06: Reap Them and Never Weep
The Last Drop pulsed with frenetic energy, a beacon of chaos in the heart of the Undercity. The air was thick with the heady mix of sweat, shimmer, and desperation as patrons from all walks of life sought refuge from their daily struggles. Music throbbed through the packed bar, drowning out the clinking of glasses and raucous laughter.
Naruto weaved through the throng of revellers, his senses on high alert despite the casual set of his shoulders. Silco's request for some "father-daughter time" with Jinx echoed in his mind, a phrase that still sent a conflicting surge of emotions through him. 'Something about allowing Jinx to be Jinx,' he mused, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
The blonde navigated the sea of bodies with practiced ease, sidestepping drunken embraces and avoiding spilled drinks. The air grew thicker as he approached the exit, the scent of cheap perfume and cheaper booze clinging to his clothes.
As Naruto pushed through the doors, the relative quiet of the Undercity streets hit him like a wall. He inhaled deeply, savouring the familiar mix of industrial fumes and damp that passed for fresh air in these parts. The neon signs cast an eerie glow on the grimy pavement, creating long shadows that danced in the corners of his vision.
The blonde stood outside for a few minutes, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimness. 'I could bother Sevika and see if I can find out which players are making moves this time.' He thought before shaking his head as he remembered it was her one day off this week and decided to leave her be.
With a determined nod, he set off towards the monument of his first true father figure, Vander. The streets seemed to part before him, locals recognising the dangerous glint in his eyes as his hilt glinted over his shoulder. and giving him a wide berth.
As Naruto turned off the main thoroughfare, the shadows deepened. What he failed to notice was a pair of shimmer-enhanced eyes tracking his every move from the darkness. The watcher's pupils dilated, glowing with an unnatural pink hue as they fixated on their prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Waist-deep in the murky waters of the lake, Silco stood with Jinx, the very place where his old self had perished years ago. The air was thick with tension, matching the ominous rumble of thunder overhead. Silco's mismatched eyes gleamed with a mix of nostalgia and determination as he gazed at his daughter.
"I almost drowned in these waters," Silco mused, his voice carrying a weight of memories.
Jinx rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You've told us a million times." As if on cue, thunder boomed, echoing her exasperation.
Undeterred, Silco pressed on, his voice measured and calm. "Vander wasn't the man you thought he was."
"Right," Jinx drawled, her mocking tone barely concealing her underlying pain. "He was like a brother to you, and then he turned his back. Blah blah blah... Did I miss anything?"
A smirk played on Silco's scarred lips. "Hmph. I've got a new one for you." He waded deeper into the lake, the water lapping at his chest. "That day, I let a weak man die." With conviction in his voice, he submerged himself completely.
Seconds passed before Silco resurfaced, wiping water from his face. "And another was reborn."
Jinx watched intently her usual chaotic energy subdued by the gravity of the moment.
Silco turned to face her, his voice low and intense. "Betrayal, that pain that feels like it will eat you from the inside out." He approached slowly, the water parting before him. "It can either break you or forge you into something stronger."
Extending his hand, Silco's voice softened. "You need to let Powder die, so the fear of that pain can no longer control you."
Jinx remained silent her eyes locked on Silco's outstretched hand. Slowly, she waded through the water, her fingers intertwining with his. The thunder rumbled once more, as if nature itself acknowledged the significance of this moment.
Silco drew her close, his voice filled with pride and affection. "You're strong now, just as you were always meant to be. Jinx is perfect."
With gentle movements, he laid her back in the water. As Jinx sank beneath the surface, Silco's reassuring smile was the last thing she saw, a beacon of acceptance in her tumultuous world.
The lake's surface stilled, reflecting the stormy sky above. In this baptism of sorts, Powder's remnants were washed away, leaving only Jinx - reborn, just as Silco had been in these very waters years ago.
"You and Naruto will go through many crucibles, but I honestly think you two can take on the world and win." Silco said 'Both of you have so much potential.'
Naruto had reached the centre of the Lane's walking from underneath the shadow of a bridge he looked up at Vander's Statue. Some said Silco felt guilty, or that this a ploy to placate the people.
The people were fickle and wrong. The only reason Vander's statue got commissioned was because Silco had a request from a grieving heartbroken young girl with blue hair.
'Silco always had a big soft spot for those he considered kin,' Naruto thought as he reached the statue and sat on the steps before it. As the blonde leant back against the monument. "Hey Uncle V… I know it's been a while since I was last around." The blonde sighed softly. "We've been busy Jinx and I, keeping each other safe… Keeping each other honest you know." The blonde said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pipe.
"It works now by the way. Jinx fixed it no more burning my fingers trying to light this with matches now." Naruto laughed to himself before glancing up at the statue, "Now don't give me that look. I hate this stuff, but it reminds me off you." Naruto said before reaching into one of his pouch's and gathered Vander's old favourite and gently sprinkled into the pipe and just as it peaked over the edge the blonde twisted the middle cog around the pipe and the sound of flame ignited the pipes contents.
Naruto sighed again, he hated smoking, and he only ever did it when he came to visit Vander.
As the blonde put the pipe to his lips after a few seconds of a deep inhale he released a breath coughing slightly on the way. 'Don't you Uncle this stuff could kill ya." Naruto chuckled to himself before he punched the floor with his left hand. "Why did you have to go and die, couldn't you and Pop's work it out, from all his stories you were friends, brother's once upon a time." Naruto growled in frustration. "Our family didn't have end like that, Jinx, killing Mylo and Claggor was an accident, and now she is the one suffering. Every day that girl battles demons, and then her own sister through blood, leaves… Fucks off to go die in some ditch somewhere alone. Like who just does that," he spoke with a cold fury.
The blonde took another drag, in an attempt to calm his flaring temper and with the nightmare and not being around Jinx today made matters worse.
The wind blew through the courtyard around the statue as a can rolled across the cobbled ground.
"If that was some kind of sign you need to be a bit more creative Uncle."
Naruto moved his head to the side as throwing knife pinged off Vander's leg. His eyes still closed as he took one last drag of the self-lighting pipe before putting it down beside him as he slowly opened his eyes to zone in on two hooded individuals.
Naruto glanced up at the statue briefly and had one thought.
"Really, that's petty." He said before returning his gaze to the two figures.
'Same height and willing to spill blood hear.' Naruto thought as he stood and walked slightly away from the statue and closer to the guys who clearly wanted his attention.
"Well boy's nice ponchos and all that, but you chose the wrong night to fuck with me." Naruto said as he put his right hand on the hilt of his sword and his left hand readied to reach for his holster firearm.
"The Glasc familia sends their regards."
'Glasc? Never heard of em,' he thought "A hit, someone put a hit out on me?" Naruto said with confusion written across his face before he snickered, and that snickered turned into a full-blown wild cackle.
After a few seconds the blonde calmed as he rubbed a tear from his eye. "Well, I hope they paid you boys enough to get some kind of fancy casket."
The silent would-be assassins said nothing as they cracked something in their mouths and their dull purple eyes lit up with the ever-intoxicating shimmer. As their pink eyes shone in the dark the veins bulged as they became more monstrosity than anything else.
The two men who were both shorter than the blonde grew tall and bulbous abominations that would have made Singed look on in disappointment.
The damage was obvious to the blonde. 'That's the form from one of the older batches.' He thought idly. "Well, I do appreciate you both not underestimating me, but they only sent for to… that in itself is disrespectful, and you bother me when I have things to do, yeah… you boys ain't making it back home."
And with that Naruto drew and shot first with his revolver kneecapping one of the mutated assassin's making it drop to one knee, but the other monster moved faster than anything its size should able and as it charge at him.
Naruto drew and swung his sword.
Clang!
Naruto's eyes widened slightly as the monster grew to white things out coming out of his arms. 'Is that bone?" Naruto thought before trailing his gun on the foe before him, but just as he pulled the trigger he was tackled to the side.
BOOM
Naruto got the shot off as his revolver echoed through the night, but it clipped the ear of the bone shard growing abomination.
The one that tackled Naruto also had some type of bone claws and was slightly less muscular than the first guy he missed. "Well, they heal even faster now, who the fuck has been tweaking with the formula this time." Naruto grunted as he monkey- flipped the shorter of the two over his head.
He reached out with his powers and was genuinely surprised. 'Not a lick of metal on them, someone's done their research and since I don't disclose this shit… they could be watching even now.' The blonde thought as he realised this could be some kind of initiation… or something worse, a test."
The monkey flipped monstrosity stood up only to hear a pin causing to look down to see a metallic addition attached to its flesh. A round and colourful looking grenade chomping on his trouser leg near his hip.
It looked back up and looked towards its target as he mouthed.
"Tick tick boom." He whispered and the grenade went off turning the shorter monster assassin into half the man he was before,
Literally.
Naruto flipped back and his index and middle finger reached out and grabbed his guard looked like it belonged on a motorised two-wheeler.
The blonde's fingers twitched the sword revved once.
Then a second twitch, it revved once more.
And a third twitch, the sword revved to life, its blade burning a burning orange hue. "While numb-nuts over there his trying to put his shit back together, let me introduce ya to Bloody Mary."
Naruto's grin turned damn near maniacal as she sped blitz toward the mutate.
The was a clash as brief as it was before the mutate fell apart into three distinct pieces.
Naruto skidded to a stop as blood burned away from his blade, the shimmer tainted blood gave of pink sparks as they burned into the atmosphere of Zaun.
Groaning caught the blonde's attention before he could admire his handy work he glanced to the last enemy.
'Crawling that's new?' Naruto thought as the upper body tried to drag itself in his direction.
He made it a few more feet before Naruto got bored and walked overed and stabbed a burning hot Bloody Mary straight through the ribcage is and into the shimmer dependant heart.
The would-be assassin let out some dying screech as the blade burned and pierced simultaneously before it finally succumbed to death.
Naruto let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. Before ripping his sword as he let go of the guard allowing the blade to cool and returned to metal sheen. The blonde flicked the remnants of tainted blood from his blade and glanced back to the monument.
"Sorry you had to see that Uncle." He apologised to the statue before another groan came from his feet.
Naruto looked back to the now writhing corpse.
"Grrr, I've blown your legs off. I have given you worst case of heart burn in your life and you still can't even die right?" Naruto snapped slightly annoyed of having to spend so much time dealing with shit that ain't got to nothing to do with him as he pulled up his revolver and aimed.
"I hope you enjoyed the show." Naruto shouted to any observers before several flashes and echoing rounds drummed out until nothing, but empty clicks could be heard. "This is your one chance to leave me and mine be."
The blonde turned back to the statue "Sorry Uncle, but business calls. Zaun misses you." He said before retrieving Vander's pipe before getting to work moving the bodies. 'I think it's time to pay the good doctor a visit.'
Silco lounged in his office above The Last Drop, the pulsating rhythm of the music below vibrating through the floorboards. His mismatched eyes gazed out over the Lanes, a rare smile tugging at his lips. Trade is being hit since Jinx's stunt but the benefit's out ways diminished returns,' he mused, 'Especially now that Hextech has tightened Piltover's grip on the City of Iron & Glass.' His fingers drummed on the arm of his chair. "But when Jinx is finished, we could level the playing field and show them who we truly are."
The crime lord's thoughts drifted to Jinx, pride swelling in his chest. 'And Jinx... she's more focused than she's been in years.' A nagging voice in the back of his mind whispered, 'Don't you mean your weapon,' but Silco brushed it aside, his gaze falling on a carefully wrapped box on his desk. 'Naruto better be grateful,' he thought, eyeing the birthday present.
Turning to face the window, Silco's expression softened. 'Soon, our dream will come true, Vander... Felicia.' A single, shimmering pink tear escaped his blackened eye, trailing down his scarred cheek. With a weary sigh, he reached for a small, ornate mirror - a cherished memento from a dear friend - and began dabbing at the tear with a silk handkerchief.
The office door suddenly burst open, slamming against the wall. Silco's eyes flicked to the mirror, recognizing his lieutenant's reflection, though she looked far worse for wear than when he'd last seen her.
"Sevika, were you born in a barn?" Silco drawled, his voice laced with irritation as she kicked the door shut behind her. "And you're making a mess of my floor."
Sevika stumbled forward, dried blood caking her upper lip and shimmer oozing from her mechanical arm. Her usual composure was shattered, eyes wide with a mix of pain and urgency. "The sister..." she gasped, clutching her side. "She's back."
Silco snapped the pocket mirror shut, the sound echoing in the sudden silence. He turned slowly, fixing Sevika with an intense stare. "From the dead?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, but filled with dangerous curiosity.
The tension in the room was palpable as Silco awaited Sevika's response, the implications of this news already racing through his mind. "It seems either you got beat up by a ghost, or sheriff Marcus lied to us." Silco concluded with irritation spilling out of his tone.
Jinx returned to her workshop after her unusual outing with Silco, her mind buzzing with ideas. After a quick steam shower, she meticulously redid her braids, the familiar routine helping to focus her thoughts. With a determined glint in her eye, she donned her goggles and grabbed her welding tools, ready to tackle the Hextech matrix modifications.
As she settled at her workbench, an unusual calm washed over her. 'It's finally quiet,' she marvelled, savouring the rare moment of mental peace. She opened the stolen journal, fingers tracing the scribbled notes and diagrams that would guide her work.
For hours, Jinx lost herself in the intricate task of refining her scrap metal Hextech matrix. The workshop filled with the sounds of tinkering, sparks flying as she made minute adjustments. Her focus was unwavering, her movements precise and purposeful.
"And there..." Jinx breathed, setting down her tools. A genuine smile, rarely seen by anyone, graced her features as she admired her handiwork. "I guess the only thing to do now is crank it." Her gaze shifted to the Hextech gemstone resting nearby, its facets catching the dim workshop light.
Reaching for the jewel, Jinx paused, momentarily captivated by its otherworldly beauty. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek, betraying her nervous excitement. 'It's now or never,' she thought, steeling herself for the moment of truth.
With a steadying breath, she placed the gemstone onto the matrix. "With the circuit complete, all we need is power," Jinx murmured, her fingers finding the activation dial. She twisted it, heart pounding in anticipation.
Suddenly, brilliant light erupted from the matrix, bathing the entire hideout in its glow. The containment stirrups began to rotate, generating an ever-increasing surge of power. The Hextech gemstone lifted off the matrix, suspended in mid-air by invisible forces.
Mesmerising runes exploded outward, their ethereal blue light reminiscent of Firelights as they danced across the walls of the lair. The air crackled with energy, sending tingles across Jinx's skin.
'Beautiful!' Jinx thought, awestruck. She pushed her goggles up, letting her braids whip wildly in the energy-charged air. "I finally did it!" she cheered, her laughter echoing through the hideout. The realisation of her achievement hit her – she had cracked the voltage problem.
"Suck it, golden boy!" Jinx crowed, her voice a mixture of triumph and defiance. In that moment, all her doubts and inner demons were silenced, replaced by the pure joy of scientific breakthrough. She had proven herself not just as a weapon, but as a brilliant inventor in her own right.
The sound of footsteps caused Jinx's smile to widen, her eyes lighting up with anticipation.
"Holy shit, you cracked it!" Naruto's voice echoed through the workshop, filled with awe as he took in the spectacle of runes circling the room. He strode across the floor, navigating around the propeller, his gaze fixed on Jinx at her workbench.
"Duh, was there ever any doubt?" Jinx replied, her tone playful yet tinged with pride.
"Nah, but still... Have I ever told you that you're bloody brilliant? Because you are," Naruto said, his voice warm with admiration.
Jinx preened at the praise, a mischievous glint sparking in her powder blue eyes. As Naruto slowly spun, marvelling at their surroundings, he missed Jinx's sudden movement. When he faced her again, she leapt from her seat, launching herself into his arms.
"Gah! What the hell, Jinx?" Naruto exclaimed, caught off guard but instinctively catching her.
"Say that again," Jinx demanded, her face inches from his as her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms linked behind his neck.
Both were blushing under the Hextech based nightlight as their proximity seemed to be getting closer and closer before she frowned.
"What? That you're brilliant?" Naruto said with tilted head at the change of expression on Jinx's face.
She smiled, leaning back slightly. "Damn straight." Before her frown returned and her eyes narrowed as she noticed something on his face. "Is that blood?"
"Not mine," Naruto grunted, his smile returning as he gazed down at the girl in his arms, then back at the mesmerizing light show around them.
Suddenly, Naruto felt a pair of soft lips gently peck his cheek. He looked down to see Jinx averting her gaze, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.
"J-j-u-just wanted to say thank you, y-you know crazy shit and all.," she murmured, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
"Ha," Naruto barked, his tone gentle but firm, "If we went trauma for trauma I don't know who would win. Fuck all of that noise, you Jinx are perfect just the way you are." He pulled her closer, his embrace protective and reassuring.
A lone tear escaped Jinx's eye, trailing down her face. Her voice wavered as she asked, "Do I deserve to be happy?"
Naruto's arms tightened around her, his voice a low, comforting rumble. "Don't we all?"
The runes continued to dance around them, casting an ethereal glow on their entwined figures. In that moment, surrounded by the fruits of Jinx's brilliance and wrapped in Naruto's unwavering support, the chaos of their world faded away. For a brief, precious instant, there was only understanding, acceptance, and the possibility of joy.
The pair stayed silent for a few minutes before soft snores came from Naruto's arms.
Jinx was emotionally exhausted from today's earlier adventures with Silco.
"She forgot about the blood." Naruto muttered as she was normally over the top whenever he got hurt. 'But then again I'm the exact same.' He thought before placing Jinx down in the nearest cot before returning to the journal.
'Did she crucify the teddy?' Naruto thought as spotted Vi's old toy while he reached for the journal of the bench accidently spilling crow feathers that marked certain feathers onto the floor.
Ignoring the mess, he began flicking through the pages till he got to the rune page. "Alright what do have here," he said while grabbing a pen and he started to compare the runes on display and match with journal.
The End
Q & A
Hail Lord Archanfel - Possibly who knows but currently they don't know.
Apex Calibre - No labels just yet, got some more trauma to unpack before that big moment happens.
Archer headass - Thanks, and Naruto is nothing if not resolute in conviction. Also Mel needs to be in the game (I mean give me Pre shimmer Vander man looks like a beast with a pair of dusters. ngl though was worried i may have been confusing readers with layering the scenes like that.
A.N.
Chapter 6 finished and 7 has been started.
Renata Glasc is making moves
Load of moments in this one i really enjoyed actaully expressing
Silco and Jinx that scene was perfect in the show and i did not want to lose it.
Naruto and Jinx at the end I really enjoyed writing ngl
Narutp and Vander kinda, felt like i had my own shit to work out
now i am planning on filling the world with a few more characters
the more opposition the better but will be staying away from godlike entities (No spoilers in reviews.) like Volibear or Aurelian sol but assassins, mages and monsters will be appearing throughout the story for reasons.
Naruto studying the runes at the end kinda just came to me might be interesting to follow that thread
Bloody Mary is name of his blade and his revolver will have a name as soon as I think of one (It's a nine shooter for reasons).
Also imagine that sword fuelled by Hextech... just saying.
Whats in the box?
Fixed a small mistake with the Vi Sevika fight last chapter just changed the location from the Last Drop to the Bale of Aces (OC Gambling Den)
Also I will give one spoiler Naruto will get a shimmer boost a lot later, Vi and Jinx will have shimmer in their system at one point maybe temporary like Vi's or permanent like Jinx's
Next Chapter: Guns For Hire (No more delays) im gonna fxcking weep rewatching s1 ep3 & 6
Whelp that's me, thanks for reading and...
Stay Chilling Y'all