Sump Strays

Why do folks up here let their cats go anywhere they want? I know it's not all cat owners, and some of these aren't even owned by anyone, but everytime I see them, it's always a wonder how they didn't die by poison or falling in the large chasms of Zaun. There's always a sense of pity.

It wasn't hard to find him. Ma and pa always told me I had a gift for these things. I can sense when someone is sad or happy pretty well when they're nearby. I always feel their emotions when it happens. They said it was something to do with my antenna or the way my goopy body conducted mental energy. I don't really know it myself, but it's quite the gift!

He hisses at me as I approach, but it isn't anger I felt. I see it through his eyes, those wide black eyes and those bent ears and that raised fur. He tried to look big, but I can see him shrinking into his own skin. His head kept going back and forth at the big green blob and the leg… Oh the leg.

I was never a big fan of blood. I always see people get angry, sad, or especially hurt when around blood, whether it was theirs or someone else's. Even back at my ma and pa's clinic when it was just basic blood tests and donations, there's a sense of small pain when it transfers. As the needle hits the skin and it stabs.. As the bear trap digs through the flesh and the blood spills. You don't even know how much blood spilled.. How much is raw flesh and how much is skin!? He tries to clean it, but I see the head shudder and shake.. Shake like my hand as it reaches my own leg. Shake like my body as it tries to step back. The poison could get in. It could be infected.

I try to catch my breath. I breathe and breathe as I put my hand inside my green body to find a thing. I fidget with it, grasping and un-grasping it to at least release some of these uncontained pain shudders. To grasp something solid and real, something that's not as abstract as someone else's pain. Suddenly, I can sense myself again. "Calm down Zac," I whisper to myself. "He needs me now. If I don't do it; don't think anyone will save him." I breathe. "No pressure".

I take out the fidget item in question out of my body, a small ziploc bag with some pet snacks. I always keep them handy for times like these. When you go through the cracks, pipes and sewers of Zaun all your life, you come across a lot of animals and pets. I bring it out with my right hand and approach with an open left hand to show I mean no harm. He shrunk back further as my shadow encompassed his small figure. Am I doing something wrong? No. I just need to see this through.

"Hey," I whisper to him, throwing a small cat treat in front of him. He glances at it, tilting his head and bending towards it to get a good sniff. He kept alternating between looking at the treat and at me.I stopped walking towards. "I don't mean any harm little buddy. I just want to help. Sorry if I got any goop on it." He started nibbling on it. "There we go. See!" I give him more treats. Pleased with his first, the cat decided to eat some more and more and more, eventually not even glancing upwards at the mysterious goopy stranger that gave him the food in the first place. I walk towards him and seep my hands through the cracks of the snaptrap. It's a rusty steel one, probably bought or stolen by a simple Zaunite tool store, configured with aging hinges and screws. Thankfully, it wasn't a fancy topsider gadget; those were a bit harder to take out. Before I released the trap, I looked at the innocent creature eating his food. I still see him twitching with the claws digging deep in his flesh.

"Sorry pal. This is gonna hurt," I warned.

My hand gripped on the trap. Snap! The wailing was endless. I closed my eyes. I grasped my antenna, trying to cover it from whatever was making the sound.I didn't even know if he was released or not. I stepped back, my legs absolutely shaking. My hands fidget with the bag. Grasp. Ungrasp. Grasp. Ungrasp.

He needs me. He needs me. This pain is why he needs me. It's so intense. He could die from this. I'm the only one here. He needs me.

I open my eyes, trying to drone out the hearing. He's barely limping away. I don't even know where he's going. "Anywhere but here!" he thinks. "Anywhere but here!"

I ran up to him, grabbed him by the body, and held him close.

The claws came out, slashing me to bits. Green slosh splatters across the sewer floors, but I feel no pain, only his. I heat up my body, another one of my many tricks, and press on the cat's body. I feel the blood. The sticky oozing blood. My arms were shaking as I held him close, but I had to hold strong. I had to. If I can join some of my flesh to his, then I can put him back together again! And then.. The bleeding stopped. I look up from my desperate attempt and see that the once massively red bloody wound was now a pink scar as some of my ooze ate up the bacteria and now joined with the cat's can still see some green ooze on the flesh. Part of me was now his.

I put him down. He still froze in fear, closing his eyes and now accepting death. I keep some distance before sitting back down and throwing him a couple of more pet treats. "You can wake up now, little guy. It's just me."

He opened his eyes and looked at the wound and then looked at me. I'd take that as a small thank you at licked at the green gash. I smiled. "See. Your leg looks good as new! Or, well. Good as it can be. Heh, sorry for the green stains. I wouldn't pick on those if I was you." He limps up to me and curls up on my lap. I put my hand through his white fur. He purrs. I feel my skin tingle with his. It was nice. All warm and fuzzy inside. A sense of relief washes over me. A sense of safety. "So, what are you doing down here?" I take a closer look and found a collar that had a gold name tag. "Comet, huh?" I read. "Nice to meet you, Comet." I rub behind his ears. "You must've come a long way down if your owner can get gold for you."

BAM!

Gunshots echo through the hall. I freeze, looking at the source down the tunnel. The sumps were always home to these firefights, whether it be the topsider enforcers keeping everyone in the line or the chem barons. My body shudders as I stare at the black void, imagining the screams afterwards. Silence is even worse. Suddenly, I felt something nudging in my chest. He wanted to go to my heart, a place to make his cocoon to hide out from the rest of the world.

"Heh, knock it off!" I chuckle alternating my glances between the void and the cat, "That kinda tickles, but you don't want to be in there. It can be hard to breathe."

"Ah. I get'cha. You just want more treats, don't ya?"

I took him out, but he wasn't looking at me; he was looking back at the sumps, waiting for something to happen. I turn his head. "How about we take you back up to the promenade and we can go find your owner together? For both of our sakes. Someone with gold's probably up there." I picked him up and l shielded him with my green arms. I make one final look at the tunnel. I haven't heard anything since the first gunshot. Hopefully, it's over. Hopefully no one got hurt. Hopefully the silence meant some form of peace.

—-.

Zaun's top layer glows with excitement and activity. It'ss the middle of the night, but what does that matter to a city who has mostly lived underground for their entire life. As we climb up the sewer tunnels into the upper levels, music and chatter echo down through the chasm. I don't think Comet cares all too much. He just slept in my arms throughout the entire trip like it was no big deal, leaning on my chest and purring. It made me smile, just seeing him happy like that after what had happened. Animals were such simple creatures. You just give them food, keep them safe, and they're all good.

I was even tempted to keep him too, but I know Comet's owner was probably freaking out that they're gone missing. I hate losing family myself. I can't just let him go as a stray in the wild either. The eager scientists and chem barons always like to kidnap some pets as lab rats for their twisted experiments. I know there was a trusted animal shelter around these parts. I'd go there some days when everyone's off shift. I open the manhole and hoist myself up. We're behind a makeshift stone and iron apartment near a steep cliff. We're still some ways below the main Promenede level. I usually would sneak on up there through the pipes and cracks, but I don't think a cat can be as flexible.

I nub at his little face. "Wake up little buddy," He opened his eyes, looking at me face to face. "Does this place look familiar?" The cat looked around, but there was no urge to escape the confines of my hands. He just went back to sleep. "Ok then.. No rush," I sighed. "Just hang on tight to the Zac express! It's gonna be a bit bumpy." I take the cat and the sentient ooze on my chest grips on the cat's body. I jumped high up in the air and grabbed parts of the cliff with my bare hands. As I dropped, my green hands began to stretch, forming a slingshot for my body, only held down by legs. Once I sunk down low enough, my legs let go, launching us up with such force that I rose up in the dark Zaunite air, heading closer to the lit Promenede platforms. I quickly land on my feet behind one of the promenade's main buildings with the cliff behind me.. "Huh. That wasn't too bad, right Comet?" I asked, looking below at my chest. I just see a wide eyed face with claws digging through the green muscle holding his body close.

"Guess the Zac Express could use some work," I chuckle. "Sorry about that, but it was for your safety!" I put him down. "There. Solid ground. Let's take a small break, ok?" I look up and peek from behind and see the populace still going, making trades and just having fun. I see a couple going out on a date, friends giving gifts for a local birthday, the kids gawking at the hydraulic descenders meant to take folks further down in Zaun. Sure there might be an angry merchant or a drunkard here and there, but you'll always have some flaws with places like these. I breathe in the pleasure and enjoyment, the relatively fresh air, the bustling laughter and activity, and look down from the guard railings to see the lower depths of the city, with tiny lights shining through the darkness. Of course it wasn't as bright as up here, but even in these cruel circumstances, Zaunites can find ways to make life anywhere. That being said, I wish it was happier down there.

Then. I feel a slight cold, a shiver running down my spine. Something's not right. Someone's.. 's small, but it's more distinctive than usual, like an annoying blemish on an otherwise beautiful painting, a blemish that can grow or fester to ruin everything. I look back at the Promenede with local the Zaunites and Pilties walking around. No one else seems to notice, but the growing dread made it feel like it could get so much worse.

I instinctively grab Comet and hastily shove him in a nearby barrel. "Wait here!" I shout. "I need to do something. I promise it will be quick." I jump out and climb up the building to get a better view of the level. Nothing too out of the ordinary; just people going about their business, but I still feel the chill coming from my left. I see a store with black window. I swing my way towards it with my green elastic arms and notice the back door wide open. A break in.. And when I got closer, I could hear muffled sounds. Was it pleading?

I dive down, sneaking into the building's pipes using my gelatinous form. As I shimmy my way down inside the building, the chill became colder. My heart beats more. Is it sweat I'm feeling on my head? Is there a gun aiming at the pipes of this house, directly at me?

"No!" I hear through the walls. "Please! Put the gun down. I'll do anything! I'll give you all the money! I'll give you all the cogs!"

I peep out through the cracks. The old man, possibly the shopkeeper, had his hands raised, eyes so hyper focused on the gun, the one threatening his death, barely even making any eye contact with the culprit. The money, I know how valuable it is. Without money, he could go broke.

"Th-then do it! I'm not putting it down until you place it on the table."

He could go to the sump-

"I.. I.."

-where they died.

"It's your life old man! Just do it!"

Did he press the trigger? I can't let him. I jump out from the cracks of the pipes and land on the gunman's body. I hear the weapon clank on the floor and punch him. Punch him hard. If I can make him stop, it will all stop right? The chills. The heartbeat. The shiver. All of it will stop! For them and for me! The promenade will be safer! Everyone will be safer. Everyone will be happy. Everyone will-

I looked up. The old man was gone. I guess a blob monster would be too much. I don't blame his opportunism for picking the right moment to run away with his cogs, and yet, why do I still feel cold? The shadow that was once covering me grew darker. I look down, seeing a teenager. He looked around my age, 12 years old. He lies down with his bloodied nose and brown hair and big, round eyes with their dilated pupils hyper focused on me, now standing on top of him with red-tinted fists raised.

"Le-Leave me alone!" he cries. "I'll do anything! Just leave me alone!"

I unclench my fists. I step away from his body. I wince as he groaned from the released pressure on his legs. I think I might've broken them. His nose is still bleeding. "Why are you stealing? You're just a kid!"

"Oh my god. It talks. I thought you were supposed to be in the sumps!"

"Well.. I'm here now!" I shout. I turn around, hands in my face. I know I can sense the overwhelming blizzard of panic and anguish behind me, but looking at his face, seeing it so directly only made it worse. I need to think. Think carefully without the rush of someone else's emotions driving me away.

As I turned around, I saw what looked like a bulletin board. On it were a bunch of posters that reported the incidents and news happening around town. On one of them, I saw Comet, so they were close. On one of them, I saw my face. I ripped it from the board.

ZAUNITE AMORPHOUS COMBATANT

A dangerous creature with tremendous elastic powers and extreme strength. Can incapacitate and kill people with just his arms. It possesses the ability to hide in any crack or pipe. Extremely unstable. Responsible for destroying a sump clinic, leading to 12 casualties and 5 dead. If you have made any sightings, please report to the Enforcers. The protection of Piltover-Zaun depends on you!

I crumpled up the paper. They were lying! They killed them! Or did I kill them? I don't know.. I don't know! The panic. It's flowing in now. Was it mine or his? I don't know! It's too indistinguishable to tell. I just don't know!

"HANDS UP" I heard someone shout outside. I look up. I saw flashlights. I sense confusion out there. Not good. The shopkeeper must've alerted them on his way out. I shoved the papers in my chest and turned around to make my way out until I saw his face. He was more terrified than before. I see tears in his eyes as they embrace the end of life in the jails of Piltover. He closed his eyes, wanting it to end. His hands shake. I bend down to him. His hands flailed, bouncing on my skin. "No! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! I don't want to die!"

"I'm not hurting you! Just hang on tight will ya!? This will be bumpy. I promise it will be over soon." I hastily put him on my back and tried to run out the door. I hear the pained groans as I walk, but I try to ignore it. I know that this short term pain matters less than the ruination of a life. Suddenly, I heard the front break in.

"HANDS UP! IT'S THE ENFORCERS!" they shout. I ran and ran, eventually going out the back door and climbing up the building to get a vantage point. I tore up a metal plank from the roof to use as a shield. I know my body can be bulletproof, but the robber wasn't.

"STOP!" the kid behind me cried. "Where are we going!?"

"Anywhere but here!" I shout. I hopped from building to building until I finally found the old apartment building where I left Comet. I grabbed Comet from the barrel and put him on my chest.

"But how are we going to escape!? The enforcers are probably already at the descender by now.! They alerted everyone!"

I look down from the platform, viewing the dark depths of Zaun, with only the small twinkles of life to give me some form of visibility. It was a steep drop. "There's always 1 way."

His eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean.."

The flashlights were behind us now. I feel the heat of the light hitting my back like arrows stabbing through me. "Hands up! Remember, shoot the antenna!"

Maybe there was another way. I shouldn't risk diving like this. He was already injured, I don't want to hurt him more. I have to try it. "Stop!" I shout. They paused. They didn't expect me to speak. I peep out from the shield with my yellow eye. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble, folks. I have a kid. He broke his legs." I put the shield down, turning around to reveal the boy on my back. "He's really hurt. He needs a doctor. Please", I plead.

I saw the enforcers hesitate, moving back. I can feel the questions simmering on the surface of the crowd. Could it be sentient, they thought? He does have a kid. Is this a hostage situation?

"Shoot it," the commander in the back commanded. I couldn't even see his face, and I don't think he could see me. He just saw a blob monster. "The boy was a criminal anyways! A lowlife! Don't be soft!" He lifted his gun. "We have a job!"

The first gunshot fires. I raise the shield immediately. After the first, a barrage came pushing back to the edge of the cliff. "I guess there really is only 1 way. Sorry guys." I threw the shield at them, tanking the shots and distracting the officers as it hit the brunt of their squad. As the shield flies in the air, I let myself fall off the platform, away from the relative light of the Promenede and into the darkness of the Sumps.

—-.

Well, that landing could've gotten better. Parts of my legs collapsed and exploded on impact, leaving a huge goopy mess on top of the abandoned construction building in the Entresol. The only signs of life were the sparse graffiti on parts of the ceiling, but with how faded the paint was, I might as well just assume that nobody was here. I release the cat and the kid from my grasp, placing them gently on the floor. I looked up at the sparkling lights that were the Promenede. I could hear faint voices trying to go down, the commotion of where I was and whether they were safe. The fact that I could even hear them from down here was worrying.. Everyone's all tensed up now and it's all my fault.

I feel the cat touching my leg, meowing loudly as he licks his body to get all of the goop off. "Oh! Sorry Comet! Guess I messed your fur up too," I grumble. "The Zac Express isn't all that's cracked up to be, huh?" I picked him up. "At least you're not hurt. Let me take that off for you." I combed through the hair, letting the goop absorb in my fingers, slowly growing a few inches in size. I don't think I got all of it, but it's certainly better. I really hope his owners will give him a shower when he gets home. "See, all better! Good as new!" he still continued to lick himself, but stood near me as he did so. I guess that was some level of trust, but where was the kid?

I looked around the building and found the robber in his torn, wet jacket, trying to drag himself far away from me with his noodle arms. He has no weapon anymore, only his broken legs. I walked up to him.

"NO! Stay away! You ruined everything!" he shouted, angrily, not even turning to look at me. I feel heat coming from him.

"I ruined everything!?" I shout back. "You tried to steal from threatened their life! They probably worked hard for that, after a long day's work, and you could've killed them!"

"What do you know!?" he said, staring back at me, eyes filled with hate. "You're just a monster!"

I stared back, hands clenched. He immediately shrinked back. He threw his puppy dog eyes and shook his lips. His hands were up, trying to shield him from whatever attack. He shuts his eyes, bracing for impact. "Please. I didn't mean it! Please don't hurt me. I just want to live. Or if you're gonna kill me, make it quick. Not like I have anything else anymore."

"Aaaah!" I shout, punching the floor at my feet. My metal fist imprinted on the surface. Part of the floor shook. I had to let it out. Looking back at him, he just froze, hands covering his eyes. He really thought he would die this second. I take a breath, trying to calm myself down. I grasped at the pet bag. These emotions are not mine. They're not who I am. I can make this right.

I walk towards him as his eyes shut tight. His body posture completely froze when I came closer. I sat down next to him. I grabbed a part of myself in my hands, and placed it on his legs. They slowly enveloped them.

I hear his breathing go wild. His faint screaming barely makes words anymore, turning into loud gibberish. I try to ignore them, but the panic overwhelms me as the thoughts of me going something wrong begin to develop. "Calm down!" I said. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not as mean as I look," I said. His screams became louder. It started ringing in my ears. Is this not working properly? What if they hear him? What if they kidnap us both, put us in labs!?

"Do you want the enforcers to get both of us!?"

He stopped after that. "I'm a dead man either way," he sobbed. "I'm a dead man! It doesn't matter what I do, I'm a dead man!" He lies limp on the floor, just crying in his hands. I try not to look at him, because if I did, I would give into the hopelessness as well. Everyone around me knows of the incident, and now they're blaming me. Nothing was mentioned about the very thugs that worked for Takeda labs initiating the fight, or that they killed ma and pa. Now the enforcers were going to try to catch me. Now every chem baron will know. I take back the ooze from his legs, some now trying to heal his body. Some of it was gone forever, but that doesn't matter. It will regenerate soon enough. I'm not the one severely injured here.

I stare up at the Zaunite chasm, seeing the lights up at Piltover and the Promenede, the very stars of hope that every poor Sump dweller and Entresol Zaunite wishes on that maybe they too can reach them. The very stars where the shootout began. I took out the wanted poster, looking at my darkened face, staring back at me with murderous intent. Was I like that? Was I like that when I was beating him up?

"Huh? I-I can feel my legs again?" I heard him say. I feel his eyes looking at me.

"No problem," I interrupted his thought, as I looked up back at the Promenede. "I don't like seeing people hurt. I'm sorry I hurt you." I huffed. We sit in silence. I feel him staring at me. He didn't run. "Why did you do it?"

He stared at me. I knew he was suspicious of my motives. "When the guy left, I didn't see the evil criminal or murderous thugs that I imagined, and trust me, I've seen enough thugs in my life; more than I want to. I saw someone scared. Scared of making the wrong decision. Scared of seeing the world crumble around him. Why did you do it?"

"I.. Rent was due. They were about to evict us. I had to find something for my family. I'm not sure they'd want me around anymore after this."

"Don't say that," I said, looking back at him. He winces as I did so. His nose was filled with dried blood, his small beanie still slobbered with goop. "Maybe I should clean yo-" he backed away when I said that. I stepped back, valuing his space. "As I was saying, family's always there for you, even if you do stupid things. Stupid things that hurt others. Maybe… even kill."

"Was that incident in the sump clinic down there a stupid thing?"

"Maybe." I said, glancing down at the cold sumps. My face furrowed in anger thinking abou itt. I don't want to look at it anymore. I glance up. "But it wasn't close to being the stupidest thing I've done. I mean, you saw me jump off a cliff! I broke a lot of stuff when I was younger. Some are pretty massive if you can't tell by my size. Now I even got the whole enforcer squad after me, but even then, my parents would've done anything to see me happy, and I'm sure your parents would too. You did your stuff to try and save them."

"..what happened to your parents?"

"I told you. They would've done anything."

A period of silence came between before I heard a sound. "Heh," he laughs through his tears. I turn around. "This is so stupid. I'm talking to a living blob."

"Well I can't really control how I look, pal," I chuckle, giving him a slight smile. "What's your name? I'm Zac."

"I-I'm.. Steven."

"Well, from 1 screw-up to another Steven," I said as I lay down, head to the stars. "I think there's still hope for us yet. There has to be. Even if the world is dark, we all need to keep fighting, don't we? We'll find happiness somehow. We just can't take it away from anyone else."

"But what if they deserve it? What if they took happiness away from us"

"I dunno," I hesitated, hands clenching. "I know people like that, but I don't want to be like them, and sometimes it's a struggle to not be like them, when they take everything away." I slowly reached out my arm upwards to the sky, curving my finger around as if I'm holding the Promenede lights. I closed my eyes, imagining that I was in the cracks up there. Oh the yellow light. The footsteps and clamor. "I'd just focus on the things I love instead of the things I hate. The things I value. And, for me, I just want to see people happy."

I open my eyes, seeing the stars so distant and the lights so cold and discomforting. I sigh.

"I'm sorry I called you a monster. You're not as bad as I thought. I.. I think you saved my life."

"And I'm sorry for thinking you were an evil thug at first and gave you a red nose! I think we're even!" He laid down with me, staring at the stars. I stare at him. He's still scared, who wouldn't be, but I'm relieved to see him more comfortable. I grin

I took the other poster out of my chest, the wanted poster for Comet. I gave a smirk. "I think I know a way to get out of this."

—-

"But what if they found out I was the thief? Wh-what if they heard, Zac!?"

"Trust me, Steven! All they'd be worried about is Comet. Look how much they pay, and look how cute he is! 2000 cogs is a lot."

"I guess, but.. Aren't I a criminal now? I just don't know about this."

"Well I don't see a criminal, Steven. I see a hero holding someone's cat!"

"But that's you. Not me."

"It can be both of us, just promise that you won't try to shoot someone in the future will ya?"

"Well, only if they threaten me."

"I'll take it."

He takes the cat by the arms, and heads out of the shadows, heading to the apartment building up in the promenade. He stops and looks down at the cat now staring at his own home, squirming in excitement.

"Zac," he said plainly, standing in front of the apartment. "Thanks for giving me a sec-"

By the time he turned around, I was gone. I couldn't stay for long of course, and I didn't need the acknowledgement. I watch as Steven goes up the stairs. The door opened, and I heard gasps and shrieks. A little girl comes out, grabbing and twirling Comet's body as if he was nothing more than a toy. Tears come out of her eyes as she kisses him. The mom comes out to hug them all. They talk with Steven, but I can't hear the words, but I can see the grins. The warmth around me made my skin tingle, made my chest heave, releasing a sigh of relief.

I took out my wanted poster, with the eyes staring back at me. If I can't be his weapon, then Takeda will make me out to be some monster to kidnap. Then let him. I won't care. I just need to be more careful. If I can make someone happy despite all of that, even if in secret, then I'll be happy.

I tear the poster to shreds, and watch from the cracks. I'll see myself eventually.