'Howling winds, scorching heat, and sand that stretched on forever, this was the Shurima Desert alright' thought Caitlyn as she pulled the mask over her mouth to keep sand out.
She had opted to skip her usual attire in favor of what the locals wore. She marveled at how light the material was and how cool she felt despite be covered from head to toe in fabric. She had here gun strapped over her shoulder. She carried a pack with one thousand rounds and a collection of other gadgets her mother had given her.
She stood atop Mogron Pass, Northern Runeterra with its grand city states behind her. And in front of her was a vast stretch of desert unimaginably far without so much as a hint of life in site. She sat on top of the staircase leading into the basin. She could see a sandstorm brewing in the distance and wondered if it would impede her progress at all.
She had come here to find "C" as she had come to call him. She'd been tracking him for years without so much as a clue except for the same calling card that bastard left at every place he had ever robbed. She finally caught a break a week ago when she had received an anonymous tip from one of Vi's former associates that C was going to break into one of the Shuriman pyramids and attempt to take whatever might lie within.
She was exhilarated at the prospect of finally catching him, she was anxious to be off on her journey but there was one problem, where was her guide? She groaned, "He better get here soon…"
"Well if I had known I'd be babysitting someone so impatient, I would have been here sooner." said a male's from behind her.
Caitlyn stood and spun to see a tall man of medium build standing there with a pack slung over his shoulders. A sword at one hip and a revolver at the other, he wore clothes like hers except his were patched in places from years of use and countless trips into the dessert. His face was rugged and he had a scar on his chin, his eyes pierced your soul and it felt as if he could see into the depths of your heart. "You're forty minutes late," she said looking at her watch.
"Name's Marcel," The man said. "I can get you anywhere in the Desert with little to no damage. Now, where exactly am I taking you?"
"Okay 'Marcel' I need you to take me to The Shurima Pyramids," Caitlyn replied.
"Could you be a little bit more specific as to which Shurima Pyramids" He said.
"What do you mean which? Are there more than one?" Caitlyn said in a confused tone.
Marcel let out a deep sigh and replied, "There are four complexes throughout the dessert. Each one is incredibly difficult to get to, not to mention that when you get there some are near impossible to access"
"And how long does it take to get to the pyramids?" Caitlyn asked.
"The closest one is a month long journey." He replied. "What exactly are you looking for out here?"
"I'm chasing a thief but how does that help?"
"Well it lets me know that he's not going to the Third Age pyramids, those have all been explored and looted." He answered. "Is there anything else that might help me narrow it down?"
"I can't think of anything. All I know is that this man is a master burglar who has never been caught. No one has ever even seen this person. They have gotten past the most advanced security systems in the world, both scientific and magic. The only reason we know it's this person is the calling card with the C on it." Caitlyn said as if she had said this a thousand times before.
"That actually does help, it rules out the Fourth Age pyramids. Amumu lets anyone who asks in, this person is obviously looking for a challenge. If I had to guess I would start at the First Age pyramids, no one has ever gotten past the guardian." Marcel explained.
"What guardian?" Caitlyn inquired.
"Your friend Ezreal is the only person to have seen it and lived and he wouldn't tell me anything about it."
"What could scare Ez so bad that he can't talk about it?"
"I don't know but whatever it is it would be pretty damn hard to get past."
"So you think C is going to try to sneak pass this guardian?" Caitlyn asked. "Let's get going then, ever second we waste standing here C is getting closer to his goal and farther out of my grasp." Caitlyn said impatiently as she started heading down the great staircase that led into the valley of death.
"Where do you think you're going!?" Marcel called after here
"I'm going to go catch C! Aren't you coming!?" Caitlyn yelled back.
Marcel stood on the handrail and slid down it jumping off to land next to Caitlyn. "So you're going to walk through the dessert with no supplies and with the nearest oasis or village over a hundred miles off?"
"Umm," Caitlyn said as her cheeks turned red from embarrassment.
Marcel sighed and said "We'll buy supplies from one of the local Minotaur tribes, that is if they don't gore me first."
"Why would they want to hurt you?"
"It's a long story and not all that important to our current situation. Let's get going, I saw a fairly large tribe a few miles out on my way over here."
Marcel started down the stairs at a brisk pace. Caitlyn matched his stride, she was eager to be off. She finally had a chance to catch her arch-nemesis and she would go to any lengths to find him.