the jaw. The guy had been clad in a combo of metal and leather armour primarily black, red and green in colour and his weapons had been revealed to be axes with hilts designed to facilitate spinning them. There was even a central mechanism that allowed the two axes to become one weapon and it'd likely been that which had been thrown to abort the younger sibling's attack.

The woman had been irritated by the man's intervention but he hadn't cared one bit stating that he'd wanted in on the 'fun'. Judging from the woman's response he hadn't been foolish enough to think that this was the first time the man'd said such things. That had been the end of the pause in the fighting bringing forth a two on two battle and had made the prediction of victory all the harder to make.

With things getting to be difficult he had wondered if he should get involved as well in order to shift the balance once more in their favour by making the battle three on two. He had not thought himself skilled enough or strong enough to say there was nothing more to learn or gain from training but he had thought perhaps…just perhaps…he could create an opening. An opening that either of the brothers could pounce on and exploit to full effectiveness? A part of him wished to hope but it was weighed down by the doubts and the images of what could happen if he was wrong.

It had been at that point that his choice was taken from him when a flare of instinct caused him to dive and roll away from his hiding spot with all due urgency.

It was both a good thing he did because a moment later something human sized dropped like lightning onto the spot where he'd been kicking up a lot of dust and dirt and plants. Preparing to deal with a sparring partner of his own he pulled his steel sword from its sheath ready to block or attack as needed. As the kicked up debris settled his attacker stood up from the powerful attack and the outline couldn't be mistaken as anything other than a young woman's. While a more cocky warrior would've been insulted by so small a sparring partner he hadn't but rather had been grateful since it'd be a little more in his weight class.

However the willingness to fight had left him the moment enough debris settled to get a clear look at his foe.

It'd been Dawn. Dawn Summers.

Confusion had sprung up within him since he hadn't been able to think of a single thing that'd justify her attacking him out of nowhere with such power. He'd tried to talk to her, get her to recognize who he was, but the only thing she'd said in response were comments about how fit he looked as well as how she hoped that he'd be worth her time. The way in which it'd been said and the ferocity of her attacks afterwards had more than convinced him that either he was mistaken or something'd rearranged the mental furniture in Dawn's head. Nevertheless he'd kept his moves limited to evasion and parrying of blows with the flat of the blade since he refused to harm Buffy's little sister.

Too bad this'd only pissed her off.

Taken it as an insult and had a sadist's temperament when it came to making him pay for it.

Given that he'd been holding back and she hadn't the outcome was pretty much forgone and soon he'd been bruised as well as on his back with Dawn looking to finish him off. It'd been a miracle when the stress of the moment had caused instincts foreign to him to thrust his hand forward to her. Instead of being useless though a blue light had burst forth with the sign of a pyramid floating just in front of his hand made of the same light. More than that the light slammed into Dawn like it'd been something tangible and sent her sprawling backwards but she'd been quick to regain her footing.

Aard.

That was the name of the magic spewing sign he'd pulled out of his ass and it was basically a telekinetic push that could be light as a pillow or slam as hard as a block of concrete. Thankfully he'd used it so haphazardly that it'd lost enough of its power to not injure or kill Dawn but it did have an effect he'd have preferred it hadn't.

It got Dawn or whoever she'd been turned into 'interested' again.

Fortunately by that point in the fight the brothers had managed to turn things around somehow or their foes had some other reason to back off because back off they did. An order for Dawn to do the same was yelled but he'd been able to tell right off that the young lady was torn about obeying it. Not for any good reason he'd wager but a reason all the same. In the end though she threw something at the ground and bolted. He'd tried to give trace, to maintain a grip on the one physical trace of Sunnydale, but then the object she'd thrown blew up unleashing a blinding light. He and the brothers had made it through the experience without permanent injury to their vision but their foes were nowhere to be seen.

The younger brother had been of the opinion that they should immediately pursue following any trail they found but the younger brother had opposed the idea. From the elder warrior's point of view if the enemy was far enough away from them that they could not be seen by the naked eye then they were too far away to follow on foot. If the duo plus Dawn had horses then he'd thought that it'd be even more unlikely to catch up to them. Reluctantly the younger sibling had given in using the idea that the mentor would have more sources of information that could get them back on the trail.

Months had passed bringing him to where he was now: training all in with the brothers to raise his skill level with all the tools he'd woken up in this world with. Fortunately for him the weapons either existed in this world or had ones that were similar enough to get better. There hadn't been anything better to do given how little he knew about the world and the fact that the younger sibling's mentor had been unable to find a trace of their sparring partners. Given the mentor's standing in Ionian society and his age the only way no leads could pop up would be if there were none, all the mentor's sources were dead or the man himself was a hoax.

He'd stick with the first since the other possibilities only meant trouble.

"Rraghh!" He grunted using his strength to push back against the younger sibling's blade destabilizing the warrior's stance.

Seeing a chance to win the match he reoriented his blade and attempted to perform a disarming technique…

…only for the younger sibling to turn it around and send HIS sword flying off to the side.

Fortunately there wasn't anyone there but it was a good thing that trees couldn't be killed by having a few inches of sharpened steel inserted into them.

"Dammit!" He exclaimed even as a blade stopped an inch from his throat.

"That's enough Yasuo." Yone said from where he observed the match.

Never once losing the victorious smirk on his face the young Yasuo withdrew his blade and then sheathed it with a single twirl.

"Thought I had you there for a second." He said even as he did the same to his steel sword, "Wishful thinking I guess."

"Not entirely. You did manage to gain a momentary window but you weren't quick enough to take advantage of it." Yone said stepping forward, "In a sword fight decisions must be made fast and acted on even faster. Still you've improved these past few months. With some more experience fighting opponents other than me and my rash brother you'll be a fine swordsman. Perhaps even a great one if the right experiences came your way."

By right experiences he imagined Yone meant tackling threats and enemies that ordinary warriors wouldn't fare well against.

As much as it appealed to him to turn into some sort of renowned adventurer he had more important things to do like find Dawn. She was his sole tie to home and someone he cared for greatly so even if the odds were high that she'd just attack him again he had to find her. If an 'adventure' promised him leads on Dawn he'd take them so long as it was a good lead but otherwise he'd mind his own business.

He could practically hear Buffy and Willow making fun of that jokingly referring to how he couldn't resist riding to the rescue especially if a pretty lady was involved. If this were back home they might have a point but in this new world he knew better than to go off doing things without knowing quite a bit.

Unlike back home where there were libraries with books from all over the ones in Ionia tended to be few and those that he could access only had books about Ionia. He imagined that the only libraries with books about places beyond Ionia were those belonging to the rulers or those located in the capitol. If he wanted to go anywhere he'd have to play it safe and stop in villages where hopefully he could learn more about what was ahead of him.

Yone was about to say something when something caught his eye.

Turning in the direction of the elder brother's gaze he saw a man on horseback approaching at a decent pace. Dressed in clothes too good for a commoner but not high enough quality to hint at being a noble or someone used to a great deal of wealth. It didn't take long for the man to arrive and when he did his eyes only had one interest.

"Are you Alexander of Rivia?" The man asked sounding only a little uncertain he was speaking to the right man.

"Yeah. Something I can do for you?" He asked in reply remembering the name he'd given once he'd broken enough of the language barrier to introduce himself properly.

He was in a strange new world with people he didn't know and Giles had drilled into him enough times that in matters of the supernatural names had power. Until he had a better grasp of the world and the people who lived in it he'd keep in mind everything G-Man had ever told the Scoobies about protecting themselves from the more common supernatural problems. Things that could give someone or something power over him. Things that could hurt him or possibly kill him. Most importantly the signs to watch out for when running very, very fast would be the best thing to do.

"The local master has been making inquiries on the location of a trio foreign warriors that you encountered months ago." The man replied reaching into his saddle satchel to retrieve a bundle of papers, "I am here because we have managed to locate the one you professed special interest in. The others are doing a better job at travelling unseen."

Dawn! Given what he'd seen of the temperament of the mind controlling Dawn's body he was surprised at how long she'd manage to keep the entire continent from knowing where she was. As for the other two he could only guess that they'd parted company for one reason or another.

"These papers contain all that we were able to gather." The man said handing him the bundle of papers.

"Care to give me the summarized version?" He asked even though he intended to ready every word on every piece of paper in the bundle.

"She was last seen getting on a boat at a harbour frequented by pirates." The man said choosing to keep things short, "The boat was headed to a small village by the name of Vindor on the slopes of the Great Barrier. It's contested territory though the Empire of Noxus has the stronger presence in the area."

"Noxus? They are a brutal and threatening empire." Yone said clearly disapproving of the nation, "Grand General Boram Darkwill has been like a raging fire determined to lead Noxus to reclaim what he considers its former glory. With Darius, his Hand, leading the way they currently lay siege to Demacia. If you are determined to go to Vindor make every effort not to gain their notice."

"No worries there. I may be crazy but I'm not stupid." He said hearing some similar things from others about the Noxian Empire, "Give me a hooded cloak and something to hide my gear and I'll just be another person passing through."

"Then my task is done." The messenger man said before giving a nod and riding off on his horse.

"Are you sure of this Xander?" Yone asked with concern, "I know you believe the girl to be your friend and in need of help but there's another possibility to consider."

"Such as?" He asked finding the counsel of the elder brother worth listening to.

"Noxus has been expanding for decades under one ruler or the other." Yone replied with all due seriousness, "It is possible that the three warriors we fought were scouts of Noxus including the young lady you seek. While most tales of the empire describe them as brutal warmongers there are rumours that their society is one where even the lowest can rise to power on the basis of their skill and ability."

"Lies! Spread by Noxus to make their enemies doubt during battle and make them easier to murder." Yasuo said dismissing the positive rumour without hesitation, "They're nothing but tyrants and warmongers our to conquer all of Runeterra. If they've set their gaze on Ionia then we must give them cause to look elsewhere for their next nation of conquest!"

"If we tighten Ionian security and leave no port unguarded they will look for easier prey." Yone said taking the safer approach to discouraging conquerers.

He got the feeling that Yasuo wanted to take a more aggressive stance on discouraging invasion by Noxian forces.

Aggressive as in making a big show of power by slaying one of Noxus' strongest warriors or destroying something key to their conquering goals. As far as he was concerned he was with Yone on what to do about Noxus. Going Yasuo's route could just spur the empire into attacking Ionia with more fervour than they currently intended and being extra harsh on the people should they succeed. Better to avoid harassing the thing with so many teeth of iron than piss it off by hitting it with a rock or worse stabbing it with something.

"She's my friend Yone. Someone I thought I'd never get to see again when I woke up in Ionia." He said with his resolve clearly in his words, "I know she's changed but I still have to try."

"You're loyal to a fault Xander." Yone said with a nod of respect, "We'd best start preparing and the sooner the better. Elder Souma's network of informants might be good but time still flows. Stay too long and she might move on from Vindor."

"Don't worry." He said as the trio began to walk back to where they lived, "I know the cost of being too late to do something important."

He'd been too late to save Jesse, almost too late to save Buffy, but he would not be too late to save Dawn from whatever mess she'd gotten into.

A god with a capital G would need to stand in his way for that to stand a chance of happening and even then he'd fight every step of the way to get past the deity.

Nothing and no one would be allowed to keep him from helping his friends!

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Three Weeks Later

Offshore From Vindor

Mid-Morning

Xander's POV

"Are you sure you wish to disembark here sir?" The captain of the ship asked even as a small skiff boat was being moved into position, "Noxus might not rule Vindor officially but there's no doubt they have agents there."

"I'm well aware of that captain." He said keeping his eyes locked on the buildings and people of Vindor, "It's why I'll be taking the skiff to shore alone. You can easily replace it with the money you've been supplied with and none of you will be in harms way. I trust you're okay with this?"

"Quite so. I wish you well in your venture sir." The captain said with a nod of agreement, "May the Wings and the Wave protect you."

With that farewell he walked to the skiff and got in taking the time before it hit water to think over his plan for the foreseeable future. He hadn't gone into too much detail since the information the brothers and Elder Souma had provided about the area around his destination was small but he still had a plan. The first was to establish a camp outside of Vender since he had no intention of making it easy for any spies to gather information from him. No doubt every inn and home had places where a person could conceal themselves and observe their target without anyone being the wiser. By sleeping away from the hustle and bustle it would be much more likely that a spy would give themselves away by stepping on a branch or emitting a sound not in tune with nature.

Camping away from Vindor would also ensure that if violence broke out no innocent would get caught in the middle of things. It might give those attackers more freedom to use flashier attacks or more damaging methods but he was willing to risk it.

The other thing he would do would be to purchase a suitable horse and enough provisions to last him a week at the very least. With room aboard the ship tightly managed he wasn't able to get everything in Ionia and have it loaded but rather had only brought his weapons, two other sets of clothes to change into if the need arose and the Ionian equivalent of a First Aid kit. Added to the armour he'd arrived in this world wearing along with a hooded cloak and he didn't have what he'd need if Dawn wound up leaving Vender for some other location. While not an expert in horses regardless of what use they were put to he'd seen the traits favoured by the mounts used by Ionia's warriors and had overheard the stable hands talking a bit. He was confident that he'd be able to pick out a suitable horse that'd meet his needs so the only question would be how much it'd cost to buy the one he selected.

Elder Souma had been reasonably generous in providing him with currency that'd work outside of Ionia and Yone had given him some pointers to make sure he wasn't swindled. He was sure if he encountered a pro at ripping people off he'd be in deep trouble but people who only casually engaged in the behaviour he'd be able to handle.

After he got settled he'd visit the usual places where people got to talking about anything and everything listening for any mention of Dawn. Anything from unusual occurrences that matched the brief skirmish between them to descriptions of a young lady matching how she'd looked months ago. He'd prepared and packed as quickly as he could back in Ionia and Yone had assured him that the ship was one of the fastest in the land without being too conspicuous.

While he hoped this meant that he'd gotten to Vindor in time to find and confront Dawn he couldn't overlook the possibility that she'd already left.

If that happened it'd be a nightmare game of 'catch up' where time would be very much against him. The longer it took him to uncover enough information to figure out where he'd gone the more of a lead she'd have on him. If she went further north she might well manage to get into Noxus controlled territory if not all the way to their capital city forcing him to wait until she decided to leave before he could try again. If she went south then the only place Yone had told him about was the city of Piltover that was run by an aristocratic oligarchy. While the elder brother had painted the city as a busy place of business and invention the fact that it was managed by rich people didn't fill him with confidence. He'd seen what sort of behaviour being rich and high society tended to produce through Cordy as well as her Cordettes.

If Piltover was an entire city filled with the like then Dawn would likely make one helluva splash just to upset the status quo and he'd wind up rubbing the locals the wrong way sooner or later.

As the skiff came to rest in the water he untied the lines connecting it to the ship before grabbing the oars and began to row towards Vindor. As his arms fell into a predictable pattern he was able to think more on what'd happened to Dawn and how he might be able to knock some sense into her. The time since he'd arrived in this world had allowed him to figure out some of it but there were still quite a few questions that he hadn't been able to come up with answers for.

It'd been Halloween night but rather than be the big ol' scare-a-palooza that he had thought it'd be Giles had insisted that the holiday was dead when it came to the supernatural. No demons, vampires or black mojo users taking advantage of the night to get up to no good and try to end the world. As a result the lot of them had decided to enjoy things even if part of their evening had to be sacrificed thanks to herr Snyder. They'd all gone to the new costume shop since word had gotten around school that the prices were more reasonable than Party Town and there were even some special Halloween deals being offered.

He'd started with a knight's outfit and then evolved it a bit with a white haired wig, some cat eye contact lenses and two swords strapped to his back instead of just one at his waist.

Buffy had tried to go as a noblewoman but he'd managed to convince her that such ladies were airheads and not something Deadboy would've been interested in when he'd been human. He got her to agree to put on some pieces of armour and strap a sword with a blue and gold sheath to her side pointing out that chivalrous knights tended to VERY honest and sometimes attended events held by nobles.

Willow of course had wanted to go with her traditional ghost costume but both he and Buffy had put their proverbial feet down on that idea. While he had put up with it for many a year the past year and a half made him think that the time had come for his bestest bud to grow stronger. They'd pledged to help Buffy with her Calling however they could and if he was completely honest some of the things they'd fought scared the bejesus out of him. If either he or Willow were to stand any chance of remaining true to their promise to Buffy they needed to toughen up both physically as well as mentally. To that end he'd grabbed a metal breastplate with shoulder plates attached and a stylized cross design off to the left side of the chest. Buffy had gotten in on the act by grabbing some hair dye that'd make Willow's hair a brighter red than was humanly possible along with a pair of knee high boots likely made of fake leather.

Throw in a sword with a winged hilt and it made for a rather nice costume and a definite upgrade from Willow's traditional ghost costume.

As for Dawn…

…she had chosen to grab some random things and put together a costume she said was meant to make her look like a martial arts badass as well as an anti-hero. Pants from a traditional martial arts gi, bandages wrapped around her feet and fingerless gloves on each hand. To top it all off Dawn had thought it'd put a bit of edge to her look to include an eyepatch that'd cover her left eye. He had to admit that it was quite the look especially when she copied some of the usual anti-hero behaviour and one liners when opportunity arose.

Everything had gone fine for the first hour or so of escorting the brats around but then everything had gone topsy-turvy then faded to black. It hadn't been until he'd woken up in Ionia that he'd regained control of his body and found much to his surprise that he wasn't the same as he had been before. His body was different, his costume wasn't a costume anymore and as he'd found out in the weeks that followed the personality that'd been squatting in his head had left behind some baggage when it left. Nothing clear, definitely nothing he could write a decent report on, but enough bits and pieces to help him come to grips with his new situation.

Based on how Dawn attacked him he had a bad feeling that she might've gotten more than a few suitcases worth of mental baggage. Was she confusing her costume personality with her own? Was the real Dawn buried beneath what was left over from her costume? Were the other two warrior's Noxians and their presence forced Buffy's little sister to keep up an act? He just didn't know but the only plan he really had was find her, capture her and then do whatever seemed like a good idea at the time to snap her back to her true self.

He'd like to say that he'd only use non-violent methods but a small part of him couldn't help but concede that maybe, JUST maybe, he might be willing to go a little grey on her.

He had no idea what she'd been through since arriving in this world but if she'd spent most of it in the company of the Noxians he shuddered to think of the affect it'd had on her.

As his skiff came up alongside the longest dock in Vindor he slung his pack over his shoulder before disembarking and heading towards the buildings. It looked to be about as busy as any other harbour settlement but much to his dread it looked like Noxus had a stronger presence than he'd been led to believe. Either something had changed since the last report had reached Ionia or the informants responsible for sending the intel had been compromised somehow. Making sure that the hood of his cloak shrouded his face in shadow he proceeded slowly knowing that fast movement of any sort would attract unwanted attention.

He'd finally gotten to his destination so he had no desire to be driven from it with a pack of Noxian soldiers in pursuit.

---

A Room at the Home of Steward Amenesce

"Well now…this is interesting." She said as her arcane senses picked up on something entering her range of perception.

She had come to the small settlement to attend to one of the pawns that'd been dropped in her lap by chance years ago. The girl had great power within her and some careful manipulation had ensured that with time she would be an excellent weapon to be wielded by the Black Rose. However at the moment the young warrior was akin to a wild beast with a hunger for violence and massacring strong foes. Neither Draven or Samira had complete control over the girl with what incentive they did have to hold over the girl being barely enough to squeeze out compliance to orders. Indeed it was only in the past month or so that the girl had slipped her leash to find something 'fun' to do and this week fun apparently involved creating chaos in Vindor.

She had arrived a few days ago in the guise of a ranking Noxian soldier to reassure the steward of the settlement that she would remedy the situation swiftly. A lie of course since she very much doubted that anyone in the upper echelons of Noxus' command structure knew she was here never mind asked her to do something about the disturbances. Indeed with a single order she'd ensured that it would be some time before the details of the young woman and her activities in Vindor would reach the ears of those who thought they held power in their hands.

Thus far though the girl had been oddly managed to remain hidden aside from a few brief moments of detection. It was just this morning that she'd chosen to use a more concentrated means of monitoring the area around the settlement by placing specially prepared crystals at precise moments both within the populated area as well as on the outskirts. With the aid of the crystals her magic could create a three dimensional map of everything within range and show her what was occurring with only a second or so delay.

The moment her little weapon showed herself she would know precisely where and be able to teleport there in the blink of an eye to reign her in. Some punishment would of course be in order along with some additional means of ensuring future obedience but she would be careful not to be too harsh. Such heavy handed tactics were beneath her after all especially when with a little finesse and cunning she could accomplish a great many things.

This new contact however had taken her by surprise and even when she focused to determine its nature her magic couldn't quite reach a consensus on the matter. At first glance the contact appeared to be just another young adventurer with an amateur's skill at concealing his weapons. However when she looked beneath the surface things got interesting for instead of an essence she recognized what she beheld was…well…it looked like an attempt at organic alchemy. Though she could tell that the young man had started out as a human but his body had been altered in many ways with passable skill. True if she had been the one to administer the alterations she would've done a superior jobs and made few if any mistakes but she'd long ago accepted that few could match her in her areas of expertise. One by one she evaluated what she could perceive and soon came to realize that the mastermind behind the alterations had intended the young man to be a slayer of monsters. The signs were all there if you took the time to look for them and knew how best to arrange them all into a coherent picture.

It was only when she focused her magic on the young man further that something unexpected occurred: the warrior acted as though he could sense someone watching him.

At first she thought that someone near the docks was covertly looking his way but when she glanced mystically around the immediate area she saw no one. It was only when the young man grasped the wolf head medallion that the truth was revealed as she witnessed it vibrate and tug in his grasp. Clearly the item was enchanted to react to the presence of magic especially if it were focused on his general area if not him specifically. Releasing her focus on him save in the loosest sense she watched as the medallion lost the young man's interest causing him to continue walking down the dock.

~Interesting…but not the person I seek.~ She thought directing her spell wide to seek the unwieldy weapon she sought to tame, ~Still there may be one benefit to this. Most of the locals have long since learned to submit to the occupying Noxian forces so I imagine the young lady has become quite bored. If news were to spread of a new arrival, someone interesting, it might just prove enough to coax her out of hiding.~

The question then became how to go about ensuring that everyone in Vindor talked of the young man albeit in a moderate enough manner so as not to arouse the young woman's suspicions. The obvious route would be to arrange for some of the Steward's men to provoke the young man into a confrontation with the soldiers. Whether it devolved into violence mattered little to her so long as there was a sufficiently large audience about when it did happen and if the young man proved the better warrior all the better.

The only problem with that would be calling off the Noxian guards once things got heated. There was a reason after all why someone got assigned to such a small port in the middle of nowhere and it wasn't because of their professional demeanour. They were assigned here because they knew how to kill but were only useful for that purpose and nothing else. None had the potential to rise in the ranks but they looked fearsome enough to keep the locals in line. If they were set on the path to the new arrival they could very well resort to their speciality and once they got started someone might need to be there to yank on their leashes to get them to stop. The Stewart wouldn't be fit for the job both since he almost never left his home and because it was his superior the soldiers feared rather than the man himself.

~Sigh…it would appear I will need to get involved.~ She thought cancelling the magic and standing from her chair, ~However I cannot go myself. I am after all an 'honoured guest' and so would require an escort when going about town. Far too many hindrances and likely to only add to my problems.~

Fortunately she had a means of solving this particular problem that she was quite good at.

Walking over to an ornate full length mirror she gathered power into her hand and with practice born of countless years of repetition pressed it to the glass. With a ripple her reflection began to distort but this was no manifestation of chaos or random fluctuations but rather the workings of her will. Little but little she shifted, altered and modified the reflection guiding it away from what was into what she wished it to be. For a young adventurer one of her less aristocratic templates would be best. Someone he could relate to or at least believe he had a proper grasp of even with the truth was quite different. Little by little she crafted the reflection she desired and when she was done she sent a final pulse of magic into the mirror shaped as a sigil known only to her. Stepping back she watched as her altered reflection followed her rather than retreating as it normally would and as it passed through the mirror's surface to set foot on wooden floor.

"Excellent work." She said walking around her magical duplicate, "Be mindful not to arouse his suspicions or implicate me and all should go according to plan."

"Of course it will." Her duplicate said with the confidence of a mercenary rather than an aristocrat, "He won't suspect a thing and the little girl will never suspect you were involved."

Indeed in terms of appearance it was a decided shift from any of the forms the young lady might've seen or heard of from another. Shoulder length hair coloured black and white, an open jacket with fur sown to the collar as well as the cuffs, a shirt cut in the fashion that seemed popular amongst lady mercenaries these days, tight pants that clung to the curves and boots properly modified both for protection and support. With a small pouch strapped to the belt and a respectable looking sorceress staff her duplicate very much fit the image of a wandering mercenary of some infamy. Likely the young lady she sought would think such an outfit scandalously beneath her usual aloof demeanour and mercenaries were known to not think further than their next job.

Unlike her who planned long term.

VERY long term.

"Good. Find him but do not be seen." She ordered cordially to her duplicate, "I will have the steward dispatch troops to light the fuse within the hour. Let things develop but be ready to 'save' him should those dullards lose what little restraint they currently possess."

"And then?" Her copy asked with a raised brow.

"Hmmm…the little girl might not show if the young man has company." She replied with some thought, "Play with an air of mystery. Something tantalizing but not something he would need to investigate immediately. At the same time it should rub the young lady the wrong way while also causing her to be dismissive of you as 'beneath her'. Once news of the young man has spread far enough it will only be a matter of time before she seeks him out for some of her fun. This will allow you to introduce yourself to him properly and perhaps form an alliance to help capture the little girl. It would hardly be out of place for a mercenary to be hired to capture a dangerous individual and it would allow you to avoid certain questions."

"And if we should be lucky enough to capture the girl…what then?" Her copy asked wanting to be further informed.

"Then I, Leblanc of the Black Rose, occasional ally of Noxus will descend out of nowhere to knock you both silly and scoop up the errant weapon." She replied already scripting how the scene would go in her mind, "A few sinister remarks and then I will teleport away before he can retaliate."

"A fine plan. I take it at that point I'm to convey my frustration at losing my target before storming off?" Her copy asked anticipating her role.

"Perhaps but then again perhaps not." She replied measuring what she knew of the young man, "While I do not know much of the lad I do perceive some potential as a weapon in him as well. How he fares against the Stewarts men will determine if he's investing further effort in. Now go."

With a smirk and a nod the copy left and her mind turned to what might be if the young man did prove to be worth investing in. From what she'd seen the young man had ties to Ionia but he did not wear their colours or brandish their weapons so he was likely from elsewhere and only spent time recently in Ionia. Perhaps to kill a monster? Unlikely. While the Ionians might profess to prefer enlightenment and peace they possessed warriors skilled enough to slay any threat native to their lands. As for something not native she would've heard something from one of her sources if it was something truly worth noticing.

The way he carried himself and the items in his possession did not imply that he was a pretender but rather someone who'd received training. The size of his swords seemed Demacian but she doubted that the current foe of Noxus would just let an able bodied warrior stray from the frontlines very easily much less travel to Ionia. There was the possibility that Demacia had sent the young man to Ionia to seek aid against Noxus but he didn't look nearly so important or diplomatic for such a task. Normally such a task would be given to someone with a reputation that the Ionians would respect either for their prowess on the battlefield or at the diplomacy table.

Not some unknown warrior no one has ever heard of before.

Even with a letter written by one of Demacia's generals and bearing their seal would not be enough to grant an unknown the authority to negotiate with Ionia.

In short the young man was a mystery and while such people could inspire frustration she on the other hand found herself mildly intrigued. She had been alive longer than anyone could imagine and thus her ability to pull a plethora of facts out about a person just from their appearance was often mistaken for magic. The truth though was that when you'd lived as long as she had it was quite easy to become bored thus compelling her to pounce upon anything that caught her interest. Do so enough times and there becomes little you do not know and more than few things you could identify without much effort. For this young man to so soundly defy her attempts to discern his origins, his goals and his abilities it was a rare thing.

For the first time in a VERY long time there was a mystery before her that would take her more than an afternoon to solve.

A sinister smile grew on her face as she pictured what the future could hold for her.

---

A Tavern at the Centre of the Settlement

A Little Over An Hour Later

Xander's POV

~She's definitely here.~ He thought pushing the doors to the tavern open, ~Most of the stories getting tossed about weren't more than two weeks old. If she's the wild child I think she is she won't leave until she's sure this place isn't FUN anymore.~

He had a few ideas about what she might do in order to liven things up but he'd need to check about a bit to narrow down the possibilities. He'd also keep an ear out for any commotions and sounds of battle since he doubted anyone who lived in Vindor would cause any trouble with the Noxians roaming about. Any noise would likely be caused by someone passing through and for his money that'd be Dawn raising hell and kicking ass like her older sister. With any luck he'd manage to find her before the Noxians managed to put together a decent plan or call in a specialist to deal with Dawn.

"Well, well…what do we have here lads?" A cocky man's voice said rousing him from his thoughts.

Mentally he kicked himself for letting his awareness of the world around him slip because he definitely would've noticed six men clad in Noxian armour. As far as appearances went there was nothing special about any of them. They looked like your stereotypical thug soldiers like you'd see in any one of a number of Hollywood movies that took place in medieval times. Even their gear was so standardized that he was fairly sure he was dealing with newbies fresh from boot camp or at least men that were kept from any important postings.

"Seems we got a visitor from out of town asking questions." A bald man with a poorly maintained moustache said continuing his little spiel, "We don't like nosy outsiders do we?"

"Nope."

"Not even a little."

"Sorry to hear that." He said keeping his tone even and void of emotion, "Won't be staying long. Soon as I find a certain young lady I'll be gone and you'll never see me again."

"Nah. I think you'll leave now and find some other whore elsewhere." Baldy said striding forth in a way that was probably meant to be intimidating.

~Did he just-?~ He thought as his mood began to take a dip, ~Nah. Must've heard him wrong with the accent and all.~

"Sorry but I'm very picky when it comes to the ladies." He said trying to make it known that he wouldn't be intimidated, "And don't all of you have something better to do than harass a stranger?"

"Not really. Standing orders are to discourage visitors anyway." Baldy said sounding like he enjoyed that part of his job, "Besides one set of tits'll do just as well as another."

THAT he didn't hear wrong and it made him mad.

NO ONE talked like that about Dawnie! NO ONE!

"Piece of advice asshole." He said with an edge even as he glared right into the man's eyes, "Don't disrespect a woman you don't know anything about. Could get you into trouble of the unpleasant kind."

"Did you just threaten me?" Baldy asked with a malicious grin, "Threatening a member of the Noxian military's a crime you know. The boys and I now have all the reason we need to make you wish you'd never come to Vindor."

"Don't like threats? How do ya feel about promises?" He asked not showing weakness in the least, "Because I promise you that if you say one more ill word about the young lady I'm looking for it'll take them hours to finish carting off what's left of you."

A part of him, a small part, that sounded a lot like Giles urged him not to be so confrontational and try to find a more peaceful means of resolving things. However in his mind these guys were thugs that were used to being able to act with impunity because none of the locals would stand up to them. Words wouldn't sway them because as far as they were concerned the only consequences they might need to worry about would be from their superiors. Those same superiors would probably not care what their soldiers did so long as it didn't interfere with Noxus' plans.

~Time to teach them that consequences can come from anywhere and anyone.~ He thought doing the minimal of giving the idiots a chance to back down.

Color him unsurprised when they chose instead to draw their swords with the clear intent of using them to leave him a bloody mess on the ground.

Whether or not he'd still be breathing was a bit of an iffy question.

"Fine. Hard way it is." He said pulling his steel sword from its sheath on his back.

Deciding he had better things to do than get involved in a long drawn out fight he started out with a large exertion of the Aard sign to knock them off their feet. He was less than happy with the results though because while they were knocked back by a fair amount they remained on their feet. This was a puzzling but when he noticed a barely perceivable shimmer not far from the surface of their armour and made the connection. In hindsight it made sense that in a world where magic was common and creatures of all sort walked about armour would need a little bit extra to do its job. Whether or not this was the extent of the protection or if these idiots had only been given the bare minimum as cannon fodder he didn't know. What he did know was that if the thugs were as resistant to the other signs he'd managed to learn then the fight was going to be a little longer than he'd like.

Long enough for the noise of battle to draw more soldiers in and complicate his mission to find Dawn. If he defeated just those in front of him and vanished there was still a chance he could succeed but if an entire settlement's worth of occupation forces descended on him he'd have no choice but to run. Run far from Vindor and hope that Dawn left as well in such a way so as to give him a means to find her again.

With a resolve to not lose the opportunity he had slip through his fingers he charged the men and brought to bear the swordsmanship he'd honed under Yasuo and Yone. It wasn't to kill because if his hunch was right he wouldn't need to deal the final blow. The bosses of the thugs would do that for him because everything he had heard about Noxus gave him the impression that failure and defeat had but one punishment. In this fight merely injuring them to the point where they could no longer fight or even pursue him would suffice. Once he was sure of that then he would run until the settlement was barely in sight before setting up a discreet camp.

With speed and precision he struck turning one strike into another into a dodge and then a parry striking at points that could disable but not kill. With the first six exchanges he could tell that these men were definitely not the cream of the crop and that their training was limited to the level it needed to be at in order to prevent that from being a liability on the battlefield. He on the other hand had honed his skills fighting two of the best swordsmen Ionia had to offer and while he was nowhere close to their level training under them had elevated him to a higher level. That wasn't to say he didn't get scratched up or cut but they were paper cuts as far as he was concerned. Annoying as hell but a few band aids and some time would be enough for them to heal up.

He wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since he'd charged in after using Aard but eventually he stopped having to parry swords or strike at anything. All the thugs were on the ground either unconscious or applying pressure to their bloody wounds in an effort to keep from dying.

"Next time take a hint and back down idiot." He said before turning away sheathing his steel sword as he did so.

"You're the idiot!" The leader yelled voice full of fury stronger than the pain, "You think this'll be the end of it! That you can just walk off! You've attacked and harmed proud soldiers of Noxus! NO ONE DOES THAT! We'll find you, you and that tramp you're looking for, then we'll tie you both to a post and make you BURN! Ought to be quite the performance watching the fire burn her tits off while she screams bloody murder until her throat turns to ash!"

Closing his eyes the part of him that sounded like Giles pleaded with him to just keep walking but he couldn't. Even his cloud-like inclination towards limiting his damage to disabling wounds found itself blown away before the anger rising up within him. For over a year he'd been the one to keep Dawn company whenever Missus S had to leave Sunnydale and he'd come to care for her as a friend and to a degree as a little sister. To hear someone talk about her in such a crude way and promise to do her harm compelled him to make it clear that such talk would NOT be tolerated!

Building up the magic within him and directing it to his right hand he turned before with a single thrust let loose the single most powerful Aard spell he could execute. So powerful it was that he knew his entire arm would be aching for the next two days but it had the desired effect so he didn't mind too much.

That effect? Why slamming into the asshole so hard the guy might as well have been between the two halves of a hydraulic press like a certain eighties killer robot of course. While the man's armour did protect him somewhat it still caved in enough that the ribs were probably all broken along with the sections of the arms and legs covered by armour. While his knowledge of this world's healing methods were limited to what he'd experienced training with Yasuo and Yone it'd take something pretty considerable to keep the man alive.

Especially since the damage done to the parts that weren't protected by armour suffered much, much more damage.

Honestly he wasn't sure if he was still seeing the man breathing or if it was simple death throes.

"Promise kept." He growled before resuming his walk for the outside of town knowing that he wouldn't be able to stick around.

Just roughing up a group of Noxian soldiers would've been bad enough but actually killing one…the highest ranked Noxian would either want him dead or give him a job.

He wasn't sure which would be worse.

Still if Dawn learned of the fight then it might be enough to coax Dawn and her decidedly vicious new personality out of hiding since it'd provide her with some excitement. If so then it'd be the best if he found his way to a suitable battlefield where he'd have the advantage as well as more than a few options for turning the fight around if it got dicey.

~When it doubt…~ he thought looking to the nearby mountains, ~…always go for the high ground.~

---

A Short Distance Away

~Well that did not go according to plan.~ She thought watching as the young adventurer began to leave Vindor.

The plan had been to wait until the Noxian soldiers got the upper hand against the one with the slitted golden eyes and then provide some assistance to turn the tide of battle in his favour. However the battle had been too fast paced and the soldiers more inferior than her 'sister' had expected being brought to an end in a matter of minutes. There'd been no opening for her to intervene in any way that'd be meaningful thus preventing her from gaining the warrior's interest or trust.

At least immediately.

Still with the performance she'd just seen there was no doubt that every person in Vindor would be speaking of the skirmish for the rest of the day. Most would likely be worried that the Noxian occupation force would retaliate by questioning everyone while at the same time quashing any notion that they could be defied. She cared not what happened to Vindor or its people but the discussions would carry far. Far enough to reach the young lady her 'sister' sought and after a masterful performance she was confident a grand appearance would be made in the interests of having 'fun'.

She need only be properly situated when the girl arrived and victory would be hers.

Hers and her sister's of course.

The young lady would be back on her leash and perhaps a new one would be made for the young man.

Her sister's story about her being hired to capture the girl could still work but might require a little more creative wording than she normally used. She needed to be shown to be no different than your typical mercenary in most ways but have certain qualities that the young man could come to trust. She would of course need him to believe that betrayal was unlikely as well as the fact that the young woman needed to be brought to the one who 'hired' her. If he proved less than sympathetic to her monetary desires she could entice him with how underhanded she could be by proposing that they turn over the girl only to covertly free her later.

After all she would have fulfilled the requirements of her deal to deliver the girl and turn her over but there'd be nothing in the way of freeing the young lady and escaping with the money.

~Yes…that is the sort of story the commoners like after all.~ She thought with a bit of condescension, ~A rogue with a heart of gold. A thief that could be made to perform good acts with the right incentive. Drivel the lot of it!~

Any thief or rogue possessing such weaknesses would only fall victim to those who did not and either perish or wish that they had.

With a wave of her staff she rendered herself invisible before using another spell to carry her aloft into the air so that she could follow him.

It irked her a bit that this was so taxing but she knew from the information her sister had conveyed upon her creation that the young man had a means of detecting magic. Whether it was visible or merely imbued into an item it was likely that the wolf's head medallion would alert him to its presence. Due to the nature of her creation it would be impossible to suppress all the magic since it'd result in her 'death' but by limiting it the young man would find it easier to accept her money driven occupation. She could even make it appear as though magical flight was more taxing than it really was giving the boy the idea that she could not use the magic lightly. The less she appeared to be a threat while still proving useful the better her odds of catching him unawares at the proper moment.

The question then became: when would that proper moment be?

Not immediately following her sister's scooping up of the girl because she had no interest in carrying the boy via any means all the way back to the Steward's home. A better moment would be for her to wait until sometime during the 'rescue attempt' before betraying him. Preferably when he was in just the right location to cage him in a prison brute force would be useless against. It was key to any act of treachery to ensure that you were quite safe from any retaliatory efforts by the one you have just betrayed. While the home of the Steward wasn't built like most Noxian strongholds it was sturdy enough that the deeper you went in the less likely you'd be able to get back out. Add to that the fact that the steward kept all the most skilled soldiers on guard duty and regardless of the young man's surprising skill escaping would represent more of a challenge than the fools he'd just defeated.

With a time and a place in mind she focused on managing her supply of magic while also keeping the young man in sight.

Soon everything would fall into place.

---

A Path Away From Vindor

She had to run! The lady said she would pay many coins for interesting information about the goings on in Vindor and her family was barely managing to survive. Life in the settlement had always been difficult but with the bounty of the sea and the few tracts of farmable land they had managed to get by along with everyone else.

That all changed when the army of Noxus laid claim to Vindor placing all who lived there under their rule. Taxes were levied, a portion of their food sent off to the frontlines of whatever war was being waged and some of the men had been conscripted into the Noxian military. Now it was all anyone could do just to remain alive and some feared it was only a matter of time before neighbour would turn against neighbour to find relief from their desperation. As such when the strange lady with the eye patch had approached her from an alley and made the deal she had been dubious but at the same time been unable to justify giving up a handful of coin.

Since then there'd been only a few times when something had happened to qualify for a reward but it'd been enough to greatly aid her family. Prior to today the only piece of information that'd been valued had been the arrival of a woman at the stewards residence and it had caused the strange lady to relocate to the ruins of a former farm.

Would the news of the adventurer be valuable? She believed it would because in the months since Noxus had claimed the settlement none had dared oppose their soldiers. Everyone knew that against armed and armoured men they stood no chance of victory and attempting any sort of resistance would result in an example being made.

Perhaps several examples depending on the circumstances of the resistance.

The fact that the same adventurer had managed to best them so easily and appeared strong only added to the value.

Or so she hoped.

A few minutes later she arrived and immediately began looking for the strange lady starting with where she'd been last time before moving onto the other possibilities. A part of her was irritated at the fact that the lady made it so hard to find her but there was something that irritated her even more.

"What news did you bring me this time little bird?" A voice asked from a mouth only a couple of inches away from her left ear.

"AAAHHHH!" She exclaimed in surprise scrambling to turn around and only barely able to keep her anger at being surprised from showing on her face.

She couldn't risk losing this source of coin though so she pushed any unpleasant feelings down deep until she could safely vent them later.

"An a-adventurer has come to town milady." She said doing her best to be polite, "He's been asking questions but of what I do not know."

"And you decided to come here and tell me this WHY?" The lady asked sounding a bit impatient.

"A few of the Noxian soldiers tried to get him to leave town but he resisted. In fact according to the owner of the tavern one of the guards said a few things that angered the young man." She replied quickly trying to convey the important parts, "They fought but the adventurer bested all of them with ease hurting them enough that they didn't stand a chance of doing more than stumbling away."

"A little to think about." The strange lady said sounding more neutral in her tone, "I take it something happened then?"

"Yes. The leader of the Noxian soldiers said something else and in retaliation the adventurer used some sort of magic to crush him. Literally." She replied remembering the detail the tavern owner had gone into, "There was a burst of bluish white light as well as a symbol on the air just in front of the adventurer's hand and it squished the lead soldiers's armour and…and practically turned the man's unarmored bits to mush."

THIS instantly grabbed the strange lady's attention and she found herself truly wishing to be anywhere but here. In the past there'd been shows of mild interest and moderate amusement but never a reaction this potent. She feared that if more information was demanded of her than she was capable of providing it would mean an ill fate for her.

"Describe this adventurer. In DETAIL." The lady asked with a focused look in her one eye.

"He's almost a full head taller than you milady with shoulder length white hair tied at the back of his head with a leather cord. He's got slitted golden eyes like a cats and two swords strapped to his back." She said pulling up every detail she could remember, "He had a cloak on so no one really got a good look at what was under it. He also had a pack on his back that you would think would slow him down but that did not seem to be the case since everyone was amazed how fast he fought the Noxians."

"Well now…isn't that interesting." The lady said a malicious smile growing scarily on her face, "Never thought I'd see him again and it sounds like he's serious this time. Where is he?"

"Headed out of town towards the mountains on foot." She replied not happy about this last bit, "Don't know why."

"Probably something heroic like wanting to make sure no 'innocent people' get caught up in the fight." The lady said pulling a pouch out of her pocket, "You've done good little bird. Take this and make it last. Think it's time I moved on from Vindor."

Leaving! But…what about her family? With the lady gone the number of ways she could provide for them were few and the more lucrative ones were…unpleasant. She and her family might be in dire straits at the moment things hadn't gotten that desperate.

~Perhaps…perhaps we should think about moving on as well.~ She thought watching the strange lady walk away, ~There's nothing in Vindor for us anymore. Maybe it will be better elsewhere.~

It was a faint hope but the only alternative would be to stay and experience the continuing entropy that was tied to Vindor.

She refused to quietly accept a slow death by starvation or humiliation.

---

A Camp At the Foot of the Mountain

West of Vindor

Xander's POV

~No trouble so far.~ He thought looking at the distant lights of Vindor, ~Either they're waiting for the right moment or I'm not worth the trouble.~

Personally he hoped it was the latter since it'd make his life quite a bit easier but he wouldn't hold his breath. Trouble had a knack for finding him and militaries tended to take issue with guys who hurt or kill their guys and he'd done both. This far away though he'd see them coming easily enough and he'd chosen his camp location because it'd be obscured by the chunks of rock that'd fallen off the mountains. By the time anyone got close enough to see him he'd have heard them coming thanks to his enhanced senses.

Time enough to either flee or draw his blade in preparation to repel them.

A pulsing attracted his attention and much as he had on the docks he looked down to the wolf head amulet hanging from his neck. He'd learned back in Ionia that the medallion reacted like this whenever spells are cast or magical beings are present. From curses, charms and spells to creatures born of some magical process all such things caused a response. On the docks it'd reacted strongly for a moment before fading to something barely noticeable and it'd had him a bit on edge for the next half hour. When nothing had come of it he'd set it off to the side in his mind until he learned something more about it.

~Not as strong as the docks.~ He thought poking the fire with one hand while SLOWLY reaching for his steel sword's hilt with the other, ~Still nothing to take lightly.~

It was when he heard the sound of a single pair of booted feet approaching and getting louder as they got closer that he had something new to work with. The element of surprise was an important thing to have when dealing with an unknown since it allowed you to get an opening move in if not end the fight in a single shot. However while he could overlook someone setting off his medallion making footsteps loud enough for him to hear was sloppy. Arrogance could explain some of it but generally speaking casting magic spells required a certain level of intelligence and the stupid or supremely arrogant normally blew themselves up.

This however…this did not feel like that level of arrogance or stupidity.

It was only when the noise of footsteps left the cover of the rocks thirty feet away that he saw the source and he raised an eyebrow.

An attractive dual colour haired woman in clothes that could've been based on something from back in Sunnydale with an obvious magic users staff in her hand. Her expression implied confidence and a level of predatory mindset but he couldn't detect any open hostility from her. A sacrificed advantage and openly walking up to him implied she wanted to talk. However that didn't mean that she didn't have something up her sleeve or wouldn't try something if their talk didn't go the way she wanted. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword he lifted it up before stabbing the sheathed tip into the ground in front of him his warning clear.

"Peace adventurer. If I'd wanted to harm you you'd know it." The woman said raising a single hand in the universal peace gesture, "I simply wish to talk and perhaps offer a deal."

"You can do it from there. No closer." He said his tone even and unyielding.

"Very well." The woman said with a slightly put out expression, "I am a mercenary by trade and my latest contract involves locating, capturing and turning her over to my employer. However my target has proven to be quite the handful and I'm not sure I can handle her on my own. So when I heard you were in Vindor I thought you might be willing to help in exchange for a portion of the reward. Interested?"

His fight in Vindor had apparently already gifted him with a bit of infamy and a little extra coin wouldn't hurt.

However he wasn't stupid enough to accept an offer without having all the facts.

"Who's the target?" He asked since the identity of the person he'd be hunting would be key to whether or not he'd ally with the woman.

"She goes by the name Juri Summers and is a vicious practitioner of a style of unarmed combat that I have not faced before." The woman replied in a way that lent weight to the danger facing the target would entail, "My employer believes her to be a Noxian agent but one hard to control at the best of times. After what she did to the members of a caravan bound for Graygate my employer wants her captured to face justice."

"Your boss a Demacian? Why doesn't he dispatch some of their troops?" He asked recalling what he knew of Noxus' current target, "Some of the more infamous ones should be a match for a single martial artist."

"Normally that would be the choice made but the war with Noxus has forced all but the newest recruits to the frontlines and those newly trained would be no match for Juri." The woman replied with a finality, "I presume that my employer doesn't wish to wait for a respite in the fighting to send qualified pursuers and so he contacted me with the deal. A smart move since if Juri is a Noxian agent then they won't let her do what she wants for long before reigning her in. Not only does she tarnish their desired reputation but it's possible she knows something they might not want aired out."

The description…it didn't blatantly make it clear that it was Dawn but with the Summers last name and the clear reference to expert hand to hand skills did make for a strong indicator.

"Don't suppose you can use your magic to conjure an image of Miss Summers?" He asked keeping his emotions off his face and out of his voice.

With a nod the woman pointed at the air to her right with her magic staff and before long a flow of purple energy began to fill up an invisible humanoid container. Little by little the space was filled and once the shape was finished details began to fade into existence with no particular pattern as to what manifested fast or slowly. Before it was even halfway done though he could say for certain that it was indeed Dawn that now apparently went by the name Juri Summers. While none of the sources Souma had indicated that Buffy's kid sister had stirred up some trouble for Demacia he couldn't dismiss the possibility. It'd been months since he'd last seen her and as far spread as the elder's sources might be they couldn't catch everything.

What did he do now though?

In his mind Dawn wasn't responsible for the things she'd done since most of it was the result of the Halloween spell messing with her mind. If Dawn had been Dawn then she wouldn't have had anything to do with Noxus and would've switched sides back in Ionia when they first reunited. As such he wasn't about to turn her over to the woman to face Demacian justice. He'd find her, restrain her and then work his best to get through to her so she could at least partially be restored to who she'd been. Instincts told him to refuse this woman's offer and then make sure she couldn't catch Dawn no matter how hard she tried but his brain chose this moment to point something out. In the last fight with Dawn the very fact that he'd been holding back had given the youngest Summers a sizeable advantage. If he fought the same way again there was a chance that she'd manage to get away and without the resources of Ionia there was a chance that he'd lose her for good. It was a pretty big world out there and unlike back home news didn't travel nearly as fast or reach as far for that matter.

So did he risk it? Agree to the lady's offer now and then once Dawn was safely tied up turn on her and do…what exactly? Killing her was off the table since he had no reason to believe that she deserved such a fate. Knock her out? Possible. A surprise blast of Aard slamming her against something solid would do the job and a few hours lead time could be all he'd need to lose her. Then again she was a magic user so he might need something more like a week or two of lead time for it to be worth the effort. A serious but non-lethal wound? It would require bed rest and make using any magic problematic to say nothing of how long it'd take to heal so it might do the trick.

~No sense getting ahead of myself.~ He thought turning away from the illusion of Dawn, ~Don't want to keep the lady waiting.~

"And how much of a cut are we talking about?" He asked since a mercenary would expect such an inquiry.

"Fifteen percent." The woman replied without hesitation.

"A little low don't you think?" He asked starting the haggling process, "You said it yourself that you're not sure you could handle her yourself. If you only need me I'd say that entitles me to at least thirty-five percent."

"I didn't say I only needed you. I could just as easily hire a few of the stronger looking men from Vindor and they'd be happy for whatever coin I threw their way." The woman said throwing away his claim, "Twenty percent."

"Don't see how much help they'll be once the first of them drops dead. Vindor might be a poor settlement but even they've got perfectly good survival instincts." He said shaking his head in the negative, "They know coin's no good if you're dead. Twenty-five and only because I'm a sucker for a pretty face."

For a moment the woman looked like she might push back to reduce his cut to twenty-two and a half or something but instead she nodded and extended a hand for a shake. He was a bit wary about this considering the risks but at the same time he wondered if he could truly afford to pass up the possible benefits of an alliance. In the end he set his sword aside, walked over to the lady and even as he reached to shake her hand he had the other one caress the concealed dagger carefully crafted to blend into his armour's aesthetics. If she tried anything magical to remove his will from the equation he'd have only seconds to react so he had no choice but to make it a one shot solution.

The fatal kind because he doubted that he'd get a second chance.

When his fingers wrapped around her hand for the shake though a crackle of energy was the result but it caused them both for a moment to grip each others hands tightly before they both let go. Shaking his hand the crackling energy petered out swiftly enough though he wondered just where it came from. It didn't look like the woman had been behind it at all but the momentary contact between them had definitely been what'd set it off.

"Nice. Didn't know you had a shocking sense of humour." He said trying to play off the whole thing as a joke.

"Well I thought there'd be a spark between us but that wasn't quite what I had in mind." The lady said looking down at her own hand with mild focus.

"Well then let's get this show on the road." He said before he realized something, "That reminds me…I didn't get your name."

"I'll give you mine if you give me yours." The woman said with a smirk, "Bianca."

"Alexander." He said keeping his last name out of it since names had power so hopefully only a partial one would only put him fifty percent at risk.

"Then as you said Alexander: let's get to work." Bianca said her smirk firmly in place.

"Well it's about TIME!" A voice said that caused both of them to look to the largest chunk of rock in the area.

~Dawn! But how did she?~ He thought before the answer became clear quickly.

Smart. The girl had used Bianca's approach to mask her own. When his medallion started reacting his focus had been solely on that and then later the footsteps belonging to Bianca. As for the sorceress he hadn't seen any sign that she'd had a spell activated on the approach to him so unless it was subtle she'd have only had normal human senses to work with. If Dawn had been silent enough and careful enough sneaking over to that chunk of rock would've been possible and then she'd just need to wait for the right time to appear.

"I swear I was one minute away from barfing up my supper listening to the two of you flirt." Dawn said sounding half serious and half grossed out by her theory, "Puts me in a fighting mood and you two'll do. Let's DO THIS!"

With that Dawn leapt off the chunk of rock dropping an axe kick from above forcing both Bianca and him to leap backwards in order to evade.

~Guess I'll be finding out firsthand just how Bianca really is.~ He thought darting for his sheathed steel sword.

He wouldn't unsheathe it since he still had no intention of seriously hurting her but the sheath was sturdy enough that he could still use what swordplay he'd learned without fear of it breaking. A few good swings to set Dawn up followed by a blow to the back of her head and the fight would be over.

Yeah. Like it'd be that easy.

The important things were NEVER easy.

---

Juri Summers' POV

"If you don't take this seriously, I'll have to kill you." She declared even as one kick after another was sent at the swordsman.

"Well seeing as how I like living I'll try to kick it up a notch." Alexander said even as he evaded or parried her attacks.

Then he darted in and she felt her heart quicken as he swung his sheathed sword with the intent to harm her. While this was a fair bit better than what she'd received on Ionia the fact that she faced leather rather than sharpened steel still irritated her something fierce. In her mind nothing less than everyone giving their all with the intent to kill would satisfy her and the idiot whose weapon she stopped with the heel of her right foot failed on both counts. Still he occasionally surprised her, got her heart beating just a little bit faster from time to time, so she still held hope that she could push him to baring naked steel against her.

A flash of light instantly caused her to leap to the side and it was a good thing she did since since she only just managed to escape a blast of purple energy.

Damn sorceress!

It's one of the things she'd found irritating from the day she'd found herself in this world. Sure there were people with swords and other weapons but too few people who used only their own bodies with those who she'd fought so far being amateurs at best. Those who used magic angered her the most though with their tricks and their illusions and their manipulations! She especially hated the ones that humiliated her in Noxus and made her work for them! Sure they liked to boast about how anyone with the skill could rise up to a position of power but she saw through their sweet sounding words. To them strength was nothing more than whoever was left standing victorious in the end and the methods could be whatever you wanted them to be. As such Even if you tried to rise up from a lesser position you could be betrayed, sabotaged or outright slain before getting to where you wished to go.

If you complained about it you were merely told that you were too weak to triumph in spite of the obstacles others chose to put in your path.

In the end she agreed to work for them, even feigned allegiance to Noxus, but only until she gained sufficient knowledge and means to regain her freedom. For months she kept up the act only letting it slip when especially provoked but all they did was either laugh at her or remind her of where her 'worth' had landed her in Noxus. However just a little under three months ago she finally had opportunity knock and she didn't hesitate to act on it. She was sent along to protect a member of Clan Zaavan on a mission to talk with some smelly idiots with axes about serving Noxus. What she cared about was that the idiots lived a good distance from civilization and the Zaavan representative had been determined to succeed in his task.

No doubt he thought that when he returned victorious he would rise in rank, power and influence.

Heheheheheheh! The only thing that moron got was a snapped neck and a nice big lake for a tomb! Best of all it'd been a long trip there with even longer time expected to gain the allegiance of the bunch of axe swingers so by killing the rep a little over a week after arriving she'd known it'd be weeks if not months before anyone suspected anything. She'd then conned some supplies from the axe wielders then set off on her own to find challenges and to chart her own course.

It'd been GREAT…for awhile at least.

However after awhile of revelling in her regained freedom she found herself looking for something interesting to do but it soon became clear that the only ones that'd give her a decent fight would also be the ones that'd let Noxus know where she was. Instead of finding someone strong to fight she'd chosen to seek the plentiful and use her skills to make them hurt. It wouldn't matter if it was their body that hurt or their heart so long as she could revel in it until satisfied. Eventually though strange things began happening, feelings that didn't belong, and then that BITCH showed up like a ghost demanding she return to Noxus. Didn't take her even half a second to decide t tell the bitch to go fuck herself but that was when she found out that words alone wouldn't be used.

Somehow without her knowing it Noxus somehow slapped something on her, something magical, and while it wasn't a collar it was something worse.

Madness.

Madness and pain.

Two things that assailed her at once and had she been anyone other than who she was it would've cowed them into submission quickly. For her though she wasn't so weak and so she'd turned on her Feng Shui Engine full blast so that the energy positively caused her bones to vibrate. With the sudden surge of energy whatever magic the bitch was trying to use against her met with opposition it did not expect. With room to breath she tried to feel out the shit the woman was trying to use against her but all she could figure out was a rough area and come up with an even rougher idea.

Got poison in your system and can't get it out? Only choice left is to burn it out with something stronger!

As such she gripped hold of her ki and like a farmer with a branding iron pressed it against the area where the bitch's magic was at work. Pain became agony almost to the point of knocking her out but her stubbornness and savage will kept her in the waking world until she could bare it no longer and let her ki flow away from the site. She still didn't know how long she'd been on her hands and knees waiting for the pain to fade to something more tolerable but when she could walk without stumbling she knew she had to get away from there. She might've thrown off that magic once but it'd damn near failed as hard as that was to admit to herself.

Another round of that and it just might happen.

So she'd fled using whatever means and methods felt right at the time but always with keeping a low profile in mind. In the end she'd heard of a place in Vindor that had a history of chaotic magic surging about and she figured that it might just make activating that black mojo harder if not impossible. It got its first proof of concept a short while later when an image tried to form before her but never became more than a blurry shape before falling to pieces. When she went even deeper into the chaos nothing revealed itself for three days until her food ran out but by then she was satisfied that she had sanctuary. She'd still needed to pop out now and again to either resupply or just to avoid a particularly nasty storm of magic anchored to her hiding place though but it'd worked.

Still when nothing interesting happened she'd snuck out looking for some fun, had some and on her way back made a deal with a ratty looking girl trading some of the coin she had for interesting news. She had no idea how long she'd stay in hiding, probably until news of someone kicking Noxus' ass real hard, but her coin purse was half empty when she finally got some good news.

Her little sparring partner from Ionia had come to Vindor and considering how bored she'd been before the girl'd told her it'd been a delectable meal just waiting for her.

She'd tossed the girl her remaining coin and left in the direction of her old playmate intent on getting the fight out of him that she hadn't been able to the first time they'd met. However when her instincts warned her to vanish from sight and approach like an assassin in the night she chose to obey them and it was a good thing she had.

Someone else was interested in the white haired warrior and they could do magic.

Creeping and slinking really grated against her preferred style but her instincts hadn't steered her wrong yet so she chose to trust them.

Quietly she listened to the two talk but when they'd started with the flirting masquerading as bargaining she'd had enough.

~Now if I could just get rid of the sorceress I could take things to the next level.~ She thought evading follow up blasts in random ways to ensure each successive one'd miss, ~And I know just the way!~

Bouncing around the rocky battlefield she bided her time until it looked as though the sorceress was beginning to get impatient…

…and then she lit the fuse.

"Come on! That's not all you've got is it sorceress?" She asked mockingly even as she evaded the blasts, "You must REALLY like looking like a fool! I'm going to enjoy seeing the look on your face when you've hit rock bottom!"

"The only one that's going to be hitting any rocks will be you WHORE!" The sorceress yelled bringing her staff high over her head concentrating power at its tip, "Dodge this! If you can!"

~Right on cue!~ She thought even as she waited for just the right moment.

Just when she thought that the sorceress was about to strike she put one final burst of speed to place her preferred prey behind her. It didn't take long for the woman to put together the logical chain of events that'd follow if she fired and just like she planned the sorceress hesitated caught between two opposing goals. However that moment of hesitation would cost her for in an instant she used her Feng Shui Engine to give her one blinding burst of speed. In what must've seemed like an instant she was suddenly in front of the magic user and she didn't let the chance slip away from her. Without hesitation she unleashed the Fuharenjin combo attack firing a barrage of Wind Breaking Blades upon the sorceress a point blank range. One after another the arcs of purple energy laced with emerald lightning struck the woman and when it was done there was only one logical outcome.

The woman got slammed into the ground and did not get back up again.

~Huh…still breathing.~ She thought noticing the rise and fall of the chest, ~Tougher than she looked.~

She didn't have much longer to think anything because two seconds later her honed instincts warned her of an attack from the rear. She knew who it was of course and anticipated a few more near misses that'd get her heart pumping…

THUMP!

Pain cracked in her head and surprise had her flipping away from the threat to a safe distance before she took a moment to figure out what had happened. She knew how the guy fought, the fight her and in Ionia had educated her quite nicely, so she was sure that her dodge a few moments ago should've been enough for a near miss. It was oh so nice to watch her prey become emboldened by almost hitting her and it brought a smile to her face when eventually frustration set in as they continued to strike nothing but air. So what the hell happened?!

She got her answer when faster than he'd ever moved before Alexander charged her and as soon as he got within range for his sword began a series of swings and thrusts he hadn't used previously. Was this what it was like to fight him when he was serious? Her heart began to pump and she could feel the adrenaline flowing through her veins as she moved her body to evade, block or parry his attacks. Even if his sword was still sheathed a blunt object could hurt or kill someone just as easily as naked blade provided it hit the right spot.

FINALLY! She would see just how good he really was!

If he proved entertaining enough perhaps she'd make him her own personal plaything for awhile or at least until he became boring.

It'd been SSSOOOO LONG since she'd had a decent plaything to keep her entertained!

---

Approaching the Battle

~She was provoked easier than I anticipated.~ She thought her eyes never leaving her destination ahead, ~Good. I would hate to be forced to wait hours for her to bite at the bait.~

She'd been notified after the first attack by the future weapon by her copy 'Bianca' and instantly she had teleported to a spot close enough to make for a short flight but far enough for her arrival to be missed by the combatants. The young woman she sought to tame knew what she looked like and would almost certainly flee the moment their eyes met. If her plan was to meet with success she would need the element of surprise and ensure that the first strike was a telling one as far as the damage it did. The harm would not be permanent or at least not beyond her magic's ability to undo but it would make escape all but a dream for the young lady. As for the young man she would make a token effort of restraining him since he had potential as well but the priority was the girl.

It was then, just as she was planning for what came after her victory, that she felt a vibration through the filament of connection she had with her copy. This caused some worry since the connection had been kept thread thin specifically so that there would be little chance of something suspicious being detected by the adventurer. She still did not know the specifics of how the medallion around his neck worked or what advantages it afforded him so she had chosen to play it safe. However the vibration she felt implied that something serious had occurred to her copy and that was not something she had anticipated. While no more powerful than your average magic using adventurer the copy still had access to her knowledge of sorcery allowing her to make the most of every scrap of magic she possessed.

How could her copy have been shaken to this degree?

Increasing the speed of her approach she rose over the obscuring rocks to behold both persons who interested her locked in furious combat. For the young man she saw that the power he'd brought to bear against the Noxian guards had barely scratched the surface of what the adventurer could do. The style of swordsmanship possessed elements of what Ionian warriors used but that was only natural if he'd spent any time amongst them. The majority of the style however was unknown to her but it only reinforced her original opinion that the alterations to his body had been made with the idea of fighting monsters more than anything else. The combinations, the speed and the way he was proving capable of changing the path of his sword at a moment's notice all fit with fighting monsters.

Yet at the same time she knew he was holding back for he was not using the magic he was capable of and had shown himself to possess when he fought the Noxian warriors.

Curious.

As for the young woman she sought to tame it was clear that the girl had no idea that her opponent was not giving her everything he had. From the look on her face the girl looked ferally ecstatic at the fight she was in but oddly enough this did not make her careless or her fighting any less skillful. Most of what she saw was known to her thanks to the information she had acquired from the girl's former Noxian handlers but there were a few oddities mixed in. Clearly the girl had kept a few of her tricks a secret from her superiors and likely it was because she'd intended to use them in a surprise escape attempt should they become necessary.

It was when she laid eyes on her unconscious copy that she tsked at its state but supposed it was not entirely unexpected given the limitations she'd put into place. Her concern of her copy being found out by the young adventurer had resulted in Bianca's defeat but the fact that the duplicate still existed implied that the damage wasn't too serious. In the past whenever a copy was damaged severely it inevitably lost cohesion before falling to pieces of dissipating magic. A deliberate feature in order to ensure than no enemy of hers could examine the duplicate's body in order to uncover an exploitable weakness in her.

She would have to have words with her copy later once the young woman was safely secure back at the steward's home.

With her appraisal of the situation done she made her first move by casting the illusion that each warrior's opponent had suddenly vanished. This caused the confusion and insecurity she desired allowing her to send a devastating blast of magic at the young woman's feet so that even if the girl evaded a direct hit the shockwave would sill prove harmful. As it was she was gifted with an intriguing new magic from the young adventurer when just as her blast reached the halfway point he brought up an arm causing a golden dome to manifest around him. To her eyes it looked to be just under three feet in diameter and pulsed as it seemed to protect the boy from both her attack as well as the accompanying shockwave. However it proved to not to be very long lasting for after a few seconds of being pelted by stones of various sizes it shattered but by then the worst of it was over with.

Too bad the young lady did not have a similar means of protecting herself for if she had the girl would not have an arm hanging limp at her side nor would she be bleeding from several cuts.

With a flick of her wrist she erected a crude energy construct around the girl before beginning her descent.

"You've led me on a merry chase little girl." She said confident that victory was only a short distance away, "However it's time to return to your masters and your PLACE."

"NO! I won't be…taken!" The girl declared even as she tried to kick her way too freedom, "NOT…THIS…WAY!"

"This was the only way it could have ended." She said seeing the futility of the struggle, "You belong to Noxus until you die or you rise high enough to be permitted to leave."

The former of course being far more likely than the latter since if one rose high enough they learned far too much to be granted freedom.

"HEY! Normally I don't mind adding another lady to a party but usually they're decent enough to introduce themselves first." The young adventurer said glaring at her from his position, "You got a name?"

"Normally I would not deign to answer a mere adventurer but given that your presence in Vindor has allowed me to claim my prize I am feeling generous." She said in a manner fit for a member of Noxus' noble houses, "I am Leblanc of the Black Rose and I would suggest you not interfere. I am only here for the girl. Get in my way and that may fatally change for you."

"Sorry to hear that." The adventurer said not showing fear or deference in the slightest, "I've got business with Miss Summers and I don't feel like making an appointment with her Noxian jailers. Guess I'm gonna have to make sure you go home empty handed."

This adventurer honestly thought he could deny HER?

It was nonsense, insanity and she found it quite amusing so she laughed to show him how foolish his words truly were.

"Brave words young man but you're out of your depth." She said mocking amusement in every word, "I possess arcane power on a level few can match, I have the high ground and while your swords might serve you well against monsters they cannot touch me. What threat could you possibly be to me?"

"You're right. This steel sword? About the only option I have is to throw it at you and that's pretty stupid since I'd be disarming myself." The young man said as he walked to his belongings, "THIS sword however is a little more special. See back home a lot of the monsters I fought and killed don't react well to the metal it's made of. It can burn them on contact, cause the mother of all allergic reactions and in some cases bypass certain supernatural resistances they have."

"Interesting but hardly a worthy advantage." She said making mental note of the new sword's properties, "You would still have to throw your blade in order for it to stand any chance of striking me and that's assuming I allow it to reach me at all."

"That'd be true…if it was still the same as it was when I left home." The young adventurer said gripping the hilt in one hand and the sheath in the other.

With a practiced pull the blade came out and the first thing she noticed was that the metal it was made of was indeed different from the steel one he'd been using so far. What became of particular note to her though was the fact that there were four stones placed in slots on the new blade three of which had symbols carved into them that she did not recognize. However it was when she focused on the fourth stone and the markings it possessed that alarm was born within her but by then it was too late. The young adventurer, with all the speed he possessed, slashed in her direction with the sword but instead of doing no more than displace air an arc of intense fire shot forth at a speed only slightly less than that of a rapidly thrown stone.

Taken by surprise she reflexively erected a shield construct in front of her to block the attack and spare her harm.

So imagine her surprise when instead of being dispersed harmlessly the fire actually managed to do some damage to her barrier.

Using her power of illusion to create multiple copies of herself in the air while at the same time pulling a veil of invisibility over herself she pondered this unforeseen development. She had known that the young man could perform simple magic since he'd used it against the Noxian soldiers but never had there been any indication that such power could be channelled through one of his swords. When added to the stone with an Ionian symbol engraved in it that she would wager was responsible for the fire being flung at her from the blade with a sweeping swing and she needed to reevaluate matters.

The young man who she'd considered to be nothing more than a point of curiosity and perhaps a future tool now had the potential to harm her. Potential that would need a great deal of work to actualize but potential nonetheless. Based on the damage that one attack had done to her shield construct it would only have taken two more direct hits with the same technique to shatter it. Granted it had not been the strongest barrier she could erect there was no denying that with enough time and the right strategy the adventurer might be more of a problem than she'd originally thought.

Fortunately the long years she'd been alive had taught her nothing if not how to adapt and triumph in the face of adversity.

Her original plan had been to swiftly abduct the young woman and escape before any retaliation could be carried out. Then her copy Bianca would convince the adventurer that a rescue operation was feasible and even provided a few pieces of information that would make such action feasible to carry out. It would be during this rescue that her copy would maneuver the boy into place and then betray him by trapping him inside a prison cell or simply blasting him in the back with her staff.

However while she could still make off with the young lady trapped within her construct Bianca was in no condition to influence a rescue attempt never mind entrap the boy. As much as she revelled in the moments when she could orchestrate an intricate web of deceit and manipulation in order to get what she wished this might be the time to keep it simple. One of her targets was captured and it would be simplicity to do the same to the other but given his ability to damage her constructs there was a chance he could break free in short order.

The solution?

Teleport all three of them back to the steward's home with the young man appearing in a cell with the girl in a separate one. She'd already familiarized herself with the layout of the building and even placed beacon crystals in key locations should certain events come to pass so ensuring that they manifested in the places she desired was quite possible. Once they were back she could act swiftly to render the young man unconscious in such a confined space so as to make it impossible for him to break free.

As for her copy…if Bianca was fit for it she could make it back to Vindor on her own and if she wasn't then it mattered little. The copies she made were little more than dolls meant to serve a purpose and then disappear when they'd outlived their usefulness. She still knew not how the copy had been defeated but regardless of the specifics it still marked it as flawed and therefore of little value.

Bringing her magic forth she began the movements to achieve the desired effects causing runes to encircle her wrists even as mirroring ones came into existence around her targets. She watched as the boy tried to cut through the encircling runes but she had anticipated this and worked with she possessed to repair the damage faster than the adventurer could make it. Once it all reached its peak she committed the power to the act of teleporting three people to three separate locations.

Sadly for a sorceress who'd lived for so long she had become a LITTLE careless and as a result was unprepared for what came next.

The first was the act of Juri Summers choosing to overclock her Feng Shui Engine in an effort to give her enough raw power to break free of both her prison and the teleportation spell. It was because of this that an aspect of her true nature, one she had no clue existed, began to surface and with it properties never before seen in Runeterra. For she was not just Dawn Summers changed by the effects of a spell invoking the deity Janus but she was also The Key which was a concentration of magical energy capable of rending the fabric of reality asunder. Even if it was not possible, not at present, to tap into the full potential of The Key's energy the emotional state of Juri and her willingness to push her grafted powers to their limits roused the buried power if only a little.

As for the young man though there had yet to be an obvious example of it there was one universal truth that remained a constant in every reality where there existed a Xander Harris.

What was that truth?

Xander Harris and magic do NOT go well together!

The only reason why the changes wrought by the Halloween spell and the unexpected flight worked out as well as they had was because the Roman deity Janus had taken a liking to him. The two faced deity knew of the lad's achievement of breaking a prophecy set forth by the Pricks That Be and was intrigued enough to keep an eye on the mortal. When all the lines of fate began to indicate that the boy would be participating in Priest Rayne's performing of the All Hallows Eve spell the Roman made an extra effort to ensure there would be no danger. With the subtler and more covert means at his disposal he scryed as much as he could about the boy's make up both biologically as well as mystically. By the time that the spell was put into motion by Priest Rayne he had all he needed to bring about the best possible outcome.

For more than one trick or treater that night.

However this was not a world where Janus had any influence and away from the Roman deity magic no longer had a steadying hand keeping from going sideways with Xander.

Put the two together with a teleportation spell with a sizeable amount of power in it and you had a recipe for a surprise outcome.

Not sure if it was a good thing that there existed one who liked surprises.

Whatever the case with a flash of light not only did Juri Summers and Alexander of Rivia vanish in a burst of light but Leblanc as well much to her surprise.

To where?

That would only be revealed when each arrived at their destination.

---

A Place of Crude Games and Sanctuary to Innocence

FLASH!

"Aaah"

"What the F-?"

THUMP!

Those were the basic reactions had by all as an unexpected light exploded into existence and something fell upon the one with the colourful vocabulary. After the light disappeared and the vision of those present returned to normal it was no surprise that all of them looked about to find the cause. However everything looked much like it had before the flash with one tall exception that pinned the mouthy one to the floor with his weight.

"Get offa me!" The spikey kid said struggling to remove the young man laying unconscious on top of him.

Without thought the others standing in the game room moved to help their friend though it took them all working together to manage it. Once the only one not standing was the new arrival their confusion and curiosity caused them to examine the one that fancied human pillows. He looked to be six or more years older than them with hair as white as bone clad in armour that was a mix of solid metal, chainmail, studded durable fabric and leather. Strapped to the strangers back were two swords with various pouches attached to the strap that looked to contain various different things from small bottles to things more difficult to make out.

Altogether it was safe to say that no one quite like newcomer had ever been seen by the youths present in their lives.

All they could say for certain was that they couldn't handle this by themselves.

"Mylo! Go get Vander!" The girl with the white wrapped fists ordered her spiky haired friend, "The rest of you help me get him out of sight. No one coulda missed that light show. We can't let anyone find him until we know who he is and how he got here."

To the credit of the fighter girl none of them hesitated to carry out her orders with Mylo running out onto the streets to get to 'The Last Drop' as fast as he could. The rest of them grabbed a limb of the stranger's before anyone came bashing down the door to find out what caused the bright flash of light.

The Lanes weren't so big that this'd get overlooked and you didn't survive long if you didn't keep up with the latest developments.

Surprises could kill you.

---

An Underground Facility

A Short While Later

"And where did you say they found her?" A quiet man asked but in a manner that made it impossible to disrespect.

"In the lake outside of my laboratory." A distracted man replied even as he continued to examine the newest discovery, "From their accounts I surmise she arrived there via magic though whether it was hers or someone else's I do not know."

Magic.

It was a force known well to everyone on the planet and had as many different opinions about it as there were nations. Some held the belief that magic was evil and that all who partook of it would inevitably fall into a pit of darkness that would corrupt who they'd once been beyond recognition. Others chose to view magic in a religious manner revering those capable of using it and fabricating some sort of deity figure as the source of it all. More rationally though there were those who viewed magic as a tool that only a special few could use and even fewer to a degree where it would be the sun around which their reputation orbited.

Sadly bad luck had made it so that practitioners never chose to pass through either Piltover or the Undercity making recruitment too impractical.

Had this changed or was the young woman on the table simply an oddity?

"Hmmm…I wonder…" the distracted man muttered before reaching towards the unconscious young woman's left eye.

However when the scientist's hand reached the one inch mark something happened that caused both of their eyes to widen in shock.

In the blink of an eye the young woman seemed to awaken, almost painfully take hold of the wrist of the distracted man's reaching arm and with a push send the scientist stumbling backwards. Indeed there was strength enough in the act for the stumble to almost turn into a fall to the floor and probably would've if a fraction more power had been behind it. Holding herself up with one arm while the other was still raised from the push the young woman's eye seemed to waver from coherent to glazed. While her strength of will was impressive it was what rested within the left eye socket that held most of their interest.

Right from the beginning both of them could tell that it was artificial in nature, a mechanical device of some sort, but the glow of purple and jade energy coming off of it was intriguing. Had this been what'd brought her to their doorstep? Was it somehow responsible for her remarkable strength and resilience? The more questions that appeared in the minds of the distracted man and the quiet man the more they were certain an opportunity had been presented to them for something GREAT.

"Calmness young one." The quiet man said putting as much soothing tones into his words as possible, "No one will harm you here unless you want them to. You are quite safe."

His words merely prompted a surge of increased hostility and an almost animalistic snarl implying that such words were hated by her.

"My name is Silco and when you have recovered enough strength I would like to make you an offer." Silco said trying another tactic to gain her compliance, "A chance to show the world your strength and perhaps gain some revenge against the one who injured you so. Interested?"

If a more caring tone was not sufficient for winning a potential recruit to his side then appealing to their greed or their thirst for revenge usually did the trick.

And so it did this time.

With a slowness that made it clear that the girl's willpower was not something easily subdued the young woman's consciousness began to fade. Before too long there was not sufficient strength to keep her sitting up causing her to flop into a horizontal position on the table before her eyes closed signifying the complete descent into unconsciousness.

"Intriguing. I wonder how it is she is so strong." The distracted man said not advancing on the object of his interest as he spoke, "And that left eye of hers…I cannot be certain but I believe it to be some sort of power magnifier. I would greatly like to learn how it works."

"All your answers will come in time doctor." Silco said with mild warning in his voice, "For now tend to her wounds as best you can then move her to a suitable bed. We must do everything we can to ensure our new guest's recovery is assured WITHOUT provoking her a second time. Understood?"

"Quite." The Distracted Doctor replied with a nod that was preceded only by minor hesitation.

Even for a man that cast aside all limitations in his pursuit of science the doctor was wise enough to know when not to push his luck unnecessarily. Indeed it would even be to his advantage to ensure the girl made a full recovery if only to gain accurate data on her full capabilities and their limits. Once he had enough data he could proceed with experiments meant to replicate what he'd witnessed and THEN devise a means of going even further.

As for Silco he had other plans in mind then the 'good' doctor.

Plans for winning the girl to his side.

Plans for using her to see his dream fulfilled all the more sooner than he'd originally projected.

And if she proved too difficult to utilize…plans for ending her without doing excessive damage to her special left eye.

For if that was indeed what the doctor theorized then learning to replicate it would suffice if the allegiance of the original wielder proved impossible.

---

Note: Just to clear some things up Xander dressed up as Geralt from the Witcher-verse and thus became a Witcher before being dumped into the LoL-verse shown in the series 'Arcane'. I am considering making it so that he isn't a perfect copy of what a Witcher is and he'll still have his emotions since it's shown in various Witcher properties that not everyone is as emotionally restrained/lacking as Geralt is often portrayed as being. Lambert being one such example and Vessimier being the other.

Dawn on the other hand wound up being turned into Juri Han from Street Fighter but with her Key energy coming into play alongside the standard Juri power set. Mentally though I wanted to set up a tough obstacle to keep things from just being your standard reunion with few if any changes to Dawn. Will I have Dawn become Silco's new Jinx? Will Jinx still be born and the two girls become the destructive duo? I dunno.

As for why I mentioned what Buffy and Willow got for costumes it's because I might have them show up later somewhere else and didn't want to leave them out of the power up party. Buffy in case some of you hadn't guessed would be empowered by Saber Arturia Pendragon from the Fate/Stay series but likely scaled back so that she's not overpowered when compared to the rest of the Arcane LoL universe. As for Willow I decided to go with Erza Scarlet from the anime Fairy Tail but also scaled back so she isn't overpowered. The tentative plan is to have the both of them get dropped in Demacia, hook up with the forces fighting against Noxus and eventually things will evolve towards a reunion of the Scoobies.