"Silco!" Vander growled as they approached the entrahe once abandoned seafood factory was now a Shimmer chemical factory. The factory doors were wide open- revealing the abominable creations behind it. Vats of purple liquid, chemicals glowing and dripping into gss vials, and stockpiles in crates ready for distribution.
Silco walked out with over two dozen thugs, each armed and standing in formation behind him. Among them was Sevika, wielding a rge, jagged bde. She had once been Vander's most trusted- a bouncer and enforcer when he fought for a better Uy. She had believed in his vision for ge.
But Sevika was one of the many patrons who walked out of Vander's bar after their disdain for his weakness. Now, she snarled, her grip tightening on the bde.
"Why? Sevika?" Vander asked, voice ced with hurt. His expression darkened as he frowned.
Sevika spat on the grouween them, "You'll turn your ba us. I saw it then, and you're proving it now!"
That was all Vander o piece it together, despite Silco's andiure to silence her.
"Orion's not dead, is he?" Vander's sharp gaze locked onto Silco, who gave a subtle nod. Visible relief passed through Vander, his shoulders easing slightly.
Vander dropped one of his gaus with a loud g, extending a hand toward Silco. "Silco, we end this. Now. Before more people die!"
"Unbelievable," Silco's cold tos through the tension. He sneered, words uo hold all of the disgust within him. "Is that all it takes? A glimpse of hope and you're begging for peace?"
Sevika snarled, stepping forward. "Silcht. This is pathetic. How long should we cower, Vander?! We have the ons to beat them now!"
Benzo, silently the factory's tents behind them, shifted with growing unease. "What is all of this?"
"Shimmer," Silco said, pride staining his words. He paced slowly between his men, firag his corrupted skin with a dark smile. "Topsiders see us as filth. Mohey'd rather erase. But there's a monster in all of us, Vander. Evehe difference? We've stopped pretending we be anything else."
"You're wrong Silco. Look at Orion- he's proof we don't have to be monsters!" Vander argued, his jaw tightening as desperatio into his voice. "He's risked his life not just for us, or the kids- but for everyone! And people listened. His as sent a message to the topsiders and all of Piltover. We be better than this!"
Silco tio pace, his crimson eye resting on Vander. ption crossed his face as he briefly looked down before back again. His voice softened, almost pitying.
"You're wrong again, old friend."
"His as were never driven by heroism. They were for survival. I won't deny it- his selfless act for those kids made me reflect." Silodded slightly, his voice twisting upward with uling positivity. Even Sevika raised an eyebrow, gng toward him with subtle fusion.
"But look at where it nded him."
"The cil knew he was i, yet were going to sentence him regardless. It was me who saved him. "Silco's eyes narrowed, venom dripping into his voice. "Where were you? Tell me, Vander, did you climb topside oo search for him? Or were you too busy hiding behind your precious peace?"
Vander's head dropped, saying nothing. He knew he had failed in that regard, shaking his head. Still, Vander's tone carried firm resolve. "I couldn't leave immediately. The situation o be restrained and we o stick together. More than one kid could've died if-"
"Drop the ! You aow because your brats were hurt!" Silarled, rage twisting his face as spittle flew out. "Be damhe others of Zaun, so long as your kids were safe?!"
"I would've saved Orion if given time!" Vander shouted, veins bulging in his forehead. "You're twisting this- you just want to tear everything down for power! "
Silco's hands curled into fists, his expression uo taihing he felt. Exhaling sharply, he briefly closed his eyes. When they snapped open, he spoke in ominous, whispered tones.
"Restraint? Power?" Silco spat, turning his head to Sevika and nodding once. Smirking, Sevika strode bato the factory, pulling three vials of shimmer from a crate.
Her gaze, filled with grim determination, shifted toward the shadows. From the darkness, Deckard and his friends emerged. They looked weak and pale, stumbling out with pained groans as one vomited purple liquid.
"You waraint, Vander? Let's see how restraint holds up against true power."
Deckard and the kids cwed desperately at the vials of shimmer Sevika offered, their eyes gssy with desperation and madness.
The moment the liquid touched their toheir bodies began to twist and trotesquely, muscles bulging as they swelled unnaturally. Eerie, sickly cries echoed from their throats, their bodies now t and deformed.
Chills rippled through Vander's group as they instinctively stepped ba fear. A dozen people on his side ched their ons tightly, adrenaline beginning te through their veins.
"Silo! What are you doing?!" Vander bellowed, his eyes worriedly dartiween the monstrous figures. His hand slid bato his gau, fists raised in a defeance.
Benzo's eyes widened in hripping his baton tightly. "What in the bloody-!"
With a casual wave of his hand, Silco whispered, "Teag the cost of restraint."
The deformed creatures, once kids but now overtaken by shimmered, released guttural screams and charged.
Heavy, bone-breaking impacts followed by cries of pain and the siing sound of gurgled screams echoed into the night.
Then silence- an unnatural, bone-chilling silence, broken only by the faint echoes of turmoil drifting from the bridge.
----------------------
//Gang PoV//
"What...happened here?"
From an alley, the gang stared out toward the front of the factory with horrified expressions.
Cggor and Mylo restrained Ekko, who had spotted Benzo's lifeless corpse sprawled out across the dirt. He desperately cwed toward him, tears streaming down his face between muffled cries. The two boys looked away, uo bear the sight themselves.
Vi's gaze shifted amongst over a dozen dead corpses, lingering ohree hideous monstrosities lying motionlessly among them. Fear gripped her chest, freezing her iil Powder's voice broke her trance.
"Where's Vander? I don't see him..." Powder whispered, clutg Vi's waist tightly as her gaze darted around with a brave, worried look, overing the gore.
Vi's eyes widened with realization, looking from Powder back to the age.
"You're right, he's not there!" Vi excimed, her voice growing frantic as her gaze followed a glinting blood trail leading behind closed iron gates. "If he's still here... he may be inside! Vander might be hurt!"
Croug down, she gently held Powder's face. "Powder, stay here with Ekko. We'll be back!"
"What? But Vaold us to stick together! You said it yourself!" Powder protested, her shoulders tensing as she the sting of hurt and mistrust pierced her feelings.
Vi's voice cracked, "I know what I said! Just- please. I 't lose you too." Tears dripped from her face as she pressed her forehead against her sister's. "Please. Five minutes. If we don't find him... or if he's-" Vi trailed off, eyes closed as she prayed the thought wasn't true.
Cggor, who had mustered the resolve to look back, poi the roof. "There. We make our and in through those missing panels. We may be able to spot Vander without jumping in."
"Yeah," Mylo nodded, still eyeing the monstrous corpses nervously. "We don't know what those things are... jumping in could be-"
"If Vander's alive, I'm going!" Vi shot back with an fiery gre. "Stay if you want, stay. But I'm going." Without another word, she strode toward a pipe along the side of the factory to start her climb.
Cggor and Mylo exged uneasy gnces before quickly following after her, leaving Powder to colpse beside Ekko, tears pooling in her eyes with the ache of betrayal.
"We're supposed to stick together! Violet!" Powder sobbed but obeyed her sister's request.
Ekko had also colpsed to the cold pavement, draiionally. He g to Powder from behind, g openly as his haunted gaze remained locked on Benzo's corpse.
----------------------
//Orion PoV//
Orion groaned and clutched his head, sitting up slowly from the metal table. Peeking out carefully, wary of a sudden migraine, he looked down at himself.
His body was skeletal, devoid of any fat and with minimal muscle, most of it ed from the overuse of his healing magic.
If it was any other form of magic, he would've just been in pain, his body torn up, or exhausted. But this magic- this magic was far dangerous when overused.
Still, his wounds had healed, leaving behind fresh sharp scars of skin that seemed pulled together like tightly closed curtains.
Blinking, Orion noticed two unfamiliar patches on his torso. Fetting the pain in his head, he snapped his gaze upward, searg the dimly lit room for Singed. He spotted him w diligently over a dish and magnifying gss.
"Damn it Singed! Ask first!" Orion snapped.
Singed didn't bother to look up, too engrossed and fasated in his study of the sample.
"Food's oable," Singed muttered ftly, not even sparing a gnce back.
The food was just within reach after Orion shifted unfortably toward the edge of the table. It didn't taste good, but he was starving could ighe taste. The dull ache in his stomach slowly subsided, though it wasn't gone pletely.
"Where is everyone?" Orion asked, setting the empty bowl aside. He was still starving, looking around for more food as his stomach growled.
Singed hummed with satisfa, barely aowledging Orion's question as he took the dish over to vials taining Shimmer, still refusing to meet his gaze. "Dealing with unwanted guests," he muttered dismissively.
"Unwanted-" Orion frown deepened. His eyes shot open as realization struck him, his voice breaking. "No... No, fuck!"
Orion scrambled from the metal table, legs shaking as they struggled to hold his frail frame. "Clothes!"
"Oable," Singed finally gnced up, disapproval etched into his face. "I would not advise you to go up there in your current dition."
But Orion was already moving, ign him as he forced himself to take fast, shaky steps toward the exit.
'No gun, no Hexfshes, nothing! The worst possible oute!' His mind raced in panic. 'Damn it. Nothing's w out! At the very least, I 't get caught up in the explosion!'
Orion gnced back. Singed was watg him with amusement, chug softly.
'Fuck him.' Orion thought and scowled.
The sound echoed through the walls as he staggered up the stairs and into the dim corridors above. Orion raised his hand, moonlight rays scattered across his vision, temporarily blinding him before his eyes could adjust.
Vats of shimmer. Crates. onry. The entire factory was a fortress of war.
A desperate voice, sharp with pain and panic, cut through the air from above, making his head throb.
"Vi, e o's get out of here!"
"Stop them!" Silco's voice, filled with rage, shouted out directly above him.
His heart dropped.
Orion's gaze shot upward, the door he emerged from was directly beh the walkway on which Vander, Vi, and Silco's thugs were destio fight. Vi's cries echoed from the side farther away from him.
Suddenly, a glint caught his eye- a brilliant, light blue ball shimmered through the air toward the bridge. His heart dropped as realizatio in. "You've got to be kidding me..."
With no other choice, he eled magic to fortify himself, focused on resilieher than raising a shield. The side of the bridge shattered, sending shards of metal flying- thankfully riking him this time as the explosion rocked the warehouse.
Panting, Orion colpsed to one knee, his vision blurring and body trembling. Even this minor use of defensive magic, which wouldn't have saved him anyway, left him on the brink of exhaustion. It was instinctive, but iive due to his body's dition.
"Ah, fuck...' Orion thought, sweat dripping from his forehead. 'This isn't the same... Something ged!'
Orion's eyes shifted toward the window, watg in agonizing slow motion as two pairs of i eyes shifted from wide curiosity aement to horror.
A new glint caught his attention, shifting his gaze higher. His heart plummeted as icy dread washed over him- sharp, sudden, and paralyzing.
"Fuck!" Orion cursed loudly, raising a shaky hand as he tried to el defensive magiother unstable Hextech crystal was arg straight toward him, burning brighter with every sed.
----------------------
//Vi's PoV//
"There he is," Vi whispered, not b to look as she leapt in onto the metal walkway above ground floor.
"Vi, wait!"
"Hold on! Not again..."
Cggor and Mylo exged worried gnces, both aowledging Vi's recklessness. Still, they couldn't let her go in alohey were a team- so they jumped in after her, the nding eg with a soft, sharp 'g' oal grating.
Vi sed ahead, then across the bridge through the gaps of the railings. No one. Only Vander, slumped, and strapped to a chair. His face urple and bruised, blood soaking into his shirt.
As they reached the er, Vi raised her fist, signaling them to halt as her instincts finally caught up. She strained her eyes but still couldn't spot anyone.
Her gaze flickered uneasily to the strange, glowing purple vats of chemicals and scattered onry.
"Did they use moo kill everyone?" Mylo whispered nervously behind her.
"Looks like it," Cggor nodded, his shaky breath sending a chill up Vi's spine. "Do you think they ran for help? There were... a lot of dead bodies outside."
Vi gnced back at them. They still were beyond the bridge from Vander's position. Both of them were on edge and tense, fling with just Vi's gnce.
"It feels that way, doesn't it?" Vi whispered, uainty creeping in. "Why else would they leave Vander here alone..."
The three of them exged gnces, nodding silently o time before moving.
They crossed the bridge hastily, Mylo stumbling oh a frightened whimper. Vi and Cggor both paused, waiting for him to catch back up before entering Vander's iron room.
"Vi?" Vander groaned, his head lifting weakly. His gaze shifted between them, pained. "How did you get in here? There are guards everywhere!"
Vi's gaze so Mylo, pointing at Vander's restraints. Despite trembling, Mylo's expression hardened as he pulled out his lockpicks and rushed forward.
"It was easy," Vi said with forced fidence. "We just found an open window and..."
Her voice trailed off as realization struck her. She and Vander locked eyes as they both uood the trap. "Vi, you have to get out of here before-"
"Wele!" An ominous voice echoed with a slow cp.
Silerged from the shadows, a dozen bloodied thugs following behind, some bearing injuries from the earlier fight. Vi could see their ons were coated with dried blood.
Vi felt a chill run deeper through her as her eyes locked with Silco's corrupted, crimson eye. She didn't know him, but her instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation, she began looking around for a solution and spotted Vander's iron gaus.
"Cggor, find us a away out." Vi's voice was sharp and anding.
"On it," Cggor nodded, beginning to s to the exterior walls, determination keeping him together.
She pocketed Orion's brass knuckles and yanked Vander's blood-stained gaus over her hands, strapping them on tight. "I'll hold them off."
"Shall we py?" Silirked, gesturing forward as the thugs advanced.
Vi stepped forward to meet them head on, ign Vander's protests as her resolve solidified.
----------------------
//Powder PoV//
While they grieved together, one of the Hextech Crystals slipped from Powder's satchel. Her gaze so it, the crag sound of energy and its blue shimmer finally clig in her mind- the explosion topside and Orion's magic.
"Ekko... we help them!" Pasped. She picked it back up and held it between them.
"What is it?" Ekko sniffled, still wiping tears away as he squio see it.
Powder hesitated, clutg it closer to her chest as guilt tightened her throat. "I... I think these caused the explosion topside."
Silence fell betweehe weight of her words pounding against Powder's sciousness. Ekko was starting tain posure.
"We help save Vander..." His voice trembled with fresh anger. "A revenge."
Powder nodded, and together, they circled wide around to the rear of the building. her had the strength to climb the same way Vi and the others had.
Ekko's on face was now clouded with anger. Despite this, he held Powder's hand for support as they moved.
They began climbing the leftover scaffolding and wooden pnks, helping each other up with quiet determination.
Powder's head whipped up, the sounds of fighting suddenly eg from above.
"Hurry, Ekko! They're in trouble!" Powder shouted down to Ekko with urgency. She reached down, pulling him up the final ledge before they both peeked through a broken gss window.
Vi was on the bridge, fighting back thugs trying to cross it while wearing Vander's iron gaus, dripping fresh blood.
After dodging a metal pipe, Vi nded a brutal hook to a thug's face, the gau definitely breakih- if not his entire jaw- before flipping him over the edge.
Pleamed proudly to Ekko, "That's my sister!"
Ekko sniffled in response, nodding, pieg together the situation.
It only took a moment to notice the crimson-eyed figure gring at Vi from across the bridge- clearly the bad guy.
More thugs fell as Vi tio knock them out or flip them over the edge. Powder squeaked in fear however when Vi suffered a deep cut to her side.
"Vi!" Powder shrieked, clutg her hair.
Tears streamed down Vi's face, g as she tio fight, knog out the thug that cut her with a sharp uppercut before stumbling backwards in pain.
Suddenly, a voice rang out that Powder reized.
"Vi, e o's get out of here!" It was Cggor's voice, his voice carrying a clear sense ency.
"Stop them!" The crimson eyed man, filled with rage, shouted out.
Powder's hands shook as she pulled out two Hextech Crystals, her gaze log onto them with fresh determination. She handed oo Ekko, who hesitated before nodding, his face tightening with resolve.
Before she could expin her pn, Ekko hurled it with a grunt through the window.
"Wait!" Powder screeched, lunging forward in shock as it arched and exploded against the bridge with a deafening roar.
Shouts of paied. Several thugs that began charging were hurled off the bridge while others fell with pained gurgles as metal shards pierced them.
The crimson-eyed man staggered ba shock as a thug beside him fell, her arm severed by the bst.
Vi, g and clutg her side, stumbled into the room. Relieved voices greeted her as the iron door behind her smmed shut.
Powder and Ekko exged triumphant grins- they saved Vi and the others! And now it was time to stop the man hurting their families and friends!
Ekko moved aside as Powder took his pce, ready to deliver her own vengeand holding it with a determined expression.
Powder hurled it with everything she had through the gap, yipping as Ekko caught her from behind. He steadied her so that they could both watch the crystal arc through the air- their gazes locked as they held their breaths.
It was then that her gaze shifted- catg sight of subtle movement. It was Orion. He was colpsed to one knee, sweat dripping down his face as if he was in unbearable pain.
Powder's eyes widened in horror as she realized her crystal was going to fall short.
"ORION!"
