Garden of Enchantment 2 (Patreon)

Talrith looked out into a city that resembled something between Piltover and Zaun in appearance, but there was a definite mixing of cultures he was familiar with, even though what he heard so far about this city and the world told him that he was nowhere near Runeterra and its people. 

He had arrived to this world two days ago, and since then, he had been treated well by those who’d more or less “summoned” him. On the other hand, being in this city was … well, it didn’t make him uncomfortable. It was similar enough to Piltover when he visited the “Downtown” area under disillusionment, which hid his less than human features. It was similar enough to Zaun when he visited the Docks. Throughout it all, there was an undercurrent of Noxus ingrained into the population; the strong survived while the weak served or died. 

It was in the way that the city’s premier “heroes” handled the city itself; they busied themselves with protecting the economically strong Downtown while neglecting the downtrodden weak in the Docks. 

In a way, this crew he found himself with, Faultline’s Crew, was an anomaly among these cultures and norms. Classifying themselves as neither hero nor villain, they were the most honest among the city’s “superpowered” humans: they were mercenaries and kept it at that. They were also smart; they didn’t shit where they lived, unlike the heroes and the villains. 

But Talrith decided yesterday that all of them - heroes, villians, or even Faultline and her crew -were his enemies. They all stood in his path to survival. Heroes would arrest him for his ambition. Villains would kill him for being their rival. Faultline and her crew would turn on him unless he was their ally or he subjugated them.

Faultline was very clear about it, too. Though her crew may have been responsible for bringing him to this world, he was not a cripple or otherwise incapacitated; he would make his own living. Though she didn’t say it, her outlook was clear; she was a mercenary, not a caretaker. 

Talrith knew her better than she did, however. It came with the territory of being an incubus like himself. He read people like they were books, and Talrith saw within Faultline the reasons for which Faultline kept her mercenary activities strict.

It was everything she wasn’t before she founded her motley crew. 

He found her internal insecurities that never seemed to show on her face to be a delight. It would be like cracking open an oyster for him. Only after a bit of work could he gain the rights to the bounty held inside.

Her trust.

And so, that’s what Talrith intended to do; he would get her trust, one way or another. 

It would be the first step into becoming something more than an incubus. He would be something more in this world that was unaware of the Void and its nature. 

Perhaps a lord? A king? 

To build something from which he would harvest emotions? There was even a possibility of him harvesting the likes of adoration aimed at him! Oh, it was such a rare delicacy that the mere thought of being flooded with it made him giddy.

That said, how was he going to start himself on this path? To earn himself Faultline’s trust - and perhaps those of her crew? 

-VB-

Faultline called him to her “office” and he entered it as requested. She sat behind her office desk, looking at the screen of her laptop, seemingly deep in thought. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and gestured him to sit at one of the chairs in front of her desk when the door closed. When he sat down, she got right down to it.

“So what do you intend to do?” Faultline asked him as she said she would after three days. It was a deadline for him to decide what he intended to do - and when he was to leave her base of operation.

“I was hoping I could join you,” he replied with an easy smile. “I don’t exactly have anywhere to go in this world, but you and your ‘crew’ don’t seem like bad people.”

She stared at me through her mask. “... Alright,” she replied. “We can take you on with a probation, but I need to know what you can do before I make any decision.”

Talrith grinned with his teeth full-on display, fangs included. “Well, I’m an infiltration specialist. From your local classification, I am a Stranger, Changer, Mover, Thinker, and Shaker combination.”

She looked surprised by that if the way she straightened herself was any indication. “Can you show me a - what the FUCK!”

Even before she finished her sentence, he had changed into … her. Sitting across from her was Talrith but he now looked like her, including her costume. 

“”How the hell-?!”” both of them spoke at the same time. When she rose up, he rose up. “”Stop copying me!””

At this point, Talrith knew that if he went any further, then Faultline might really smack him. So he dispelled the illusion and mind-reading, two each spells from where he was from. He smiled again and gave a quick bow before straightening again. “How’s that?” he asked.

Faultline stared at him before sitting back down. Despite her outwardly calmness, Talrith saw her internal panic at having lost control of the situation. As far as Faultline was concerned, this interview was going far differently from what she was expecting. 

“... It’s impressive,” she conceded. “What else can you do? You clearly showed why you were a Stranger, Changer, and Thinker with that, copying my movement and shape. Where does the Brute and Mover come in?”

He held up an arm and turned it into a blade, causing her to stiffen for a moment. He was quick to turn it back into his arm without raising a fuss. “Changing my form, including giving myself wings, is all part of m package,” he replied. “Is this good enough for you?” 

“It … is,” she replied uneasily. “Very well. I’ll take you along with us on our next job. If you do well, then you’ll be officially part of my crew. Because you will be on probation for the next job, you’re share of the pay will be lower for it.”

A power play right off the bat? How forthcoming. 

“Even if I play a crucial role in ensuring that your job is successful?” he asked coyly. “I’ve heard from others that you’re a fair woman, but that doesn’t sound fair.”

“If,” she spoke up quickly while stressing the word. “If you do well, then I will make sure that you receive larger share of the contract, of course.”

“Happy to hear that,” he sing-sang. “Now, where exactly will I be staying?” 

“You can take any of the second story rooms that’s not occupied yet.”

“And the club itself?”

She was about to look down when he asked that question. 

“... Just control yourself. I don’t want to deal with the PRT or the Protectorate in my own club.”

“Got it, boss,” he cooed before turning himself into smoke, surprising her once more. Before he left the room by seeping through the cracks between the door and doorway, he heard her mutter.

“A man version of Tattletale. Great.”

Who was Tattletale? Talrith wasn’t about to let a rival exist.

-VB-

Tattletale, as he found out later, was another cape in another team. He wasn’t likely to meet her any time soon, however, because Faultline apparently accepted a job from some independent group in Maine. 

It was his first adventure in this world. How fun.