"Hmm? What? Sorry, Lux. I was somewhere else." He scratched a waving rune into the air that vaguely resembled a beast with its jaws gaping wide. "See, the rune for Serigal, my tribe, is the same for wolf in the ancient texts. I'm called 'Desolate Wolf' because wanderers from my tribe are incredibly rare, especially up the Great Barrier; that, and because I'm really good at fighting."

"Someone's modest. You sure you're good, dog?" Shyvana laughed but there was no venom in her voice.

After a brief brunch for Eniah, the three strolled down to the palace gates and the city beyond. Lux stopped them at what looked like a spiderweb of sapphires embedded into a statue outline of the city.

"Look here, the golden orb is where we are. These warp statues are located at every major square around the city and will let even non-magicians teleport from place to place for convenience. It also makes defending the city easier in case the walls get breached."

"Wait, but wouldn't anyone be able to use these statues to move into the city too?" Shyvana asked.

"Technically yes, but only two houses have the right to sell these warp crystals," she said, holding out blue orbs inscribed with a rune that the Eniah recognized as 'space.' "Us Crownguards and the royal family, Lightshields, are the only families permitted to sell them and their manufacture is strictly regulated. Also, these orbs basically store mana and synchronize with the orbs on the statues to activate a preset spell so they can also run out of mana, which happens every ten to fifteen tries or so, depending on the distance."

Eniah whistled. "Wow, you guys really put a lot of thought into this."

"Of course, we even hired Taric to ask about the various properties of gems. So, we'll be going to the westernmost square, here." She pointed to a small blue orb near the pier. "That area has a lot of shops and restaurants based on seafood along with the main ports. You did say fish was fine right, Eniah?" She winked and held out an orb to each.

"R-right..."

Lux held the sphere to the map, making sure the two runes faced each other, and vanished. Shrugging, the two followed. Eniah could only describe the warp process as watching the world revolve while being torn from that plane of existence, then dropped off at another location while the world slowed to a stop. He involuntarily stumbled and saw Shyvana do the same. People immediately began to crowd around, whispering at the Crownguard crest on Lux's glove. They then noticed the Dragonborn and quickly backtracked to a safer distance.

"You're popular," Shyvana remarked.

"And you're not," Lux said with a giggle.

"Yeah, scales, horns, and grey skin have that effect on most people."

"Don't worry, Shyv, we're not most people," Eniah laughed.

Lux walked on ahead and motioned for them to follow, grateful for the break from her admirers. Walks weren't as fun when you had to stay invisible or take back alleys to keep from being crowed to death. After a brief tour of the various shops selling everything from fishing tackle to seafaring runic almanacs, they were stopped by a curious crowd gathered near the harbor. A flushed constable was busy trying to wave them away with many "Nothing to see"s and "Move along"s to little avail. Behind him, six sailors were dragging damp boxes off of what Lux recognized as a recovery vessel. The cargo held wisps of black smoke and sinister mana, as well as several bullet holes and hack marks. Lux tried to grab the constable's attention but her voice and small stature couldn't quite catch his eye. She looked imploringly at Shyvana. "Please?"

Shyvana rolled her eyes and took in a deep breath. Facing upwards as to not scorch anyone, she loosed a giant stream of fire along with a roar that left most of the crowd on the ground clutching their ears. She looked around with a glare and growled, "Silence," smoke still trailing her mouth. And silence there was. Instantly.

Lux, finally waving her family crest, cleared her throat and spoke, all signs of playfulness and childish charm gone. "All civilians, please forgive my friend but this is a government matter. My name is Luxanna Crownguard, a magician under the direct command of the king. I ask that you calmly leave the area so that I and my colleagues can work in the most beneficial manner for you all. More detailed news of this event shall be relayed to you all once the Council can properly determine the nature of this occasion. Until then, please grant us your patience. Thank you for your cooperation." The crowd dispersed rapidly, most of them still massaging their sore ears while Lux gave them her most radiant smile.

"E-excuse me, Lady Crownguard," the constable approached. "M-my name is Corporal Hughes and I would like to thank you for the help."

"Thank Shyvana, you owe her your gratitude, constable."

"R-right, thank you very much," he said, his smile shrinking by a few teeth as he met her eyes. He backed away slowly as she attempted her best winning grin, fangs and all. He quickly turned back to Lux. "I had no idea that the palace would send someone so quickly. I sent a messenger only two minutes ago."

"Oh no, they did not. Shyvana, Eniah, and I were just out for a leisurely stroll and thought you might require our assistance." Looking over the cargo the crew was dragging ashore, she added, "No doubt Prince Jarvan would like to post me in charge of the analysis of the cargo so if you don't mind, please take it to the forensics lab at the College of Magic." She removed her armband with the Crownguard seal and handed it to him. "Take this and show it to anyone who questions you. They should not hinder the business of the state. Please return the seal to Galio; he should be standing guard at the main gates of the College. He will assist you. Then, you may return to your patrols."

"Y-yes, milady." The constable bowed and walked to the crew to issue orders.

"I'm sorry guys, I guess I'll go tell J4 about his little problem. This stinks of necromancy so it might keep me busy a bit. Can you take the rest of this tour on your own?" She crinkled her nose and began chanting a spell to locate Jarvan.

"Sure, no problem. Tell us if you need help with anything. We both said we'd help in any way we could while we stayed and Eniah is surprisingly good with rune magic," Shyvana replied. Eniah nodded his assent. Lux smiled and vanished in a flash of light.

The two slowly walked back to the statue, trying their best to avoid the cautious stares. "How does Lux do it? She switches her personality constantly. I'd die trying to pull around so much bullshit," said Eniah.

"Agreed. I am a dragon. If anyone has a problem with me, I'd like them to say it."

"Say it, then burn, you mean," he chuckled.

"I would not," she sniffed, trying her best to sound indignant. "Perhaps a bit..."

They saw the familiar sight of the palace gates, the guards moving aside for them as they flashed the prince's seal. Hearing the clang of swords on shields, they grinned and made their way to the sparring grounds. Seeing one of the two men who survived Jarvan's journey, Eniah called out.

"Hey, Caleb, mind if we join you all?"

The veteran turned and grinned at Eniah and somewhat reservedly at Shyvana. "You two are always welcome to me, Wolf and Dragon. I am currently helping Captain Garen train his Vanguard. I believe you've met," he said, pointing to the man who had greeted them at the gates.

"Yes, we met with the king together," Shyvana said. "He seems powerful."

Walking over, Garen again introduced himself. "Please feel free to grab any weapons or armor you see around you. Would you mind accepting challenges from some of my men? They should grow more accustomed to different fighting styles." The two nodded their consent as Garen turned to bark at his men.

Two of his men soon came forward as the rest gathered to watch. "Will you pick up your weapons?" One of the called. Eniah focused his mind and called to his twin kris. They appeared with a shimmering silver light.

Shyvana simply cracked her knuckles and said, "I am a Dragonborn. I require nothing."

"Very well, suit yourselves. This match will end when one yields. Any and all skills are permitted. Is that agreeable, Captain?"

Nodding consent to begin, Garen moved aside as Eniah and one of the soldiers started to circle each other. Let's not kill him, yeah? Freki, Geri. He pulled the waving blades from their scabbards. One held an obsidian handle with a reddish metal the men had not seen before. In the same red, the rune for "greed" was inscribed onto the central guard. The other had a marble guard with a faded jade inscription that read "hunger."

One of the men immediately lunged for Eniah, sword positioned for his chest but Geri was already there, the waves of the kris amplifying the vibrations of the clash and forcing the man's wrist to weaken. Eniah took the opportunity to duck, taking a step far out to the side and turning Freki towards the man's hamstrings. His opponent swapped his footing instantly and began to wildly swing his sword with both hands, trying to gain some distance. So he's that type of fighter... It seems like he'll lose his wits in a real battle. Eniah caught the broadsword in both kris, turning it away and dashing to his opponent again.

The man lifted the pommel of his sword to deflect a strike that never came. Eniah instantly sent mana surging through his blades and plunged them into a ground, howling into the setting sun and releasing a shockwave of pure mana that smashed through the man's armor, throwing him to the nearest wall. Many of his spectators were also on the ground, caught unawares by the sudden change in battle tactics. Eniah walked over and helped the man up. "Any and all skills are permitted, right?"

The man grinned and shook his head. "Yeah, that was my fault..."

"Let's move out for Shyvana. It won't take long."

"My friend's better than me, you know."

"Perhaps, but Shyvana isn't as great at holding back."

"You were holding back?" The guard looked surprised.

"Haha, I'd imagine he was," said Caleb stepping beside them. "When we met him in Icathia, the prince had all twelve of us with him. we mistook him for a bandit and attacked, and paid dearly for it. Of the ten that died, six died at the Shurima Desert. Four by him, and the two others because they were so badly maimed from the battle. If the prince hadn't stopped us, our journey may as well have ended there."

"... Thank you for holding back, then," the soldier said gruffly and walked away.

Turning to the battle, they saw Shyvana bat the sword away with the condensed scales on her forearms, the man growing wearier by the second. Finally, looking bored, she encased her arm in fire and struck, tearing through his breastplate and leaving four large burning gashes across his chest. The smell of burnt leather, skin, and flesh filled the air as the soldier screamed in pain. Shyvana looked on guiltily as a stretcher was hurriedly called for.

"Eniah, teach me to hold back more..."

"Done."


A/N: Tell me how the battle scene went, though I didn't quite feel like having them kill someone in a sparring match. Wow... I have a lot of time on my hands...