Act 4: Wrath of Zaun
The City of Progress council convened at Jayce's behest, with seven councillors gathered around their symbol of power.
- Melanie Medarda
- Cassandra Kiramman
- Tormun Hoskel
- Salo Inquistus
- Irius Bolbrok
- Shoola
- Jayce Talis
As the full moon rose over Piltover, Jayce, accompanied by Viktor, addressed the council. In a surprising move, he offered his chair to Viktor, acknowledging his friend's need for rest.
"My activities in the underground have clarified two things," Jayce began, his face etched with concern. "I am not fit to govern the people who live there. And neither are any of you."
The councillors exchanged uneasy glances as Jayce continued, "Our opportunity to display unity and solidarity as sister nations has passed. I've done some digging, and they have every right not to trust us."
Cassandra Kiramman bristled, "You overstep."
Jayce's eyes flashed with irritation. "Really now, you can drop the pious act. I know the Kiramman legacy." He swept his gaze across the room, adding, "Frankly, I couldn't care less what anyone here thinks of me... except you, Mel."
Mel's eyes widened momentarily before her political composure reasserted itself.
"You were right. You were always right," Jayce said, his voice softening as he looked at Mel with admiration. Then, his expression hardened once more. "I know my days here are numbered, but I've brought my partner with me today. He's from the Undercity," Jayce paused, glancing at Viktor. "His name is Viktor, a Zaunite and a brilliant man."
Viktor braced himself for the impending chaos as he announced, "Jayce has brokered a peace with Silco in exchange for the Undercity's independence."
"What?!" Cassandra exclaimed her voice filled with disbelief. "Nonsense! We have procedures for this very thing!"
As the council erupted into an uproar, Viktor observed the scene. Only Mel and Jayce remained composed, their expressions a mix of embarrassment and resignation at their peers' reactions.
As the full moon raised higher into the sky the denizens rarely had time to worry about the lunar body and its majesty.
Sevika who was watching over a few of her guys clean up the mess Vanders brats made when they threw down the other earlier.
The bar began to rumble and shake.
'Earthquake?' Sevika thought before she realised something. "It's only the metal." She noted as she felt a strain on her arm.
Silco's underboss rushed outside into the Lanes and looked up at the full moon as something blue streaked toward Piltover. 'That can't be good.' She idly thought before she winced as her Hextech scar burned as she looked up and saw her little brother high above the old Channery with blue bolts arc wildly.
"By the Kindred," she muttered as she looked above and could only see a shadow illuminated by flashes off blue energy.
'Naruto?' she had a feeling he was involved somehow before a bright light began to build and form.
Nearly blinding a light filled the sky with a blueish tint. Sevika looked away and toward the powder blue trail that made its way further north.
The strain on her arm did not lessen and as the projectile made it passed the bridges the light burst forth but the moment it fired magnetic waves were discharged all over Zaun.
As the wave passed over Sevika she was in the middle of covering her hers from the loudness of the cannon, but her auto mail limb was simply crushed as she was flung off into the nearest wall.
The young girl's heart raced as she fled, her chains shattering in a burst of purple static. Freedom surged through her veins, propelling her small frame towards escape.
As she burst into the open air, her eyes widened in awe. Above, a maelstrom of clouds swirled ominously, pierced by a pulsing beam of energy streaking northward. Behind the beam, a shadowy figure loomed, both terrifying and mesmerizing.
'Are you the cause of all this?' she wondered, her young mind struggling to comprehend the chaos around her. The very ground beneath her feet seemed to groan and shift, as if the city itself was in pain. Adults lay scattered and immobile, pinned to the ground by an invisible force.
"Girl!" A guard's desperate cry cut through the din, his outstretched hand a futile attempt to recapture her. But she was already in motion, her gaze fixed on the distant figure – her guiding star in this storm of destruction.
With each step, she felt a pull towards the north, towards the source of the beam. To her the cause of such a thing was clearly the reason for her chance to save herself.
'Not much choice.' The mute girl thought as she side stepped her former captive who reached out for her. She ran down the nearest alley, 'Are they free?' she wondered about her saviour. The world around her crumbled and transformed, but Isha ran on, chasing the silhouette that had inadvertently become her beacon in this maelstrom of change.
A young teen groaned as he propped himself up against a wall as he inspected his damaged hoverboard and used it to take weight off his busted-up leg.
He glanced up at the full moon, high in the sky for all the Piltovians & Zaunites (If they were not indoors) to see clearly.
'Missed you Little Man…'
Ekko thought back to first meeting Vi and when Naruto saved his life. "Still call me little man…" the young man muttered as he smiled fondly at the memory of their shared childhood.
The sound of propulsion filled Zaunites ears causing him to look up only to see some kind of rocket with a powder blue trail following it.
'Powder blue…' Ekko thought before his eyes widened. 'Did Jinx swipe the crystal back?' he thought.
'Look who it is the Boy Saviour,' Jinx voice insulted in the back of his mind.
Ekko thought back to his first encounter with Jinx.
It had been a couple of years since he'd been inside these old walls. Now a young teenager Ekko crept through the refurbished pub, now a club The Last Drop.
'Last time I was here Benzo was alive…' Ekko thought sadly as he creeped under the cover of darkness.
The Firelights, the newfound family he runs with after they escaped Silco's violent takeover of Zaun, were running a distraction keeping Silco's top two enforcers busy Sevika and Ninez. While word with the Chem Barons they were all away on business, so Ekko decided tonight was the night.
The boy snuck downstairs to where others used to sleep. 'Claggor, Mylo, Vi…' he thought as he stopped at a door that had a monkey face carved into the wooden door.
'Music?' he heard through the door as his hand grasped the door handle gently as his breathe quickend. 'This is it.' He thought at the thought at seeing his childhood crush.
As the door opened he slipped inside, the first thing he noticed was that the room was dark apart from one headlight from a desktop.
He saw blue braids stopping shoulder length and a hunched over back as the girl lent over whatever she was working on.
He shuffled a few feet into the room after closing the door.
A soft click and the bluenettes span on her chair whipping around some kind of revolver handgun.
"Powder!" Ekko whisper hissed as he put both his hands up. "It's me, Ekko."
The girl lowered the gun slightly "Ekko?" she responded as she tilted her head to the side. 'His hairs grown out a bit more and he's taller than me now?' she noted before smiling at her old friend. "Long time no see man."
"Yeah tell me about it Powder." Ekko chuckled awkwardly missing the girls eye twitch. "I mean the last time I saw you Vi was still…" he ended with a sad smile as he walked slightly closer to the girl.
'Vi?' the girl thought before she winced at something causing the boy to freeze in his approach.
"Powder?" the boy asked carefully as he didn't want to overwhelm his friend.
"Stop calling me that… The names Jinx now!" the girl snapped, as she glared at the boy.
"Ok my bad…. Jinx, look I've come to get you out of here… take you to a safe place."
"A safe place?"
"Yeah away from Silco, and Naruto."
'He wants me to leave Naru?' Jinx thought as her grip tightened against the prototype of a gift she was making.
Her gaze narrowed, "Why would I leave?" she asked her tone clipped and layered with annoyance.
"What do you mean?" Ekko questioned, "Silco is a bad guy, and he turned Naruto into a monster, I've seen some the things he's done."
"So? This is the Lanes…Naruto never left." She paused for moment before her gaze narrowed. "You did though!" the girl looked off to the side. "Naruto wouldn't leave me!" she shouted suddenly.
Ekko's eyes widened at the erratic and escalating tone, before his face morphed into confusion. "P-Powder." He stuttered out before he flinched when she pulled the trigger shooting past the teen.
"Call me that one more time." She threatened with menace he had never seen in her eyes.
Ekko just nodded not trusting himself to speak.
Jinx took a breath before she put down the gun back on the bench behind her.
"Now get out of here before I get real mad Little man." She sneered before turning away to continue her project.
'What would Vi do?' was the only thought that came to mind, his big sister figure and hero. He moved quickly before taking the smaller girl by the arm. "I'm getting you out of here, whatever you do after that is up to you, but I owe Vi this much." He whispered as he felt resistance.
"What the hell… get off me Ekko!" Jinx struggled in the stronger boy's grasp as he muscled her out of her seat before she struck.
Her palm struck the side of Ekko's face forcing him to let go and stumble back, with a look of shock on his face. Ekko stood there for what felt like an eternity. He could think of 100 reasons why she wanted to stay. 'Fear?' he thought at first but looking into the enraged girl's eyes as she stared at seething. 'She choosing to stay not because shes afraid… she wants to be here, with him.'
"I'm not going anywhere this is my home, now get lost and go play captain saviour elsewhere little man." Jinx laughed at the boy.
Ekko flinched out of his trip down memory lane as the reddish sky lit up cerulean star caught his eye. The Zaunite turned toward his home and high in the sky he could see a pulsing blue light building and growing over Zaun.
'It's just a feeling but this feels like Jinx and Ninez doing.' Ekko thought as he frowned before his gaze widened as the blue light suddenly lurched forward passing over the trapped Firelight current position at the border between Piltover and the Undercity.
Ren knelt on the windowsill of the front playroom her toys neatly arranged behind her. The room, usually a chaotic mess of childhood imagination, now stood in stark contrast to the turmoil brewing outside.
"The doctors said daddy needs rest," she whispered, her small voice barely audible as she gazed out at the darkening front yard. Her words carried a weight beyond her years, a child grappling with adult concerns.
"Ren! Sweetie, come on, it's time for bed." Her grandmother's voice echoed from down the hall.
Ren turned, her face a mixture of hope and stubbornness. "But Nana, I just wanna wait up for daddy," she pleaded, her lower lip quivering slightly.
Marcus's mother-in-law appeared in the doorway, her face softening at the sight of her granddaughter. She sighed, a sound filled with both love and worry. "Sure, dear. One more hour, but then it's bed," she conceded, offering Ren a small, tired smile.
Excitement flashed across Ren's face as she nodded vigorously, turning back to the window. Her small hands pressed against the cool glass as she peered into the gathering darkness. 'Daddy promised yesterday that he would be alright… especially after the weird man left,' she thought, her young mind trying to make sense of the adult world around her.
Suddenly, something caught her eye in the distance. "Nana, why is there a firework flying?" Her voice was filled with innocent curiosity, unaware of the potential danger.
"Firework?" The grandmother crossed the room, her movements betraying a hint of urgency. She knelt beside Ren, her eyes scanning the horizon.
"And is that a star?" Ren asked, pointing to a blinking light in the far distance.
The older woman felt a chill run down her spine. Though not magically inclined, years of experience had honed her instincts. A primal sense of dread settled in her stomach as she gazed at the unusual phenomena. "I don't know, sweet child… I don't know," she murmured, her arm instinctively wrapping around Ren's small shoulders.
The night sky, usually a canvas of tranquillity, now seemed to pulse with an ominous energy. The "firework" streaked across the sky, its trajectory unnaturally straight, while the "star" blinked with an eerie rhythm. These were not the benign wonders of a peaceful evening, but harbingers of something far more sinister.
As grandmother and granddaughter huddled together by the window, the world outside teetered on the brink of chaos. The promise of safety, like Marcus's assurances to his daughter, suddenly seemed fragile in the face of the unknown threat looming on the horizon.
Vi supported Caitlyn as they hobbled towards where they had last seen Jinx. As they ascended the ramp, the ivory towers of Piltover came into view, silhouetted against a clear night sky. A bright red moon hung ominously overhead, casting an eerie glow on the scene below.
Suddenly, their eyes locked onto a trail of blue streaking across the sky. With growing horror, they realized it was a missile, its trajectory aimed at the heart of Piltover. Caitlyn's gaze remained fixed on the projectile, her eyes widening in disbelief as it drew ever closer to her beloved home.
Vi, however, caught a flash of blue that diverted her attention. High above, a figure stood surrounded by swirling skies and arcing bolts of energy. The sight froze Vi in terror, memories of that fateful day when Powder's explosions tore their world apart flooding back. "N-N-Naruto…" she stuttered, her voice barely a whisper.
The air crackled with static and Hextech energy as it built around the blonde figure. Vi squinted, trying to make out the object in Naruto's hands. 'Is that a cannon?' she thought, the rough outline becoming clearer with each flash. A pit formed in her stomach as the implications sank in. 'He wouldn't….'
Tears welled in Caitlyn's eyes as she watched her city's impending doom. Suddenly, a deafening boom shattered the night. A wave of static washed over them, and for a moment, the world held its breath. Then, in an instant, the sky erupted into blinding, brilliant light, marking the beginning of Piltover's darkest hour.
Seven hand were raised.
The councilors had been swayed with logic, her charm and Jayce's passion and peace was officially on the table. 'See mother, not everything shall bend to you're whim.' she thought as she returned the council's leader and her lover returned his excited grin.
'Like a puppy sometimes,' she thought before Mel's triumphant smile faded as an ominous tingle raced up her spine. Her eyes widened in horror as she turned, catching a glimpse of the incoming missile before the world erupted in chaos.
BOOM!
The explosion shattered the council chamber, Piltover's seat of power crumbling in a fiery maelstrom of Chemtech fused with Hextech. Debris rained down as smoke billowed into the night sky, the full moon now obscured by the destruction.
Before the citizens of Piltover could even process the initial attack, there was a high pitch whine before a brilliant cerulean light flooded the sky. A beam of intense blue energy punched through a building east of the council chambers, the ground trembling beneath its raw power. Screams of terror filled the air as panic spread through the streets.
Amidst the chaos, a large man named Loris swept a small child off their feet, narrowly saving them from a frenzied mob. "Come on, kid. You almost got trampled there," he warned, his eyes darting around for shelter.
"Mr... Is it moving?" the child asked, pointing at the beam of destruction with a mixture of fear and awe.
"The names Loris kiddo, and what do you mean?" the man said as he turned toward the beam of light and his eyes widened in alarm. 'It's moving!' he realised, dashing for any available cover. As he glanced back, the blue light suddenly died down, leaving an eerie moment of silence.
"Huh?" Loris muttered, confusion replacing fear for a brief instant.
Suddenly, the sky erupted with five consecutive flashes, each followed by thunderous explosions that shook the very foundations of Piltover. The air filled with smoke and cinder as the screams of the terrified populace filled air.
The city's skyline was forever altered.
As the chaos unfolded, the citizens of Piltover faced an unprecedented crisis. The seat of their government lay in ruins, key installations across the city were under attack, and the night sky blazed with the fury of their assailants. From the citizens point of view, the once-proud City of Progress now stood on the brink of collapse, its future uncertain in the face of this relentless onslaught.
Off in the far east long past Bilgewater, an island floating over the top of an arcane leyline.
A woman with dark red hair stood before her class, her fox-like ears twitching slightly as she addressed the young Versani tribe members. The island's unique location, surrounded by arcane eddies, provided a mystical backdrop to their lesson.
"Ok children, in our last lesson we co-"she began, her voice warm and engaging. Suddenly, she froze mid-sentence, her violet eyes widening.
A chill ran down her spine as an inexplicable sensation washed over her. The hairs on her arms stood on end, a primal reaction to something unseen. Her gaze shifted westward, drawn by an unseen force.
The children exchanged worried glances, sensing the change in their teacher's demeanour. One brave soul raised a hand, but the question died on their lips as they observed the intensity in the woman's eyes.
One tail became nine unconsciously.
'What is that?' she thought, her mind racing. The presence she felt was familiar, yet impossible. It stirred memories long buried, of a time and place far removed from this peaceful island.
'This arcane signature? No, it can't be…' The name echoed in her thoughts, a ghost from her past. She struggled to maintain her composure, aware of the curious and concerned looks from her students.
"Kushina-sensei?"
The woman took a deep breath, trying to centre herself as tears began to fall. But the feeling itself persisted, a nagging sensation that something significant had changed in the world beyond their secluded home.
Metal rained down on the Old Channery, the scrapyard railgun disintegrating into several clattering pieces. Naruto, perched high above, surveys his handiwork with a grim smile. Piltover, once proud and gleaming, now belches smoke into the heavens. Silco's words echo in his mind: "Show them all who we are."
Exhaustion claims him, and he plummeted. His body crashing into a building, momentum slowing enough just to send him tumbling through a rusted fire escape. As he lies face-down, a familiar giggle tickles his consciousness.
"Why so giggly?" he mutters, pain lacing his words.
A phantom voice, Jinx's, teases: "You, silly. How come you're laying down on the job?"
"five more minutes," he groaned."
"You need to get up."
His instincts flared to life as a bullet whizzes past, deflected in a spark of static did the bullet ping off into the night. "You don't know when to quit, do ya?" he snarls. "Shitty little Enforcer."
Caitlyn and Vi emerge from the shadows, determination etched on their faces. "You and Jinx need to pay for what you did," Caitlyn declares.
Naruto's eyes narrow. "Maybe we do... but your ass ain't gonna make me." His gaze flicks to Vi, who stares in horror at the burning skyline of Piltover. Vander's voice echoes in her mind: "You're responsible for their actions."
Another shot rings out, but Naruto effortlessly deflects it. With a smirk and a gesture, he yanks Caitlyn's rifle from her grasp, turning it against her. The enforcer froze, slowly retreating back toward Vi.
"Now that I have your attention," Naruto drawls, his voice dripping with cruel amusement, "you two are going to stand there and wait for me to quietly fuck off. I'm currently grieving." His eyes bore into Caitlyn's, her scowl deepening as his smirk widens.
As Naruto disappears into an alley, Caitlyn's rifle clatters to the ground at her feet. The blonde examines his left arm, raw flesh from elbow to fingertips already beginning to heal. 'To think I burned my skin off and it's already healing,' he marvels, wincing at the searing pain.
Stumbling forward, he feels a sudden support under his arm. Glancing down, he sees Jinx, her blue hair a stark contrast against the smoky air.
"I got ya, gigantor," she whispers. "When did you get so big?"
Naruto rolls his eyes, a hint of fondness breaking through his exhaustion. "Sorry about this. I guess amping my railgun with two of those crystals took more out of me than I expected."
"Mm'kay." Jinx responded simply with a tired grin on her face. "Think we showed em?"
The blonde glanced toward their attack on Piltover.
Naruto noted the tone and saw that her mascara had been running, so he pulled her in a little bit closer, tighter into his body. "Oh, most definitely… You got me."
"And I got you." She finished as she looked up at the taller blonde.
"What about?"
"Not right now." Jinx said as shook her head, her voice firm but gentle. "We're going home first to patch you up before anything else."
For Jinx her priority was making sure the whiskered constant in her life was safe and recovering, she had just killed another loved one she would be damned if she let anything happened to him.
Too tired to argue, Naruto just nodded. The weight of Silco's death hangs heavy, and neither wants to be alone tonight. "Fine," he conceded, "let's go home."
The End
Q & A
Archer headass - Greater push back? Oh most definitely and Dw we shall see Silco again...
Spacecore94 - Yup more in the works
Apex Calibre - it makes sense at least to me even though he's mad at Vi for a numerous amount of reasons she was still like a sister to hime for three years and for kids that a long time.
fraxures - Thanks, some scenes are so good i don't wanna change but for the story sometimes change is needed...
A.N
CHAPTER 12 COMPLETED
13 Underway
Thoughts on this one?
We got perspectives ranging all over the gaff
from
Sevika
Isha - Freed
Caitlyn and Vi
Ren (Marcus's daughter)
Ekko
Loris snuck his way in to
and an obvious one
reason for Ren she is not having a major a role but significant to Naruto's growth later down the line and to act as a contrast to Isha
Next chapter we find out what Naruto hit... along with kind of like a Zaun only arc focusing on Naruto and Jinx and what they get up while everything falls apart
Made up Salo's last name
the blast hits like a concussive beam... so like being punched with a laser.
I was gonna do a few more scenes but also I feel like this is enough for now
Naruto is not invincible he can be hurt and channeling two gems are dangerous and Naruto has a buff against all normal weapons except for Hextech and any anti magic runes
I'm also working on a couple other Arcane/Naruto projects but this one is my main focus for now.
Also until the memorium expect a mix of light and dark mainly becuase the last three chapters have been very heavy especailly when your protagonists are essientally terrorists for the 1st half of things.
Fun fact about the Ekko flash back apparently something like this happened in adeleted scene... so year the first boy saviour
Ekko will be meeting Heimerdinger in the next chapter
Anyways any questions let me know
Anyone from league you're interested in seeing let me know and give me a reason why you want them
Thanks for reading...
Stay Chilling Y'all