Crescendo, Chapter VII:

Make this all work

Entering Stonehaven had been substantially easier than yesterday. When Jinx had approached the garrison, the guard standing watch had wished her a good morning and let her through. The look on her face must've been priceless. Even now, walking towards the infirmary, every soldier she encountered gave her a short nod or even a salute. She had almost knocked a guy unconscious who had tried to pat her on the back, much to the amusement of his friends. It was strange seeing the same people who looked at her in disdain yesterday being all friendly with her today, but she assumed that was what Riccar and Samira had meant with "strength above all".

Word of Samira fighting the mage had spread like a wildfire, and while she had tried to pretend like she didn't do much to help her, the fact that she was even there and made it out alive seemed enough to earn her the respect of the noxian soldiers. She supposed that went to show just how powerful this Rell girl was. Which not for the first time made Jinx question why she just randomly showed up here to begin with. She had worried at the beginning that it might've been her fault somehow, but the more she had thought about it the less sense that made. It had made her curious however. She had infiltrated her fair share of high security places in her time, and every time she had been after something very specific. So what could there possibly be around here that this girl wanted? As she pondered this question she rounded a corner and arrived at the simple wooden double door leading to the infirmary. Let's see whether the esteemed Lady Samira had some answers for her. With that she pushed the doors open and walked in.

"If it isn't my favorite student, coming to visit her gravely injured master." Samira greeted her, cheerfully waving a bandaged arm, while a doctor was trying to check her injuries. Jinx' eye twitched. "Call yourself my master one more time and I finish what metal knight started."

The mercenary seemed unphased by the threat. "Metal knight, eh? Catchy, I like it." Turning to the doctor she followed up. "So what's the situation, doc? When can I dance my way through the battlefield again?"

The doctor, an elderly man with thinning gray hair and a thick pair of glasses was looking at Samira in frustration. "I find it quiet hard to give a diagnosis when you keep interrupting my examination." He sighed and pushed his glasses up. "But from what little you let me check I would say your wounds are not in risk of beginning to bleed again."

Immediately Samira made to undo the bandages, but the doctor interrupted her. "You should keep them on for at least the next two days, longer for the deeper wounds. If any of these gashes get infected you'll be back here within the week. As for the bloodloss and the concussion, both of these can easily be cured by time. Don't leave the bed for at least the next day, typically it would be longer but I know you would simply refuse to do that." Samira looked like she was proud to be caught with her hand in the cookie jar and he paused for a moment, glaring at her, before continuing. "Afterwards avoid any sparring, exercise, sudden movement or heavy lifting for a week minimum."

Samira waved his recommendation away. "Eh, I went into battle after getting a concussion before, some light sparring isn't gonna kill me." Jinx could hear the guy's teeth grinding, as he stepped away from her bed with a strained neutral expression.

"If you say so." He looked up at Jinx in resignation. "Would you mind letting me check your injuries? My colleague informed me that you had a metal lance stuck in your abdomen, but barely let her remove it and bandaged it yourself. If left unchecked this could be-"

She raised a hand to cut him off.

"Don't worry about me doc. The thing only grazed me anyway."

Big fat lie that was, the bloody spear had shot right through her side. She hadn't even noticed in the middle of everything else. But when any of the other doctors had wanted to help her, she might have gone a little crazy. In her defense, the last time a doctor had wanted to 'help' her, she was strapped to a table and experienced the worst physical pain of her life. It seemed like she actually didn't need any medical attention anyway though, as the wound had gotten a lot smaller when she checked after waking up.

The doctor just shook his head and mumbled something about imbeciles before storming out the room.

"Sheesh, you really riled him up, huh?" Jinx commented as she approached the injured woman's bed, who simply laughed.

"I have that effect on doctors. They always want me to be careful. Not really my style though."

"Speaking of style, what was that you said about me having none? Cause from where I'm standing it looks like you're copying me." The younger girl pointed to the bandages around her chest with a smirk.

"The fact that it's this or potential death and I'm still not sure it's the right choice should really make you reconsider your fashion choices, kid." Jinx lifted her hands in mock surrender, before giving the woman the once-over.

"You sure you alright? You didn't look all that great yesterday." The other woman's expression morphed into a more earnest one.

"Eh, I've woken up in much worse conditions before, honestly. But if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have woken up ever again. Thank you for that, truly." Jinx fidgeted with her hands uncomfortably, it still felt weird having someone thanking her and she had no idea how to react. Thankfully Samira seemed to notice this quickly and continued with a teasing grin. "I have to say though, I was surprised to learn you told people you were my 'protégé'. What's that all about?" Jinx groaned and plopped down on the bed next to Samira's.

"Ugh, you tell me. After the fight I wanted to get you here quickly, but these goons just blocked my way and wanted answers that I didn't have. I thought that kicking their asses would take too long so I went with the easiest explanation."

"They only showed up after the fight was over?"

Jinx simply nodded in response.

"Heroic."

"I know, right." the younger woman exclaimed. "At least no one is asking any stupid questions of me today cause they think I'm with you."

"And because you've proven your strength." the mercenary added, before studying her curiously. "Even though you told everyone that I defeated the mage."

"Didn't you warn me not to bring too much attention to myself literally fifteen minutes before that?" Jinx tried to deflect and the other woman chuckled.

"Ah, so you did listen, I'm surprised. And yeah, I did, though I have a feeling it's less about what I said and more that you wanted to hide what you're capable of, eh?"

Jinx cursed under her breath, she had really hoped Samira had already been unconsious when she shot into the room like a human sized bullet. That was going to be hard to explain away. Before she could make up an answer however, the mercenary continued on.

"Don't look so worried, you don't have to tell me a thing if you don't want to. You saved my life, remember? The least I can do is pretend I didn't see anything and take your little secret to the grave." Jinx blinked. Huh. That actually made her want to tell her. It would definitely feel good to get some of the krugshit that happened to her off her chest. She dimissed the thought with a shake of her head, however. Now wasn't the time to get mushy.

"Right, well thanks for that I guess." There was a short pause before she continued. "While we're asking questions, why were you fighting a stupidly powerful mage in the first place?" The other woman shrugged.

"I'd tell you if I knew. I was sent down here to apprehend someone powerful. That's pretty much all the information I had." Jinx started cackling. "You're kidding." The mercenary shook her head.

"My recent missions have all been rather vague, part of the reason I'm being chosen for them is that I have a reputation of working well even with little information. Some people prefer it if their matters are handled privately, you know?" Jinx was still laughing at the absurdity.

"But catching someone powerful? That could've meant anything." she brought out between laughs.

"Which is why I was cautious when we met." The younger woman paused for a moment, considering the implications before grinning widely.

"Aww, you thought I was powerful?" she teased, to which Samira only laughed.

"You gonna tell me I was wrong, kid? Anyway, typically these kind of missions consist of some information gathering, narrowing down potential suspects, tracking them down and afterwards taking them down." the mercenary paused, shaking her head.

"So you can believe me, I was surprised myself when I found my target standing in the captain's office. I barely got a word in either before she flung an axe at me." She shrugged, before continuing. "I guess she's not much of a talker, eh?"

"What was she doing here then? She must've been looking for something, right?" Samira glanced over at her, mirroring her confusion.

"I have no idea. Whatever she was looking for though, I'm pretty sure she destroyed it in our little scuffle." Seeing the unsatisfied look on Jinx' face she added. "In my line of work you don't get all the explanations. At the end of the day this job was far quicker than I had thought. And it was filled with action. An absolute win in my book."

Jinx nodded along silently. She hated unanswered questions, but it was ultimately not her problem in the slightest. If anything she should probably make sure to learn as little about anything that happened yesterday as possible. Too much knowledge could be a problem of it's own after all. The waters back in Zaun were filled to the brim with people who knew more than they should have. She looked back at the injured woman.

"What are you gonna do, then? Take her back to where you're from?"

"Noxus Prime? Yeah, I don't think so. Way too much metal in the city for her to cause chaos with. Besides, these chains that are holding her won't last forever, and I don't want to be stuck on the open sea when she regains her abilities."

Jinx chuckled at the idea of all the nails being pulled from the ship's hull at once. "Probably for the best, yeah."

"Exactly. I was thinking of heading over the great barrier." At Jinx' empty look she elaborated. "The mountain range to the north-west. If I remember correctly there's some sort of magic school there, run by the Trifarix. If anyone knows how to deal with a rogue mage without killing her, it should be other mages, right?"

"Hey, don't ask me, I just got here like, three days ago. That was the first time I saw a mage." Images of exploding lights in the battle of Piltover came to her mind. "Up close, anyway." Samira chuckled.

"Must've been one hell of an experience."

"Heh. You can say that again."

The two sat in silence for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts.

It had been less than a week since Piltover, and her getaway had been far more eventful than she had expected. Than she had hoped. Her situation also hadn't really changed from when she arrived here, she technically hadn't achieved any of the things she had set out to do. So why did she feel more confident that things would work out? She pondered the question for a moment, a small smile on her lips.

Eventually, Samira broke the silence.

"So, wanna come with?"

Jinx' brain momentarily shut down at the question.

"Bwuh?" came her elaborate response, earning her a laugh from the mercenary. Did she hear her correctly? Surely the other woman couldn't actually want her to join her. Looking up at her though, she was met with an expectant grin. Jinx tried to formulate an answer, but only one word came to mind.

"... Why?" Samira looked confused for a second.

"You mean what's in it for you? Well I have to move on pretty quickly to get our mage friend to a safer place, so we won't have the time to take care of the payment I promised-" Jinx held up her hand to stop her.

"No, I mean... Why would you want me to?" The mercenary stared at her incredulously.

"Did I not mention that I would have died without your help yesterday? I don't know how long we can keep our little mage friend from her magic, but if she get's her shot at a rematch I would want you to watch my back." Jinx didn't reply, stunned by the response, so Samira continued with a smile. "Besides, only reason I typically work alone is 'cause barely anyone is willing - or able - to keep up with me. I have a feeling you won't have that problem, eh?"

"Huh." Dammit brain, full sentences! She shook her head in an attempt to regain the ability to speak. "I mean, sure, makes sense I guess."

"Need a minute to think it over?"

"No! Yeah. Maybe? I'm not really great at working with others, ya know?" It sounded like an excuse even to herself. Samira simply smiled and gave a shrug.

"Hey, suit yourself. I think it could be fun though."

It could be fun? No one wanted her around for fun! No one should want her around for fun! She doomed everyone she met to a cruel and untimely end!

Except she would have died anyway if she hadn't met me. Can't really say I jinxed her, can I?

It would be the fastest way to get some more distance between Piltover and herself. And it would help her plans to get her gear back as well, if Samira really was as well of as she claimed to be. She rolled her eyes at a voice that only she could hear, no she didn't care if this bimbo kicked the bucket without her help, shut up Claggor. Turning back to the other woman she hesitantly began speaking.

"Suppose I was interested. What's the plan exactly?" She pursed her lips at Samira's annoying grin as she answered.

"Like I said, we get our friend to a safer place, I complete my mission, get my bounty. And after that, I help you get that equipment you want so badly."

Jinx took a deep breath and pretended to think about it, even though she already knew the answer. There was no downside to Samira's offer and maybe, just maybe, she didn't wan't this woman to get squished by the metal wielding weirdo either. She hopped off the bed to stand in front of Samira, who looked at her expectantly.

"Alright, I'm in. Don't even try to put me into one of these noxian armours though. I will break your arms." The mercenary smirked.

"Did I come across as a big fan of armour? Considering what our new friend can do we should leave anything that consists of metal behind anyway." Jinx gasped as her hand shot to cover the non-existing ears of her newly aquired weapon.

"I'm not gonna leave Rusty behind, he's my baby!"

"You just got that thing yesterday and kept complaining that it wouldn't shoot straight." Samira replied with a deadpanned expression.

"I love him! If he can't go neither can I." Not for the first time the mercenary surprised her by laughing at her antics.

"Eh, what's the harm in one small gun, just try and keep it as far away from her as you can, yeah?" She nodded along, that shouldn't be too hard. After a moment Samira continued.

"What happened to my weapons anyway?" Jinx gave a frustrated groan, remembering what happened after she returned from the infirmary to have a closer look at the blackpowder weapons.

"Ugh, these stupid guards stored them away and wouldn't even let me have a look at them." She had seriously considered breaking the stubborn idiot's nose, but her stinging side had reminded her that she was in no condition to fight half the outpost just to have a glance at the mercenary's blackpowder weapons. "They did say they looked alright, though." She scoffed, as if they had any idea how they were meant to look in the first place. Another question popped into her head. "Why didn't the mage destroy them?" Samira smiled mischievously.

"It's always good to have a trick up your sleave. When I fought a mage for the first time most of my wepaons were rendered useless. Didn't bother me much, most weapons were too boring to keep my attention for long anyway. But when I found Blaze and Thorn I had a feeling I would be using them for a while. So I asked my mysterious benefactors if they could make them a bit more resilient against magic users. I had no idea it was gonna be so helpful on this mission, but I'm not complaining."

"You still almost died though." The younger woman pointed out, but Samira waved the comment away and continued smiling.

"Ah, that's all part of the thrill!" Jinx shook her head with a grin, and people thought she was crazy.

There was a small pause in the conversation, before Samira yawned loudly and spoke up again.

"Almost forgot I was supposed to rest up. How about we leave further planning for later today and I catch some more sleep?" The mercenary made to lay back down, so Jinx began heading for the exit.

"Sure, make sure you get your afternoon nap in, grandma."

"Hey, it is not polite to make fun of injured people."

"I'm injured as well so I get a pass."

"You should have more respect when talking to your master."

"I will choke you in your sleep."

Samira's laugh became muffled as Jinx closed the door to the infirmary and headed further into the garrison. Soldiers nodded to her in quick greetings as she passed them, and a small smile played on her lips. Maybe she could make this all work after all.


"Continue the search, she has to be somewhere around here!"

Annie cowered against the massive trunk of one of the surrounding trees, making herself as small as possible. She could hear the people from school running through the forest close by. She knew that they were looking for her, and that they were angry with her. Everyone was eventually. It wasn't her fault though, it's not like she wanted these bad things to happen. The voices got closer to her hiding spot.

"I swear, when we find that little brat." the frustrated voice of one of her teachers rang out.

"Be careful, she might be young but her abilities far exceeded our expectations. Half the Conservatory is burned to the ground." A calmer voice answered, one that she didn't recognize.

She pushed harder against the trunk, trying to dissapear into it, pressing her stuffed bear against her mouth to stop the fearful whimper from escaping it. It wasn't her fault! They promised they could help her control her flames, so that she wouldn't hurt the people around her anymore! Instead they forced her to hurt them more, to 'become stronger'. She never wanted any of this. Fear slowly turned to anger, even as the air began flickering around her. This wasn't fair! Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Why couldn't they just go away?

You could make them go away, child. Unleash my power and we will make them pay for their insolence!

She flinched at the voice, shaking her head silently, as tears began to fall from her eyes, evaporating before they hit the ground. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She just wanted to be left alone! This time she couldn't stop the sob from escaping her.

"Did you hear that?" Annies eyes widened and she held her breath.

"Hear what?" The voices paused as they tried to listen to any suspicious sounds.

Just let go, Annie. You don't have to suffer because of them, just let me take care of this little problem for you.

The girl shut her eyes, ignoring the voice. She had listened to it before and it had hurt the people she cared about most. It had promised her to get her out of school and she had listened, only to hurt so many other students. She wouldn't listen anymore.

"I'm not hearing anything. Are you so nervous because of this child that you're imagining things?" The second voice laughed a hollow laugh in responce.

"Very funny. Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall."

The voices slowly got quieter and Annie released a shaky breath of relief.

You should have let me dispose of them. They will become a problem for you in the future.

Ignoring the voice, the girl tentatively got up from her hiding spot to scan her surroundings. Everything seemed quiet for now. Her hold on the small stuffed animal fastened, as she began taking small steps in the opposite direction from her pursuers. She would get away from this place, and she would do it without hurting anyone else.

With a newfound determination Annie began marching further into the woods, towards an unknown future, but most importantly, her freedom.


She felt the power surge within her a split second before the pain hit. With a scream she dropped her board and fell to her knees. Her heart seemed to beat ten times faster, and sparks filled her vision, even as she felt a searing pain burn through her arms. She barely noticed the other firelights rushing over to her, too focused on the power threatening to rip her apart. It was like a charge was building within her, her entire body seeming to hum and spark with energy that she had never felt before.

It could have been minutes or fractions of a second she spent frozen in both pain and shock, before her brain kicked back in, seemingly in overdrive. She instinctively realized the energy would continue to build until she was no longer enough to contain it. She needed to release it somehow. Her gaze flicked up from the ground, past all the panicking people around her, over to a secluded corner of their hideout. She needed to get away from them before she ended up hurting someone. The energy continued to build, thin bright green scars burning into her forearms. She didn't have a lot of time left, desperately trying to command her body to move.

Something within her reacted.

She didn't know how, one second she was on her knees, surrounded by a bunch of her friends who were trying to help her, the next she stood in the exact spot she wanted to be, away from everybody else. Whatever happened seemed to also have released some of the energy within her, even though it was already building back up again. She did not know what she was doing even as she screamed once more and thrust her hand forward, in the direction of a small stone formation. As she did so she could only think a single thought: Release.

With a blinding green light and a thunderous crack a lightning bolt shot from her hand and tore the stone apart. Temporarily blinded and deafened from what she did, it was all she could do to fall to the ground, trying to steady her breathing. She could not feel the power rising again. For the moment, she was safe.

The energy depleted, she could feel herself drifting into uncounsciousness, even as her friends caught up to her. She could vaguely make out their voices.

"What happened?

"Did you see what she did?"

"Is she one of the awakened?"

"Look at her hair, it's changing colour!"

The last voice she heard was the one of their second in command, as he ushered the rest of her friends away.

"Somebody call Ekko. Tell him Zeri is one of the awakened."


Author's Note:

Hello again and thank's for reading chapter seven. This one took some time for multiple reasons. I pretty much rewrote it multiple times because the conversation between Jinx and Samira felt off, in the end I think works nicely now. More importantly though, I waited for the new Noxus teaser to be released before finishing anything else. I'm aware of course that my story will at some point clash with new stories Riot releases, but it's always been my idea to write the story as I feel it could actually progress in the Arcane universe. That does mean I will take into account as much as I can from future Riot releases as well.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed this (mostly) chill chapter, things should pick up in pace in the near future drastically. Thank you once again, I hope you have an amazing day and I'll see ou next chapter. Also obvious disclaimer, I do not own Arcane, League of Legends or any of their characters, they belong to Riot Games.