This definitely took me a while, I'm still having quite a bit of fun just exploring how far I can take this idea. If you decided to click on this and read, thank you so much for even taking the time, you don't know just how happy I am seeing people actually reading this. Thank you so much!
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The cries for help continued to ring out through the empty streets, getting more and more desperate as they made their way to the police station nearby. As the duo left the building, VI remarked just how understaffed the police force was. For such a metropolis, Piltover did not have a fittingly large defense force. Hence all the spontaneous "terrorist attacks" by a certain blue-haired lunatic, and some other, more manageable crimes occurring here and there.
Caitlyn was rather impressed that VI had noticed this strange fact about the city. She spoke up "Well, quite observant today, aren't we?" smiling at VI.
"I guess not sleeping has that kinda effect on me," VI replied plainly. It had been a while since she got a good night's sleep, after all. She blamed the city, VI had slept just fine even back in Zaun. Perhaps it was the new settings, the comfortable bed, the fact that she was sleeping alone? VI shrugged, trying to take her mind off of this topic. She turned to Caitlyn, asking for her thoughts on this case.
"Sound came from not far from here, could be the alley behind the bakery down the street. What d'ya think it might be?" The enforcer spoke as they were running to the source of the scream. VI had a certain feeling about this one it happened so closeby to the police station, seemed as if it wasn't a coincidence.
"Most likely a ploy to get us out here, it would be hard to miss the station being so nearby." Caitlyn, as always, was already a few steps ahead of VI, she must have already considered the possibility of this being a trap of sort. VI smirked to herself, "Wasn't too behind on this one."
They remained quiet after that, silently moving towards the screams, which had yet to cease. They started out sounding desperate, like that of someone begging to be saved, but gradually became more and more forced as the pair got closer. Anyone would have noticed that, by this point, the screams weren't made by just one person, but a group, taking turns calling for help. Caitlyn estimated that there were around 4 different voices at the very least. This was most likely a setup.
Reaching the source of the screaming, VI silently signaled to Caitlyn, who then quietly went to find a vantage point for herself, she scaled a nearby fire escape ladder just before the alleyway. The rungs were rusty due to disrepair, most of the older buildings nearby the station were like that. The ground was damp, small puddles of filthy water littered these pathways, the putrid smell of god-knows-what almost assaulting the noses of anyone venturing inside. Even the City of Progress had these undesirable secrets, it seemed. As VI began to move further deeper into the winding alleyways behind these buildings, she made a point to stay on guard, periodically checking on Caitlyn up above. The screaming had all but died out at that point, but VI could still hear some faint murmuring coming from just beyond the corner. They seemed to be discussing something, VI couldn't quite make it out.
Bang!
A shot rang out, cutting through the silent night and the murmurs. VI quickly jolted back to see a man collapsing behind her, his hand still clutching a dagger. This had no doubt alerted the group ahead.
"Fuckin' hell! How did he…" VI looked up, nodding to Caitlyn thanking her. "Guess there's no need to be gentle." VI shrugged before charging up her Vault Breaker, she was ready to make an entrance.
VI crashed through the wall separating her from the chattering she'd heard. Before her was a group of men, all of them armed and filled with malice. They all turned to the woman who'd just crashed through the nearby wall to greet them.
"Look who's here to meet us, boys! The new enforcer! 'member to give her a warm welcome, now!" One of the older men in the group spoke up, he seemed to be the de facto leader of this group. He was a large man with a gruff exterior, wore a beaten-up jacket, had a grey, unkempt beard. He was unarmed, however, seemingly there only to direct the others. VI glanced around, counting 10 men including the leader, she flashed a smile, then proclaimed.
"You didn't see me crashing through a wall just now? Don't wanna toot my own horn or anythin'. (VI quickly pondered where she had heard that, maybe Caitlyn had said it at some point? Who knows?) But what do you think's gonna happen 'ere?" VI calmly stated, grinning widely, gesturing towards the hole she had just made, her gauntlets glowing and humming menacingly in the dim light of the narrow pathways. In all honesty, she knew the situation could get out of hand quite quickly, blast shield's good for projectiles and such, but it seemed these guys studied. VI just wanted to give Caitlyn time to get into position before anything.
"Your partner ain't doing anything, girlie. Look around ya, this place's a box, sheriff ain't gettin' a shot in." The same man spoke again, seemingly seen through VI's ruse.
VI thought to herself, they had definitely heard the gunshot, and they knew Caitlyn was there. But did they know where she was, exactly? The enforcer then decided, it's better to keep this guy talking, he sounded like the type to gloat.
"Saw right through me there, didn't ya smart guy? So what's your deal? Did I do something to piss ya off in the past?" VI locked eyes with him, still maintaining her confident demeanor. The group of men had yet to make a move, choosing to standby with their weapons at the ready. The leader grinned, waving his hand at the group, telling them to relax, for the moment.
"Well, it's nothing personal, really. People need to eat, and somebody offered to buy food if we did something appalling to you and the sheriff, that's all. I'm sure you can understand?" He spoke calmly, shrugging at his lack of involvement, his eyes still locked on VI.
"I don't think I do." VI shot back.
"Well, that's just too bad. I was hoping to maybe just take the sheriff, leave you a bit bloodied up, that's all. What with the compatriot between Zaunites and all?" He smiled, signaling to someone just out of sight.
VI could tell more people were moving around that she couldn't see, the situation was getting a bit dicey. She knew that these guys weren't too much of a threat, if she could see all of them, that is. She weighed her options, maybe a good shockwave would break the formation, but her thoughts were cut short.
Bang!
Yet another gunshot rang out, this time followed by a scream, then a body came falling from above, stumbling the group of men. But It gave VI just the moment she'd been waiting for.
VI wasted no time, slamming her gauntlets together, creating a powerful shockwave, pushing back some of the men into nearby walls, knocking some of them unconscious, but missing the leader.
"I guess we started." The leader whispered as he moved out of VI's sight, not that she could have seen him. She was far too busy with his crew, the initial shockwave managed to help clear out space for her gauntlets to swing freely.
One of the men tried to sneak up behind her, knife in hand, and with his malice practically oozing out him, he lunged towards her. But VI was faster, he caught out of the air and slammed him into the ground, cracking the concrete beneath them. The man let out a pained scream, spitting up some liquid that the enforcer couldn't make out, before quieting down completely, his comrades seemed to be taken aback by this, hesitating to move in.
"Fuck this!" Someone exclaimed as a sharp dagger came flying towards VI's face, which she instinctively raised her right hand to block, obscuring her vision for a split second. One of the men capitalized on this moment, dashing towards the only woman there. VI couldn't react fast enough; he had managed to plunge the knife into her side. But it wasn't enough to stop her, the enforcer swung her arm, and gauntlet down on him, the man collapsed to the ground, seizing any movements.
Despite how she looked, VI wasn't impervious to damage, however, that hit had slowed her down quite a bit, and the other men had taken notice. The situation became even more chaotic, as all of the men took their turn trying to get a hit on VI. Even in the chaos, gunshots still rang out, with all of them finding their targets. Even with all the buildings obscuring her vision, and all the rapid movements in the group, Caitlyn was still able to provide VI assistance. But she would be lying if the sheriff said she wasn't quietly praying that her shots would find their targets (hitting anything but VI.)
After the dust had settled, and the gunshots had seized, the group of men laid beneath VI, beaten, broken, and bloodied, some of them mangled beyond recognition. She stood alone, breathing heavily, her body covered in blood, some of it's hers, some of it's she didn't know whose. The enforcer quickly glanced over all the bodies lying about, seeing if she could find the leader, but it was hopeless. Even her vision was stained red, much like the ground and surrounding walls of this little alleyway. VI called out for Caitlyn, her voice was now hoarse from all the yelling in the fight.
But Caitlyn didn't answer, VI called out louder, still no answer. There were just the sounds of her heavy breathing and the humming of her gauntlets. Until a familiar gravelly voice called out, catching her attention.
"Girlie! I am impressed. But this is it for you and the sheriff!" The leader shouted out to her, in his arms was Caitlyn with a knife pressed to her neck. He stood on one of the rusty metal stairs, too far for VI to do anything. Even with her impaired vision, VI was able to see that Caitlyn was bleeding from having the sharp blade pressed against her skin.
Caitlyn silently cursed the situation, she was too focused on helping VI that she'd missed the leader slinking away from the fight, and letting him get the jump on her.
"I don't even fucking know you! What the fuck do you want?!" VI screamed out to the man, her desperation clearly audible in her voice and visible on her face. The man noticed, yet said nothing.
"I'm just doing what needs to be done." He spoke, that time, seemingly only to Caitlyn. The sheriff was still squirming, trying to break free of his grip, yet unable to, she was also wary of the sharp blade being pressed on her neck.
"What are you even say…" The sheriff tried to retort but was shushed by the man.
"Ssshhh…blame this city." He whispered to Caitlyn as she could feel the sharp blade digging deeper into her skin.
Beneath them, VI was running as fast as she could, using what little strength she had left, to get to Caitlyn. They both knew it was too late for that, VI wouldn't be able to save her partner this time.
Just then, VI saw her, that girl from before, Sumi, she had somehow appeared behind the man and Caitlyn. The small, white-haired girl screamed out as she tackled the man from behind, dragging along Caitlyn, causing the three of them to all come tumbling over the rusty railings.
They weren't too high up from the ground, so the fall shouldn't have been fatal, especially to such a large man. But his body had become an unwilling mattress, breaking the two women's falls. With the two women on top of him, the leader spat out some blood right before seizing any further movements.
VI finally reached her partner, noting instantly how both Caitlyn and Sumi were bleeding. VI had wanted to crack a joke, something witty about the jackass leader's unusual death. But her injuries finally caught up to her, the enforcer's world blackened rapidly until her vision was only darkness as she collapsed to the ground.