Chapter 3

Rumble P.O.V.

The shackles dug into my fur, which, come to think of it, was a pretty lucky thing. If I were a stupid long-legged human, this whole ordeal would be much more painful, as my hairy body prevented the skin underneath to suffer any major injuries. I still attempted to let myself out, frantically battling the handcuffs that had me hanging from the wall, which just rattled insanely in that dark, empty room. To top off that wonderful situation, I was gaged, probably by my captor, knowing the mouth I had on me. I couldn't feel any clothes on me, which pretty much confirmed the fact that I was naked.

Suddenly, a switch was turned on and there was finally light in the room. I heard footsteps coming towards me and I struggled to get my eyes used to the new settings, frantically looking around, to get a clue of where I was.

Heirmendinger appeared, dragging a chair which he placed in front of me. He took his sweet time to sit down, eyeing my body up and down, his face showing plain disgust.

"Don't you think being naked makes it much more humiliating?" He commented, a tone of amusement in his voice. I kept my unwavering eyes on his, waiting. I wasn't going to let him break me, I didn't care what he did to me.

"But, I needed to make sure my suspicions were right." I wanted to scoff at him. What could he have thought of? That I was in fact, male? What colour my pubic hair was? Well, he was in for a surprise because it was the same tone as the fur all over my body.

His right hand was playing with a biro, tapping it unconsciously against the other, clicking his tongue and humming as he stared at me.

"And, indeed I was. You're suffering from malnutrition, Rumble. Being a bit careless, aren't we? I've devised three theories, actually, want to hear them?"

He was waiting. Searching my face, for any change in my features, any movements that might make him think he was getting to me. When he found none, he continued speaking.

"One: you are bulimic or anorexic. Two: it's a call for attention. Three: depression."

I stared into his deadpan look. A tiny trail of saliva left my mouth and the ever-present gag felt more uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"If I hadn't got to you it would've been a matter of days for you to fall ill." Heirmerdinger said matter-of-factly. "Although I'm not really planning on feeding you either. Just wanted to see if I was right. Scientific curiosity over everything. I won't interfere with your own little experiment, don't worry. You can keep trying to get the perfect bikini body you've always wanted." I'd never taken him for a yordle that liked humour. His crude words struck me in a way I hadn't expected me to. He noticed, his eyes sparkling as he finally got a reaction from me.

"Not like it makes any difference, though. They'll never let you join the Pool Party." He snickered, then, as if to emphasize his words.

His eyes never left mine and he watched me with a cold expression before he sighed, finally averting his gaze. Obviously his snide remark hadn't actually hurt me all that much.

His head cocked as he remembered why he was sitting there staring at my naked body and I saw a sly smirk cross his features.

"I took the liberty of bringing your ride." He muttered, watching intently as my eyes bulged out in fear. Tristy. He couldn't possibly be talking about anything else.

My heart clenched inside of my chest and I pulled at my restrains. An incomprehensible muffle came out of my mouth, the attempt of me telling him to fuck off. He chuckled then, leaning back in his chair.

"You'll like this." He snarled, getting up and walking to the side, where a white blanket was covering something. My heart started pounding harder as he lifted it up, revealing what looked like a pile of junk but what I immediately recognised as my former mech. I wanted to scream, as I forced my body against the shackles, the stupid restrains hurting my wrists badly as I tugged with all my force. I wouldn't let myself cry, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction, but I was on the verge of tears.

Tristy was a mess. Screws were on the floor, her legs had been dismantled, maybe even crushed. I couldn't really tell from where I was. She no longer had the flamethrower attached and I couldn't localise where her mace was. My eyes darted over her as despair got the best of me.

"Sorry about the mess. I got impatient and you wouldn't wake up."

"But now for the real reason you're here." He walked over to the pile of what used to be Tristy and grabbed one of my rockets, which he'd carefully left to the side when he'd destroyed my mech. He brought it over and placed it in front of me, then sat back down on his chair and looked at me.

"Now, you might think that this is just mindless vandalism, but let me prove you wrong. You have heard of reverse engineering, right?"

He waited, as if he was actually thinking I would answer him, and then smiled smugly.

"It's the process in which you disassemble something in order to learn how to make it. So that's basically what I did with your mechanical friend." He laughed, turning to look at the pile of what was now rubbish. "It's funny how you treated it better than most beings. That cold, useless machine. I received nothing but mock and insults from you, but that mech got love and tenderness. It's almost hysterical."

I frowned at Heimerdinger, appalled. How he could possibly call 'reverse engineering' to smashing Tristy till she was useless garbage was beyond me. He was using 'science' as an excuse to hurt me.

"So, basically, I was right and that hideous ride you like so much is absolutely useless to me. Worthless if I may say so. But, this." He grabbed the rocket he'd set aside and turned it around in his hands. "Now, I will give you credit for this one. This is pure genius."

I scowled at him, this time forcing myself not to react to his taunting.

"I've been trying to come up with the blueprints to how these babies work and have been unsuccessful for a whole two months. I really couldn't take it anymore."

He turned the rocket in his hands while keeping his steady gaze on my face. I was trying so hard to not lose my resolve, but every time my eyes fell on the pile that had been Tristy it got harder and harder.

"So, you tell me the secret to these rockets or I will reverse engineer them as well."

Not a chance. I'd already lost everything that was important to me, he couldn't possibly do anything that could hurt me.

Maybe he knew what I was thinking, so he tried a different approach. He left the rocket at his side and started waving his hands in front of himself while he began rambling.

"And maybe you're thinking that knocking you out and dragging you over to my lab to be handcuffed might have been a bit rash, but I actually have other motives as well."

He paused, presumably for dramatic effect.

"I loathe you. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual, but you are not important here. I literally can't stand even the look of you. You arrogant little mongrel. How you flounce about, pretending Tristy is the best invention ever made makes me sick to my stomach. You're a pathetic excuse for a yordle, a scientist and an engineer. Hell, you don't even qualify as a mechanic."

Each sentence he said with an even bitter tone than before. Not like I cared or it mattered, but each repulsive word that came out of his disgusting mouth made me more and more nauseated, and hate him even more.

"How you were even allowed into the League baffles me."

He thought he'd hit me where it hurt with those words. But, he was wrong. Each sentence he said just empowered me. Nothing he could say was as bad as what he'd already done. And I just wanted to take pride in the hatred he had for me. And maybe start planning my revenge.

"And I want nothing more than to watch you suffer."

After that, he was silent. At first, his features still looked at me with rage and disgust, but he slowly calmed down, a hand reaching up and stroking his ridiculous hairdo. As the minutes ticked by, he slowly looked less like he wanted to murder me and even a smile appeared on his face. Then, he started laughing. He even clutched his stomach, as if it were the funniest thing ever. I forced myself to keep a deadpan look on my face as I watched his laughter subdue. He stopped quickly, surprising me, but an evil glimmer was in his eyes as a malicious grin struck his mouth. He took a deep breath before he started speaking yet again.

"So, I don't really care if you don't tell me how these work. I'm smart enough, way more intelligent that you are, I'll figure it out somehow. You can just stay here and rot."

He snickered, turned around and walked away. He left me then, turning the lights back off. I heard footsteps as he climbed some sort of stairs and then a weird noise was caught by my sensitive hearing. A hatch. That was the only conclusion I could reach. I wasn't actually in his lab, I was somewhere underneath it. Like a secret base no one knew about.

I grimaced. How long had I been in there? How long had it been since I'd had that talk with Ziggs? Honestly, it felt like months ago, but it had probably been only a few hours. I tried to compose myself, force myself to remember. We'd talked, he'd invited me to do something, I had declined to work on Tristy… and then… and then…

I did do some work on Tristy. Tightened her screws, checked her oil. I was sure of that. Heimerdinger had said he'd knocked me out, but my head didn't hurt. And it wasn't the first time I'd passed out because I'd overworked myself. But he'd somehow managed to drag my unconscious body to his lab and underneath it. Our labs were on the same floor, and the only thing separating them was Zigg's lab. While my lab had a door big enough to fit Tristy, theirs didn't. So Heirmendinger had had to dismantle my mech in my lab, then turned her and forced her to roll from my place to his.

He'd planned this from the start. The 'reverse engineering' shit he'd spouted was complete nonsense. He wanted me gone, and for that he'd kidnapped me and made it look like I'd left on my own. If I didn't come back to the League they'd end up expelling me and then people would forget about me, and that's when he could toss my dead body somewhere and no one would care.

I'd be long dead before anyone noticed I hadn't left on my own will.

I needed to get out of there. I looked around me frantically, but in the dark I couldn't see anything. I knew Morse code, maybe I could bang my shackles against the wall and someone would hear me. So I did.

As the minutes turned into hours, I realised it was pointless, and slowly, let my body hang limp, feeling hopeless.

"Hello Rumble." I heard his voice as he turned the lights on. I didn't bother to look at him, I stayed limp, my head facing the floor. "It's day number 2."

I could tell by his footsteps getting closer that he was right next to me.

"Oh, my! What do we have here? Did you really piss yourself!?" Heirmedinger tut-tutted, shaking his head. "I should've seen it coming, you've been in here for a day…"

He hummed then, as if thinking hard about something. He presumably decided on something as he walked away a few steps and spoke some more.

"I've reached a conundrum, you see. I really want to prolong your suffering, but I don't want to have to remove your gag to feed you and hear your obnoxious whining."

"Maybe we can reach some sort of compromise, yes? You're hungry, right? I brought you some porridge. It's nice, look, smell it." He thrust it into my face, the hideous smell hitting me and forcing a reaction I didn't want my body to make. I was starving, and he could tell. "Now, if you promise to not say a word, I will remove the gag and feed you. If you break that promise, the gag goes back in and I eat the porridge while you watch."

Absurdly enough, my head nodded on its own accord. I was being helplessly strung by his every word as he removed the saliva soaked gag from my mouth and I could finally relax my face muscles. He chuckled and before I knew it, the spoon was shoved into my mouth and I had to do my best to follow his rapid rhythm.

"Oh, wow, you really are hungry!" He snorted as he increased the velocity at which he was feeding me. I chocked and he took a step back, watching with horrified repugnance as I forced the food down. When I could finally breathe again, I looked into his eyes. I couldn't say a word. I couldn't even move my body. It hurt so much and every muscle and fibre in my being was in complete pain from being in that stiff, unnatural position for 24 hours. And he'd been right, I had pissed myself. I had reached my limit long ago and had to – painfully and embarrassingly – relieve myself… all over myself. It had long dried, but I had been left with a sticky and smelly patch of fur, and there was still evidence on the floor.

He shoved a full spoon back into my mouth, but this time he was more considerate and slowed down significantly. Once I'd finished eating, the now cold gag was fitted back into my mouth and I groaned as my muscles were put on trial again.

"They haven't noticed yet." He said quietly. I almost didn't catch it. Or maybe it was my tired body that couldn't cope with life anymore, but what he'd said hadn't made sense.

I looked up at him, my usual feisty look long gone from my features.

"They haven't even noticed you've gone missing." He said, matter-of-factly, taking a few steps back to inspect me properly. "They don't care about you."

My ears twitched at the sound of his snickering, the ugly laughing noises he was making made my stomach churn in a gruesome fashion. For a moment I thought I was going to vomit the porridge he'd forced down my throat.

"Not even Ziggs has noticed." Heimerdinger muttered, looking directly into my eyes. "Or maybe he has but doesn't care?"

Surely Ziggs would have noticed… right? He was my best friend, he would never forget about me. My lips trembled at the thought that I'd reassured him so well he thought I was still in my lab, working my arse off on Tristy.

"Oh, yeah, and you'll love this." He smiled faintly. "Tristana and Teemo have announced their engagement. They had kept their romance a secret for three years, did you know that?"

I really wanted to throw up now. I huffed and grumbled in discomfort, the fear that the gag could now choke me to death much more present than before. Not that I really cared if I choked on my own vomit, if Tristana was really with Teemo, I preferred to be dead than see it happen.

"The League is planning on a party this Saturday. It's too bad you're going to miss it. Want me to take a lot of pretty pictures for you to see?"

I seethed in rage, fighting against my restraints as he carefully watched my every move.

"I heard rumours she's pregnant with Teemo's child. Oh, the baby will be so cute, don't you think?"

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be true. But Tristana and Teemo were close. They were always together and they were always so lovey-dovey. So maybe she was carrying his baby and that's why they wanted to get married. I tried to kick my feelings away, the jealousy and disgust eating at me, making me sick to my stomach.

"What's the matter?" Heimerdinger teased, but his voice was distant. "Aren't you happy for your friends?"

Saliva was running down my furry muzzle. My eyes were unfocused and I had lost all energy. I didn't want to fight back anymore. I still felt the anger, the furious rage that nearly blinded me whenever I thought that Teemo was with Tristana. Kissing her, touching her, even going to have a baby with her. I'd never get the chance. Heck, at this rate, I'd never get the chance to do it with any other yordle either.

I let myself hang limp from the restraints, my muscles still on fire, especially after I'd thrown my last rage fit. He eventually got tired of watching me and left me alone.

Alone. That's how I was going to die.