orb of deception《 captain levi x ƒeral 》

[captain levi]

After months of patches and flawed launches, the first successful beta test of the newly upgraded League of Legends was to be tried globally, the players hand-chosen from a lottery of a thousand from different parts of the world. Players were advised via manual to remain absolutely motionless in bed while immersing themselves in the 4D virtual reality simulator, for a careless move could easily jeopardize the game's performance. But little did the thousand beta testers know that the system's programming was corrupt and upon logging in, exiting the game via their motor functions would be impossible. There was literally no return to reality after the player's avatar, a cybernetic copy of their carbon selves, would appear in the vast world of League of Legends.

Every logged-in player was transported to a dimension void of anything but dark matter where a personalized 'champion select' hologram materialized in front of their simplified avatar. Not unlike a Normals match familiar to a 2D League of Legends game, several other parties (other beta testers) joined both the ally and opposing team, and champion selections were made left and right via a scroll-by menu. Alistar, Jax, Miss Fortune, Shaco, and Nautilus completed the enemy group, every champion following the first few to decide now locked in. The countdown was loud, deafening, even, over the clustered group of summoners cloaked in uniformed robes, a default attire for anyone starting at a measly level one.

The last champion selection was made and a voice unique to the summoner who had made the last decision echoed loud and clear:

"Don't you trust me?"

Once the summoners had linked to their chosen champions, the invisible platform they stood upon dissolved, the bottomless pit of nothing below it pulling every summoner into another dimension unlike the limbo they had been trapped in a second ago. Each one came to, all ten summoners scattered in different places on a map not yet conceivable to the poor and inexperienced summoner. But, there was a blue sky above every head and firm ground below their rattled bodies.

With the addition of a certain companion they had chosen to fight alongside...

"Human," echoed a sultry voice, almost like a purr, in the depths of the summoner's state of unconsciousness. If the two hadn't been under the temporary, but promising shelter of a towering willow on the outskirts of town, she would have made haste to rouse the summoner from his slumber. Instead, she toyed with his sleeping body like a curious kitten until he came to on his own, the tip of her vulpine tail tickling the underside of his nose. She had a right to be fascinated; after all, it was Ahri's first time seeing, let alone synchronizing with, a summoner on the Rift map.

Her nose seemed to twitch as she sensed the male fidget, toned, taut thighs then straddling the summoner's hips to welcome him in her own, coy way. She was naturally not so curious about the ways of humans as her dark history with them proved enough but this one she felt his aura was different, and even the slightest gesture of trust spoke volumes for the Gumiho. It wouldn't benefit her in any way to siphon a life that was ultimately linked to hers, anyway. She leaned in close, the arch of her spine beautifully curved so the fullness of her breasts pressed warmly against the flat of his chest. Her nails ever so slightly dug into the fabric of his robe. "Hello," she purred, her face just inches from his. "You're lying in quite a tempting position. You might want to get up."

 

[ƒeral]

Kazu Takahashi woke slowly. "Maru, get off me, you are heavy..." the young Japanese man grumbled, eyes still sealed with sleep as he batted at the general vicinity of his chest, seeking to chase away the oppressive weight that must have been his cat. Instead, his fingers became entangled in impossibly soft fur, too long and sleek to be his tabby. Any further doubts were dispelled by the sensuous, strangely familiar voice, spoken at a proximity truly troubling.

He woke with a start.

Burnished obsidians snapped open, widening far beyond his usual, collected expression. As he stared into effervescent amber eyes hovering but inches away, the grad student with a penchant for gaming found himself speechless, awed by the all too realistic face of one of his favorite champions. And not just that - the weight straddling him, the subtle feminine scent tickling his nostrils, the curious sway of tail raising above their entwined forms. He was too aware of it all, and would have reacted with mortification had he not been so otherwise excited about the peerless execution.

"This is amazing!" Kazu exclaimed, dazed expression swept away by almost adolescent glee. His elbows exerted alongside the flexing of his lean but toned abs, and he pushed himself halfway up off of the ground, enough so that he was now sitting with Ahri astride him rather than laying down. "I've heard that rumors that some serious bignames worked together on this project, but damn," he continued his monologue, staring at the Gumiho with an intensity that only a truly committed gamer would understand. "This completely revolutionize gaming," he breathed almost reverently, a sense of awe mixing with his excitement.

It was clear that the summoner had no idea what he had gotten himself into, something only compounded by his next action. Both hands shot up with sudden alacrity, digging themselves into the mass of inky threads, before almost rudely groping the two furred black ears, patting and scratching as he would his cat. "Wow even the texture feels genuine," he continued his examination, wide-eyed with fascination. "And you can understand me, right?" He queried, grinning with exuberance, "Ahri?"

 

[captain levi]

Summoner or not, the body pumping with warm blood beneath her was most definitely human and the essence of his mortality provoked her instinctive need to siphon his life as her ability demanded. The rings of her amber eyes glowered excitedly like embers at the first real sight of him, although the corner of her vulpine lips twitched in agitation in a mannerism similar to a feline's.

Touching her hair was one thing but her ears, obviously the most sensitive part of her body, were not to be fondled like they were... toys! Ahri's cheeks were colored a deep red when the summoner's rough hands massaged the one part of her that was just as, if not more, vulnerable to arousal than her breasts. His question was answered abruptly, and with a purposeful swipe across his face that was none-too-gentle as her sharpened nails drew pinheads of blood. Her lashing out at him was simply an automated response at defending herself, perhaps it was even just a way of expressing her annoyance in her true, feline ways. Even the plumes of white that had swayed gently behind her flickered angrily as nine individual tails instead of three.

"Play time's over, human," she responded almost like an NPC at first, the dialogue she would normally speak in the throes of a match spilling like a recited script from her lips. But, the twitch of her nose and the way she gracefully removed herself from him, only to tug down the tousled ends of her oriental robes, were certainly not dynamic actions expected of a flat character. Astoundingly enough, she was still peeved, her newfound ability to feel an emotion clearly demonstrated in the way she refused to look at Kazu, offended by his rude greeting. "I hope you're properly equipped. Our enemies won't hold back for First Blood."

For now, she stood waiting for him to purchase items for them both in the tutorial version of the virtual shop. Any other time they would need to teleport to the base for provisions but the first few minutes of any game were the most important. Especially in this one.

 

[ƒeral]

"Y'oww," Kazu gave a startled yelp as tapering nails raked across his face, dealing minimal damage but a fair amount of pain. He flinched, before falling still again, blinking as he gingerly touched his face. "No way..." He stared in astonishment at the small smear of crimson, looking properly chastised. That actually hurt. But before the champion he chose had a chance to mistake his hesitation for fear, he was already springing to feet with even more unbounded excitement than before. "Holy mother of god, 4D is the best thing ever!" He had yet to realize the stakes, and attributed Ahri's incredible personification as simply well-executed AI. That, however, did not mean Kazu took this or his champion any less seriously. He signed up not simply to play this thing, no. It was a greatest tragedy that Japan didn't have its own server, but his Challenger border in Oceania wasn't for show. Although this game mode was already looking vastly different from SR on his computer, the challenge only excited him, doing nothing to diminish his resolve. There was no question in his mind - he was going to win this thing.

"Ahri," he addressed his compatriot. "I have a name too, ya know. Call me Kazu." He offered, pulling back the obnoxious hood of his summoner's robe and smoothing the strands of onyx bangs out of his eye. His features were sharply defined - sculpted jawline, strong nose, and, now that he wasn't busy aww'ing over every last thing, astute, dignified eyes. He was quite handsome, all things considered, even in comparison to the verdant landscape and ethereally beautiful champions. But his attractiveness was not a showy sort, the faint curve of his lips lacking the hubris so commonly gracing protagonists of various kinds. He was calm, cool, collected, a self-styled chess-player rather than a hotblooded fighter.

Already his gaze was flickering rapidly over virtual panels, lithe fingers dragging and rearranging the transparent displays for optimal viewing. He'd read up on the game already, of course, and knew that all resources were duplicated and shared between champion and summoner - it made no practical difference who dealt the killing blow, to champion or minion alike. And thus, gold optimization was his first priority. A Doran's Ring for Ahri, and Spellthief's Edge for himself. A stack of potions as well, but of course. His almost surprising choice of a support item revealed his faith in his champion. The Gumiho would have no problem CS'ing, he was sure. The biggest change in this 4D version, astonishing graphics aside, was definitely the removal of the mini map for immersion reasons. But that also meant they had four directions to cover between two pairs of eyes, and he wanted to leave his free to scan around.

Her assertion made him smile, and he almost chuckled at the aggressive statement. "Prepare yourself then, my little fox," he teased, scanning his surroundings before picking out a densely foliage'ed route. There were lanes...kind of, not really. Even the minions supposedly had some degree of AI, even if markedly less intelligent than the champions. But more importantly, they were the source of gold and exp, and neither he nor Ahri was going to excel without securing a steady supply of resources. The minions have yet to spawn when he located the so called mid lane, which looked more like a nature trail than the paved SR lane he was used to. "Wonder who your lane opponent's going to be...Shaco?" He mused out loud, looking around with a mixture of caution and curiosity.

 

[captain levi]

Kazu.

The tips of her softly furred ears twitched in acknowledgement although no verbal statement was made in response to his belated introduction. A part of her refused to answer him for the sake of holding steadfast to her grudge, the other half more or less indifferent to his attempt at befriending her, or whatever he was attempting to do. Teamwork had never been one of Ahri's many strengths on the battlefield so the subtle offer of calling their tiff a truce was buried in purposeful silence for the time being.

If anything, she was more interested in the summoner's face beneath the overcast shade of the robe than his name. Her amber irises appeared to glow brighter for a split second before the iridescent hues died like coals in the hearth that were her eyes. A summoner in the flesh certainly felt and looked different, even carried a unique soul she noted was so unlike the underdeveloped characters' she had encountered in her personal lore and the many champions she had met on the plains of League of Legends. He felt real and her metaphorical heart thrummed in delayed excitement as she recalled how her summoner's thumbs had felt against the velvety insides of her ears. Warm.

But even the Gumiho recognized that the silly sentiment wouldn't aide them in the battle ahead; if anything, it would have derailed her from her simple goal. Somewhere under the guise of dense foliage, their opponent was lying in wait, and if it was Shaco that awaited her, he was more than likely under the godly protection of invisibility. Ahri had no such powers that would have helped conceal them in the brush but her agility surpassed Shaco's and made maneuvering in the mid lane much easier than it would have been to some. As soon as the effects of her equipment were calculated into the numbers of her stats, she sprinted without a moment of trepidation into the jungle-like route, just after she had giggled softly and seductively, as if to insinuate him to follow. Her voice seemed to carry into the densely packed trail like an echo, perhaps more like the tempting call of a siren, before it faded into the background noise of insect chirps and bird calls.

The enemy minions dressed in crimson armor had already spawned upon Ahri's arrival into what appeared like the heart of an impenetrable forest. There were runes infested with ivy and thick trunks of trees surrounding, leaving them with plenty of defensive options but hardly a suitable route for escape. Not that the Gumiho intended to flee with so much bounty available in the hoards of minions that paraded their way. Several of their underlings equipped with a contrasting blue set of armor had clashed with the opposing swarm already, and even the simplest sequence of combat normally shown on a computer screen looked deadly before them. The minions were decently sized falling just a few inches shorter than Ahri but the violent methods in which they fought with magic and artillery had certainly not been addressed in the original game.

But Ahri was a seasoned veteran in the mid lane and knew just the right pattern of nimble steps to take to claim the last hit of a dying minion with a powerful burst of neon blue energy. The force of her spirit balls shook the earth in its path to and from the enemies she killed, the recoil just strong enough to stagger her backwards. She had been careless, however. With her mana depleted just enough for her to force retreat, a dagger had sliced her backside, drawing forth a crescent wave of crimson and a vulpine cry from the Gumiho.

The hand that had attacked her slipped into the protection of invisibility once more, just before Ahri had regenerated enough mana to shoot forth a glowering orb of magical energy. "Be careful," she warned Kazu with a pained wince. "He's in stealth mode." As far as she knew, the enemy summoner wasn't, and was probably hiding in the foliage somewhere, unable to attack for fear of dicing Shaco's chance to win First Blood.

 

[ƒeral]

Something was wrong.

Even the grandeur of watching actual life-sized minions clang and clash, even the scent of gunpowder and smoke of artillery fire, and even the graceful dance of his champion, weaving in and out of combat, obliterating opposition with bursts of arcane energy, were not enough to shake that gnawing sense of dread festering in Kazu's mind. A minute, two, and still no Shaco. No, that wasn't quite right, there were jack in the boxes that sprang up every once in a while, imbuing the violent clash with their eerie, hair-raising laugh. But the jester himself, nor his summoner, was nowhere to be seen.

Kazu's visage was marred by a frown, the look of concern imparting upon him a seriousness beyond his years. For the first time since the game began, he looked actually perturbed. The instruction manual had mentioned that this 4D version of League would be different, but this felt nothing like what he was used to. Already Ahri was racking up quite the bounty from minion kills, and gold constantly poured into his virtual inventory. They were winning, by a large margin, if he were to rely on his prior knowledge of what constituted winning. Even if he and Ahri were to be somehow ganked and slain right now, the sheer amount of gold from minion kills would have made up for the First Blood. But it felt wrong. His instincts warred with his logic, and he decided to wait and see. Surely no summoners were this dumb, to forego CS'ing altogether --

His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden lance of pain. Kazu grunted and fell to a knee, a hand immediately reaching for his unmarred back, eyes wide with disbelief and pain. There was no blood, not from him, no, but the mirrored cry from Ahri had him directing his attention at her, at the blood erupting from his champion. He felt that. An experienced gamer he might be, Kazu was still just a grad student in his 20s. The closest he came to actual pain was probably from a kitchen injury or two, but that...there was no mistaking the gut wrenching pain of a dagger forcibly rending through flesh. It had hurt, badly, though perhaps not as badly as a wound like that would suggest. If he was not mistaken, he shared half of Ahri's pain.

And that wasn't his only concern, even as he scanned around with pain-laced eyes, chugging down a potion to refill their shared HP bar, there was no Shaco. Impossible. Deceive had a cooldown of 11 seconds, he knew that by heart. And yet the jester had stealthed in, stabbed Ahri, and stealthed right out. Or perhaps Shaco had been here all along? His mind turned, exploring the possibilities. Had he simply missed the flashes of steel slicing a minion's underbelly, claiming the experience and gold unseen? It made sense that in a 4D version, champions might be rebalanced to offer more immersive gameplay, but this...this was almost like facing champions with their truest potentials, no longer chained by the rules of the game, allowed instead to simply be them.

Kazu shivered. Not with fear, no, his dark eyes shone with sudden excitement, and he licked his lips, forgetting even the earlier pain as he climbed back to feet, grinning from ear to ear and walking up to his champion. Soul-linked, the instructions had said, but this arrangement between him and Ahri was not unlike a light and its shadow. The damage dealt to the light is reflected upon the shadow, but the shadow - the summoner - could not be directly damaged by the enemy champion. There was no reason to be afraid, no reason to hide in the umbra. He had yet to learn what Ahri at her truest potential was like, but knew that at least at present, they were battling against an invisible enemy. And, judging from Ahri's reactions, she can't see the jester either. It was an extremely one-sided fight, given just how important Ahri's spirit rush was to her kit, a tool she won't have access to until a few more levels in. And thus, it was his job as her summoner to see her through these first few levels. That much at least, Kazu anticipated, and his preparations would hopefully prove useful here.

"Ahri, stay perfectly still," he whispered, pressing his palm against the uninjured parts of her back in a hopefully soothing gesture. He was taller than her by only a few inches, and his heated breath tickled the fine hairs of her furred ear. "I'm going to do what I can to give you one clean shot with charm, and the rest is up to you." His palm glowed with warmth, with magic, serving not to heal her wounds, but to...? Before the both of their eyes, "Ahri" walked forward, bouncing with vulpine grace and heading to the cluster of enemy minions, evidently planning on scoring more last hits. The actual Ahri was temporarily concealed, provided she stayed still as Kazu had asked. A minor illusion spell, dispelled by any damage and lasting only under a minute before being dispelled naturally. But he had a feeling that Shaco would take the bait.

 

[captain levi]

Shaco's first strike, which had been boosted to do an extra twenty percent of damage, seared painfully into her backside and the virtual health bar above her, depleting the green a few notches. The wound wasn't fatal despite the realistic visuals of her crimson blood coloring her oriental robes the same hue, but the potion Kazu had consumed had helped coagulate the injury and even relieved some of her fatigue.

She was ten times more careful now, the cone-shaped tips of her furred ears rotating like satellites to pick up any miscellaneous sounds the jester was careless to cover in stealth mode. With the explosions and clash of metalwork ringing loudly around them, though, it was difficult even for Ahri's beast-like instincts to focus on Shaco's soft and nimble footwork. Occasionally, she heard an isolated pile of leaves crunching beneath her veiled assassin's feet and intuitively knew he was a certain distance away. Her predatory nature would have had her bolting towards the detected noise had it not been for Kazu's instruction to stay perfectly still. Don't move? The idea sounded ridiculous in the moment but her summoner's intentions were clear the second Ahri saw herself, a very convincing copy of herself, at least, dash into the bloody fray of minions. The illusion fought as she would have, leaving no room for doubt that Shaco would take the bait and open the opportunity for Ahri to use her Charm spell.

Not bad. She glanced at her summoner out of the corner of her eyes, a playful (flirtatious, even) simper pressing onto the feline curvature of her lips. As soon as the illusion dispelled and Shaco came forth with the same combination of moves that had bested Ahri before, the Gumiho dashed forward and blew a kiss, her hand releasing a fine mist of pink that captured the jester without fail. His limbs went weak, expression fixed in a lovesick stupor unfit for a haunting visage of his kind, and he walked harmlessly towards her. She had but two full seconds to release a deadly string of combos against her stupefied opponent, a chance she wasn't willing to miss while Shaco was exposed.

At close proximity, her form enveloped in blue celestial flames, and three orbs of destructive energy separated themselves from the mold of her aura, slamming into the jester with astounding power and speed. Three hits from her Fox-fire skill were enough to deplete the enemy champion's health bar to yellow, and two more basic attacks to red. By then, Shaco had come to, and a part of his body had already dissipated into his surroundings. He was slipping away! Ahri lept forward with breathtaking agility, her inky hair and robes flapping wildly against the tremendous force of the Orb of Deception swirling in her hands. Just one more! Only Shaco's face hadn't dispersed when Ahri shot forth her first skill in the hopes of claiming First Blood. The hotblooded Gumiho hadn't missed her target... but even her world seemed to revolve that much more slowly when the opposing summoner blocked her skill shot. Except, she hadn't.

The bright, revolving ball of magical energy had shot clear through the transparent summoner and through Shaco with the force of a firearm, draining the jester's health completely. But Ahri stood there, heaving, even shocked, as she watched Shaco's summoner fall to her companion's side. She was female. Young, even.

"Shaco! Shaco!" the young girl, looking even more spunky and youthful with her bob-cut and the light dusting of freckles over the bridge of her nose, shrieked at her fallen comrade. "Shaco, get up! Re-spawn, please! I don't want to die!"

But even the corpse of the jester failed to regenerate as it normally would, and the only thing that had changed now and five seconds ago was that some morbid form of rigor mortis had set in already. Ahri glanced at Kazu, unable to fully understand what she felt in that moment as the enemy summoner's form began to glower before shattering into millions of tiny shards. Almost like stars. That was quite a dramatic death, she thought, although her curiosity pulled her shortly to Shaco's lifeless body that hadn't done much but lie there, even after the supposed "death" of his summoner. She nudged his arm with the toe of her boots. Dead.

Only when a familiar voice booming 'First Blood!' over the virtual world sounded did Ahri snap back to their current situation. There were no more minion kills left to harvest in this area, so they either had the option to teleport back to the ally town for supplies or press on, gambling their chances that they wouldn't be ganked further up the mid lane.

"That was quite the strategy, Kazu," she purred, prior grudges forgotten as she leaned and nuzzled against his front like a kitten wanting attention. The soft rumble sounding in the pit of her chest was unmistakable. "We'll make a good team." The furred tips of her ears now flicked against his chin as her cheek rested against his clavicle, if only to hear the muffled beat of his heart that pulsated directly below her head. He was alive. He wasn't just a collection of crystal shards waiting to shatter at the cue of her death, was he? No, he was real, she told herself. He was warm.

 

[ƒeral]

Kazu was in shock.

He stared at the empty space, where a very human looking summoner had knelt but a moment ago. There was nothing there now, no wide, panicked eyes, not the dash of freckles that gave her a girl-next-door vibe, not even a fragment of her summoner's robe remained. It was almost as if she never existed, if not the fact that the mossy earth still retained the imprints of her knees, if not for the fact that her final scream still echoed in his ears.

I don't want to die. What on earth was she bubbling about, he wondered. Someone took immersion way too far. But despite his reason, he could not dismiss the nagging feeling still, and the sight of the lifeless jester only made the feeling worse. Did she know something he doesn't? He glanced at the prone Shaco again, counting the seconds. Shouldn't he be...gone? Vanished like his summoner was? Despite his repeated attempts to pull his gaze away, his agitated eyes kept flickering back to the jester. It just...looked all so real.

Only Ahri quite literally inserting herself into his line of sight pulled his attention away, and he stared down at the similarly too real vixen nuzzling up at him. The gentle brush of her ears tickled, her body was warm, and those undeniably feminine curves made his heart flutter in a rather inappropriate manner, given their surroundings. He flexed his fingers, not quite sure whether to embrace her or what to make of the situation, and settled for running through her hair instead. Avoiding the ears this time, threading silken hair with soothing regularity, before murmuring. "Let's get out of here."

Kazu peered over the horizon, as far as he could given the foliage all around. As far as he could see, there were no more minions. Interesting. Was there no lanes at all on this map? Were the minions distributed randomly? Questions to be settled later. For now, he was quite shaken by the morbid scene, even if he held himself tall still, pressing his lips into a thin line and pretending to be unaffected. "We should spend your well-earned gold, and you should rest." He pulled away from her, but not before looking down at her back, gazing at the blood-soaked garment with concern. "Ahri, how's your back...?" She took quite the wound, and judging by the shadow of pain he felt, he imagined the vulpine caster was only worse off. "And...hm..." He paused, looking around again, finding himself quite lost. "Are you familiar with our whereabouts? Are there perhaps a shop nearby? A tavern? I want to look at your back if that's ok with you." He spoke with the calm dignity of a concerned summoner, and it was not until that the words left his mouth that he realized what he said. "Ahhh, I mean, your wound..." If Ahri were to look up, she would be treated to quite the sight - evidently even her cool and collected summoner could blush.

 

[captain levi]

The soothing gesture of his digits combing through her wild, tousled hair was more than appreciated this time, her sensitive ears flicking from side to side in temporary contentment. Her face had buried into the bend of his neck, tapered nails digging and loosening into his robe much like a feline's way of pawing at something it quite found comfortable. Yes, she liked this unfamiliar warmth that radiated from the summoner like a furnace, and she grinned a bit where he couldn't see.

Rest? Now, that was a new concept. Ahri was more familiar with non-stop battle when it came to fighting on the plains of League of Legends, but this time, many factors of the traditional war seemed... off. Never had she encountered a situation where the enemy champion failed to regenerate, although the battle for twenty was already different, all things considered. She wasn't sure what to make of it; after all, she was nothing but a soldier, a chess piece placed on the board to fight for whichever side fate decided that day. But, in this mode (if they could call it as such), she had a companion.

His concern for her injury was met with a reticent smile. "It's nothing some rest won't fix," she assured him, the process of her health regeneration ability slow, but effective regardless. The finer fibers of her flesh were pulling together already as if her skin was suturing itself up. The wound, however, was deep, and was reasonably a cause for concern the way it bled out like some crack in a dam, soaking her clothes in crimson. She was fine. "Although I wouldn't mind you taking a look~" she offered with a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Well, then." Her fingers clasped around Kazu's wrist with the delicate finesse of a feline, leading his hand to circle her waist while her free hand swiped across a shared virtual interface. Among the very limited options Ahri was allowed to control, she clicked her nail on the label reading 'Recall' and waited for a beam of light from the heavens to swallow both their forms.

It took but a few seconds for the mysterious light to envelop them completely before materializing them at the heart of a cozy, rustic village that still had stones for paths and mule-driven carts as methods of transportation. The few denizens that inhabited the area were most likely NPCs. An ally Talon and his summoner were also seated on the base of the plaza's statue, feasting on what looked like a steaming loaf of bread, an item that had obviously not been introduced in the original game. The atmosphere of the town's square was so unlike the forefront of the lane's, so serene and... safe.

"There's the merchant," she beckoned with a tilt of her chin in the general direction of a stall. Her hand clasped around Kazu's wrist for reasons unknown to her, though she vaguely knew it drew a sense of comfort she liked.

 

[ƒeral]

It wasn't an usual state of affairs for Kazu to hold a woman so intimately, much less a charming individual like Ahri, but he consented to be guided, keeping his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. It was comforting, he reasoned, and the both of them needed what sense of security they could get after the macabre scene. And it was...nice. She felt warm and solid besides him, and the subtle feminine scent that reminded him of wild things calmed his frayed nerves. He marveled at who must have engineered the Gumiho's personality. She was everything he had expected and more, so carefree, friendly, and if he was being honest, quite alluring.

Ahri was nothing but a collection of pixels, he knew this, and yet could not help but respond to her easy smile and cheerful attitude. He might be crazy to feel attraction to a virtual character, but being bound by society's rigid rules and mores was never Kazu's cup of tea, hence his near obsession with games in the first place. He wasn't going to draw some arbitrary distinction between real and fake, and distance himself accordingly. No, whatever Ahri might be, right now she was just a girl who wanted his attention and looked to him for comfort, and what kind of man would he be if he denied her that little bit of affection she needed. And so what if he held her a little bit closer as a result of his decision.

"Come on, let's browse his wares." Kazu turned, his handsome face lighting up with a smile genuine and warm. He led Ahri toward the stall, arm wrapped around her still, almost possessively. The merchant was a funny-looking fellow, his wide-brimmed hat and ridiculously long white beard looking that much funnier in 4D. His wares were displayed haphazardly, various weapons stored vertically in barrels and small trinkets laid out on the stall. Kazu couldn't help but wonder how on earth that IEdge wasn't cutting through the barrel it was tucked into. "Damn, those are some high-quality barrels," he remarked, lifting a brow, "maybe I should buy one of those for you to wear...?" He laughed, picturing how ridiculous the Gumiho would look clad in a barrel, before engaging the merchant in conversation.

"Hey buddy," he began, eyeing the various trinkets, gaze lingering over the various AP item components. "Got anything on sale?" The stout old man looked at him as if he were crazy, and Kazu could only shrug. Was worth a a try. But before he made any decision, he turned to regard Ahri first. "What do you think? I'm sure you've fought in thousands of matches already, surely you have a favored build or two? A tankier Rylai path? Morello for mana sustain?" He queried, throwing out a few options he had tried in the past. "You are the one doing the brunt of heavy-lifting here, so why don't you decide?" It was almost ludicrous, a summoner asking his virtual champion for what she wanted. Who even cared? But Kazu felt like it, so sue him.

 

[captain levi]

There were too many unfamiliar faces about and it made the feline temptress antsy as she nimbly followed after her summoner, clutching a hand into his robe and hiding herself behind Kazu although her awe-inspiring, giant plumes of tails swaying behind her hardly helped her disguise. Her curiosity, however, coaxed her out and to the weapons on display. Her interest was subdued and she cast a reticent look to her allied champions gathering in the square, waiting for her summoner to choose the build she would fight with. Kazu's decision had to be better than the one time a summoner, no doubt a beginner, had equipped her with six Doran's Rings and left her for dead in a terribly unbalanced battle.

Hands clasped behind her back, she waited for a decision to be made before Kazu asked her to choose. "Me?" she asked, quickly elbowing him in the ribs for the barrel joke he had made. As if she'd wear something as hideous as that! Her furred ears twitched in mild annoyance before she turned a shoulder to him, slender fingers picking up a glowing Morellonomicon from the display cabinet the shopkeeper had been so kind to open. "This will do," she answered Kazu, tucking the enchanted book close to her chest until the exchange of item and currency had been made. She didn't look the part, but she truly was giddy that the summoner had allowed her to make her own decision and the thought pressed her to clutch the item even tighter to her bosom until the Morellonomicon disappeared, effectively upgrading her stats.

As she waited for Kazu to equip himself with additional items, her attention once more strayed to the two allied champions, Twitch and Soraka, that had teleported themselves from the bottom lane to safety looking in terrible shape. The healing mage and her summoner staggered onto their knees upon crossing the safe threshold of the town and Ahri unknowingly exhaled a sigh of relief. Their health bars were rapidly recovering but the bloody wounds the champions sustained were slower to heal than their mental and physical fatigue. 'At least they're alive,' Ahri thought to herself, forcing herself to recall Shaco's rotting corpse on the ground and wondering if he was still there as a haunting memoir to what would happen to her next time.

Ahri's enhanced sense of hearing picked up a distressed call from Twitch's summoner not too far off. He was ranting and raging about the game being bugged shortly before he opted to disconnect for fear of returning to the same battle he had barely survived the first time.

"Kazu," she murmured, tugging gently on her summoner's sleeve to direct his attention to their enraged comrade attempting to log-out, only for him to realize that there was no such button on the menu.

 

[ƒeral]

"Good choice," Kazu nodded at Ahri approvingly, liking her style already. Rylai had its uses, and could prove to be a later buy still, but Morello was by far the more aggressive option of the two, if not the most offensive option short of simply stacking AP. But given that Ahri's problems with mana continued into the 4D world, some sustain was a nice change. And that passive...he almost shuddered to think what would happen if wounds didn't heal, remembering the painful stab he had felt. Would the pain linger as well? A truly troubling thought. He would have to bring this up with the devs later, surely such intense pain was an unnecessary addition to a game? He checked his virtual wallet, still around five hundred gold left on Ahri's side, no doubt a result of her accurate last hitting. "Here, have another Doran's Ring as well," he traded with the merchant, virtual gold depleting as he placed the ring into her palm, watching it disappear as well in a digital glimmer. "Just in case." The starter items were incredibly gold efficient, even if they didn't scale well. That encounter with Shaco had left Kazu more cautious than ever, and while the measly ability power wasn't a big deal, some bonus health never hurt.

For himself, he blew almost the entire amount on a Frost Queen's Claim, allowing it to merge into himself as well. The tribute function turned out to be entirely useless, as he learned from his first fight, but it wasn't stubbornness that made him purchase this item still. No, the terrain was nothing like the PC version, and while Ahri seemed alert to her surroundings, perhaps a result of her bestial instincts, there was nothing quite like two icy ghosts that actively sought out champions. Not to mention the slow. A quick survey at his panels revealed that Ahri had spiked two levels from the champion kill, hitting six early. And what could aid a predatory assassin champion than ghosts that slowed? He had some doubts though, even as he purchased the item. Ahri's spell went right through that summoner, would the ghosts he summoned even be able to target champions? He pondered it, but shook the thought. It didn't matter, even if the ghosts only sought fellow summoners, just knowing that there were enemies present nearby was helpful. Plus, he grinned, eyeing the near perfect amount of gold he had remaining, and picked up a Raptor's Cloak. Kazu was well aware that his build looked retarded. But he was nothing if not adaptable, and he was getting creative here. A shared health pool with an assassin type as his champion? Why, they could always use more health regeneration, and that worrying gash on Ahri's back looked like it could use the help.

As Kazu finalized his purchases, the scene a short distance away caught his attention. His brow lifted again, looking at Twitch's almost raging summoner with bemusement and some small amount of pity. Evidently even a 4D League could not escape from ragers. But before he could direct his attention to something more amusing, the summoner's words caught his attention. "What the fucking fuck? Where's the log-off buttons. What the fuck?" The boy, barely old enough to be a man, was fuming and throwing a fit, fingers flying over panels invisible to everyone else, and evidently struggling to relocate a log off function. Kazu rolled his eyes.

"Motor functions, friend, the instruction said you just had to move to log off." He called out, deciding to be helpful, and gestured vaguely with his arm. "Like so," he attempted to demonstrate, attempting to wave his arm in real life. Kazu paused. His frown deepened. He tried again, compelling his body to move, but found he could not twitch a muscle. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he couldn't even feel his body, his real body, any attempt at motion only led to this cyber copy waving and tensing. Cold sweat emerged on his back as the realization sunk in. No wonder that guy was freaking out. In a panic, he pulled up the panels as well, all of them, gaze darting over all the options at incredibly speed, but failing to find what he was looking for. There was...nothing. No log on, no quit, no 'x'. Nothing came even remotely close to a log off.

"What...is this." He murmured, shock written all over his face as he turned to regard his champion with a look of pure bafflement. "Ahri, do you know what's going on? Why is there no log off function." His tone wasn't accusatory, but certainly confused, and for a moment, even the confidence he was intentionally broadcasting went out of the window, and he looked as trapped as he felt.

 

[captain levi]

To say Ahri was completely clueless as to what the one, now three summoners were fretting about was an understatement. It was amusing for the first few seconds to see Kazu demonstrating what looked like an acrobatic wave of some sort, although she nor her allied champions knew what exactly her summoner was attempting to prove with his flailing gesture. Like so? What sort of trickery was Kazu trying to pull and why did he look so perturbed when nothing happened? She exchanged equally confused glances with Twitch and Soraka, the former lowering his gun-shaped crossbow with a look of mild irritation. Of course, to the champions, a battle was a battle no matter what new rules had been added or modified since the last patch, so the champions' indifference to the matter was a reasonable one. She wasn't even surprised when the ratty beast stalked off on his own with some heinous plot hatching in his own rodent skull. He had never been much of a sociable ally.

Ahri frowned, shaking her head with a look mixed with confusion and apology. "No, I don't," she answered truthfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "Although I thought it a bit odd that Shaco hadn't regenerated." That had been bothering her since it happened but Ahri hadn't thought it was more than a player-focused malfunction that would fix itself as the game progressed. If so, Shaco was probably recuperating at the enemy town just like this one. If not, well, Ahri had a few assumptions as to why that might be. But, just in case Kazu was even thinking of leaving her the way Twitch's summoner had, she clutched a fistful of his robe and puffed her cheeks out with air. "You're not going to leave, are you, Kazu?" she coaxed him, ears standing upright and tails twitching aggressively in the slight chance that he might decide that something else was more important than her. "Stay here, with me."

The Gumiho pressed herself against him, sniffling. The provocative charms of a damsel in distress coupled with some perfectly cued tears surely had to be enough to convince her male summoner that spending time with her was more pressing than the problems that bothered the other summoners. Admittedly, beyond the facade of helplessness, Ahri was a bit reluctant to see Kazu off so soon if "logging out" meant that their paths wouldn't cross again. She locked her arms selfishly around his middle and grappled all ten of her claw-like nails into the firm skin of his back, just tightly enough to assert possession but not to cause harm.

Soraka's summoner, a bony kid with black hair messily snipped with school scissors and terrible acne, was the first to remain somewhat levelheaded as he swiped through the various screens of the virtual interface. What he brought up for the others to see was a commonly overlooked News bulletin where miscellaneous notes about champion rotations and maintenance checks had been posted. "Look," the boy wheezed, even his mild case of asthma having transferred over. "Sixty-eight players dead, the remaining beta test players hospitalized and unresponsive." Live updates were being posted by the hour, the names and pictures of deceased summoners published on the list like this was all a sick prank. In the middle of blurred faces was her, Shaco's female summoner.

"What the fuck! They can't do this! How are we supposed to get out?" Twitch's summoner bellowed angrily, his random spurts of rage soon translating into fright. It was only when the possibility of death sank in that he began frantically searching for his wandering rat friend.

"I'm assuming the same. We make it to the enemy Nexus as a team or..." Soraka's summoner's gaze settled on Ahri for a few seconds before she narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to turn away in mild fear. "We do away with the enemy champions, one by one. It doesn't seem like they can regenerate." The male tapped at the full roster of both teams, pointing out the fact Shaco's inventory had stopped filling itself at level two, and he was no longer gaining any experience points. "Come on, Soraka," the other summoner called to his champion. "We'll figure out some way to fix this."

By then, Ahri sort of... understood the gravity of the situation. Even so, she was more concerned for Kazu and gently curled her pinky finger around his. "Will you be all right?" she asked out of heartfelt worry. "I'll try to help in any way I can." But what could she do? She was merely data, a collection of pixels coded into the very program Kazu was trapped in.

 

[ƒeral]

Even as the concerned voices droned on, Kazu fell silent. For the first time in a long while, he didn't know what to say. He had his own virtual panels pulled up as soon as the levelheaded boy-summoner had directed them to the news bulletin, and he was staring at that summoner's face, at each individual freckles, at the bright, willful eyes. She wasn't beautiful, at least, not in the same way Ahri was, but she was cute in a vibrant sort of way. So very full of life. And now...gone -- dead. The muscles of his jaw locked and twitched, his whole body stock-still with tension and shock. Did he...kill her? He felt physically sick at the thought. He dispelled the panels with a wave of his hand, staring at the ground instead. Kazu Takahashi, grad student, cat-owner, Challenger League player, and...murderer?

He almost flinched when Ahri touched him. This was like a bad movie, or an anime, only it wasn't and it was happening and it overwhelming and he -- I don' want to die! She had cried, and he had laid her low, even if indirectly. "...I'm gonna be sick," he muttered, and deepened their interlocked pinky to a firm handhold, positively dragging his champion along as he walked almost aimlessly away from the group. Behind him, the other summoners protested, telling him to wait and that they needed to strategize or band together or...Kazu didn't even spare a look back. This was all a bad dream, he wanted to reason, but the warmth in his palm was too real. He questioned why he didn't just run, didn't go cower behind some low wall and deposit the content of his stomach on the stoney ground. But there was something about Ahri's concern and reassuring tone that made him feel safer, less guilty even.

He just kept walking. And walking. It was not until he almost walked into a wall that he finally stopped, suddenly. For a second, he stilled again, as if a defective robot that had forgotten its command. Almost stiffly he turned to Ahri, trying to smile but looking more like he was grimacing. "Sorry, I kind of dragged you there..." He murmured, sheepishly, his voice trailing off even as he stared at anything but her eyes. "It's just...I've never killed anyone before. Not like this. I was only thinking about winning the game and..." another pause. "This is too cruel to be a game..."

 

[captain levi]

"Kazu?" Ahri stuttered out as she was literally torn from her position on the ground to follow in a nimble-footed walk towards... somewhere. She wasn't sure what destination he had in mind as they had passed the stall and even the town square, heading into an underdeveloped part of town where only a warmly lit inn and miscellaneous shops welcomed weary summoners.

She stopped only when he did, glancing at the way his hand held hers now, the warmth of his hand transferring as unfamiliar code in her system of methodically arranged numbers. All she had known was searing pain before, but this... this fluttering sensation lifted a shy smile on the Gumiho's face so unlike her usual, coy expressions. "You... You didn't do it," she reassured him. "I did." She had dealt the final blow to Shaco who had, in turn, depleted the summoner's health to zero. Kazu hadn't done anything but protect her from harm! Her vulpine ears pressed low against her head when her summoner looked fallen still, feeling helpless for once in the ways of human emotion. Her lore declared her a murderer, too, and one that took intense pleasure in siphoning the innocent lives of men once they fell too deep into her charms. She was no different than an actual, remorseless killer, so she felt that her pity and assurance meant little.

"Maybe if you win this game, you can leave," she suggested with the most genuine smile she could muster. Just a while ago, she had been begging Kazu not to leave, but if escaping this cruel dimension meant so much to him and his sanity, she wouldn't... couldn't intervene. Perhaps a battlefield designed for champions was simply no place for fragile, human summoners. "I'll help you." She wasn't sure how sincerely Kazu would take her promise but Ahri was determined to win as she was for all battles. It was just that this time she actually had an incentive to win.

"Are you telling me that you won't try your best to win now?" she asked him, the razor-sharp tip of her nail tipping Kazu's chin up. It didn't suit his handsome face to conceal it in the shadows of his hood. Her soft hands not roughened a bit by the violence of battle soothed over the chiseled contour of his jaw, a thumb lovingly stroking his cheek where she felt the familiar sensation of warmth once more on her skin. "I don't want you to die, Kazu. Do you? Have you given up?"

 

[ƒeral]

"I..."

He started, and did not fight her, allowing her to lift his chin and peer into his eyes. His radiant obsidians were a mess of raw emotions - anger, shock, confusion, guilt, and even a glimmer of fear. He was only human, and he just wanted to play a game. This was... But Ahri was looking at him, smiling, promising him aid and victory. The same Ahri that looked so forlorn but moments ago at the thought of him leaving, had clutched him so possessively and... She might be just code, but at the moment, she was acting more bravely than him, pushing aside her own hurt and insecurities for his sake. How could he call himself a man if he told her no?

"No, I have not given up." He cleared his throat, before declaring, whispering the words as if a promise. His voice trembled ever so slightly, but the turbulence plaguing his eyes was washed away with renewed determination. "I am going to live," he declared, clutching her hand again before adding, "and so are you." Kazu remembered what happened to Shaco, and he was sure that it was at the forefront of Ahri's mind also. Already his sharp mind was churning. Six-eight players dead, an untold number of games currently ongoing. League only had so many champions so surely, the deaths were not permanent for the champions. And yet...He gazed at Ahri, his Ahri. Would she be the same if summoned by another summoner? The same composition of codes, surely, his logic dictated. But nothing about this game so far obeyed logic. He couldn't risk it, couldn't risk her dying.

"We are going to win, ok?" He tried his hand at smiling again, and was much more successful this time. To be sure, stress still clouded his features, but there was a glimmer of all too human stubbornness, a will to live, to fight. The game was cruel, yes, but Kazu was not going to roll over and die for anybody, and he sure as hell ain't going to let anyone to kill his all too human champion either.

"So, about that wound, is it feeling better? I bought some health regen in stats, might have helped, but I think I should take a look anyway?" He shook the grim and groom from his face, attempting to change the topic. No reason being so down all the time, he can mope on his own time. Right now, he needed to be brave for his champion. "Let's see here..." He looked around, spotting the nearby inn. "Ah, perfect."

Fortunately for his broke-ass self, inns appeared to be a complimentary service, as did the food. It wasn't long until he had a nice room to the two of them, complete with a cushy bed and simple but functional furniture. He set down their meals on the table. It was pretty simple, almost rustic. Loaves of bread and roasted lamb, but to his hungry stomach, the aroma was mouthwatering. He chuckled a bit at Ahri, his first real laugh in what seemed like hours. "I don't really know what you eat, well...your lore would say you eat highly questionable things but, surely some lamb is always yummy?"

 

[captain levi]

Her survival instinct was simply stronger than his, and it helped that her life had been seasoned by countless battles and bloodshed for her not to be disturbed so easily by the omnipotent threat of death. She was willing, happy, even, to be the reason Kazu's eyes glimmered with the confidence she remembered seeing in him, in his soul, too, the first time they had met. There he was. He was back, and if it helped his nerves to hear his words of encouragement being parroted back to him, she was eager to comply. "You're going to live." Even if it meant pushing herself to the limit and possibly using their allied champions as meat shields for future team fights, she was going to keep Kazu as her number one priority.

As for her, the healing injury on her back had stopped bleeding a while ago and looked more like a house cat had slashed a single claw across her taut skin, only drawing tiny pinheads of crimson from the ruptured skin. She held back a clump of her inky tresses to haul over one bare shoulder, exposing the bare expanse of her beautifully rendered back in all of its high-definition beauty. Fair, smooth, and slightly toned with trained muscles flexing underneath taut skin. "It only stings, a bit," she said, weaving her fingers through her wind-tousled hair like a feline grooming itself.

The inn was surprisingly warm, Ahri noted, and the food which she knew were for the summoners looked and smelled nice despite lamb and loaves of bread not being a part of the Gumiho's selective diet. She had no appetite, surprisingly, even if her gut flipped at the sight of a warm meal presented before her. "Highly questionable things?" she questioned, picking up a wrapped loaf of bread and stuffing a chunk of it into her mouth, as if to flippantly disregard Kazu's accusations. "Men like you, you mean?" Although, she thought between mouthfuls of distasteful flour, her victims had never been half as handsome as Kazu. She would prove him wrong! She wasn't that easy to figure out, was she?

Ahri brushed off some crumbs from her lower lip and glanced at the summoner beneath femininely curved lashes, her lips quickly twisting into a pout. "You seem to know so much about me," she said, resting her weight on the edge of the table, arms crossed laxly over her chest. "Tell me about you, Kazu."

Yes, that would be interesting. It felt relinquishing to break free of the traditional mold of summoner battles and unwind, even just to know the summoner who had always been an anonymous figure before. "I don't know anything about you but your name," she purred, easily sliding up to him with feathery footwork, and leaning with her back pressed to his front with feline grace. With a softer giggle, she was out of his hold with another dip, all nine tails flickering eagerly behind her. "We are a team, after all. We should get to know one another. You trust me, yes?"

 

[ƒeral]

"Well..." Kazu murmured, smiling indulgently as his champion darted in and out of combat range, striking only with the utter fluffiness of her tails. Ahri's whimsy, even after today's unfortunate discoveries, was quick to lift his spirit. Don't think about that, he chided himself, focus on her. He was slow to partake of the food, deciding to make himself comfortable first. He went and stoked the fire in the fireplace, half-impressed by the amount of time-period specific details that went into the game. He shrugged out of his summoner's robe, draping the bulky purple-black garment upon the chair. For a human, he moved fluidly, motions flowing into the next with the sort of easy grace that suggested he might have played sports non-competitively. His build suggested it too. He was lithe, like most young Japanese men were, but wiry. Compact muscles covered his arms and shoulders, not enough to be bulging, but giving him a youthful, athletic look. He was pale for the most part, not being the biggest fan of the sun. He did swim though, mostly indoor, hence his easy-on-the-eye build.

Ahri probably had no idea what Summoners wore under the robe, and truth be told, he hadn't had a clue either until he looked. Kazu smiled wryly as he examined the faded white tunic and plain tan trousers, find it quite amusing that the game decided even to replace the jeans and shirt he laid in bed in. The whole ensemble was awfully peasant like. If he recalled correctly, some of the summoners had more stripes of gold upon their robe, perhaps his outfit would change to something less poor-looking if he were to progress? A small comfort perhaps, in this grime virtual reality.

"I have a cat, Maru." He began, taking a seat at the table and cutting strips of lamb to put upon his plate. "I mean, I know foxes are technically canines, but you remind me of Maru a lot." He spoke evenly, drizzling a piece of bread with lamb juice now before stacking the meat unto the bread. "She's playful like you, and even though she has her own comfy bed, I wake up in the morning more often than not with her curled up on my chest." He laughed good naturedly, completing his sandwich. "As for me...I'm nothing special." He grinned humbly, but not in a self-deprecating sort of way. "At least not like you, Ms. nine-tailed-fox. I was a student where I was from. And my hobby was League...err...summoning?" He corrected, not wanting to equate Ahri's world with simply a game. Kazu laughed quietly, taking a chunk out of his sandwich. "Surely that satisfies your curiosity? I'm starting to feel vain talking about myself."

 

[captain levi]

An all too familiar sensation overwhelmed her as she watched her summoner disrobe, the fascination in her twinkling gaze similar to a man's spectating a female undress in the same way. Although, what she felt was hunger, the initial gripe of starvation followed by a burning, almost lustful desire. She was quick to dispel the thoughts from her head as she knew, no matter how vulnerable Kazu was in his current state, she couldn't allow her Gumiho instincts to see him as yet another disposable human being. He was her summoner, he was her summoner, he was her summoner... Ahri chanted the incantation repeatedly in her head until she was able to distract herself from the way the column of his neck begged for her bite and his soul for her consumption.

She took a seat opposite from him, one plump thigh toned with muscles crossing over the other. Then, she listened. "Are you comparing me to your domestic pet?" she laughed, the dagger-like points of her nails weaving into her midnight blue tresses. Her lashes lowered to half-mast. Kazu really was nothing special from the facts he had laid out for her, but she was still curious to learn more, so surely that had to mean that she was interested, somehow? She hung an elbow over the back of the chair, head slightly tipped back in the most relaxed stance if there ever was one. "I've heard a bit about the most skilled summoners gathering here," she said, suddenly taking the initiative to claim a seat she liked better than hers: Kazu's lap.

Her weight was heavy on his thighs, and reasonably so as she was a seasoned warrior and not a twiggy girl. Her claw-like hands kneaded into his chest once more, tensing and relaxing alternatively. "I'd consider myself lucky for ending up with someone as handsome as you." Kazu was definitely easy on the eyes and capable, too, and Ahri found that there was nothing more attractive than a soldier paired with a stronger will than his physique. It made his soul even more... delectable. Her eyes glowered brightly once more but her self-control pressed her back, a hand swiping off his dinner plate from the table so her elbows could lean against the edge of the furniture behind her. She was far more exposed to him this way, now able to show much more of her well-engineered form from the way her abs tightened in anticipation to the steady rise-and-fall of her chest. "Does your cat do this?" she asked playfully, rolling her thick hips against his crotch.

 

[ƒeral]

If Kazu wasn't busy trying to swallow the thick knot in his throat, he would have surely made a snide comment or two about how why yes, Maru was quite fond of his lap. As it were, his leisurely smile was frozen on his face, dark pupils blown wide with the sudden surge of arousal, staring at the Gumiho that moved almost too quickly for his eyes to track. It was easy to forget, with how docile Ahri had acted, the feral instincts that pulsed beneath the surface of feminine grace. It was almost unnerving, being pinned to his seat by those luminous, predatory molten golds. He had seen his cat adopt a similar look when chasing an unfortunate critter or two around, but suddenly it wasn't nearly so funny when he was the prey. And whatever comparisons he might draw between the two, Ahri was far from a domesticated feline. Neither of those words applied to her razor-sharp claw nor...well... He was only all too aware of her curves, of lush hips pressed against his, firm and rolling with an intent to stir his baser desires.

And Kazu was no saint. Already he could feel himself rising to the challenge, biting back a low groan at how sinfully decadent it felt to have the heat and friction pressed against his rousing member. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but apparently boxers were definitely not a thing in this time period, and he was completely bare beneath the suddenly all too thin trousers. And it wasn't just the pressure either. League had branded Ahri the Temptress for a reason, and the summoner found himself understanding just how is it that so many young men lost their lives to the Gumiho in her lore. His gazed fell from her eyes to those full lips moving with her words, to the tender column of throat that she presented with the intentional arch forward. And her outfit! Her breasts all but spilled out of the white-rimmed crimson silk, heaving with each breath she took and oh so appealing. Her bared shoulders, even those playful vulpine marks on her cheeks... He knew logically that League champions were intentionally sexualized, but that was hardly something he could analyze at this moment.

He was just a man, and she was perfect. With a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat, he accepted her invitation and challenge, both hands sinking into the fabric of her back before he stood, forcing her to rise with him. She was stronger than him, of course, muscled as a fighter should be, but though he was no warrior, he was still more than capable of lifting her, of urging her rear onto the table, his arms firm around her. "Let me guess," he breathed, smiling again now that he restored some semblance to the balance of power, standing where she was sitting, the impressive bulge of his pants pressed against her through the thin fabric of their outfits. "Now's the time for some real fun?" He murmured in surprising likeness of her in-game dialogue, before bending down to catch her lips in a kiss. It didn't surprise him that she desired this, no, and he would be lying if he proclaimed immunity to Ahri's charms. He might die tomorrow, no reason not to live today.

 

[captain levi]

As soon as she was lifted and quite aggressively set on the edge of the table like a rag doll to be placed wherever he so wished, all self-control was tossed out the proverbial window. She would have parroted the way he had mimicked her, if not for his lips, slightly chapped but warm nonetheless, snagging hers in a kiss not short of passionate. Her lashes lowered at half-mast finally shut, even tightened a bit, as she felt the upward, euphoric stroke of his manhood pressing right against her sex. "Mm, Kazu," she moaned between the kisses peppered onto her lips, her own teeth gently skimming over his lower lip before releasing it to watch it fall back perfectly below its upper half. He was everything she only fantasized a real kiss would taste and feel like, and it grew increasingly difficult for the Gumiho to part from it, her lips always seeking his for tentative pecks or long, lazy couplings of their tongues.

A wiggle here and a wiggle there eventually pushed her full, perky breasts out of the silken sash of her too revealing outfit, the accidental malfunction of her wardrobe coloring her cheeks pink temporarily. But, the lascivious side of her wanted him to see, even wished for him to fondle and grope them the way he had with her ears, with no other motive but primal desire to simply feel her and how flawlessly she was designed to cater to his needs. With one elbow propped beneath her, she curled her fingers into his inky strands of hair to tug him down, the elevated heel of her boots seductively trailblazing down his spine where it fell off and parted. She couldn't resist the temptation to nibble his neck to see if he'd bruise at all, and was pleased to see that a faint blemish remained over the bend of his neck before the patch of color faded once it was detected as an exterior injury.

She purred shamelessly as her attention now focused on the prominent, thick outline of his erection nudging against the soft, plush insides of her thighs. It was literally driving her to the brink of heat, causing her gaze to lose focus, and her jaws to slack as if she was in a sexual stupor. "Don't be a tease~" she hummed lightly, the flat of her boot pressing against his crotch, pushing lightly enough to give the simple, but silent command to sit. If and when he did, he was able to see a rather enticing view of her womanhood just barely cupped into a white pair of g-string panties, the opaque front a bit darker from her juices and even more so when a hand pulled the thin fabric aside to reveal her pussy pulsating with wet heat. "Won't you eat me out instead?" she grinned softly, her index finger swirling slowly over her swollen clitoris.

 

[ƒeral]

Their hot and heavy liplock had him straining for attention. In truth, this was a dance Kazu was far less familiar in, being able to count his past girlfriends on a single hand. It wasn't that he was particularly bad with women, just that between studies and gaming, he seldom made time nor effort. 2D had always been more intriguing to him than 3D, but 4D was a whole different monster, if his progressively heavier breath and lust-addled gaze were any indication. He wasn't shy though, all too eagerly following Ahri's lead, letting their tongues duel and entwine, their lips brush and bruise, give and take interwoven into a heady embrace.

The Gumiho had already proven bolder and far more experienced than any of his ex's, and Kazu was learning just how much as he was pushed back, with gentle but unyielding pressure, to flop back into his chair. He groaned with a lack of comprehension, peering at her through lidded eyes filled with primal hunger and yearning. Ahri explained herself soon enough though, none too coyly presenting her still clothed core to his ravenous eyes. Kazu licked his lips instinctively, appreciating the sight of her wet and wanting. His cock flexed in his pants, demanding center stage, but she had asked that he wow her, and Kazu was never one to turn down a chance to impress.

Hungry as he was for a taste though, he didn't dive in right away. Instead, he scooted forward, chair and all, pushing her further onto the table to give himself to work. He grabbed her hand first, smiled rakishly and tore it away, pressing her palm against the table in a demand to stay. "You asked for it, so no touching." He chided playfully, gazing up at her from between her legs, a boyish charm mirroring his sex-flushed skin, handsome features acquiring an almost vulpine playfulness himself. He was all too happy to please her, but made it clear that it would be on his terms. His firm, slightly rough hands grasped both of her thighs, pushing them further apart and urging them to wrap around his shoulder and neck. And he leaned in and inhaled, groaning his approval at the musky scent of her arousal. But he didn't dig in, didn't even so much as strip her further, turning his head instead and latching with teeth and tongue onto the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, branding her with a hungry bite, all teeth and tongue. He watched with fascination as the hickey healed all too rapidly, and took that as a sign to indulge his rougher tendencies. He kissed, nipped, sucked and lapped, drawing closer and closer to her heated core in a slow but steady crawl.

"Mm...you are so wet," he teased, peering up at her again with smugness coloring his eyes. He wouldn't protest if Ahri tried to thread his dark, surprisingly soft locks, but even if the Gumiho tightened her grip, he wasn't about to relent his teasing, determined to exert his own will as well rather than cave purely to hers. "What a naughty little fox." She had asked for this, and if she thought herself in control because Kazu was buried face first between her legs, she was clearly wrong, and the human summoner was all too eagerly driving the point home. But he was well aware of the Gumiho's famous impatience, and didn't keep her waiting too long.

Before she could chide or protest too much, he was already back at work. And this time, he dove in with vigor. He didn't skirt the edge of her sex this time, didn't tease, but pulled the flimsy soaked-through fabric aside with his teeth, and lapped the entire length of her sex with his tongue. Once, twice, caressing her with the rough, dexterous muscle, wriggling against the soaked outer lips before pulling the swollen flesh between teeth, nipping and rolling softly. He wasn't unnecessarily rough, but hardly gentle, delving into her her folds for a better taste, before pulling up to lap at her straining, engorged clit.

It was clear that despite having relatively limited sexual experiences, at least when compared to Ahri, Kazu was a good student. He listened to her moans, took his cues from her trembling thighs, and devoured her with a vigor and precision that was impressive given how clumsy and antsy young men his age often were. His cock was twitching painfully in his trousers, and he had to spread his thighs to alleviate the pressure, but knew that his vulpine companion wouldn't leave him unattended by the end of the night. Now though, was all about her, and he went about it messily, the room filling not only with their moans and groans, but also the wet sloppy sound of him eating her out, lapping at her lips and sucking on her clit with a single-minded determination.

 

[captain levi]

All of her bestial senses were heightened at this point, her hearing sensitive to the way his chair scooted towards her and the nerves just underneath her skin feeling the curl of his warm breath tenfold. What she was experiencing was of a nature different than the arousal Kazu felt. Ahri was succumbing to heat, her half-fox self readily compliant with her need to be bred by a male whose genes were superior than hers. Kazu didn't fit the bill perfectly given his mortal origins but her body ached for him in a way it had never reacted before, responded to his touch like there was a reaction programmed for every wandering swipe of his hand or kiss of his lips.

When he pinned her down, the Gumiho longed to rake her fingers through his hair again, to tug the heat of his mouth closer to her dripping wet core. He was meticulously slow and while it was damning how effective his speed was to drive her to the brink of desperation, she enjoyed, no, loved how his lips, teeth, and tongue worked harmoniously albeit aggressively to brandish the inside of her thighs. As he kissed her left thigh, her right eagerly curled around his neck to lock him in place before it would fall away with a complacent sigh spilling from her lips. Although immobilized and supposedly banned from touching him, Ahri scooted onto her elbows to treat herself to a better view, her sinister tongue quickly swiping over the sharp tips of her incisors as she watched the summoner stuff his face between her thighs like her womanhood was dessert. "You're the naughty one, aren't you? Eating me out so eagerly like that," she smirked coyly, her fingers pinching the hem of her skirt to pull above the toned flat of her stomach.

She was once more at a loss determining which sense was more arousing: the sight of him digging face-first into her pussy, the sensation of his tongue, moist and firm all at the same time, digging into her folds, or the obscene sound of him lapping away her juices? Whatever her conclusion was didn't matter. Kazu was turning her less into a refined she-warrior and more into the seductive fox she was pictured as in her lore. "Oh," her lips, so prettily shaped like a Cupid's bow, parted to release a thick exhale that was almost palpable given how her heart pumped wildly like an old furnace. "Yes, Kazu, just like that!" Her lashes fluttered shut and a hand grappled at the roots of her own inky tresses to alleviate the overwhelming pressure and heat so rapidly building in her groin.

Every flick of his tongue dragging over her sensitive clit was torture, and while Kazu was probably unaware, there was a certain madness associated with his pattern of licking and sucking that kept Ahri on edge, always just one stroke of his tongue short of spilling her juices. She laid back this time, claws scratching up the varnish of the table's surface as her orgasm approached in gentle waves, lick after lick. "Fuck, yeah, justlikethat, Kazu, right there!" she mewled and canted her hips, her pussy now a sopping mess from all his saliva and her honey mingling together. She would have burst if she hadn't scooted backwards with a sharp gasp, forcing her throbbing womanhood away from his tongue to edge herself. The flat of her boot pressed to his shoulder to keep him at bay while she rested for a second or two, pacing her breaths and combing back her inky hair.

She didn't want her first orgasm of many to be wasted like this, not without his cock pulsating inside of her to cum around. "Mm, I am a naughty little fox, aren't I, Kazu?" she hummed shamelessly as all nine tails swayed breezily behind her. With feline grace, she slipped off the table and descended to her knees, the fairness of her skin and the luminous golds of her eyes warmly rejuvenated by the glow of the fire. "But, I'm your naughty little fox," Ahri whispered like a seductive incantation, her nails ticking up the fabric of his trousers and tracing the outline of his cock with subdued fascination. He was big, and it excited her again, a thin string of her translucent pre-cum already dripping like honey from her folds and onto the floor.

Her ears pressed low against her head in submission, lips closing around the clothed bulge to feel the heat radiating through the threads, the musk of his sex heavy on her heightened olfactory sense. "Tell me how you'll fuck me, Kazu," she urged him, cat-like eyes widened in a lust-blown daze gazing at him while her fingers worked to undo his trousers and bring them down to mid-thigh. A warm, soft hand closed around his thick girth, even the entire palm not enough to cover him from base to tip. "Tell me how you'll make me your slutty little vixen?" She hummed as her thumb teasingly circled below the crown of his cock, her nail all but gently digging into the slit with so much dexterity that he wouldn't feel a thing but the dullness of something pressing against the head.

 

[ƒeral]

Kazu responded with a low growl as Ahri pulled away, lust-darkened eyes flickering up in confusion. She had been close - he could tell by the clench of her walls every time he thrusted his agile tongue inside, could tell by her desperately swollen clit. And he would have continued too, would have sucked and tormented the little bud until he tasted the flood of her honey. But even though he had been denied his treat, he couldn't find it in him to be irritated. Not when she was gazing down at him like that, gaze so needy and yet ever so poised. He knew what she was doing, having experimented with prolonging his pleasure as well before. And as much as he would have liked to taste her cum, the thought of her being unfulfilled still...of her drenched tunnel clenching around nothing, all but begging to be stuffed solid by his cock, drew an excited twitch from his eager lance.

Even before she touched him, he was already painfully erect, the elastic cotton stretching around his swollen flesh. His manhood, all seven inches of it, was outlined clearly, and even tucked sideways, barely fitted inside the confines of his pants. It pulsed with his heartbeat, demanding attention, and Kazu groaned with relief as Ahri sunk to her knees, freeing his eager erection. He had leaned back in his chair again, gazing down at her now, and the dexterous caress of her palm and the unbridled hunger in her eyes had his moan all over again. "Fuck, you are so sexy," he cursed, staring down at her in a trance. It wasn't the most eloquent of lines, but it was the truth. She was by far the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on, and, with her oriental robes fallen well beneath her cleavage, with her skin flushed and eyes glassy, she was sensuality incarnate. Even her idle teasing made him want to cum, and his cock throbbed inside her palm, as if having a will of its own.

And her words! Kazu might not be a virgin, but never before had he met a girl this bold, spewing those lascivious lines without the least hint of embarrassment. It made sense, given Ahri's lore, but the net effect was such that the young man was hopelessly aroused, and they'd just gotten started. There was a brief pause as his lust-addled mind finally processed the fact that those words constituted a question, and he fumbled around for an answer. He hadn't had any practice with dirty-talking, and his words lacked her casual grace, but the deep, throaty undertone husking his voice made it that much more compelling. "Hard," he began, growling the word, "I won't be gentle, I would show you how much you are driving me crazy with every harsh thrust."

It was a bit awkward first, but as she continued to fan his arousal and stare up at him through her lashes, his confidence surged, and words he never dared saying out loud tumbled out in a husky, commanding purr. "I would heft you up," he continued, burying a hand into her midnight blue tresses, boldly caressing the soft fur of her inner ear, before seizing her hair in his grip, asserting his dominance. "Spin you around and slam you against this table, push you down hard enough that you can feel the grains of wood digging into your breasts." His breath came faster, his eyes glazed, and his grip in her hair tightened till it was nearly painful. "And then I would mount you, press myself flush against your back, forced you down and grind my cock against your drenched core. Nudge against your horny entrance with my crown, let you imagine how amazing it would feel if I hilted my thick length into you in one gratifying thrust..." He smirked then, growing more sure of himself with each and every word. And, remembering her earlier self-denial, he painted the lurid fantasy accordingly. "But I wouldn't. I would keep you down if you struggle, tease you with the treat you so desperately crave, but deny you just that until you beg me to fuck you, to claim you, to breed you like the slutty little vixen you are."

And his fingers itched to do just to, to pull her up and stuff her solid with his thick, pulsing cock. But he was already so dangerously aroused, the tip of his manhood dripping with clear pre and the shaft twitching with pent-up need. He wouldn't last like this, and he wanted to prolong it, wanted to properly enjoy fucking her. And so he snarled, tugging on her hair and commanding her as a beast would his mate. "You want that? My little slut? Then suck me off and we'll see about fulfilling that fantasy."

 

[captain levi]

"Oh, yeah?" Ahri crooned, encouraging him with a slow, seductive blink of her eyes and the sensual stroke of her palm tugging the foreskin of his cock where it bunched around the head. "You better not be gentle, Kazu." Her tails friskily wagged behind her as the deep, sultry tone of his voice provoked her primal desire to mate rather than make love. Just his words painting an obscene scenario on the canvas of her thoughts had her pussy dripping with her warm honey, which she dipped her fingers into, to make a sticky, sweet web between her fingers. The vixen was already prepared for him, but Ahri knew that the initial breaching would sting and readied herself for the penetration by slipping two of her cum-soaked fingers inside. In and out, her digits scissored against the natural resistance of her walls, tapered nails expertly pressing into herself so as not to nick the sensitive flesh lining her womb.

In a way, she was simply making sex a bit more convenient for him, opening the entrance to her emptied womb for his seed to spill into. She couldn't wait, almost to the point her anticipation triggered the need to pin him down and fuck him on her own terms. But, that was for later, when he'd be exhausted and she'd ride him until his balls were drained empty inside her. Every last drop.

"Please," she begged with a playful glint in her eyes that gave away the submissive charade she was convincingly performing. "I want your cock curving into me, pressing so deep inside my pussy!" Their back-and-forth sounded like a conversation at this point, her reactions exaggerated tenfold the more lewdly he spoke to her. Her knees, slightly bruised from the lack of cushion beneath them, parted even wider for her fingers to drill into her fleshy, sexually ripened opening. If Kazu listened closely enough, he would hear it, the erotic shlicks and squelches of her digits replacing the fantasy of his cock filling her solid. Surprisingly, what snapped her out of her lucid daydream was not his commanding tone of voice nor the musky scent of his cock forcing her into heat. It was the way he pushed his thumbs into the furred funnels of her ears and stroked her there the way he had before, although this time his bold advance to touch the Gumiho's ears were rewarded with a wanton mew of contentment. They twitched between his fingertips and her body keened forward, trembling that much more effectively.

"Ah!" she yelped in surprise when her inky tresses were knotted in his fist, the hand that had been pleasuring her womanhood grappling into the skin of his thigh in retaliation. She only applied a bit of pressure, just to remind him that he wasn't breeding some house-cat but an untamed Gumiho whose claws and teeth were still very much designed for murder.

Ahri purred, though, dragging the tip of her dexterous tongue flat over his head, tasting the salty-sweet pre when it rolled right back into her mouth. "I want it so bad, Kazu, want your fucking, thick cock breeding me until I cum and squeeze tight around it," she exhaled heavily against the throbbing base of his manhood, her plush lips finally closing around the crown. She was even careful as to tuck them over the lethal tips of her teeth and make the slip inside the warmth of her mouth easier than it would have been to fuck a beast's throat. With a hand clasped at the base, Ahri swirled her tongue around the head as the tip crawled closer to the back of her throat.

She kissed the head when the reddened crown slipped out, rewarding Kazu with only a few kitten-like licks here and there to prolong the torture. "Tell me which little fox gets to have your cock?" she hummed, tugging back the stiff sex and watching it launch forward to tap against his stomach simply from how rock-hard it was. "Mm, tell me I'm all yours, Kazu!" Ahri cooed, her tongue licking a wet stripe underneath his heavy sac and the impressive shaft of his cock before it was cruising down her throat again.

This time, she was hardly playing around, both hands gripping his ass with dominant fervor to tug him to the edge of his seat, the leverage allowing her to stuff him balls-deep into the core of her throat. She gagged, but barely, swallowing around the sheer girth of his cock so her tonsils massaged his shaft and her tongue skillfully peeked out to lap at his balls. The Gumiho bobbed her head and the lewd noise of his dick fucking her throat raw was obscene beyond anything else. For a full minute, she maintained this position with her head stuffed in his crotch, until the sharp intakes of oxygen she took between his cock pulling out was nowhere near the amount she needed. When she came up for air, Ahri tossed her head back, a thick string of throat slime and saliva drooling down her chin and the engorged shaft of his cock. Her face was flushed red, tears rimmed the corners of her lust-glazed eyes.

"So, so good..." she went on to breathe heavily, suckling at the tip of his cock like a kitten starved of milk, her lips finally pressing to his navel while her hand stroked at his slippery cock coated in her spit. "I'm your slut, Kazu, your little cockslut..." she mumbled as if in a trance, lips worshiping the toned outlines of his abs, her hand warming his cock between her breasts.