Ferdinand was anxious, even frightened, as he and his men slowly descended further below Zaun. They'd been searching for Slane for days, until finally word had reached him that Slane might have been seen on the absolute lowest level, the last one traversable before you hit the Gray. What in blazes possessed that damned monster to go hang out there, he didn't know, but since they'd had no other leads, it had to be checked out. While he was starting to disagree with his brother's plans more and more often, he did concur that without Slane, they stood no chance against that fucker Martin and his blue-haired bitch.
He nervously touched the wand contained in his pocket. Though he was accompanied by over a dozen of his men, he knew full well that if it came to a fight, most of them would be useless. He had only three of the former bruisers from the Daymen with him, with the rest of his group made up of burglars, con men, and even one of the whores. In a fight, all of them would be completely useless, and that wasn't even considering the fact that if it came down to a fight, they'd be going up against a nigh-indestructible abomination. He just prayed the command sentence or the wand would still work. If the former didn't, he'd just fry the monster with the wand, gather up his personal fortune and leave for greener pastures somewhere. Fuck Zaun and Piltover. He heard Ixtal had some nice coast lines to retire near.
As they went lower and lower, the normal sounds and smells of Zaun disappeared. There had been mines this deep, once, but as the Gray's level rose inexorably, year after year, they'd been overrun and abandoned. As a result, the air was oddly non-toxic this deep. It didn't exactly smell fresh—no fresh air would ever come down here—but the lack of toxins from the mining operations did make it smell considerably better than it would half a dozen levels up, where the mines spilled their poisons straight into the streets and alleys of Zaun proper.
Similarly, there were no sounds down here. People never ventured this deep anymore, except for a few of the most stubborn Zaunites who swore that the Gray would never chase them from their homes—an idle boast if he'd ever heard one; once the Gray showed up at their doorstep, they would run away from complete destruction as fast as any other man. Decades of run-off and sludge from the mines had created a slurry so absolutely antithetical to life that it killed by mere touch. Other than Slane himself, nobody had ever survived contact with the Gray, and he started having doubts about Slane actually still being alive.
As if his thoughts had been spoken out loud, Torlan said from beside him, "It's so quiet down here. Too quiet. It's downright fucking eerie."
"An odd thought, coming from a thief," Ferdinand replied blandly. He wasn't particularly interested in conversation, but Torlan was his most valuable asset: A thief nearly as good as Martin had been. What little money their gang still brought in was mostly due to Torlan's skills at stealing valuables. For that alone, the man deserved his attention.
"True, but then, no thief would ever come down here. There's nothing left to steal."
Ferdinand grunted in agreement. Despite the fact that it had been abandoned out of fear of the Gray, none of that had ever stopped the looters. Anything with any kind of value at all had long since been stripped from these levels. Valves, screws, wheels, even entire pipes had been removed, leaving a barebones amalgamation of pipes that were too large to remove and iron walkways and handholds that were too heavy to carry out of here. It was as if the entire level was already dead, and it was just awaiting its final fate of being submerged by the Gray.
He wondered what Zaun would do, thirty, perhaps forty years from now, when the Gray would start encroaching on still populated levels. Would people still move further up? How long could they keep that up before all of Zaun would be swallowed? And if all of Zaun was swallowed, what would Piltover do? It was something he'd debated with his brother once, but Calvert had merely shrugged and said it was a worry for so far down the road it needn't concern either of them. He idly wondered if they could blow holes in the rock face and create drains into the deepest fissures, the ones that were never mined due to the sheer difficulty of getting ore out from that deep in the ground. If they'd be able to do that, it'd give them a respite from the Gray for hundreds of years, most likely. Until it would rise again, that Godsdamned slurry.
One of his scouts came running back up from the tunnel ahead, interrupting his thoughts. The man drew in a few deep gulps of breath as he came to a standstill right in front of him, evidence of how hard he'd run to bring whatever message he carried. Ferdinand found himself holding his breath.
After he'd recovered, the man spoke, "About five hundred yards ahead and down, there's a large group of people. Fifty, sixty of them, if I had to guess. They all appear to be dressed in grey robes, and they're sitting right at the edge of that miserable, goopy shit. It seemed weird; they weren't scared of it in any way, it looked like. They were just staring down into it. I thought it was worth mentioning."
"Any sign of Slane with them?" Ferdinand asked, feeling irritated that the news wasn't what he'd been expecting.
"No, but—"
"Then why bother me with this? We're looking for Slane, not for a group of idiots who gaze off into oblivion!"
"I was just going to get to that," the man said, wounded. "It looked like the Dayboss might have been among them."
"The Dayb... are you sure?" Ferdinand demanded.
"It was hard to see from my angle, and there wasn't exactly a whole lot of light, but it definitely looked like him. Same round face, same ruined mouth, same body type, though that was difficult to tell under the robe. He was ordering some of the others around. If I had to bet, I'd put my money on it being the Dayboss."
Ferdinand frowned as he tried to puzzle things out in his mind. He'd sent the Dayboss out to look for Slane probably over a week ago, and the man had been missing since. Well, missing was perhaps a strong word, as Ferdinand was just as glad to have that bastard out of his hair, but he'd not been seen since. Ferdinand figured the fool had gotten himself killed by Slane, most likely, or by the Champions. He didn't care enough to send someone out to find out. Good riddance, as far as he was concerned.
For the Dayboss to not just be alive, but to now be sitting here along with a group of imbeciles who were staring into the Gray, was absolutely absurd. For all the man's flaws, and he did have many, he wasn't someone who was given over to just sitting somewhere, wasting time. So if it was him, why was he here? He tried to come up with any kind of reason, but he just drew utter blanks. Finally, he made a decision. "Fuck it, show me where they're at. Maybe that fat fool can give us some kind of clue about Slane's whereabouts."
The scout nodded and quickly set off again, leading the way. Ferdinand motioned for his group of men to follow him, and all of them followed the scout even further and deeper into the depths below Zaun.
About ten minutes later, as they were approaching the location the scout had been talking about, Ferdinand motioned for Tolnar to join him.
"I want you to stay behind. Find a vantage point so you can see what's happening, but whatever happens, I need you to stay out of it," Ferdinand whispered, so as not to be overheard by any of the others.
"I can fight, you know," Tolnar objected, though he kept his voice low as well.
"I do, but you're too valuable to risk. You're just about the only one left who brings in any money. But I also need you to do something else..."
Tolnar listened to his instructions, then nodded and set off, presumably to go find himself a vantage point. Ferdinand let out a deep sigh, prayed sending Tolnar off would prove unnecessary, then motioned for his group to join him. They took one final staircase down, then entered into a large cavern-like area. Multiple giant pipes ended everywhere around the walkways and gantries, and he figured this was where the old run-off pipes ended, which would carry all the millions of gallons of rainwater away during the fiercest storms. These pipes were all that kept Zaun from drowning during the heaviest rainfalls of the season.
Where before there likely would have been a giant hole that went the Gods only knew how deep, now there was just the Gray. He shook his head at the thought of just how much toxic sludge was poured down here in order for the Gray to fill up whatever size of hole lay beneath it. Billions of gallons, most likely? He knew the mines and the factories produced a lot of toxic run-off, but that much? It seemed almost impossible.
"There they are," the scout said, pointing off into the distance. Even though it was very dark, with barely any light from above making it this far into the depths, the group of people was visible due to several standing torches that were gathered around them. Ferdinand pulled a small set of binoculars from a pouch and peered through it. As the scout had said, an easy fifty people, clad in grey robes, were sitting there, just staring off into the fucking Gray, doing absolutely nothing. Idiots.
As he gazed at them, his eyes fell on a rotund man, and he swore beneath his breath. It was the Dayboss all right—he'd recognize that fat bastard anywhere. He put his binoculars back into the pouch, then paused for a few brief moments while he debated his options. He had to admit that, despite the fact he couldn't stand him, he was mightily curious about what the Dayboss was doing. He knew he shouldn't give in to it. His brother had always said that his curiosity would be his undoing one day, but he had to know! How were you supposed to make plans without all available information? He motioned for his people to continue on, and they circled around the lake of the Gray and approached the group slowly.
They were about twenty yards away when they were spotted. One of the grey-robed men called out, and quickly all of them got to their feet, turning in Ferdinand's group's direction. The Dayboss calmed his compatriots down, then he stepped forward, walking over until he was close enough to see, after which his demeanor visibly brightened. "Nightboss! I'm glad you've joined us!" he said loudly, walking forward.
Ferdinand paused, hesitating as the Dayboss approached him. He had an eerie feeling about the whole thing. The Dayboss quickly neared, however, and before he knew what had happened, the fat idiot gave him a hug. With a snarl of distaste, he pushed the man away from him. "What the fuck are you doing here? I sent you out over a week ago to find Slane! Is this all you've been doing?!" he demanded.
The Dayboss simply smiled and spread his arms wide, with the loose grey robe drooping off of them. "Come, all of you. Let us get out of the dark. I will answer all your questions." Without waiting to see if they listened, he turned around and casually walked back towards the rest of his group, gathered together in the scant light of the few torches scattered around them.
Ferdinand brushed off the unsettling feeling in his gut and followed after. He heard the rest of his men come after him as well, closely behind. He supposed everyone felt unsettled with what was going on.
As soon as they'd all fully entered the light, the Dayboss turned around and spread his arms wide. "Welcome, welcome! We're glad you've all decided to join us!" The light of the torches flickered across his face, showcasing the mouth that had been ruined courtesy of Sevika so many months ago.
"Join you? We're not joining anything! We're here to find Slane. Do you remember Slane? The one I'd sent you to find? What the hell are you even doing here?" Ferdinand demanded, feeling his patience running thin. "Who are these people?"
"These are my brothers and sisters who have also received the Blessing. We... contemplate the Gray," the Dayboss said after thinking it over for a bit. "Its mysteries, its promises. The unending darkness it will soon bring to all. If you would be free of the burdens and the pain of your life, join us! There is peace and calm in the Gray. You are all more than welcome."
"He's fucking crazy!" Ferdinand heard someone mutter behind him. It was exactly what he'd been thinking himself.
"We're not going to join your group of... whatever you think you are," Ferdinand said harshly. "We need—"
"We're the Disciples of the Gray," the Dayboss interrupted him. "We will be elevated when it rises, soon. We will join it on its never-ending journey."
"Why do you keep talking as if it's sentient? It's nothing but a sea of toxic sludge, you imbecilic moron!" Ferdinand growled.
The Dayboss smiled. "You do not understand, not yet. But that's to be expected. None of us understood when we were first brought here, before we received the Blessing! We do not have the ability to explain the secrets the way he can. This is why we're only Disciples, and he is above us."
"He? He who? Who are you talking about?"
There was a loud, slurping sound, as if something stirred in the sea of sludge itself. The Dayboss turned towards the sound and fell to his knees, as if in reverence. "The Son of the Gray comes!" the idiot crowed as he raised his arms to the heavens. All the other disciples fell to their knees as well, joining him in gazing at the Gray as if in adulation. "He will grant you his Blessing! Behold his coming!"
Uneasy mutters were going up all amongst Ferdinand's group, and he felt fear claw its way into his gut. As he stared, mesmerized and terrorized at the same time, the Gray started rising slowly, a few feet away from what would be considered its shoreline. After several seconds a shape could be seen within the dripping waterfalls of sludge, and suddenly two bright pink eyes shone out from behind the rivulets. A head rose out of the goop, followed by the shape of a giant body. The shape began walking closer, rising further and further above the Gray as it did so. The goop oozed off of it, but as it got nearer the light, Ferdinand saw that its own skin was just as grey as the Gray itself. Once it was fully on the shore, it towered above everyone, an easy seven-and-a-half feet tall.
It had been a little while since he'd last seen Slane, but the face was still recognizable, even despite the goop slithering down alongside of it, and of course, he'd never forget the shudders of disgust the first time he'd laid eyes on that utterly destroyed body, with giant holes poked into it where the Gray had eaten chunks of his flesh.
"Be honored, mortals! The Son of the Gray has come among you!" the Dayboss shouted, as if he was a priest to the Gods proclaiming their wisdom on a town square somewhere.
So distracted was everyone by the sight of the grey-skinned abomination rising from the Gray as if he was strolling out of the ocean onto the beach, nobody had really noticed some of the Dayboss' minions had gotten up and moved in behind them. Once they realized it, cries of alarm went up, and several of his people drew weapons.
"Put down your weapons," Slane gurgled, his voice sounding like a rusted iron gate being forced open. It was physically unpleasant to listen to. "You are in the presence of the Gray! Show respect!"
"Fuck you, you sick bastard!" one of the Dayboss' men in Ferdinand's own group cried out. He whirled around and slashed with his knife at the disciple holding him. The man's chest got slashed open, and he yelled in pain, but before anything else could happen, Slane burst forward in a display of speed that should not be possible for something his size. His hand enveloped the knife-wielder's head, and the man screamed as remnants of the Gray oozed down onto him, sliding inside his ears and nose. He frantically slashed with his knife at Slane's hand, but he might as well have been trying to slash through a steel barrier for all the good it did. Several seconds later, the man began convulsing in obvious agony, with spasms tearing through his body every few seconds, continuously increasing in strength. He dropped the knife and screamed, over and over, until eventually he let out a final rattling and fell down to the ground, dead. A few seconds later, grey goo oozed out of his orifices again, slowly making its way across the ground until it rejoined the goop constantly undulating on Slane's body.
"He was unworthy. Who will be next to receive the Gray's Blessing?" Slane rasped, looking at the dead man with contempt.
"Fight!" Ferdinand yelled at his men even as he drew his own blade. "Free yourself!"
Several of his men were too scared to obey his command, but most of the others drew weapons too, after which they were beset by the unarmed disciples. A giant melee broke out, and despite the fact they were unarmed, the disciples fought with an almost unholy zeal, throwing themselves on knives and blades just for a chance to grab their foes and hold them until Slane came over and touched them, again enveloping them in grey goo. The same spectacle repeated over and over, with the victims shuddering in agony until they fell silent, dead, even as the Gray oozed out of them again. Sometimes the goop made its way back to Slane, but once it simply slithered back over to the sea of Gray itself, rejoining the larger mass.
His men were now in a panicked frenzy, trying desperately to escape. One of them, one of the other Daymen, managed to inflict a fatal wound on the disciple holding him, and he found himself with a sudden path to freedom. He ran off, as fast as his legs would carry him.
A rifle shot rang out from within the clearing, deafeningly loud. The fleeing Dayman fell over with a cry, collapsing mid-run as the bullet hit him right in his back, splattering blood all over. Ferdinand whirled his head around to see the Dayboss standing there, a smoking rifle held to his shoulder. "What the fuck are you doing? That was your own man!" Ferdinand yelled at him.
The Dayboss smiled at him again. "All those who are worthy will be made one with the Gray, and then all will be well. There will be no more pain or unhappiness. No more oppression by Piltover. We can all live within the Gray, like our Lord Slane, the Son. Free of all burdens."
"You bastard! You'll pay for this!" Ferdinand hissed. He slashed at one of the disciples trying to grab him, cutting the man's hand open deep down to the bone, after which the disciple hissed in pain, clutching his wounded palm to himself as he withdrew. Two more disciples ran over, and Ferdinand furiously hacked away at them, inflicting deep wounds, forcing them to back off. Momentarily unopposed, Ferdinand rushed over to where Slane was about to touch another one of his men, and he shouted at the monstrosity, "Sir, with all due respect, stand down! Do not touch that man!"
Slane froze upon hearing the command, and he let his hand drop down to his side. A whirl of elation tore through Ferdinand, and he let out a soft sigh of victory that drained all the tension from him. He was about to snatch victory from the jaws of death!
He stepped in front of Slane and coldly commanded, "Sir, with all due respect, have your men release mine. You will take your disciples and throw them into the Gray, where they wish to live so badly. Then you will come with me. I have need of you in our fight against Martin and Jinx."
Slane looked at his men who were still struggling against the armed gang members. Their numbers, as well as their complete and utter disregard for their own well-being allowed them to slowly get the upper hand, even though four of them were already lying dead. Slane watched the carnage for a few long moments, then said, "Sacrifice them all. The Gray hungers."
"What?!" Ferdinand yelled. "I told you to throw your own men into the Gray! Sir, with all due respect, throw the ones with grey robes into the lake!"
From a little ways off, a mocking laugh came. It took Ferdinand only an instant to realize it was the Dayboss. "Oh, Ferdinand, what a fool you are. Did you really think that would still work?" the fat toad asked curiously.
Ferdinand looked up at Slane, with a pit of ice suddenly forming in his stomach. The monster simply grinned at him, then said in a voice that was likely meant to be mocking, though it didn't really come out that way, "Your commands no longer work on me. The Gray removed the compulsion from my mind." He took a menacing step towards Ferdinand, who quickly stumbled backwards, suddenly more scared than he'd ever been before in his entire life. Why hadn't he just gone and left?!
Ferdinand reached into his pocket for the wand. There was no other option other than to fry the bastard and get the hell out of here. He pawed around for several seconds before it dawned on him that the wand was missing. He let out a truly scared gasp and frantically felt around, even going to far as to empty out his pockets.
"Looking for this?" The Dayboss laughed, as he mockingly held up the wand that Ferdinand was looking for. "You know, you did always underestimate my skills as a pickpocket! I could have led that group of misfits you call the Nightmen just as easily!"
"You piece of shit!" Ferdinand hissed. "Why are you doing this? Both of you, come back! Together we can rebuild the gang, take out the Champions, and rule Zaun!" All around him, the disciples had gotten the upper hand on his own men and had disarmed all of them, though it had come at the cost of six of their lives and a few more wounded.
"I no longer have any desire to rule Zaun," the Dayboss said. "Zaun is irrelevant now. The Gray is coming. Only by joining with the Son will we survive. What does it matter if you rule Zaun when the Gray washes over you and annihilates you and all those you command?"
"You're fucking insane!" Ferdinand screamed. "Listen to yourself! It's a sea of toxic waste product, the run-off from decades of dirty mining and dirty factories! It's not alive, you madman!"
"You're wrong," Slane intoned. "The Gray will bring relief to all. Sacrifice them."
Ferdinand's scream of rage was lost in the sound of his men wailing and crying in utter terror as they were pushed and dragged to the Gray by the remaining disciples. A few struggled heavily until Slane walked up to them and simply knocked them out with a single, devastating punch. Heads cracked under the force of those blows, and Slane simply picked up the fallen bodies and flung them into the middle of the Gray with a mighty heave.
It was only at the most basic level of comprehension, hidden deep underneath his terror, that Ferdinand was aware he was blubbering, begging for mercy, as one after another, his men were tossed into the Gray with loud shrieks. They all instantly sank beneath the goop, not to be seen again. There was no thrashing around, no frantic attempts to swim back to shore. People fell into the Gray and were just gone.
The entire thing was over in less than a minute, leaving Ferdinand standing alone, surrounded by disciples and faced by Slane and the Dayboss. The Dayboss stared up at Slane with adoration, then handed the monster the lightning wand. Slane took one look at the device, then casually threw it over his shoulder into the lake of goop.
"Do you wish to receive the Blessing?" Slane asked, holding up his hand as if it was some kind of benevolence he was offering.
"Go fuck yourself, you disgusting freak!" Ferdinand screamed at him. "My brother will destroy you, and all of Zaun will tremble at the memory of your fate for—" his threat was cut off as Slane simply grabbed his head and squeezed. The incredible force caused his voice to falter, and it was all he could do to whimper. For a brief second, he though Slane would just crush his skull to a pulp, but then he was flipped upside down. Slane grabbed him by his leg and dangled him up in the air.
The Dayboss grinned at him with derision. "Any last words, Ferdinand?"
The pain from his skull was too much, and it was all Ferdinand could do to keep from vomiting. Slane grabbed his other leg too, and suddenly his torment increased a thousandfold. Right before he passed out from it, in the midst of the loudest screams he'd ever bellowed, the realization came to Ferdinand that he was being torn in half. His last glance at the Dayboss showed that even that fat bastard winced at the sight of it.
*****
"Oh, Godsdammit!" Tolnar groaned as he looked away from the grissly sight below, where Slane was tearing the Nightboss in half. But even though he was no longer looking, he couldn't drown out the screams of agony from the man who used to be his boss and sometimes mentor. He leaned over and retched violently, while at the same time he was trying to push his ears straight back into his skull. Anything to drown out that horrible, horrible sound.
He threw up for what seemed a minute straight, then he sat back up. He'd been hidden in his vantage point, a walkway roughly ten meters above the cavern's grounds where the Gray lay and his comrades had been brutally sacrificed to it. He'd watched the whole thing, wanting nothing so much as to both go down there and try to save them, and also to run away and not have to see the whole thing. But the Nightboss had told him to observe, and then to report to his brother. All that was left to do now was to obey the man's final wish.
He threw one last peek over the covered railing behind which he'd been hiding, only to find himself staring deep into the eyes of that fucking grey monster that used to be Slane, who was standing amidst the entrails and bloody remnants of what used to be the Nightboss' body.
"There!" Slane roared, pointing straight at him! "Grab him and bring him to me!"
"Oh, shit!" Tolnar yelped. Without another thought, he shot to his feet and started running harder than he'd ever done before.
*****
As his group was walking towards yet another safe house, Martin was both elated and disappointed at the same time, which he had to admit was an odd feeling. He was elated because, with the help of Vi, the Champions had managed to take out and arrest nearly three dozen members of Slane's gang. Though there had been some resistance, by and large the people left in the gang were the ones who weren't there for their fighting abilities and most everything had proceeded smoothly. The few who did choose to fight soon found themselves on the receiving end of Vi's gauntlets, which rapidly put a damper on their enthusiasm for the whole idea. He didn't think the gang members would be permanently damaged, or at least he didn't hope so. The one Dayman's cough and rattle sounded pretty serious. Vi'd been pretty mad when she'd punched him, on account of him having called her a 'traitor whore'.
At the same time he was disappointed because they'd rolled into no fewer than nine of the gang's separate safe houses, and only twice had they found any of Slane's gang inside. He had to give it to the Nightboss; the man knew his spy-craft—scattering his forces to the wind to prevent this exact thing from happening was pretty smart. However, the Nightboss hadn't considered the fact that the Champions' intelligence gathering network had grown to such an extent that Martin knew about most, if not all, of Slane's safe houses. There were only a few left, the smaller ones, and he wasn't expecting to find many more of their forces there.
Which left him with a conundrum. It was possible the Nightboss still had safe houses that he wasn't aware of, housing a large number of forces, but it seemed a small chance. His people were damned good at ferreting out secrets, and they'd sworn up and down that they'd identified the large majority of all safe houses, and most definitely all the big ones, the ones most likely to contain the largest number of their forces. The other option was that he'd been drastically overestimating the size of Slane's gang or underestimating the amount of them that had been taken out over the past half year. He could account for all the ones that had been taken out by his own men pretty accurately, so that just left...
He sped up so he could catch up with Vi. She was walking about a hundred yards in front of the group, because Jinx didn't trust her behind her anywhere. He knew the younger sister was watching the older one like a hawk, constantly on the lookout for any sign of betrayal. He didn't think a betrayal would come, but he'd been around her enough to surmise that paranoia was one of the most common symptoms of Jinx's mental issues.
"Hey, Vi. How are you holding up?" he asked as he started walking alongside her.
She threw him a quick glance, then returned her gaze to the road in front of her. "Fine. Why?"
"Just wanted to make sure. I can't help but notice that you're a little tense. Is it because of... you know?" he said quietly, not wanting Jinx to overhear. She was a hundred yards back, but her hearing was phenomenally sharp.
Vi shrugged slightly, then she lowered her voice as well. "I'm also trying to keep us from getting jumped, but Jinx is probably the biggest part of it, yeah. It's not easy to feel her eyes boring holes into my back and knowing that she expects me to betray her at any time."
"I understand," he said sympathetically.
"Do you?" she asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.
He nodded firmly. "Yes. I think I understand things better than anyone, with the exception of you two, and even then perhaps I know more than either of you individually. I've heard your story and hers from both of you, and then again from Sevika." He saw Vi tense up at Sevika's name, but she didn't show any other reaction. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry this has happened to you. To both of you. I wish..." he hesitated as his voice trailed off.
"Wish what?" Vi pushed. Her face was alight with curiosity.
"That I'd gotten to know you both before all this happened. Before Silco. Before the horrible accident with your family. Or that I'd gotten to know a version of her where none of this had ever happened. Where she could have been the brilliant young woman she is, without her mind being constantly overrun by specters only she can see, and without voices that keep dragging her down into the mud over and over again, non-stop throughout the day." He tried to keep the wistful longing out of his voice, but he knew he'd likely not been very successful.
Her face turned disbelieving at first, then she got a look of wonder in her eyes. "Martin, do you... do you love her?"
He just let out a long breath through his nose, then shrugged noncommittally, though he couldn't help the little grin that curled the corner of his mouth.
"I see. I... I'm glad, really. That she has someone, I mean. Does she love you?"
He hesitated. How to answer that question? He finally decided to settle on the truth. "I don't really know. I guess we haven't really figured it out yet. And, of course, Lux is also in the picture—the two of them are most definitely in love."
"Wait... You and Lux?!" Vi gasped. She gazed over her shoulder back at the group, likely at Jinx. "Who knew my little sister would be so... adventurous?" she said. It was almost a giggle.
"Well, that's one word for it," he chuckled, and she grinned in reply. They both kept walking side by side, until Martin asked, "Hey, Vi, when Slane's gang attacked the Hexgate compound, do you know how many of them got arrested by the Enforcers?"
Vi's face grew pensive. "I think Caitlyn's squad, the one I was with, arrested a good seventy or eighty or so. Probably double that for what all the other squads did. Why?"
Martin felt himself at a loss for words as he gawped at her. "You... arrested a hundred and sixty people?" he finally stammered.
"I think so. Might be a few more or less. Why?" she repeated.
"It doesn't make any sense," he said, shaking his head. "Why would they allow so many of themselves to get arrested? The Nightboss is smart, he knows tactics. When he saw the tide turning against his men, he'd have ordered them to fall back. I thought you guys would have arrested like forty or fifty people or so." He quickly redid the math in his head, then started to smile. "That changes the entire thing. With over a gross of his men in prison, we've probably already got almost everyone off the street, barring maybe one or two dozen. That's not enough manpower to be any kind of real threat."
Hope blossomed on Vi's face. "Are you telling me the gangs in Zaun are finally ended?"
He couldn't help his happiness shining through in his voice. "Yeah! Slane's was the last one, since they'd taken over or murdered all the other ones. Well, I mean, the Champions are left, but I wouldn't really call us a gang in the traditional sense of the word."
"Right. So are we done then?"
He mulled that over. There likely wasn't much to left to achieve, but on the flipside, they were close to the next safe house, so there wasn't much point in not visiting it. Who knew if they could find another half dozen gang members to arrest? "We'll check one more, it's just up ahead about ten blocks, on Treegrave Road."
"Works for me," Vi said. The two of them walked on, both of them lost in their thoughts as they passed several more blocks. They were getting close to their destination and were passing through a busy street, when Vi turned towards him, her lip wobbling slightly. "How has she been? With the... with the mental stuff?" Her voice was barely audible above the street noise.
He sighed with regret. "I'm afraid it's getting worse. Her attacks have been getting more serious, and they're happening way more frequently than they used to. I thought I was able to help keep them at bay for her, but it seems I don't quite have the same influence on her anymore that I used to. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried."
"We have to get her help, Martin," Vi whispered fiercely, while her eyes blinked fiercely to try to clear out the tears that were beginning to form. "How long can her mind keep up like this? How long before she's just permanently damaged, and there's no going back, ever?"
"I know. My aunt said basically the same thing."
"Your aunt?" Vi blinked in confusion. "You mean Sarah? The one who works in Piltover General?"
"Yeah, but she works in the clinic here in Zaun now, for the time being. Jayce put out an arrest warrant for her and my mom, thinking they're involved in what I'm doing just because they're related to me. I guess in a way you could say we're giving her political asylum."
"I see. Is she involved in what you're doing?"
"Well... yes, a little bit, but Jayce doesn't know that," Martin said grimly. "He just wants to arrest my family to put pressure on me, so both she and my mom are in hiding."
"I'm sorry," Vi said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
He smiled wanly. "Thanks. In any case, after Caitlyn's collapse, Sarah has been studying mental illnesses a lot. She says she's probably the most knowledgeable doctor about them in both cities."
"And so even the most knowledgeable doctor says Pow... Jinx needs help?"
He nodded. "Yeah, she does. I talked to her about Jinx for hours, and she said she's very worried. She made it very clear she wants me to get Jinx to come talk to her. I just don't know how we're going to convince her to go do that..."
"Me either," Vi said sadly. She was quiet again for a little while as they walked on, passing through several busy Zaun streets. Martin waved and nodded hello to at least a dozen people during the way, and once even shook hands with an exuberant older man. A former miner, by the looks of his crooked frame, most likely caused by a spinal injury that Piltover's miserable employers refused to treat because that would have cost money.
"Popular, aren't you?" Vi asked teasingly as she watched the old man walk away. He almost holding his hand as if it was some sacred treasure.
Martin felt himself flush slightly. "I guess. People are appreciative of us. We bring peace to their streets, we keep Piltover at bay, we saved them from Slane's gang. It's good to see people have a sense of hope and optimism about the future again. It's one of the main reasons why I want us to get Hextech weaponry, so we can keep Piltover at bay indefinitely, or at least until such a time as we can get an actual treaty established."
"Do you really think, after all you've done, Jayce will ever sign a treaty with you? Or with Jinx?" Vi asked incredulously.
"Not with us, no, but hopefully he would with representatives from the Zaunite citizens themselves. Jinx and I will stand down if that comes to pass. All the Champions would."
Vi thought that over. "Hmm, I guess he might, but before he'd agree to such a meeting, he'd want you and Jinx handed over and thrown in Stillwater. Apparently that was the one thing he asked for back when he and Silco made a deal—Jinx in return for Zaun's independence." She frowned with worry at the thought.
"I swear I'll die before I let him have Jinx, but he can have me any time he wants to. If he offers Zaunite independence today, I'll be in his jail cells tonight if that's what it takes," Martin said determinedly. "I made the same offer during the gala, if you remember."
Vi stopped and stared at him for a long moment. "I thought you'd been bluffing! Would you really sacrifice yourself like that? Get yourself thrown into Stillwater?"
He nodded. "If that's what it takes. It's a small price to pay for Zaun's independence."
Vi shuddered as if she'd eaten something rancid, then she kept on walking before the group overtook the two of them. "If only you knew what a terrible price Stillwater is to pay... But why do you feel this way? You weren't born here; you didn't grow up here. Don't get me wrong, I love Zaun, but I don't... I don't know that I'd have it in me to sacrifice myself like that for it. At least definitely not until I knew Pow was safe, and not... not back to Stillwater. Not again. Why are you so convinced?"
Martin shrugged uncertainly. "I don't really know. After I was banished here, Zaun made me grow up. It taught me some very harsh lessons, and my life hasn't exactly been easy, but it made me into who I am today, and I think I turned out alright. I think if Zaun just gets a few good breaks and opportunities, this city could be a shining marvel. Besides, it's not as if I'd stay there. I'd break out after a few months or so."
Vi smiled bitterly. "I thought I could escape too. You have no idea what that place is like, Martin. They—"
Loud, running footsteps came from behind them, and Jinx suddenly muscled her way in between them, almost pushing Vi away. "What the hell have you two been schmoozing about for the last ten minutes?" she asked, a little suspiciously.
"About Zaun," Martin said quickly. "Just about how much I love this city, and how I want to give it better chances and opportunities, and how I'd sacrifice myself if I had to. So that no kids ever have to grow up like you two anymore."
"Hmmm," Jinx said, her eyes still betraying her lack of trust. After a few seconds, she turned to Vi and said, "Just keep your hands off of him!" Without being able to see her face, Martin wasn't sure if she was joking or not.
Vi looked shocked for a second, then she grinned slightly. "I wouldn't dare come between you two lovebirds!"
Jinx froze up. She threw a quick glance over at Martin, then she started to blush furiously.
Vi laughed as she winked. "I guess that settles that then, huh?" she teased, her eyes flitting between both of them.
Martin's blush was no less pronounced than Jinx's.
"There's my answer then. You two were talking about me!" Jinx said.
As she glared between the two of them, Martin saw her eyes darken, and he felt a sliver of fear in his gut. "Only in a general way, like with regards to the Champions and such, I promise," Martin said quickly. He felt bad about lying to her, but he had to head off a potential blowup.
"What is the... goal of lying?" the chorus of voices echoed in his mind.
"Not fucking now!" he hissed as he turned his face away from the girls, so as not to make them think he was yelling at them. He waited for a few moments to see if it would say anything else, but fortunately it seemed to have gotten the message.
He turned back to the girls to find Vi looking at him strangely, though Jinx seemed more intrigued than anything else. "Eh, sorry... just... thought I heard someone ask something. Don't pay any attention to it."
This caused both of them to crook their heads and give him a look so identical that there could never again be any doubt that they were sisters. He felt his heart almost crack at the sight of it. He desperately wanted to get Jinx to have a normal sibling relationship with her sister again, much like he'd had with Malea, if only because he thought it would be good for her and hopefully would help with her mental issues.
Before anyone could say anything else, however, a man suddenly ran right between the three of them, as if Fiddlesticks itself was chasing him, bumping into Vi and Jinx without stopping.
"Hey! Excuse you, you jackass!" Jinx called after him. Her hand strayed towards where Zapper was hung on her belt, though she didn't draw it, for which Martin was immensely grateful.
As he started after the running man, Martin thought he'd looked familiar. He glanced behind to see if anyone was giving chase, and he gasped in surprise when he saw a large group of men in grey robes, probably around thirty, running straight at them.
"Look out!" he yelled at the sisters, even as he grabbed Jinx's arm and pulled her out of the way before she got trampled. He wasn't able to reach Vi in time, however, before the grey mass slammed into them. Vi was pushed aside, but then she snarled in anger, slipped on one of her gauntlets and swung a furious punch at one of the grey-robed men, laying him out in a single blow. A few of them stopped and engaged her in battle, while the rest ran on.
Jinx pulled her arm loose from Martin's grasp and jumped into the fray. She grabbed one by his robe and furiously yanked him down to the ground. The man's neck snapped, and his skull hit the hard dirt of the road they were on with a fierce clunk, knocking him out instantly.
The grey robed men all came to a stop at the sight of their companions being attacked. Half the men split off to keep running after their quarry, while the rest rushed at Jinx and Vi, clearly intent on vengeance.
Martin sped up and knocked two of them out by clanging their heads together, while Vi uppercutted one with her gauntlet, instantly laying him out. Jinx, for her part, was being her brutally efficient self. She sped up in spurts, firing Zapper left and right, and her targets fell like sacks of potatoes from the incredible current coursing through them. The smell of burned flesh wafted off them, and Martin hoped they were still alive.
"Martin! Go after them! Find out what they want from that one guy!" Jinx yelled at him, even as she neatly sidestepped a grey-robed man's front kick and elbowed him hard in the side of his neck, practically snapping it.
He hesitated for a brief second. He didn't want to leave her alone, but before he could make a comment to that effect, another grey-robed man tried to attack Jinx from behind. Before the man could get close enough, a light beam exploded from further down the street, striking him dead center. He went down with a drawn-out scream as his flesh sizzled, even as Lux ran up to join the fray, followed by several of the other Champions.
Seeing she'd be perfectly fine, Martin set off in pursuit of the other group. He was about to speed up, when he heard Jinx shout behind him, "Go with him!" He looked back to see she was addressing Vi. Vi opened her mouth as if to protest, but Jinx held up her hand and motioned peremptorily. Vi clearly thought better of protesting, as she set off and joined Martin in a few seconds.
"I guess we're dismissed, huh?" He joked with her. Her grim scowl immediately showed him she was in no laughing mood about the whole matter. He first thought it might have been worry for her sister, but a few seconds later he realized Jinx had likely ordered Vi to leave because she didn't trust her. He sighed and set off after the other half of the group of unknown assailants, though he didn't speed up, so Vi could keep pace. As they ran, she pulled on her other gauntlet and did something to power them up to full level, if the small gauge on the sides of the gauntlets were anything to go by. The blue Hextech crackle that tore through them certainly seemed ominous enough.
They slowly gained ground as they made their way onto Treegrave Road, where they saw the grey-robed men milling about the entrance to a taylor's shop, trying to squeeze inside. It was slow going, since it appeared to be a small shop.
"Vi, take the ones down below!" he instructed, pointing at the six or so still outside the shop. Without waiting for an answer, he sped up and jumped, easily making his way up towards the tiny second-floor balcony.
He heard a commotion inside and tried the door, only to find it locked. He cursed and kicked with all his might, practically tearing the door straight off its hinges as it flew inside. He hurriedly followed after, instantly taking in the sight of a small apartment with rather sumptuous comforts for a place so small. His appreciation of the interior was quickly cut short, however, by the sight of the first man engaged in combat with three of his pursuers. Though he had a knife in his hand and was slicing with it in a way that seemed to indicate he knew what he was doing, they were driving him back, so more men could swarm the little room.
As cries of alarm went up outside, likely from Vi laying about her with her gauntlets, Martin sped up again and unleash a fearsome flying front kick on the man just coming up near the top of the stairs. The kick caught him completely by surprise, and the full force of Martin's strength sent the man flying back down, taking down several of his companions with him as they tumbled down the stairs in a clearly painful way, if their shouts were anything to go by.
He turned around and almost snorted as he blocked a pathetic effort at a punch, then struck out with one of his own, almost shattering the man's cheek bone. He went down without a further sound, and Martin grabbed another one by the neck of his robe, yanking him down similar to the way he'd seen Jinx do it earlier.
His move wasn't quite as smooth as hers, and his victim didn't immediately knock himself out when his head conked on the floor, but a swift follow-up stomp to the man's face did the trick anyway.
The final member of the grey robes who was still upstairs seemed to realize he was now in a quandary, as he quickly moved with his back against the wall, holding up a small table to protect himself from being rushed. The man with the knife let out a contemptuous sigh, flipped the knife over in his hand, then threw it with startling accuracy, sinking it deep into the grey-robed man's throat. The victim gurgled and gasped several times as he tried to take the knife out, but as soon as he finally did, blood began pouring out of him at a ferocious rate. He stumbled to the ground where he didn't take but another minute or so to bleed out and die, courtesy of his carotid artery having been severed.
Martin had already whirled back to the staircase, going down and meeting several of the grey-robed men head on. He both saw and heard Vi absolutely thrashing several more, and the few who were left were soon caught between two far-better warriors than them, and the fight ended a mere ten seconds later.
"You okay?" he asked Vi. She'd quickly taken a gauntlet off as soon as her final opponent went down, and she was rubbing her cheek tenderly.
"Yeah. Caught a sneaky punch from one of the bastards, but I'll be fine. How's your man upstairs?"
"Good when I left him, " Martin said. He turned around and took the stairs four at a time, whirling back into the luxury little room where fortunately the knife wielder hadn't fled again. The man was slumped against the wall, gasping for air. He was a slender individual, with unruly dark hair and a sharp, angular face with piercing, dark eyes.
As he looked closer, Martin was quick to notice that his earlier assessment had been accurate. He did know him. "Tolnar?" he asked.
Tolnar looked up at him and smiled. "Martin. Normally I'd be pissed at you because of what you've done to my gang, but honestly, right now I don't think there was anyone in the entire Godscursed cities I'd rather have seen."
"Come on, Tolnar, Slane's gang was getting out of hand, you know that," Martin said, a bit defensively. He'd worked with Tolnar several times, and he'd always kind of liked the man, even if he had been a bit stoic and never spoke much about anything except work.
Tolnar shrugged. "Be that as it may, I had a pretty good job working for the Nightboss. I had riches, all the food, drugs and women I could want, a good place to stay. Life was good."
"Well, I'm sorry for your loss," Martin said scathingly. "The gang had to go. For what it's worth, I offered the Nightboss the opportunity to stop working with Slane, and I would have left him and all the other Nightmen alone, as long as you swore to only steal from Pilties or the ultra-rich Zaunites. The Champions would not have bothered you."
"Really? What'd he say to that?"
"He set me up and tried to have Slane kill me."
Tolnar chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like him. He never much liked the idea of someone else dictating terms to him. Heh. Water under the bridge now, I guess."
"Who are these guys?" Martin asked, prodding one of the unconscious bodies with his toes.
"Fuckers call themselves 'the Disciples of the Gray'. They're with Slane all the way down under Zaun, right where that lake of gray shit is. They worship it like it's some form of God or something, I don't know. Anyone, they seemed to imply that they are the ones who got his Blessing and lived. The Dayboss is down there too."
"You saw Slane?" Martin asked quickly, insistently.
"Yeah, down by the lake. Big bastard just walks in and out of that shit like it's a fresh tub of bathwater from some fancy Piltie noble's house. Scariest thing you've ever seen. He touches people, and the stuff oozes out of him, and just kills them from the inside, then he calls it a Godsdamned blessing!"
"You need to take us down there. We have to kill him before he kills any more people!"
Tolnar's eyes widened in fear. "Down there? Fuck that and fuck you! I'm not going back down there! I barely escaped with my life as it is! I ran through half of Zaun being chased by these bastards, knowing that if they caught me, they were going to drag me back down there and likely chuck me in the Gray like they did with the others."
Vi had come up the stairs as Martin asked, "What others? What were doing you down there anyway?"
"The Nightboss was on a mission to find Slane, and since most of the bruisers and such are in Piltie jail, he took a bunch of the Nightmen along with him. He also took poor Nyna. Girl had never so much as slapped anyone in her life, then she had to defend herself against these fucking fanatics."
Martin remembered Nyna. She'd been a quiet girl, one of those poor ones who were forced into the life of prostitution because it was the only way to keep themselves and their family alive. He believed she had a little daughter. He'd always quite liked Nyna. "What happened to her?"
"They tossed her in the fucking Gray, man!" Tolnar said, his composure was starting to crack and his lip began to wobble. "Slane kept yammering on about this Blessing of his, which was him touching people and the Gray then oozing off of him and killing them. When he'd touched about half a dozen people that way, I guess he got bored with it. He ordered the rest thrown in because the Gray was hungry, or some shit like that!"
"Everyone? You mean, including the Nightboss?"
"No. The Nightboss got a special treatment at the hands of that Godscursed monster. Slane held him upside down, then he tore him in half. The screams... fuck, his screams... I can still hear them," Tolnar said, a sob escaping from his lips. He looked at Martin with pleading eyes. "Please. Please don't make me go back. I can't face that again, just... everyone was so fucking scared! Their cries for mercy as they were thrown into that filthy sludge... it..." Tolnar lowered his head, and his sobs turned into full-on crying.
"Hey, it's okay," Vi said, kneeling down beside him and pulling him close in an effort to comfort him. "We won't make you go down there. It's alright."
Tolnar clutched against Vi for a few minutes as he slowly let his grief work itself out. When he was finally done, he smiled at her. "I remember you. Vi, right? Daughter of Vander? I used to work for Vander, before... well... before your family was lost."
Vi nodded and smiled quite charmingly. "I know. I recognized you the moment I came up here. I think you may have even babysat me and my sister in the Last Drop one time."
"Huh..." Tolnar chuckled as he sniffed loudly. "I think you may be right." He returned his gaze to Martin and said, "I don't want to go back there, Martin. Please don't make me."
"We won't," Martin assured him. "How did you get away though? Not that I'm not glad that you did!" he added quickly.
"I was up above everyone, in a vantage point on a walkway. The Nightboss had told me to sneak away and just watch, and if something went wrong to come here."
"Here? What, you mean here here?" Martin asked, pointing at the small apartment.
"Yeah. The apartment above the taylor on Treegrave Road."
"What were you supposed to do here?"
"Tell the Nightboss' brother what had happened."
"His brother? I didn't know he had a brother," Martin said, though he supposed it wasn't that big a surprise. The man had a family, after all. "Why specifically his brother, though? Why not his wife, or...?"
Tolnar frowned. "His brother is the one who is in charge of the gang. He and Ferdinand, the Nightboss, ruled it together."
"What?" Martin asked, suddenly feeling himself getting lost. "Slane is in charge of the gang. Or was, anyway, until he turned into whatever he is now."
Tolnar firmly shook his head. "No. Slane was just the front. The puppet whose strings they both pulled. They were the ones making all the decisions."
"Son of a bitch," Martin swore softly. "All this time, and I never knew."
"Don't feel bad. I doubt anyone in the gang really knew. Maybe the Dayboss, but that would have been it."
"How did you find out then?"
Tolnar's mouth turned into a self-congratulatory smirk. "I'm good at being in the shadows, and I was always curious what Ferdinand got up to. I listened to the two of them talk from time to time."
Martin grinned at him. "Good job. Do you know who this brother is?"
"No. I never saw his face. He called him 'Ver' a couple of times, though."
Martin felt a cold chill pull through him. Ver? Veral? It seemed like a crazy long shot, but still...? "Thanks for the information, Tolnar."
"Are you going to arrest me?"
"No. You've been more than helpful. If you limit yourself to just stealing from some rich Pilties or former Chem Baron, you can even continue your burglaries if you want. When were you supposed to meet Ferdinand's brother here?"
Tolnar shook his head and threw up his hands. "Beats me. I guess I was supposed to just hang out here and wait for him to show up." He looked around at the luxuriously appointed little apartment. "There are worse places to hang out, I suppose."
Martin thought it over for a few moments, then said, "Okay, I'm gonna need a favor from you. I want you to stay here and wait for this brother to show up. Tell him what happened, don't lie or anything. Just tell him the truth. Then let me know what he says or does."
"What if he tries to kill me?"
"Then you stab him with a knife or something and get the hell out. You know how this works."
"Alright. Do I come to you in the Last Drop after?"
"Yeah. I need one more thing though. Directions to where Slane is."
"Don't go," Tolnar said seriously. "I like you, both of you. I don't want what happened to the Nightboss and the others to happen to you. You can't fight him. His mere touch is death!"
"We'll have to take our chances. Just tell me."
"No, I'm not going to. And that's a big lake, you could walk around there for days to try to find him."
"Tolnar..."
"No, Martin, I mean it. I don't want more people to die to that fucking grey bastard or that filthy goop he wallows in like he's a sow in heat. I'm not giving you directions! I'll help you with the brother and that's it!"
"Dammit!" Martin hissed under his breath as he turned around in anger. He knew the Slane problem would eventually become so big he'd have no choice but to handle it, but now it seemed he may have waited too long. Though he was worried, he'd still go face Slane if he had to, but, nor the lives of his men. But without backup, he knew he'd be helpless against Slane. His strength had increased massively since the last time they fought, and he'd put his speed up against Slane's own strength any day, but if his mere touch now killed...
"... Get closer to them," the voices echoed in his skull again.
"Them? Them who? The guys in grey robes?" Martin asked. Both Vi and Tolnar looked at him as if he was crazy, but he just waved them off. He didn't have the time to explain.
"... Yes," the voices agreed. "... Touch them."
A bit apprehensively, Martin knelt down besides one of the men he'd knocked out and touched them as the voices had instructed. He felt a weird tingle in his hand, and it was almost as if something passed from the unconscious body into the tip of his fingers. On a whim, he rolled the man over, and he drew in a sharp breath as the face came into view.
"So what was the point of that?" he asked the voices as he got back up, again waving off Tolnar and Vi to show that he wasn't talking to them.
"... Identification. They have... source."
"Source? What source?"
"... Like you."
"What? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he said, feeling himself getting angry. As if it wasn't bad enough that he had these stupid voices in his head, but they had to be so damn mystical and enigmatic too? Why couldn't he just get a straight answer?!
"Martin?" Vi asked as she gently touched his arm. "Are you okay? You're acting really strange."
"Yeah, I'm fine, I..." he sighed. "I know what this looks like, how weird it must seem. I... I hear these voices, echoing in my head, and they... talk about these weird things. They're slowly starting to become more understandable, so maybe someday soon they can actually tell me what the hell they are and what they want."
"You're... hearing voices?" Vi asked a little trepedatiously. She took a step back, perhaps almost without being aware that she did it.
"I know what you're thinking, Vi, and it's not like Jinx. At least, I don't think it is. These don't lecture me, or berate me, and I don't see things with it. It just... I don't know. Once I figure it out, I'll let you know, okay?"
She seemed anything but okay, but she slumped a little and said, "Sure." She probably couldn't believe her luck that she'd run into another weirdo, just like her sister.
"Look, Vi, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. This might have gone a lot worse if you hadn't been here. I don't think we'll need your help anymore for now, so... if you can just tell me where that other supply of Hextech weapons is, we'll call it good."
"You don't want me to ask Cait to come down here and help investigate?"
"There's no need anymore. I know who's been taking all the people that have gone missing. It's Slane."
Vi's eyes scrunched together, and she gave him a puzzled look. "How did you figure that out?"
He pointed to the man in the grey robe he'd just touched. "Because that's one of the men who's been missing. I'll bet you ten Hexes that if I go through the rest of them, I'm going to find quite a few more from that missing list."
"Huh," Vi said. "So why is he... what... I don't get it."
"Me neither. But I think I better get to the bottom of this before it goes any further. Maybe he found some way to brainwash these people or something. In any case, this just doubles my need for Hextech weaponry, Vi, so please tell me where it is."
She gave him a pensive look as she thought it over. "Do you swear not to attack Piltover with them?"
"Yes. I promise."
"And other than this one raid, you won't take any other action against Piltover? You won't escalate things further from your end?"
He just nodded, a little impatiently.
She let out a deep breath, then said, "There's a new Hextech shop, run by the Ferros family. It's either just opened or it will soon. They will be receiving shipments of Hextech weapons to sell to the nobles."
Martin smiled. "Well shit, I could have guessed that and saved myself all this hassle. I talked to the owner of that place back when he was still getting his shop set up, and I'd already decided then to go pay the place a visit."
"Well, sucks to be you then, but you promised me, and you can't take it back!" she said, raising a warning finger. It was a little more ominous because of the fact she was still wearing her gauntlet.
"Don't worry. I'll keep my promise."
"Good. Good. When are you planning on attacking it?"
"Uh... I don't know yet. When we can get our people in position, and after we've scouted it out, most likely. Why?"
"Because I want to go with you," she said firmly.
"You... want to go with us to attack a Piltie store?" he asked incredulously. "Do you not trust me?"
She waved that off. "That's not it, Martin. I trust you just fine. I just... I just want to be close to my sister and... who knows, maybe I can be of some help."
"Jayce is going to go apeshit if he finds out you've been helping us. He might take that out on Caitlyn."
"He could sure as fuck try. I'm just worried about something happening, and... I dunno, I just want to help you guys. You've done so much for Zaun, and I agree with you that having these weapons would allow you to continue the stalemate against the Council. I'm also scared of you and Jinx having to go up against Slane without them. Please let me know when you plan on facing him, because I want to be there. I can probably even convince Cait to come along," Vi said earnestly.
He smiled at her for a moment, then he wrapped her in a huge hug and crushed her against him. "Thank you, Vi," he said. "I appreciate all you're doing for us."
She rested her head against his shoulder and returned the hug. "If you really want to thank me, help me get Jinx to Sona in Ionia. Help me make her better. I know you want to make her better just as badly as I do."
He was quiet for a long time as he thought it over. "I'll think about it, okay?" he said.
*****
Outside the little apartment above the taylor on Treegrave Road, Jinx stood on the balcony, with her back against the wall, just peeking inside. She and Lux had mopped up the rest of those grey-robed idiots quickly and efficiently, but then as they'd set off after Martin and her sister, she realized she had no clue where they'd gone. It had taken them several minutes of asking around before they found the little shop. On a hunch, she'd jumped up onto the balcony, and she'd been listening in on the conversation for several minutes.
Like Vi, she'd been worried when Martin talked about his voices. They really didn't seem much the same as hers. She also shared their worry over Slane, though she was making plans of her own to deal with that Gray-possessed bastard. The only time she'd ever fired Fishbones for real was when he was powered by a single gemstone, and in testing she'd quickly found that adding more gemstones to him didn't work, as it just overloaded the weapon. But what if she added gems to the rocket itself, that wouldn't explode until it hit its target, in the same way the gems in her shield didn't explode until it overloaded? She'd bet if she fired a rocket with two dozen gems in it, that fuckin' bastard wouldn't survive that.
Even so, she felt pleased when Vi revealed the location of the Hextech weaponry, but then things rapidly started going downhill. Her fists were clenched as she watched Martin and Vi hug, and she heard Vi ask him to help take her to Ionia, to this Sona woman. The silence between them got her all fidgety.
"He's going to betray you, just like I always said he would!" Critical voice said, sitting on the balcony beside her.
She bit her tongue and didn't look at him. She wasn't even aware she was holding her breath until she began to see stars in front of her eyes, then she drew in a sharp, deep gulp of air, right as Martin said he'd think about it.
She glanced over at Critical voice—at fuckin' Mylo—who just sat there, smirking. Like he always did, with those beady fuckin' eyes of his. "Told you, you dumb wench," he sniggered.
Before she could do or say anything else, Lux called from below, "Jinx, are you okay?"
She quickly jumped off the balcony, absorbing the fall easily, then she walked back over to Blondie, grabbed her arm, and led her away from the shop. "Yeah, Blondie, I'm fine," she said curtly.
"Are we not waiting on Martin and Vi?"
Jinx scowled at the shop behind her. "No. No, we're not."
The sight of fuckin' Critical voice laughing his ass off on the balcony only made her even more pissed off.
To be concluded in book 3, Jinx Unchained. It can be found here!
https://www.wattpad.com/1296204093-jinx-unchained-chapter-one