HEIMERDINGER
Arranging the contraption akin to the one that Jayce and Viktor had years ago, when testing those Hexite crystals before they ever became the gemstones of today, wasn't as difficult. As it wasn't difficult arranging a safe corner at the workshop to test out the device, all the while the recently-built automaton - the Wrenchbot, as he named it - was assisting in tidying up some things in the workshop, according to Heimerdinger's instructions.
Which became quite frequent now, given Heimerdinger's Hextech device had triggered shockwaves from the gemstone three times, making a mess of most of things. When that large Vastayan, Scar, at first noticed the light shows and noise, he came to the workshop to see it and noticed what Heimerdinger was attempting to do, and then understood, even as Heimerdinger asked that none were to intervene or attempt to assist, as the Yordle professor wouldn't risk any lives in pursuit of a research so volatile.
Such was the principle and ethos of all and any scientific pursuit.
All Heimerdinger could do now was to find the proper combination of runes to allow a harmonic access to Hextech, much like Jayce and Viktor did, on that fateful night at the Academy. Then work from there, on his own science to limit the potentially devastating effects of Hextech, especially if Viktor were to do something with that accursed flying ball - more like a bomb, which the irony wasn't as lost - as the professor feared. And Heimerdinger could blame all of this - the unsupervised exploration of an untested field, the current crisis and artifacts loose, even his own inexperience on this same field - on no other than himself, having chosen to remain as far away from Hextech as possible.
This, he now saw, turned out to be a *bad* decision, one he would keep with himself as all other bad decisions. He dared himself think the wisest at the time, he had done over his three-hundred year life span. The same decisions that did come from the corners of his cortex, from time to time, to haunt him.
As Heimerdinger had attempted once again to access the gemstone, only to fail again, he went back on his feet as he then heard knocks at the door. Before he could say something, the door opened to reveal the young leader of the Firelights, clearly awakened now after the noon hour, walking in along with Scar, noticing a bit of the mess and the Wrenchbot attempting to organize it once again.
"Mind if I ask 'any luck so far'?", Ekko asked, in a light-hearted humorous tone, gesturing at the slightly messy workshop. "Despite how it looks like?"
Heimerdinger shrugged. "Contrary to popular belief, humor does have an utility.", he said. "You make quite the test case, lad. But I assure you, this is anything but my first date with failure."
"No sense throwing the towel and running away, huh?", Scar asked.
"Not in a million eons.", Heimerdinger answered. "It will still take a while, but I'll get it to work, and then it'll be a matter of time before learning the proper countermeasures for it, perhaps the runes that neuter their counterparts. Maybe some unknown material, whom knows."
"I heard the people in Demacia have a material of theirs, capable of bouncing magic off.", Scar commented.
"Oh, you must mean, of course, the Petricite substance.", Heimerdinger pointed, chuckling a bit at apparently old memories poked. "A minor misconception really, as it rather absorbs magic, like a sponge would with water, instead of deflecting it like we intend to."
"Oh...", Scar noted, deflated.
"Still, not bad a suggestion.", Heimerdinger pointed. "I still have some contacts within Piltover, they don't use as much Petricite, so I may acquire some for our endeavors, it'll be useful for emergencies. Especially if it comes to worse...", he said, his mind thinking on Viktor and that accursed Hex Core, both now in the Undercity.
Scar shrugged at that. "I'll be outside, handling the kids...", he said, turning around to head outside.
"Though, of course, I didn't forsake the dearly necessary additions to this sanctuary." The professor then headed to the workbench where he picked up what clearly looked like a ball. Made of rubber bands.
Ekko couldn't understand that. "That's a necessary addition?", Ekko asked. "For what, the 'get to know you better day'?"
"Possibly, but no.", Heimerdinger answered as he then walked to something covered and removed the sheet, revealing what looked clearly like a small cannon, barrel and box, which could almost be carried, on a tripod, with an apparent antenna on the top.
"Thought you wouldn't make firearms-", Ekko started, before noticing the ball he carried. It then clicked, no pun intended. "Of course, the loophole."
"Still better than lobbing propelled steel arrowheads at high velocity...", Heimerdinger said. "And this was made even more possible thanks to the recent Progress Day. There's been this fellow at the fair which could operate some sort of mechanical butterflies with his hands, quite the show-stealer we should've had, really."
"In a way, I bet it was...", Ekko spoke, a tinge of regret, or perhaps rancor, remembering a bit what happened that night, at the Bridge.
He should've guessed he wasn't the only one reverse-engineering someone else's work...
Heimerdinger, in the meantime, grabbed some sort of a control device, a cone shaped one, with a lever on the top of it. "The trick, it seemed, were airborne radio waves, imperceptible electric and magnetic waves which, on predetermined frequencies, can issue specific commands.", he explained, maneuvering the lever with one hand as the cannon then started moving along, like a bird would it's head, apparently according to Heimerdinger's handling of the control. "The possibilities this can bring for a nearby future..."
The Yordle then pressed a button on the control, and the cannon turret fired, the noise and action catching Ekko and his reflexes off-guard, making him jump a bit. The cannon let loose something in high velocity which hit a nearby wall, but violently bounced back and upwards, flying in an arc which fell to the ground. The something turned out to be a ball also made of rubber bands, almost similar to the one Ekko held in his hand.
The Firelight leader let his breath out in relief, allowing a smile, nodded. "Not bad a start, little guy...", he said.
"I can adapt it, if you like it so, to accommodate and launch those crystalline bombs you generally throw.", Heimerdinger replied, in satisfaction. "I can even reconfigure it to become a sportsball machine.", he let out a snicker, resting the remote by the workbench and walking to another nearby invention, this time one that wasn't covered by any sheets.
This new invention looked like an oversized toy, even more with the large clockwork key on it's back, meant to trigger the machine. This machine stood on a tricycle base, with additional cogs over it as well as a piston of sorts under a large, thick disc forward, almost like, as Ekko recalled briefly, the boxing gloves from a machine Vi used to spar with at an old arcade, years ago.
"But, of course, no sense keeping all eggs in a single basket.", Heimerdinger said, as well. "Should be a good distraction as well as some to trip off-"
"Ekko!", a voice called out loud, making the named one turn to the direction it came from. It was Scar, right by the doorstep, and his look was a serious one. "The brawler friend of yours and her cop friend. They're at the entrance."
Ekko's heart raced, the mood changed in a heartbeat as he stepped out to follow Scar to the entrance of the Firelights' sanctum. Heimerdinger also followed them, a bit behind.
'It's about the Academy, it has to be.', he thought.
They walked to the front door, by the tree house where it was closed, as Scar nodded to the Firelight guards to open the door, revealing the pair mentioned by Ekko, whom stepped in.
Vi and Caitlyn. And their mood didn't seem as friendly, but one rather nervous, tense.
"Was wondering when the fuzz would show up...", Ekko said, jokingly.
"We need to talk, Ekko.", Caitlyn started, seriously. "In priva-"
"Miss Kiramman?", a voice caught the Sheriff's attention, she looking to the right of the group to notice a smaller furry figure, almost half their size besides them. One she and everyone in Piltover knew too well.
"C-councillor Heimerdinger?", Caitlyn asked, awed. "So that's where you went, you're with them?"
"With no regrets, miss Kiramman.", Heimerdinger answered. "And I'm no longer a Councillor, as you may have heard-"
"Guys, chat later!", Vi stressed, apparently nervous, taking a piece of paper from Caitlyn's hand and handing it to Ekko, eyes deadlocked.
The Firelight leader took it, opened it, and his eyes were wide.
It was a 'wanted' poster, with the official stamped crest of Piltover and it's police department, and Ekko's very drawn face, including the hourglass tatoo, clearly drawn on it.
Scar saw it as well, and a warface grew on him. "Is that it, then?", he growled, alarmed. "Is that why you came here!?"
"Scar!", Ekko cut him, barring the Vastayan with his right arm. He then looked at the female pair, nervous. "The workshop.", he nodded towards it, turning around, as Vi, Caitlyn, Scar and Heimerdinger followed.
As also did eyes, starting to follow the group.