Author's Note: I'll be honest, I had no idea where to go with this story after the last chapter. I have plenty of story arcs planned, but I'm missing the middle part, aka this part lol. So after I used my dartboard to pick a storyline I came up with this, enjoy!
League belongs to Riot, as do their characters, original characters belong to me, usual disclaimer stuff.
Chapter 4: Accusations and Admissions
Blue team double kill!
Blue team triple kill!
"Come on Vi, just one more..." Bane muttered under his breath as he watched the holo-screen in front of him with Summoners Arrow, Dispanic, and Vriska. They were watching a match between Piltover and Bilgewater over some fishing issue, Bane wasn't really paying attention to that part. All that mattered to him was that Vi, Fizz, and Caitlyn all got a quadra kill, and that Singed ended with a positive kill to death average by the end of the match.
"Damn it Bane, are you gambling again?" Summoner Amaryllis said, as she peered over his shoulder, grabbing for the piece of paper in Bane's left hand. Relenting, she saw that Bane had also wagered that Jinx would evade capture four times, which had happened, but he missed on number of dragons killed.
Blue team quadra kill!
"Yes!" Bane exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air as Vriska laughed, Dispanic shook his head, and Arrow just drank his cider. "Oh, and yeah, just to get my fix," Bane replied, holding his left hand up above his head, making open and close motions. "Gimme, I want my money."
Amaryllis sighed, but gave Bane back the tote card. "Its stuff like this that makes women leave you, you know that right?"
"Why do you think he does it?" Vriska said, while he and the guys laughed. Amaryllis crossed her arms, unimpressed by Vriska's joke.
"Hey, times are tough, those fancy dinners we went on didn't come cheap," Bane said as he finished his drink and got up from the table. "Besides, most of the girls I date aren't Demacians that are strictly bound to that Measured Tread of yours," Bane patted her on the shoulder as he passed, waving to his friends as he headed off to collect his winnings.
"Shut up and go already," Amaryllis said to his departing back before turning and joining Arrow, Vriska, and Dispanic at their table. The match was finishing up, with the Piltover team winning in the end.
"Ugh, I don't get him some days, and you three, why do you let him be like that?" Amaryllis demanded of Bane's friends, who all shared a look before Vriska spoke.
"Well, I'm Ionian, Dispanic's Piltovian, and Arrow's Avarosan, so...we don't care!" he said with a laugh, downing his drink and setting it on the table. "It's simple girl, he does as he pleases, just as we do. We accept him for the fun-loving, tail-chasing, pain in the ass that he is. And, most importantly, he buys us drinks when he's drunk!"
"Vriska, come on, he's a good guy, he's always there when we've needed his help," Arrow said as he got up.
"Yeah, but he's been pretty distant ever since we became full-fledged Summoners. You know why that is Arrow?" Dispanic asked.
"Not sure, I've been busy representing the Avarosan, things aren't really settled between the three tribes. That and trying to add a few harder to find Champions to my roster that suit my skills."
"Pfft, more likely trying to get close to your queen, you always work with her when you're with me bot lane. Chill about her, besides, all of the other Champions you've worked with so far are women, get to know them better," Vriska said, getting up to follow Arrow. "Come on, she's your queen, married to..." Vriska's voice trailed off as he and Arrow left Amaryllis's hearing.
Dispanic got up as well, leaving a tip on the table. "We're friends Amaryllis, regardless of where we're from or how we act. You should give the guy some credit, despite how it ended between you two," he said, before leaving as well, catching up with and talking to Wukong as they both left the cafeteria.
Amaryllis sat there for a moment before putting her head in her hands, looking down at the table. She sighed before she quietly said "how can he have such loyal friends, but cause such pain in others?"
"You know, I was happier when that Amaryllis chick had you under control, I was able to make money here," said a wheezing voice from behind a slatted door in a back alley behind the cafeteria. "You show up, make some of the craziest bets and almost always win them, I don't get it."
"Cry me a freakin river Joe, then maybe I'll care," Bane said as he counted his winnings, making sure the old guy didn't short change him again. The count was good, over a thousand gold in neat little rolls.
"I'll see you in a month Joe, I'm sure you'll have recovered by then," Bane walked off, hearing Joe slide the latch of his door in place behind him.
Bane walked out into the afternoon sun and made his way onto one of the courtyards between the many dorms and the cafeteria. He could see many Summoners and Champions on a break, relaxing on a rare warm day or studying the new changes that the League was implementing soon.
He could see Annie and Amumu playing with Lulu under one of the large trees, while Lee Sin appeared to be teaching a class. Alistar was talking with Rammus by a small pond, while Nami soaked her tail listening to Taric explain some gemstone properties. In the distance, Bane could see Ezreal and Lux, but they didn't seem too happy, so he ignored it.
Bane started across the courtyard, waving to Annie and Amumu, both of whom had signed his book already, as had Nami and Rammus. He thought about stopping under the tree where the yordles and children were playing, but Vi and Caitlyn entered the courtyard across from him and spotted him.
Vi started jogging her way over to Bane while Caitlyn hung back, talking with another Summoner. Bane feigned that he didn't notice her approach, but Vi could tell from the occasional glance...and the growing smirk that he always wore when they talked.
"Hey Bane, whatcha up to lately?" Vi asked, slapping Bane on the shoulder with one of her massive gauntlets. As usual, Bane buckled from the force, but was able to stay standing.
Rolling his shoulder, Bane turned to face Vi, smirk in place as he checked her out. She was still in her Officer outfit from her match and the Harrowing had just come to an end. The pants on the outfit were incredibly tight in his mind, as was the low cut black top and blue jacket that was form fitted around her chest. Her usual homemade gauntlets were replaced with much smoother ones with traditional blue and red lights of law enforcement.
"Not much, just won some money off your impressive performance earlier," Bane replied, jingling the bag of gold he had just gotten. "Thank goodness you got that last minute quadra kill or I'd be down two hundred gold."
"Making money off my success now, you should be giving me a cut of that cash then," Vi said with a chuckle, making a grab for the bag, which Bane dangled out of reach.
"Ah ah ah, the only way women get free money from me is through dinners, jewelry and lingerie," Bane teased. "So, Lucia's then right? We can work out the other two later."
"Only if you tell me what you meant two weeks ago when you said 'Hell again'."
"Well, it was more of a-"
"Summoner Bane Heldian," a deep, echoing voice said from behind Bane's thigh. Bane turned around to see a massive scorpion made out of purple crystals looking up at him. The scorpions head was the same height as Bane's waist, but what drew his attention was the massive blue crystal for a stinger that arced over the scorpion's back and swayed through the air at Bane's eye level.
"Greetings Skarner, a pleasure to meet you at last," Bane said, nodding his head to the Crystal Vanguard. Skarner nodded in greeting as well. "I haven't seen you in many matches lately, hopefully the coming changes will be favourable for you."
"Thank you Summoner. I am also changing how my skills can be used, but that takes time for the Head Summoners to approve."
"Please, call me Bane, and I would love to work with you in the future, would you mind signing my book?"
"Certainly," Skarner replied as Bane opened his black book and Skarner placed the tip of his stinger on a blank page, his crystal code appearing on it. "But there is an issue that the Judicator wishes to speak to you about. Kayle awaits you in her office. Good day," He said, before walking on.
"Ooooo, you're in trouble, guess I'll have to bring you in," Vi taunted, punching her left fist into her right palm. "We can do this the hard way, or...no, wait, there's just the hard way," she said, grinning like mad.
Bane slowly backed away, hands raised in surrender. "Oh shit, can't I choose the good cop instead? I don't mind fuzzy cuffs," Bane replied, indicating towards Caitlyn, who was walking over.
"That's not nearly as fun, so let's go see Kayle already," Vi said as she practically chased Bane out of the courtyard, Bane barely keeping out of range of her swinging fists, smiling as well as he taunted her the whole way.
"I believe you know why I asked you here, Summoner Bane Heldian," said the golden armoured woman sitting behind the large desk. Kayle's white wings were folded behind her, with her sword and helmet placed on a shelf behind her. Her blue eyes looked across at Bane, her golden blonde hair kept neatly out of her vision as she studied the Summoner.
Bane was looking pretty roughed up for it only have been a short walk from the courtyard to her office. What she didn't know was that Bane had made a bad joke about Vi having fat hands. "I have a hunch, but please, go on," he said, crossing his arms with a slight grimace.
"Very well. You know that all concerns, complaints, and problems are dealt with through my office and the people who work with me. This particular accusation is very troubling, hence why I've asked you here personally."
Bane merely nodded before he took a seat, settling himself in before Kayle continued. "Summoner Coplin is saying you are responsible for his condition. And his condition is not good."
"I don't understand. What is Coplin's condition and that he would blame me for it?"
"He sustained severe injuries to his trapezoid muscles and clavicles the night of the graduation ceremony. He was found the following morning, barely alive from his injuries," Kayle said, pausing to study Bane for any signs of a reaction. Bane didn't move, taking a more relaxed position. "Coplin is undergoing magical treatment, but currently he cannot use his arms without a Puppeteer spell."
"Sounds like a debilitating injury, but I don't see how I could have had anything to do with it," Bane stated, gesturing with his hand.
"He said it himself that you approached him in that alleyway, he defended himself, and then you used an unknown spell to cripple him."
"And I can confirm that I approached him, he attacked me with a pair of fireballs, and that I left because of it."
Kayle stared at Bane, who matched her gaze. After a minute, Kayle continued. "While we believe Coplin will make a full recovery, it was discovered that his wounds were filled with Infernal energy, which was impeding the healing process for some time."
Bane's eyes widened at word 'Infernal', which Kayle raised an eyebrow too. "Infernal energy you say? Does this have anything to do with Nasus then, as he is the most recent Champion to have been influenced by it," Bane said, returning to a neutral appearance.
"No, Nasus has been accounted for. While he is not pleased by his new susceptibility to Infernal energy, he is not the first."
"And this had nothing to do with the Harrowing having just ended recently?"
"It's not impossible, but difficult to prove. Whether or not you are telling the truth isn't."
Bane paused for a moment before responding. "While the Institute has its Reflection Chamber for learning the truth of a prospective Champions past, many Summoners train both with and against its influence. It also requires the authority of several Senior Summoners to use. Without evidence against me, they will not act."
Kayle looked at Bane, who was lounging in his seat, apparently bored with the proceedings. "While true, there was another incident that night with two individuals having gotten into a battle with some Champions that we are also looking into. If you have any information on that, or wish to change your statement concerning Coplin, please come see me again. Until then, I must ask you to leave, I have other issues to deal with."
Bane nodded before getting up and leaving Kayle's office. He closed the door behind him, but Kayle, could her Vi's voice before the two moved down the hallway, asking Bane what had happened inside.
"He's hiding something," a higher-pitched woman's voice said from behind Kayle. Kayle looked over her shoulder to see a smaller, blonde haired woman appear out of thin air with a wave of her baton. The newcomer was wearing a navy blue jump suit with a silver chest plate, pauldrons, bracers, and boots.
"I agree Luxanna, and he was good at avoiding saying any incriminating. There is nothing for the League to pursue concerning him, as it's Coplin's word against his own," Kayle replied, pulling another piece of from the pile on her desk.
"It's Lux, please. And that's why you let me eavesdrop I'm guessing? Since the League can't officially investigate, and Demacia wants more information on these events as well," the woman called Lux said, crossing her arms.
"It benefits us both, and should we meet on occasion and learn more about these strange occurrences, then so be it."
"Sure thing Kayle, but I better go catch up to him, Noxus is making moves as well I hear."
"I'm sure. Be careful Luxanna."
"It's Lux!" Lux said angrily before stomping out of Kayle's office, leaving Kayle to chuckle as she looked at the form in her hand. Oh for the love of, another cry for Rumble to have a new costume...
"I'm not saying anything!"
"I love it when bad guys say that," the sound of Vi cracking her knuckles echoing down the hallway. Bane kept a brisk pace as he occasional checked over his shoulder, Vi following with that menacing grin of hers.
Bane turned around to face Vi, backpedaling as she caught up to him. "Fine, fine, I'll talk, no more punches."
Vi sighed, dropping her hands to her hips. "Spill, what's going on with you that has everyone checking you out?"
"Didn't figure you for the jealous type Vi. Scared someone else is going to ask me out first?" Bane said, sticking out his tongue. He quickly regretted it as Vi quickly grabbed it between two of her gauntleted fingers. "Uh, pleaf let go, thas not nithe."
"Enough with the games, I want answers!" Vi said, drawing a fist back, only to have it held back by another armoured fist.
"Save your energy Enforcer, the Grand General wants a word with him."
Yeah, I'm ending this chapter here :P I'm a jerk but I wanted this part out before the Snowdown began.
Also, I'm curious to know which character from my previous chapter people liked more, Jackson or Dini. Let me know, as they will both be returning soon. And since I cut this chapter short, the next one should be out sooner...provided I get some feedback :p
-Bane Draconus
