#as Silco rushing to save Jinx with shimmer

[sage-nebula]

"We should think of ourselves as one people."

[hexhomos]

Jayce/Silco mirroring & other stuff Ive noticed

Starting with the big season 2 opener as pointed out by sage-nebula:

Zaun/Piltover figureheads rushing to save a loved one with their respective creations (Shimmer/Hextech); said creations leading to corruption and a loss of control. Silco frequently referred to as the Industrialist, leading Zaun into a new age, Jayce is posited as the Innovator, making Piltover more profitable than it's ever been. Misery following both choices.

Jayce's endgame look shares a lot of visual aspects with Silco's main coat, incl. the red gilded lapels and all those straps. His body is also being corrupted by hextech into unnatural scar tissue. Scars are more prominent in the wild rift model even if the colors are a bit off from the show itself (2nd pic)

(Text referring to Jayce's new legendary skin, dealing with arcane act3)

And if you remember, these two actually had a pretty big scene in season 1, which echoes the above sentiments and has Jayce pushing a negotiation for Zaun's independence - at this point in time, it's the closest we got to Silco's dream being realized before the big meltdown:

This feels like a really interesting scene now in the context of how he was asked to sacrifice jinx. And now jayce's entire world outlook is shaped by constant sacrifices to avoid impending doom.

There are a few more twisted parallels to this too; silco killing vander, jayce killing viktor in the name of preserving their ideals - vander being mutated by singed, again singed mixing viktor's blood with vanderwick in the act 3 teaser.

Previously I had compared the ep6 jayvik kill circumstances with vander's blinding rage leading him to try and drown silco in the river but I don't think the parallels are so clear anymore. It's looking like the further we go into the story, the more jayce/viktor change into a blur that mixes vander/silco's motivations together - viktor's weird, corrupted peacekeeper front inside the cult and how he connects to vander's memories admiring the man that he was in life. Jayce feeling in the flesh that the only way forward demands firsthand pain and power and sacrifice, not placidity.

Interested to see where act3 viktor goes. Vander working with enforcers = Viktor working with noxus I guess 😭😭 well I just hope they beat eachother 1v1 style. and I hope he ends up following through with his pledge for Zaun's independence

[arcane-ish]

I'm low key intrigued by this shot in the trailer:

That's the Vander statue, right? I almost didn't recognize it, by how stern and general like it looks. In s1, the Vander statue always felt kind of warm and protective and affectionate. It's obviously a place of solace for Silco and it's full of doodles by Ekko's people and little things the Zaunites left on it.

Here, he looks like a british admiral on his fleet ship or something.

I probably expect way too much but I'd love the idea of Sevika being the one who knows the truth about the original revolution attempt and who is maybe aware of the difference between the narrative and the reality and decides to intentionally keep mum about it to preserve the revolution. I could picture her keeping quiet about how dangerous it was because she just wants the revolution to happen, or even throw Silco under the bus and conceal Vander's flaws because she sees people want to rally behind his positive image, or she could do the opposite, amp up stories about Vander and the revolution and conceal that he wanted to call it off.

I can't help but think that the statue looking so different to Sevika might symbolize how she saw him. That from her perspective he was a lot meaner or colder. Or that the way she looks up represents the mixed feelings she has towards him. To that he looms large that the big shoes that have to be filled just like Cait talked about filling Cassandra's shoes.

I wonder if this shot symbolizes (again with looking up) Vi being unsure whether she should join the revolution. Since we know that Vi will at some point be saving enforcers again, I suspect an original revolution attempt will fail in some way.

I could picture it like this, Sevika lies about how much Vander was in favor of the revolution. Vi is torn when she sees the melding of Jinx and Vander, because if Vander is on it, it must be good right? And then she finds out what really happened and she's no longer keen on the revolution.

(that said, I think it should be distinguished between whether Zaun defends on its own turf or attacks topside. We know somebody is attacking Singed at some point (only to get eaten by Warwick I presume), though that could easily be chem barons wanting access to shimmer, we also have shots that suggest more bridge level confrontations, but we don't know if these are current shots or from the past, we have Ekko and firelights flying in on Piltover but that doesn't necessarily feel hostile)

There we'll probably have this whole aspect of the Pilties will probably find out that the medicine (Noxians) is worse than the disease (Zaunites) and we have this whole other secret, Cait likely has to figure out at some point that Ambessa organized the Memorial Attack.

(I could picture Vi finding out and if she thinks the revolution is going bad rush to Cait to call off the attack on Zaun till she figures out the Noxian involvement. Or reverse, I could picture Cait finding out and rushing to Vi and asking her to help against the Noxians)

Sidenote: I don't really have super high hopes for getting young!Silco and Vander flashbacks, but in my perfect world the whole "the tale about the revolution is different from what it was actually like" thing would have Sevika giving this rousing speech about how the ones before them were these heroic and disciplined revolutionaries intercut with flashbacks of Vander and Silco getting drunk and goofing off at the Last Drop.

[ieggthots]

Hihi can we get some Caitlyn x Undercity(gn)reader hc

Oh also you're doing a great job 🤘

Why thank you good person for requesting, haven't gotten a request in ages lol, and ty that really means alot ☺️

¤Caitlyn with a S/O from Zaun HCs¤

your probably thinking "how did these crazy kids meet?", well allow me to explain

You, not being a big fan of Silco and his crew, try your best to "rebel" in a way by disrupting shimmer production to the best of your ability

Once you got word by eavesdropping in on a conversation with Sevika and another crew member about the trap for the enforcers, you rushed over to topside to try and stop it from springing

Of course it was too late, but there was one line survivor, that survivor being Caitlym Kiramman in the flesh

You couldn't just leave her there! So doing what was right, you took her to a medic (I'm not sure what they're exactly called in Piltover) to get her some medical attention

Few days go by and you check up on her in her room as she was recently permitted to go back, and your met with a gun to the face

Thought she trusted you? She didn't even know you saved her life yet

"Wait! Don't shoot! I'm not a threat!" "How can I be so sure that you won't take me to be interrogated for info in the undercity." "Because I'm the one who saved your enforcer ass from Jinx's trap!"

... she had no words

A Zaunnite saving an enforcer? Not a likely thing to see

You two start to form a bond and start to find out you had more in common than you know

One thing being that the two of you try to minimalize distractions and get straight to the center of a problem

Another being your shared hate for Silco's shimmer empire, shes glad to know that even people from the undercity are not fond of it

The more you hang around her the more you become attracted to her, just something about her captures you, and you can't tell what

She finds out about your feelings for her, she reciprocates the feeling

Caitlyn was... unsure to say the least in the beginning of your relationship, she didnt know exactly what to do in the case of having a S/O as she's never had one, especially one from the undercity

You do your best to make sure she doesn't over exhaust herself with her work, as she's known to get carried away...alot

Cuddling? She'd be the big spoon on most occasions, just how I'd view her being

She is usually up and awake before you, so when your awake before her for once, you surprise her with breakfast in bed, you can imagine she's taking time to register this, but don't worry she is appreciative of you <3

"You did this.. for me? Your too kind darlin."

When she isn't occupied she likes talking to you or watching you do your own hobby, she is very intrigued in what you do, she may even tag along and do it with you

She will listen to you rant about anything that comes to mind, don't worry about her leaving because she will stick by your side until your done, she is a good listener

Another thing you two would like to do is go on dates to stargaze and have a nice dinner, as you didn't have that kind of luxury in Zaun

I know, it's not really my best, but I try. I hope it's good enough : )

[sodaspons]

Arcane s2 spoilers

It’s two different tones, but the scene in season one where Silco finds Jinx on the exploded bridge and rushes her to Singe is so similar to how Jayce rushed Viktor to the Hexcore. They’re both so desperate to keep this other person alive, no matter what it could do to them.

And it does change them. Viktor and Jinx both have drastic shifts that take place after being “saved”. Jinx becomes a symbol to the Undercity and Viktor becomes… whatever he is now.

The methods of healing are so opposed too. Shimmer vs the Hexcore. An engineered drug vs the arcane.

There have been parallels between Jinx and Viktor before, but they feel much more pronounced now. Both are being set up to be saviors for Zaun, but in very different ways

[zaunseye]

[@jynxd asked :: "👩‍⚕️ Put pressure on my muse’s wound (maybe after the breakout? Jinx is more worried about tending to silco than her own shit)" (ask meme here)]

 She was out. She was free. And he was bleeding. After the chaos of the shimmer gas bomb they’d used, inmates and enforcers alike were being driven mad by the sudden intoxication. How beautiful it was, to see shimmer bring out the monster in everyone it touched. Dustin and Ran were both in masks, saved from the temporary madness that this strain of shimmer was known to cause. He and Jinx were immune, already infused with so much shimmer that nothing more could affect them. They were free to watch the fighting, which seemed to roll out in front of him in slow motion. Such fierce blows were exchanged between inmate and officer alike. Blood flew through the air just as freely as the fists. It was art.

 In the midst of their rioting, he heard a rifle had go off, and something stinging in his shoulder. When he looked, he saw a fresh hole through the flesh of his shoulder, seeping purplish red into his coat. It was painful, but in a disconnected way, as if it was happening to someone else.

 Dustin saw the blood first, quickly gesticulating for them to get moving. Ran nodded in agreement, and the two started to urge him along. In his arms, still clinging to him like a child, was Jinx. He felt the strain of holding her, but refused to let go. He would keep his hold on her as they rushed through to the boat waiting below.

 It was a smooth escape, with too much to do to stop and focus on a single wound. It wasn’t until they were all the way back at the Last Drop at he even considered letting Jinx go to allow anyone to look at the wound. His daughter, much to his surprise, sprung right into action, herself, taking a bar rag and pushing it into the flesh of his shoulder. He winced, but didn’t fight against her touch. The monster inside thrashed in instinctual reaction, wanting to shove her away and go lick his wounds, but he fought the impulse by gripping the arms of his chair. “Child… You should be resting, not taking care of me,” he said through grit teeth, baring the sting of the wound being fussed with.

[24hlevi]

Tears In The Rain

Jinx (Arcane/League Of Legends) X Gn!Reaser

Genre: Angst to Fluff, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts, PTSD implications, Language

Summary: Y/n, who has been with Jinx since the beginning, decides to run away from the girl out of their own will, thinking she doesn't need them. Little did they know how Jinx felt about them.

Word Count: 1.9k

It's pointless. Like tears in the rain. What you were feeling was pointless when you were stuck in the undercity of Zaun. Depression was normal among the people in Zaun, to the point that there was no one that could even help with what you were feeling. Sure, you had felt this way before, but this time.

It was different.

You sat inside where you stayed, drinking from a random bottle you found in The Last Drop, knowing you were technically underage to be drinking alcohol, but it's not like anyone asked customers if they were of age for drinking before giving the drink, but you didn't give a shit currently. Why? Well, you didn't have a particular reason, per se. But that's how it usually was. Times where you would be fine one minute and a complete mess the next, falling down the rabbit hole that depression was and struggling to get out unless someone helped. And that someone was always your childhood best friend, Jinx.

You felt like a nuisance to everyone, especially Jinx who had grown into a strong woman, stronger than you for sure even if the roles were reversed when you two were younger. You couldn't handle it anymore. The pain of working with Silco, the stress of transporting shimmer to random places and hoping you don't die each time, the exhaustion of having to deal with drunk assholes everyday or men ten times stronger with shimmer, and most of all, the confusion in what you were feeling this whole time.

The confusion was mixed with many things, from wondering if Vi was alive or dead, not knowing why Silco hadn't kicked you out to fend for yourself yet, and why Jinx still dealt with you, to the confused feelings you had for the blue-haired girl.

You finished the bottle, standing up and stumbling to your desk to lean against it as you stared down at the many papers scattered on it, ranging from important stockings of shimmer for Silco, to random drawings Jinx and you had made together without a care in the world. Letting out a sigh, you picked up one of the papers that you kept since you two were kids, when Vander, Mylo, Claggor, and possibly Vi were alive. The picture was of all of you together, like one big family, making your eyes tear up a bit.

Flashes of past events rushed through your brain, forcing you to think about what happened those years ago. Trying to save Vander, Vi fighting with Vander’s old gauntlets, Mylo unlocking Vander, Claggor creating an escape route. The clanks you heard from the monkey bomb of Jinx’s was loud, and then the explosion. The explosion that killed Claggor and Mylo, leaving you stuck under rubble and smoke. You could practically smell the smoke and inhale it right now even if you were just thinking about it.

Your grip on the bottle tightened until you remembered what Vi did to Jinx and you. Abandon you both. A yell escaped your throat as you threw the bottle at the wall, resulting in it cracking into a million pieces like your heart when Vi left and never came back. You collapsed to your knees and put your head in your hands, rocking back and forth with salty tears running down your face like a waterfall that you hadn't even noticed due to you still stuck in your thoughts and mind that were telling you to finish it all. To leave. Because no one would notice. Silco and Sevika would be happy to not care for you anymore. No one in The Last Drop would even notice or anyone in Zaun for that matter. And Jinx would probably be thankful for you getting out of her way.

You stayed in your position on the ground until a thought popped into your mind. Why not run away? Maybe an enforcer will catch you and arrest you for something random and you would go with it just to go to prison and be away from everyone else. Or maybe someone who had taken shimmer will put you out of your misery because you picked a fight with them. Or maybe you would go to the coast to the ocean and stay under the water until you were gone.

You quickly got up, tripping over your foot before grabbing a backpack you had and started to shove random things into it. Not even thinking about what the consequences would be if you came back alive after trying to get away from everything. Or how Jinx would feel with you gone, the reality of how she would feel. All because your own mind was telling you the opposite of everything that would happen.

Once you finished filling up the bag to the brim, you walked back over to the desk and grabbed the picture, staring at it before putting it in your pocket and throwing the bag over your shoulder with the strap. You looked at your tiny room before stepping towards the window and opening it, looking down to see how you should get down.

Suddenly, you heard rapid knocking on the door, making your eyes widen. You quickly climbed out the window but you were still able to hear someone talk as you did.

“Y/n, open the door, you know it's meee!” Jinx whined on the other side of the door.

Your eyes went wider than they were before as you closed the window quietly before jumping down the fire escape that was really only unstable stairs down to the ground where you landed with a thud.

You stared at the window for a few seconds before shaking your head and starting to run. You didn't know where you were going, but at this point it didn't matter where you went as long as it was away from everyone.

Running had never felt so hard before up until this moment, where it felt like your legs could give up at any moment when you had done it too many times because of danger chasing you. Breathing had never felt this difficult, like you were choking on something that didn't exist. Your thoughts had never been this loud, encouraging you to keep going and telling you that what you were doing was right.

You kept running until you were at the edge of Zaun, the coast of the ocean. You walked onto the creaky wooden dock that was somehow still standing before sitting down on the edge of it, placing your bag beside you as you stared at the water.

All of a sudden, you felt something wet and cold drip onto your head, making you look up as more droplets hit you until it was pouring down in rain. You don't even know the last time it rained, but you didn't remember it to make you this cold. You didn't bring a jacket of course, thinking there would be no need which you now regret as you were shivering from the cold, your cheeks and nose feeling the crisp air that made them change from your normal skin tone slightly. You didn't care about your clothes getting wet, though, as they were already covered in blood from different people from different days.

You glanced down at your hands, being able to see through the white shirt now that it was soaked and seeing the familiar red marks under it from the last time this happened.

‘That's right’, you thought, ‘the last time this happened, I was saved.’

You remembered that it was Jinx who had saved you the last time, and you felt your stomach turn in disgust realizing the same thing might happen again. So you stood up again, looking down at the water below you as you took out the hand drawn picture from your pocket. It was wet now, but you were still able to see the picture fully despite the constant rain hitting it and making it worse.

“I’ll see you guys soon.” You said to yourself before putting the picture on your bag.

You closed your eyes as you took a step closer to the edge, half of your foot off the deck as you took a deep breath.

Just as you were leaning forward, ready to fall into the clouded brown water, you heard rapid footsteps and a yell before someone grabbed you from behind and pulled you back onto the deck, making your eyes shoot open and dart around as to who saved you this time.

When you rolled off the person, you sat up and looked at who it was, making your whole body freeze.

“What the hell were you doing?! Do you know what you were doing?!” Jinx exclaimed, grabbing you by your shirt and yanking you towards her.

Your eyes went wide at the sudden gesture as tears soon filled them. “I-I’m sorry. P-Please don't b-be mad.” You whimpered out through sobs and teeth clattering together.

“Wha- mad? No, I’m not mad at you, toots!” Jinx quickly wrapped her arms around you and held onto you tightly. “I would never and I mean NEVER be mad at you for something like this! Okay?”

Tears still fell from your eyes as you let the girl hug you, not moving from your position as you still didn't believe her words. It took a few seconds, but soon enough you hugged her back and put your face in the crook of her neck as you cried. “Why?” You asked.

Jinx looked down at you with a little shock on her face as to what you said before it turned into a much softer expression and she carefully moved your head so you were looking at her.

“Because I…” She didn't know how she was supposed to say or do this, having never done it before until she mumbled “Fuck this.” under her breath and kissed you.

The kiss surprised you to put it simply, and with how slow it was compared to Jinx’s explosive personality but you kissed back as the rain continued to pour down on you both. Eventually, after what felt like forever, Jinx pulled away from you and smiled at you.

“Because I really really really like you and I don't want you to leave. Not now, not ever. You're my trinket, and I’ll make sure you never think otherwise.” She said to you.

A smile crept up onto your lips as you looked back at her, “I really like you too, Powder.”

A grin fell onto the girl’s face as she kissed you again quickly before pulling away just as soon as it started.

“Let's get out of here, I'm fucking freezing.” She laughed, getting up and holding a hand to you.

“Yeah, me too.” You chuckled, taking her hand and pulling yourself up before going to your bag and picking it up but seeing no picture, making worry fill your head as you thought you lost it until you turned back to Jinx to see her holding it and smiling before looking up at you.

“I can't believe you still have this, it's been years.” She said to you happily.

“Of course I still have it. I couldn't stand throwing it away.” You replied.

Jinx walked up to you and slinged her arm around your shoulders and folded the picture before handing it back to you, “Well I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

[lbulldesigns]

Arcane what-if fanfiction brainrot time 😄

So I've been going over ideas in my head for fics that I would like to write or read and one idea has now implanted itself in my mind and refuses to leave, so I'm going to post said idea here please let me know what y'all think ❤️

So the idea I have is a combination of what if Powder never followed Vi and the others, what if Mylo and Claggor lived, what if Silco never raised Jinx, what if Powder/Jinx had a guardian angle (a.k.a storm goddess) on her shoulder amongst her voices, annnnnd Vander is Warwick theory.

This is going to be a doozy to try and summarise, please be patient with me 😅

So a few things first to help me paint the picture:

Powder is younger than she is in Arcane, in the show she's 11 years old, in this story she's 7 1/2 - 8 years old (everyone else, save Ekko whose 2-3 years older than Powder, are the same age as they are in the show).

Janna will at times talk to Powder, Vi just thinks that her little sister has an imaginary friend (when she hears Powder talking back to Janna) but still worries about this. Janna will at times intervene to protect Powder but will otherwise stay as a spectator unless the situation is dire.

Vander is more hands on with Powder because she's much younger than in the show and full heartily views Vander as her dad, and even calls him daddy (she was too young when her parents died and can't remember them or the attack on the bridge, although she still has traumatic responses in regards to their deaths even if she can't remember why) 🥺❤️ (the other kids call him dad as well, but not as much as Powder does).

Ekko's parents are still alive, he works for Benzo because his parents want him to not end up in the factories and mines like him. They end up dying several years into Silco's reign, giving him extra motivation to bring the man down.

Mylo is nicer to Powder but he still tends to lash out at her when he's feeling stressed, the guilt from this is something that will play on his mind for years to come.

Viktor and Jayce will play a big part in Powder's life... after awhile (I'll explain later).

Caitlyn and Powder/Jinx will frenemies and sisters, a real love-hate relationship.

Annnnnnd Timebomb will be one of the main ships. Sorry Lightcannon (I like the ship but Timebomb will feel more organic for this fic and I don't know how to incorporate Lux into the story) not sorry to Jilco and Vi/Jinx shippers, sorry but y'all are weird.

Now for the brief summary.

So the start of the fic plays out much the same as the first three episodes of Arcane, with a few changes here and there to incorporate reactions and actions to Powder's younger age.

For example

Mylo is less antagonistic towards Powder even after she loses the loot but he's still passive aggressive about the whole situation and Powder will still feel immense guilt.

Vander is more angry about Powder being dragged Topside to rob a house and will bring it up in his argument/lecture with Vi, he also brings her along with him to see Benzo and we all get cute little (at this time platonic) Timebomb moment.

Mylo will express worry and frustration about bringing Powder along on the job because she's too young.

And so on.

The story will start to really diverge from the show storyline around the time Vi comes back from the massacre at Benzo's, she takes longer to get back after making sure Ekko got back home safely and in this time Powder falls asleep. And so isn't conscious when Vi gets back and informs everyone what happens, Powder sleeps through all this because kids her age will sleep through anything (I know from experience), and stays asleep when everyone rushes off to save Vander.

Vi fully intends to return and doesn't consider waking her sister just to leave her worrying when they leave, she locks the door behind her so that nobody can get into where her sister is.

Vi and the others get to where their dad is being held but Silco had started injecting Vander with Shimmer and let's him loose on his children but doesn't account for how strong Vander's parental instincts are, and is then left with an enhanced and pissed off Vander tearing through his people.

Vi and the boys, not knowing what else to do, try to fall back to the Last Drop but get apprehended by Enforcers and dragged off to Stillwater.

Annnnnd I feel like this post has gone on long enough already, so please stay tuned for part 2 ✌️😄❤️

Here's a cute Powder to look at as a peace offering ❤️

[zaunseye]

This was no mere child with a grudge. This was a monster of his own creation. Silco felt a pang of pride at the amount of disdain he'd managed to inspire from one single life, amazed at how things lined up over the years. Something so small, so insignificant, had grown into one of the biggest obstacles to his empire. It was a problem he had let get out of hand, but now finally had a chance to fix.

But then came the challenge from the boy, and it dug deep. He had been there, at the cannery, watching everything happen. He'd witnessed everything that happened, from the fall of Vander to the rise of Jinx. And truth be told, Silco really had no idea he'd been there. It knocked a chip out of his shoulder, one that had been secured for some time. Vander always used to tell him he needed to keep a better eye out.

A flash of anger pinched his lips to a thin line, and he found himself stricken silent as the teen continued. He felt the words start to inch under his skin, and gripped the wrist harder. It was the lack of respect, above all else, that drove his anger up into his skull. Pressing the injector further against the skin, he leaned in close, speaking directly into the teen's ear. "Whatever you had with her is nothing now. You are nothing, and no one is going to remember you."

He sighed and shook his head. "But how could you know that? I'll show you how little you mean to the world you want to save. I'm going to keep you here." The doctor, from his table in the corner of the room, began to look in their direction with interest. "You'll make a fine test subject for the chemtanks." He gave the doctor a glance and nod, then said, "But first, it's time to remind you what you've been missing out on."

Then he pulled the trigger on the injector, and its needle bore down into the skin of his captive. He stayed close to him, savoring his reaction to the rush of shimmer.

There was no mask to hide the disdain Ekko felt for that man as his head swayed heavily at the backhand. His neck would surely feel out of place but he didn't care. Ever the rebel he was, he held back the pain in his cheek as he glared daggers at Silco. The glare almost faultered when he'd realized he'd truly given up too much information now. The recognition in the tyrants heterochromic eyes were a dead give away of that.

Vander filled his head with lies? No he didn't believe that. This was just Silco trying to play him. Acting like he cared about Jinx when he didn't, and yet somehow Ekko doubted that. Somewhere underneath that shit-stain of a man, was a smidge of care and this rage was some sort of protection mechanism.

Ekko nearly opened his mouth to finally speak until he saw where Silco's eyes had drifted. Any defensive thought that was in his mind disappeared, promptly replaced by panic. Silco had gotten too close and noticed the one weakness that came back to haunt him. The very signs of past addictions he could never quite shaken.

For so long he had chased shimmer, hiding behind it so that he didn't have to face the fact that he'd watched Benzo die, the sight of that still ingrained in his mind. The images of his family dying. Shimmer had helped him forget it all, and yet he didn't like who he'd become when he was under its influence. A version of himself he refused to be again.

"I watched as you ordered your dog to kill Benzo. I saw what it did to him. You took him from me, watched as you took all of them from me." There was no use in hiding this information, now Silco knew exactly who he was. "The best part of it all? You're supposed to be this big criminal mastermind, yet you had no idea I was even watching at the cannery, I practically snuck into the building. What does that say about you. huh?"

Despite the brave act, the panic was there. No matter what he said, Silco was going to pull that trigger. Ekko knew exactly the effect it would have and while his body craved it, needed it, he'd be damned if he let him have any satisfaction with a name.

"Why don't you ask your precious little Jinx what my name is, I'm sure she'd be thrilled to tell you." The injector against was cold his wrist his tremoring hands. His own body was betraying him with its excitement. "You thinking finding out about an old addiction changes anything? Go ahead, shoot me up, see what it gets you."

Silently Ekko prayed he wouldn't try to call his bluff. That he would do anything but inject him...

[jynxd]

The longer it took to get Silco, the more her anxiety started to get the better of her. Was it too late to save him? Had the enforcers took him out long before she had gotten there? 'Congratulations, baby sis! Leave it for you to be too late. You got daddy dearest killed!'

"Liar...." Jinx growled, but never once did she let the traitor distract her. Not that she could, as every where she went, enforcers seemed to be, rushing up to her like the threat she was. Each one tried to reach her, but each met the same fate, death by monster. Those who didn't met her bullets, with a cold detached cruelty.

"You piece of shit, who do you think you are!" One enforcer had survived, the onslaught, though barely as he bled out on the ground. JInx positioned herself over him, pointing the gun on his head.

"Who am I? The better question is, who did you take from me." She cocked the gun before pressing her lips to their ear. "You took my father, and for that I will watch as bleed out with pleasure as I twist the knife.." Jinx took out a dagger, sticking it into his neck, but careful to miss an artery. She was in the process of twisting the knife when she picked up it.

Her strong sense of smell picked up in Silco's scent. The faintest bit of blood from being knocked out about. Her victim was all forgotten as she rushed at full speed towards the direction of the smell. All of the bodies cleared the way easily for that and soon it did not take her long to find him.

"Get off of him." The growl that escaped her lips wasn't human, it was pure animal fueled by the shimmer in her veins. Her movement was inhuman, too as she charged the guard and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, claws digging into skin. She did not hesitate to tear into it as she dragged her nails to the other side. Blood sprayed all over SIlco as a result. "No one touches my, pa."

"Are you okay, pa?" She pushed the guard off, a feral look still on her face. "You're safe..."

‘Perhaps we should start again.’

The grubby mutt never did know when to bend, and neither do his lackeys. So it appears.

Silco huffs down his nose at the boy. He's curled and hacking half his lung on the floor, too close to the toe of Silco's (non-standard issue) boot for liking. He lifts it, turns the boy's head by his chin, then shoves him off. Better. ‘Finn is no longer a concern of yours, nor will he be paying you much of anything. Naturally, with the death of your late employer, your services fall to me.’

Four bodyguards stand with him in the corridor, temporarily off-limits. Stillwater briberies have never been trouble, even from inside. There is more than enough time to force this "right hand" of Finn's to heel—as a temporary measure.

‘If not . . . well. Need I iterate your lack of protection here otherwise?’

There's a low sound like the world sliding into stone. Dust unseen shuffles along pipes in the ceiling before the boy has his chance to speak—below, foundations in the sea judder, sitting out of place.

A bodyguard moues. ‘What the hell was—’

Light and sound catch the air in a blaze. Everything upturns, sharpens, rings. Silco is peeling his eye open by the time his orphaned sense returns to his body; time's a loose fuzz behind his stare. Enforcer boots are on the ground, and on the other side of the wall a cafeteria implodes into riot.

He hardly grapples to his feet before something slams into him, then he's fighting, prying, clawing. Scraping together the man he once was and has always been.

(Nestled in that wrath is the distinct, abiding instinct to get back to her.)

[shimmerbeasts]

Their relationship had always been complicated. A web, born out of youthful ignorance, childish fears and insecurities, the very drug, which they were currently fighting over, and the rushing of longing hearts. As a child, Powder had been too insecure and ignorant to understand her emotions and feelings for Ekko. Vi back then had diminished them into nothing but a childhood crush, while at the same time, claiming that Powder was too young to understand what that word meant.

However, Powder even back then had been far from stupid. While she did not completely understand the game the adults played, she understood that Barbette, that wrinkly, old Yordle with too much make-up on her orange skin, catered to this very same game. Just as Powder had also realised that for some reason, she had found both boys and girls pretty. Though that couldn't work, right? You only liked boys or girls. You could not love both, right? Powder had believed that because Mylo had believed it and by being older, Mylo must be right.

Nowadays, of course, Jinx knew better. You could love boys and girls. There was nothing wrong with that. Sevika and Silco loved the same way. They had told her. Thus Jinx was certain that she loved Ekko almost as much as she hated him. He had suffered just as much as she did and yet he was thriving. That couldn't be right. Jinx had seen how Ekko had tried to awaken his own monster back when he had still been on the streets. It had been a pitiful attempt and his body bore the marks of it: Discoloured, purple veins and the curse of an everlasting hunger. He hadn't dared to commit to his choice. His beast would punish him for such a lacklustre decision.

Jinx had been determined to save him from his own decision. If he could not tend to his monster in the right way, if he could not let it grow strong and terrifying, even with Shimmer being right there, then Jinx had to help him! Jinx had to awaken Ekko's monster in the same vein Silco had done for her. And she was going to use the exact same method: By turning Ekko into a hound. Hounding was a sign of love. Jinx loved Ekko. Loved him with a similar intensity, she loved Silco and Vi, and she was going to make him realise that! He was going to be a beast just like her and he would find it just as liberating!

Jinx's face bore no compassion, even as Ekko pleaded for the safety of the remaining bugs. Her nostrils flared and she gave a growl, almost a huff. She had not come here to show mercy to vermin! She had come here to watch her beloved wolver hunt. He had not been hunting for almost a month, so no doubt, his beast was clawing at his innards. Time to relieve him of his pain.

Jinx spoke: "On the contrary, Ekko: They have everything to do with this! They are sabotaging Silco's work. They are sabotaging the Cause. All because they are trusting the so-called Boy Saviour." She clapped as she spoke his title. "You must feel like such a martyr when your lost boys and girls gave you that title! Makes me wonder: How are they going to feel if they could ever look beyond the mask of the wise owl, you are projecting outwards?"

She laughed as Ekko's more animalistic side came forth through the growl in his mask. Her head swayed around, bang flopping and braids swinging. She called: "Oh, you are a class act, Boy Saviour! The lost boys and girls ain't your family. They are a pack of cubs, being led by a yearling." Jinx clicked her tongue and warningly wagged a finger. "I told you never to lie to me, Ekko. I am pretty sure if I were to remove your mask, you would be dripping drool."

The whistle had been enough to have Ekko look at the mask, Jinx herself had brought with her. Every Hound needed its own little cues and tricks to properly be unleashed and Shimmer was a vital component in this. Jinx tapped a fingernail upon the top of the mask like the rhythmic falling of a sledgehammer. She said nothing, merely waiting for her friend to come closer. As Ekko stopped before her, hands twitching as if he wanted to reach for the very mask, which would spell his group's doom, Jinx looked up and met his gaze behind the protection of his owl mask.

Jinx didn't answer his question and instead reached around the back of his head to unclasp his owl mask. No matter how complex Ekko's mask was, Jinx was just as inventive and could open it with the push of a button. Letting the air vent out, the Loose Canon hooked her fingers underneath the mask and flipped it off Ekko's head. Dumping it on the ground a bit out of reach, she smiled and took Ekko's face in her hands in a tender gesture similar to how a lover might.

"There is my wolver", Jinx said as she inspected the worn-out man before her with darkened veins so very pronounced against brown skin, "You poor, poor boy. Look at how rough you've had it the last couple of weeks. There, there! I am here now and we can get you nice and fed, Ekko."

With these words, Jinx suddenly sunk her hand deep into Ekko's pale yellow dreadlocks to keep his head still. Her other hand shoved the mask against his face, forcing it over his mouth and nose. She tutted softly as she clasped the ends together, securing the mask so that Ekko would now be forced to inhale Hound Shimmer. The most potent variety of Shimmer and something most addicts could only dream of.

Ekko had hoped and prayed that it was just an illusion. That he mind had simply conjured up an image of Jinx. Maybe it was his PTSD after being hounded making him believe she was there for a split second. That was the thing about hope, sometimes it paid off to have it. All the same, it could be squashed a single moment. Or rather a few choice words.

The Firelight didn't wonder if this had been planned, if Jinx knew this was going to happen. There had to be a reason why she was here in the first place. This, he realized, had all been a set up. Why he remembered being leashed by Jinx those few days but not remembering details. And yet all of those thoughts faded away as he heard that familiar whistled tune. How it caused more panic.

The same tune stirred something inside of him, luring out the monster that she planted there. He fought to suppress it, to not let the melody draw him in but it was impossible. The hound in him was already taking over, forcing his focus to shift entirely on Jinx. In this state he had no idea the looks he was getting. How his fellow Firelights were piecing things together with no context.

He was suddenly glad that he hadn't brought many here. Glad that Scar was home and safe from what would happen now. The few that had come with him today wouldn't share that luck. When got some semblance of his mind back, however brief, Ekko tried to plea. "They don't have anything to do with this, Jinx..."

A few of them were stiffer now, and he could feel as if they were doubting him. None of this had been his design, this had been forced on him by Jinx. She made him a monster and they were going to pay for it and all he could do is issue a silent apology that would mean very little. For very soon he wouldn't have any control at all.

"Please don't make me do this, Jinx. They are my family, just like you are. I don't want to kill them. I won't." Ekko couldn't hold back the feral growl that came out, heavily distorted in sound from his owl mask. "I'm not hungry."

That was a lie because he was absolutely starving. It has been a few weeks, almost approaching a month since the last hunt he was forced to do. As a result his hound was practically clawing him from the inside out for something to fill them up. It was only being made worse once she began whistling the melody again.

Eyes locked onto the mask she held in her hands. Noting the cylinder filled with shimmer, that mask called out the addiction that lingered over him like a plague. He understood what that mask was for, and induced a new state of panic in him. This was the mask that she used when it was time to let the monster out. The leader found himself moving closer to Jinx and the mask in her hands. Wanting to reach out for it, and yet wanting nothing at all to do with it. He found himself grateful that his comrades couldn't see his reaction behind his owl mask.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Ekko's voice was hoarse now, strained as he forced him to stop to maintain some distance. There were words he wanted to say and yet he couldn't get them to come out, but he thought them clear as day. None of this had been his choice. "I can't wear it , I won't...."

[shimmerbeasts]

While it was true that the brutish bear was not always present in The Last Drop or Silco's office, simply because she had duties, which took her outside of their part of the Undercity, it was also always true that if Jinx was not tinkering around in her workshop or rummaging through the canyons, filled to the brim with waste from topside, for any treasure to repurpose, she was always somewhere in The Last Drop. Sometimes even directly in Silco's office, sitting on the rafters, doodling on a Chomper or some other toy.

This time, Jinx had been in the bar part of The Last Drop, laying on the floor before the jukebox and enjoying how the vibrations of the rock music shook her through. However, just because she looked passive and zoned out like a cat relaxing on a hot summer day, didn't mean she didn't pay attention. In fact, she had felt the rippling of the stranger's footsteps, decidedly marching upstairs. She also took keen note of the fact that the security - greenhorns, which had only recently been hired -, had not done their job. Oooohhh, Papa was gonna have one hell of a word with them once he was done upstairs!

Springing to her feet, Jinx rushed upstairs, not without giving the bartender, Chuck, a wink and a diabolical, little smile. Said bartender pressed himself against the wall, far away from her, clearly mortified. Taking two steps at once to save time, Jinx could hear Silco speak through the door. He always knew how to stall. And will you look at that? The would-be-assassin had even left the door wide open. Amateur mistake!

Zapper's barrel shimmered darkly in the dim room as Jinx pulled out the pistol. Lining up her shot, she fired off with a dull bang. The bullet struck the assassin in his back. It exited his body right through his heart. However, right as Jinx shot, another shot bellowed through the office.

The Loose Canon released a displeased hiss and hurried into the room. The assassin had collapsed with a look of surprise on his face. Jinx ignored him, sapphire blue eyes locked onto Silco and hyper-fixated upon the small wound on his shoulder.

"Janna damn it!", Jinx cursed, "They shot you." Dumping the pistol on his desk, she rushed over, braids curling near her legs like worried tails. "Are you alright, Silco? I am sorry I wasn't in the office. I shouldn't have let them shoot you."

Even though he had reassured her that her timing had been perfect, Jinx could have kicked herself. Stupid Sevika was already regarding her as an unreliable powder keg, mostly good for diversions and fights. However, if something like this repeated itself, maybe Silco would end up regarding her as unreliable too. She couldn't let that happen! She was responsible for his safety, among other things. If she heard trouble arriving, she oughta have stopped it before it even got to the staircase!

@shimmerbeasts (because I done goofed the ask) Defense meme

It was unusual for anyone to be ballsy enough to go after Silco directly, especially in the undercity. Not without a smart attempt. Because for the most part, he always had someone around to play body guard. Until this moment, he'd sent Sevika out, leaving him by himself in his office.

Silco was reading through important documents, leaning over the table when he heard the click of a gun. Mismatched eyes glanced coldly and cruelly up at the source. It wasn't one of his guys. He knew all of his guys. No, this one must have been on of finns men, or maybe one of Renni's.

"Barging through the last drop, with a loaded gun, and marched up right to my office did you?" Silco sighed and set his papers aside. He needed to act fast, couldn't depend on anyone else now that he was alone. Silently he thought over what steps to take, how to get close without avoiding the shot. "I really must up my security, it seems." 'They let me through, they knew I was coming to kill you.' They said, but Silco couldn't help but notice his hands were shaking. He was nervous, scared to fuck up. But he already had. "Did they now, well they lead you to your death." Silco heard the click of the gun, leaned back in seat comfortably in response. Because he realized that it wasn't their gun he heard, it was Jinx's. Just as she shot, though, so did they, resulting with a bullet in his shoulder as he hissed in pain.

"Thank you, Jinx." There was a looked of relief as he he could see Jinx where the other had been. "You're timing was..." another grunt. "Perfect."

[jynxd]

Jinx watched silently, anxiously, as he gasped for a breath. It was tempting to say something, but she was too distracted by his veins as the color faded from them. They shifted back to normal,and now all that was left to open his eyes. Oh how she couldn’t wait to see how pretty his eyes were. Would he be feeling the same rush that she had when she woke up?

When his eyes finally did open, she finally let herself relax fully. No longer were his eyes a cold void as they were replaced by such a pretty violet and magenta. The fear of his death that had been a constant in her mind throughout the entire process was now dust in the wind because he was okay. Then once the words escaped his lips she helped Singed remove the bindings with much less hesitance than he did, practically tearing into one the closest to her with her sharp wolverine-like claws.

The way Silco rushed off the table, she briefly worried that he was going to be mad at her. That he was going to take out the heightened violence and rage he was out on her. A worry that was proved to be just another insecurity in her flawed mind as she felt his arms wrap around her and pull her in. The reaction was instantaneous, the unwelcome tears of shimmer that flooded down her face as she buried her face in his chest.

'He is only acting, pow. You know as soon as he gets the chance he's going to kill you for what you did.' Jinx could hear Vi whisper in her ear, already trying to take advantage of her as usual. 'He won't forgive you for killing him.'

The waterworks were coming fully out now as she gripped him tightly, sharp claw-like nails digging through fabric and skin. "You are a liar, he loves me! He wouldn't kill me. It's your fault he even got shot!" She was screaming into his chest, her hands shaking. But then she heard his heart, the way it was beating so steadily, and it grounded her once more.

'I'm not the one that pulled the trigger, that was all you.' Jinx ignored Vi this time. Just as she had in reality, she chose to listen to Silco's voice, the way it would break her out of anything. "This was the only way to save you. I didn't know what else to do, after I..." She took a deep breath to center herself as she pulled back slightly, though refusing to look him in the eyes now. "I let Vi get to me and I shot you, I couldn't control myself."

Vi would never be a problem anymore, however because there was no love loss now. Jinx meant it when she said they there enemies. Next time there would be no hesitation to kill her, it would be instantaneous and it wouldn't in the most violent way possible. Vi wanted a monster? She would get one, more than one now. The surging of her own rage and violence would make sure everyone would pay.

"Does this mean you forgive me? Because I couldn't loose you, I wouldn't."

[tw : medical procedures, blood, gore, needles]

'We'll be monsters together.'

Those were the last words he was able to clearly make out past the shimmer ringing in his ears. He felt her hand move from his face to his chest, and saw her lips move again just before his head was turned by the doctor. Then it began.

Singed was impressed by her handling of the situation at hand. Briefly, he considered whether it had truly been worthwhile to sedate Silco the night's prior, if having a helping hand was this convenient. No, he was certain in his choice. Silco was a protective father, and no matter how much he would try to hide it, a compassionate one. He wouldn't have had the stomach to watch his daughter go through such a thing. If anything, he would have fought him every step of the way.

Jinx had experience over her father, however, and knew exactly what he was going through. She had to be a lone, be he didn't, a luxury he must have treasured. He found himself missing the bond of father and daughter, and averted his eyes from the two as he extracted the needles with a tug.

"It is done," he announced, setting the empty syringe gun on a tray to the side.

Silco gave one last shutter of reaction as the needles were pulled out, then went slack against the table from exhaustion. He gasped for breath that finally returned to his lungs, each breath becoming steadier until they leveled out to deep huffs. The veins began to recess into his body once again, losing their glow until they were faintly tinged under his skin. The veins around his face faded as well, but some staining lingered around his eyes and mouth. The holes in the back of his neck sealed, but faint scarring lingered in the form of two vertical dots. The same scars Singed had noticed on the back of Jinx's neck, after her shimmerbonding.

The ringing faded from his ears, and he gathered his mind back up from its shattered pieces. His eye opened again, now settled to a faint violet shade, his other eye a vibrant magenta. He coughed the last remnants of shimmer up from his sticky throat, fighting to speak as soon as he could. "Get...Get me out of these..." he ordered while looking back at Singed with fierce eyes.

Singed was reluctant for only a moment, his hands working quickly to undo the bindings of Silco's head, then his arms. As soon as his upper body was free, Silco jolted upright, touching his own face as if to reassert reality by force.

He felt...different. Transformed. He felt the intense violence and rage within him, burning through his skin and into his thoughts. The clarity those searing emotions gave was revelatory. He was ready to take on the world. He was ready to win. Once again, a weaker man had died, and a new one was reborn. He looked down at his chest, now bare and exposed, covered in old blood, but no wounds, only scars.

His eyes then returned to looking at his daughter, and just as Singed had undone the leather around his ankles, he was climbing off the table and putting his arms around her. He pulled her tight. "I see it now, Jinx. I understand. What a gift you have given to me, daughter."

[jynxd]

The faith Viktor had his partner was honorable, she would give him that. To believe that strongly in someone took a lot of time growing the connection. It was how it was her and Silco, too. The only difference was that Jinx knew she could trust her father, that no matter what they shared the same goal for Zaun. Neither would do anything to each other that put themselves at risk.

However, Jayce was a true piltie through and through, who in the end would only care about Piltover. More importantly he would look out for himself. Anyone that was from Zaun, including Viktor would be screwed over. Jinx knew this to be true and had to warn him. The how or when she did not know, but she looked out for her fellow Zaunite. Even if the likes of Jayce Talis had managed to fool the scientist into thinking otherwise.

"You'll see soon enough that I was right about him all along, in fact once you step across that border you'll know." Jinx turned her back to Viktor as she took a few choice steps away. She paused her movements for a moment and glanced over her shoulder towards him. "But don't worry, when you come back home, after he hurts you. After he stabs you in the back after everything you've done for him. You will be welcomed back with open arms."

Jinx walked away, knowing that he meant his last words, and she believed him. Only that time would come when he returned home, after piltover had taken everything from him. After all, the only way they could help each other is by playing the same side, not dancing in between. Soon Viktor would learn that.

In the span of a week her life had been completely torn apart and undone. Most of it was the result of one single night, the night she lost her entire world. That enforcer had shot Silco with pow-pow. It hadn't been by much but it happened and it was enough to send Jinx into the deep end. Along with the shimmer pumping through her system she lost herself completely.

Everyone had been attacked in her blind fury, Caitlyn taking the most damage with her back barely having any skin left by the time she was done pull away. Only when her party guests managed to escape did she snap out of it and tried to save Silco. However, it was too late and the damage had been done. Not even Singed could save him.

‘You have to save him doc, please’ Jinx had destroyed the door to Singed’s lab as she rushed in. Singed had warned her that he was too fatally wounded, that procedure likely wouldn’t work. But she didn’t care, she was going to do anything to save him. She clung on to hope that he, too, would survive. Only to watch as life never once returned to those eyes. Silco was completely unresponsive. For hours jinx refused to leave him, simply crying endlessly into his stilled chest. Eventually the well ran dry and cold, shimmer laced eyes glanced at exit as she forced herself to stand.

Now that Jinx had nothing left she did something that she knew would make her father proud. Piltover started it with attacking the factory and she merely answered back with a resounding blast from fishbones as the council had been blown up. Much to her chagrin, a few of them survived but that would change. In the end everyone who stood against her would die. Including her traitorous sister and those closest to her.

Gone was the playful, happy go-lucky Jinx would do anything to make her daddy happy. The world had taken the one person who was most precious to her, who kept afloat. Now that he was gone there were no skips to her step, no more smiles. All that was left was someone new. Someone who wanted to watch the entirety of piltover and the whole world around her burn.

'You'll make them pay.' She could hear Silco whispering in her as she sat at the top of the bridge, could even feel a ghost of a hand on her shoulder. 'Show them all what you're capable of, make them all burn.' And she would. She would use fishbones to do it and she would do it with the ghost of silco by her side.

Jinx was at the very same spot when Viktor returned to Zaun. At first glance she almost didnt recognize him with his hood. But the outfit was the same. With her binoculars she noted that one his hands seemed to be augmented with shimmer. There was a hint of a grin at that. They had been both been changed by shimmer, it seemed. She also noted that he seemed to have a staff with him, easily recognizing the hexcore at the top. Finally, she noticed hex claw, something she’d only briefly seen before.

So, this was what started the alarms then? Not even fishbones had done that. She had heard briefly about what happened, but no details, only that enforcers had died. Jinx stood from her perch and immediately began to follow the older zaunite. He stopped at the statue of Vander, the sight of which made her want to destroy it in rage.

Jinx nearly did, had she not been detected, pushing the animalistic nature back down, for now. “I heard about the mess you left topside,” she finally said as she stepped out from shadows, her brightly glowing fuchsia eyes giving her away before then. The last time they’d met they were sapphire, as she hadn’t lost everything yet. “I told you you would come back home. They must have done something bad if you left that much bloodshed.”

Jinx could see Silco sitting in his usual spot. She couldn’t hear words this time. Just a ghost in her mind. Stray shimmer laced tears ran down her cheek at the sight. She forced herself to look away as she turned her attention back to Viktor.

It didn’t occur to her that some of it happened as a result of her actions. She wouldn’t have regretted it if she did know. With fishbones and pow pow on her back, she sat next to Viktor. Despite how brightly her eyes shined, there was almost no life there as she glance up at his claw and back him. “Do you finally understand, now?”

When she spoke into his ear, he recoiled from the breath against this skin, nervously closing his eyes and letting out a small exhale. She was trying her damnedest to convince him, and his faith in Jayce was slowly being chipped at by every word. His fingers gripped around the handle of his crutch as he tried to ignore her. There was no way she could be right. Not about Jayce. Not about his only friend. "Y-You're wrong about him..." he protested, though the tone of his voice gave away his growing anxiety and doubt.

Jayce had ordered the blockade? No, he couldn't believe it. On top of everything else? He had no reason to, did he? Viktor looked over his shoulder at the flood lights and dividers, shutting off access to the City of Progress. Jayce had to know that doing such a thing would strangle the Undercity's already struggling system. He looked back to Jinx, brows furrowed with doubt. What if she was lying about it all? Clinging to that hope, he looked at her with a scowl, shaking his head. "There has to be a reason behind all this. I will find it out."

Her intense hatred of Jayce had become plainly evident by the fiery look in her eyes, and the growl in her voice. He knew Jayce's reputation in the Lanes wasn't the best, but to think that someone who had never met him could feel such boiling rage made him try to consider the reasoning. Had he truly been part of something that was harming his home rather than helping it? His head clouded with emotion and confusion.

Then she just let him go as if he would be set off to learn a lesson.

He furrowed his brow at her, backing away again. She could have just killed him then and there. No one in Piltover, except for perhaps the man she hated so much, would feel much over his loss. He took another step back, keeping his eyes on her as he did. "I...I will not let my home suffer. I will find a way to help them," he tried to offer, knowing it meant little coming from him. A deep pit grew in his gut, feeling like a traitor to his own people.

He turned, leaving for the bridge. When he began to approach the checkpoint half way across the Undercity side of the river, he saw the enforcers forcibly searching bags and coats. His hand nervously rested over the bag on his shoulder before a thought struck. He took the vial of shimmer from the bag and unscrewed the handle of his crutch. Slipping the vial inside of the compartment, he put the handle back on, hiding the shimmer inside of his crutch, where they were less likely to search.

When he got to the crossing, he was taken aside, recognized as a colleague of Jayce Talis and a member of the Academy. When Jayce had come to get him, he was furious. It was then that Viktor learned the truth. The blue haired girl hadn't been lying. Jayce had initiated the vote to remove Heimerdinger from the Council. He was the one to order the blockade. He had changed. Viktor could sense it in the way he carried himself, and it left him feeling a creeping worry for the future of their work, as well as their relationship.

He limped his way through the streets of Zaun, head hung low under a tattered hood. He held his destroyed stump of a hand to his chest, adjusting his shoulder bag with his remaining one.

It had been merely a week, and yet nothing was the same as before. His entire world had been shattered by not only the Hexcore's transformation of his leg and hand, but by the loss of Sky in the process. He had cost the world a life, and a bright and promising one at that. The shame of her loss weighed on him, and he kept her glasses and journal close from then on, like they were the last connections to her.

Jayce escalated the conflict with Zaun through his attack on Silco's factory, and had crafted weapons of war through Hextech. Viktor knew the signs of a burgeoning war, and knew that the only choice to avoid such a thing was Zaun's independence, which is what he convinced Jayce of. Of course, any attempt at peace was shattered the moment that explosion hit the Council room. The Council had been destroyed by the blast of an arcane explosive launched from Zaun, and most of the council members had been killed, including Mel Medarda and Cassandra Kiramman.

Jayce had survived the blast, as well as Viktor, but neither had come out unscathed. His left forearm had been mangled by arcane electrocution, and rendered his hand practically useless, painfully lingering despite its dying flesh. Not only that, but at the hospital, his augmentations had been discovered, and when Jayce asked him about it, he told the truth. He trusted that Jayce would understand, or at least be willing to help, and at first, it seemed as though he did. That was, until the Council had its say.

In response to the explosion, the fractured and weakened Council had made the rash decision to expel all Zaunites from high-ranking positions within the Academy. Jayce's vote was counted among the yays. Betrayed and broken, Viktor made his choice. He was going to leave with his work before anyone could stop him.

This time, when he tried to move the Hexcore, something happened to him. It connected more fully to his spirit, charging him with arcane energy, which then bonded to his body. Through his embrace of the Hexcore, he had become a mage, the arcane now coursing through him like life itself. When Jayce and his guards came to apprehend him for his break-in, he had just fixed the Hexcore to a staff. In a burst of what felt like a storm of energy, the three enforcers were killed, and Jayce was knocked unconscious, allowing him to escape to Zaun. As he tried to flee, he met several more waves of enforcers, each met with their own demise at the hands of either his magic or he Hexclaw, which he had modified to mount onto his back.

Absorbed in his new abilities, and hearing the Hexcore speaking within his mind, he wandered Zaun, unhoused and alone. Fatigue eventually wore him down, and he sat down in an empty square, below the statue of Vander. He held his staff at his side, illuminated by its glow. He felt...different. By now, he normally would have been heaving and coughing, but ever since bonding with the Hexcore, it was as though his body was beginning to regenerate through its energy, but he needed more power to further the process to his lungs.

He was silent, lost in thought and reflection. The Hexcore, now free of its casing and mounted atop his staff, rolled and tumbled within the claws holding it in place. Glowing golden eyes flicked to the side, focusing on a shadow he swore he saw move. Nothing was there. He sat up a little straighter, the Hexclaw investigatively turning in the direction he looked. Curiosity nagged enough for him to ask aloud, "Who is there...? Show yourself." His voice no longer sounded as it had before, now carrying a faint echo of magical presence.