Unstable Matters Chapter 12: We, the Lions (Part 2)
Unsettling. Verb: cause to feel anxious, disturbed, even.
Dangling her legs back and forth in her seat, Ahri was doing her best to hide her discomfort about how fast the world was flying by as a blur. She could not stop herself from staring outside of the train carriage window, and the sights which continued to fuel her anxiety.
Maybe it had been foolish to expect a Noxian military convoy to travel across Valoran in some of the more antiquated forms of transportation humans used. Horses hitched to carriages, or maybe even human slaves. The last thing she had been expecting was some sort of amalgamation of techmaturgy; a behemoth creation of welded iron that ate rocks for food, and spit fire and ash as it did like some raging demon. Maybe it was the twisted techniques of Noxian necromancy that acted as the source of life for such a devilishly distinct creation. Not even the monstrosities from the Void that fought in the League could compare to the ferocity of the monster that was pulling them forward to their destination. She tried not to shudder when her eyes accidentally wandered down to the floor underneath them. Even through the walls of their compartment, her ears could pick up the sound of every piece of the train car clank and grind like a metal rattle. Barely hidden underneath the red carpet and metal, the earth was passing by just as fast as it was outside of the window. It was almost as if they were flying while being rooted to the ground; an idea that was making her mind and stomach turn in violent circles with every reminder.
For three days she had survived being bounced and tossed about on wagon carts attached to the back of the fire-breathing iron horse. Somehow she had been able to keep her anxieties to herself, and not risk giving the creepy guards of their ride any more reason to look at her strangely. The iron statue-like soldiers that always held their postings in the train were dressed like soldiers, but there was something about them that stood out as strange to her. Always standing, never moving, and never speaking unless spoken to. Normally she would find it fitting for an unnatural creation to be staffed with unnatural soliders, but there was no time to be amused by quaint observations.
"..."
"..."
"What is it?" Riven asked Zac, breaking the silence between them. "You're looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm keeping secrets from you." Her eyes glanced back at him for only a second, before going back to watching the land around them travel by like Ahri was.
"Does it look like that?"
Standing up in her new armor, Riven stretched her body out before heading for the door. "What else would it look like?" she said, before exiting and closing the door behind her.
Looking down the hall toward the end of the passenger car's hall, Riven started walking for the connecting door, raising her green hood over her head as she did. Looking down at her own arms, and the large shell-like guard over her right hand, it was strange to be wearing anything other than the piecemeal ensemble she had worn for so many years while wandering the wilderness of Valoran.
When Kolminye had promised to provide her with the supplies needed to go out onto their mission, maybe she should have been more wary of what was in store for her. The political symbolism of wearing a full replica set of her Redeemed armor was not lost on her. An underlayer of green brigandine overlaid with steel plate mail armor with golden trim. The design was a much simpler and form fitting version of the armor she used to wear as the commanding officer of Fury Company. Going from her loose clothes and brown sandals to an almost full-body set of plate mail was enough of a stark changed that she hoped it would not affect her ability to fight, if she were forced to.
The two faceless sentries in full steel armor posted at the connecting door were still there, and she could not tell if they were the same soldiers that had been there for the last two days. They saluted her as she reached out for the door's handle, she did not return it as she passed through.
Repeating the process two more times, she finally reached the last connected cabin car of the convoy train. The black and red caboose, which was strangely absent of anything resembling quarters for the crew of the train that seemed to be somewhere doing something out of her sight. Opening the last door, she stepped out onto the balcony rail.
"Going to kick me off?"
"And make it easy for you? Not a chance, Snowflake."
The reply from above her was barely audible over the sound of the speeding winds. Without warning Katarina dropped down from the roof of the caboose, grabbing onto the overhang as she did. Turning herself swiftly mid drop, she landed next to the Riven on the overhanging platform. "You keep coming back here. What? Are you sick of your new friends already?"
"They're not my friends." Katarina gave her a look that showed that she did not believe her. "Don't look at me like that. Creatures like them can't understand what it's like."
"What? To be a soldier? Or to be a Noxian."
"Both." Riven continued to stare out at the scenery passing flying by, refusing to look at the Sinister Blade. "You asked why I keep coming here. How about you tell me why you keep coming to meet me?"
"Maybe I enjoy our conversations." Katarina shrugged. "They're so stimulating, with you pretending not to care about anything, and me slowly finding out what makes an Exile tick."
"Isn't it dangerous for you? What if Swain or Darius are spying on us? You're going to give them ideas."
"Don't kid yourself, Snowflake." Katarina crossed her arms under her chest, still smiling with a condescending smirk. "We're not friends. I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. But when we get on that ship, if you piss me off, no Summoner or Institute of War bigwig can stop me from throwing you overboard."
"I'll keep that in mind. Since you're in charge, do you want me to call you, ma'am?"
"Don't make me laugh. You can lick my boots and treat me like the Grand General, but it doesn't mean anything coming from a deserter."
Katarina watched Riven's grip on the steel railing tighten, and felt her own smirk doing the same. Try as she might to play it cool, it was just too easy.
"Why are you here, Snowflake?" she asked again.
"Why do you think?" Riven said, but Katarina knew otherwise.
"Why are you avoiding my question?"
"Do you really have nothing better to do?"
"Better to do? Like tying up a loose end?" Scoffing loudly, Katarina uncrossed her arms and gave an exaggerated shrug. "You've given me my fair share of headaches before I go to sleep at night. You're in my hands now, so I'm going to have some fun before I wring the life out of that neck of yours. Because I don't think you deserve a second chance after how many times you've worked against us. Not when I know you're still dreaming about finding redemption."
Taking careful steps, Katarina shifted her position from Riven's side to directly behind her.
"You live for it; the killing of men. It doesn't matter whether it's some ten foot monsterosity for the Void, or another human. It's all the same on the end of that broken blade of yours. But you won't come back home, because you're still harboring your stupid delusions over what Noxus should be."
The tone of Katarina's voice began to turn sickly sweet.
"Oh, if everyone could just see the purity of combat; the art of fighting in the mud, and the beauty of rolling around in the blood of our enemies. Then Noxus would be a utopia where the poor don't go hungry, differences don't exist, and the world would honor us for the saints we are."
Katarina then spat on the balcony floor.
"Save us your stupid idealism. You got used for what you were worth by our military, alongside everyone else in Fury Company. Because you were strong enough to survive, you're act like you're special, and can see some bigger picture. You're still pretending like that blackstone blade elevates you above the gutter trash you are."
"I don't remember you talking this much in the academy." In spite of everything that had been said, Riven's focus on the passing scenery did not change. "Leave the smooth talking to your sister. You'll never fill your father's shadow—."
Maybe it was instinct, but without seeing it Riven still managed to duck in time. There was no way to tell how close she had avoid the swing Katarina threw, aimed for the back of her head. Spinning herself around in the same motion so that her back was against the steel railing, her right hand was already on the handle of her blackstone runeblade. At the same time Katarina had her opposite hand poised to pull out one of her curved swords in the sheaths strapped over her back.
"You know what? I don't care what Swain ordered me to do."
Slowly, Katarina's hands were moving away from the handles of her blades strapped to her back on their own. Seeing that, Riven began to let go of the handle of her own blade just as slowly.
"If I find one reason to throw you out like the coward you are, you'll be gone faster than the trash that died at Coeur."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Waiting until she could see both of Katarina's hands at her sides, Riven went to move past the Sinister Blade and back into the caboose car.
When she walked past the last set of guards she had passed before, she did not return their salute for the second time. Biting her lower lip as she walked, she had been very close to making a stupid mistake. The grudge Katarina carried against her was probably shared by the other Champions representing Noxus, but thankfully the Sinister Blade's goading was the least refined of the bunch.
Maybe she should have seen it coming, in hindsight.
She hadn't exactly tried to avoid fights on the Fields of Justice against her homeland. There were probably plenty of Summoners who saw some delicious irony in using her skills against Noxian interests, but she had played her cards mostly right, and been able to avoid being involved in anything too meaningful to Jericho Swain's ambitions since his rise to Grand General. Fighting for herself, fighting for others, but staying off the front pages of the Journal of Justice as well. It also helped that she was one of the I.S.C.P.'s strongest members, when it came to fighting for the petty grievances city-states had with each other.
Pushing aside those thoughts, she licked her lips subconsciously. For the longest time Riven could remember, she was craving a distraction.
Opening the door to the dining car's door with a grunt, Riven looked around and saw that there was no one there. No one except for one large, green bioweapon assembling a small tower of food on a steel platter in front of him. For some reason the entire car was absent of any staff or soldiers, and the Secret Weapon hadn't hesitated in helping himself to anything in sight his arms could reach.
"You two have fun?" Zac glanced at her briefly, before picking out something from his pile of loot to begin with.
"Were you watching? You're getting better; I didn't notice you."
"Is she giving you a hard time?" She could hear the tone in his voice change.
"What if she was?"
"I'd tell her to knock it off."
"Do you think she would listen to you?"
"I'd beat her up if she didn't." This was said matter-of-factly. "It's the way Noxians learn, right? What's she going to do? Stab me with those butter knives?"
Despite herself, Riven laughed out loud at the thought. "Kat's just testing me," she explained after her laugh, taking a seat next to Zac. Reaching behind the countertop, she lifted up one of the faded white cups meant for hot beverages. Stealing a few packets filled with sugar too, she proceeded to dump three of them into the small cup of coffee before setting it down to be filled later.
"Where's the fox?"
"Trying to get some sleep. Those super strong ears of hers pick up every little grind and squeak this crazy train makes." Picking up half of the bagel on his plate, Zac dropped it into his mouth swallowing it whole. "I don't think she's even ridden on a train before, either. She's hiding how uncomfortable she is."
"Not very well, you mean."
"How can you tell?"
"She's being more clingy than usual." Finding the right valve behind the countertop, Riven poured herself a steaming hot cup full of something Zac could not distinguish from its color and texture. "And that's saying something. You know how her type can be."
"Yeah, I guess." Taking a whole peeled orange between his fingers, Zac tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole. Watching the abrupt process from start to finish, Riven took the first sip of her coffee as she did.
"...You're still eating like a pig."
"Yeah, I am." This was said in a way that hinted that he did not want her thoughts on the matter. "I know what it looks like, but do I look like the kind of guy who is going to get fat?"
"No, I guess not." Riven took another long sip of her coffee, deciding to drop the subject. She watched him take the other half of his bagel and chew it a little before swallowing. "But when someone doesn't bother with common etiquette, like table manners, people start to think that they're distracted by something. Like something they should be hiding better."
"Do you think I'm hiding something?"
"No, but it doesn't matter what I think." Shaking her head, she looked down into her almost empty cup. "Don't give your enemies any ideas when they're looking for them. You never know what might come back to bite you in the ass when you least expect it. Take it from me, right now."
"You would know?"
He noted that she did not answer as fast as she normally would.
"I would know," Riven said after a moment of silence had passed. "Did you ever eat those weird donuts Ahri gave you?" she asked, shifting the subject.
"I did," Zac said, recalling their flavor. "They tasted kind of funny. I can't describe it."
"Try," Riven insisted, "...for me."
"Uh-huh. Yeah, I don't know. They did fill me a lot more than anything else I've eaten since that night, that's for sure." When he looked at her again, her face had gone back to the silent brooding he he come to recognized over two months time. "What are you thinking? Should I be worried?"
"No, I don't think so." Finishing her drink, Riven reached over the counter and deposited the cup into an empty bin. "Just be careful around her, alright? You're far too casual around her. She's the kind of monster that likes making friends with her food."
Nodding along dutifully, Zac waited a moment before answering.
"Are you still mad that she dressed you up like an Ionian doll?"
Riven reached back over for her cup, before striking him on the head with it.
"You have no sense of humor, you know that?" Zac said, as he began to pick out the pieces of the broken cup from his head.
"I have something I want you to do," Riven continued without pause, her tone back to being just as serious as he remembered it. "It's something only you can do, alright?"
"Okay."
"I haven't even said anything, and you're agreeing?"
"I said it before, didn't I? I'll follow your orders, if you trust my instinct."
"Nothin'. Man, you've gotta me kidding me."
Scratching the back of his head, but carefully as so to not mess up his mohawk, the Zaunite youth spun around on his heel before resting with his back against the brick walls enclosing the alleyway.
Nothing. Not a damn thing. It's like they just grew wings and took off!
Looking up at the evening sky, Ekko could barely see the orange glow of the sun through the exhaust of the countless smokestacks billowing their contents over the city of Zaun every day. The sight of gray smog and greasy green skies wasn't anything new to the street urchin, but it wasn't helping his mood after an entire day of searching had turned up nothing. Crumpling up the piece of paper in his hand that listed the names of different streets and alleys he had visited, he threw it onto the ground in frustration.
Nothing, the word repeated itself in his mind. There's just nothing here.
It had started a month ago; far too late for any chance of using his Zero-Drive to give him the second, third, fourth, or however many chances he needed to repeat his day. One by one the familiar faces he knew on the street were disappearing. Faces that weren't close enough for him to notice, until enough of them had disappeared.
So many kids missing, and no one even notices. Ekko looked back at the entrance of the alleyway, seeing countless people walking past on both sides of the busy streets.
Who am I kidding? Some of them are glad they're gone.
Pulling on the leather belt straddling his body, the Zero-Drive on his back was swung around to his front. The dull blue glow that constantly shined out from the glass tank in the center. Even though he had built it, it was still hard to believe that he was running around every day with a man-portable time rewinding device strapped to his back. Building the convoluted thing had been one of the biggest accomplishments of Ekko's entire life. Months of sneaking into the the college of techmaturgy libraries to research theories, swimming through junk in the landfills on the city's borders for parts, and hiding all of his work from the rest of the world.
It had taken him a week just to work up the courage to try it for the first time after he had built it. After the euphoria of his success though, he had done what any Zaunite street rat would have done: a one-man spree of break ins and thefts to every place imaginable. Nothing was off limits to him when it was as simple as a twist of a dial to change fate. In the span of one week he could do...everything!
But now, as time continued to go by, there was only the haunting realization that his creation was danger to all of mankind in the wrong hands. The same device that had freed him from all of the constraints he had ever faced in his life, had imprisoned him with a moral burden unlike any other.
Still cradling the ends of his prize invention in his hands, Ekko ran a finger over a sharp crack in the glass. Finding another in tact glass cylinder would be almost impossible. Even if he had the gold to go somewhere to buy one, he couldn't risk anyone finding out why. He had been able to partially fix the metal containment framing that had been damaged by the hextech bullet, but…
Some things can't be fixed. There are no tools… No spare parts…
"Ugh! Snap out of it Ekko," he said to himself, shaking his head as he did. He slid the Zero-Drive back around behind his back, wiping his face with his arm quickly. "You're not going to get anything done sitting around and muttering to yourself. You gotta' focus!"
Climbing on the top of a closed dumpster, with a skillful leap he grabbed onto the railing of a fire escape ladder. Pulling himself up and over the edge, Ekko began to take the steel steps up to the roof of the building.
The last place to look is the port district. Should I even bother checking there? Still climbing up the stairs one floor at a time, he looked over his shoulder at the Zero-Drive.
I wonder how much power is left? I guess I'll have to scavenging for supplies tomorrow. I should have broken into some place and stolen some fuel while I still had enough power.
"Hello to everyone back at the Institute of War! I'm broadcasting live, from the streets of Zaun!"
"What the heck?" Ekko said out loud, his thoughts being interrupted by a loud voice coming from the streets below him.
"This is your international weatherwoman, reporting for the Riot Games Network! The skies on Zaun look gray today, with a one-hundred percent chance of toxic pollution!"
Who the heck is that? Lowering himself down to one knee to look down over the edge of the rooftop, he could see two people drawing a small crowd around them. Or at least one was a person, while the other was on the short side. A Yordle, maybe? The woman speaking was carrying a massive red and white striped parasol, and the short thing with her had a large black box as big as him over his shoulder. From ontop of the roof it was hard to hear them, but it didn't take a teenage-genius to understand what they were doing.
"Oh great. Paparazzi," Ekko muttered running the palm of his hand over his face. "Just what we need; more Pilties coming over and telling us what they think of the world. What a crock of sh—"
Standing back up to turn himself away from the growing scene below him, his eyes wandered over to the rest of the roof behind him.
I should go down there and tell those clowns what I… Wait? What do we have here?
The gears in his head turning, Ekko's eyes locked onto a stacked pile of metal cans sitting discreetly on the corner of the roof. Walking over and picking up the smallest one whose lid was half ajar, he flipped it open to see what was inside.
Blue paint? He turned his head away from the chemical rush brushing his face, fumbling to put the lid back over the bright blue liquid enamel. I don't see anyone working around here. Who would leave this crap behind? What if…
As the gears in his head continued to turn, the small frown on the Zaunite youth's face began to slowly shift into an evil smirk.
"Talking down about Zaun in front of me, huh? Well, I bet nobody predicted a brief paint shower in the weather today."
Soo… How am I going to do this? Ekko asked himself, stopping to look back over to the edge of the roof where he had been looking down moments ago. It would be easy to just open the lids on all of the cans and toss them over the edge, but…
No. No! I'm not cracking open heads on the street for fun. Walking back over to where the cans were, he took the can of blue paint he had opened before. Even if it is the head of some snob Piltie who has it coming.
Down on the ground and oblivious to the attack being planned against her, Janna continued to talk in front of the hextech camera pointed at her. In the back of her mind it felt strange to wear an ensemble identical to one of her costumes she wore when fighting on a Field of Justice, but at least it wasn't one where she was half naked from head to toe.
Adjusting the dark blue overcoat protecting her from the winds of the city, she then took a second to adjust the pair of fake red-framed glasses on her face that matched in color to the stilettoes on her feet. In spite of what any fan of her would think looking at her with a glance, the press tags around her neck were real. A news reporter for the Institute of War was one of the last jobs she had been expected to be approached with. It was no secret that she was one of the most outspoken Champions in the League, always traveling to public appearances and hosting events that supported her political ideals had become as routine as fighting in the League. All of which had been done while sticking to her self-imposed duty to speak only the unbridled truth about the problems in the world, and those she viewed responsible for them.
While she had many friends, she had also made many enemies. Most of which were more connected with each other than her friends were. She had spoken out against the uncontrolled abuse of science and magic in Zaun so many times that she had assumed there was probably an unspoken ban on allowing her to enter the city-state.
But that had changed a week ago, with the death of Magnus Dunderson.
The Chief Executive Councilor of Zaun's Council was dead. As to why? Nobody knew. How could anyone know with the types of lives the highest elite members of Zaun's government lived when they weren't on the clock. The Dunerson family had broken the news to all of Zaun that he had died of heart failure in his home, which was just boring enough for everyone with a lick of sense to know that it wasn't the truth. Maybe it was revenge from someone wronged in a business dispute in the past? Or the recreational use of black market drugs and magical substances? Or a personal dispute between another politician?
In the end it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the now empty seat of Chief Executive on the Zaunite City Council, and who would step up to claim it.
Janna hadn't thought that the remaining Council of Zaun would have approved of her stay in the Institute of War's embassy in Zaun. Not with the chaos over Dunderson's unexpected death, and the especially since she was only there to cover the death of Dunderson and the vacuum of power left in his wake. She had almost declined the offer to cover the story, citing her discomfort over taking advantage of the dead, but the chance to speak publicly at the place of her birth too good to pass up. The last few days had been spent as a guest speaker for the Zaunite College of Techmaturgy, and it had felt wonderful to be able to open the eyes and ears of so many learning minds to how big the world was.
"To many people, Zaun may seem like a cesspool of mad scientific experiments, and uncontrolled corporate greed. But the truth of this city-state is a lot more complicated than that."
Gesturing to the scenery behind her, she spun around on her heel to turn her back to the camera while continuing her report.
"The Council of Zaun maintains strict control over the aims of the city-state. Comprised entirely of former business executives and scientific leaders, they are the only rules of law in a world that values individual freedom above everything else!"
"Over the next months, the Council of Zaun will be running elections back to back for two positions! The first will be for the seat formerly chaired by Magnus Dunderson, and the second will be the seat currently occupied by his future replacement on the Council."
"Now, I know what my viewers from Piltover are thinking. But Zaunite elections are rarely boring, unlike the long political processes of public inquires and asset investigations in Piltover. In fact, it's estimated that at least thirty percent of the scandals that get the city-state in a buzz come from the election process! And I'm just not talking about grassroots activism!"
"In fact, one of the Champions I fight with on the Fields of Justice was in the center of such a scandal last election! For those of you with short memories, it was discovered four years ago that one of the biggest industrial chemical manufacturers in Zaun was using its warehouses as corporate prisons. Priggs Industries was a major financial backer of some former Zaunite Council members, and the CEO of Priggs Industries, Dr. Priggs himself, is still on the run from the law to this day!"
"For those of you still tuned in, there will be more coverage on politics of Zaun next week! We'll be answering some of your questions tomorrow, so if you enjoyed this show, remember to write in to your local Institute of War embassy with your thoughts!"
Smiling brightly for the camera, Janna let her expression fade after a little to look down at her silent assistant.
"So… How was that?" She asked quietly, starting to hover off of the ground to relieve the pressure on her feet. "Do you think it was good? Maybe we should retake that last—"
SPLASH!
Janna stood frozen in shock, now dripping wet on the side of her entire body. From the rooftops above, a giant splash of sky blue paint had landed smack onto her left side. Though her coat had caught most of it, she could feel the blue enamel dripping down her white blouse, red tube top, and black mini skirt staining everything it could reach. Slowly she began drifting back down to the ground like a rain-soaked dead leaf falling from a tree. With a changing face that was slowly processing what had just happened, she finally spoke into her microphone after more time has passed.
"...We're going to edit that out, right?"
"Yeah! You like that!?" Ekko shouted, throwing his arms up in the air as he did. "That's what you get! WELCOME TO ZAUN, PILTIE! Haha!"
Turning himself right around, he laughed loud enough that it echoed up to the barrier of smog that hung over the city. Letting everything built up in his chest out, Ekko then heaved a heavy sigh of relief as the wind on the roof blew around him. Distracted by euphoria of his success, he failed to notice how it was beginning to pick up in speed and strength.
I don't care what your kind calls us. Trash. Slag. Human debris. No one talks shit about the people of my home in front of me!
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU!"
Ekko froze on the spot; the words direct at him strung together with such authority that it felt as if he had been hit by some sort of hextech freeze ray. Five simple words had been chained into a commanding shout unlike any he had heard before, and that was saying a lot. Living on the streets of Zaun attracted all kinds of unwanted attention, to say nothing of his own adventures with his Zero Drive. Whipping himself around, Ekko turned just in time to see a whirlwind blow up from the ground and into the sky. It was a spinning tornado of dirt, dust, and trash that was twisting the smog and pollution that hung over Zaun in circles. But the craziest thing of all was that he could see something in the center of it, which was heading right for him.
"W-what!?" Ekko stammered wide eyed, completely at a loss of words. "What is… How are… How did… What the hell is happening!?"
"You!" Janna said again, emerging from the howling gale and landing on the roof. She quickly adjusted her black miniskirt before marching over to where Ekko had fallen over backwards in shock. "You dumped that paint on me on purpose, didn't you!? What's your problem!?"
"I-I, uh," Ekko continued to stammer, his mind divided between three things. The first was how the loud-mouthed woman in front of him had used a freakin tornado to climb (or fly) over five stories to catch him. The second was how breathtakingly beautiful everything about woman was now that he could see her up close. (Even the large blue splattering of wet paint covering her side did nothing to take away from her beauty.) The third and last thing, surprisingly, was how he was going to get away after being caught by someone with superhuman powers.
"You flew! Up here! From down there!" he stammered, pointing up at the sky and then back at the ground as he did. "In a tornado! You're a mage!? What kind of crazy magic is that!?"
Rolling her eyes, Janna took off her red-framed glasses before putting them into one of the large side pockets of her overcoat. With a wave of her umbrella the whirlwind howling and blowing behind them dissipated back into mere air. A second later, the dust, dirt, and trash that had been picked up on the chaos began raining back down around them.
"Yes, I am," she said firmly, closing the large red and white umbrella that doubled as a disguised magic staff. "What about you? Who do you think you are, just dumping paint on someone in the middle of their job!?"
"Paint? I, uh, oh… I have no idea what you're talking about, lady," Ekko lied, rubbing the back of his head as he did.
When the look Janna gave him implied that she had reason to believe otherwise, Ekko stopped and looked at his own hand. It was covered in the blue paint that had been dripping on the side of its can. The sensation on the back of his head confirmed that he had just spread it on the back of his head too.
"Ah… Crap."
"That's right," Janna said coldly, tapping her heels on the rooftop impatiently. "And I know just how to deal with a punk prankster like you!"
As he watched her raise a hand in the air, he could feel the world around him change. It was the wind. It was all completely invisible to the common eye, but he was sure of it now. It must have been the same magic powers that had let her get to the top of the building so fast. Somehow this snobby Piltie was manipulating the wind, so effortlessly that he could barely piece it together that it was happening right in front of him.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Ekko shouted, realizing exactly what Janna was intending to do. From where he had gotten the blue paint, the can next to it was beginning to float into the air with a life of its own. The top of the can flipped open suddenly, revealing its bright red contents while coming toward him, rising higher in the air as it did.
"No! NO! NOT THE HAIR!"
With a spin of her umbrella, the paint can in the invisible hands of the wind flipped itself over. The crimson red paint inside hit Ekko square on the head, dripping down all over his clothes and onto the roof under him. Stumbling backwards in shock over the paint covering him, he then fell backwards and onto his butt on the roof.
"How do you like that? Not so funny when it happens to you, huh?" Janna asked mockingly, dropping the dripping paint can at Ekko's feet.
"...Yeah, laugh it up lady. I bet you feel real big teaching a punk like me a lesson." Shaking his head back and forth like a wet dog, Ekko began to wipe his face clean with the back of his arm. Knowing his arms were too scrawny, he pulled out a dirty rag from his back pocket to use instead. "This is what a windbag like you does for fun, huh!?"
"Don't try to act innocent with me, you little punk." Janna put her hands on her hips, refusing to back down from the grudge-filled eyes in front of her. Maybe in the past they would have made her think twice about what she would say next, but now they were nothing she hadn't seen a million and one times at the Institute of War. "You did something stupid and mean, and you got what was coming for it. Deal with it."
"Then what about you, huh? You think it's funny making fun of someone else's home!?" Ekko demanded, the dirty look he was giving her intensifying. "So what if Zaun smells like burning garbage on some days? Or if the skies are weird colors because of all of the factories!? You think you can look down on us just because we don't hide our problems like you Pilties over the river!?"
"If you think living in a trash ridden dump is normal, then there's no hope for you kid." Janna let out a loud scoff, turning her nose up at him. "Why don't you try leaving this dump for a little, so you can see how nice the rest of the world is!"
"Man, all of you Pilties are the same!" Ekko threw his arms up in the air, before beginning to stand back up on his feet. "You can't go one day without making yourself sound like you're so superior to the rest of the world!"
"And you shouldn't sound so proud about living in a glorified garbage heap! How can you be proud of living in a world where you can't even see the sun rising or setting!?"
"Not all of us have the luxury of just getting up and leaving to go anywhere we want," he muttered. "At least not from our looks alone," he then added even quieter.
"I heard that, you little shit," she muttered, that last comment hitting her harder than anything he had said up until that point. Not that she would admit that to him.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Janna looked up at the sky above them. The hole in the smog that her whirlwind had made was shrinking, with the greasy hue of the pollution that hung over Zaun every day of the week coming back as well. Her clean powers had inflicted a not-so grievous wound on the dirty skies above, which was healing in front of her very eyes. It was hard to believe that she really been born on the streets of a place she could now only see as a glorified sewer. Just an massive series of channels funneling filth and waste into a collective stew of mad science and engineering. Sometimes it was a surprise to wake up and find out that the city-state of Zaun was still standing, and hadn't been blown up in the night by the crazy experiment of the next enterprising misunderstood genius working with dangerous things in a slum somewhere.
Turning back to the little punk that had had managed to bring a lot of suppressed thoughts to the surface of her mind, Janna almost gagged when she saw what he was doing. With his back turned to her, Ekko had begun cleaning himself up with a rag he had pulled out from his overalls. The patched mess in his hand looked as if it was already permanently stained with fluids that she didn't want to know about. Now it had a fresh coat of red paint covering what was already there.
Putting aside her lingering anger, she reached into the interior pocket of her blue overcoat and pulled out a red handkerchief.
"Put that down and use this instead." Janna reached out with her offering. "You're going to catch a disease from that dirty thing."
"Are you kidding me!? Step off, lady! I don't want your charity!" he smacked her extended hand aside. "I know that look! I don't want your pity either!"
"Stop acting so stubborn!" she snapped back at him, reaching out again to try and wipe the remaining paint that was beginning to dry on his head. "I'm just trying to help!"
"Hey! I said cut it out!" he said, backpedaling away from her attempts to wipe him clean. "Keep your stupid Piltover rag to yourself!"
"Do you listen to yourself!? You're obsessed with Piltover, aren't you? What's your deal? What did they ever do to you?"
"That's none of your business!" he shouted back, before throwing an accusatory finger out at her. "What's YOUR deal!? You were the one who dumped that crap on me, and now you want to help me? Are you nuts!?"
"Hey! Watch where you're—!"
"Just leave me alone!" he turned around, cutting her off and taking another step to walk away. "For the last time! I don't want your—"
Before Ekko could finish his sentence, he knew something had gone wrong. Where his foot should have hit solid ground, there was nothing. Nothing but the sensation of his own body falling forward, following inline behind his foot that had stepped right over the end of the building's roof.
"—pity. OH FUUUUUUUU—"
Thoughts raced through Ekko's head at a million miles a second, as he groped for the ripcord to his Zero-Drive on his back. He could hear the woman he had left behind scream something, but spiraling forward, what mattered more was how the ground was getting closer.
Oh fuck! Oh shit! Not like this! I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS!
How many seconds did he have to live?
Seconds. Just seconds.
Biting down on his wrist mounted control dial for the Zero-Drive with his teeth, he instinctively set it just with the slightest twist.
A few seconds was all he needed; just enough to get him back on top of the roof. But would the remaining fuel in the Zero-Drive would be enough for that? All he needed was enough. Just enough. Barely enough.
Come on, baby! Show me what I made you of!
But before he could pull the ripcord hard enough to yank it out of its socket, Ekko felt his body jerk to a stop. There was no time to contemplate the pain of having his sudden tumble being stopped midair, all of his five senses were suddenly overwhelmed the by the sound wind blowing around him. From nothing an incredible gust had sprung up, pushing with enough force that it was actually fighting against gravity and propelling him back into the air. All he could hear, see, and feel was the wind. Even with the adrenaline running through his veins, he could feel his stomach churning at how fast everything he was now spinning.
"What the hell is happening!?" Ekko screamed out loud, his voice being absorbed by the howling gale he was in the center of.
"Just hold on!" he heard someone say, the voice somehow cutting through the deafening winds. "I've got you!"
"What!?" was all he could shout back, as stupid he knew it sounded.
Without warning he felt a strong arm lock around his own, which stopped his reversed tumble and began pulling him upward with a rising speed that matched how fast he had fallen. Jerked to a stop and now being pulled along while blinded and deafened to the world around him, Ekko fought to keep his lunch down and cracked his eyes open to try and make sense of what was going on.
"Hold on to me! Don't let go!"
If he had managed to say anything he did not hear it being said. Blindly reaching out for anything to hold onto, he felt a hand grab his free arm by the wrist. It quickly guided it to what he could feel was the waist of his savior, before the other person's arm wrap around his waist.
If the sensation of his fall being stopped by the wind had been unsettling, what came next was like being shot out of a hextech cannon. Under his feet the wind began to push with a strong enough force to fight gravity for both him and his rescuer. Pushing them to what he hoped was back up to the roof he had fallen from, dared to open his eyes fully once the wind underneath him began to let up.
"Are you okay?"
Still hovering a few inches in the air, Janna felt the young Zaunite let go of her when she did so to him. The boy touched back down on the roof with a light thump, followed by a loud thump when his legs immediately gave out from underneath him.
"Y-yeah," Ekko said on his back, and not caring that he was sitting in a puddle of paint that had been dumped on him from before. Doing his best to sit up slowly, he could see that just like before the winds created by the woman had been strong enough to penetrate the layer of smog that hung over the entire city. "Thanks for, uh… Um…"
"Saving you?"
"Yeah. That," Ekko mumbled awkwardly, now looking up at his savior.
As he had guessed in the chaos, the magic woman he had pranked had used the wind to save him. Looking up at her, her own powers had blown her hair out of her blonde ponytail, and thrown her red-framed glasses all the way to Piltover as far as he could guess. Windswept didn't begin to describe how she looked now, though he could only imagine what a miserable mess he looked like too. Probably like…
Like…
Recuperating in silence, could feel his train of thought slowly grind to a screeching halt. There was no question why either; it was about the woman who had saved him.
Maybe it was the light on the sun that was shining down on them both like a bleeding wound, or maybe it was how many loops he had been forced to do in midair, but Ekko could feel the gears in his head turning. He knew it had nothing to do with the fact that he had almost died a clumsy, painful death too. There was something he now recognized about the woman who had saved him; something that he had been oblivious to the entire time, but too subtle for him to pick up on.
But he just couldn't place his finger on it.
"Wait a second," Ekko said, snapping his fingers loudly. "Do I…? Hey, uh, are you…?"
"Hmm?" Janna blinked, looking down at him curiously.
"Wait! I know who you are!" Ekko shouted, his jaw dropping as the realization hit him. "You're Janna! Janna Windforce!"
"Why yes, yes I am," Janna said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her long ear and rolling her eyes again. She touched back down on the roof, giving the wind that constantly carried her about a chance to rest. "I guess that even kids in Zaun watch the League of Legends. No surprise, really. I guess I am kind of famous."
"No! I don't mean it like that!" Ekko said, shaking his arms and head wildly. "You're Janna! You used to scavenge on the streets near Sump Works laboratories!"
Janna stopped, the smug grin on her face disappearing.
"...What?"
"Yeah! I was there! I remember it all!" Scooting himself away from the edge of the roof so he wouldn't fall again, Ekko began to stand up on his feet. "When you first started going to those magic labs they've got, you always came back to the kids on the streets. You stood up for all of us when everyone else… When everyone else in Zaun just looked at us like we were trash. Garbage. Slag. You told everyone that we could be just as good as those stuck up pricks at the Techmaturgy College, or those smug jerks over the river in Piltover. And... And…"
As he had talked, he had watched Janna's face had changed through a myriad of emotions, none of which seemed good. Or maybe they were. With women, Ekko could never tell.
But it hit him: what if she didn't want to be known for her past? The last thing he wanted to do was piss off the person who had just saved his life, especially now that he knew she was a Champion in the League of Legends.
"You… You believe me, don't you?" Ekko said quietly, almost as if he were begging. Janna's unreadable expression hadn't changed, which made him more hesitant to continue bringing up the past. "I mean, I know you probably don't remember me. I was just a kid then... I mean, even more of a kid, I guess. B-but, do you remember the others? Like Iggy? Or Ajuna? No, wait. He was really young, so probably not. But maybe—!"
Without warning, Janna lunged for him with her arms stretched out wide. Ekko raised his arms to defend himself, but was swept up into a breathtaking hug.
"Ekko… Of course I remember you," Janna said, the strength of her hug intensifying to a level he was not prepared for. "It's been so long… I can't believe it! Is it really you!?"
Without warning, a windstorm began building underneath them both. He could feel the updraft building up again, lifting them up from the ground with a swirling intensely powered by forces he did not understand. Spinning in circles at the mercy of the same wind that had saved him should have terrified Ekko, on top of being lifted above an even higher height that there was no way to survive a fall from. But the only thing the young man's brain was processing was the smell of Janna's perfume…mixed with latex paint.
"Hey, that's my line," Ekko mumbled quietly in awe, turning his head up to look at her so he wouldn't be smothered by the nicest place he had ever been on Runeterra. "Like, I have SO many questions. You would not believe it."
"Well I want to hear them, and I want to answer them." Slowly descending back down to the rooftop for a second time, when her red stilettos touched down she let him go only after making sure he had his footing too. "Are you busy? Why were you up here? And what about your parents? How are they doing? Are you part of a gang? Don't tell me you work for Viktor! All that crazy nonsense about humans being coming robots! Or wait, you don't have your own gang, do you?"
"Woah, woah, wait a minute," Ekko said, forcing himself to take a step back while holding both his hands up in surrender. "I'm not… I'm not that kind of guy. I just do my own thing, you know? I guess I'm kind of like a vigil… Uh, vigil-something." He began snapping his fingers. "What do they call it?"
"Vigilante?" Janna suggested.
"Right! That's it." He snapped his fingers one last time, grinning from ear to ear. "You know, like patrolling the streets, and keeping the chem dealers out of the alleys. Those guys don't usually sell to kids; no gold, you know? But lately, I've had to beat a few of them up to get the message across. You wouldn't believe the things they say their stuff does."
"So you're a hero?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow. "A Champion of the people."
"H-hero? Champion!?" Both words seemed so foreign to him, that he had forgotten about the most beautiful pair of eyes in the world looking right at him. "I'm not… It's not like that," he denied, turning away from those incredible eyes. "I'm just some kid trying to do the right thing, every now and then. Just because I've broken up some gangs, or beat up some killer cyborgs doesn't mean I'm a superhero, or something crazy like that. Haha… Yeah… And, uh, don't tell my parents about that last one."
Janna stayed silent as the Zaunite youth continued to babble excuses out. When was the last time they had seen each other? Maybe before she had made her home in Piltover, and started her crusade to clean up her home. How many years ago had that been? How long had she fighting in the Institute of War?
Looking at his face, excluding the red paint, she could see what looked like an white hourglass starting at his forehead that ran down to the point of his nose. Some sort of face paint? Or a tattoo, maybe? He seemed far too young for that, but there was little rhyme or reason behind Zaunite street fashion most of the time…
At least it looks like he's been eating, Janna thought, continuing her silent analysis as Ekko continued talking. A little on the scrawny side… No, he's just lean. Muscular and lean, like someone who survives on the streets.
Looking at the palm of her hand covered in blue paint, the oily liquid was already beginning to dry. It felt a second layer of skin when she closed her hand into a tight fist.
Did I used to be like that?
Picking at the dried paint with her other hand, she ran her perfectly manicured red painted nails across her palm to make a small sliver. Peeling the blue enamel away, she was relieved to see that her fair skin underneath was as it always was. At least as far as she could tell.
I remember now. The whole time; this is what I've been fighting for.
Her mind made up, Janna nodded to herself before finally stopping Ekko who had been rambling on the whole time.
"Ekko, I want you to come with me."
"...Excuse me?" Ekko asked, after taking a double take. Those beautiful blue eyes were staring through him again, and he could feel his heart beating.
"I want you to come with me," Janna repeated, opening her umbrella staff as she did. "You want to see what it's like being a Champion in the League, right? Well, I'm not here by coincidence. I'm here on official League-related business! And I want to take you along!"
"Wait, wait, wait. Me? Come with YOU?" Ekko said, finding his throat very dry. "I… I don't think… I mean, are you sure? Won't you get in trouble just bringing along some punk you picked up off of the streets?"
"Hah! Get in trouble," Janna said with a laugh, waving off his concerns. "I'm here to cause trouble in the first place! Now that Dunderson is dead, I know I'll have the support to get on the Council of Zaun! I'm here to announce my campaign for that open seat!"
"Wait, who is what now?" Ekko asked in confusion.
"I'm talking about Magnus Dunderson," Janna clarified. "The Chief Executive of the Zaunite Council? Major entrepreneur and investor in techmaturgy? Um…" She could see it on his face that he had no idea what she was talking about. "Have you ever heard of him at all?"
"Uh… Maybe?" Ekko smiled sheepishly.
"I guess you don't read the newspaper very often?"
When Ekko just laughed nervously, the Storm's Fury decided to explain.
"Well, he died last night in his home. Peacefully too; no controversy, no assassination, no dark and sinister plots. So in the next month, the Council of Zaun will have to vote of his replacement. That will leave a seat on the Council of Zaun open for a general election. I'm going to run for that seat! I'll finally be in a position to start helping everyone in Zaun like I've always wanted to."
"Wow. That's…" For another time that he knew wouldn't be the last, Ekko was at a loss for words. "That's amazing. Really, I mean… The Council of Zaun? You? Oh wow…"
"I know, right!?" Janna said just as excitedly as before. "This is my chance! Everything I've worked toward as a Champion in the League could come together behind this! Zaun could finally become a home for science and technology, without having to step on people along the way! So many people think it's just a dream, but I know that it's possible! Everyone in Zaun deserves a better future!"
"A better future," Ekko mouthed. Turning and looking up at the sky, he blinked in doubt when he thought he began to see rays of the sun breaking through the thick carpet of smog above them.
"Yeah. These things just need time. And even then, they're never the same."
"...Ekko?" Looking up where Ekko was staring, all Janna could see was the gray haze that blanketed the skies of Zaun every day. "Are you alright? What—"
"Janna! Are you still up there!? Is everything okay!?"
Both Ekko and Janna turned toward the source of the new voice calling out to one of them. Someone or something was coming up the steel steps of the fire escape, and was making quite a noise doing so.
"I'm fine, Teemo!" Janna called back. "Come on up! I want you to meet someone!"
Teemo? Ekko thought to himself. What kind of name is that?
Waiting uneasily, the Zaunite youth waited to see just what kind of person would finish climbing up the stairs and get onto the roof to join them. What if he's angry at me? Ekko though suddenly, feeling a cold chill go down his spine. What if he's really good friends with Janna, but hates me? What if he's really strong too? No, wait, what if he's cooler and handsome than me!?
"H-Hey, what kind of guy is he?" Ekko whispered to Janna hastily. "Should I be af—... Uh, I mean, what should I say to him?"
"To Teemo? Oh, don't you worry about him," Janna said back pleasantly, oblivious to his concern. "He's a Champion in the League too, you know. He volunteered to help me out on my official business."
"Another Champion? Really? O-Oh. Right. Sure," Ekko said back unconvinced.
As seconds turned into minutes in Ekko's mind, he could feel himself breaking out into a cold sweat. He could hear the steps on the metal fire ladder getting closer and closer.
"Hut, two, three, four. Hut, two, three, four."
Squinting to try and see better, just over the edge of the room he could make out something strange. Some kind of green bowl? With a red and orange tuft of something sticking up from the center. It was a helmet! A green safari helmet with a pair of metal goggle with red lenses strapped around it.
Who would wear that kind of thing around here? Ekko asked himself. Zaun was the last place on Runeterra that he could see anyone exploring like it was some kind of jungle. But thinking about it, maybe Zaun was a jungle in some ways. One made of concrete and steel, more than plants and...stuff.
As the thoughts ran through his mind, Ekko got to see exactly who was the owner of the decorated helmet a moment later. A small brown animal quickly threw itself up and over the ledge onto the roof. It was like a living stuffed animal! Like some kind of crazy test subject, that had escaped from a mad scientist conducting experiments on small, cute, cuddly looking, but intelligent killers. It was wearing miniature clothes too, most of which seemed…military-grade, he noted seriously.
"THAT'S Teemo!?" Ekko nearly shouted out loud, pointing his finger at the small fuzzy creature that had completely defied his expectations.
"The one and only. He's a Yordle, if you didn't know," Janna said with a light giggle, reading his reaction accurately.
"A Yordle? That's a Yordle? No, wait a second, is acting as your bodyguard?" Ekko asked, sounding impressed all over again.
"What? Oh no, it's not at all like that." Janna shook her head, as Teemo was able to pick up the camera and huff it over the edge of the rooftop before following behind it. "He's my camera man."
"Camera Yordle, actually," Teemo interrupted, adjusting his pants as he walked over. Marching right up to the two, he snapped off a formal salute when he stopped. "Captain Teemo of the Bandle City Mothership Scout Division. This is our culprit, I take it? It looks like you've punished him already."
"Culprit? Wait, what? What did I—" Ekko stopped when he looked at the large blue stain across Janna's side. "Ooooh, right. That was...my bad."
"It's fine," Janna said, waving a hand peaceably. "We've met before, a long time ago. He's an old friend of mine, and he didn't know who he was pranking when he did it."
"An unexpected reunion, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. Fate can be funny like that sometimes." Letting out a Yordle-sized huff, Teemo looked between Ekko and Janna twice.
"So… I take it he's coming with us?"
"Yep!" Janna nodded with a broad smile. "That's okay with you, right?"
"Fine, fine. But he's carrying the camera, because I need a break," Teemo said, letting out a groan as he did. "Human cities aren't meant to be walked around with Yordle legs. I feel like I've been doing laps around Summoner's Rift with everywhere Janna wants to go today."
"Oh come on. It hasn't been that bad," Janna protested weakly.
"Says the one who's flying," Teemo shot back. "Not all of us have the luxury of being the avatar of the wind. It's no wonder you don't mind wearing those crazy heels all day."
"Said the Yordle who goes around exploring Kumungu half dressed." Ekko felt the wind pick up, and watched as Janna began to rise off the ground as if supported by invisible hands. "Meet me down on the ground, okay? If you're that tired, I could just carry you the rest of the way."
"Carry? Uh, no thanks. I don't trust things I can't see, no offense," Teemo said, with a look that seemed to imply that he remembered just how high up they were. He then glanced at Ekko, as if reading something that was printed right on his face.
"But I think someone else wouldn't mind being in your arms for the rest of the day."
"W-what!?" Ekko stammered, feeling his face flush just at the thought. "No, man! It's not like that! I mean, I don't think that she can't! I know she's strong enough that she could, but...but…"
"Teemo, don't tease him," Janna said sternly, trying not to smile at the change of color in Ekko's face. "Now come on, you two. Let's head back to the Institute of War's Summoner center so we can get cleaned up. I still have one more trip to make before today is over."
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry kid, I'm just messing with you." Teemo apologized, noticing the stinkeye Ekko gave him when Janna's back was turned. Bending over to pick up the large camera unit he had dropped before, the Swift Scout handed it over to Ekko who grabbed it by it's top carry handle.
"You know, everyone's a friend of Janna at the Institute. Hard to not get along with a living savant like her. Except a few of the weirdos, of course."
"Huh? Weirdos? Like who?" Ekko asked, following behind the former camera Yordle. Together they began to descend down the stairs he had climbed up before, in what felt now like an entire lifetime ago.
"The usual types. A mad chemist, a sadistic doctor, overgrown blue-furred dogs, and a tin-plated idiot. I bet you know what I mean."
"...Oh," Ekko said quietly. "Those types."
"Yeah, those types," Teemo repeated. "I just want you to know what you might be up against."
"Against?" Ekko could hear his own hesitation in his voice. "What, you mean like fighting?"
"I couldn't tell you. Who knows what those kind of guys are thinking."
The two of them then began the long descent back down the fire escape stairs, one step at a time.
"Those types of people keep to themselves, most of the time. You know, when they're not out ruining the lives of others for their research and stuff. But Janna is going to be out campaigning in their neighborhood. These aren't the streets of Piltover, where they look at her like some kind of goddess. I think it's too dangerous for someone like you, but I know that look on her face; there's something she sees in you that's bringing out the best in her."
"Hey, I can handle myself," Ekko defended. "I've gotten into a few scrapes here and there. Ones that I bet even you would have trouble with."
When Teemo turned and looked up at him, with the tiniest Yordle frown, he felt a shiver go down his spine.
"Well for your sake, I hope you're right."
"This cannot be allowed! There's no telling of the damage she will do!"
Singed listened to the sound of Viktor's metal hands slam down against his deck with an impassioned fury, with the screen of his hextech electrical monitor shaking violently as he did. The Machine Herald's third hand ran through what remained of his own hair; a signature sign of stress in a man who had exchanged his flesh and blood for steel and oil. He waited a few seconds to make it seem as if he were thinking, before answering.
"I agree," the Mad Chemist said back simply, trying to remain as indifferent to the level of raging passion that was slowly building in the Machine Herald's voice.
"She has the nerve to return to this city, and preach to everyone like they are misguided children!" Viktor continued. "First, polluting the college of techmaturgy with her airheaded nonsense! And now before Dunderson is even buried, she wants to run for Chief Executive!? It is unthinkable! This cannot be allowed to pass!"
"Hmm. I agree," Singed said again, before looking at the third member of their meeting. The silence of the gigantic purple mass murdering doctor with ever questionable education was unusual. Maybe it was just because their meeting was being conducted after his bedtime.
"What are your thoughts Mundo?"
"It no matter to Mundo. Mundo goes where he pleases," declared the Madman of Zaun, more eloquently than Singed had ever heard him speak before.
"Imbecile! This could be the end of us all!" Viktor shouted angrily. "You've experimented on yourself so much that you can't even see what's right in front of you! When Windforce takes over Zaun, she'll force all of us onto our knees!"
"Mundo never merge! Mundo acquires!" countered the Madman of Zaun, with large flecks of slobber hitting the hextech screen in front of him. From somewhere unseen, he proceeded to put on a small pair of aviator sunglasses before continuing. "I no take this from you! Little tin man with rusty brain! Mundo runs international corporation as he pleases!"
"Fool! What could an ugly lump of meat like yourself ever understand about-"
"Now now, I think the good doctor has a point," Singed said, deciding to interject himself before Viktor and Mundo could begin bickering between each other. "There is a reason she went to see them as they arrived."
"...Who? You mean the Sinister Blade?" Viktor asked.
"No, I mean the Secret Weapon," Singed clarified, rubbing the bandages covering the chemical scars over his face consciously. "He is the real danger, you know. No one cares about the prattling of an uneducated street orphan. But Zac? Who knows how people will look at him."
"Just get to the point," demanded Viktor, his third hand drumming its fingers atop the metal rim of his mask. "What are you saying? How can anyone take that giant lump of mint jelly seriously?"
"He came here with Katarina, did he not? Don't you see?"
It was a rhetorical question, but after only getting silence in return Singed continued.
"Janna wants to meet with him because she wants his help in influencing Noxus' views on our home. If Noxus decides to support Janna's agenda, she'll be able to poison the Noxian Bleak Academy with her lies too! Combined with our College of Techmaturgy, she could influence an entire generation into believing her drivel about the world."
"Then it is as I feared," Viktor said darkly, his head hanging low for only a second. "We cannot allow this to pass. Something must be done."
"Something indeed," Singed said, only pretending to ponder on the subject. "We should send a message to the Sinister Blade that were are not just pawns for Jericho Swain's amusement. We should make it clear that we will not tolerate being told what to do by outsiders who do not understand our struggles. In fact, I think…"
Stopping mid sentence, the Mad Chemist looked over to a series of smaller hextech monitors that constantly watched the other various sections of his laboratory. The timing was perfect, and could not have been done better if he had tried. On the camera watching the front entrance, a hulking blue werewolf was pushing buttons on the small number pad for the sliding steel door in front of him.
Turning back to Viktor and Dr. Mundo, he took a breath before continuing.
"Ah, my old master is back, and I must see to his needs. Gentlemen, shall we continue this another day?"
"Another day? No. No! There will not be another day." Viktor stood up from his seat, knocking his chair over in the process.
"Your words have inspired me, Singed. Those who are slow to learn about the Glorious Evolution must be taught a lesson that they will not forget! Zaun will not be shaped, manipulated, and tainted by the touch of outsiders who know nothing of our dreams! My acolytes will see to it that the Sinister Blade and that ridiculous Secret Weapon know their place."
"That could be very dangerous Viktor," Singed said, doing his best to hide his growing smile. "Are you sure that your acolytes are up for the challenge? After all, you've just finished your new laboratory."
"Do not question the resolve of my followers! Mock me if you will, but they have seen the light! The lit pathway that will bring humanity into the future, above the dirt and grime of our organic past!" Viktor brought his fist down onto his metal desk once more, the monitor shaking and the hextech image breaking up for a second time.
"You will see! Tomorrow afternoon, Noxus will think twice before speaking to anyone who does not understand what it truly means to live in Zaun!"
"If you feel that strongly about it, then do what you feel you must. I wish you the best of luck." Singed gave the Machine Herald a stern nod. "Show them that we understand what it means to be a Zaunite."
With a simple flip of a switch, the Mad Chemist turned off the hextech camera linked to the massive projection monitor suspended from a complex system of suspension arms. He had not bothered to say anything to Dr. Mundo, who had probably not been listening anyway.
Looking up at a clock on the wall, its hands showed the time to be a little past midnight.
Our guests will arrive tonight, and will take a day to load their supplies before preparing to leave the day after, Singed thought to himself. The sooner they leave, the sooner things can go back to being how they should be.
Disconnected from the ranting and rambling of the stressed Machine Herald, Singed could hear the sounds of his own laboratory slowly beginning to return to his ears. The countless wonderful sounds of his own craft that was his and his alone. A place where he would work, unrestrained by the petty fears and morals of inferior minds. Surrounded by everything he needed to hold onto his title as the uncontested authority of chemistry in Zaun. No; all of Valoran.
"Did you find anything?" Singed asked loudly, not turning around from the hextech monitor that was now just showing static. He could hear the distinct sound of two massive wolf-paws walking down an empty hall toward his location.
"Yes. You were right about the toy-maker's acolytes taking human debris off of the streets," Warwick said, walking into the laboratory from the open doorway. "Hmph. I don't know why you sent me looking into that. What does it matter if a few street rats go missing?"
Human debris. The unflattering title aimed at ever-present population of orphans living in the slums of Zaun was strangely poetic to the Mad Chemist. Certainly better than calling them what they were: lives with no future other than becoming a slave working in a factory, playthings for an aspiring madman, or dying face down in a gutter. Maybe the term was Noxian in origin. It certainly seemed like the kind of artistic wordplay Noxians would employ to cover over the population in their slums.
Scratching at his chin through the bandages on his face, Singed continued to stare at the hextech screen where the Machine Herald's face had been on display only minutes ago.
"Were you able to find out why?"
"No. But like I said, what does it matter anyway?"
"A bigger picture, my old master," Singed said cryptically, finally getting up from his seat. Waving for the Blood Hunter to follow him, they began to walk deeper into the laboratory of the Mad Chemist.
"The winds of change are at our doorstep, and I want to make sure that we are prepared."
"Winds of change? Bah, spare me from that philosophical garbage," Warwick grumbled, keeping pace just a step behind Singed. "It has nothing to do with that. You just want to see your field pitted against his, don't you?"
Without warning the Mad Chemist burst into a deep laughter. A genuine laugh, though not too different sounding from the sadistic chortles he often let out when fighting on the Fields of Justice. The laugh of a master craftsman taking healthy dose of schadenfreude over seeing the gruesome effects of his own creations.
"Yes, well, what can I say? I am a man with a love for chemistry."
Author's Notes: this story isn't dead. I made it a personal goal to make sure this story gets its ending, even if League of Legends 2 comes out before that or something.
Now, there are a few things that need to be explained about this chapter (and the previous).
Firstly, there is no direct acknowledge (currently) by either Ekko or Janna in their voicelines that they know much about each other. But given their respective backgrounds, and that Janna's biography hasn't been updated to reflect the Institute of War's retcon, I figured it wasn't too far outside of the realm of possibility that they would know each other. After all, I'm sure Ekko wasn't the type of kid who stayed at home all of the time when he was young.
Secondly, the canon is that Ekko does have a mother and father, both of which work in the factories of Zaun during the day. But since they don't have any kind of identities, I'm not sure they'll make an appearance (though they have been mentioned).
Third; it's never quite been explained what the existing military structure in Noxus is for training officer candidates and the like, so I went with a military academy structure. Riven was very up-and-coming in her potential as an officer in the Noxian military, so there always was the chance that she could have been in the presence of other famous individuals from time to time.
Fourth: I've heard rumors in the wild that Riot Games™ does actually have an updated map of Valoran coming in the future. I'm not sure how that will affect my writing, since this story is already deeply entrenched in the old pizza pie map Riot used to use. We'll probably cross that river when I get to it.
Fifth: no appearance of Zephyr despite Janna being 50% of the chapter. Not an oversight; I have a reason for in which you'll see soon.
There was probably a sixth thing I should write here, but I'm just glad I was able to finish this chapter. You'll never guess what part took me the longest, despite how stupidly simple it should have been on paper. But on the bright side, I've had more than enough time to think about what the next chapter will have in it.
Needless to say, things are moving forward now, and there's no stopping it.