Revenants - Arcane LOL x Male Reader

Chapter 16

"They took it all - our world will fall. Hide your face for we will wait.
We come for them - we will not stop, prepare your hearts as you take their lives.
We are lost and our homes in ruin. Look at the sky for one day soon
We'll take all that they stole, raise our fists, the dead will come to reap what you sow..."

In a crouched position in a large garden in the upper city. I smile down to two heirlooms in my palms as I tilt my head to the side. Dropping them into a little hole in the dirt, covering them with my palms as I sigh to myself.

Rest easy, I probably know you aren't exactly happy to see the person I have become but you really picked the worst person to look after me. I know he was family but how are we supposed to know that our own brothers and sisters may just be insane?

We don't until it starts stinging.

Hearing footsteps draw closer, I stay in place as I shut my eyes tightly. The movement of what I imagine to be a weapon trained to the back of my head, I mean I figured that much would have happened.

"Isn't this a little bit too aggressive after I asked for you to meet me?"

"You are under arrest and coming with me."

I nod to myself, "Understandable," then lifting myself to my feet, I turn to her, "Though I didn't come all the way out here just for you to do that to me," I then narrow my eyes at her, "And with that, if you would please hand me my mask back," I offer my hand waiting for her to place it.

Though she doesn't seem all that inclined to do anything I ask of her.

I then shoot my gaze off to the secluded corners around us, "The idea was more to talk than anything else, shadow. More of a peek into how things run and in a way secure myself an invaluable ally," I then glance at her, "Lower the weapon."

"What is it you want?"

"For you to not point that thing at me," I then place my hand on my still sore waist, "You already got on shot on me, I would rather leave from this place with even fewer holes in my body - I imagine you'd want to leave with your own life."

"A threat?"

"A warning," I then gesture with my head, "You think me foolish enough to come here alone?" I gesture to where the four of them are, each in a place out of sight. You'd have to look a couple of times just to make sure that they are there.

With that, she begrudgingly lowers her weapon, then reveals my mask as she holds it between her fingers.

"How did you get that note to me?"

"I'll explain it eventually," then gesturing for her to follow me, "In truth, if you are fearing for your life rest assured that I won't lay a finger on you. Whether or not you agree with anything I bring to light the outcome will generally be the same."

"Then why come here, risking so much if you have little to gain but a lot to lose?"

"The risk and the reward comes later," I then rest my arms on the railing overlooking a large part of the city, focussing my gaze on the bridge separating us from the top-side, "Though as far as I know, you are the councilor's daughter. If anything your allegiance would benefit me more than those I have on my side amongst the Enforcers."

"So you do have people in there?"

I shake my head, "Not my people. People that trust us and we trust them. So stop trying to investigate me and my operations. I would tell you everything in a heartbeat but I need to know that when doing so I won't wake up with a barrel of a gun stuck down my throat."

A careful nod, she finally sets down her weapon before siding next to me, still mindful of the distance between us.

"Why would I trust you, didn't you rob that shop?"

I nod, "It was necessary. I already paid my dues, your enforcers made me pay for the expenses and to stay on your good side," I sigh, "That and most of the things I stole were returned anyway, we have no need for it anymore."

Then with a confused stare, "Then... why go there in the first place?"

"Because we still needed something," then shutting my eyes tightly as I sigh, "I need you to understand something, shadow. Why go through the effort to keep you out of my way, why not just kidnap you? Why not just kill you here and now?"

"Because you would cause a war."

I lift my shoulders, "You think they care down there? A lot of them hate you guys, I don't. Between you and them, I am pretty sure one is much worse. Maybe you suffer from ignorance... because you don't quite understand what goes on down there."

"I can tell you are still trying to read me, trying to place me in that pretty little head of yours. From our few encounters I wouldn't be ranked pretty high," then glancing at her with an idle gaze, "For that, I apologize, it may amount to nothing, then again you might just think my sincere apologies aren't worth much."

"Or it isn't quite as sincere as you lead it on to be."

"Fair is fair," I tilt my head into a nod, then gesturing with my hand I signal them all to leave the two of us alone, "We have gotten this far without you trying to kill me, so I imagine you would hear me out till the end."

Watching her observe the area, the four of them make themselves known as they all leave through the same place.

"Then? What is it you want to offer me? I find it hard to imagine you would go out of your way just to get a mask back."

"It goes both ways," I state, "I want the mask back, it keeps my hands clean and out of bloodied waters... "

"Then you shouldn't have robbed that store."

I nod, "No shit," then ask, "I know the undercity, everything that happens, and how it operates. I have a network of people willing to do anything to liberate it from all the filth that controls us."

"As for you? I give you information, I give you leads. If you ever find yourself in the undercity," I slide something over, a locator of sorts, "With this I will find you, then when you find yourself among them down there I will help to the best of my ability."

"And how will I know that you are keeping your word?" she seems likely to accept my proposal.

I gesture to her, "That locator should be enough, no?" then realizing her dissatisfied glare I then push myself off of the railing, "I have nothing else to offer you."

"How about this mask? You seem to regard this as something very important. If you came for the mask and both strike a deal, how about you only leave with one of them?"

I then groan silently, "You gain a significant amount of information-"

"And you a connection to the council."

I want to scream that it is out of the question, that she has no place to make demands but that would only be because I have nothing else to say, I am annoyed... very fucking annoyed. Thinking that I have the upper hand and having the nerve to just... ugh!

"Fine. Keep it," I turn to leave, "I will be in touch."

"And how are you supposed to get into contact with me? How am I supposed to get into contact with you?"

Stopping in place, I take another deep breathe, "Listen, shadow-"

"Caitlyn."

"-I can't just run to topside every time you want information."

She then narrows her gaze, "Then one more thing, to ensure that this connection is valid and not just a way to manipulate me I want a lot more information. A way to communicate outside of this device."