This one took a hot minute because of exams and some other projects I have going on – apologies, and thanks for your patience.

The Inn was deceptively big.

Ezreal yawned, fighting away the fatigue that the previous day's journey had brought. His room – much to his dismay, shared with Ekko and Yasuo – was on the fifth floor. Thankfully there was a lift, but as he turned the corner to use one, he saw it was being cleaned. Although he could probably just wait a few minutes for them to leave, Ezreal didn't really want to bother with anyone at the moment. He woke up early to avoid talking, after all.

Checking the time, Ezreal glided down the stairs. 5:30. Later than he was used to getting up, but he didn't have any training today. Instead, he wanted to quickly get a bearing on the town itself before he had to meet with the rest of the students for briefing.

Once he was outside, he paused to just breathe in the air. Fresh, with a tinge of salt hanging in the morning's cool breeze. It was so different from the city – and couldn't help but bring a tiny little smile to his face.

Opening his eyes, Ezreal finally got a good look at his surroundings. Needlebrook rolled out in waves, the roofs of the various buildings – built with homely timbers and decorated with saltboxed roofs - dotted Ezreal's vision following the natural incline of the mountainside. Even the road, cobblestone, had barely a moment for level. Ezreal noted the various half-steps that lead into the buildings along the road, parts of them disappearing into the falling rocks.

Sending a glance up, he began to walk down. It didn't take long for the road to fork, and he followed the signposting to the main road.

The town was segmented into two portions by the river that ran through the centre. The river flowed from deep in the mountains behind, eventually landing in the small basin of a valley that Needlebrook was nestled in and out into the open sea.

Ezreal pushed through an opening in the buildings and found himself on a much wider road, the far side fenced off with elaborate latticework and peering down into the rushing river below. Any other day, Ezreal would've been fascinated by the intricate designs on the metalwork fencing, but today, his eyes trailed down the river and beyond.

There was a clear line of sight – the river snaking down through the valley, ending in a cluster of buildings separated on the two sides of the bank – out into the sea, the morning sun popping out in a brilliant orange over the skyline and blanketing the scene in a warm glow.

And turning his gaze upriver, he saw the water rushing alongside the path into the mountainside. At the peak of the town was a large, grand building, which he assumed was the Greenfang Theatre. It was blocky and white – straight-edged and modern, contrasted against the range of more traditional buildings surrounding it.

Ezreal exhaled, and leaned onto the fence. He stared for a few moments, just letting the breeze brush along his face and through his untied hair. The air was a little more salty here.

He felt a tugging sensation in his gut – a feeling that he knew was wholly in his head, but still real, still powerfully important – and panned his gaze over towards the tall range of mountains sitting atop the town -

Inside

A chill ran through him, and he exhaled sharply. A voice?

His eyes darted around, but he was still alone. He blinked, stared, then sighed and slumped back into the fence. He'd had a lot on his mind the past few days, and this could just be his stress finally catching up with him.

With a quick glance to his phone, he pushed himself off the railing and continued along the road. He still had a fair bit of time, so he figured he could just enjoy the empty streets.

As Ezreal travelled down the path, he eventually came to one of two thin bridges that connected the two sides of the river. On Ezreal's side, according to the brief look at a map Ekko had gotten the night before, was the residential district, with a few shops and eateries dotted here and there, none of which were open at the moment.

He came to the 'upper' bridge, and decided to cross. He resisted the urge to stop in the centre of the bridge - sounds of the river rushing below him - and just stare out again. Instead, he quickly crossed and found himself on a much flatter stretch of road, the incline much softer but more ragged; here steps were set along the riverside to allow much sharper dips in height.

Beyond the road was 'Artisan Lane', as the locals called it, and boy did it live up to that name. Houses of varying sizes and a rainbow of colour stretched along the street, banners fluttering against the ocean's breeze. Brightly worded signs marked the street, elaborate paintings often placed nearby to entice potential customers. Unlike the other side of the river, there was activity brewing, with what Ezreal assumed were store-owners hurrying about their morning preparations – chiming in lazy greetings to one another as they crossed paths.

Ezreal had never come to anything like this before, at least not for the sake of going. He'd always been poor – the whole orphan business and all – and as such typically avoided high-cost areas of his home city. He wasn't blown away or anything; in fact, he actually found himself grimacing as his eyes caught sight of a 'deal' on gourmet seafood that a one shop was displaying. That was a deal? Yikes.

Still, the colours and intricate design of the buildings were enough to keep him engaged with the area, and he walked around for a time just looking. If nothing else, it was something to tell the kids back home.

A chime from his pocket brought him back to reality, and he shut it off with a quick stretch. It was time to get going – the Practical was finally about to start.

Hurrying back into the Inn, Ezreal shortly spotted and made his way over to where the Battle Club had gathered.

The Clearwater Inn had the lobby separated; First was the actual lobby, and then a bar-slash-restaurant area, and another, smaller archway that was labelled Infirmary. There was a large cluster of students in the main hall - among them the familiar bob of red hair of his crippling crush – and a much smaller, more chaotic collection of his clubmates at the bar.

Yasuo, true to form, was sipping away at a comically large beer mug, a smiling Braum in tow, Zoe covering her ears and yelling la-la-la-la as Irelia tried in vain to say something to her, and Ekko quietly collapsed into a heap at a chair, cup of white liquid in hand. Sylas stood off to the side, blankly staring at the group with clear disgust in his eyes. Ezreal fell in line beside him.

'Morning, Professor.' He said.

'Ah, good morning, Lymere.' Sylas sighed, and nodded at the circus in front of him. 'We were just waiting for you to start.'

Ezreal nodded and sat next to Ekko, who grunted something in greeting. 'Sorry, sir.'

Sylas shrugged, and cleared his throat – loudly.

No one except Ezreal turned to attention.

Sylas waited a moment, then repeated the action – louder still.

Braum and Yasuo noticed, at least, but Irelia and Zoe were still going at it. Ekko didn't move, so Ezreal elbowed him. Ekko shot up, gasping in pain, then glaring at Ezreal, who nodded at Sylas. Ekko seemed to understand, as he didn't return to his slump, but he still glared.

That left the two girls, and Sylas was clearly reaching the end of his patience. With a final grunt, he stepped towards them, towering over Zoe and a full head over Irelia still.

'Ahem.'

That finally got their attention. The two immediately quieted, and turned to Sylas with different degrees of apology.

'I expected trouble from Miss Marus here, but you, Xan?' Sylas said.

'My apologies, professor -' Irelia said, but Sylas waved a hand with a sigh.

'Let's just begin.'

Irelia sent a sideways glare at Zoe, but sighed and nodded, falling backwards into a seat. Zoe followed suit.

Waiting a moment more, Sylas nodded and gestured to Braum, who laughed and brought out a stack of files. He set his drink down, and brought the files to where Sylas stood, placing them on the table in front of him. Sylas nodded his thanks, then spoke up.

'Today is the first of five days that you will be expected to complete tasks around the city. For the sake of the first years, I will quickly explain the procedure, then we'll get to assigning the tasks, and I will dismiss you. Alright?'

Everyone nodded.

'You students will be expected to do everything in your power to fulfil these requests. Professor Braum and myself will act as your reporting officers, so when you complete a task, speak to us. Everything you need to know will be inside these folders, along with where and who the request is from. Any questions so far?'

Ekko raised a hand, and Sylas nodded to him with a slight scowl. 'What kind of tasks are there?'

'It's basically just blow-off jobs the police can't be bothered with,' Yasuo said, yawning. 'They saddle us with 'em, we get them some free brownie points, and they reap the rewards.'

'Yasuo, don't be so -' Irelia said.

'No, he's right on one thing,' Sylas said. 'These are requests that actual law enforcement receives, so you are acting on both our and their behalf. You will be on your best behaviour.'

Yasuo shrugged and took a swig from his mug.

'With this in mind,' Sylas continued. 'The tasks will take you around the town. Anything you complete outside of these assignments can be counted towards our total, but you will need to bring the person who requested your help to either myself or Braum. I will inform you all of any further changes as they arise, and we will report our statuses to one another every evening. Are these parameters clear?'

Everyone nodded.

'Good,' Sylas said. He tapped a hand atop the pile of files. 'Take a handful, and let's see what we're looking to do.'

And so Ezreal ended up with a fairly sizeable stack of brown folders. He flipped through them, excited – only to realise that...

'These are all menial tasks!' Ekko said, brows furrowing.

'Like I said, it's busywork.' Yasuo said, flipping through his own pile. With a dramatic sigh, he downed the last of his cup and shoved the folders into a bag. He nodded to Sylas. 'So? We good to go, Professor Dregs?'

Sylas gave the group a quick look over, then nodded. 'Yes, I suppose we are. Be back here at one o'clock. I look forward to your reports.'

Ezreal and Ekko quietly lagged behind the others, Zoe and Irelia heading off together, and Yasuo with Braum. For once, everyone seemed to be focused; Ezreal was shocked that very few jokes were exchanged as they left.

After everyone had exited, Ekko exhaled and peeked at Ezreal's stack. They sat quietly for a few minutes, before Ezreal eventually broke the silence.

'What do you think?'

'I think: screw you for getting us into this,' Ekko grunted, leaning back. 'And that we may be in some trouble.'

'Reassuring.'

Ekko began to set some folders into small piles. 'Here to help.'

'What are you doing?' Ezreal asked.

'Sorting them based on general location, do yours and we'll see where there's crossover. We can probably cover some more ground if we can help each other.'

Nodding, Ezreal did as asked.

A few minutes later they'd finished, and they had seven piles. Ekko hummed.

'Okay, well – at least now we can plan it better.'

They decided that they'd start with a request that would take them to the docks – then they could see if they would have time to do anything on the way back up to the Clearwater. Neither Ezreal nor Ekko had any idea what to expect, so when they walked into the docks, they were thrown off guard by the pungent scent of fresh fish.

As Needlebrook was a port town, it wasn't a surprise to either of them the size of the docks. It ran length-to-length from one side of the valley to the other, segmented in the middle by a wide stone bridge over where the river sliced it in two.

What did surprise them was the bustle of activity. It was - especially so if you listened to Ekko - still early, but people clad in blue sailor uniforms hurried to and fro, barely paying the two boys any mind.

Ekko grumbled to himself as someone bumped past him, then continued as if nothing had happened. He grimaced, but took out a piece of paper from his bag.

'We're looking for a guy at Warehouse three, which is -' he looked around, then pointed in a direction across the bridge. ' - that way. I think.'

Ezreal nodded, eyes wide as he bathed in the surroundings. There were no oceans back in the city.

They made their way towards the warehouse, passing by hordes of bearded men who smelt less than nice. Orders were being shouted from every which direction, various levels of sailor mouth, with replies in similar ranges of gruff anger.

Warehouse three was practically identical to all the others around it, but there was one thing that Ezreal noticed about it that set it apart. And it made him groan.

'Her, really?' Ekko muttered at his side, and Ezreal nodded in absent agreement.

Talking to who Ezreal presumed was the Quartermaster was the rude girl, Qiyana Yuna-something-or-another. Her mouth was pursed in a scowl, and the Quartermaster looked equally frustrated, hands moving animatedly. She had her arms crossed.

Ezreal and Ekko exchanged looks – before Ekko sighed and shrugged.

'We have to talk to that guy, too,' he said, double-checking the file. He cringed. 'Ugh. Should we wait for her to leave?'

With a quick look to his phone, Ezreal shook his head. 'I don't think we have that kinda time.'

'Ahhh, but really though,' he said. 'Whatever. Let's just get this overwith.'

They approached Qiyana and the Quartermaster, neither of whom turned to greet them. Instead, they were able to isolate their conversation from the rest of the noise;

'- can't believe they just sendin a child to deal with this, it's insulting, is what it is!'

Qiyana's eyes had narrowed to slits, but she held her temper in check. 'Just tell me what your problem is, then I will deal with it. Then I can leave, and we can both be happy.'

The Quartermaster scoffed, then turned his gaze towards the two approaching boys, probably noticing the matching uniforms.

'And who might you two be?'

Ezreal ignored the unpleasant pressure from Qiyana's gaze. 'We're here on behalf of Duran-'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, already got miss Princess over here give me the once-over. Askin if you're here to help at all.'

Qiyana looked like she wanted to hit him.

Clearing his throat, Ezreal stepped in. 'Can you tell us the problem sir?'

Someone rushed besides the Quartermaster - an older-looking man, whose sailor beard was greying and unkempt, a few wisps of black clinging to the top of his head in a desperate attempt to stop ageing. He stopped and handed the Quartermaster a clipboard. They exchanged a few words, and the Quartermaster's brows knit themselves together as he read through whatever he'd been given.

'Are you sure this is today's list?'

The newcomer nodded furiously, then saluted like a soldier. If Ezreal found that weird, the Quartermaster's face said he most certainly did, too.

'Yes sir, this is new list! Get from master his self!' He dropped the salute after a moment.

'Uh-huh...'

Re-reading the list once more, the Quartermaster shot the old man a side-eyed glance.

'What's your name, Sailor?'

The old man blinked for a moment, then smirked and pointed to a nameplate on the breast of his overalls proudly, reading HARNES. 'Hair-nes, mister!'

After a couple of confused blinks, the Quartermaster shrugged and waved the old man away.

It was a few moments before he seemed to remember that he had an audience, after which he shot the three students a look of contempt.

'Right, you lot – I've got a shipping to deal with, so here's the situation; the past coupl'a weeks we've had some product disappearing. Mostly food, and nothing huge, but clients're mad and it's bad for business. Check our inventory, and get back to me quickly. Shouldn't take you super-powered freaks too long. Get to it - we're busy here.'

He walked off, handing Ezreal the piece of paper. It was a list of products and inventory, and it mostly amounted to foodstuffs.

'What an absolutely insufferable -' Qiyana said.

'Yeah, okay, what'd you say to him?' Ekko said, peering over the list as Ezreal held it down for him.

'I said nothing to warrant such treatment.'

'Sure.' Ezreal and Ekko said.

Qiyana scoffed, but didn't leave. Instead, she shifted her weight onto one leg, and stared at the two expectantly.

It was hard to ignore it for long, especially since Ezreal was becoming increasingly aware of the waves of workers around them. He glared at her.

'What. Don't you have some trouble to cause, or something?'

'I am here to resolve his request, and am being quite amicable, thank you. I am not here to start trouble, as you say.'

Ezreal frowned, and Ekko tilted his head. 'We can get the same tasks?'

With a shrug, Qiyana nodded towards the warehouse behind them. 'You are welcome to leave this to me. I do not require your help.'

'Nuh-uh, sorry Princess.' Ekko said, stepping after her. 'We're not going anywhere.'

'You're free to leave, though.' Ezreal added.

Inside the warehouse was similarly busy, but to a much lesser extent. People were still hurrying about, but here they moved with sharper movements. The roof was high, and the walls lined with boxes upon boxes. Most were wooden, but some were steel, and a few here and there were even made of some see-through material that Ezreal couldn't quite place. He checked the list.

'Okay, so,' He said, Ekko falling in behind him. 'How do we do this?'

'You ever worked something like this before?'

Ezreal shook his head. The two looked to Qiyana, who blinked back – insulted.

'How dare you suggest I would ever -'

'Yeah, okay, message received.' Ezreal said, exhaling. He didn't want to waste any more time here than needed, especially time spent putting up with Qiyana.

'How's the stuff listed?' Ekko asked.

'The list seems pretty random.' Ezreal said, showing him the list and nodding to the rows of boxes. 'I guess we'll just go through it as it's listed?'

With a nod, Ezreal moved towards the back of the hall, where the as of yet unstacked boxes were. Ekko followed, and Qiyana eventually mirrored their movements.

The task itself was simple enough. Open up the box, count the contents, check with the list – but man, was it boring. And super slow. By the time they were halfway done, it was already a little past 10.

'You could help, you know.' Ekko said, sending a glare towards Qiyana, who was standing off to the side, not doing much. She just scoffed in response.

'This is beneath me.'

'Maybe we should have taken you up on your offer to do it yourself,' Ezreal sighed. 'You could at least pretend like you're helping.'

With a roll of her eyes, Qiyana began to finally start counting her own set of boxes.

A few minutes later, Ekko leaned back with an exasperated sigh. 'We have a whole week of this crap?'

Ezreal grimaced. 'At this rate, I might as well just pack my stuff tonight.'

'The clubroom's going to be so quiet without you.'

'You'll miss me before you know it.'

Qiyana snapped her finger, drawing the boy's attention. 'This one has the wrong amount.'

Immediately, Ezreal dashed over to her. 'Are you sure?'

'What, do you doubt me?' She clicked her tongue, then nodded into the box.

'These are some imported goods from Ionia, I think.' Ezreal said, peering in.

'Yeah, I think Irelia uses a lot of this stuff when she cooks.' Ekko said.

'I will take your word for it.' Qiyana continued. 'This box has been tampered with.'

'Tampered with?' Ezreal said, leaning in closer. 'How can you tell, though? You did count the contents, right? That was what we were asked to do.'

'I did, yes, but why bother?' Qiyana pointed to the corners of the box, and ran a hand along the rim. She brought it up, rubbing her fingers together. 'Do you suppose they use dirt to coat the packaging? It wouldn't surprise me, with how primitive you all are.'

'Ignoring that,' Ekko said, running his own hand along the box. 'You're right. Damn, nice - how'd you catch that?'

'Well, I am a genius.' She smiled, smug.

Ekko rolled his eyes. 'Remind me to never compliment you again.'

'So, what's next?' Ezreal said, resisting the urge to smirk. 'Do we report back to the guy?'

Qiyana shook her head. 'Do you not see? There is a thief to be dealt with.'

Exchanging grins, Ezreal and Ekko excitedly followed Qiyana as she began to lead the way.

Maybe this wouldn't be so boring after all.

According to Qiyana, the dirt was from somewhere in the surrounding valley. When asked how she knew, she just shrugged and said she could feel it. Ezreal didn't press her, lest she launch into a pretentious ramble about her powers and how they worked. And as much as he appreciated her help here, he still didn't really want to have her here.

She lead them a little ways off the Docks, ignoring the ever-increasing activity that surrounded them. Boats had began to come in, and there were now people in other uniforms roaming about. The group ignored them, Qiyana following the scent like a hound. The thought gave Ezreal a quick chuckle.

They came to the edge of the docks, tall fencing separating it from a thicket of trees that ran up the steep incline of the mountainside. Here, there was practically no-one – why should there be? The only person Ezreal could see was a lone worker; limbs strewn as he lay lazily against a set of empty wooden boxes, empty bottles cluttered about.

'Reminds me of the Prez.' Ekko said.

Ezreal snorted.

Stepping past the man they came to an old section of the fence, the wires rusting in places and opening up into a fairly large hole, large enough to fit a person through.

'Here,' Qiyana said, finally bringing her eyes off of the floor. 'Our culprit is down this path.'

'Neat powers you got, maybe ditch the whole royalty thing and become a cop.' Ekko said.

Glaring, Qiyana turned her nose up. 'And you should be a comedian.'

'That mean you think I'm funny? I'm flattered, really.'

'I can leave, if you two wanna be alone.' Ezreal said, smirking at Ekko, who did not appreciate the joke.

Qiyana stepped through the hole. 'Let us go, the trail continues.'

Down the path they went, Qiyana confidently leading the way as the greenery became thicker and thicker. The sounds and smells of the docks slowly fell away, replaced with shades of leaves and the distinct earthy musk of damp moss and wet trees. The terrain type was new to Ezreal, and apparently Ekko too, and they slowed – it took a lot of effort to not trip on the uneven ground or a rogue root. Qiyana didn't seem the least bit fazed, instead taking confident strides through the overgrowth, and would have probably left her charges behind had Ezreal not called her to slow down.

'Did you grow up in the jungle, or something?' Ekko called after her.

Qiyana snorted, but waited.

Soon after Qiyana halted. After Ezreal and Ekko caught up, she nodded towards a particularly thick bunch of bush.

'In there.'

Ezreal raised an eyebrow. 'You're sure?'

'I have been right so far, have I not?'

She swept her hand in a downwards thrust, and the leaves parted, revealing a small clearing. There were remains of a campfire, along with a few twigs in a neat pile off to the side. Behind it was a makeshift hut, a triangular formation of sticks against a relatively large stone. The three stepped lightly into the grove, Ezreal taking a peek inside the hut.

Covering the dirt ground was a patch of fresh moss, just long and wide enough to fit a person – a bed, perhaps. Ezreal crouched down, eyes scanning the makeshift home.

A glint of shine caught his eye next to the head of the bedding in a small pit of lighter moss. He reached out – a necklace? It's centre was a blue gem, encased in a Y-shaped slab of smooth stone. It's chain was embedded with various clasps, each made of the same stone material. Holding it up, Ezreal found it surprisingly heavy.

His eyes fell back to the room. Someone was living here? And judging by the state of the bedding, they were here recently.

He stood, pocketing the necklace. 'Guys, I found something -'

'Me too, come here!' Ekko called back.

Ekko was outside of the house, crouched over the fire pit. He regarded Ezreal, then nodded towards the pit of ashes. 'Looks like we found where the missing stuff's going.'

Ezreal hummed, nodding towards the makeshift hut. 'Some wood went missing too, right? Looks like this is where it ended up.'

'It's rough.'

They were silent for a moment.

'Shall we report back to that man?' Qiyana said, stepping out from a patch of leaves.

'I mean, I'm not sure -' Ekko said, rising.

There was a rustle, followed by a surprised yelp from the entrance of the clearing.

All three heads spun towards it, and Ezreal was surprised – but also not – to see a familiar face, the weird old man from earlier, Harnes or whatever. They stared at each other for a moment, time frozen. Harnes stared down at the necklace dangling from his hand.

Qiyana broke the silence with a yell; 'Get him!'

Blinking, Ezreal nodded, shifting forward and landing practically on top of Harnes. The theif's face betrayed shock, and he stumbled backwards. Ezreal reached out a hand to grab him -

- and was hit in the side by a suddenly appearing...tail?

'Eugh!'

He stumbled, wind knocked out of him, and quickly looked down at Harnes. It was a tail – and it seemed to glimmer and blend into the forest around them.

Harnes leaned back, and brought his tail down on Ezreal again.

Ready this time, he shifted to the side, throwing a Mystic Shot towards Harnes as he exited the dash. Harnes raised his hands to his face, the impact of the bolt shattering against skin.

And it shattered, literally. The skins looked as if it glittered right off, revealing a pueple and green tone underneath. Ezreal didn't have time to be surprised, though, and fired off another Mystic Shot.

This time, Harnes's face contorted together in a way very unbefitting of an old man, and then – He vanished.

Ezreal blinked. The hell?

'Hiyah!' Came a feminine voice from his side.

He spun around, but it was too late. Harnes reappeared, tail glimmering in the forest light, right into Ezreal's side.

The figure leapt away, knocking Ezreal to the ground. The wind knocked out of him, he desperately tried to round him eyes after the old man.

'He's getting away!' Ekko called out, running past Ezreal.

'Move!' Qiyana shouted, making a quick jerk with her arm. The root against Ezreal's back responded, pulling him out of her way and causing him to yelp in shock. She ran right past him as he struggled to his feet.

Standing now, Ezreal saw the backs of his friends as they rounded a corner down the path. He rushed to follow, taking extreme care not to fall over again.

Back at the fence, Ezreal quickly shifted through the opening and towards the main docks. He couldn't see Ekko or Qiyana, nor Harnes, so he took a guess and began to run back towards warehouse 3, dodging through the sea of workers that just never ended.

His guess was partially right, Ekko and Qiyana were in front of the warehouse, engaged in a heated shouting match.

'How could you let him get away?!' Ekko yelled.

Tapping her foot impatiently, Qiyana glared at him directly. 'Me. Me? You let him get away, with minimal effort!'

'Oh, buzz off! If you weren't so damn -'

'I cannot believe you, you insufferable little -'

'Calm down, you two,' Ezreal stepped in, feeling pretty frustrated himself. 'What happened?'

'And you!' Qiyana rounded on him. 'How pathetic can you be?! You can't detain an elderly man?'

Ezreal's brows furrowed. 'And you had much more success, didn't you?'

She growled.

'Whatever, let's just report the old man to the Quartermaster and be done with it.' Ekko said, still glaring at Qiyana.

'Yes, I shall.' She said, returning his gaze.

'Guys!' Ezreal said, a little louder than he probably intended. It got their attention either way, and he held up the necklace he'd nabbed. 'I don't think that was actually the old man.'

Ekko recoiled in confuseion, and Qiyana stared. 'I'm sorry, what?'

'Hear me out,' Ezreal said, pocketing the necklace again. 'Do you think that an old man would be living off stolen goods, from his own workplace, in the mountains?'

'Well, no, but -'

'- and,' he continued. 'Would an old man have an invisible tail?'

'The God-weapons create all sorts of mutations within people, so it is entirely -' Qiyana said.

'So would it be that crazy to think it was some sort of, I don't know, cloaking power?'

'I dunno, dude, seems a little bit of a stretch.'

'No, I'm convinced. That wasn't Harnes. How do you think you two lost him so easily?'

That silenced them.

'Okay, but then what?' Ekko said, drawing himself up. 'What do we tell the guy?'

'We can hold off,' Ezreal said. 'We can catch this guy, then hand him over to the police ourselves – don't you think we'd get a ton of extra points?'

'I do not care about the points,' Qiyana said, scoffing. 'I refuse to be humiliated like this.'

'All the better, princess, because we need them.' Ekko said. 'You can just go leave us alone.'

The two glared at each other for a moment. Then, with a sideways glare at Ezreal, Qiyana huffed and stormed off.

Exchanging glances, Ezreal and Ekko shrugged.

'We can do this without her.' Ekko said.

'Easily,' Ezreal said, stepping back into the warehouse. 'But we'll need to do something quick. I don't think whoever it was would stick around now that we know where it lives.'

Ekko nodded. 'Yeah. Okay, we'll -' He checked his phone, then stopped. 'Oh shit.'

'What?' Ezreal said, rolling up his sleeves.

'What time did Dregbourne say we had to be back at the place?'

'Uh, 1.'

'Right,' Ekko said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. 'So now.'

For Lux, the first day had been proceeding fairly well.

It started out with her and Alune heading over to the Artisan district, helping out a storeowner deliver some lobsters to restaurant just above the docks, then lending a hand to an old lady who reported paranormal activity in her house. There wasn't any, but Lux gave it an earnest try.

By lunch, they'd been called back by President Ahri to the hotel, ready to pay the God-weapon a visit. They were apparently being shown around by a group of specialists, which excited Lux.

Lux arrived in the lobby, a wonderfully compact space panelled with dark pine and concrete accents, and spotted the rest of the club. Together, Lux and Alune joined them.

President Ahri was talking to a lady in a blue uniform, rugged yet maintained, with a soft smile that the other woman did not return. Short, white hair tied atop her head, she was all business – nodding curtly as Ahri said something, nodding curtly again as Ahri continued, and repeating it once more as Ahri let out a single sigh.

Alune stretched with a relieved groan. 'That was tiring.'

'Yeah,' Lux said, nodding. 'But now we get to do something fun.'

Alune nodded happily, and wandered off. Stretching out herself, Lux snuck a glance over towards the bar area. Ez and the others were gathered, and Sylas was giving them a serious-looking lecture. It was strange, seeing Ez and Ekko so serious. Ez looked pretty good like that.

She froze. What.

'Lux, you have a minute?'

'What?' Lux stood straight, voice coming out very calmly.

President Ahri blinked and held her hands up defensively. 'Woah, easy there. I just want to take a headcount of everyone before we head up to the fragment. Be a sport and do the first-years?'

Lux nodded absently.

'You're a queen,' Ahri said, breathing a sigh of relief. 'Okay, I'm going to check the second and third years, get back to me when you're done.'

Purging the stray thought of moments ago from her mind, Lux got to her task. She could check off Alune, she had expressed interest all morning – I have heard it is very beautiful – and that left ten or so girls that she'd forgotten the names of, six or seven boys, and -

Ah. Speak of the devil. Qiyana entered the lobby, uniform slightly ruffled and lips slanted in her signature scowl. With a grimace, Lux figured she'd just get it out of the way.

The scowl deepened as Lux approached. 'Yes?'

'Hey, just doing headcount. Remember to be down here in about fifteen minutes.'

Qiyana nodded and shuffled past her.

It wasn't particularly surprising, so Lux just moved about doing the rest of her task. Only one of the boys was absent initially, but he showed up a few minutes later, muttering about some kid who'd 'kicked some animal crap all over my blazer'. He had Lux's sympathies.

She reported back to Ahri, who nodded with a sigh of relief.

Maybe ten minutes later the group left the hotel, walking up the snaking hill towards the mountainpass. There were a few roads here, one towards the Train station, one the only highway out of the town, and then the last one – a much thinner path, laid with sparse stone and highlighted between the pillars of a large, stone archway, painted a bright red. When they reached it, there was a couple of additional people, apparently waiting for them.

One was a tall and gangly man, elaborate coat draped over his shoulders, who bowed regally towards the group. He had a strange smile, the kind that made Lux tilt her head ever so slightly. Next to him was a broad-shouldered man, square-faced with brown hair slicked back in a short bob of ponytail, who grinned easily towards the group. The larger man exchanged a few words with the white-haired lady who lead them, and they fell in line with the students. Interestingly, Lux noted, they fell with the Battle Club, and Ez waved a hello to them as they did.

She kept her eye on them a little longer, before curiosity got the better of her, and she slowed her pace. As she fell behind the sorcery club, she could hear Zoe – who had still not really apologised - talking to the thin man.

' - Yeah, so then like, we have to get like, the most points, or else he gets kicked out, or something.'

'The drama!' The thin man's voice was deep – resonating. It also felt just a little...off? To Lux. She frowned, but cleared her throat and smile as she turned to the group.

'Hey guys,' She said, nodding especially to Ekko. She purposefully ignored Sylas and Ez. 'How's it going so far?'

'Bad,' Zoe grumbled, but Ekko shrugged.

'We might be onto something.' Ekko said.

Ez nodded, grinning at Lux. 'Yeah, we have a sure-fire win here.'

Lux was, for whatever reason, especially conscious of how Ez was talking. It was good that he was at least doing it – a week or so of furtive looks had gotten pretty annoying – but now she didn't fully know how to respond to him. Did she just...ignore it? Did she acknowledge it?

She didn't know, so she just smiled and pushed it out of mind. 'I'm here to help in whatever way I can!'

'Blegh.' Zoe said. Irelia, who had remained quiet so far, chopped her on the head.

'Anyway,' Ez said, still grinning. 'This is Khada, or Jhin, what do you go by actually?'

'I prefer Khada, but Jhin is who I truly am.'

'Right, cool, so Jhin, and that's Taij. We met them on the train – they're actors.'

'I am but a mere member of the backstage crew.' Jhin said, a little too earnestly.

The bigger man – Taij – scoffed. 'Sure. Without you, half our shows wouldn't nearly as well. Give yourself some credit, Jhin.'

Lux hummed. Actors? She liked film, but from the word backstage, she guessed this was more about theatre. Not that she disliked theatre, per se, but she'd never really gone out of her way to see a show before. That was more Garen's thing. 'What do you guys perform?'

'That's actually a perfect segue,' Taij smiled. He tapped Jhin on the shoulder with a light elbow, smile edging into a grin. 'Go on, tell 'em, you weirdo.'

Jhin smiled broadly. 'Very well. Young Ezreal, Ekko, Zoe, and friends – For lending your help to me so selflessly, I have secured tickets for you all to our show on friday!'

Ez's eyes widened. 'Wait, really?'

Ekko and Zoe, while certainly reacting, were pretty nonplussed. Irelia, on the other hand;

'What?! Damn, for free? Ezreal, trade with me. Wait, Ekko, you too, I'll need two -'

'Fear not, my lady!' Jhin continued, sweeping into a wide arc of his arms. Taij chuckled to the side. 'For I have had it arranged that everyone within your group – that is, all those visiting from Durandal – will be in attendance. You will all be given front-row – or failing that, the best possible - seats to the fourth show of the week!'

Everyone looked pretty stunned. Sylas, who had remained silent thus far, entered the conversation. 'Has this all been arranged already?'

Jhin bowed. 'I have contacted the relevant people personally. I can run down the evening, if you would like.'

'Ah, I was wondering why you two were allowed to tag along today.' Ekko said with a nod. 'Kinda smart, honestly.'

'Yeah, Jhin's idea – he wanted to visit the fragment anyway, and he'd mentioned getting you three at the show, so we managed to make it work.' Taij said.

'I see,' Sylas said with a nod. 'Well, I can't count this towards our actual goal, Ezreal, but this might be a wonderful way to end the week.' He turned to Lux with a smile. 'What are your thoughts, Luxanna?'

Lux coughed, trying not to freeze up, then she nodded. 'I love theatre.'

'Oh, excellent!' Jhin said. 'This will be a show you will never forget.'

The mountainpath continued on for a good while, winding upwards and deeper into gray hallways of stone that fluctuated greatly in terms of size. At times, the students would have to line into single file just to pass through, and at these times they slowed a ton.

Lux stayed with Ez and the others for the rest of the journey, but she felt as though that while they were jovial – as usual – there was a tinge of tension that very much wasn't fitting of the club.

Then they reached it – Labrys, the battle axe.

It was large, but not anywhere near as large as Durandal.

Labrys was hidden mostly underground – the only visible part of the weapon a small cut of silver sticking out from the side of the mountain, the edge of the axe's blade. Well, small wasn't really the word – Lux supposed that she was just using that as a mental comparison. The 'small' section of gleaming silver she could see still towered above her, and ran a ways across the thin valley. As they came closer, the shade cast by the metal created a sudden pocket of darkness that only seemed to make it appear larger.

The guiding officer stopped the group as they approached the ridge, turning and holding up a hand. She waited for everyone to come to a full halt, then spoke in a clear, commanding voice that carried even to where Lux stood.

'Beyond here is the God-weapon, Labrys. We don't know much about it, and we don't want to take any risks that we don't have to. Stay close, and what I say, goes. Understood?'

A loud response of mixed affirmations rang out, and she nodded.

To her side, Ez spoke up. 'Do you know her or something, Prez? She was giving you the stink eye.'

'Not important, kid. Mind your own business.' Was the reply.

The girl then dismissed them, leaving the students to their instructor's discretion. Sylas told them they had an hour, and people dispersed. Lux looked to Ekko and Ez, both of whom staring at Labrys in awe.

She smiled. 'Shall we?'

The boys nodded.

'I have an idea.' Ezreal said.

Ekko turned his gaze away from the giant axe to him. 'About the thief?'

'No – we'll deal with that later. Hear me out; do you think there's a petricite room in there?'

'Petricite?'

'The white wood,' Ezreal quickly relayed to Ekko and Lux what Graves had told him. 'If we find something like that -'

' - And we show it to Dregbourne -

' - "Valuable research" -'

' - Points, get.'

Ezreal grinned.

'It's simple, but it's not a bad idea,' Lux said. She had a notebook in her hands, along with a sketching pencil and the bare outlines of Labrys. 'But I don't know, you'd have to first even find an entrance inside the weapon.'

'What do you mean?' Ekko said. It came out as whad'ya mean?

'Well, no one's found one yet. I've even heard a theory that this God-weapon isn't even hollow – that it's just a solid block.'

Ezreal frowned. 'Oh.' But then it clicked, the answer was so simple He raised an arm victoriously. 'Then all we gotta do is find that!'

Ekko mirrored the gesture, but his grin was a little strained. 'That's what we like to hear!'

With a soft hum, Lux closed her notebook. 'It's an idea, I suppose.'

Out of the corner of his eye, Ezreal found himself looking at Lux. Well, looking might not have been the word – staring would be more apt. But he really wasn't.

She'd seemed a little off yesterday on the train, and even now. It was like she was holding him at a distance, like you would use a stick to push a dog out at night. His mind drifted to what Zoe had shouted during the train ride;

"You can't have him!"

He frowned. Firstly, what Zoe meant, he didn't even want to think about, and second, what did Lux make of it? Did she think Zoe and him were an item? He scoffed at the thought.

Worse, did she know he liked her?

He froze.

No way, right.

Lux noticed his gaze, and she awkwardly smiled back. He averted his eyes.

So they set about looking for a door. Wading through the sea of students, the three scanned the exposed side of the axe. Despite nature taking it's toll on the weapon – vines and overgrowth hung off the metal, twisting and parasitic in their formation – the edge was every bit as sharp as a razor.

Unsurprisingly, they didn't find anything. An hour came and went, and with their time almost up, Ekko collapsed onto a flat-enough rock with an exhausted sigh.

'Damnit.'

Ezreal grimaced, staring up at the gleaming surface. 'I don't understand.'

'It was a long shot, after all.' Lux said.

Sneaking another glance at her, he could swear he could feel an awkward wall between them. He turned away quickly, focus on the task at hand.

He frowned, looking at the flat edge of the axe. There had to be something – a piece that they were missing.

'I'll just look one more time.' He said. Ekko just shrugged, and Lux pursed her lips in a 'if you insist' type of expression.

Ezreal walked up to the weapon, past a couple of older students sketching it out. There had to be an entrance, right? These things were sentient, even if the majority of Labrys was deep within the mountain.

With a sigh, he leaned onto the flat metal.

…

Nothing.

'Hey, blonde kid!' Someone called from behind him. 'Time to go!'

He panned his vision up. He'd half-expected – or hoped - to have some sort of vision again, for a repeat of that moment in the petricite room. But, he supposed, no dice this time.

Well, the God-weapons weren't magic. He pushed himself off, and started to walk back to his friends, ready to leave.

Then he felt it.

At first it was just a slight tingle, a sudden itch, but across his entire body. No, not across. Under. In. It was like something was inside him, uninvited. Then it moved, shifting under his skin – slimy, alien. Crawling. Yes, crawling was the word – crawling and coiling and creeping -

Ezreal shivered violently, shutting his eyes.

Inside

Eyes shot open. The crawling sensation was gone, replaced with...serenity? He felt calm. And he knew, just knew – yes, inside Labrys, there was a secret.

What that secret was, he wasn't sure. But he knew he had to come back.

'You what?' Ekko deadpanned. They were whispering.

'I know it sounds a little crazy, but -'

'A little, yeah.'

Ezreal sighed. The students had been lead back to the Inn, then allowed to continue working on their tasks until seven, when they would be served dinner. After that they had free time.

It was dinner now. Ezreal and Ekko had split up for the afternoon shift – they'd technically finished the request at the docks, and they couldn't really put off their actual assignments for a hunch. Ezreal had helped with some kids setting up a sign, then did some maintenance on the bridge, and a few other miscellaneous tasks that had tired him out to no end.

Now back in the bar-slash-restaurant, seated at the more restaurant-leaning side, the battle club sat at the end of a long table. Irelia cleared her throat, and Ekko hushed Ezreal.

'So,' Irelia said, one hand keeping Zoe from bouncing out of her chair. 'How did we do?'

Yasuo shrugged, shooting a furtive glance somewhere away. He frowned, then sighed. 'I can't believe she's here.' He was grumbling, and Ezreal barely caught his whisper among the noise of the hall.

'Yasuo, topic at hand?' Irelia said.

'Right,' he sighed. 'Braum and I knocked out three, along with an extra task with Dregs.'

Irelia nodded, and took her hand off of Zoe's head. 'I managed four, and Zoe two.'

'Yeppers!'

'Ezreal?'

'Between Ekko and I, we did six.'

Irelia nodded. 'Okay, so in total -'

'Sixteen!' Zoe said. 'Can we just eat now? I'm hungry.'

'Just let the gremlin,' Yasuo said, taking a bite out of his own. 'I'm pretty beat, too.'

Hesitatantly, Irelia shrugged and nodded. The group began eating, but Ezreal felt stiff. Was sixteen good? Bad? He peeked over at the gathering of sorcery club students -

They were all laughing, jovial. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he didn't really try to listen in. They probably weren't talking about the tasks, anyway.

Why would they be?

He slumped forward into his chair, and let out a deep sigh. He wanted to be enjoying himself. In the shadow of his mind's eye, he replayed the confrontation that got him into this mess. And god he looked stupid. In the heat of the moment – it'd felt like the right thing to do. A real hero play.

But his time as a hero was probably over. And it hadn't even actually begun. Expulsion?

There were the beginnings of an ache in the front of his head.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he slowly turned to look. Ekko looked at him with a – comforting? - smile.

'You okay?'

Ezreal nodded, and breathed out. It came out slow, and he rode it, sitting up. 'Yeah, no issues. Peachy.'

Ekko retracted his hand with a shrug. 'I can see. Don't worry about Labrys – there'll be other opportunities.'

Inside - Inside

Ezreal blinked, then shook his head, suddenly sure of something.

'I'll find it.'

'What?' Ekko snorted, side-eyeing him. 'You mean, the room or the entrance?'

'Look, just believe me on this. If I go back, alone, I'll find it.'

Ekko raised an eyebrow, eyeing the plates of food in front of them. 'When would you even have a chance to do that? Before that, even, why would they let you do that?'

'I don't know, okay?' He said, taking a look around to make sure no one was overhearing. Yasuo, Zoe, and Irelia were picking away at their meals, Irelia and Yasuo lost in thought. It wasn't likely Zoe was listening in – she was wolfing down her meal. Ezreal fixed Ekko with a serious glare. 'I'll think of something.'

Shrug. 'Okay, but first – we should deal with the thief problem. What do we do? If we wait too long, they'll split.'

Nod. 'Yeah, so we go tonight, after lights out. Do you remember how to get there?'

'I mean, I can try,' Ekko said. It was his turn to send a sweeping gaze over the hall, his mouth curved into a distasteful scowl. 'We could ask Lux to help.'

Ezreal considered this – it was tempting. Not only was Lux strong and reliable, she'd probably be willing to help out, too. But something, a little nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach – like a hot wire being tied into a coil, then straightened, then wrapped up again – kept him from it. He shook his head. 'No, just us.'

'What? You're turning down Lux coming along? Don't you wanna get in her pants?' Ekko's voice was mocking, and he was smiling.

'Okay, first of all -'

'Yeah, yeah, kidding. Fine, just us. Next question – what's the plan?'

'We go there, we catch them. Easy.'

Ekko rolled his eyes. 'Sure, easy. What guarantee they'll even be sticking around now? If it were me, I'd've split the second I knew I'd been discovered.'

'I have a theory,' Ezreal said, tapping his pocket. 'But once again, you'll just have to trust me on this.'

'Dude, why are you being cryptic? Do we need this?'

Shrugging, Ezreal began to eat his food.

A few hours later and it was lights out in the Clearwater Inn.

It wasn't hard to sneak out of the Inn itself, Ekko seemed to know the exact pathing of the teachers who were on patrol, and proudly lead them out into the night.

Unfortunately, Qiyana was waiting for them in an alleyway.

Ekko's smile vanished the second he saw her, as did Ezreals'. She, on the other hand, simply pushed off the wall, blade lazily at the ready.

'And why are you here?' Ezreal asked.

'To help you two, obviously.' She said.

Obviously.

'Obviously,' Ekko said, trying to walk past her. 'But as we said earlier, we don't need your help.'

'And as I said, I will not allow a lowly thief to humiliate me like this. So, I am joining you.'

'How'd you even know we'd be here, anyway? Stalker, much?'

'I happened to overhear you discuss your plans at dinner.'

'Overhear our whispers. Yeah, okay, bull, you damn -'

Sensing another round of verbal ping-pong coming, Ezreal stepped between them. 'Okay, cool. More the merrier, I suppose. Do you remember the way?'

Qiyana ignored Ekko's indignant stare – though she did smirk, a little twitch at the edge of her lips – and nodded. 'Of course. Follow.'

Shooting Ekko an apologetic smile, Ezreal fell behind their tag-along.

It didn't take long to reach the hole in the fences, and Qiyana lead the way through quietly. In the full darkness of night, Ezreal wished his powers included night-vision.

Qiyana stopped, staying low and poised. 'Here.'

Ezreal nodded, crouching next to her. He listened, nothing. No light, which meant there was no fire – maybe the theif had already abandoned the camp site. He really hoped that wasn't true, but he tapped his pocket, feeling the slight weight. He hoped he was right.

'They are here,' Qiyana said, almost a whisper. Even with her voice so low, she still managed to sound like a bitch. 'I will capture them, you two make sure the exit is secure.'

They nodded.

Quietly and with the grace of a cat, Qiyana slunk forward, the vines and leaves of the woods seeming to weld around her. She inched closer, the curtain of bush still hanging -

Then it split, and they were looking at the campsite.

Inside was a figure, but it wasn't Harnes, as Ezreal predicted. As he hadn't predicted, it was a scrawny girl, eyes wide with shock at the sudden disturbance. In the darkness of night, Ezreal couldn't make out much more than that, but he saw a tail. This was their culprit.

'Let's go,' he said to Ekko, who nodded. They both moved to the sides of the exit.

Qiyana wasted no time. She flew forward, ring blade at the ready, it's edges burning a molten red, momentarily providing a source of light.

The girl jumped up, yelped, then disappeared. Vanished. Qiyana stopped landed where the girl had stood, throwing her eyes around the stage in confusion. She then locked on a spot, and extended her blade forward. A rush of red expunged itself from her blade, lighting a line of light before crashing into the girl.

Except the figure of the girl phased out, red colliding with a formation of forestry behind it. Qiyana stood back, confused, then spun around as a yell came from behind her.

'Look out!' Ekko called, jumping through the entrance after Qiyana, bat in hand.

Qiyana reacted too late, the real figure of the girl sweeping it's tail at Qiyana's legs, knocking her down. She twisted to recover, but the girl launched a blob of green energy after Qiyana's falling form. It landed on her stomach, exploded, and seemed to grow, then blew again. Qiyana let out a shocked shout, clutching at the attack. It didn't look deadly, but it didn't look pretty.

Ekko yelled, swinging his bat as the girl recovered from her apparent expenditure of energy. Her eyes swung to Ekko, widened, then she stepped back, narrowly avoiding the swing. She spun, tail glowing, then launched a wave of bright green energy towards him.

Ekko didn't react in time, and it passed through him. Unlike Qiyana, Ekko froze – as if he'd been rooted to the spot. He grunted, Ezreal could see his friend's limbs twitch, trying to break free.

This wasn't going well, Ezreal surmised.

His turn to bat, he shifted in, firing off a Mystic shot at her. She dodged, messily, then stopped. Ezreal came out of his shift, and they stared at each other for a moment. Other than the sounds of pain coming from the other two, it was dead silent.

Ezreal breathed in. This was important, he couldn't let her get away.

The girl stayed where she was. Her eyes – holding on Ezreal – suddenly snapped to his pocket, then they narrowed. Ezreal smiled. He'd been right.

'Come and get it.' He said.

The girl yelled, and leapt forward. Ezreal shifted to the side, then spun and fired off a Mystic Shot. This one landed on the girl's falling figure, hitting her square on the side. She yelped, but recovered into a standing position.

Taking his chance, Ezreal shifted in, reaching out a hand to catch her – but just before he could, she vanished, again. He skidded to a stop, head spinning both sides. Where'd she go?

Both sides, apparently, as two identical figures retreated on both sides. But Ezreal had seen this with Qiyana – one of them was an illusion.

He quickly flung a Mystic Shot towards both, listening. Only the one to his left, the figure heading towards the exit, made a sound of impact, followed by a yelp of surprise. Not even looking at the other shot, he shifted at her.

She spun around, terror now mixed in with the anger on her face. She raised her tail to Ezreal, who stopped just in time to avoid a strike.

Another moment of pause, both parties staring each other down. Ezreal was panting – he needed to finish this. He had to, otherwise he'd never go back to the school, never get to use his powers again, never get to become anything -

The girl took the respite and started running towards the exit into the forest. If she got there, it was over; Ezreal wouldn't be able to keep up.

Mystic shot. He missed. Another, just wide of her head.

She was close to freedom now.

Use my power

Ezreal grunted, then inhaled sharply – a wave of energy filling him. He threw himself forward. Right before they would have connected, the girl twisted on her heel, spinning into a tail-whip aimed directly at his chest.

Let me flow through you

The tail seemed to swing in slow motion, Ezreal grimaced. He reached in deep, allowing the well of power – foreign, yet familiar – to bubble to the surface.

Our power

The world seemed to slow to a halt. Ezreal looked around, confused for a moment -

Your power

Then it was as if this was the most normal thing in the world. It was calm. Peaceful. His vision was better, brighter, sharper. The black of night became a light blue, everything clear. There was no sound, a total silence hung in the frozen snapshot of time. He looked around. He could see the girl, tail mid-swing. Ekko, rooted to the spot, Qiyana, laying down and clutching her side, face contorted in annoyed pain. Sparks from where Qiyana's blade had struck – cascading molten red in frozen embers.

He stepped back calmly. World still to Ezreal, he causally paced to the side. He stopped, getting a good look at the girl. Save for her face, her skin was a collage of green and purples, almost scaly in it's reflective shine. Her hair was a similar shade, blending from dark to light in much the same shades as her skin. He noted the look of rage on her face. Interesting.

Ezreal tapped her side.

The next instant was explosive to Ezreal; everything unfroze with a physical weight – heightened senses taking in all the new sounds – but it seemed...right. He nodded, as the girl flew backwards as if she had been thrown.

Chase

He did. Time slowed again, and he was on top of her, still mid-flight. It was strange. It felt as if he was watching himself, that he wasn't fully in control.

Again

He pressed her stomach towards the ground.

Unfreeze. With a great yell, the girl slammed into the dirt. She yelped, then spluttered, then groaned. Ezreal stared down, fascinated.

Finish it

He stared. She wasn't moving, save for small twitches. He crouched down, fist raised -

'- give Neeko back - !' She said, quiet and rasping.

For some reason, this gave Ezreal pause. 'Give?' His voice sounded like it wasn't coming from him, somewhere distant.

'You take,' she coughed, opening her eyes and weakly clawing at Ezreal's pocket. 'Give...'

Ezreal stared down at the girl, then slowly towards his pocket. The necklace. Curious, he fished it out, gauntleted hand still raised in a fist. He held the other out, necklace grasped. The girl made a sound.

'Give..!' She was trying to flail her arm towards it.

'What the hell?' Ekko's voice.

And suddenly Ezreal's senses crashed into him. His vision was dark, his hearing dampened. It felt like they retreated, sucking themselves back inside somewhere – a void. It hurt. He staggered, fist failing and clutching at the sudden pain in his head. Then it was gone, and he felt normal.

Except, he looked down at the girl, and he didn't feel normal.

She was a child, no older than him.

He felt his stomach tighten. He did that?

Moving on their own, his hands placed the necklace into hers - she took it, and hugged it close. She breathed, relieved.

Ekko suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, and he they locked eyes, Ekko's concerned and Ezreal's confused. 'You okay?'

He nodded blankly.

Removing his hand, Ekko frowned down at the girl, then back at Ezreal. 'What..was that?'

Ezreal didn't know. 'My powers.'

'Your hair – it wasn't -'

Qiyana, still clutching at her side, staggered beside them. 'It was sufficient, at any rate. Come – let us take her in.'

Grimacing at the girl, whose eyes were now closed, Ezreal shook his head. 'She's just a kid. We can't take her in.'

Ignoring Qiyana's indignant scoff, he just stared down at how utterly thin the girl was. Her cheeks were, while not gaunt, haggard, and the outline of ribs were poking from under skin. She was also covered in bruises, but Ezreal couldn't look away.

'So you are saying,' Qiyana began, voice rising. 'That we were to go through all this trouble, and at the end of it – this thief walks free?'

'Princess, have some empathy, for the love of the light.' Ekko said.

Ezreal just shook his head, eyes still on the girl. 'Look at her. She's clearly alone, young, and barely conscious.'

'And whose fault is that?' Qiyana spat, and Ezreal frowned. He was guilty, yes, but more than that – he just felt wrong. Maybe he was projecting - in denial - but he didn't feel like it was him who had beaten her so badly. Not entirely. The feeling from inside Labrys, the crawl under his skin, washed over him in a phantom of disgust. He shook his head.

'We can't.'

'I cannot believe you two. In Ixtal, we would have this criminal -'

'Yeah, but we're not in Ixtal, are we?' Ekko spat, standing. He flicked his phone on, the sudden light causing him to wince back. 'We're here. And here, we have some basic human decency.'

Qiyana stood, and she looked like she'd been slapped. 'And just what, exactly, are you implying?'

'That you're a stuck-up, archaic bit-'

'Guys,' Ezreal said, tired and ashamed, but also sick of the bickering. He tried to lift her, but it was hard. She was surprisingly heavy. 'Just – stop. We're done here. Let's take her to the hotel, they have an infirmary.'

Ekko shot a final, disgusted look at Qiyana, then leaned to help Ezreal. Qiyana just stared, now fixing her eyes on Ezreal.

'Do you not need opportunities like this to stay within the school?'

Ezreal froze for a moment – he'd completely forgotten. But that freeze left as quickly as it came, looking down at the figure he and Ekko held. He shrugged.

'I'll make another chance.'

Ekko nodded. 'Damn straight.'

Confused, that was the look on Qiyana's face. But not angry. Ekko purposefully ignored her, and for once she didn't bother with any aggressive comments. She just stared, lagged quietly behind, and didn't utter a single word further as the four made their way back into Needlebrook.

This is the first fight Ezreal has actually won in this story, isn't it? And even then, won is a strong word. Rip, my guy, that one's really on me.

The next chapter will be the last one in this arc probably, but it definitely won't take this long to be done. Ex dee. Thank you for your patience