Chapter 1: Growing Up
The life one usually lived in the slums of Zaun had always been one filled with trauma, violence and general disdain; the streets were filled with thugs and mercenaries, vile mutants and addicts of all kinds.
It was likewise an especially traumatic environment for two young girls, who’d only recently lost their parents in a skirmish with the thugs and mercenaries of Piltover, who pretended like they were any better than the zaunians, just because they had a shitty badge, but acted even worse than any thug in Zaun.
“At least the thugs on our turf don’t pretend like they’re interested in anyone’s well being. Sure, they’re shitsacks, but at least they’re not pretending like they’re knights in shining armor!” The young Powder spoke up, during an argument between their adoptive father Vander, and the rest of their group. “Rights and morality are the same for everyone! Doesn’t fuckin’ matter what fuckin’ costume you put on! AAAARGH! One day, I’m gonna blow those pompous pieces of shit to smithereens, and their shitty ivory tower with them! I’ll make it work! I’ll make the greatest bombs the world has ever seen!”
She went on and on about her ideas and philosophies for a greater world, and how one is to fight for what is right, no matter fuckin’ what.
That night, once the fight was over, Powder found herself standing alone atop the bar that had become their home over the past few years. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, her dark blue hair glistening in the red and sickly green neon lights that scattered all across the otherwise dark landscape of the undercity.
“There you are, Powder. Knew I’d find you here.” With a loving smile, her older sister, Vi, sat down beside the girl, who promptly turned her head to the side. “It’s all right, sis.” Vi took her sister’s cheek into her palm, pulling her head to look into her crying eyes. “It’s all right to cry, Powder.”
“No, it’s not!” She pushed Vi’s hand away, in anger and frustration.
To which her sister replied with a kind smile. “Oh? Why not?”
“’Cause… ‘cause… I mean… ‘cause…” The child was struggling to find words with which to express what she was actually feeling, all while trying to wipe away her tears, which kept on pouring. “I’m crying because I don’t know what to do! Nobody pays any attention to what I have to say! My bombs don’t work for shit! Whenever I try to fuckin’ be there for people, like… anyone at all, all that does it just blows up in my face!”
“Hahaha! I thought your bombs don’t work for shit, though.”
“Urgh! You know what we meant!”
“Don’t worry, sis. I do. Are you sure there’s no one who gives a shit about you, though?” She asked suggestively, moving closer to Powder and wrapping an arm around her, to which the younger sister perked up and met Vi’s gaze with her own.
“Well, yeah, sure you’re always there; and I’ll always be there for you and such, and all that.” Powder said with genuine love and empathy, although with a clear hint of rage and sorrow in her voice, as she curled up in a ball and leaned onto her older sister. “But we should be doing more! We should be building something big. Like, something that’ll change the world for the better! Something that’ll have tremendous impact all throughout! A biiig, GIANT EXPLOSION! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
The sisters roared and laughed aloud, the actual mood finally turning around to a more joyful one, as they both spoke about their dreams.
“You know, Powder? Impacts come in many ways. You’d be surprised how much impact the lightest of touches can have.” She said with compassion, wiping away the last of Powder’s tears for the night, to which she responded with an honest, slightly flustered smile. “See?”
“Says Miss Bloody Knuckles! Who blocks punches with her face!”
“And who likewise loves her sister dearly.” With that, the two sisters shared a loving hug, pressing their foreheads together for a good, long and beautiful moment, before Vi kissed Powder’s head in parting. “Also with her face… and all the rest of her.”
And, as it turns out, that was actually not the last of child’s tears for the night, as Powder started shedding a few more, although these tears were those of joy and love; and ones that neither sought to wipe away.
“See, Powder? Crying is good. It can be a sign of strength and honesty, to face one’s demons and outgrow them.”
“Then… why don’t you ever cry?”
Vi’s expression soured rather suddenly, as she turned away to look over the horizon, gritting her teeth… although her eyes remained dry.
“I did cry… I used to cry a lot, actually. But… I guess my tears had all run dry. Don’t let that be the case for you, Powder. I love you too much, to let your eyes become as dry as mine.” With that, she gave her sister another hug and then lightly kissed her on the forehead once again, but as she hurried up to leave, she felt a sudden weight grab at her hand; and, when she turned around, she saw Powder holding her arm tightly, with a firm, but loving and concerned glare.
“Did… did I… was I… am I the reason that your eyes ran dry, Vi?” The child asked, unsure and distraught.
“No! No, no, no! Of course not! You would never be the reasons for any of my sorrows!” With that, Vi dearly wrapped her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly as she spoke. “If anything, you’re the only reason I still want to cry… to feel… to love… you’re the only one I truly love, Powder! Don’t you ever forget that!”
“Hahaha!” With a calm, and joyous laugh, Powder returned the hug and brushed her cheek against her sisters, feeling the single tear that was rolling down Vi’s face. “See. I’ll always be with you… and make sure to keep you cryin’.” She teased, with a cheeky smirk upon her lips, the two girls then sharing another laugh.
“You better be, Powder. You fuckin’ better be!”
“Well, if you keep being so clingy, who knows… I might change my mind.”
Once more, they laughed, having begun to tease each other and poke fun, as loving siblings should.
***
As the years went by, and as the sisters grew together and likewise kept growing closer than they already were, Powder soon began to find more use out of her skills and passions. She loved to invent all sorts of gadgets, particularly of the destructive sorts, but the words of Vi always stuck inside her mind and heart. “Sometimes, even the small things can have great and powerful impacts, even if you’re not aware of it.”
“Yeah, well, BIG BANGS still have great and powerful impact, too, so… use both, I guess?”
Said Powder, more so to herself, as she began designing different gadgets, and gradually found herself adding more kinds of such, to her schematics. The city of Zaun was an utter mess of pollution, so why not build air and water filters? That’s easy enough. And so, she got to work, finding scraps from junkyards, old, disposed of electrics and other devices that she dismantled for parts, all sorts of things to build all sorts of other things.
Although her primary focus of her inventions was, of course, weaponry and bombs, every side project she had, she decided to share freely with others. With the kids in the slums, with the adults who’d take an interest in what she left outside the door to the bar, for whoever might be interested to pick them up. She despised talking to most people, so she didn’t want to interact with strangers, but she did leave notes and made it known that there was a trash bin full of useful stuff, near the entrance to Vander’s bar.
Gradually, more people started taking notice, with several and then eventually a considerable amount of people curiously and eagerly awaiting the free giveaways, from whoever might be making and then sharing them.
“My, my, my…” In the depths of his office, looking out the grimy window from his chair, Silco was curiously inspecting a couple of such devices. “What remarkable craftsmanship. And the design…”
“It’s a slingshot.” His personal thug, a bulky woman with a firm look on her face, rolled her eyes in at and sighed. “Why take such interest in a children’s toy?”
“Thrck!”
The desk reverberated with a sudden clang, which swiftly echoed once across the room, as Silco took his table knife and stabbed through the disgustingly juicy stake with it.
“A foil of metal, darling. Yet, look how easily it rends one’s flesh asunder.” With that, he rose up from his chair and went straight up to the woman’s face, knife in hand and pressing it against her cheek, slowly dragging it across her face and then her neck, as he continued speaking. Twist it, at the right moment and the right place… and it can be far more impactful, in so many ways, than any rifle, especially one wielded indecisively.” With that, he turned towards the window, bringing his hands behind his back and straightening his posture, red lights reflecting in his healthy eye, while the green ones slithered on the dry, dark surface of his unblinking wounded one. “If I recall, your skills are more focused in close range affairs, correct?”
“Yes.” She answered, her posture firm, although her allure much like that of a dog.
“Take this slingshot and try to hit the bull’s eye on the darts board.”
“Why?” She raised an eyebrow in intrigue.
“Take the shot, and you will see.” He tilted his head towards her, but without turning his glance to look at her.
With a scoff, she grabbed the tiny slingshot and loosely fired a shot in the dart board’s general direction, hitting about halfway between the edge and the center.
“See? It’s a children’s toy! I don’t even feel the pull of the damn string!”
“You’re always so bloody impatient, Sevika. Come now, look again. What do you see?”
“Urgh. Like I said, I hit about halfway between…”
“Uh huh…” Silco raised his head, a smug grin rising in the still expressive corner of his mouth, as the henchwoman lightly widened her eyes, for a brief moment. “You actually hit the board, did you not?”
“It was a fluke! I won’t happen aga – ah!” She aimed the slingshot once again, trying somewhat seriously now, and as she let loose the shot, she almost hit the bullseye.
“See? You didn’t even feel the pull of the string, because the pulley system is so carefully pieced together. The alignment is so accurate, and the loss of shaking in one’s hand improves the accuracy even further. Like I said, it’ not the tool itself that is impressive… it’s the craftsmanship. Oh, and have you noticed that the water’s… less metallic in its taste, of late?”
“Yeah. That did feel somewhat odd, now that you mention it.”
Silco nodded, before continuing.
“And have you noticed we’ve been consuming less energy to run this place, again, of late?”
She shrugged, not having bothered to check, to which Silco shook his head and shrugged, before turning around to face her.
“Tell our men that we’ll be postponing the raid on Benzo’s shop, for now.”
“What?” She perked up, visibly confused and somewhat disappointed. “Why? Don’t you want revenge on him for what he’s done to you?”
“I do. Very much so.” He growled a deep and rumbling roar, touching the left side of his face and snarling at the loss of feeling on his scars, his left eye aching both in pain, as well as from the desire to feel the soothing embrace of tears, as the other started glistening in solitude. However, with a deep, deep breath and then a relieving sigh, Silco cracked his back and recomposed himself. “However, my purpose… my ideals are greater than my ego. If my suspicions are correct about who made these, and the implications of what they’ve demonstrated thus far… the one who made these is also an idealist; and a brilliant one, at that. Thus, they are unlikely…” He gave Sevika a brief, somewhat disgusted glare, before turning around and facing the office window once again. “… blindly loyal.”
“I am not ‘blindly’ loyal to Vander, Silco!” She snapped at him, although he cut her off right as she next opened her mouth.
“No. But to whomever you think is most effective, as a leader. You have no ideals of your own. I can appreciate your talents and your aid, make no mistake. But, until you’ll have a true mind of your own… you won’t be my, nor Vander’s, nor any true man’s equal.”
Silco tilted his head once again, to casually look over his shoulder, seeing Sevika growl under her breath, as she reached for her knife, watching Silco’s every move and trying to smell him for any sign of weakness.
“How predictable. Reaching for the rock, as soon as the first hurtful, but true word hits your ego. Care to prove me right, by drawing your sword against another’s word?”
After a few moments of consideration and a whole heap of frustration, Sevika sighed and let go of her blade, trotting right towards the entrance of the office, but then stopping as she reached towards the handle. After a few further moments, she once more turned around and started proving Silco with more questions.
“I approached you, because I thought Vander’s gotten soft. Now, here you are being just as much of a little bitch as he is! What? Are you getting cold feet, when it’s your best buddy on the line? So much about having ideals!”
“Do. Not. Mistake my words. Nor my intentions, woman.” With a firm and cold, but firey gaze, Silco turned around to face Sevika with a glare she’d never seen him throw before. He was always cold and calculated, detached and suave in most affairs, but now she saw the fire within him burning brighter than she ever saw before, even though his tone and general outward demeanor remained mostly calm, but far more firm and decisive than even how he was before. “My ideal is for people to come together, in individual and mutual respect of one’s self and one another! Although we live in a society where deceit and bloodshed may appear the only recourse, I would use those only as a last resort, and only against the unworthy. Look at you, Sevika! Would you rather not have lived in sewers, until I and Vander found you? Would you not rather live a life of plenty and prosperity? Of freedom from oppression?!”
Silco’s voice was loud and proud, his passion bursting from his short and slender frame in grandiose fashion, almost bringing Sevika to tears with every word he spoke, although she quickly recomposed herself.
“And how do you expect to actually express that freedom, if not by the sword?”
“The sword is for the enemy, Sevika! For Piltover! For the parasites in their ivory tower and their lapdog enforcers! Vander is…” He caught himself almost entirely by surprise, as all these emotions rose up to the surface once again, after so long. “… still my brother, in a way.”
“We were just about to go and kidnap, and very likely kill him. Or, experiment on him. Why change your mind, all of a sudden?”
Upon hearing her question, Silco suddenly recomposed himself, as he recalled his plans and earlier deductions. Thus, as he smiled in the corner of his mouth, he turned around and went towards his desk, once more.
“I assumed he had been lost to our cause, you see. No words of brotherhood, nor even our shared cause appear to reach him, as he had become. Though, who knows… what I once thought might be a weakness for him, might turn out to actually be a strength… if he decides to actually use it to bolster himself, rather than wallow in lethargy.”
“Get to the point, Silco.”
“Patience, Sevika. Patience. There is buildup before getting to the climax, don’t you know?” He laughed to himself, straightening his back once more as he glanced out the window, seeing a couple girls sitting on a nearby rooftop and embracing one another, a genuine smile rising in the corner of his mouth… including the wounded one, even if just barely. “If I’m right, and she will join us of her own accord… who knows, maybe Vander will have clarity as well, once more.”
He said, freezing for a brief moment, upon realizing that he’d wrapped an arm around himself, as he said those last few words.
And that’s where we’re going to leave things, for right now…
Anyways, among other things…
Chapter 2: A Proposition
One day, the two sisters were once again busy gathering supplies and likewise any useful pieces of junk to aid in Powder’s projects, eventually to arrive at Benzo’s shop.
“Hey, Vander. Benzo.” Vi spoke up, greeting Vander and the tall and fat, but generally friendly, if somewhat sleazy shopkeep, both of whom returned the greeting.
“Hey, girls.”
“Ah, Vi. Powder. Are you here to visit a lonely old man? Or are ye here on business?”
The younger sister awkwardly nodded to him in greeting, a smug and scoffing smirk rising in the corners of her mouth, as she did not particularly like him; and she was very much a girl who made her thoughts and feelings known, without a filter of any kind. But, she’d expressed her relative dislike for him before, and wasn’t in a mood to actually talk to him. Hopefully, Echo was around to…
“Powder! Vi! Hi!”
“Echo!” The girl perked up, the two giving one another a warm hug, prompting a smile to rise on the lips of both Vi and Benzo, before they went on to have their own discussion, while the children had their own.
“How’ve you been? What’s going on? Have you gone on any heists, yet? What project are you workin’ on?” The young boy started speaking at a rapid pace, his enthusiasm evident in every word and every gesture he was making, as the two then exited the shop.
“Well… Powder looks like she’s getting ahead of you.”
“Yeah, she’s always restless. Doing this and doing that. I’ve been kind of slacking on my combat practice lately, what with helping her carry all this stuff. Speaking of which…”
“I meant, when are you going to get a boyfriend?”
“What?” Vi’s cheeks reddened up a bit, but soon rolled her eyes and shrugged it off. “Oh, hahaha! He’s not Powder’s boyfriend.”
“Well, he definitely looks at her as such. Massive crush and all that.”
“Hahaha. You’re not slipping away that easily, Benzo. Now, did you get the stuff I asked for?” Said Vi with sassy glare, upon heaving the large backpack on the counter and beginning to unpack it, ready to trade.
Meanwhile, outside the shop, Powder and Echo started speaking about their dreams and projects, both so excited that they didn’t even want to sit on the nearby bench, even though they were rather tired from another day’s work.
Both children had a knack for good design and craftsmanship and such, among other things, and it was Echo who first approached Powder about potentially collaborating together, after seeing the designs and rough schematics for some the projects that were more veered towards purifying water en masse, generating electricity from the ether and the fields of energy and electromagnetism around them… but then, as they continued speaking, and as the conversation turned more towards destructive projects, Powder’s expression gradually started turning maniacal.
“Right. So, we did go on that heist. You know, the place you tipped us off to.”
“Fuck! Really? Cool! How’d it go?”
“Well…” The girl turned her glance athwart, for a brief moment, before turning back towards the boy, once more. “It was kind of a dud. We kinda wrecked the guy’s house and such, but you know what?!” Quickly, Powder reached for her bag and gleefully took out a glistening, pulsating stone that was continuously vibrating on her palm, illuminating both their faces in a deep shade of azure blue.
“Wow! What’s that? Some kind of gem?”
“Don’t know, yet. But, it looks like it’s a very volatile thing. That pilty guy had a bunch of these, and a lot of them exploded after being dropped.”
“Shit! You all made it out alive though, right?” Echo asked, with clear concern in his voice, before perking up and beaming with enthusiasm once again, upon seeing the joy and pride on Powder’s face.
“Yeah, we did. Kind of wished some of the others would’ve died, but this?! When I’m gonna figure out how this works, I’ll…”
“And what is it, exactly, that you have here, girl?”
A deep and calm, and almost soothingly growling voice spoke up, a slender man with a grotesquely wounded left eye and a thick layer of scars across its side of the face, crouched to greet the two kids with a smile, at eye level.
“None of you business.” Powder raised her tone, looking straight into his eyes and pocketing the stone once more, both her and Echo preparing themselves to retaliate, in case this strange man wanted to steal from them or perhaps initiate some kind of violence or coercion.
Clearly, they didn’t know who he was, as Silco wasn’t exactly one to leave his lair, unless it was necessary for him to personally get involved in things… but this? This was one of those cases. See, while his thugs and mercenaries often commented on Vi and her group every once in a while, enough to have them get some kind of notoriety across the streets of Zaun, not a whole lot of them were talking about Powder or Echo, since they were too young to actually have a brawling reputation; which, besides money, alcohol and gambling, was the type of thing the goons that Silco dealt with on a daily basis were mostly interested in, much to Silco’s disgust.
Oh, how he loathed what the city of Zaun had turned into, but he always kept his hope that one day the people would wake up to what’s important, and stand with him to create something greater than whatever had come before.
These kids, he thought, were part of the key towards that endeavor. Thus, of course he was going to handle this kind of situation, personally.
Thus, he smiled in the still expressive corner of his mouth, appreciating the pair’s bravery and spunk, as he rose up to hit feet.
“You’re valiant, I see. Good. Worry not, though. I do not intend to steal from children. Especially not ones as talented as you.”
“Our talents, huh?” Echo squinted at the stranger, with suspicion, puffing out his chest and trying to get most of Silco’s attention, so that Powder would more closely watch the surroundings and have more of an opportunity to grab her gun and fire, if there’d be the case for that. “And how would you know about our talents?”
“Have you been spying on us, or some shit? Who the fuck are you?”
Silco’s smile broadened even further at the confidence of these two, who were now alone with him in the alley… which Silco had made sure to leave vacant, for this occasion; and as Echo probed him with questions, his glance turned towards the girl, who although suspicious and just as ready to retaliate as Echo was, and maybe even more so… Powder also stared at him with curiosity, as if she were looking not just at him, but through him and his very being, her gaze intense and piercing, to which Silco grinned with extreme interest.
“Someone I’m sure your darling Vander mentioned, every now and again.”
As the three were conversing outside, Vander casually turned his gaze athwart, before turning pale with rage and worry, at the sight of his old friend.
“Silco!”
“Thrck!”
Without warning, Vander promptly lunged outside the shop, the scarred man barely having even turned towards him, before suddenly finding himself pinned to a nearby wall, the broken and uneven bricks protruding up against his back, as he was held up in the air by the front of his coat.
“Aarrgh!” Silco groaned in pain, snarling at the tall behemoth of a man and looking him straight in the eyes, with anger although not a trace of worry. Instead, he laughed with confidence. “Ahem! My, my, old friend… looks like you still have your claws. Good; pity you don’t use them against those who most deserve it.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Vander, he didn’t do us any wrong!” Powder spoke up, frustrated that not only were those close to her not interested in what she was saying, but now her own adoptive father wasn’t even letting anyone new to even speak with her.
“What’s going on?” Vi rushed outside, stepping in front of the kids, protectively.
“Vi. Get the kids somewhere else. This could be a trap!”
“Hahaha!” Silco laughed, pondering whether he should pull out his gun from the holster in the inner jacket, or whether he should play it cool and put even more of a bad spotlight on Vander, in the children’s eyes.
“What’s so funny, Silco?!” Vander tightened up his grip, raising Silco further up the wall and now tightening his grip around the slim man’s neck, causing him to cough in lack of air. However, Silco promptly took out his gun and pressed it right against his old friends’ abdomen, hand on the trigger and ready to fire. His blood was rushing to his head… it was quite the risk he took, in coming here alone. He missed this kind of thrill, and his smile never once receded… not even as Vander tightened up his grip even more, pushing his body right against the weapon’s muzzle, the two snarling and baring their teeth at one another.
“Argh! Many things… ghh…” He groaned in pain, but laughed and smiled regardless, but as Vander literally started pushing for a neck snap, Silco realized he may have to pull the trigger.
“Stop! Vander! Fuckin’ stop!” Just then, Powder rushed forth, pushing her confused sister aside and grabbing Vander’s massive forearm with both hands, with the behemoth instinctively raising his hand and pushing her to the ground.
“Aaargh!” Powder growled in pain, her voice echoing across the alleyways and her entire body convulsing in agony, and as all sights turned towards the child, it was suddenly apparent why that was so… and the reason left both rivals in shock, although for completely different reasons.
“Powder! Are you all right? Are you hurt… urgh!” As Powder turned her face to look into her sister’s eyes, a wave of shock suddenly surged throughout every fiber the latter’s very being, her eyes wide open as she stared upon the wounded face of her sweet little sister, her left cheek bleeding and torn open, ripped by a broken metal pole that shot up from the wall nearby, close to the floor.
“Powder – urgh!”
“Thrck!”
As Vander’s grip loosened, he was suddenly slugged in the face by Vi, the furious girl showing a strength and rage that Vander had never seen of her… and that was saying something.
The first few punches hit him straight in the face, and although he thought he actually deserved the first few ones, he raised his arms to actually defend himself, as Vi seemed like she had gone berserk.
“Vi! Snap out of it!”
“Argh! Raaaaagh! AAAARGH!” She roared aloud with every strike, not stopping even once nor hesitating for even a moment, although after several seconds, Vander finally grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her close, to look into her eyes.
“Vi! I’m sorry! I didn’t actually mean to… urgh!” He narrowly dodged a kick to his groin, but as Vi prepared to strike again, her sister’s voice resounded in her ears.
“Fuck you! Fuck you all! I had it with this shitty fuckin’ place! You can all go fuck yourselves!”
She said with rage, throwing whatever scrap she got her hands on towards whoever might’ve been in its trajectory, not really caring whom it hit in the now moment, before pushing past Benzo and then lunging past Vi and Vander. In the next moment, they all looked to each other, and rushed after the girl.
***
“Aaargh! I’ve had it! There’s nothing for me, here!”
Hastily, the child barged into her room and swiftly began to pack whatever and whichever of her things she got her hands on, roaring and snarling as she cried in pain and inner torment, the left side of her jaw and neck and shoulder drenched in blood, as the flickering lights glistened on her fangs and exposed molars.
“Nothing salvageable! Nobody who gives a shit! Just fuck ‘em all! One day, I’m gonna blow ‘em all up and…” Just then, Vi’s smile flickered in her mind, the young girl straightening her posture as she perked up with wide eyes, quickly turning around to look for her sister. She wanted to leave so much, but she didn’t want to leave her loving Vi behind.
She didn’t have to look for long, though, for as the child started walking up the stairs of their common room, the deeply worried figure of her sister stood before her, at the entrance.
“Oh, Powder!” Without hesitation, the two sisters lovingly wrapped their arms around one another in a genuine embrace, exchanging no words, as they both cried and cried and cried.
“Hahaha! Argh! Hahaha!” Powder started laughing happily all of a sudden, wincing in agony as she smiled, but continuing to laugh either way.
“What?”
“Told you I’d keep you crying, sis.”
“Hahaha!”
The two shared a laugh, the world seeming to pause around them, as they hugged each other for a good long moment, that felt like an eternity in the palm of one’s hand.
Then, as she raised her hand to caress the child’s cheek, the two girl’s jolted upwards, Powder from the pain that coursed throughout her face and her entire skull, while Vi in a sudden recollection of the situation and their immediate whereabouts.
“Shit! Fuck! Um… stay here, Powder. I’ll go get some bandages and…”
Just as she was stepping up towards the door, Vander heard them from below and hurried up towards their room, but upon setting a foot inside, both girls glared at him and Powder even reached for her own gun.
“Get the fuck away from us!” She scowled, stepping forth and getting her pistol in hand, pointing it straight towards Vander, but swiftly pulling it athwart, upon seeing her sister getting in the way.
“Both of you! Just fuckin’ relax, all right?! Vander. Help me with the first aid kit. Then, we’ll have a long ass conversation. All three of us.” With that, she left the room and hurried towards the supply room, with Vander and Powder sharing a tense moment, as they were left alone.
“I’m sorry, Powder. It’s a long story, but when I saw Silco talking to you…”
“Go away! Leave me alone, Vander. After all this, the least you could do is give me some fuckin’ space!”
With a sigh, the old man nodded to himself, his chest aching and his tears gradually building up around his eyes. He reached an arm out, as if to caress her face, but took in a deep, deep breath and sighed once more, deciding to honor her request.
Without sharing any spoken word, Vi and Vander quickly gathered up some bandages, cleansing herbal oils and some home made soap, along with some clean cloth, but upon returning to the room they were greeted by an empty chamber, and a letter sitting on the table.
“There’s nothing left for me here. There never was anything for me, in this wretched place. I know you may love your friends and Vander, but you’re my only family, Vi. I’m not coming back, but I definitely won’t be leaving you. Come at our special place, tonight at midnight. Oh, and don’t worry. My face hurts like hell, but it hurts even more to remain here. I’ll be waiting. Come alone. Love you. Powder.”
***
“AHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Silco was laughing aloud, joyous in a way that few have ever seen him, if even anyone at all.
“I assume it went well?” Sevika asked, rather annoyed, but curious as to what actually occurred.
“Better than I’d planned, actually.”
“Then, I assume I’ll be getting a couple new assistants, soon enough?” Singed curled his lips into a wicked smile, not once turning his glance from the operating table, where he was busy dissecting a pair of mutated and grotesquely misshapen rats, veins bulging out from their muscular and massively overgrown bodies, with dark purple, almost corrupted looking blood pouring from their both their popped and sliced up veins.
“One would seem more likely.”
“Hah! So, how exactly was this better than planned?” Sevika turned her glance towards him, playing with her large battle knife in hand and easily flourishing it around, trying to press and test Silco at every move.
“Quality is more important than quantity, don’t you know? Compared to any number of merely professional alliances, a partner with a common cause and a shared bond is a far, far greater venture.”
Silco said with a deep and longing laugh, a smile of both joy, fury and satisfaction broadening on his lips, his hand caressing the scarred side of his face, and even getting the impression that some of his feeling had returned in it, upon gazing out the window and seeing a lone Powder trotting impatiently on a rooftop somewhere in the distance.
Anyways, among other things…
Chapter 3: A genuine and honest heart to heart
As the rush of adrenaline was gradually wearing off, Powder was suddenly starting to feel the pain in her body far more profusely and intensely than before, her muscles aching, her limbs shaking and her entire body convulsing erratically in utter shock, her face still bleeding and whatever scraps of cloth she got from home, now laid upon the floor all thrown about, haphazardly. Her body was swaying and swooning around, dazed, disoriented and utterly confused, her eyes rolling up inside their sockets as the young girl was trying mightily to not pass out.
“Well, well, well… what do we have ‘ere, boys?” An amused and wicked, unfamiliar voice faintly echoed in the child’s ears, and before she even got to turn around to see what was going on, she screamed in pain, upon feeling herself being pulled up by the arm.
“Aaahf… fhuck ohff…” She haphazardly began to flail her arms and legs, barely even managing to speak from the general pain, and likewise all the swelling on the left side of her face.
“Ooh, feisty one we got ‘ere, lads. Think she’ll fetch us a good price?”
“Ah, look at ‘er. She’s all fucked up ‘n shit. Don’t know if anyone rich is gonna want to buy her like this.”
“Oh, come on, now. I’ll bet we can find some depraved old fool who – urgh!”
“AAAAARGH!”
Suddenly, a valiant and familiar roar resounded in the child’s ears, her face brightening as her lips curled up in a pained, but joyous smile, her body dropping to the ground, as Vi planted a firm and powerful kick on the jaw of the thug who was holding her up, sending him flying right off the rooftop.
“You fuckin’ shitsacks! I’ll kill you all! AAAAAAARGH!!!” She roared defiantly, breaking the guard of one of the other thugs, and then proceeding to punch him so hard it dislocated his jaw, as he was sent hurling off the balcony.
There were around 4 left, and as she saw the larger one pull out his gun, she went straight for the attack, scuffling with the large man and managing to disarm him, but failing to get the gun for herself, as it slid across the floor. As she reached for it, she was slugged right in the face by another of the larger thugs, although she quickly kneed one in the groin, before proceeding to fight back against the three, unaware that the fourth had lunged towards her sister.
“AAAAARGH!!! Fuck off!!!” Powder roared with defiance, reaching in her open bag to grab her dagger and plunge it straight into the guy’s left eye, soon dropping to the floor once more, right next to the gun. Quickly, the child grabbed it and even with her blurry vision, Powder steeled herself and shot the thug right between the eyes, the shot catching everyone’s attention, as they looked to her. “Leave us alone!” She shouted at them, but upon pulling the trigger, the gun got jammed.
After striking it and trying to fire twice more, the girl threw the gun away and readied her knife, just as one of the three heavy bodied thugs was coming closer, Vi screaming for her sister, as she was fending off against the other two.
“Thrck! Thrck! Thrck!”
Suddenly, three more gunshots reverberated across the rooftops, two of the thugs soon dropping dead as the bullet pierced their massive skulls, although the third one managed to grab nearby trash can and narrowly deflect the third shot. However, before he would promptly get a to realize what was going on, he suddenly found himself out of breath, the air abruptly being pushed right out of him, as Sevika lunged herself right into him, swiping him off his feet and hurling him over the rooftop, a loud clang being heard as he collapsed to the ground.
“My, my, my… hahaha!” Silco laughed in a satisfied, although maniacal way, heat still rising from the muzzle of his gun, as he approached. “You girls seem to keep attracting all sorts of attention.”
“You want a piece of it, too?!” Vi, bloodied and bruised, straightened up her posture and then clenched her fist once more, preparing to fight the two. “Well, come and get it!”
“Hahaha! I do, of course, want a proverbial piece of it, so to speak.” He grinned in the expressive corner of his mouth, before putting his pistol away inside his jacket. “Although, not in the way you are suggesting. Rest easy, child. We are not here to try and harm either of you.”
“Then, why the fuck are you here?!”
“I realize this might not be the best of moments to propose an offer, but how about we care for young Powder’s wounds, while I clarify my intentions?”
He spoke confidently and with at least seeming compassion, but even though Vi was very skeptical of his good intentions, she would not deny her sister’s grunts and groans and howls of agony.
“Guys! Vander! Over here!” As he dashed through one of the alleyways, Milo called out for his friends, who promptly arrived at his location soon thereafter.
See, when Vi took off in search of Powder after reading her letter, Vander quickly brought the others and likewise several of his allies from the bar with him, spreading some out across the city, while he and the group of kids would search wherever they thought the girls would most likely find themselves, not exactly knowing where their “special place” was at.
However, upon hearing gunshots from one of the nearby rooftops, and soon afterwards finding the fresh corpses of the thugs, and even more so, at the sight of Silco firing his gun as he was walking on a plank from one roof to another, Vander immediately went into the building with the kids, hurrying to the top and assuming the worst.
“Silco, you wretched – uh!” However, upon reaching the rooftop, the boys’ eyes and especially his own had open wide, as they saw Vi and Silco working to soothe Powder’s pain, Vi holding her sister in her arms, while Vander’s enemy was caring for her wounded cheek, with a look of compassion that Vander thought he’d never see again from him. It reminded him of the old days, when they still called each other brothers.
“Yes, Vander. Indeed, my wretched, vile hands, so drenched in the blood of many, as they are, you know… can also care for the wounded and the scorned.”
“Get the fuck away from my…” Seeing red once more, Vander rushed forth and grabbed Silco’s shoulder, with the latter shooting him a firm, defiant gaze, prompting Vander to realize that perhaps he was too stuck in the past to see that Silco really had no ill intentions towards the girls.
“Really, Vander? I know our former friendship may be ruined, but are you really going to deny the girl you wounded proper care?”
Still in denial, but otherwise not wanting to have Powder go through more pain than she has gone already, Vander let go of Silco’s shoulder, scoffing as he snarled at him, even more so as Sevika crossed her arms and shot him a long and mocking grin, to which the old man rolled his eyes and shrugged it off.
“Fho… whahft dho you fhwant?” Powder spoke up, gritting her teeth from the pain, as she stumbled on her words.
“Yeah. Why help us?” Vi asked, still with suspicion, but somewhat more open than before, as Silco was stitching her sister’s cheek. As he looked at her into her eyes, and thereafter back at Powder, his hands not wavering even once, and working with the utmost of care, as he recalled all the pain he went through, when the poisoned and corrosive water burned deep into his skull, all those years ago. For a moment, Vi even thought she saw a tear leave his still unblemished eye.
“Usually, I would come up with some planned speech… some words that I would either know or figure would tug at your traumas, your desires and your emotional cords and such. Hahaha! That was the initial plan, at least. The one with which I approached you and Benzo’s protégé.” He started to explain, at first talking to all of them, before turning his attention towards Powder and Vi, but soon thereafter seeming like he was drifting in another world entirely. “Though, I’ve been watching you, of late. Your bond of love. One so rare around these parts. One that one should always cherish and uphold. And, when I saw you wounded as I have been… and knowing that part of my intention was to sow the seeds of artificial conflict between you, for my own gain… I realized… what was I doing? Am I not the one who boasts about liberation, on and on and on? About why we should come together, and face our enemies head on; and do what is right, no matter fuckin’ what. What exactly was I trying to achieve? Definitely not the unity I kept on touting.”
“Ow!” Powder groaned in pain, as Silco realized his hands had started slightly trembling, from the emotion coursing all through and all throughout him, in this moment. After a brief moment, he took in a deep, deep breath and concentrated once again, soon to finish the process as continued speaking, his words seeming to move everyone around him.
“You might have distrust towards me, and rightly at that… but as surprising as it seems, even for me… the truth is I am doing this out of the genuine kindness of my heart. I once called you brother, Vander. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case, and in all honesty, I hate you with a passion. However…” With a smile, and as he put the last bandage on the girl’s cheek, Silco looked at the two sisters with a honest and defiant, loving smile, cupping Powder’s other cheek before then placing a hand on Vi’s shoulder. “May such a hatred not befall the two of you.” With that, he rose up to his feet and let the wind caress his figure, as he sighed and smiled, in a way he hadn’t done in so… so long.
“If you’re done propping yourself up, why don’t you tell them the other reason we’re here?” Sevika grinned, trying to put Silco in a different kind of spotlight, wanting to see how he’d respond when pressed and met with attitudes that were contrary to what he wanted, and likewise testing Vander in the process, as well, her eyes darting between the two.
However, Silco perked up as if he was suddenly reminded where he was, before laughing with confidence once more, as he addressed them once again.
“Right. As is the case, I’ve been rather low on engineers, of late; and I wanted to propose an opportunity for young Powder over here. Later on, perhaps for Echo, as well. Either way, her devices, often overlooked as trash apparently, have been quite useful for me, despite their crudeness on the surface.”
“Wait – argh! What devices? You mean – fhuck!”
“Specifically the air and water filters.” He promptly added, wanting to spare the child the pain.
“What?!” Powder’s eyes shot open, the pain momentarily receding as anger boiled up inside her once again, her glare shooting straight for Vander and the group.
“Likewise, those… electromagnetic perpetual motion engines, for lack of a better term.”
“You told me none of them worked!” Powder screamed in rage and frustration, rising to her feet and getting up to Vander’s face, fuming and feeling betrayed all over again. “You said they were all duds, but now I find you didn’t even bother to install them?! And you guys knew, and didn’t say a word about it?!” Then, immediately, the child thrust her gaze towards the rest of her gang, but felt relieved to see that at least Vi seemed just as surprised and appalled as she was.
“You lied to us about that? You knew how important this was to her!” Vi now rose up to her feet, shouting at all of them.
“If we told you, you’d have told her, so…” Milo added, but was promptly cut off.
“Look at you! Are you so fuckin’ worried about those shitsack enforcers? That, what? They might find out? When have you become so pathetic? Where’s the strong man who fought the pilties and rescued us? Is he here with us?! Or is he still stuck on that bridge, hoping to find his way back to you? Come on, Vander! Have more courage! Then, find ways to develop the stuff without them knowing and then retaliate when they come knockin’, but don’t stunt your own growth and opportunities. Like, what the fuck, man! Be more of who you could actually be… be more of the strong and genuine, kind and loving man I know you are.”
Her words shot straight through Vander’s heart, his eyes wide open and tears flowing from them, as he realized she was right. He should be better than this, and he knew it. No more excuses. No more bullshit. In this moment, he decided he was going to honour the true man he genuinely was.
“AAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!” Suddenly, Vander roared a valiant and liberating laugh, much to the surprise of everyone around, a firey passion awakening inside him once again.
Then, with a smile that Silco hadn’t seen in so long, Vander approached him, looking straight into his eyes and placing both his hands on his old friend’s shoulders.
“Is there truly no ill intent inside you, Silco?”
“I… wouldn’t say that. But there is none towards the children, at the very least. Of that, I can assure you.”
Soaking in those honest words, and all the feelings and emotions pouring from and through him, Vander decided, in that one moment, to throw away the spite he had for him, and suddenly wrapped his arms around his former brother, prompting Silco to freeze up in surprise and shock at the sudden display of sincere affection.
“I’m sorry, Silco.”
Those three words… just those three words, and the honesty with which they were spoken, filled Silco with a joy he thought he’d never feel ever again, and didn’t even know he truly wanted to, until this one moment… the loss of feeling on his mutilated face… the scars… the constant pain in his left eye… none of those mattered to him anymore.
“I forgive you.”
Two of them began to cry tears of joy, sharing a beautiful moment after so long without each other, the sisters leaning onto one another as they watched, even Powder smiling upon seeing their adoptive father truly happy, after so long.
Soon enough, however, Silco was the first to break off their embrace, looking flustered for a good few moments, before clearing his throat and recomposing himself.
“There are, of course, clear disagreements between us. Don’t expect that I’ll be treating you as a brother, just because…” Suddenly, he paused, upon seeing Vander’s hand outstretched towards him, his palm open in an inviting fashion.
“Wasn’t asking for that.”
“I was ready to kill you, Vander.” Silco caught himself by surprise, as he admitted aloud, the genuine and spiritually conscious aspect of him wanting to not leave anything unsaid; to not have anything at all corrupt this beautiful moment of honesty, regardless of whether or not it could’ve have soured their seemingly rekindling brotherhood. For, indeed, if a relation isn’t based on love of self, of truth and righteous principles, then it’s not worth having in the first place; and the only kinds of relationships that honesty destroys, are those built up on lies and deception; of which there was too much already, in this so-called “society”.
If things are to change, then we are to actually become the change, ourselves.
Silco pondered, smiling to himself and honestly no longer caring for the outcome… and, as was the case, everyone’s smile widened even further, at the bravery and courage of such honesty, to not just preach the path of liberty, but walk it on one’s own, no matter fuckin’ what.
“Not entirely unexpected.” Vander chuckled, still very much holding out his hand. “Don’t worry, though. I have my own contingencies in place, as well. That said, though… I think and feel that, even if we won’t be brothers once again… at the very least, we should choose to no longer be enemies. Not now, when the actual enemy is not only at our doorstep, but very much in our midst. I say we get together once again, and weed them out.”
“Hahaha! On that, we can agree.”
With that, the two shook hands and laughed aloud, once more finding the truer aspects of themselves, and other things…
Anyways, among other things, etc…
Chapter 4: A new age
It was through this newfound love and wisdom, and the solidarity that had been reborn through them, the undercity entered a new age of liberty and prosperity.
Upon rekindling his friendship with Silco, Vander sought to redeem himself in his own heart and mind, and likewise in the eyes of those he loved. One of the first things he did is to cut off the deal he’d made with the pilty thugs, and throw them out. It was hard, at first, but as Silco saw his brother in arms’ newfound determination, it wasn’t long before he started offering aid. The trust had yet to actually be rekindled, but over the years they’d soon develop their bond once again.
As a result of all the pushback from the undercity, the council had decided that the easiest way to starve the people of Zaun, was to cut off trade access, unless a long and very strict list of demands was met. Demands, of course, that could go and fuck themselves.
In a act of rebellion and a proclamation of independence, the bridge between the two cities had been utterly obliterated in a massive and spectacular explosion, courtesy of Powder’s ingenuity.
The zaunians did not require the aid of anyone, especially not their now former oppressors. For a while, tensions remained high, but as both cities refocused on their own affairs, a new age was dawning for both of them. For Piltover, it was brought by the discovery of HexTech and the construction of the Hex Gates, and for the new nation of Zaun, by the free energy technology and the invention of a several new strains of Shimmer.
Unlike in the original series, Shimmer was not used as an addictive drug to keep the masses occupied and distracted, but rather as a voluntary performance enhancer in specific fields of work that had to do with manual labour, and likewise as a healing poultice in cases of severe injuries. There were, of course, other more violent applications of the drug, but they were kept for specific kinds of people. It had become well known in Zaun, that rapists, child and human traffickers in general, and likewise those who profited off the downtrodden were either killed or turned into a Shimmer drone; for indeed, if they were of not alive in any moral way a living being should, then at least their bodies would be put to use.
As for how their society was organized, they’d developed a rather intricate, but easy to practice method of voluntary communion. Whoever put in at least three hours of work per week, for any community project they desired, would benefit from free housing, food and electricity. Whoever sought to not contribute at all, were free to find any other moral means of sustenance, without impediment. This seemed like a stretch for most of the masses, at first. Just three hours of work per week, would provide enough for all?
Though, why was it a stretch? For a district with a population of 1000, for example, that would equate to 3000 work hours per week. Who, in the entirety of the undercity, would afford to pay decent, or any kind of salary, for so many hours every week? However, there was no need for salaries, since all the benefits of that work was going directly back to the community. Not to any corporate entity or enterprise. Besides, with only three hours of work per week, everyone would have practically have the rest to do whatever they wanted, and pursue other monetarily paying endeavors, if they desired.
That, and a general methodology to produce at least thrice the amount of goods and produce their community “required”, made for quite a prosperous arrangement, when it came to trading with external sources, especially since the prices were far lower than whatever Piltover had to offer. The city of progress may have become known for their development of the Hex Gates, and the ease of travel to and from distant lands, that they offered, but Zaun had become rather famous in its own right, as a trading port of low price and high quality goods, including innovations in the fields of alchemy and engineering, among other things…
By all means, Zaun was now an independent nation in practically all ways, except on paper. Something that all within the council of Piltover were none too pleased about, except for Heimerdinger, who was quite intrigued by the progress of what he now referred to as their sibling city, much to the others’ petty dismay.
As the years went on, and as the zaunian syndicate grew in power and influence, an informal “council” of sorts had been created. Silco was the one who handled more delicate and trade related affairs, while Vander was the one to get his hands dirty on the street level and handle such situations. Powder, who had gradually warmed up to the nickname of Jinx as she developed more as an individual, had grown to become an artist and inventor, and likewise assume the role of head of engineering. Seeing as how she never really liked to interact with most people, her sister Vi, ironically, adopted the role of mediator, seemingly developing quite a knack for reading people; with the now young woman and her group and often being called to handle situations of dispute; both to try and come up with peaceful and mutually beneficial solutions, and to kick ass, whenever there was the case for that.
The doctor, of course, remained in his position as the alchemist, handling matters related to the development of new mutations and different variations of Shimmer, and of course other kinds of experiments.
However, one day, as he was reminiscing about the rather unexpected turn the undercity had gone through, from the desolate and polluted wasteland of a district, to a sprawling and independent, anarchic megalopolis, he found himself… not necessarily regretting the vile experiments he had been doing, per se, but questioning whether or not this violence was the right way to go forward with his life. After he lost his daughter to an unknown illness, nothing made sense to him anymore, and thus he had forsaken any care for other living beings; instead focusing only on the science that he had become enamored with.
Yet, as he saw how happy this new family was, and how even Silco had adopted a rather fatherly role to both Vi and Powder, he had started pondering if it would be worthwhile to feel love for another, yet again. He had grown rather fond of Jinx over the years, but had yet to actually display any affection, outside of affirmative remarks for the young girl’s ingenuity.
As he was in his laboratory, pondering many things, the familiar sound of stilted footsteps echoed in his ears, and as he turned around, the old man was greeted by a younger, and familiar face; one he had not seen in years.
“Ah. It’s been a while, old friend.” Turning his glance away from the microscope, Singed rose up to his feet to the young man, who was supporting his weight on his cane, as he approached.
“Indeed, it has. Too long, I would say.” He leaned against the nearby wall, tired and exhausted as he was, although he lightly raised his brow, upon being presented with a chair to rest upon. “Interesting. I guess you’ve learned a bit of kindness, since last we spoke.” Victor teased, nodding in appreciation as he took the seat.
“Kindness has never been unknown, for me. Rather, the reasons for its applications, for a good long while.” A light smirk rose up in the wrinkly corners of how mouth, as he brought another chair for himself, and faced Victor as they spoke.
“Then, what happened to rekindle your curiosity towards… this area of knowledge?”
“A few things.” He said coldly, although not without affection, as he turned his glance athwart for a few moments. “Ones which bear a weight that makes one stronger, and a relief that has one soar above the clouds, all at once.”
“Hahaha! Never took you for a poet, old friend.
“Ah, but you should read the stories and the poems that I’d written for my… bygone, but still present daughter.” He said in a pained, but rather joyous tone… sad at the event of her passing, but joyful at the beauty of his memories with her.
“You had a daughter? What happened?”
“It is a long story. One I don’t desire to share, in this particular moment. Now, tell me. Why did you return? I trust you didn’t come here seeking to dig stories from my past, correct? Rather… advice, concerning what to do for your own future?”
Victor looked into the doctor’s eyes for a long few moments, recent troubles and events still fresh in his mind.
“That, and many other things, old friend.” Nodding to himself, he reached into his pocket, pondering whether or not to it was the right thing, to reveal the gemstone he had brought with him.
“Thrck!”
Suddenly, a loud clang reverberated through the depths of the cave, a door on the farther end of it being violently flung open, as a pair of voices echoed through the spacious laboratory, getting closer and closer.
“I told you! They don’t give a shit about ‘fair trade’ or mutual benefit. They’re just a bunch of parasites who wanna fool you into thinkin’ they’ve got your back, while using your own power against you! So, fuck ‘em!” A hoarse and raspy voice was gradually getting louder, the clanging footsteps of a slender girl with long, blue braids getting closer and closer, as she explained, the grin like scar upon her cheek glistening in the green and violent lamplight of the lab.
“Yeah? Well, what if those heebi jeebi entities or whatever, just don’t want us to use the stones, because they themselves apparently didn’t actually manage it, in ages past and such? Jealous, greedy pricks!” Echo scoffed, his curly mohawk prancing in the air, as they approached the doctor.
“Maybe. Who knows?” Powder shrugged it off, her walk playful and upbeat, as she greeted singer with a smile. “Hey, Doc. Who’s your friend? Hello, there!” The young girl perked up at the sight of Victor, waving her hand in greeting.
“You!” The young scientist, however, rose up to his feet so fast he flung the chair behind him to the floor, his eyes wide open in recognition of who it was that he was staring at. “You’re Jinx.” Her smile turned to a rather smug and wicked grin, the girl playfully assuming a victorious pose. “You’re the one who blew up the bridge!”
“Hahaha! Yeaaah…” Her cheeks reddened up a bit, puffing up with pride and joy at this and her other achievements.
“Singed! You are working with terrorists?!”
“Terrorists, you say?” The doctor turned towards him, with a look of disappointment. “Is that how they see us, these days? Well, I guess that is a step up from trash, I’d say. Although, it’s no surprise that the City of Progress would be envious, since they no longer seem to have the local monopoly regarding their namesake. Rest easy, though. If Piltover desires to upkeep this tense, but so far unbroken peace between us, we’ve no reason to break our informal agreement. In other words, we won’t be the ones to throw the first stone.”
“But we’ll definitely retaliate, if you do.” Echo crossed his arms, scoffing at Victor, before Powder gleefully added…
“BOOM! MUAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
“Worry not, children.” Singed briefly curled up his lips in an affectionate smile, placing his hand on Victor’s shoulder as he spoke. “My friend here is not one of them. He was born here, as were we all. He is one of us. Of that, I can assure you; even if he now resides among our more… vain and pompous brethren.”
“That reminds me!” Suddenly remembering why he was here, Victor stepped forth and then took out a smooth and spherical gemstone from the pouch around his belt, the nebulous whirlpool of mana swirling inside of it, like a cosmos in the palm of one’s hand. “Take this. You have to study it. I will help however I can. This is what powers up our HexTech and the Gates. The council has asked up to produce weaponry using it. Naturally, I refused, but my friend… he may be well intentioned, but he’s too easily manipulated…”
“Oh, this?!” Jinx suddenly took the gemstone from his hand, giving it a quirky look and for a moment seeming fixated on something from within it, as if mentally communing with the stone; her face twisting and contorting with both glee and rage, blurting out a laugh every once in a while, before groaning and roaring in rage, before then laughing joyously once more. “We have several of these.”
“Wait, what?” Victor shook his head, incredulously. “How?! And, am I mistaken, or are you… communing with it?”
“It?” Powder raised her brow at him, eyeing him up suspiciously. “It’s not an it. It’s a they. There’s many of ‘em, actually.” Casually, the girl flicked her finger twice onto the crystal, prompting Echo and the doctor to lightly flinch, in expectation of a shockwave or some kind of reaction, but to their surprise, the stone remained stable. “Ooh. This is different from what we did with ours. Wanna see?”
Among other things…
