Chapter 8: Items of Concern

A chem-lamp flickered in protest as a rat scurried across the tube that fed it. Light by light, the lamps hanging in a row faltered as the rat passed overhead, moving away from the one who interrupted its meal. Viktor spared only the briefest look to the dead thing the rat had been eating, just enough to make sure he did not step in it. It was some sort of fish, a species that adapted over time to the caustic environment of the sump after its ancestors were sucked down when the city sank. Sump fish were a frustratingly difficult group of animals to identify, as more often than not, individuals possessed some form of mutation that occurred from the swirling mix of chems they lived in. Most Zaunites though, Viktor included, didn't care much for identifying whether it was a bass or trout they were eating, only that it was prepared carefully. Eating anything that came out of those pools was gambling with your health.

Viktor walked around the sump pool the fish was dragged from. Caution slowed his steps as he made his way to the wall of the fissure. The last time he had visited Moyna at her home, he had been followed and though he had taken care of his mistake, he did not want to inconvenience the smuggler again. Out of caution, she had abandoned her house for a full month after the intrusion and when she had returned, she set up more defenses to deter unwanted guests.

Hidden behind a jagged boulder, Viktor found the narrow gap in the fissure that led to Moyna's hideout. His hex-claw tucked in as close to his body as possible as he worked his way through the pass, mindful not to trigger the traps she had warned him about. A rust colored stain on the stone warned where another had not been so perceptive.

The pass opened up after a half-hour walk to a small gorge where the air was clean and the floor was covered with piles of sorted scrap. In the center of it all, what appeared to be the largest of these piles was Moyna's home. It was a modest two-story shack that looked like it was cobbled together and reinforced with every sort of metal Zaun produced. Before it stood a metal sculpture of a bluebird, its surface treated to a blue patina as bright as the sky far above the Grey.

A breeze floated down from one of the other passageways cracked into the gorge's walls and ruffled Viktor's hair with its fingers as he approached the house. Viktor knocked on the door with his right hand. The sound was softer than if he had used his augmented hand to knock, but he still heard the paranoid smuggler startle on the other side.

"Moyna, this is Viktor." He announced.

"Viktor?"

There was the sound of a stool being pushed away but Viktor could hear no footsteps at her approach, only the sound a small metal slat being pushed open as Moyna peered out through the slit at him.

"Ah, it is you."

Clicks and clunks from no less than half a dozen locks were heard before the door was finally pushed open. Moyna looked up at Viktor with a half-smile. As always, her clothes were practical, allowing for movement if she suddenly needed to bolt. The jacket she wore was a faded blue color that was perfect for blending into either a Zaunite or working class Piltovan crowd and was covered with hidden pockets to quickly hide any pilfered prizes or thieves tools. Her mousy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail by a soft pink band, exposing her round ears.

"Viktor, how is one of my favorite customers in all of Zaun and Piltover doing?" she asked.

"Well."

"Good." Her dark eyes darted around the opening, checking to make sure Viktor really was alone before stepping to the side. "Please, enter."

Viktor stepped inside and Moyna closed the door behind him with such haste she nearly caught the end on his cape in the door. Her fingers flew along the side of the door, locking it back up with a speed that would make a racing basilisk envious. Viktor looked around the room as she checked to make sure the door was locked to her satisfaction.

It looked like a junk yard at first glance, with miscellaneous bottles, jugs, and jars lining the shelves, boxes stacked higher than herself in every corner, and pieces of cloth and fabric covered with writing that identified the prices of her acquired goods tacked onto every surface. A second glance, however revealed that what was collected here was a treasure trove of valuable goods, replacements parts, high end tools, rare chemicals, and even bits of hex-tech technology. If presented in a more organized manner, Moyna's wares would be right at home in a major Piltovan market. A more thorough third glance would tell the viewer why her goods weren't in a Piltovan market. Many of them were stolen right from the factories of chem-barons or smuggled past Piltover's customs.

The hum of a chem-powered generator caught Viktor's attention. Towards the back of the room was a table that was equal parts workbench and merchant's counter, under which the generator puttered along. It was powering a small soldering iron. The thin fingers of Moyna's wrist augment rested on stands beside it and in the middle of the table were pieces of stained blue glass. Viktor peered down at how the pieces were laid out.

"Another bluebird." Viktor commented.

"Absolutely." Moyna nodded.

She turned off the iron and moved it and her project off the table, placing them on a metal tray in the back of the room.

"There is no doubt in my mind that spirits are real," she continued, "saw plenty enough evidence of that when I last visited my folks in Ionia. Only thing I doubt is how closely Janna is watching over Zaun. My hope is that she is paying close enough attention to catch me if I fall, but not so closely that she's judging the morality of my actions."

"I would rather not trust my safety to a higher power."

"Neither would I, but a little reverence to stay in a goddess's good graces for a little extra, extra protection wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"If it makes you feel secure."

"Oh Viktor, you should know I never feel secure."

As if to prove her point, a tin can fell off the shelf behind her and made a harsh rattling sound as its contents were shaken. Moyna let out an alarmed cry and spun around, her legs already tensed and ready to spring away towards the door if needed. A gray rat missing half its whiskers stuck its head out from behind the remaining cans. It tilted its head and looked up at Moyna with its beady eyes.

"Oh, Jeremy, you scamp." She said with a shaky breath, "You know you're not supposed to go on the shelf."

She went over, crouched, and plucked the little animal from the shelf. The rat didn't struggle in her grip as she brought it to the window and opened it.

"Go on, outside with you now."

The rat jumped outside and Moyna closed and locked it once more.

"Sorry about that. I rescued that one from a cat about a month ago and he's been terribly affectionate since then."

The rats of Zaun had an unusual fondness for Moyna, something that had been attributed the small amount of magic she had from her father's Vastayan heritage.

"They do not trouble me so long as they do not contaminate the wares."

"That's why I try and train them not to go on the shelves."

The toppled can was returned to its place its place and Moyna began reaching for a small box as she spoke.

"You're here for the glass, right?"

"I am. Do you have it?"

"I wouldn't have given you a date to come collect if I couldn't deliver."

She placed the box on the table and opened it. The contents were wrapped in in several layers of cloth to protect them. Moyna slipped a pair of gloves over her hands before continuing to unpack. From the box she lifted a small pane of glass not much larger than her hand splayed. It was pristine.

"Made with quartz from the mountains 'round Targon. Glass 'blessed by the gods,' they say. Good marketing, I say. Can't argue with the quality though. You won't find anything better for your work."

Viktor looked over the pane and gave a nod of approval.

"I have no desire to use anything less in the hex-claw's laser. I salvaged what I could from the one that was damaged, but one of the lenses needed to be completely replaced. It has been irritating knowing that it has not been able to perform at full capacity."

"In that case, I would say pick up an extra one. I don't think I'll be able to get more of this stuff for a while." Moyna said as she began to wrap the glass once more.

"Why do you believe that?"

"When I snuck in to grab this it looked like I wasn't the first one there. A few other panes were taken from the crate but worse than that, the thieves who were there before me left too much evidence. It was so sloppily done, not even an attempt to make it look like it was shipping damage rather than theft. Decent chance that security is going to be increased for a bit around there and if I can help it, I'd rather not try sneaking into a place on high alert."

Viktor nodded in understanding.

"I shall take your advice and buy two. How much do I owe you for these?"

A note was stuck to the top of the box with a tack. Viktor leaned over to read the price and Moyna promptly placed her hand over it. The number had three digits.

"The barter system is alive and well here. A catwalk on one of my routes is broken. Fix that and help me with cutting and welding a few things around here and we'll call it even. Fair?"

"I feel as though I am taking advantage of you."

"I don't let anyone take advantage of me."

The words were said with a severity that told Viktor he should not argue with her about this deal.

"Then I accept. It is appreciated." He said.

Moyna nodded and her voice regained its lighter tone.

"I know things are tight for you and Ren right now. Speaking of the boy, how's he doing?"

"Well."

"And his arm? Haven't seen him in about a month."

"His recovery has been exceptional given the severity of the injury. His mobility in the limb has returned to how it was pre-injury."

"He's lucky he has such a good doctor." She smiled for a moment and then her expression grew concerned. "And, I know it's not your area of expertise, but how is he emotionally doing?"

"He is troubled."

"It's a lot of trauma he's gone through."

"I know. He does not want the aid I offer though."

"Your methods aren't for everyone."

"He is out seeking his friends today. I hope it eases his mind."

"But not yours. I could be wrong, but I think I detected the tiniest bit of unease in your voice."

"I have some concerns." Viktor confessed.

Moyna raised an eyebrow.

"Most of his friends are unknown factors to me. I do not know how they behave or if they will encourage Renatus to take unnecessary risks or other actions of general foolishness, more than he does on his own. Zaun's youth are not renowned for taking the wisest course of action."

"Neither are its adults." Moyna said with a chuckle.

"It goes beyond his safety alone. His one friend I do know actively dislikes me and openly objects to plans to better Zaun. I am concerned that his views about me will influence Renatus."

"You're worried he's going to be a bad influence on Ren? You sound like the boy's father."

"I am not his father. I am his mentor. And I am rightfully concerned about things that may hinder his education or his health."

"You trust him, right? I know I'm the last person to give advice on trust - I can count all the people I truly trust on my fingers – but you do trust he won't turn on you."

He thought of Ren's expression when they had spoken the other day. There was a longing look in his eyes when he asked if he would be missed and how swiftly he stated he would miss him if they were separated, left little room for doubt that Ren wanted to remain with him. It was as he had told Ren, he did not see a scenario in which he would leave.

"I do." He answered.

"For what little my inexperienced advice is worth, I think you're doing the right thing for him. You're giving him space to grow."

"I am equally inexperienced in this matter. Your input is appreciated."

"And if you are concerned about his friends being "unknown factors," you could always try and meet them."

"I will likely not."

"Fair enough. I wouldn't either. Teenagers make me nervous."

Moyna reached into a bag of old newspapers under the table and pulled out a fistful of paper. A recent issue of the Entresol Enterprise was flattened out and the panes of glass were placed in its center. The headline on the page read "Building Ablaze" and was accompanied by an illustration of the burnt out remains of a corner store. A nervous grunt escaped Moyna as she looked over the headline and her eyes quickly darted towards the extinguisher she kept by the wall.

The headline brought to mind what Ren had seen during his last outing of hero business. Viktor attempted to skim the text as quickly as he could while Moyna bundled and tied the panes securely with twine.

"Did you read that article?" He asked.

"I don't read most of what I use for packaging. I don't need to for that one though. I've heard plenty of rumors about the fires."

"Renatus saw the remnants of a recent one as well, a residential building in a neighborhood at the bottom of Entresol."

"I heard about that one as well. Fires happen from time to time but there's something odd about these and if there's something odd, the dangerous kind of odd, not the normal Zaun kind of odd, going on, I try and keep my ears to the pavement. I like to stay a leap ahead of disaster and I don't think these big blazes are just accidents."

"Elaborate."

"From what I have heard, four of the last six fires grew far faster than they should have. These weren't places housing volatile stuff. They shouldn't go up so fast. People are saying it's arson."

"Do you think so?"

Her muscles tensed and her eyes darted to the extinguisher once more. She passed the packaged glass over to Viktor.

"This was something else I wanted to warn you about," she started, "it's my caution speaking, but I would hate myself forever if you got hurt because I decided not to listen to my paranoia just this once."

"You do not need to justify your caution, Moyna, speak clearly. What do you believe is a danger to us?"

"Rumor is that the Matches might be making a resurgence. Tell me, when you went and attacked Emberflit, did any of the gang escape?"

"I killed their leader but yes, several of them were able to scurry away. I had not thought it necessary to pursue them. I had thought they would disband after losing their leader and base of operations."

"They may be trying to reestablish themselves. Viktor, I'm worried that if they do, they'll come after you for revenge."

At once his mind recalled the conversation he had with Ren the last week. Ren had voiced a similar concern about the gang taking revenge after learning why it was that Emberflit was abandoned. He gave Moyna the same reassurance he had given his apprentice.

"If they attack me, I will defend myself."

"Please do. You've got someone else depending on you now. You can't go and get yourself killed."

"I have no intention of doing so."

"Alright, just say it a few more times and I might start to feel better about the whole thing." She shut the box with the remaining glass and returned it to its place on the shelf. "Now I'll show you what needs cutting n' welding so we can call the cost for one of the panes paid."

Viktor followed Moyna out into her yard and she showed him what work needed doing. What she asked him to do were all things he knew she was more than capable of doing herself. With his hex-claw he completed the task in half the time it would have taken her with her tools, but nothing was beyond her capabilities. Between welds, he cast a quick glance over to where she was tying bundles of copper pipe together. He still felt as though he owed her. These tasks hardly felt equivalent for how difficult the glass had been to obtain. He would find another way to pay her back in the future.

When the tasks were complete, she gave him the location where the catwalk needed to be repaired.

"Do it when you can but the sooner, the better."

"It will be seen to."

"I'll hold you to it."

He gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Moyna. Farewell."

"Anything for a valued customer. Stay safe, Viktor."

Back through the narrow passage Viktor moved. His mind was quiet, focused on finding his way and not triggering any traps, but once he was back in Zaun proper, it began to churn over Moyna's warning. Ren being concerned about the Matches was one thing, Moyna hearing rumors was another. Most things made the smuggler nervous, but her caution was well deserved and her intuition as to when something was serious was honed from over a decade of smuggling experience. Not many thieves survived stealing from a chem-baron once, never mind several chem-barons multiple times. If she believed that the Matches may be a threat again, it was something he should be wary of.

On his way back to Emberflit, he stopped and purchased another extinguisher.


Greetings Summoners,

Here we are right before new season of Arcane. It fills me with equal excitement and dread. I just want to reassure everyone that no matter what happens, this story will continue as it has been. Perhaps some details from Arcane may make their way into the fic, but it is set in a different continuity. It's a very different Zaun and a very different Viktor. I also want to thank everyone again for sticking with my work, whether you have been reading from the beginning or found my work because of Arcane. Your support means everything to me.

Best of luck on the Rift,

- Hyena