Chapter 6

Light Work

The muscles on Ren's right leg tensed as he balanced on his augment. He snapped his left leg out in a roundhouse kick, striking his punching bag, and then returned it to a chambered position. For three seconds he held this position before letting his leg back down. His balance with his augmented limb was not as strong as with his organic; a fact that would not change without practice.

Again he pulled himself up onto one leg and kicked. He tried to focus his mind only on the movement of his limbs. He was not succeeding even before the door behind him opened to let Viktor in.

"Hey Doc," Ren grunted without turning around.

"Renatus."

Ren lowered his leg and bounced on his feet. He already knew where this conversation was going to go and he wasn't thrilled about it.

"You had the nightmare again." Viktor stated bluntly.

"Yup and before you ask, no, I still don't want suppressants."

And again he balanced up onto his augment, this time kicking out twice in a row before lowering his foot.

"I was not going to offer. I am concerned though."

"I'm fine, Doc. Just some bad dreams."

Those words were an understatement but Viktor mercifully didn't press the matter. Instead, he carried on as if it were any other normal lesson day. Ren delivered another set of consecutive kicks into the bag.

"Have you reviewed what I asked you to read last lesson?"

"Gonna be honest, no. I tried though. I read and rearead the same page at least a dozen times but nothing was sticking. You can lecture all you want but don't think I'll be able to remember anything from The Evolution of Ball Joint Designs in Augmentations. It's not exactly a page turner."

With a huff, Ren pushed himself, landing one, two, three kicks in a row without lowering his leg. But as the third kick landed, he lost his balance and began to fall backwards. He felt Viktor's hands catch his shoulders and hold him upright until he was able to regain his footing.

"Thanks." Ren said.

Viktor nodded.

"If you would prefer we can abbreviate or postpone the morning's lesson." he offered.

"Yeah, I think I need that. Postpone it."

"Very well. Now go and prepare yourself. We are going out."

"What? Where?"

"I want to check on my patient at the Church of the Glorious Evolved. Then, I will see how we can be of use there. There is always work that needs doing."

Ren gave an unflattering sigh.

"The work will be beneficial for you, Renatus. Attainable accomplishments will ease your mind."

"I don't have much of a say in this, do I?"

"You may say your piece, but as your mentor, it is my responsibility to see to your studies and wellbeing. This outing will aid with both."

Resigned, Ren turned away from the punching bag.

"Yeah, alright. I'll get ready."

Ren understood that art was subjective and, subjectively speaking, the sculpture on the outside of the Church of the Glorious Evolved gave him the creeps. All the interwoven arms he reasoned were there to symbolize how the Glorious Evolved strived to uplift each other through augmentation and how they all were reaching towards a better Zaun. To his eyes though, the weaving limbs made the building look like it quivered. He wondered if any parts of the sculpture were made from old augments, painted and attached to the building but still capable of movement, just waiting to grab at some passerby. But that was just his imagination talking and no part of the building reached out to ensnare them as they approached.

At their entrance, the nearby members of the church turned and, upon recognizing Viktor, bowed their heads in a brief show of deference. Viktor returned the greeting with a quick nod. Ren gave an even quicker wave.

Before they were even five steps into the place, a man in a heavy robe with a hood pulled up approached, Though the man's face was yet further obscured behind a mask and breathing apparatus, they knew him at once.

"Viktor, welcome." The hooded man said.

His voice, long since strangled by the Zaun Gray, was like a rusty hinge being forced open.

"Kessimian." Viktor responded.

"To what occasion do we owe the honor of your presence?"

"My patient. I have come to check on her and speak with her about her augmentation."

"Ah, very good." Kessimian croaked. He began leading them to where the recently augmented recovered. "I have tried to speak with her about replacing her other hand while she was here but she only wishes to speak with you about such matters. Perhaps you can convince her of further augmentation."

"Or maybe just one augment at a time?" Ren interrupted. "Just saying, her body needs to recover. It's a lot."

Ren didn't care for how pushy Kessimian could be when it came to augmentation. During their first meeting, he had extolled Viktor's work that was already on him and, whenever Viktor was out of earshot, made nearly constant remarks about how much more improved he would be if would only get his second leg replaced or his organs or his other arm.

"The apprentice should be befitting the master." He had said.

That had needled Ren something fierce. Since then, Ren had done his best to avoid being near Kessimian without Viktor, lest he say or do something he would regret. The Glorious Evolved were too valuable an ally for Viktor and Ren did not want to risk losing them.

Mercifully, Kessimian remained quiet as they walked, speaking only in response to Viktor's questions about how the patient had been recovering post operation. At the door to her room, he waved them in with his mechanical arm, urged a final time for Viktor to speak with her about further augmentation, and then departed. Ren made no comment, but could not help but notice how the patient had noticeably relaxed as Kessimian left.

Viktor spoke briefly with her, inquiring about how she was feeling, how mobility was in the augment, and if she was experiencing any major discomfort around the surgical site. Satisfied with her responses, he motioned for Ren to step closer.

"This is my apprentice. He will be assisting me. Do not be concerned of his age. He is capable." Viktor said.

"Hi, I'm Ren." He said as he stepped closer. "How are you?"

"Better." The woman responded.

"Good."

Viktor pointed to where the augmentation met its socket.

"Start here." He instructed.

Under his direction, Ren examined the augment, tested its responsiveness, and checked the health of the remaining limb. From time to time, Viktor would cut in, explaining parts of the machine as much for his apprentice as his patient, but when it came time for Ren to instruct the patient on the best exercises for physical therapy, he stepped back further and allowed Ren to take the lead.

Ren stood beside her and held out his own augmented arm. He took his time demonstrating the exercises to her. Gradually, his mood did begin to improve as he watched her mimic his movements and saw the first lights of tender hope begin to shine in her expression. Once Viktor was satisfied with her ability to perform the needed physical therapy, he stepped in once more and showed the patient his plans for modifying her augment to better suit her. She didn't look up to meet Viktor's mask much as they spoke, something Ren attributed to the mannerisms of the last masked man who had spoken to her about augmentation, but she did not appear uncomfortable by their conversation either. The idea of a wrist with interchangeable attachments for different tools did appeal to her.

Soon their conversation came to a close and Viktor asked if she had any further questions about anything they had discussed.

"No, thank you." She answered.

Viktor nodded and moved towards the door.

"Then we shall leave you."

"Take care." Ren said with a wave of his augment.

"Thank you." She repeated. Once more she tried to look into Viktor's mask as she spoke. "I owe you my livelihood. I truly mean it, thank you."

"It needed to be done." Viktor said without any flourish.

To him, tending to this Zaunite had been just another part of his day. To her, it was life changing. Viktor gave another nod and left.

No sooner than they had reached the end of the hallway, than another called out to them.

"Viktor!"

A young man with four mechanical arms was approaching with a quickened pace. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, though there were a few white strands visible in his neatly trimmed hair. A thumb-sized scar towards the back of his jaw swooped upwards as if to point at a small birthmark beside his ear. In the four times (five if this time were to be counted) Ren had accompanied Viktor to the Glorious Evolved, he had not seen this man. Viktor however recognized him at once.

"Lazar."

"Oh, so this is your friend." Ren said.

"Former acolyte." Viktor corrected in a low voice.

"On friendly terms though, right?"

Before Viktor could answer, Lazar stood before them.

"I had heard that you were here," the young man said. "May I ask something of you?"

"You may."

"Excellent, thank you." He righted his posture, trying his best to look composed, though a youthful eagerness shimmered in his eyes. "Today we are performing an augmentation on a patient's eyes; a first for this assemblage. Would you do us the honor in leading this procedure or, at the least, observing and advising us?"

"Eyes? Yeah, I think I'm going to pass on this one, Doc."

Lazar shot Ren a quick look of annoyance, but the boy didn't notice. Ren was occupied shaking the thoughts of needles in eyeballs from his head with a few heavy blinks.

"If he is not accompanying you, I can find a task for apprentice Renatus." A metallic voice cut in.

Ren turned and looked up at the speaker.

"Oh, hi, Brynne."

"Hello." She responded.

Lazar's expression turned from one of annoyance to disbelief. He looked at Ren again.

"This is your apprentice?"

"Yes, he is." Viktor answered.

"They are waiting for you in the operating room, Lazar. I was sent to find you." Brynne spoke up.

"Ah, yes. Viktor, will you accompany me?"

"I will. Brynne, please keep Renatus engaged."

"I shall." She answered with a nod.

As Viktor and Lazar departed, Ren turned to Brynne. The tall, older woman regarded Ren kindly through a pair of brass, chem-powered glasses. In the dim light of the hallway, her maroon chem-dyed hair appeared the color of a fine Noxian wine.

"So, how's the new heart?" he asked.

"Efficient."

"Good."

Of all the members of the Glorious Evolved, Ren felt most comfortable around Brynne. Perhaps it was because he could empathize with how she joined seeking support after her lungs were replaced, or perhaps it was because he knew that they shared a hobby in drawing things. He had seen her sketchpad open on his second visit. It was filled with designs for making fashion for augmented bodies.

"Follow me please." Brynne said.

Ren followed along.

"Your efforts here will be appreciated." She said.

Ren shrugged.

"I'm not Viktor. I can't exactly augment someone by myself. Mostly I just do maintenance and repairs."

"Even still, it all helps better Zaun. Many hands, one goal."

"Yeah, many hands."

Alongside Brynne, Ren made himself as useful as possible and the troubles of the previous night faded into the back of his mind. He helped her refill her artificial organs' chem-shunts, a task much easier with a partner than alone. Afterwards, he went to the repair room, where he replaced damaged wires on a shoulder augment that powered a mounted flashlight. From there he then went to assist with attaching a child's first augment. The member of the Glorious Evolved who was originally going to do the work wanted to go observe Viktor and the eye procedure, and so Ren had offered to take over the task. A garbled "thank you" came from the nurse's chem-tank as he took up the tools instead.

"Don't you worry, I'm just as good." Ren reassured child's mother.

Doubt furrowed her brow but she was not in a position to turn down Ren. Her son's stump had already been fitted with a socket, his old prosthetic would now not fit as securely, the augment was prepared, and she could not afford another day away from work.

"Trust me." He looked at the boy as he said those words. "The nurse told me this is your first augment, right?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded.

"What the nurse told you was correct," the mother explained. "He was born with an underdeveloped limb. He's always had a prosthetic, but this will be his first augment."

"Ah," Ren knelt before the kid and looked up at him. "You excited?"

"Uh-huh."

The boy nodded again. Ren could see the apprehension in him.

"Hey, I know I'm not an adult, but I'm here to make sure it all goes right. It's gonna be great. Alright?"

"Okay."

Ren gave his best comforting smile as he set to work performing the final preparation steps on the socket.

"I never thought we would be able to afford a proper augment for him, but the Church is hardly charging us anything. I almost feel like we're stealing."

"Don't. They were the one who offered. Take advantage of the generosity."

That was how the deal went. The Glorious Evolved got willing participants for their mechanics and surgeons to practice on, all while trying to pull more people into their faith, and those in need got augments previously thought unattainable. However, the patient didn't always get a say in the type of augment they were receiving, only that they were receiving one for the part that needed replacing. Sometimes prototypes of augments or bizarre experimental ones would find their ways onto unsuspecting subjects.

"Reminds me of someone else I know." Ren thought as he tapped his fingers against his metal kneecap.

"Everything looks good." He said.

He stood and went to where the nurse had left the new augment. To Ren's relief, it did not look like the Glorious Evolved had planned to put anything outlandish on the kid. Quite the contrary, as Ren recognized this as a scaled down version of one of the most basic leg augments designs he had studied in Viktor's books. There would be no rocket kicks coming from this limb, but it would still do wonders for the boy's mobility. Carefully, he gathered the augment in his arms, returned to the boy, and knelt down before him once more.

"Ready?" he asked with a grin.

"Umm, will it hurt?" the boy asked.

"There's going to be a little discomfort. It's going to feel like a wicked static shock inside your leg, then it's going to be all pins and needles like for a bit, but that will be the worst of it."

"Oh," the boy looked up to his mother.

"It will only be a moment." She reassured.

"Less than what you felt when this happened." Ren pointed to the socket. "So are you ready?"

"Okay."

The boy reached out and took hold of his mother's hand. Ren lined up the augment but paused.

"You know, I've got an idea. We can do it together! Put your hand right here, right on top of my augment."

The way Ren saw it, the young boy could squeeze or push against the machinery all he wanted and he would not make it falter, but it could give him a little extra courage. The boy placed his hand over Ren's.

"Alright. Three, two, one,"

He connected the augment.

"Ouch!"

The boy squeezed both his mother's and Ren's hands and screwed his eyes shut.

"That's wasn't so bad." Ren comforted. "And look at you; you're augmented now!"

Slowly, almost fearfully, the boy opened his eyes and looked down at his new leg.

"Now I know you're going to want to move it. I get it. I was the same with my leg, but we're going to start slow, okay?"

"Okay." He whimpered.

"Try and pump your ankle like this." Ren flexed his wrist to demonstrate. "You can do it with both legs if that helps. Nice and easy, give it a try."

Biting his lip and holding his breath, the boy stared intently at his leg and followed Ren's instruction. The augment twitched.

"It's moving!"

"Yeah it is!"

Joy blinked the last few tears of pain from his eyes. The smile that bloomed on his face as he moved his ankle again was contagious and Ren felt his own grin grow.

"When you're ready, try stepping down."

Ren scooted back a step and held out his hands for balance. Using far more caution than Ren had all those months ago, the boy lowered himself to the floor, organic limb first, then metal. He wobbled and gripped Ren's hands as he steadied himself. Once he stopped shaking, he looked to Ren for what to do next.

"Want to try bending that new knee of yours?"

He nodded. An intense look of focus crossed the child's face as he stared down at the leg. His cheeks began to warm but he was able to raise his leg. The movement was just enough for a hand's width of clearance from the floor, but the look of accomplishment that swelled in the boy was as great if he had brought his knee right to his chest.

"Mom! Mom, look!"

"I see! You're doing wonderful."

"I agree." Ren smiled.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the mother wipe a tear from hers.

"So you are Viktor's apprentice?"

Ren had been so focused on the kid that he hadn't noticed the other person entering the room. He glanced quickly over his shoulder and saw the four-armed man Viktor had identified as Lazar walking over.

"Hhm? Oh yeah, I am. Can you hold on a second?" He turned his attention back to his patient. "Take your mom's hand and put your other one on the table. Two hands for balance. I know your good with your prosthetic, but augments are a little different. Try to go just a little bit slower and more carefully, alright?"

"Okay."

"I'm going to get your papers now."

He hopped to his feet and went to the counter where the nurse had left papers about the augment and its care. He gave them an incredibly quick flip through and as he did, he could feel Lazar's surgical attention on him. Suddenly he felt as though he were the one being examined. He turned and motioned to Lazar that he would be with him in one more moment before bringing the papers to the mother.

"There's a lot of good info in there. He's got a fairly standard design for that augment so it shouldn't need anything beyond standard care. But obviously if you have questions about it or have any troubles, you can bring it back here. I'm sure someone will be able to help you."

She took the papers and packed them away in her backpack and then moved to help her son with his crutches as he still learned to balance with his new limb.

"Thank you." She said. "To you and everyone else here, thank you."

"Happy to help."

As the boy walked by, he stopped before Ren, looked up with a huge grin on his face, and spoke.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Ren grinned back. "Take good care of yourself."

"I will."

Lazar gave the pair a polite nod as they passed him and Ren waved until they had finally rounded the corner.

Ren let out a sigh, calming himself now that the excitement had passed.

"Okay, you have my full attention now." He said. "Yes, I'm Viktor's apprentice. Name's Renatus, nice to meet you."

He held out his right hand. For a moment, Lazar simply looked at it before taking it in one of his own.

"I am Lazar." He introduced himself.

They shook hands. No sooner than they let go of each other, Lazar continued to speak.

"I admit I'm curious. You say you are his apprentice but you did not accompany him to the operating theater to assist him."

"He doesn't need me by him every minute of the day. He's perfectly capable of doing stuff without me."

"I know that. He's the most brilliant mind in Zaun. Don't you want to learn from him? See everything he has to show you?"

"Obviously, it's just needles and eyes – uuhh," Ren shuddered, "Nope. Can't do it. Oh, he tried to have me watched as he worked on himself but –ugh- I turned pale as a sheet."

Lazar looked down at Ren, the look of disbelief he had when he first saw the boy returning.

"Besides," Ren continued after shaking the last bit of that unpleasant thought from his head, "my skills were put to better use here."

"Attaching a simple augment?"

"No, making a kid feel less scared. No offense to the last nurse but a giant face-obscuring glowing chem-tank doesn't exactly say 'stay calm,' you know? A human face goes a long way."

Ren pointed to his own ruddy cheek.

"That child will simply need to overcome his fears." Lazar commented curtly. "And you do realize that your master wears a mask as well?"

"The kid is ten-ish, I think, and let's be honest; this place can be a little unnerving. He'll get braver with time. As for the Doc, I know he's got the mask. That's why I'm here, to be his little bit of humanity. And speaking of him, you knew him from a few years ago, right? What was he like? Was he just as grumpy? I think I've been making progress on his personality."

Lazar scoffed.

"Grumpy? Austere perhaps, but how could he not be? He had a vision he was, is, trying to achieve and there are so many ignorant fools trying to hold him back. His is a brilliance Zaun desperately needs."

As he spoke, his robotic hands clenched into fists and the claw-like grips of his lower hands clamped shut. There was intensity to his words and his eyes shone brightly as he spoke. Ren imagined his shone much the same way when he spoke of Viktor.

"It sounds like you really believe in him."

"I do, wholly and completely. Do you not?"

"I do. He is brilliant, it's crystal to anyone who actually listens to him, but I don't think I could say I wholly agree with him on everything. That whole giving up your humanity and weak emotions stuff he likes to say sometimes, I don't really buy that. People need their emotions. It's important. I mean, you've got your passion and all that, right? So do I. And I do very passionately believe that he is going to change Zaun for the better."

"Renatus."

Viktor's voice cut through their conversation. They both looked to the doorway.

"Hey. You didn't hear all that right now, did you?"

"Partially."

Color tinted Ren's cheeks.

"It is past fifth bell. We should be returning home." Viktor continued, uncaring about the conversation he interrupted.

"Alright." Ren shrugged. "It was nice to meet you, Lazar. Hope we get more time to talk later. I want to hear stories about the Doc when he was younger."

"I was already an adult when he worked for me." Viktor commented.

"I still want to hear them."

Ren went to Viktor's side, his steps filled with more energy than they had been that morning. He turned and waved to Lazar.

"Bye."

"Take care, Lazar." Viktor added.

"I will. Take care. And I'll keep studying for the future you want for Zaun."

Together they left the Church of the Glorious Evolved, each more assured in his role than before.