Revenants - Arcane LOL x Male Reader

Chapter 19

"Hey hey hey," a hand pushes me back down, "You just woke up," then gesturing to the back of his head, "You took a massive blow to the head and your back is bruised all over, what happened? "

I lie back down, realizing that I am in one of our hideouts close to the upper city, "Jinx. I found her and walked right into a bomb-invested hallway."

He nods, "At least you are alive," he then lifts his fist, "You good?"

I lift my fist slamming it against his, "Thanks El," I then lift myself, rubbing the back of my neck, "Who fetched me? You aren't one for running after dead people."

"I did."

"Surprising," I remark, "Though I won't say I am not grateful."

Simply lifting his shoulders, "It is what we do for our people, or what is left of them anyway" he then drops down at the edge of the bed, "There is something you need to see, but before that, I need you to promise me that you will rest first before doing anything stupid, aight?"

I nod, "If it is a promise then it can't be good."

"It isn't," the muscles in his jaw tighten.

I then lift my hand, "Help me up and then tell me what happened."

He nods, climbing off the edge he pulls me to my feet, "Your lucky you didn't get anything stuck in you, well, if anything you are already on your third life so try to not waste the rest of 'em, still need you."

We push through the doors, he takes a deep breath, "We took a beating."

I feel my heart sink into my feet, grinding my teeth together as I watch everything either ravaged or bodies resting on the floor. Everything else is a complete mess, the worst part is this was out most occupied hideout... and now it looks so empty.

"What happened here... El?"

He gestures for me to follow him, revealing a brute of a man, purple veins.

"Shimmer," I slam my fist against the nearest wall, "Was he an addict?"

He lifts his shoulders, "He never took it once, refused to use it as medicine for his wounds. I have no idea what happened but... we might have some turncoats. Things aren't looking too good for us and we might have to purge the ranks."

"You'd suggest we kill those we don't trust?" I ask.

He shakes his head with a furrowed brow, "Never. Though we need to consider who we can trust, who is willing to stab us in the back. Though... that could be anyone... I used to think he was all for the cause and with the number of missions he ran," then with a sigh, he runs his hand through his hair, "Jill, Sam, Boudica, Scratch all of them are dead now."

I push myself away from the wall, walking to the bodies of those we lost. Too many names, too many faces and it starting to feel like it is all falling apart. 

"We can't save everybody anymore," I state, lowering myself into a crouched position.

"I already told everybody, we are packing tomorrow and leaving this place to rot."

I nod, "How many did we lose?"

"Out of forty-six of us? Thirty. There are more bodies but..." he tries to smile but only shuts his eyes shaking his head, "You don't want to see them."

I shut my eyes tightly, "We can't stay hidden and quiet any longer. We need to take the fight to them."

"Even if it kills us?"

I look over my shoulder, "Make an announcement, those who want to leave with their lives. Let them. Those who we were keeping safe, let them go elsewhere it will never be safe with us. Here I thought we could do a little good amidst all this murder."

"We still can," he states, "We gather everyone, we go for that bastard Silco and his little blue-haired freak. We kill them."

I shake my head, "Not yet," then gesturing to the monstrous creation, "If they have people like that... we don't even stand a chance... you know that right?"

"Obviously, you just need to make sure that the other leaders don't start their own little guerilla warfare only to die in the process," then resting his hand on my shoulder, "Please, the last thing I want to see is Cal killing herself out there because she is trying to be like you."

"That girl..."

"Looks up to you," I glance at him as he smiles at me, "Makes it hard for her to notice anyone else though."

"Please," I stop him, "Not the time to talk about this."

He nods, "Was just trying to defuse some tension, sorry..."

I sigh, "No... sorry. I am just too high strung," then lifting myself to my feet, "Talk to her, she needs someone to talk to right now. She keeps looking at me when-"

"There a reason why you keep rejecting her?" he asks in the silence. As if he wants to know why... he off all people should know why.

Looking one last time at those we lost, "Sleep well, brothers and sisters," then turning away I hear him follow me as I state, "I don't have time, nor the ability to love anyone. That all died a long time ago."

He then asks, "Was it, Vi?"

I stop in place, "Vander. Ekko. Mylo. Claggor. Powder. Violet. Rud. All those names of people that I once loved... I acted like I would fight for them if the time came but in the reality, I would be the first to run away."

"The one time you did do something, it ended like this."

I nod, "We lose a lot of people, everybody does. It doesn't make it easier."

"You miss them?"

I nod, "Isn't it obvious? You are probably the only person that stuck with me through it all. Been here since the Revenants started. Been here when I was still killing them with nothing but metal pipe and glass shards."

"For some of us, we died a long time ago. A shell only remains to do what needs to be done... I hope you can reach them and smile for a change."

"I can't yet," I sigh, "Rud and Jinx are still alive, as long as they are alive. I can't ever rest."