This chapter got so long I decided I was going to break it up so I could get it out to you earlier. Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Final Spark

Part One

When he steps through the doorway, he is plunged into a miasma of noise, smoke, and heat. Crowds of summoners and champions, mostly mingling in with their own kind, are gathered around various pits sunk into the stones. In the center of the depressions are diamond-shaped, slender crystals. As he watches, he sees the dark-winged female, Morgana, step up to one and touch it with one of her blackened hands. Instantly, light and color springs up from the pale depths of the crystal, exploding into images above it. The angel steps backwards and sits down on the steps of the pit as an image of another winged female, this one in golden armor, forms from the chaos, fighting desperately against an engorged Cho'Gath. It looks like the Void creature is winning as it closes its jaws on the bright angel's arm, but as it bites down the female shouts and plunges her shining sword through its skull.

The voice of the announcer joins with the tumult of the others in the room—Cho'gath has been slain!

"Damn!" Morgana hisses. "First Ryze getting the official copy of Barrier all to himself, and now Kayle's winning—"

He looks away from her, aware that he's been distracting from his goal. He looks around, trying to find one of the crystals that's not in use.

"Followed me, hmmm?" Evelynn whispers and he feels her claws tap on his breastplate. He jumps and looks down, watching her smile widely and show her fangs.

"Yes," he says simply. "I require your assistance, but not at this time. I am here for a more important purpose."

"Oh? What's the doggy sniffing after?" she cackles, a nail pinging as she runs a finger up to the great emerald in the center of his armor. He bats her hand away with a growl, his other hand tightening around the sandstone disc. The mist trapped between the scarab's jaws writhes impatiently.

"I seek to observe the Lady Crownguard's match," he answers her stiffly.

"Lady—oh, she's no lady," Evelynn murmurs, a wicked light in her eyes. She slides her hand into his, and his fur stands on end at the sensation of wrongness that emanates from her as her blue skin touches him. "What's your interest in her, pup?"

"I think the pup in this conversation would be you, demon," he says mildly. "I have seen mountains fall into dust and rise from the sands of the Eternal Empire."

"Well aren't you impressive," she hisses. "I suppose you'll also follow with how you've never lost a match and how you have a whole harem of beast-women at your beck and call. Mmmm, I wonder if the big dog gets a little cougar on the side…"

He bares his teeth at her and snarls, "I am not infallible, and I've no mate in this world or any other—"

"There was one, I see," she chuckles, almost absentmindedly. He suddenly realizes her claws are digging into his palm, and thin streams of his immortal blood are dripping into her hand. "A black-feathered bird with cunning eyes. Looks pretty."

"T'sa," he gasps, a shock of pain running through him. The demon on his arm smiles with delight.

"Delicious," she croons, "but have no fear, Curator. I'm turning over a new leaf, you see. I'll be happy to help you."

She pulls on his hand he follows her blindly, lost in agonized thought. T'sa, beautiful T'sa…ah, he should have never returned to the empty hallways of his library, to be caught by cruel spells and torn forever from his home—

Then he sees her, bright, lovely, shining golden, perfect and eternal as the sun, smiling and shouting as light explodes from her wand and a blue blur leaps past her, hurling an orb of shining energy into the thick of the team fight. Ahri returns to her with another flash of spirit energy and the two smile at each other as the slightly awed voice of the announcer booms—Aced!

"They're a very good team," Evelynn comments almost gently. "Ahri has 26 kills, and Lux has 12. She's been feeding her kills the whole game. An excellent team player, your Lady."

"She is no one's Lady," he says, watching quietly as he runs the sandstone disk over his claws. "She is unique and belongs to herself alone."

"Perhaps," the Widowmaker croons. "Ah, look, they've surrendered. An excellent win for those two. Their summoners for this game are close, I've heard—you've seen Ilarin? He's rather intimate with Miss Eyowyn—"

"Eyowyn?" he says, distracted from watching the afternoon sunlight glitter on Lux's hair as she shakes hands with her enemies. He's been summoned by her quite a few times, always to control the top lane. She seems a nice enough female, for a summoner.

"Yes, she's Ahri's summoner in this match," Evelynn murmurs. "She rather likes to choose me as well."

"Hmph," Nasus growls. He would have thought Eyowyn had better taste. With a push of his finger, he knocks in the glass between the scarab's jaws, and shivers slightly as the mist rushes over him, cleansing dirt and sweat from his fur and polishing his armor to a mirror-bright shine. As soon as it returns, he dismisses the trinket back to the Deserts Between.

With a flash of blue light, the crystal goes dark and sinks back into its socket. Sharp pops of magic announce the arrival of the recently battling champions, and Nasus immediately looks for the pale tails of Ahri.

"Widowmaker," Nasus growls, seeing a flash of white fur, "I must ask you a favor—you and Ahri."

"A favor? Interesting, interesting," she replies, her eyes sparkling. "Sounds like fun...maybe even painful fun. That's the best kind."

He smiles at her gratefully, and pushes through the crowd. Ahri's dark clothes are soaked to her body in a way that leaves many of the humans around her staring. She is blowing kisses at her admirers when he shoulders his way to the front.

"Fox-woman," he says, as she looks up at him in coy surprise, "can you take myself and the Widowmaker to your chambers?"

At this she chokes in surprise, and Evelynn clasps her hands together, her lips pulling back over her teeth.

"Oh, fun indeed!" she coos over the shocked silence that now surrounds them.

Nasus looks around, puzzled. Was it something he said?

"Of…of course," Ahri says, staring at him in a way he thinks appears disturbingly hungry. "It would be a pleasure."

He follows the fox-woman, wondering why she keeps looking over her shoulder at him. He doesn't see Lux. He wishes he could. She makes so much more sense than these females, with their looks and their truly uncomfortable touching. Why must everyone feel the need to touch him all the time? Lux, Karma, Evelynn, Ahri…

He shakes his head in bewilderment and is ducking under the archway to exit the spectating rooms when he sees her. There's a huge male human towering over her, encased in a shell of gold and blue metal. Her little shoulders are hunched and one of his huge gauntleted hands is clamped around her wrist.

She tilts her head up to him and he turns and drags her along behind him, out another exit.

"We have to follow them," he says urgently, and the fox-woman and the demoness whip around in surprise.

"You continue to surprise me," Evelynn breathes. "You wanted reconnaissance?"

"Oh," Ahri says sadly.

"It's difficult for me to explain swiftly, but in brief: I believe Lux has some form of mental malady afflicting her that is causing her difficulty in her matches," he says urgently, loping to the corner and peering around it. Evelynn, with a brief, disbelieving shake of her head, vanished with a wink of her painted eyes and he smelled her scent as it moved up to him.

"They're going to the Demacian wing. You might be rather noticeable, big fellow," she whispers silkily as Ahri slinks up behind them, her tails drooping slightly.

"Not doggy?" he asks, smiling slightly even as he looks after Lux with worry. The big human looks like he is hurting her.

Evelynn huffs, the air puffing against his fur.

He growls under his breath."Who is he?" he asks the two females.

"Garen," Ahri says instantly, a brief, knowing smirk passing across her face. "Very stoic. Disciplined. A paragon of Demacia."

Evelynn laughs and he grimaces in confusion before setting it aside for another time.

"I must protect her," he says firmly. "I worry for her safety."

"They're going to see you!" Evelynn hisses. "I can slip into the shadows and follow them, but it must be me alone!"

"Can you extend your stealth to cover all of us?" Ahri asks.

"I'd need quite the power source," the invisible female snarls.

"Echa," he growls, and his staff comes eagerly out to meet him. "Fox-woman, hold on to the tip. Demoness, take the head. Use my strength to power your veil."

"Oh that sounds naughty," the she-devil cackles, but he feels her hands latch on to the carved jade head. Ahri, a little hesitantly, takes hold of the wickedly sharp bottom. There is a rushing feeling, like slimy dark water crawling over him, and he can no longer see his hands.

"Go!" Evelynn hisses. "I'll muffle our noises, but I can't hold it for long (oh what I do to brighten up an afternoon)—"

"Thank you," he whispers.

"Don't flatter yourself, doggy," she snaps. "I'm doing this for my own entertainment—the moment I decide it bores me, I will be gone."

"And you, fox?" he asks, accepting this with a nod.

He feels the cautious brush of Ahri's tail against his forearm.

"I was going to invite you to my room, anyways—if this will get you there faster, so be it," she says throatily, twining it slightly around him. He shakes her off with a shudder.

They run forwards, holding tightly to his staff, as Garen pulls Lux into the beginning of the Demacian wing.