Radiant

Chapter 2

Ducking into another alley, she dropped the camouflage and slumped against the wall for support. The spell shouldn't have been so taxing had she not been drained of almost all her magic before her 'death'. As it was, she had to stop every twenty to fifteen minutes just to avoid fainting from exhaustion. She had contemplated just walking on the street as usual, or just simply knocking on a random house to ask for help, but dropped the idea considering how absurd it would appear to a normal citizen for the daughter of a Demacian noble house to turn up out of nowhere, with nothing but the clothes on her back and no official permit or registration, especially when the nation was currently in crisis. She would need to reach the local authority, a baron or governor of a sort, someone who could and would be willing to verify the authenticity of her claims based on the political implication alone.

On that topic, she hadn't made any process either. There were metal signs at the corner of every road and some kind of plates with numbers with names of streets etched in small, heavily stylized letters on every building, but nothing rang any bell. Why couldn't these streets be named after landmarks like in the great city? Or at least with some signs indicating how far something is in a certain direction like in the suburbs of High Silvermere. 'Brockton Bay' did imply that she was currently in some kind of coastal city, hopefully close to some sort of trading dock. Or a Demacian embassy. She knew for a fact that Demacia did maintain a neutral relationship with Piltover. Most countries did, even Noxus if the merchants setting up shops near the Grand Plaza were to be believed. The city-state was supposed to be built around a giant canal between the main continent and the great Shurima desert, dramatically reduce the travel time and expense compared to going all the way around.

A sudden scream jolted Lux from her musing.

It sounded like a woman in apparent distress and came from one of the nearby alleys. Lux frowned. It seemed like nowhere was exempted from crime. Even the capital with regular patrolling enforcer wasn't an exception, something she had learned from the few times she disguised herself in maid's clothing to sneak out of the mansion. Deciding not to use camouflage for now, she snuck closer for a better look.

Three men were surrounding a woman, two restraining her on both sides and one threatening her with what looked like a knife. At least they didn't carry one of those metal tube-like contraptions, a 'shotgun' if she remembered correctly. The men had vaguely Ionian features similar to seneschal Viscero, though a far cry from his stern and tight feature the few times she caught a glimpse of him standing guard next to king Jarvan III. These men were laughing lecherously as the knife's tip glid across the fabric of her ... not exactly tunic, but she didn't pay much attention. It seemed like they hadn't noticed her spying and wouldn't physically harm her for a while yet, so she at least had time to consider her options.

Lux weighted her reserve and frowned. Not enough for anything major yet, especially without a wand, but a few simple tricks should be manageable. A whispered incantation had ribbons of light wrapping around the thugs' hands, forcing them away from the woman.

"Eh? What the fuck?"
"The fuck is this?"

Ducking behind one of the garbage wagons, she created the illusion of a human silhouette, floating and glowing under the street light. It wouldn't be able to make any complex movement and could be dispelled easily with a pulse of magic, but hopefully it would suffice as a bluff. The illusion raised its hands and two balls of light coalesced, glowing and swirling intimidatingly.

"Shit! It's fucking Purity."
"Run!"

She ... had no idea who this Purity was, but it looked like her magic was so similar to her that the robbers panicked and fled. It was almost too much of a coincidence. but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. She listened for the footfalls becoming lower and lower before peeking back into the alley. The thugs were gone and only the woman remained, hugging herself and shivering. With a thought, she dispelled the illusion and rushed forward. There was always a chance the thugs would realize her tricks and come back; she had to be quick.

"Are you okay ma'am?" Lux breathed a sigh of relief as she found no injury on the woman's body and her clothing relatively intact. She seemed dazed though, with a tint of fear.

"Y-Yes. Who are you? Are you a hero?"

"My name is Luxanna." Idly, she noted how strange the woman's response was. She wouldn't claim to be too knowledgeable about cultures around Runeterra, but for an adult to call someone who was at most a vigilante a hero was should be more than a little odd. But that could be saved for later. "We need to quickly get out of here. Do you know how to get to the local enforcers?"

A look of confusion crossed the woman's face before she nodded. Rummaging in her purse, she pulled out a metal device similar to the one Lux saw prior. The surface lit up, still with no trace of magic she could discern, and the woman began tapping on the device before bringing it close to her ears.

"...Yes. It was, eh, a robbery..." "...I'm in..." The woman glanced at the number plate of the closest building. "Number 52 Ontario avenue..." "... No. I'm fine, mostly..."

She supposed it was a device used for communicating and politely turned away. She did remember why the woman called her a 'cape' though. Was it synonymous with 'hero'? Her brother did wear a giant cape on his full battle armor, but despite his doubtlessly many battlefield achievements and his role in dispelling the mage resurgence in the capital, she hadn't heard anyone calling him a hero. Except for the gossiping maids that were, though somehow she doubted it meant the same thing.

"Um, the police and the PRT are coming. Can you stay here or do you want to..." The woman gestured to her face. Was there something on hers?

"Sure. I can stay." It was a favorable outcome if anything. She could contact the enforcers, or 'police' as the woman called. She had no idea what this 'pee-ar-tee' was, but they sounded like an authority figure.

"Oh, okay." The woman put away her device. "Thank you for saving me. I'm Maria."

"It's no problem." Lux smiled. It reminded her of the times she led fugitive mages to evade Mageseeker trackers to get to one of their safe houses. "I'm glad to help."

"You said your name was Lux, right?" Maria said, "It...doesn't sound like a cape name."

Did she mean a title, like one her brother had? She briefly considered revealing her house's name but decided against it. She wasn't sure it would be wise to reveal to a random commoner that the daughter of house Crownguard was a mage, even one she had just saved. Lux didn't have any other title though. She had been training for a long time to manage the finance and politics of the family as the future heiress in Garen's absence, but she was still a long way there yet. Except...

"Radiant. You can call me a Radiant."

Joining the Illuminator was one of the few things she was proud of. Although she didn't exactly subscribe to their religious teachings, their members gladly welcomed her despite her secrets. It was a great weight off her shoulders to know there are still Demacian who didn't discriminate against mages even after the rebellion that led to the death of King Jarvan III, even going so far as recruiting and sheltering them against the eyes of Mageseeker. And they also had the political backings to do so, considering the involvement of their Radiant knights in the fight against the Harrowing alongside the Dauntless Vanguard and the many charity operations held by the remaining Radiant members for disaster relief.

"Right, of course." Maria nodded slightly. "Don't capes try to keep their identity secret? You shouldn't reveal your name so easily."

Right, different customs. She mentally cataloged it for future reference.

Before their conversation could continue though, a ... man in blue and white armor pulled up in a strange two-wheeled vehicle, riding it like a metal horse. Only the lower half of his face was uncovered, spotting a neatly trimmed beard. Maria did seem to recognize him, however, so Lux didn't make any move. Piltoverians sure were peculiar with their hextech technology.

"Armsmaster of the PRT." Dismounting the vehicle but not reaching for the odd halberd that she had just then noticed. "I haven't seen you before. Are you a new hero?"

"Erm, yes. I'm a Radiant." Again with the 'hero' term. She just hoped he wouldn't be too mad should she turn out to not be one. "Are you with the local enforcer?"

"...yes." Somehow she could feel him frowning under the glass of his helmet. "Would you like to go back to PRT HQ for a report? And hero registration if you want."

This could be her chance to get something done tonight, even though 'hero registration' sounded like joining their version of the elite capital guard. Lux nodded.