Update May 2016 - I've decided to go through and adapt this story to fit within the current lore. Other stories of mine have plots reliant on the existence of the Institute, but this one (ironically enough, the only one I had started writing before the lore change) does not. This ended up being a thorough rewrite, much more extensive than I originally intended, and I've now split the story into two versions - a T-rated version, and an M-rated version. If you'd like to read the old version of the story in its entirety, you can do so here (Warning: The old version of the story is NSFW). This is the M-Rated version. For the T-rated version of the story, click here.

Note: I wanted the version of the story to be as much alike as possible, and so some of the chapters (Chapter 1 being among them) are exactly the same in both versions.

Look forward for more additions and a second plot arc in the future, after the rewrite.

Chapter 1 - The City of Progress

Ah, Piltover. There it was - crowned in a halo of illuminated rain, courtesy of the ever-glowing star rods. It was a welcome sight to my weary eyes, but I had to brush my rain streaked hair out of the way to see it properly. The sodden dirt path that had brought me from the mountains southward shortly merged with the neat chessboard-square stone sidewalk.

The pictures of Piltover displayed in all of the postcards and hexnet ads were always from the front - displaying a flattering view of the grand entrance and its bridge. But there were other ways to get into the city.

The towers at the center of the city formed a nighttime skyline that could only belong in the City of Progress. One of them, the Tower of Meteorological Studies, was not far from my eventual destination: a repurposed classroom at the Institute of Advanced Techmaturgical Studies. It wasn't anything grandiose, but it was home. Thinking of it inevitably brought a rain-stained smile to my face, recalling the few times a confused student had wandered in when I had forgotten to lock my door, only to find me sleeping. Some of them apologized and stumbled out, some of them closed the door without a word, and one particularly bold freshman girl woke me up to ask for my autograph.

The lunar light played across the water on the square stones of the road - a shimmering plane that displayed the minor flaws in the levels of craftsmen's work. It was too early even for the morning bakers or deliverymen to be out, and so I was alone. Just the road, the lights of the city, and the now waning rain.

It seemed at least one person was still up. As I approached the Institute grounds and made my way through the side gates, I noticed the subtle blue glow from Jayce's laboratory in the College of Mechanics and Engineering, the foremost building on the campus grounds. The neat silver gates swung on oiled hinges, and I entered, taking the marble thoroughfare through the manicured gardens.

When I reached the door, I leaned against it and rolled my pack off of the opposite shoulder, rifling through the backmost pocket and retrieving the key. The door slid open easily, and I walked inside, making certain to lock it behind me afterward - even though classes would technically be starting in a few short hours, Uncle Lyte had berated me more than a few times for "carelessness" and "allowing lapses in security", although I doubted he was up at this hour.

I looked into the window of Jayce's laboratory door. As heavy as it was, I could still hear the loud music he had playing over the speaker system. Some kind of punk music, probably from Zaun of all places. I knocked on the door, and he looked over. At first, there was a look of concern - after all, activity at this hour was supposed to be nonexistent - but then he saw me and his characteristic lopsided smile lit across his three-day-beard. He took his time putting down the polishing cloths and metal he was working with and walked over to open the door.

"So, how's the second most handsome man in Piltover?" I asked, grinning and giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Wow, how flattering. I'd guess who won the honor of first, but something tells me if I did it would make his head explode," Jayce rolled his eyes before giving me a light embrace, which I returned.

Although Jayce had the reputation of being a very well-groomed man, his appearance now very much belied this - oil stained shirt, beaten leather gloves, unkempt facial hair... I just knew he cleaned up well. Of course, right now I probably didn't look too much better.

"You know, Lyte almost delayed his trip to Demacia because you weren't back. He didn't think you'd take this long. What happened? Run into a fangirl? Noxians? Hexnet journalists?" Jayce asked, sitting on a stool in front of his work table.

"I wish. No, just a really long, dark path in a cave. But I did find a few well-preserved books," I said, gesturing to my pack where said books were.

"I'm sure the Prof will want to hear all about it. I've got to finish this here, and then I'll catch some Z's. I think Janna's throwing a party tomorrow, she'll want me to help out," he said, and then groaned. "Well, what can you do...?" He added and shrugged.

"Oh, have fun. I'll catch you around. Don't work too hard," I said, giving him a half-wave before opening the door and heading out, already fantasizing about the shower I would take in mere minutes. Although first, I'd need to drop off the books in-

I heard someone walking behind me and turned around to see Jayce holding an envelope.

"Hey, Ezreal. I forgot; Lyte told me to give this to you, since you'll probably depart again before he gets back. Don't forget to call him on your hexcomm. Or, try to. You know how the service to Demacia is."

I gave him a mischievous grin, "I mean, when he's there I can usually just not and claim that I tried," I took the envelope and looked it over.

"You should try. He seemed a little concerned about this one," Jayce said, his blue eyes meeting mine. I ran a hand over the thin stubble on my chin - something that took quite some time to grow.

"Yeah, I'll call him. I'll have to read this over tomorrow. I need a shower," I said, looking back to Jayce and adding with a playful grasp on his shoulder, "You need a shower. I'll catch you later."

Jayce nodded and returned a smile, "Right. Night, Ezreal."

He turned and walked back to his shop. I suspected it wouldn't be long before he departed to his own house. Technically, he had a small apartment above the lab, but he lived with Janna, so he only used it on rare occasions.

The envelope my Uncle had left for me was heavier than usual, and the irregular bulges told me that he had included a few relevant artifacts. As tired as I was, I could feel the excitement and wanderlust flowing through me as I turned the package over in my gloved hands while walking down the hall.

I fished my room key from my pocket to open the door, then opened it and set my pack down in one motion. I withdrew the books - in their alloy case - from the pack. The outside of the case was damp, as were most of my clothes, which I removed and spread out to dry. I could still smell the musk of the cave moss I had crawled through in the tighter passages. I put my uncles package on the opposite side of the desk, atop a few books I had been using for research. The temptation to reach for it, open it, explore it was palpable - but I stopped myself. If I delved into it now, I'd be up for another six hours, and right now I need two things.

The first of which was a shower. I paced toward the bathroom, rounding another stack of books before I opened that door. The bathroom was small, and technically my shower was a modified eyewash station. It functioned.

The water pouring over me drove the weary thoughts of the trail from my mind. Jayce was a friendly, if work-minded, individual, but he had seemed genuinely concerned when he brought up my Uncle's package. Had he said something to Jayce before he left? The one thing I did know is that adventure certainly awaited. If there was danger to be had, I could face it. My uncle had an overprotective streak, and he had overreacted to the thought of me tangling with a few cave spiders before.

After the shower, I dried off, shaved, and put on nightclothes before falling into bed and resting. The large map of Valoran loomed over me, but in the dark now the only lines I could make out were the ones that lingered in my memory. I closed my eyes, wondering where tomorrow would take me.