A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

"Consider yourself spanked, nugget!"~ Corki, The Daring Bombardier.

I hope the last chapter went over well with you guys, considering you will get one more after this of a similar type.

And then we will go back to Gregori. 

Also, all of this is happening at the same time as Gregori's journey to the barbarian lands.

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Annie skipped down he street without a care in the world, Tibbers in her hand bouncing as her hands moved.

Tybaluk had not been wrong.

Things went to shit. He couldn't help it. Anyone who threatened Annie or anyone who made her feel sad, he couldn't just let them walk away. Children he didn't bother with but fully grown men? Fair game.

A person on the road had tried to hurt her and he had eaten them, leaving no trace.

The idiots in the tavern? Well, other than the barkeep none of them would be telling any tales in the future. The barkeep was a good man, polite and did exactly what was asked, gave Annie milk. 

That is why he got to live.

Annie didn't mind the deaths. Or rather she did not understand the concept of death itself. He did stay within his limits by not taking lives using brutal methods, other than the first time she gave him form that day.

That was a one time thing. 

Freedom needed celebration. And what greater way to celebrate than with the blood of your enemies.

That would not happen again. As much as he would like to go on a rampage, Tybaluk preferred his current life as Tibbers. He liked his life with Annie and her family.

"Hey! You! Girl stop! The one with the red hair!"

"Hmmm?" Annie turned around looking for the person who called her out.

An older man with a staff hobbled up to her. He bent down to eye level and inspected her, as if looking for something. A look of recognition passed between his eyes.

He asked, "Is your mother named Amoline?"

Joy sprung up in Annie's face, "Mister do you know my mother?"

The man raised his eyebrows, surprised at the fact that a moment of impulse had helped end his quest. The quest he had been sent on due to words of a fire mage being spread all the way to the capital.

"Know her?" He laughed as he spoke, "I taught her magic from when she was twelve."

Annie clapped her hands, Tibbers did not appreciate being clapped. "Wow!"

The man looked around, "Is she here?"

With a downcast expression, Annie answered, "No.... mummy died when I was a baby...."

"Oh... I am very sorry my child. Is your father here?" 

Annie replied, "No. Daddy will come find me though."

"Where is your home? I will take you there." The man spoke.

"My home is gone mister. Fire burnt it down."

Tybaluk wanted to move but decided against it. He remembered this man and what this meeting would entail but he had to let this happen.

Annie needed to learn how to control magic and that place was the only location she could do so in a controlled environment. And the most important thing was that she could make friends. Friends in a similar boat to her.

He knew where this encounter would lead them.

Right into the heart of Noxus. 

The Immortal Bastion.

The place where he had once been at his peak. Him and his brother. They had ruled over the lands under their original captor. In the years they had been under that man, not once had they spoken to him. Amoline and Annie had gotten that out of him.

That apathy.

For demons did not show emotion. 

Showing emotion put you at a lower spot among the rest of the demons. What would the point be when your enemy could just eat the emotions you produced? It would be an instant loss. But now that he was far away from that bullshit, he liked feeling. He like showing emotions. Even if he did less of the showing, but that would change now.

Tybaluk was pretty sure that Gregori would either learn about him through the clues Amoline left him or figure it out himself. The man was smarter than he let on. 

Now, he just needed to plan his revenge against his man.

The older man looked at the girl. His understanding of magic..... demonic magic... had alerted him to the demonic nature of her own.

Amoline and Tybaluk may have been lost, but they left behind an interesting by product. One no one expected.

Tybaluk was probably roaming the lands. 

An unexpected loss but once they received information of large fires spreading across lands from their spies, they could send a group to capture the demon.

How to capture the Demon of Guilt?

Send those without the capability to feel the emotion. Guilt is among the easier ones. For there were a plethora of self serving bastards in Noxus. Serial killers, assassins, politicians. If one did not feel guilt, they could seal the demon. The prerequisite for sealing a demon was the lack of the same emotion the demon represented.

A true regret was not capturing Amoline. That girl was special. She had done something only one had done before her, cause complete submission of a demon. And one as strong as Tybaluk? The girl was a monster. Her escape and subsequent disappearance was heartbreaking for him and the old lady. 

After all, who wouldn't mourn the loss of a pet.

Now his own exile would come to a close. Even if he hadn't found Amoline or Tybaluk, he had found this child. The old lady would be satisfied with this. Most of the researchers would also be satisfied with this.

A child with inherited demonic magic? A first of her kind. The floor and ceiling of her magical ability needed to be studied. If they could understand how she came to be then they could have more. Wars would never be easier and he live the cozy, high life that he deserved.

"Child do you want to come with me?" He asked the girl.

The girl shook her head, "Daddy told me I should not follow strangers mister."

Tybaluk was shell shocked at the reply.

Did she not follow random people three times before? Didn't he have to get her out of multiple sticky situations? Why is it that she decides to follow her father's words now? Why now? 

This was where she ACTUALLY NEEDED to say yes.

"Ah ha hahaha haaaaa what is your name child?" The man asked after laughing at the absurdity of the response.

"Annie." She said in a small voice.

Tybaluk understood it now. Subconsciously, either her or her magic had designated this man as a danger. 

He needed to step up here. It is not like he would let any harm befall her. But she needed to accept.

The man spoke, "Well Annie. I am a teacher in a school for magic. Can you do magic?" He pushed for more information.

Annie nodded but was clearly showing some excitement upon hearing magic.

"Then come with me. I will take you to the school AND it will make it easier for your father to find you." He spoke once more.

Annie hesitated.

Accept it.

Annie nodded at once. "Okay!" 

If Tibbers said it was fine, it would be fine. Tibbers would never lie to her would he?

Tybaluk could smirk to himself, though that proved difficult since he did not possess physical form at the moment. He could set up plans. Plans that could change everything. Maybe even the release of his brother. Brothers not by blood or magic but by bond. He just hoped his brother would be sane. Demon or not, sanity was still important.

The first of the Ten was no longer sane. Tybaluk did not know if he had ever been sane. The loss of sanity made them mindless killing machines whose only action was to move instinctually toward anything that could sate their hunger.

But his plans would ensure certain damage to Noxus, maybe even let his true form out for a little gander.

His floating vision landed on the man as he spoke once more.

His name-

"Well Annie, my name is-"

Flynn Retrick

"Flynn Retrick."

If Tybaluk had a form at that moment, he would have the widest smile. If he had his true form, then there would be quite a few wide smiles.

Flynn smiled gently at the asset. "Come. Lets go to your new school." He extended a hand to Annie, which she took, and led her forward.

Annie followed, skipping along.

Flynn had one destination. The place where they experimented on children with either extensive magic abilities or with some form of demonic corruption.

Ravenbloom Conservatory

Leading the daughter of one of his assets, was cathartic. It felt like he was fulfilling something deep inside. He was happy. No one could truly escape their grasp.

Amoline thought she had the last laugh? Well, he did not think the same. Not anymore. The only ones left laughing would be them. None else deserved that right.

In Noxus one only needed ambition and the skills to support those ambitions. There was no place for morals. One would not get far by having strong morals, often they would be killed by those they consider allies.

It was a game. A game to see who rose and who fell. But no one remembered the fallen. Flynn knew that the people of Noxus would completely forget Boram Darkwill in a few years, it was aways that way.

They forgot HIM.

But Flynn had learnt about HIM. HE would return one day and there were forces out to stop that. He hoped they did succeed at that. Maybe push it back till he died a natural death after a long fulfilling life. There was no need to face an near undying force of nature.

He looked back to the child he was leading. She was his ticket to success. Their ticket to success. But one thing kept bugging him, who was the father?

Amoline was a good judge of character and had been excellent at self preservation. So who was the person that made her feel safe enough to have a child with.

"What is your father's name?" Flynn asked.

Annie looked up at him.

Say Greg.

"Greg."

"Do you have a full name?"

Say No.

"No."

No indeed. Tybaluk could not let them have the upper hand here. These lot did not need to know about Gregori.

There was one thing they would do and it was intensive background checks.

They did not need to know about Gregori the Gray.

Nor did they need to know the fact that they were making an enemy out of a Hastur.

Oh how fun this would be!