Viktor could tell that there was something wrong with his apprentice. Rather than his usual ramblings about what he saw at the market, ideas for future meals, or other nonsense, Ren was unusually quiet when he returned to the factory. This didn't sit well with Viktor and he wanted answers. He followed Ren to the kitchen and attempted to strike up a conversation.
"Did you find what you required at the market?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah, I did," Ren replied, "I'll be making the mashed potatoes tonight, don't you worry about that."
"I never doubted that you would make them," Viktor nodded, "and as for the market itself, did you encounter anything interesting?"
"You're being unusually chatty."
"And you're being unusually quiet."
"I thought you liked it when I was quiet," Ren asked with a weak smile.
"I do not enjoy excessive talking, but complete silence from you is abnormal. You only behave this way when something is troubling you."
"Or I'm reading, or drawing, or lost in thought."
Viktor gave Ren a stern look, which the boy could sense even with the mask obscuring the scientist's face.
"Just saw something strange at the market," Ren sighed, "it's not important, Doc."
"You have never hesitated in telling me about something you saw before."
"Are you going to keep prying?"
"Perhaps."
"Alright, fine, I'll talk, but do you promise not to get mad."
Now Viktor was concerned.
"I promise," he agreed anyways.
"First of all, I don't think it's too big a deal," Ren turned began to put away the food as he spoke, "there was this Piltie at the market. Some kids were harassing him so I stepped in to help. I thought he was just some oblivious lost guy. We talked for a bit and I tried to boast about myself a bit and the longer the conversation stayed on N-12, the more interested he became. At first I thought this was just normal interest but, I dunno, something about him seemed off."
"And then I stupidly mentioned you. I only said good things, I promise. Then once your name came up, something about the Piltie changed. He got this intense look in his eye and I could tell he was starting to pay close attention to what I was saying, not just the polite attention you give a stranger, but the kind when you are really thinking about every word they say. Then I remembered how you said you didn't want Piltover getting involved and I wished I had just kept my mouth shut."
"I tried to leave the conversation as quickly as I could without looking too suspicious. And just to be extra safe, I took the long way back, doubling back on paths sometimes, and going down alleys that he wouldn't have been able to hide out of view in. I shouldn't have been followed back. But still, damn it, I feel like an idiot."
Viktor let out a long sigh. His mechanical fingers tapped against the counter as he searched for the right words to describe his opinions of his apprentice's actions. He wasn't mad at Ren, such a strong emotion was reserved for only the most serious offenses, but he was frustrated with the boy. He knew he was just acting with the good intent of boosting their public image, but involving Piltover, in any capacity, was a foolish mistake in his eyes.
"Hey Doc," Ren broke the silence, "I know Zaun's relationship with Piltover isn't always the best, but what happened to you, that wasn't just the usual 'looking down on us Gray covered punks' kind of thing, was it?"
"It was not."
"It's the thing you don't want to talk about, right?"
Viktor was silent as he considered the situation. Talking about his past with Piltover and its people was unpleasant, even on days when he refreshed his emotion hampering implants, so it was something he avoided doing. But if anyone in Zaun deserved to hear the truth about those events, it was Ren. The boy trusted him, looked up to him, Janna's mercy, he even advocated for him. Being honest with Ren was the least her could do.
"It is. Go put the kettle on the stove for tea, please," Viktor said, "I should tell you about what happened. Then you will understand why I do not trust Piltover."
Ren blinked, dumbstruck by what he just heard.
"Wait, what? I mean, yeah, I'll get the water started at once. Sure thing. "
Ren sprang into action, filling the kettle and placing it onto the stove. With a few clicks of the ignitor, the stove was on. He also opened the cabinet and rummaged around for snacks to accompany the tea, finally settling on some krustiki cookies that a patient had gifted Viktor. He set the fried dough treats on a plate, the powdered sugar topping them puffing into the air as he did so, and placed them on the table.
As Ren was finding the snacks, Viktor was filling the infusers with his favorite tea, an aromatic blend of licorice root, anise, fennel, peppermint, and nettle. When the water in the kettle came to a boil, he poured it into two large mugs and set them on the table beside the cookies. Lastly, he sat at the table and removed his mask. Ren sat across from him and waited expectantly for Viktor to speak.
"As you know," Viktor began, "I attended the Piltover branch of the Academy of Techmaturgy several years ago. I was one of the school's top students, along with another man named Jayce."
At the mention of the name, Ren went rigid, but Viktor didn't notice. The scientist's eyes were cast downward, staring into his cup of tea, watching a few bits of the loose leaf sneak through the infuser's holes.
"He was a brilliant man," he continued, "the only one I would ever consider to be my academic rival. I believe that he hated that someone from Zaun could show as much promise as Piltover born genius, and so he pushed himself to be greater than me. I was younger then and more rash and prideful, so out of spite, I pushed myself to stay ahead of him. Our professors noticed our drive and were pleased to have two self-motivated students. Because of this, Jayce and I were often forced to collaborate on some of the Academy's more ambitious projects."
Viktor paused for a moment and took a sip of the tea. He was silent for another minute and Ren took the opportunity to sneak a cookie before Viktor continued.
"We worked well together. We had out disagreements, but always they had remained professional, until the dock project. The work around Piltover's docks was dangerous and it was not uncommon for several dock workers to die annually. We were commissioned to redesign the diving suits and make them safer for the workers. Our work vastly improved the suits, allowing workers to go deeper and remain submerged longer, but there were still deaths."
"Jayce wanted to improve the suits further, but to do so would have taken time, but I had another solution. Our suits were nearly perfect in their design and were never the cause of the diver's death. Human error and human error alone was to blame. Prolonged time in the depths appeared to cause paranoia and many divers would begin to behave erratically."
"And when they panicked, they would risk harming themselves or others," Ren commented.
"Exactly. As human fear and irrational though were the causes of the deaths, I purposed a chem-shunt be added to the suits. It was a design I had used before here in Zaun to great success. The chemicals that the subject would receive would inhibit their ability to experience fear."
"Like what you gave me and Moyna?"
"Similar. What I administered to you only suppressed fear. The chemical solution I intended for the divers was stronger. In addition to fear, it also suppressed symptoms of fatigue and erratic thoughts that may have caused the diver to take adverse actions that would endanger them," Viktor scoffed, "Jayce said I was depriving them of free will."
"Were you?"
"Let me ask you which is worse, that a diver temporarily be deprived of their free will and survive or be allowed to drown because of that free will?"
"I mean, letting someone die sounds way worse. And did you say 'temporarily?' Because if so, that should have made the chem-shunts the obvious choice."
"I believed so as well. An operation would have needed to be performed to prepare the divers for the chemical augmentations, but I had intended for them to only be administered the chemical solution while they were submerged. At the other times, they would have carried on with their normal lives without interference. However, that was not acceptable for Jayce. He brought my designs before the heads of the Academy. Their ethics board determined that I was unfit to continue working at their institute and I was expelled."
"I'm sorry, Doc. You were just trying to help people."
"Do not be. If it weren't for the anguish I felt at my expulsion, I never would have been motivated to augment myself into the person I am today."
"And then you went on to save other lives, mine included. Happy ending, right?"
"I am not finished speaking."
"Oh."
"It was over a year since my expulsion that a great disaster occurred in the Factorywood. There was a massive chemical spill. The toxins became airborne and hundreds became poisoned. When inhaled, the toxins would enter the bloodstream through the lungs and make their way to the brain where it began to degrade the victims' higher cognitive functions. They would become violent and attack others. I sedated as many as I could and brought them back to my laboratory so I could attempt to heal them."
"I operated on their brains, using my best equipment to filter out the toxins. It was effective, but slow. Then people began dying before they could ever be operated on. My acolytes and I did everything we could to create more machines and enhance the abilities of those already in use, but it did not matter. In the end, my laboratory lacked the power to save them all. I knew many would die if I didn't find a solution."
"And then I found it. In Jayce's laboratory there was a true hextech crystal. I knew that it would provide the power I needed. I implored Jayce to see reason and give me the crystal and that by doing so, we could achieve something we both wanted, to save people's lives. But he didn't listen to me. He was always a terrible listener. He rejected my request, demanding that I find a 'moral compass' before ever speaking to him again. I was trying to save innocents from dying needlessly, was that not morally correct enough?"
Viktor's tone grew darker. With no mask to obscure his face, Ren could look into his eyes as he spoke. There was a deep sadness in his grey eyes, and though they were looking at the cup of tea before them, their gaze was distant, staring at the remembered faces of the dead. Ren pushed the plate of cookies over to Viktor. Reluctantly, Viktor took one.
"Everything you did was to save lives, Viktor," Ren said as his mentor ate, "I think it is admirable."
"But was it morally correct?"
"Obviously."
"I wonder if you will continue to think so."
Ren gave a concerned look, but kept his mouth shut as Viktor continue to speak.
"When I realized that Jayce would not aid me, I attacked him. I ripped the crystal from its stand and smashed it over his head and at the moment, I didn't spare a thought to if I had killed him or not. The people on my operating tables were my only concern; they were many and he was one. I returned to Zaun immediately. I did not fully understand the power I held in my hands and I was concerned that the energy from the crystal would overwhelm the already weak bodies of my patients. As I prepared the crystal to be hooked up to my purification machines, I ordered the acolytes to transfer the brains of the weakest victims to steam golem bodies so that even if their bodies perished, their minds would survive. The same chemical mixture that I had created for the divers was added to brains that were placed in the golems, so that if they reawakened in mechanical bodies, they would not immediately panic and harm the others."
"When I connected the crystal to the machines, it was like witnessing a miracle. All of the purification machines were powered and began to operate at a quicker pace. Additionally, the crystal had enough power to begin charging the golems, awakening the minds of the victims far sooner than anticipated. This was it. My machines were going to save these people. I thought I was witnessing the dawn of the Glorious Evolution. But I was wrong."
"Jayce had found me. He broke into the building, wielding a modified version of one of his multi-tool inventions. I saw the glow of hextech radiating from the device and knew that it had been converted into a weapon. He pleaded with me to return the crystal, claiming that what I was doing was wrong and that even I should have seen that. He had even apologized for how he had treated me back at the Academy. He was wasting his breath and my time, trying to appeal to the younger me, the more foolish me who may have been swayed by words alone."
"But my mind was clear and I saw him for who he truly was, a narrow minded coward who would let hundreds die because he was afraid of what I had invented. I knew he would never see reason and if I were to refuse to return the crystal willingly, he would use force to take it. Why else would he have brought a weapon with him?"
"You did hit in the head with a big blue rock," Ren commented, "which is kinda odd because that's not really your style."
"That is because when I had gone to Jayce to ask for the crystal, I was unarmed. I had hoped, foolishly so, that the good will he claimed to possess would have made him sympathetic to my cause. When he came to me, I was not going to make that mistake again. I ordered the golems to kill him. As I stated before, the brains of the Zaunites were filled with the chemicals I had intended for the divers, so they heeded my command without hesitation. They surrounded him, pummeling him with crushing blows. I should have felt nothing at the sight, or at least something positive, but I didn't. I felt sorrow."
"I know how you felt," Ren commiserated, "losing a friend is the worst feeling."
Viktor nodded. The man let out a long sigh and was silent. Ren offered a knowing look. The boy had always wondered what Viktor would like showing emotion, looking human, but now that he had his secret wish granted, he found that he hated it. He didn't like seeing Viktor look vulnerable. It felt wrong.
"I turned away," Viktor finally continued, "I told myself that I had to tend to my patients, but the truth was that I could not watch the man I had considered my friend to die. And when my back was turned, Jayce broke free of the golems. He made a desperate sprint for the crystal and brought his hammer down on it. It shattered. A powerful shockwave was released from the destroyed crystal, throwing everyone back and overloading the golems, causing them to collapse. Then the building began to crumble. It collapsed in minutes. Every person from the Factorywood in that building perished."
"I survived. After several days recovering, I received the news that Jayce had also survived. He returned to Piltover where he was crowned a hero and I was vilified. I was no longer the doctor who would replace limbs, I was the monster who tried to build any army of robotic slaves. I had done nothing to wrong the people of Zaun, and yet they began to fear me and avoid me. I did nothing wrong."
Ren had nothing to say. He knew no words would help here, so he remained silent. But he knew the silence couldn't last. He had to tell Viktor the truth. Luckily, Viktor was first to break the silence.
"You are my apprentice, which means the negative reputation I have in that city is now shared with you. This immediately places you in danger if the wrong people in Piltover learn about what we are doing. I do not desire for anyone else, my apprentice least of all, to be injured because some fools in Piltover believe that I am a danger. That is why I request that, moving forward, you do not interact with anyone from Piltover unless absolutely necessary. Save your gifts for this city."
"I promise," Ren answered, though he could not make eye contact with him.
"Is there something else you wish to say?" Viktor asked.
Ren could wait no longer. He looked directly into Viktor's cool eyes as he spoke.
"I want to be honest with you," he spoke, a panic rising within him with each word, "about today, but please, forgive me. If I had known, I would have never. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."
"What happened?"
"The person in the market. The Piltie. His said his name was Jayce."
Greetings Summoners,
As I am sure some of you can sense, we are approaching the climax of this whole thing, and because of that, I have a surprise for you all. Starting next month on the 8th (my birthday, yay) and every following Sunday in August, I will be posting a new chapter. That's right, no month long waits between chapters during the climax, just week long waits. So prepare yourself for a rollercoaster month!
Also, I now have a Ko-fi page. My writing will always be free, as I do this for fun, but any support you give is greatly appreciated.
Link:
/storytellinghyena
Lastly, the krustiki cookies mention in this chapter are a favorite of mine. If you have never had this type of cookie before, I highly recommend them. They are basically fried dough cookies. The recipe will be posted below.
That's all for today. I hope you all continue to enjoy my writing (and cookies) and continue to stay safe. Feedback is always appreciated.
Best of luck on the Rift,
-Gwoo
Krustiki Cookies
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1/2 cup of water
1 stick of butter
1 shot of vodka
powdered sugar
vegetable oil (or other oil for frying)
Instructions:
1. Melt the butter
2. Mix the flour, butter, water, and vodka together with a big spoon/spatula
3. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
4. After the dough is chilled, fill a pan with enough oil to fry the cookies and begin heating it
5. Roll out the dough thin and cut it into thin strips, about 2" wide and 5"-8" long
6. When the oil reaches 350 F ( 176 C ) begin to fry the dough strips
7. Fry the cookies until they turn golden brown
8. Remove the cookies from the oil and place onto paper towels to drain
9. Top the cookies with powdered sugar
10. Enjoy
