Justice Asunder
By Joseph Milam
Chapter One
Alone in a Crowd
The night was young and the young city of Piltover was still bustling with the activities of commerce and engineering. Carts full of pipes, gears, general goods and people crowded the dusty streets. Hundreds of men, women and children, dressed in many more different colors and styles, walked pleasantly down the streets. An older man was holding his hand up high at a sidewalk food stand, he held a delicious fried eel on a stick and waved it like a sword. A firebreather was surrounded by a crowd of awed pedestrians as they watched him breath balls of fire into shapes of dragons and monsters. A young girl in particular watched the display with great relish. She was a tiny thing with blond hair and a huge beaming smile. She cheered as the firebreather depicted a scene of conflict between the great city-states of Noxus and Demacia.
A cloaked figure pushed its way through the crowd to get passed and almost tripped on a young mans foot before it managed to get free. It walked solemnly down the street and people made sure to part a path for it. A child leaped right in front of it and held up a toy but the child's mother grabbed her daughter and quickly shuffled away, chiding her for approaching such a person. The cloak hid a smile but it disappeared quickly when it heard "such a person" and it dropped back to a solid frown.
The streets became less crowded as it went on for the busiest area of the city had already been passed by the figure. It was around six feet tall and thin. The cloak was tattered and brown with no design on it at all except for a small white trimming around the hood. The sidewalk was no longer paved as the poorer part of the city had begun to surround the figure. No one caused any trouble though, not since Sheriff Caitlyn had took office. She was a beautiful young girl with long brown hair and spoke with a strange accent. She enjoyed cups of tea overlooking the city. She had an overall nice demeanor but when it came to policing she was brutal, and skilled. She was considered the most accurate person on Valoran with a gun.
A small tavern faintly gleamed in the night and the figure slowly made its way towards it. The sign outside of the tavern read: Hard Times Inn, and these were indeed hard times for it. Back in the olden days the Hard Times Inn was the bustling home of all the organized crime in the region. The figure pressed its way in unnoticed by all except the barman who raised and hand and greeted it.
"Howdy stranger! My name is John and I'll be your bartender tonight." He said with glee. The figure sat down on the firmest bar stool it could find and pulled back the hood of its cloak. It was a woman, not very young but still in her prime. She was extremely beautiful with her big red eyes and her small nose. Her smooth cheeks came down to a solid frowned mouth and a sharp chin. She had a white mark pained across her cheek under her left eye. "Oh dear," he said as he glimpsed upon her face, he did not expect such an attractive woman to come in the crummiest bar in the city. "Um, what will ya have?" he spoke with the stereotypical Piltover accent. The woman did not speak she just pointed to a barrel of ale and placed her arms on the counter, they landed with the clank of steel.
John poured the murky brown liquid into a fine glass pint and pushed it over towards the patron who caught it in her hand without glancing at it. He walked up to her. "A fine glass for a fine lady!" he exclaimed awkwardly, the woman who was about to take drink from the glass put it down and looked him straight in the eyes. He was not bad looking, he was an older man with graying hair but his well built face showed handsome features, he was probably quite the heartthrob in his youth. She scoffed at him lightly and rose the glass and drank like a man. John watched her drink wide eyed for she took down half of a pint in a single drink. "You don't talk much do ya?" he asked as he walked back to the ale and poured another pint and placed it next to his new patron who sat a few stools down. The woman took another chug and finished of the pint. She tapped the glass with her finger and smiled at the barman.
He refilled it and slid it back over. "It's on the house if you say thank you." he said and chuckled to himself, as he grabbed a small broom from under the counter and began sweeping the dust and dirt off of the old oaken counter top. The woman looked at the glass and drummed her fingers against it for a few moments.
"My name is Riven." she said flatly and took another huge drink. John smiled.
"So she speaks!" he cheered, "oh your voice is as beautiful as... you." he thought on the last word but came up with nothing. She raised her glass at his compliment and finished off the liquor. She stood and put her hand in her cloak pocket.
"How much for a room for the night?" she asked. John brooded at the request.
"If ya would have asked a bit sooner I'd be able to say that it is five copper pieces, but I just gave my last room to this man over here." he leaned his head to his left and the man simply rose his glass.
"How much for you to throw one of these drunks out in the stables for the night?" she asked and a small grin went across her face. John smiled too and leaned in close.
"These men are my friends, ya know?" he said. Riven dropped a half dozen coins on the table, they were made of silver. John smiled even wider and then slammed his hand against the table. "AYE! Morgan you are sleeping in the stables tonight!" he shouted. A man with a long haggard beard stood up.
"Whatchu say...John?" he manged to say before he fell on the ground and passed out. Riven chuckled to herself at the drunken foolishness. John tossed her a beaten brass key.
"Number one, the luxury suite, or the luxury shit-hole, whatever floats ya boat." he said She took the key and began walking towards the stairs that led to the rooms. "The key sticks sometimes, you gotta jiggle it!" he called after her and she simply raised her arm vaguely at his words. John turned to his patron. "Some piece of work, eh?" he jested.
"Indeed." the man spoke. He was well built and muscular. His face clean shaven and his raven black hair oiled back. "I think I am going to retire now, may I have my room?" he watched as Riven struggled with the key and finally opened the door and disappeared inside. He felt the key against his hand and looked back at the barkeeper.
"Number two. Don't be causing no trouble ya hear?" he said.
"Of course, no trouble at all."
Riven was in the process of undressing when she heard a faint tapping at her door. She pulled her cotton shirt back down and straightened it out with her hands. She walked slowly to the door and opened it slightly to see the face of the other patron at the bar. "May I intrude?" he asked and Riven stepped back and opened the door. He came in and closed it behind him. He glanced down at a rough wooden chair. "May I?" Riven nodded and he sat, she herself sat on her bed facing him.
"What do you want, Darius?" she asked frankly and the man called Darius smiled.
"I heard you were in town, so was I. I just wanted to stop by, I know these ass-end bars remind you of home." he drummed his fingers against his leg.
"I come here to be alone, this is the least dangerous part of town these days," she began "you know very well that I like to be alone. Why are you really here?" Darius sighed lightly and cracked his knuckles.
"I've been tracking you."
"I know, you aren't the most discrete spy Noxus could have sent." she spat
"I am not a spy, I am a messenger."
"They send the right hand of Noxus to deliver a message?" she scoffed.
"No, no no. You are too vain my dear, I am not here just for you. There are other matters I have to attend to, world peace and all that good stuff." he said the last two words ironically "What I have to say to you is that Noxus could use you back in her arms. We have plans, and are counting our allies." Riven laughed aloud.
"Another war? Oh dear how the Noxian way has gone so far astray!" she said. "Darius, you know better than most that I will not join you." Darius smiled.
"I know my dear, but are you against us?" he narrowed his eyes.
"I am uncertain." when the words came out of her mouth Darius stood.
"Then so am I." he walked towards the door. "I must take my leave. Enjoy your exile." he closed the door behind him.