"Listen to me, apprentice," Viktor commanded, "go and ensure that Project N is taken to safety."
His tone was strong and even, a beacon of stability in the sea of anxiety that flooded the room. But Ren remained still. His eyes were wide with fear as his nightmare played out before him. Both his gauntlets were still switched on and his nerves were taut as a bowstring. He was ready to fight.
Jayce's voice cut through the tension.
"Step away from the kid, Viktor. He doesn't deserve to get messed up in this."
"Something we agree upon," Viktor thought to himself before addressing Ren again.
"Do as I command," he repeated, "secure the project and evacuate it."
"But Viktor, I-" Ren protested.
"This is not up for debate," Viktor snapped, "Go!"
"For once, I agree with him," Jayce added, "now kid, listen to what I told you last time, and stay away from him."
Ren clenched his fists, triggering the gauntlets to spark with energy. Viktor placed his mechanical hand on Ren's shoulder. The metal was cool against Ren's skin, but the steely touch was oddly comforting as it radiated the confidence that Ren found himself lacking. Viktor gave him a gentle push backwards.
"I will rejoin you once this intruder has been dealt with," he said.
This time Ren obeyed.
"Please, don't die," he whispered before turning and sprinting from the room with all the speed that his legs could carry him.
Viktor let out a long sigh as he turned to face his old colleague. For a moment he considered giving Jayce one chance to flee with his life, but Viktor quickly quashed that idea. It didn't matter that Jayce was once a friend, what mattered was what Jayce was now; a threat. Words were meaningless at this point, but that didn't stop Jayce from spewing them.
"I'm giving you one chance," Jayce said, "surrender, Viktor. This does not need to end in violence."
Viktor responded with action.
"I will not make that mistake again," Viktor resolved, "this time, no hesitation."
With a flash of burning light, Viktor's third arm fired. Its searing ray illuminated the room with an angry glow as the factory's floor melted to slag. The molten substance spattered upwards, sending a violent spray into the air. Red hot droplets singed the edge of Jayce's coat as he nimbly leapt out the way of the abrupt destruction.
With a snap, Jayce had transformed the Mercury Hammer with a reflexively fast movement. The Hextech Capacitor shone like a flash of lightning, creating imposing shadows on the walls. The cold light washed over Jayce as he took aim at Viktor. A charged shot of energy went flying from the cannon's core and soared directly towards Viktor's head.
Unfazed by the display, Viktor effortlessly moved out of the way. With a flash, the orb of energy struck the wall behind him, exploding into a skittering mass of sparks. Against the brilliance, Viktor's dark silhouette was featureless, save for the unblinking orange glare of his eye lenses.
"So that's it then?" Jayce said, "you want violence?"
Viktor remained silent.
"Nothing to say for yourself?"
"Speaking to you is an inefficient use of time and energy."
As before, Viktor was first to attack. Aiming for Jayce's legs, the laser melted a burning path along the floor, which once more, Jayce was able to easily avoid. But Viktor had anticipated this. He threw his magnetic trap to where he had predicted Jayce would dodge to. The trap snapped open, activating with a dull hum. The magnets pulled on the metal of Jayce's armor, dragging the otherwise athletic man's movements down to a crawl.
Jayce struggled against the pull, attempting to level the cannon at Viktor though brute force alone. As the bolt of energy flew from the Mercury Cannon, the trap had fully charged. The lights along the edge of the trap, cold and red, pulsated as the machine strengthened its hold over the ensnared man. Jayce's arm was violently wrenched to the side, skewing the cannon's aim and sending its attack off course. It struck the ground before Viktor harmlessly.
Viktor pressed his advantage as his foe remained embattled against the pull of his magnetic trap. Though it would still be precious seconds before his laser would be able to attack at full capacity, he could still fire a barrage of weaker shots. If aimed carefully, these attacks could still be devastating and, fortunately for Viktor, he was well accustom to operating with surgical precision.
It took all of Jayce's strength to raise his forearm to protect his face from the assault. Like hot irons, the shots burnt his arm, leaving his coat pocked with singe marks. He gritted his teeth and strained harder against the trap. To remain still was to invite death. As he saw the mechanical arm prepare to fire another death ray, he felt the trap's hold on him begin to wane. Without the limitless power of a true hexcrystal, it could not function at such a high level of power for more than a few seconds. Jayce lunged forward; rallying his strength to roll out of the devices effect not a moment too soon.
He could feel the heat of the laser on the back of his neck as it cut through the air where his chest had been a moment before. Instead of him, the searing ray melted yet another ugly scar into the factory. The slag sputtered, sending its molten mess dribbling down the wall. Jayce viewed the destruction with revulsion. No longer was the third arm a tool. It was a weapon to cause devastation.
"Interesting upgrade," Jayce mocked, "tell me, how exactly does this destruction help anyone?"
"It removes obstacles."
"Doesn't appear to be very effective, unlike this."
It all happened in a matter of seconds. Jayce pulled a lever on the cannon's shaft. The sides of the weapon opened and two orbs, glowing with the sharp blue of hextech energy, tumbled out if it. They rolled a short distance away before their glow became a crackling field and they began to levitate. Energy from the Hex-Core arched between them, forming a gate. Viktor didn't know what this upgrade Jayce created did and he did not wish to learn through experiencing it. His third arm glowed orange, primed and ready to attack, but Jayce's attack came first.
The projectile that flew from the cannon passed through the energy gate, accelerating it to unavoidable speed. It struck Viktor's third arm just as the weapon began to fire. The arm was thrown backwards, sending the laser's path to tear along the ceiling. Viktor grunted in pain as excess electricity raced down his arm and through the rest of his body, tingling his nerves as though they were covered in fire ants. Automatically, his chem-implants activated, flooding his body with powerful drugs to dull his ability to feel pain. Melted pieces of the roof began to drip downwards, forcing Viktor's attention upwards.
Jayce capitalized on this brief moment of distraction. He surged forward, passing through the energy gate himself. His hairs all stood on end as the power of the gate infused his muscles. It was always an exhilarating feeling, and Jayce felt his heart skip a beat as he cleared the space between himself and Viktor with unnatural speed. He transformed the cannon mid stride so that by the time he reached Viktor, it was a hammer again. Jayce swung it. The bright light of the weapon alerted Viktor to the impeding attack with hardly a moment's notice.
With an echoing crack, the Mercury Hammer slammed down on Viktor. He had been able to move his body out of the path of the attack, but his left forearm still caught the edge of the blow and it was snapped back at an unnatural angle that would have spelled multiple broken bones for any other human. Mercifully, Viktor had spared no expense when reconstructing himself and though his arm damaged, it refused to shatter. Still, at this close range, Viktor was vulnerable to follow up attacks, and he could not spare the attention to attend to his damaged limb yet.
Jayce raised the hammer to swing again. Viktor's response was sloppy, but with his target so close, finesse was not needed. He threw out his syphoning claw. The device latched onto the Mercury Hammer and began to drain the energy from it. This did nothing to stop the incoming attack, as the hammer was unendingly fueled by the Hextech Capacitor, but the attack was not without benefit. The syphoned energy flowed back into Viktor, reinvigorating his movements. He diverted the power to his staff and aimed it at Jayce's face. The laser passed through the Hex-Core, empowering the beam to a white hot heat. There was a flash of intense light.
With lightning fast reflexes, Jayce pivoted away, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow. But the attack still grazed him. He staggered back, clutching his cheek in blazing pain. The sound of his skin sizzling haunted his ear as the stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils. The intense heat had cauterized the wound instantly, leaving a clean burn across his face. As the pain continued to radiate from the burn, his forehead began to glisten with a cold sweat.
"Damn it," Jayce grunted.
Using the brief moment, Viktor quickly tended to his own injury. His staff was passed up to the third arm before he reached over and gave his arm a forceful twist. A sickening snap later, and it was back in its rightful place. Pins and needles ran up the remaining organic parts of the limb, but Viktor showed no signs of pain. He flexed his fingers. They were functional but repairs would be needed later. Viktor looked up from his hand and back over to Jayce.
"Are you enjoying the frailties of your flesh?" Viktor asked, his tone even.
Viktor reached up and gripped his staff once more, ready to continue his assault on his injured foe. More heat poured from the laser, aiming to bisect Jayce. Adrenaline coursed through the Jayce. He forced himself to move. Again he took a glancing blow. The concentrated beam clipped his shoulder pad, melting part of it. The metal dripped down the length of his arm, marring the design of the armor. Beneath the warming metal, his skin felt as though it were sunburnt.
"Is it worth it?" Viktor continued to press, "this pain? This weakness? All so that you may continue to cling to your flawed ideals?"
"At least I have ideals worth fighting for," Jayce snapped back, "ideals that will create a brighter future."
"A bright future for Piltover, not Zaun."
"And what? You will lead Zaun to its bright future?"
"Once you are disposed of, I shall."
Jayce knew that in a battle of range, Viktor would triumph, but in close combat, he held the advantage. Closing the distance between them was a matter of life and death. He charged onward. Viktor cut him off, aiming the death ray for where Jayce was running to. Jayce dug in his heels, stopping just shy of the laser's searing path and stumbling back to avoid the aftershock of unstable slag.
He cursed under his breath. He knew he couldn't risk a direct hit from that weapon. Not only was it far deadlier than the last time he had seen it, but its efficiency had also been improved, now being able to recharge at a much faster rate. Jayce had previously been moving under the assumption that it still required nearly fifteen seconds to return to full power. He was wrong, and continuing to act under this previous conception would only result in him being maimed. He needed the new recharge time. He needed to get Viktor talking again so he could count.
"And what kind of future is it that you want to drag Zaun into?" Jayce questioned, "A future where everyone is turned into machines?"
"It will be an efficient one free of human error," Viktor coldly responded.
"At the cost of people's humanity and freedom? That's not a bright future, that's depravity!"
"Depravity?"
At this word, the third arm fired another burning attack at Jayce, who, prepared for the attack, avoided it with ease. Eight seconds, he had counted. That was such a small window between attacks, but Jayce had no option but to take it.
Yes, depravity," Jayce shouted as he rushed Viktor, "as in your morals are depraved."
It had taken three seconds to get within a hammer's length of Viktor. Jayce had leapt the final distance, bringing the hammer down with a heavy overhead swing as he did. The scientist had managed to pull his weapon up, gripping it at either end, a moment before impact to intercept the blow. The weapons crackled with energy as they connected. The light of the hexcrystals grew more intense, as if excited by the presence of another shard.
Two more seconds passed, each man trying his best to throw the other off balance. Jayce struggled to pull back the hammer and take another swing at Viktor's head. Viktor, for his part, sensed an opportunity. If he could keep Jayce in arm's reach for three more seconds, he could attempt a point blank attack that would annihilate him. He stepped into Jayce, forcing his staff into the groove of the Mercury Hammer's head and shoving it upwards.
"And yours is the morally correct path?" Viktor asked with a tone that, for the first time that evening, betrayed his anger, "How many dockworkers died after I left? Are they still dying? I could have saved them, but you had me expelled. How many perished when you destroyed my old laboratory? Over a hundred, Jayce. I could have saved them, but you brought the building down on them."
Jayce was out of time. Too close to evade and with his weapon still locked against the staff, he made a desperate attempt to save himself from the laser's wrath. He released his right hand's grip on his hammer and lurched forward to catch Viktor's third arm. The arm was twisted downward just as the laser came searing out of it.
Now that Jayce had lost his leverage, Viktor twisted his staff to the right, shoving the Mercury Hammer down with it and leaving Jayce's center exposed. His left hand released his staff and lashed upwards at Jayce. The metal back of Viktor's hand collided with Jayce's jawline with a resounding crack.
Jayce's head snapped back under the force of the blow. He coughed, spitting out blood as he did so. Though stars were dancing through his vision, Jayce remained focused and regained a firm grip on his weapon. Even after staggering back a step, he was still close enough to Viktor to make a counterattack. Jayce pivoted to his right, aligning himself with Viktor's third arm. Though Jayce hoped he could strike the shoulder upon which the third arm was mounted, what was most important was that he hit Viktor at all. Accuracy could be negotiable when the head of your weapon is as large as your chest. The Mercury Hammer was swung wide.
Viktor raised his staff to block this attack as well, but his weapon was not able to endure a second blow from the demolition tool. With a crack of thunder, Viktor's staff was snapped in two. The swing continued, catching Viktor in the chest and throwing him back. He skidded to a stop inches away from his magnetic trap. His weapon, its two halves now held together only by wires, was still gripped in his unmoving hand.
"Looks like your machine body isn't so infallible after all," taunted Jayce.
Despite his bravado, his chest was heaving from exertion. A sigh of relief shuddered from him. He knew a strike like that could destroy a golem. His awful business was almost over; all that was to find the kid and destroy whatever Viktor had been working on. He gingerly touched his cheek, only to immediately wince in pain. Tending to his face would have to be his first priority when he returned home.
The sound of a groan snapped Jayce's attention back to Viktor. He was stunned in disbelief as he watched the scientist pull himself back to his knees. His syphon was attached to the trap, transferring its remaining power back into Viktor's body. The lights on the trap blinked out as it snapped back closed and began to recharge.
"How are you alive?" Jayce demanded.
"You continue to overestimate your power," Viktor responded, "Did you believe that I would be the same man you fought last time? No, I have improved, evolved. I have made myself greater than any other inferior construct you have destroyed before."
On his feet once more, the damage Viktor had sustained became visible. His chest armor had been shattered where the hammer had struck it. Blood and oil oozed from the cracks, covering his front with the dark, slick mixture. Jayce pulled the lever on the hammer, transforming it swiftly back into a cannon. In the light of the weapon's glow, the stains on Viktor gave off an iridescent sheen.
"You should have stayed down, Viktor. Maybe then you might have lived."
"You are so eager to get more blood on your hands."
"A little blood on my hands is a small price to pay for stopping a mad man from destroying others."
"I could say the same about terminating you."
The two stared each other down, watching for the other to make the first move. Then suddenly, the door behind Jayce burst open.
