Our group sat down for a quick late-afternoon lunch while the sun reached its highest point in the Ionian sky. Irelia's reinforcements had arrived, and they had brought both an assortment of transportation and food supplies.

After we ate, Irelia arranged for a horse drawn carriage that would ferry us to Sett's arena on the Ionian shores. Although I had a vague memory of Ahri showing me its general location atop the mountain days ago, I still knew very little about it. From the stories I had read about Sett, there were conflicting tales of his age, but nearly all the stories agreed he packed a powerful punch and loved his mom. It was nearly time to see for myself.

"Second squadron with me!" I heard Irelia shout in the distance, and I watched as she led a pack of Ionians to clean up the mess the battle with the Noxians had made. Ahri had specifically requested Irelia to let Teralious go, and Irelia had grudgingly complied.

Finally, Irelia loaded our group onto a carriage, and told the driver directions to Sett's arena. When I asked where our own horses were, Yasuo explained the animals had already been set free and were most likely on their way back to Weh'le. I opened my sack, and shared some fruits I had handpicked with the group in the carriage. Ahri munched on an apple, before suddenly pulling me into a warm hug. She pressed against my hair with her chin and I blushed comfortably as I melted in her arms. The scent of roses overwhelmed my nostrils.

"What was that for?" I asked as Ahri finally pulled away. Her tails jumped up and down as the horses trotted down the path.

"It was your reward for winning." Ahri laughed, face blooming with beauty that far surpassed the spirit blossoms. I realized she was referring to our competition before the battle. "I did promise the winner would get a hug. I had to abandon most of my catch."

The journey went smoothly. After sitting in the carriage for a few minutes, Ahri made a cushion for me with her tails, which I lay into to take a quick nap. With the steady trot of the horses, Ahri's comfortable tails, and her gentle hum, I quickly fell asleep. After an hour or so, the trees started to thin as we emerged into the Ionian coast line. Ahri gently shook me awake and we got off the carriage.

Standing before us, was a tall stone gate that led into an arena partially built inside a seaside cliff. Before the gates, stood two guards. As we approached, they drew their swords menacingly.

"Move aside." Irelia hissed at the guards acidly, and her blades twirled menacingly behind her. She looked back at us and shook her head. "Stay out of this. I'll take them both."

Irelia swirled her body before gracefully jumping into the air, and landed in a dance position. The blades ceremoniously made sweeping motions around her, before coming to rest in a crescent arc floating behind her. Each blade adjusted themselves to point towards the guards' face, and their looming figures took a step back uncertainty. Yet, their weapons were still held firmly in their hands. Just as the three were about to get into an all out brawl, a low, chilling voice sounded from the shadowy entrance of the gates. "Now now. Chill y'all. It's all fun and games until someone loses their teeth."

A tall figure emerged from the shadows, revealing the man I assumed to be Sett. As much as I hated laning against him in League of Legends, I must admit he was quite an impressive site to behold. He was wearing a purple fur jacket that must have come from an exotic animal, and it was unbuttoned to display his six-pack abs. Two strange animal shaped ears, perhaps that of a badger or a wolf, stuck out from the top of his head, which reminded me that Sett was part vastayan. His entire body was lined with thick, chunky muscles, and although he was armed with nothing but a pair of brass knuckles, I had no doubt he could quite literally pack a punch. If a battle were to brew between him and Irelia, it would have been quite difficult for me to predict the victor.

"You." Irelia spat with venom, though she did lower her stance. Her blades levitated passively behind her as the guards also lowered their weapons. "Filthy smuggler. Unfit to live in Ionia. You're barely better than a Noxian."

Sett sighed, before spitting out a piece of grass he had been chewing on. Lazily, he leaned on the wooden gates as he gestured for his guards to leave. "They call me a thug, I call me an entrepreneur. Pick your pick. But let's get to business. I like business. Irelia, you must be really desperate to come here. What do you want?"

Irelia grinded her teeth, before replying. "We require passage to Noxus. No doubt with the filthy smuggling operations you go through everyday, trading with the enemy might I add, you no doubt have a way."

"Smuggling?" Sett shrugged, before walking back towards the shadow of the entrance and disappeared back into his arena. "Don't know what you're talking about. Sorry."

Irelia was about to unleash an entire torrent of curses and insults before Ahri put a hand up to her and held her back.

"Ahri," I interrupted, pulling one one of her sleeves.. "Can't you just charm him or something to make him do what you want?"

Ahri sighed, and shook her head. "No. Sett's half vastayan, meaning he has small amounts of immunity to charm magic. Furthermore, although I am pretty sure my magic is still strong enough to charm him, his henchmen will definitely notice something is off."

Ahri then stared pointedly at Irelia. "Also, kindly stop acting like a child, Irelia. You are a general, and you definitely are not helping our case."

Irelia pouted, crossing her arms hotly. "That's not fair, old fox. I'm only 19."

Ahri took a deep breath, before bringing me closer to her and bending down to whisper in my ear. "This is why you are my favorite little fox, darling."

I nodded happily, though still shocked Irelia was only a single year older than me. This just made me feel more and more hopeless about myself. I really was useless compared to them. Ahri had powerful magic and beauty, Yasuo had powers over the wind, Master Yi was an unmatched swordsman and Irelia had her special blade dance technique as well as her leadership responsibilities. All I had were a few puny spells that I could use once in a while, along with my mind and wits.

"Well, I guess I could still give it a try." Ahri said to our group, straightening herself once more. It seemed she had had enough of waiting. "Although I can't directly charm Sett, I am still quite convincing. I can probably find a soft spot."

Ahri confidently walked into the entrance, and the rest of us followed closely behind.

"Sett!" Ahri shouted into the shadows, perhaps to grab his attention before speaking in a quieter tone. Yet no voice replied from the shadows. "Although you might be the face of the criminal world of Ionia, you still are Ionian. The land beckons to you as it beckons me. Just why won't you help us against the Noxians?"

Sett emerged from the shadows, and glowered at Ahri. His voice filled with contempt. "My father's a Noxian. I stay out of Noxian business and they stay out of mine."

I saw Irelia clench her fist tighter in front of me, and I realized she must have resented Sett even more for being half Noxian. Yet Ahri seemed to relax, as if she had found whatever she had been looking for. Her tails dropped just an inch lower as she repositioned herself.

"So, you are your father's son?" She questioned, putting a finger to her lips.

Setts face contorted into anger, before his shoulder sagged. He took out a piece of paper from a pocket on his fur jacket, and stared at it for a long moment. Finally, he slipped the paper back into his pocket before looking at the sky behind us, smiling into nothingness as if contemplating something.

"My momma's a vastaya." He sighed at last, speaking to no one in particular. "Father was a scumbag. Left us when I was young. Thought he'd come back but the old man never did. Smart of him too. Ma's safe somewhere in Weh'le, I hope she's well."

"The Noxians aren't going to care that she's your ma." Ahri told Sett gently, yet forcefully. A tear trickled down Sett's face. "I'm sure you know of the Noxian's brute ways. No one will be spared."

At long last, Sett quivered under Ahri's tone, which sounded more genuine now than before as if she really did pity the man. Although my first impression of Sett had not been positive as I had cast him out to just be another criminal, I also respected and sympathized with the love he held for his mother.

"Alright." Sett announced to us, as Ahri fell back to my side. "Come in. I can get you guys to sea by midnight. You'll be in Noxus at daybreak on the morrow."

Sett led us through the dark hallways, scattered with handfuls of henchmen here and there, until at last we emerged into the well-lit rooms of the inner chamber. Compared to the rest of Ionia, the interior of Sett's establishment was much more modern and extravagant. Lavish crimson silk carpets were spread onto the ground, and golden linings shined in between them. Delicate chandeliers hang from the ceilings, and silverware was placed on the cherry wood tables. One would almost wonder if such a welcoming place had been designed for royalty if it weren't for the company Sett kept. Tough figures shouldered their way around us, many sporting signs of recent bruises and injuries. A large man with a mohawk, sporting a black eye patch on his left eye, made eye contact with me. His remaining eyes hinted towards a massive knife on his belt, and I clenched slightly tighter to Ahri's sleeves.

In the center of the room, stood a large doorway that led back into the outside. A burly man with a gold box in his hand was standing guard beside the door, taking large sacks of coins from passersby before letting them in through the doorway.

"That's the coin collector, Wentao." Ahri whispered to me, as she noticed me staring. She clicked her tongue distastefully, and gave the doorway a hostile glance. "He collects bets people would make for the fighters in the pits, as well as taking sums for entry into the arena."

"So that door leads to the arena eh?" I whispered, and to my surprise, it was Sett who replied.

"Correct. And what a glorious sight it is to behold." Sett boosted, while shoving the coin collector aside to let us pass. Yasuo yawned while Master Yi shook his head. "This, kid, is the fighting pits of Ionia. Course the Noxians started the whole thing, but I sure as hell perfected it. Noxians and all the other respectable gentlemen from all over Runeterra come for the games, and I pull in the profit."

I glanced at one of the "respectable gentlemen" Sett had been talking about. The man shoved Master Yi and laughed, and the swordsman had placed his blade in an instant.

"Woah woah, break it up you two. This ain't a fighting zone." Sett rumbled, and shoved the man away. It seems the sight of the arena had given Sett quite a change of mood. Grabbing a tray of drinks from a nearby waitress, he shoved it down on a table before taking a seat. Servants hastily pulled up chairs for us, and I took a seat beside Ahri. Yasuo, Master Yi and Irelia followed suit. "Help yourselves. Bit of time to chillax before I ship you all off."

"Relax, ha." Irelia snared, before standing up to excuse herself. Sett sighed.

"Sett," Ahri interrupted. Sett had been on the verge of standing up, but had sat down once more when Ahri had spoken. I realized that he remained respectful towards Ahri not due to her beauty or charm, but because she was a vastayan like his mother. "I must say that I don't approve of your business. It goes against the balance of Ionia. Surely your mother realizes this?"

"She does, so you'd be doing me a favor if you don't mention it to her." Sett frowned, and took a sip of his drink. The red liquid slushed carelessly in its glass cup. "Well, I better get going. Show's starting soon and the stage isn't going to set itself."

Sett grinned, repeating to himself the words 'Sett itself' before standing up and making his way back into the chambers.