Here we are again! We are back with a new chapter, and BY ALL THE GODS OF RUNETERRA, THE PLAN TO GET HOME IS FINALLY PROGRESSING. I can FINALLY get to the part of the story I've been meaning to get to for weeks! So, this time around, Viktor has finally drawn up a list of the parts Helios needs to build a device that'll get him home, and some of them will have him brushing up against some very familiar faces. Will he regret it? Oh yeah. Is it going to stop him? Hell no. He's going to return home even if it kills him. ...Which it probably won't, but STILL! He's doing it with determination, UNDERTALE-STYLE! NOW LET'S DO THIS THING!


Ekko's apartment was pretty decent, even though it was hardly worth anything at all.

It was tucked away in a corner of one of the more modest sections of the city, and was easy to overlook. The paint was faded, and the tech used to construct it was somewhat outdated, but it definitely looked nicer than most of Zaun's architecture. One could even say that it was a relatively cozy place to live. I had to admire Inna and Wyeth's resolve to give their son a better life, even though he stubbornly resisted going anywhere but deeper into Zaun. Back on my world, they understood. They still wanted to get Ekko into good schools, but more so that he could help do better things for Zaun. Here, they most likely had no idea about what he wanted to do. They were still doing all they could just to scrape him a few meals.

It was a shame, then, that I would have to ransack their house and steal their property.

Well, not their property. Ekko's.

The Z-Drive.

The bat, the chain, the whole package. I needed all of it.

Viktor had been rather clear about it. The Z-Drive was one of the only pieces of technology in Zaun capable of altering the fabric of reality. Its ability to manipulate time was a key component of the device Viktor would build in order to get me home. There was a few other pieces needed to make the device capable of breaching a hole in space-time, but Viktor hadn't revealed what they were yet. Some emotionless robot he was. He had a thing for dramatic effect, the pompous bastard. The thought fed a trickle of amusement into my mind as I stared at the property.

I sighed. It'd been a few days since the encounter with Urgot, and we hadn't seen him since. We'd gotten word of his actions, and how he stirred up Zaun's criminal underworld, but ultimately we hadn't encountered him. Viktor also forbade Warwick and I from trying it, too.

We don't argue with the only doctor in the area. Not if we want to keep getting patched up.

And then there was the other thing: the two of us had, after a rocky start, embarked on our own little killing spree. It was chaos, and we loved it. We'd even managed to get one of the Chem-Barons already. I didn't care enough to remember his name - I only knew him for five seconds, before Warwick had promptly made mincemeat out of him. It was fun to watch, too. Does that sound a bit psychotic? Yes. Do I care? No.

But, as much fun as it was, home had to come first.

So, while Warwick was off doing his own thing, I was about to steal from a poor married couple with a delinquent child.

Oh, the cruel, cruel humor of it all.

I hated my life sometimes, I really did.

It was nighttime, so theoretically Ekko would be asleep. I knew where the Z-Drive was (he'd told me himself back on my world, when we were both champions) - I'd just have to swipe it without alerting him. That would be a lot harder than it sounded - Ekko was a light sleeper, and if I so much as stepped the wrong way, he'd be up and at me. Not that I couldn't take him - I'd just have to hurt him, which I didn't want to do, and if his parents got involved I'd have to knock them out too. And that would just make me feel even guiltier than I was already feeling.

"This oughta be fun." I muttered, rolling my eyes as I stared up at the building. "This isn't going to haunt me at all."

I cracked my shoulders and neck (which I actually did for a reason other than dramatic effect - since getting beaten within an inch of my life, they were sore almost all the time), then strode across the street, right up to the front door of the apartment building. All the lights were off, meaning that the residents were indeed asleep, but just in case, I'd avoid all the windows. Conveniently, there was a pipe running up the wall, which led right up to Ekko's bedroom window. Perfect.

I pushed myself up the pipe, testing to see if it would hold my weight, then started climbing, mindful of the noise I was making. Over all, this was going better than expected, but knowing my luck, it wasn't going to last.

When I finally got to the window I was looking for, I paused. Then, I squinted, looking along the edges. Sure enough, Ekko's security systems were in the same place as usual. Just a tiny wire, barely visible in the darkness, connected to an an alarm inside that would go off if I tried to pry the window open. I silently vowed that I'd thank Ekko for giving me that information as soon as I saw him again back home. I'd also have to thank him for explaining how the Z-Drive worked. It wouldn't be useless to me once I acquired it. It'd be fun to see if I couldn't fool around with it a little bit - bash some heads in.

I fished a pair of pliers from my pocket (I hadn't asked Viktor if I could borrow them, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him), which is difficult when hanging by one hand from the edge of a window. Since my fingers were already beginning to burn, I cut through the wire as quickly and quietly as I could, cursing with frustration when it took several tries. Once I was done, I slipped the pliers back into my pocket and gently pushed the window open, careful not to make any noise.

Ekko's room was, like the apartment it was housed in, relatively modest. It had a small closet, a few cupboards, and a desk where he worked on his inventions, and of course, the bed. It was getting a bit too small for him, indicated by his toes almost peeking over the edge. He was a light sleeper, but at the same time he slept very messily, always contorting himself into awkward positions, usually with the covers almost off. Ekko himself was fast asleep, blissfully snoring the night away.

Once I had fully gotten myself through the door, I silently snuck around the foot of the bed, pausing whenever Ekko looked like he was about to wake up. I then got to my hands and knees, bending down to look underneath. There was a large rectangular case there, but I knew that it didn't contain the Z-Drive. That was only the decoy, in case someone broke in. In other words, this instance.

I slid the case out from under the bed, then felt around the spot it had previously occupied. There should be a little indentation- ah. There it was.

I pulled at the nook in the flooring, then pried up the hidden compartment, inside which I found a key. It was small, and looked insignificant, but that was most certainly not the case. It was supposed to unlock a hidden compartment in the closet, which had taken Ekko some time to construct without his parents' knowledge. And, once I opened the closet and unlocked said compartment...la di da. There it was.

It was a beautiful set of machinery. I had to admit that every time I looked at it. Ekko was destined for great things - you could see it in his dedication to his work. I frowned, feeling a mote of depression. Ekko was, frankly, wasting his talents. What he did during the night was admirable, but it wouldn't accomplish anything in the long run. If Ekko really wanted to help Zaun, he had to play the game the way Piltovans did. And that was something he'd never want to do.

I couldn't help myself. I took the Z-Drive's keychain component and clipped it around my waist, the same way Ekko did. I took the bat and held it in both hands, feeling the way it firmly fit in my grip. I could see why Ekko would enjoy using this thing. It felt good. It felt powerful. It felt like I could do the impossible without so much as blinking.

I chuckled, feeling the brief thrill of success. That hadn't been so hard.

And then, forgetting myself, I turned around and smacked the flat surface of the bat against the closet.

WHACK.

The sound echoed throughout the room.

And just like that, Ekko's eyes snapped open.

"Wha-" He blinked, rubbing his eyes. As soon as they were completely focused, they landed on me, and promptly widened.

He opened his mouth again to shout, but I was already on him.

Dammit, Ekko. I thought to myself. Why can't you just sleep like Tryndamere does for once? When Tryn was out, he was out. Only Ashe could get him to wake up. No, I won't tell you how. The methods vary.

I pinned his arms to the bed with my legs, pressing down on his throat with his own bat while I covered his mouth with my free hand. He kicked and thrashed frantically, but due to the position he was in, he could only smack my back with his knees, and that didn't really hurt enough to be effective.

"Ekko?" Inna's voice groggily called from outside. "Are you okay in there? You still asleep?"

His eyes darted to where her voice had come from, trying to scream louder, tell her to get out while she could. Always thinking of family, even in situations like these. It almost brought a sad smile to my face.

"I'm not going to hurt her." I whispered. "Your tech's the only thing I want."

He thrashed harder, but he was already losing oxygen, and his eyelids began to flutter. "Yes, that's good. Thaaaaaaat's it." I told him softly. "Go back to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

His struggling continued, but only sluggishly, burnt out by a lack of energy.

His body tensed for one last time, then went limp. He was unconscious.

I sighed. Gods, I hated doing stuff like this. I was trying to keep my friends safe, not hurt them directly. But, my plans tended to go wrong most of the time, so I really should'nt have expected anything else.

Still, at least I could afford to make him comfortable. I gently pulled the covers out from under him, then tucked them over, moving his body up a little so that it wasn't quite so close to the foot of the bed.

"You're a good kid, Ekko." I said softly. "You were a good friend, too. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

And with that, I turned and jumped out the window, grabbing onto the pipe and sliding to the ground.

I looked down at my newly acquired gear. It had better have been worth all this trouble, or it was going to be the first thing I trashed when I got home.

"Helios. Are you there?" Warwick's voice said into the comms system attached to my mask.

"Yeah. What's up? Need help for something?" I asked.

"I've cornered someone who's had ties with Urgot." He replied. "I thought you'd want to get involved."

"With what, interrogation or just messing with him?" I said.

"Both." He replied.

"Works for me." It'd give me something to think about other than ambushing my friends, at least.


"I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!" The thug screamed. "I SWEAR TO GODS, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

I sighed. "You know, this would go a lot faster if you would just be honest with us."

"Please," He whimpered. "Please just let me go."

"I don't think you're in any condition to make demands, rat." He snarled, holding him by one leg. "Have you even looked down?"

This guy was either surprisingly defiant or downright stupid, and I was inclined to believe it was the latter. He was too scared to recognize that he needed to tell the truth, especially since we were threatening to dump him into several thousand gallons of molten metal. Warwick had dragged this guy's sorry ass all the way to a smelting pit, similar to where he'd holed up before moving in with me and Viktor (and Viktor was not happy about how much he shed daily). The only difference was that this smelting pit was fully operational, and was currently cranking out the goods at a few million degrees, courtesy of chemtech enhancements.

Warwick was holding the gangster by the leg over the edge, while I just sat there with my knees hanging over the side. This had been going on for a little while, and we were both getting irritated. This was taking forever.

"Alright. Drop him." I said, moving one hand to the Z-Drive's chain. If I recalled correctly, Ekko had said there was a function for preventing select individuals from being affected by the Z-Drive's abilities...

"What?! NonononoNOOOOOOO-" He screamed, as Warwick released his grip. He fell down, down, down, until he was just about to hit the surface of the fiery liquid.

Then, I yanked the chain.

Time then proceeded to go in reverse, like I'd just pressed "rewind" on a tv remote. The gangster rose up from the pit, flying right back into Warwick's outstretched claw.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!" He screamed again. "I SWEAR TO GODS, I-" He paused, realizing what had just happened. "Huh? What?"

"Listen, pal." I patted the Z-Drive from where it hung on my waist. "This little beauty right here is the only thing that's able to stop you from vaporizing. And I can do it as many times as I want." I paused, looking him right in the eyes. "Or, I can choose not to do it at all, and simply let you fall." I fixed him with a grim smile. "Are you really willing to risk that, or do you want to avoid taking a swim?"

He gulped.

This was kinda fun.

"I d-don't know anything about what he's planning." He said. "Not really. He doesn't like to share information."

I gave him a dry stare. "And that's going to save your life because...?"

"Waitwaitwait!" He said, holding his arms out haltingly. He looked really awkward, as the blood was beginning to go to his head, but it was also a little entertaining. "That doesn't mean I don't know what he wants! I know what he's trying to do!"

"So do we. He wants to make a ruckus and hurt a whole bunch of people, then keep the cycle going." I deadpanned. "Tell us something we don't know."

"I bet you don't know how he got here." He continued, clearly trying his hardest to come up with relevant info. "You think he just waltzed into Zaun by himself? Think about it - who in their right mind would ever want to settle down in Zaun?"

I frowned, considering that. "I am a little curious, I must admit." I said. "Start talking. If you don't talk fast enough, Warwick's gonna bite your leg off." That was a bald-faced lie - Warwick hated the taste, but it wasn't like our victim needed to know that, right?

"He used to work for Noxus. Did nasty stuff to people i-in the arena!" He stammered. "A headsman, I think that's called."

"We know what they're called." I narrowed my eyes, then flicked my head at Warwick. He tightened his claws, and the thug shrieked, briefly overcome with pain. I could see blood beginning to drip from his foot, and while blood was almost always able to drive the werewolf nuts, especially given his sense of smell, the noxious fumes combined with the smoke were smothering the scent. Warwick couldn't smell a thing.

"Alright, alright!" He shouted, almost squealing. "Just stop!"

I nodded, and Warwick slackened his grip, though now the gangster was dangling a little closer to the pit, which made him sweat even harder. Or maybe that was just the heat, I dunno. Didn't matter.

"He got orders to come to Zaun, crush an uprising against Noxus that was being planned by some of the locals!" He yelled. "But it was a setup! He got thrown into the Dredge while some new guy took charge back home!"

"And Baron Voss tried to break him, she really did. She tried her best, but a year in that prison does things to people. Nothing could hurt him worse than the Dredge had." He glanced down at the pit before continuing.

"He scared her off, replaced bits of him with tech that made him stronger, than blew the Dredge to high hell." I narrowed my eyes. So, Garen hadn't been responsible for Urgot's augmentations, then? That was a new one. Then again, that made sense as to why he didn't look like he'd been reanimated. If only that made him less dangerous.

"Why's he going around blowing stuff up?" I asked.

"He thinks he's giving the city some sorta test!" The thug said. "The Dredge tried to break him, but it only made him stronger. He's gonna turn the city into a wasteland, or a war zone, I dunno! But once he's done, only the strongest are gonna be left to dig through the scraps."

"And you honestly thought that joining him was a good idea?" I sneered. "You're not making a very good case for yourself."

"Of course I'd side with him! The Chem-Barons are scared shitless of the guy!" He yelled, starting to talk faster. "Baron Voss stuck him with her sword, and he only laughed at her! I'm not getting in the way of someone like that!"

Welp, it was official: Urgot was a bad guy. But no shit, right?

"What about after he's done with Zaun?" I said. "Is he just gonna stick around, or does he have another agenda in mind?"

"He's going back to Noxus." He said, sweating buckets. "He's got a score to settle with the guy who stabbed him in the back. He's gonna kick him off his chair, take control and then do to Noxus what he's going to do to Zaun."

Familiarity and unease began to crawl up from within my mind. Noxian warlord, huh? Could it be...?

"Name. I want a name." Warwick helpfully swung him over to me, and I grabbed him by the chin. "Who betrayed Urgot? Who left him here to die?"

"I-I...I f-forget." He stuttered. "Just gimme a minute to think."

"Better come up with it quick - Warwick's claws are getting slippery." I flicked my head at the werewolf. "How're you holding up?"

"My arm's getting tired." Warwick grinned savagely. "I don't know if I can hold on for much longer."

"I just need a second, I swear!" He shouted. "It's...it's-"

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "Alright, drop him again."

Warwick let go, and once again the gangster plummeted.

I tilted my ear in the direction of the pit, hoping to listen to his answer.

It took approximately five milliseconds before I heard him scream.

"SWAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" He shrieked, just as he fell in to the molten metal. There was an almighty FWOOSH, and a column of fire erupted from the pit, singing Warwick's fur. And my eyebrows.

I instantly yanked on the Z-Drive's chain, and time once again went in reverse, until the gangster was right back in Warwick's grip.

"Swain?" I asked, crouching down to meet him at eye-level. "Jericho Swain?"

He nodded fervently.

"Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes, I'm sure!" He confirmed. "That's the name I remember."

I looked down into the pit, processing this new information.

I brought my mind back to our first encounter with Urgot, and how he'd wrecked an entire section of the city. He'd displayed such destructive force, such power, and like Warwick before I met him (well, he still left the same imprint), his attacks were laced with hate. With rage. He laughed when in pain. Massacres were almost boring for him.

Back on my world, Urgot was weak. He was only a puppet, Swain playing enthusiastically with his strings.

Here...he was a match for gods. And all that power was being utilized with the intent to topple the general from his throne.

A sinister grin slowly spread across my face. Even Warwick was unnerved by the malice it contained.

Well. It would appear that life had just thrown me a spot of luck. It would be a shame to waste such an opportunity.

"Thanks for the info." I said, standing up. "You were very helpful." I started walking away, and once I'd put a suitable amount of distance between myself and Warwick, I called to him over my shoulder. "Do what you want with him. We'll meet up back at Viktor's place."

He nodded. He threw the gangster to the ground, brandishing his claws and bearing his fangs.

"Wait- w-what?!" The thug exclaimed. "Aren't you gonna let- ...aren't you gonna let me go?"

I paused, turning to look back at him blankly. "I never said that." I said, with a slight frown. "I just said we weren't going to throw you in the pit." I hummed, shrugging. "I guess it would've been kinder to let you fall in, but I'm not really in a merciful mood today."

Warwick growled, sniffing the air. I could see why - the gangster's fear was so intense that it was almost pungent - you could smell it dripping from every pore.

"No - please!" He scrambled backwards on the platform, one hand raised at the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun (took me a while to come up with a good title for him, but I think it suits him quite nicely, don't you?). "Please please please-"

"Quit whining." Warwick snorted a puff of air from his nostrils. "Or don't. I like it when they scream."

"No- ...no no no no NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed, as Warwick pounced.

I whistled a merry tune, hands in my pockets as I walked back home.

Music to my ears.


Viktor was bent over his workbench when I got back to Emberflit Alley, not even bothering to give me a glance over his shoulder. He was completely engrossed in his current project, using his third arm to weld metal together when needed.

"I'm back." I said, shrugging off my cloak and hanging it on a coat rack.

"Yes, the sound of the door opening told me as much." Viktor replied. "Where's Warwick?"

"Finishing up with a new chew-toy." I replied, plopping myself down on a couch (which was actually pretty comfortable, despite the stains and holes in the fabric). "He should be here soon."

He nodded, satisfied with my answer. I briefly forgot what I was going to say, then immediately stood up as it went off with a little ding in my head. "Oh! I almost forgot!" I walked over to his workbench, removing the Z-Drive and placing it in front of him. "One Z-Drive, as requested."

"Ah, excellent." Viktor said, holding up the bat to inspect it. "It's a remarkable piece of technology, no?"

"It definitely has its perks." I agreed, as my mind drifted off to remember my interrogation of the most-likely-now-dead gangster. I took a greater interest in Viktor's project, then furrowed my brow. "Is that-"

"It is." He confirmed. The device was circular in shape, though rose up to create a small, thin dome. It appeared to be intended to open up at the middle, almost like a flower going into bloom (I could almost hear the sound of Jhin salivating). When Viktor opened it up, I could see three different slots in the middle, each a different shape. The edge of each "petal" had a prong attached, with numerous coils of wiring looped around each one. They were intended to channel electricity, it appeared, or at least whatever form of energy the device would generate.

"How long until it's finished?" I asked.

"Technically, it's almost done." The cyborg replied. "I only need the last two energy sources, and then it will be ready."

"So, are we going to put the Z-Drive's crystal in now?" I asked. "Like, smash the bat open with a hammer and take it out?"

"I am most certainly not." Viktor said. "If I were to do such a thing, I may very well end up disrupting the timeline, and since you are so desperate to return home, I'm quite certain you don't want that to happen." He looked back at the device. "When it is time, I will carefully remove the crystal, and insert it along with the other two."

"Right. Those." I said. "Which crystals are we talking about?"

Viktor hummed with slight distaste, as if he'd encountered something difficult that displeased him. "About that. The other two crystals are going to be the notably more difficult stage of the plan."

Oh boy. Here we go. "I'm listening." I said.

"The Z-Drive's crystal is capable of manipulating time, but as I explained to you earlier, it cannot manipulate space-time." He started to explain. "To achieve the effect we want, we will require a crystal that is capable of transporting the user solely through space, not time." This time, he actually bothered to look at me, and I got the feeling that I wasn't going to like what he said next. "And so far, there is only one crystal publicly known to Piltover that is capable of such a thing." He tilted his head up ever-so-slightly, which meant that he was raising an eyebrow. It'd taken me a bit of practice, but now I could tell. "I think you know which one it is."

Oh, gods, he couldn't really mean what I thought he meant, could he? I did indeed have an idea of which crystal he was talking about, but I was really hoping that I was wrong. If I was, it'd be extremely relieving.

Still, that probably wasn't the case. Which meant it was most definitely:

"Ezreal's gauntlet." I said.

I winced when Viktor nodded. "Indeed it is." He confirmed.

"And how exactly are we supposed to get it?" I asked. "Ezreal spends all of his time exploring, and he hardly ever returns to Piltover to visit."

"True enough, but fortunately for us, three days from now happens to be one of those rare occasions." Viktor replied. "Are you familiar with Progress Day?"

"Yeah - it's Piltover's national holiday." I said. "Celebrating their recent advances in scientific knowledge, and all that."

"Progress Day is in three days time, and the annual tradition is to host a convention of sorts." Viktor continued. "Ezreal will be attending, in order to showcase his most recent archaeological finds."

"I'm sensing a but in there somewhere." I replied, briefly interrupting.

"Naturally." Viktor conceded.

"Which is?"

"Jayce's patron house, Clan Giopora, is hosting the event." He replied.

I walked over to another workbench and flopped facedown on it, moaning exaggeratedly into the wooden surface. "I'm guessing that the crystal that powers his hammer is the third piece we need?" I asked, though a bit muffled from the workbench.

"Indeed." Viktor said. "The manor will be heavily guarded, and outfitted with the latest in Hextech security."

I groaned again, louder this time. "What else? Tell me now so that I can give it out of my system."

"Numerous high-ranking officers from the Piltover Police Department will also be there." He continued. "Including Sheriff Caitlyn and her deputy, Vi."

I groaned ever-louder, even more exaggerated and exasperated than before. "Is that it?"

"One more thing." Viktor said. "Every noble house in Piltover will be attending, including Clan Ferros and its Principal Intelligencer, Camille."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWWWGH." I groaned so loud that it almost shook the room, gently slamming my head multiple times into the workbench.

"I want to die." I said, almost on the verge of tears.

This just wasn't fair. Why did this have to be so damn hard? First, I'd almost gotten Janna killed. Boy, did I feel guilty about that. She was probably at Selene's beck and call every day back home, or dead, or worse. Selene could do so much worse than death. My guilty conscience was going to kill me before this city did. Viktor had informed me earlier on in the day that she'd vanished from the hospital, and nobody currently knew her whereabouts. Good. Hopefully she'd stay away long enough for me to leave. Oh, and there was also the part where I punched Vi after depositing Janna into her care. Wasn't that a smart idea? Assaulting an officer was a serious crime in Piltover. They'd recognize me.

Jayce wasn't going to be a pushover either. He'd gotten combat training from Poppy back at the Institute, but since the Institute didn't exist here, I assumed that meant he'd still be relatively lacking in the fighting department. He'd probably rely on all the neat tricks his gadgets could pull off. It was going to hurt a lot, and that was if I was lucky.

And then there was Camille. Cold, unyielding dread was already crawling up my spine just from thinking about it. It doesn't matter who you are, or where you're from - you do not mess with Camille. If you get on her bad side, you're dead. Even Elise, LeBlanc and Lissandra are afraid of her, and they're immortal. Well, mostly. They could still die from wounds, which is why they gave the Steel Shadow a wide berth. Ain't nobody wanna mess with those legs.

And lucky me, I'd get to be on her bad side!

I was going to die.

Why, life?

Just...why?

I swear, "Why Can't We Be Friends" needs to be the theme song for my relationship with life in general.

"Well, there is a bit of good news, though it's mostly bittersweet." Viktor offered.

I sighed. "What is it?"

"Each year, the Chem-Barons are invited to join in the festivities." He replied. "They have to negotiate the terms that allow them to keep their territory, you see. If they don't, then they risk being overthrown."

"Hm." I raised my head up from the workbench, a plan beginning to formulate in my mind. "That...could be useful to us, actually."

"Which is why I mentioned it." Viktor replied. "Warwick wants to kill the Chem-Barons. This is the first Progress Day since he first became active, and they'll all conveniently be in one place for him to eliminate, however grotesquely." He hummed, and I got the impression that he was frowning. "I don't see how we'll be able to assassinate them all without being noticed, however."

"Actually, I might know how to deal with that." I sat upright, turning around in my chair to face him. "Warwick and I interrogated a goon that had ties with Urgot just a few hours ago. Apparently, Urgot's after the Chem-Barons too. He also wants revenge on Swain for dumping him into the Dredge."

"And you believe that you can use these factors to bargain with him?" Viktor asked. "Strike a deal?"

"Basically, yeah." I confirmed. "He'd make a pretty good distraction, don't you think? Plus, we'll be able to keep an eye on him, and prevent him from hurting any more innocent people." I looked down at my fingers, trying to count with them. "How many birds are we trying to hit with how many stones, again?"

"Even I lost count." Viktor grunted, slightly amused. "We'll have to smoothen out the finer points of the plan, but that can wait until tomorrow."

"Can't rush how we plan to hopefully not die, can we?" I agreed. "Think we'll be able to pull this off?"

"I couldn't say." He shrugged. "I doubt that I'd like to know the odds anyway."

"Yeah, we're kinda screwed, aren't we?" I said, deflating with a sigh.

Things just kept getting better and better.


Alright, that's it for this week! Next chapter, Helios is finally enacting the plan to steal the crystals and get back home! However, an unexpected turn of events later on will have him making a short detour. My my, what could it be, HMM?! I guess you'll have to find out. Until next time!

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