Quick thing I forgot to mention: this story takes place in a world where riot didn't remove the institute.

Chapter 2: Sea sick

I walk along the shore towards the small trade port where father said I could ride across to Piltover, trying to keep my sight set to the beach ahead of me as even at this distance from the city I imagine one could still see the towering buildings and clouds of smog; serving as a constant reminder of what I leave behind, but I had no intention to return; there was nothing left for me in Zaun.

Keeping my mind preoccupied proved a lot easier than I thought though as near everything I saw I was literally seeing for the first time; the little crabs as the scuttle across the sand, the glittering shells of all shapes and colours, just about everything was a brilliant spectacle to behold; unfortunately that only lasted for an hour or so as I neared the shipyard I was starting to notice the all-to obvious signs of civilization: the water runs with darker colours and miscellaneous bits of garbage dotted the beach though thankfully it wasn't half as bad as the sewers; I shudder for a moment as I recall every sordid detail of that wretched tunnel and the events that transpired inside it but I manage to push those thoughts aside as I begin to hear voices in the distance, likely those of the dock-workers or townsfolk.

"… and so I said 'No way Sona is faster than Janna; do you even watch these matches?' and he got all pissy like I just insulted his mum or some bunk like that."

"Ahh some choffers just don't know when to admit their favorite champ ain't perfect."

From what I can gather they were talking about some kind of sporting event and some of the players, I didn't pay much heed as it seems unimportant to my current objective of finding a ride across the inlet, I continued walking along the docks hoping to find a sign for the ferry or something along those lines but after walking for near twenty minutes I found myself at the end of the docks without a sign of any ferry. Frustrated I turn back and hope that I simply missed it upon my first passing but after scouring the ships once more I still have no idea where to find the boat, I decide to try asking some of the people in town about how I ca get across to Piltover *Groaww* … and get something to eat while I'm at it; this leads me to a small pub named 'The salty shiv'… charming, once inside I'm greeted by the smell of alcohol and smoke form both the kitchen and the patrons; not quite intoxicating but still unpleasant but I suppose it was better than the sewer stench, I take a seat at the bar and look at the overhead menu to see if there was anything edible here when the waiter/bartender comes over to me:

"Welcome to the Salty Shiv how hungry are you?"

"Quite; I'd like to order the fishermen's platter with extra fries and a glass of milk please."

The bartender nods as he jots down my order then walks to the other end of the bar to get another customers order and I take a quick look around the establishment; despite my initial impression to this place it was actually well maintained with nice furnishings and nice decorum, the only real problem was some of the clientele being comprised of surly man guzzling down mugs of something called 'Graggy' if I'm reading the bottles right and smoking large cigars despite a few signs indicating they were in a non smoking section, I assumed the only reason the manager hasn't told then to snuff out their smokes or leave was because most of these men were ship-hands with biceps larger than my head, after one of the brute nearly notices me staring I try to look inconspicuous by grabbing a newspaper someone had left at the bar and reading it; an number of pages including the front page was missing leaving only the sport section and the entertainment portions of the paper, I skipped the sport section and delved into the entertainment pages to see if I could find anything of interest; after a few unexciting paragraphs talking about upcoming television programs and movie screenings something caught my eye: an advertisement for a concert being held in Piltover tomorrow featuring a band by the name of 'Pentakill', it was followed by a brief article talking about how the concert was to raise funds to repair the city's treasury and zoo which had both been damaged by some criminal apparently, it continued to speak about the members of the band who were mostly from the Shadow isle of all places; given their genre of death-metal I suppose it was fitting but what confused me was that the only member who wasn't an undead monstrosity was a beautiful woman with burning red hair named Sona… I wonder for a moment if this could be the same Sona the sailor from earlier mentioned but I figured it was just a coincidence as to my understanding athletes usually don't moonlight as musicians, whilst continuing to read the article hoping to see if there was any more information about Sona the waiter returned and set a plate of battered fish and fries and a glass of milk in front of me:

"Here you are miss, enjoy."

I thank him and begin chewing on some fries as I continue to read the paper in earnest as the more I read about the band the more intrigued I became; I had never actually heard any metal music before because father quote: "had to refined a taste to enjoy such loud ravings." He preferred listening to free-form jazz.

"Scuze me miss; but I can't help but notice you taking quite an interest in that Pentakill ad, you a fan?"

I'm caught off-guard by the bartender's statement as I was deeply focused on the paper but I try to keep my composer when I reply:

"No I'm not; this is the first time I've heard of them but I am interested in possibly seeing their concert."

"I suppose that means your looking for a quick way of getting across the bay then?"

I nod in reply and he continues:

"Well there aren't any boats that'll get you there tonight; apparently the Pilties have blockaded the bay because they got a tip about some smugglers setting up so they're keeping all ships out until further notice, but…"

The barkeeper quickly glances around the bar before drawing a bit closer to me and signaling me to lean in to hear better and I comply:

"While you can't take a boat there's nothin' that says you can't hitch a ride with a mermaid,"

I draw back and glare at the barkeep with disappointment; did he honestly expect me to believe something so preposterous? Everyone knows there is no such thing as mermaids.

"Now don't look at me like that I know it sounds nuts but I know this girl; she a… a damn what'd she say her race was called? Maryna or something like that?

I did know of an aquatic humanoid race know as the Marai; although they were reclusive apparently one surfaced and has been mingling with humans whilst she tries to find some kind of pearl, I had read about her some time ago though I can't remember her name…

"Wait are you speaking of the Marai; The aquatic humanoids that live out in the Guardian sea?"

"Yeah that's them! I know em' cause of Nami; she comes here all the time when she makes her way to Piltover from home."

"Why would a Marai need to go to Piltover?"

"Ah she knows a few folks up there, most of them are champs like her."

Before I can ask the bartender what he means by 'champs like her' we get distracted by the sound of an excited a crowd gathering outside, after a few minutes and some cheering form the people outside the door opens and reveals the cause of the commotion: a beautiful Marai with deep green scales covering most of her body up to her navel where it split to show her light yellow skin and also drew attention to a large piece of black jewelry that connected to a fin-like headpiece that bore a blue gem, thought the piece was quite the eye-catcher it hardly distracted from the Marai's delicate features and deep amber eyes, she moved gracefully floating atop a small pool of water that seemed to magically stay beneath her and flowed up to the bar right beside me giving me a chance to get an even closer look at her, I apparently get caught up in the excitement of seeing such an elusive and beautiful creature as the bartender taps me on he back of my head a few times:

"She asked yer name miss; its rude to keep a lady waiting."

"Oh, my deepest apologize, my name is Mora, it's a pleasure to meet you miss Nami." I hold out my hand to shake hers and I get to feel how soft they are, odd considering they are also covered with scales but given how little I actually know about the genetics of Marai I guess anything is possible.

After the awkward introductions were over Nami ordered a very large plate of fries and ate them while talking to the bartender, I wasn't to attentive of the conversation as I was busy marveling at how fast she eats and the fact she has yet to pause for a breath, my best theory is her gills can also serve as an alternate intake for oxygen but at the moment I had no way of figuring out is I was right.

After mulling over that for a bit my attention returns to the conversation which seems to be drawing to a close;

"So I was hoping you could help her out."

"Of course! Nobody should be denied getting to see Pentakill preform, and Caitlyn owes me a favor anyway."

Before I can fully process what's happening I find myself surrounded by a very large bubble and being rolled outside by Nami as she shouts something about her tab to the bartender and continues to roll me until we get to the dockyard when the infernal orb finally pops and I can figure out which way is up.

"Whadda heck wassat for?" I manage to slur out that excuse for a sentence before falling over in a dizzy heap, this prompts Nami to poorly stifle a laugh.

"Sorry sorry, I just got really excited and unsettled at the same time because we would have a much easier time getting to Piltover if we leave now as apposed to later tonight when the raid is supposed to happen… at least I believe she said it was tonight."

She pulls a piece of paper out of… somewhere; my vision was still obscured from the ride and I can't fathom where she would be able to put things like that. After she checks the note she helps me into a small raft and conjures a small wave to pull it out into the ocean, she then flops in herself and with another wave we were off towards the dockyards of Piltover.

After a few minutes the feeling returned to my limbs and I could see straight again so I figured it would be a good idea to try and actually have a conversation where I'm not stuttering like a cartoon pig;

"So Nami if you don't mind my asking, why are you so far from home; I read your species was quite reclusive and preferred to avoid humans."

"It's a bit of a long story so I'll try and summarize: I'm know as 'The Tidecaller' and its my job to get a special moonstone which houses magic that protects my home, I get this thing called an 'abyssal pearl' and take it to the surface where a human is supposed to take it and give me a moonstone which is a ritual that happens every hundred years, but for some reason this time nobody showed up so I decided to go look for the person with the moonstone myself… honestly I didn't get very far but thankfully my search brought me to the Institute of War where I managed to get some help from the summoners; they use their magic to substitute the moonstone until a bearer can be found and all I have to do is be a champion in some league matches now and again."

Again with this League I read about briefly, this was also the second time I heard the term 'champions', I knew the definition of champion but it seemed like the word was being used in a different context than normal, despite my curiosity I wanted to know more about Nami first.

"I think I understand, but frankly I know quite little about the sea so what kind of dangers would warrant magic wards?"

Nami turns her gaze to the sky and sighs," Well Krakens to start, then there's also Megaladons, great whites, and that jerk in the diving suit…" She mutters the last example under her breath but with little to no other noises her distaste is quite audible.

She would continue to list off some problems and this lead to her retelling of some of her adventures over the course of six days where she had to search for the abyssal pearl, apparently she had actually killed a kraken, survived being swallowed by a megaladon, and fought off plastics rings from six-packs. I was entranced by her stories, her harrowing tales of surviving and even thriving beneath the deep.

"… And that's when I hit it in it's weak point for massive damage and down he went."

"Wow… I didn't even know crabs could get that big."

"Yeah you'd be surprised how often I had to deal with those, but thankfully that's in the past."

"Yeah, umm by the way; you mentioned something about a league and summoners before, what ar-"

BTOOM

I'm cut off mid sentence by the thundering roar of an explosion nearly topples us from the boat from the shock alone, though the ensuing waves didn't help either. Nami manages to sooth out the water around us and we get a chance to turn our attention to the source of the explosion, we were so caught up with Nami's stories we hadn't noticed how we had practically arrived at the dockyards of Piltover, said docks were alight with fires spread across some platforms and buildings with small robots flying around spraying some kind of blue foam on the fires, though it seemed to be a futile effort as the flames were widespread and being fueled by the salty gale of he sea.

I wanted to ask Nami what was happening but before I could even open my mouth she dives headlong into the water and within seconds she conjures a water spout and hurls herself and a plume of water onto the docks which douses a large portion of the flames, I would be in awe of her display of skill if the ensuing tow of water wasn't about to slam the raft into the pier, I highly doubt Nami would be able to hear me with all the commotion on the docks so I'm forced to try something risky; I drop down my case onto the raft and open it, once again a burst of light surges out though its notably less intense this time as I'm not in a dark enclosed tunnel, the sparks swirl around me and images of different tools and weapons flash through my mind but I manage to sift through the chaos and remember the Nami's Tidecaller staff... within a fraction of a second the sparks cluster together and form the Tidecaller staff in my hands.

"Oceans spill forth!" I instinctively call out to the water as Nami's power flows through me like the tide itself as a huge wave comes forth and engulf me and carries me up towards the pier, in retrospect this might not have been the best idea as the wave crashes down onto the pier and I slam onto the cold hard metal.

I manage to pull my face out of the faint indent it had just left as I crashed down a few seconds ago, but before I could get my bearings I was reminded of the chaos as a small gear flies past mere inches from my nose and I quickly move backwards as fast as I could scuttle and find a nice little crate to hide behind, once behind said crate I tried to figure out where I was in relation to Nami; I had apparently launched myself further onto the docks than I thought and was caught in the crossfire of what I assumed to be Piltovers law enforcement and whoever it was invading these docks.

"Go back to Bilgwater you stupid pirates!"

A large crash rings soon after the shout and a man slams into the wall next to me and slumps down, he's still breathing but appears unconscious so using some deductive reasoning I assume he is one of said pirates and notice the group of men wearing similar garb and assume they are the pirates. With the knowledge of which people are my enemies I make my way closer to them utilising the crate as a disguise. I make my way around the group to get behind them and position myself in an area where I can get a clear shot of three of them without putting myself inn the line of fire from others.

"What's that sound?" One of the men cry out as a piece of rope I tripped on pulls a hook across the metal making a scraping noise, I drop and hold still inside the crate as he looks over;

"… Just a box."

Thankfully he doesn't come to investigate and remains in his position to fire a few more shots towards the Pilties, this gives me the opening I need:

"Have a drink!"

I burst out from the crate and cast the 'Ebb and Flow' spell as it crashes onto the closest of the pirates before he can turn, the water slams him to the floor as the wave leaps back towards me; the other two men had noticed me now and one brings his pistol around only to be slammed in the face by the airborne wave and his head smacks into the wall and me slumps down, the last pirate is distracted by his now unconscious friends and I take the advantage and cast Nami's Aqua Prison spell; as the bubble crashes onto him he begins to panic as the orb is lifted into the air and desperately tries to fumble a shell into his gun only for the bubble to pop and he falls onto the floor, he pulls himself up and tries to reach for his gun but I hit him over the head with the Tidecaller and knock him out.

After quickly confirming that these men were out of it and wouldn't get up and shoot me anytime soon I lean against a nearby wall and slump down to take a few deep breaths; I had never used magic like this before and I found it to be tiresome, I suppose that was because I hadn't trained myself to focus my mana or however mages describe the process but nevertheless I felt a glow of pride within myself for helping stop some of these attackers, I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the world around me; from the sound of things the fight appeared to be drawing to a close: the gunfire was almost gone save for the occasional burst which ended quickly and the sound of running to the far end of the dock where I could see the mast of a ship I assume belong to the pirates as they cried out for their fellows to fall back or be left behind, such is the code of pirates should any of the books I read be true.

I continue to keep my eyes closed and just listen to the world around me partially hoping to hear Nami's voice and partially because I was still resting from the mana use, though I do open the case and let the Tidecaller disintegrate and the sparks return inside, I continue to sit and the sound of the waves is the only thing I can hear; it's a very soothing sound that I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying… its so relaxing it almost makes me… feel kinda… sleepy…

I am shocked awake as the sound of metal smashing into metal rings loudly in my ear as I now see a massive steel fist inches beside my head,

"Whats wrong girlie? You get tired during the fight and you and your buddies decide to take a nap?"

My words are caught in my throat as I'm in awe of the woman standing above me; she was quite tall with short pink hair and a police uniform that left little to the imagination and showcased her ample physique and proportions, though that wasn't quite as noticeable because my attention was mostly on the massive metal gauntlets she bore, and when I say massive I mean they were as thick as a Freljord frost trolls arm, and she wore them as thought they were simple silken gloves with one on her hip and the other placed against the wall.

"Not one for talking huh? Well that's okay; I have my methods."

As the officer speaks she removes her hand from the wall beside me and cracks her large metal knuckles…