The song of the black-back rock swift echoed down the gorge. Ren gave a contented sigh.

"I do not understand people's obsession with bird calls," Viktor said as he came to stand beside Ren, "the animals are only calling for procreation. There is nothing to romanticize; no romance, only biological impulses."

"Look, Doc," Ren said, "you already ruined fireflies for me last week. Please, don't ruin birds."

"Explaining why something functions the way it does does not 'ruin' the subject. Firefly behavior has not changed, only your perception of it has."

"Well, my changed perception on fireflies and how the females will use their lights to attract and eat the males has ruined them for me."

Viktor shook his head, saying no more and headed for the lift. Ren followed with a skip in his step. As the lift began its descent, he leaned over the railing and took a long, deep breath as they passed a rising smog cloud from a factory beginning its day.

"I love that smell," Ren mused.

"If you inhale an unnecessary amount you will increase your risk of developing lung blight," Viktor chided.

"Living in Zaun increases your risk of lung blight."

"It is a compounding risk."

"Besides," Ren continued after giving a brief shrug, "that stench of burning fuel smells like productivity. I bet no other city in Valoran could boast that they reek of productivity."

"No other city in Valoran could even compete with Zaun in terms of productivity."

"Ah, so we agree on something."

"We have many shared views. There is no reason to make a production of it every time you discover a new similarity."

"I know, Doc, it just makes me giddy. It makes you seem human."

Ren could feel Viktor's glare from under the mask and was quick to apologize.

"I know, the 'H-word.' Forbidden. Sorry. I'll be quiet until we reach the bottom."

And he was quiet right up until the second the lift reached its destination, then his mouth was running again.

"This is exciting, our first outing together. Well, you know, half an outing and only kinda together, since I'll be doing my thing and you will be with your girlfriend."

"She is a business partner," Viktor responded dryly, "and you may do with your time what you will, so long as it is not excessively foolish and you return here on time."

"We both know that you and I have different ideas about what is foolish, but I think I can handle myself well enough. I've survived Zaun so far."

"You were on death's doorstep when I found you."

"That was a one-time fluke. Besides, thanks to this augmentation, I can clear any long jump, no problem, but yeah, I'll be careful."

"I expect you to be."

"Crystal. See you later Doc."

Viktor watched as Ren descended towards the pipes and catwalks of Zaun. If it weren't for the precautions he took earlier, Viktor imagined that he would be feeling anxious to see his investment turn out of sight. But Viktor was a man who enjoyed his peace of mind and was willing to take steps to ensure that he could keep it. He waited a minute after Ren passed from sight before taking out a small device from his pocket. It was a small monitor.

Unbeknownst to Ren, while Viktor was working on the boy's augmentation the previous night, he installed a tracking chip into it. With the push of a button, the monitor turned on and a dot blipped in the direction that Ren had headed. Viktor gave a small nod of approval. It was not that he distrusted Ren's promise to return, the boy had after all, snuck out before and had returned, but rather that he loathed the idea of some unforeseen trouble endangering his work.

"Subject takes too many risks," he thought to himself as he placed the monitor back in his pocket, "and I have invested too much in this project."

Comfortable in the knowledge that the tracking device was functional, Viktor set off to meet Moyna. Since their last encounter with the thugs, the already skittish woman had grown yet more cautious. She insisted that they shouldn't meet at her home until she was sure that things had calmed down. That was over a month ago and Viktor knew it would be well over another month before she was satisfied the security of her sanctuary. Despite the inconvenience, her ability to procure whatever was needed was too valuable a resource to ignore. And so tolerated the journey to her new meeting location; an abandoned warehouse in the upper layers of the Sump Level.

Unlike the people of the Entresol Level, Sump Level dwellers didn't care that Viktor walked among them. He could have been the bestial Howler prowling by and they likely would not have noticed. The people here were too tired to care. They shuffled about with red, sleepy eyes, dirty uniforms, and smudges of the Grey clinging to them. Most were either heading to or from their shifts at the nearby factories. None of the bits of conversation he heard were directed towards him.

One father voiced his excitement over his daughter's acceptance into medical school. Another man whispered to his companions about a new Shimmer den that had opened. A woman berated her son for not brining in the laundry inside in time and now all the clothes were covered in soot again. A small group of children chattered excitedly as they poked at a dead sump rat. The angry grumbling of people complaining about work dominated conversations. And throughout it all was the persistent sound of coughing.

Viktor had to take a step back to avoid stepping in a freshly coughed up ball of grey phlegm. He cast a sideways glance towards the man who spat it out. He was pale and his chest shook as he coughed out a second ball. He friends gave him a hard pat on the back and handed him as mask connected to a pipe that delivered fresh air down to the district. Although Viktor was disgusted by the man's mannerisms, he couldn't suppress the thought that he could improve his life, but he knew that it was highly unlikely that this man would willingly consent to having his lungs replaced with machinery.

He had a similar thought for the young woman he saw struggling with her damaged augmentation that had to replace a severed arm. And another for a child missing a finger. And for the man who walked with a severe limp. There wasn't one person Viktor saw that he didn't think he could improve with his work if only they would let him.

He had to stop imagining his plans for when he at last came to the warehouse. A chemical fire from a storage tank a decade ago had left the building flooded with hazardous chemicals and although those toxic substances had mostly been cleaned away, the noisome stench remained and likely would for another decade.

The doors groaned as they opened into the empty building. Anything of value in this place had been liquidated years before, leaving the rest to the rust. Viktor's footsteps echoed through the empty rooms as he approached the office at the far side of the building. At the door, the murmur of voices caught Viktor's ear. He peered around the corner with his third arm raised as a precaution. Moyna was there, crouched over so that she could speak at eye level with a child. She handed him a small bottle with a dropper top.

"And do you know what to do with this if he ever does that to your mother again," she asked.

"A few drops in his tea. Spread it out over several days."

Even though her mouth was obscured by a mask, Viktor could tell that Moyna was smiling at the child's response by how the tops of her cheeks wrinkled.

"That's a smart boy. Your mother is lucky to have someone like you," she gave him a pat on the head, "now go on and be safe."

The boy nodded and ran out, nearly stumbling over Viktor as he sped by. Moyna stood and dusted off her knees as Viktor approached her.

"You accuse me of recklessness," he said, "but you are the one handing out poisons to children."

"Oh, I'd never give a kid anything lethal," Moyna protested, "but something to blind his mother's sleazy overseer, absolutely. Just giving him the tools needed to protect himself and his. I'm not going to discriminate because he's a kid."

"And what did he have to trade with you?"

"Knowledge. Kids know more than most give them credit for, such as the combination of a safe in an office they have to clean."

"I find it difficult to believe you would put yourself in such a degree of danger for money."

"Money, oh no. There are easier ways for me to get money. Breaking into an office to steal a formula is another thing entirely though. But enough about my future heists, you're here for business now."

She reached down into her bag and rummaged around before pulling out a bottle with a small pouched tied to it. The liquid swished about at the slightest movement and had a faint grey tint.

"Here it is," she said with pride, "the best lubricant I can liberate from the Barons. Mix the powder in. You've used this before, I don't need to explain."

She handed him the bottle and set to reorganizing her pack. With a chuckle, she paused and pulled a second bottle from the bag.

"I don't suppose I could interest you in this," she asked, "I found it while paying a quick visit to a nobleman's estate the other night."

Viktor took the bottle and read the label with disbelief.

"Finest Bottled Air : Shurima Spice Market"

"This is pathetic," Viktor stated.

"I knew you would hate it," Moyna said as she took the bottle back, "there was also Noxian Night Garden and Freljord Mountains as flavors. I'm willing to bet that all of it is just bottled in some Piltover factory where they just rub pine needles or rose petals around the rim before slapping a label on them. Still, someone will trade for this," she closed her bag, "so, what do you have for me this time?"

Viktor produced a small case.

"One of my new prototypes based off of N-12's augmentation. It is designed to increase the wearer's mobility while climbing," he opened the case and removed a device that looked like a metal cage in the shape of a boot, "it has retractable crampons for grip, joints along its length for flexibility, and a small combustion chamber on the heel."

"Explosions," she asked nervously, "on my feet?"

"Controlled explosions, Moyna. If you mix chemicals correctly you will not need to fear losing your limbs," he handed her the pair of devices, "but in the unlikely event that there is a catastrophic error, I will be able to replace your damaged limbs at no charge."

"That's comforting to know at least," Moyna said as she strapped the metal cages around her feet, "though I assume that any new augmentation you give for free would be experimental."

"I have never augmented a Vastayan before. Anything I would attach to you would be an experiment worth monitoring."

"Hopefully it won't come to that though. Speaking of which, how is N-12? He must be successful to some degree for you to base other designs off of his augmentation."

"Subject N-12 has proven to be more mentally stimulating than I originally anticipated."

"That's a roundabout way of saying that you actually like the kid."

With a final click, the climbing boots were secured.

"I would say that 'like' is not an appropriate word," Viktor commented as he watched Moyna stretch and test the flexibility of the boots, "but he is brighter than he looks and it makes his company palatable when he isn't running his mouth."

He could see her smiling under her mask again.

"I'm glad for you, Viktor," she said.

His reply came only as a noncommittal grunt. He went to grab the instructions he had written for the boots but froze. There was a frantic beeping coming from his pocket. His hand flew to his pocket and ripped the tracking device from it. Moyna was at his side in an instant, peering down at the screen with him. The sense of dread between them was palpable as they read the letters across the top of the screen.

"SUBJECT N-12 DAMAGED"

I'm still here guys. I haven't abandoned this story and I plan on seeing it through to the end. This summer was overwhelming with the amount of things that needed to be done but thing have settling down again. I plan to return to writing on a more regular schedule and maybe starting a new story about Malphite or a one-shot revolving around Poppy. What do you think? Are either of these ideas you all would be interested in reading? Best of luck on the Rift.

-Gwoo