Y/N knows everything and everyone in the undercity.
For a fair price, they'll help anyone in need with their incredible engineering skills, no matter if they're a notorious shimmer-selling crimelord or a time-manipulating firelight. They learnt fro...
Progress day. The day where Piltover's successes were celebrated, well topside's at least. As they threw lavish parties we suffered, but that's how it had always been. I stared out across the river, chin resting on my knees. Airships we're flying in from all over the world, and of course the Hexcore gates were standing tall and strong as ever. They had been made by a revolutionary scientist; Jayce Talis I had heard. At the mention of scientists, Viktor always came to mind. He was always destined for great things like this Jayce, however I had never heard his name mentioned. Perhaps he was doing something innovative, something astounding. I just would never know from down here.
It reminded me of how Councillor Heimerdinger had spoken of returning to the docks for me when I was old enough to attend the Academy. I had broken Viktor's promise long ago, after I had fled the docks. As much as it had pained me to, I didn't want to leave the undercity to rot while I lived such a luxurious lifestyle. Besides, the success rates at the esteemed Academy were incredibly low, so I heavily doubted that there would've been any achievements to my name. Viktor would've thought differently, but he was out of my life now. It really made me wonder whether he thought of me just as much as I did him, but those years were far behind me now.
The years where I was happy were now a distant memory as well. The years where I regularly visited The Last Drop to run wild with my friends. Their faces appeared in my mind, Mylo, Claggor, Ekko, Powder and Vi. All of them were either dead, entirely unrecognisable or had disappeared mysteriously. My life had been torn apart on that horrific day, everything broken beyond repair. The only constant in my life was my job, I still worked on my engineering and had greatly improved. Y/n was a name in many people's mouths, my skills greatly admired by the people of the undercity.
That came with positives, and of course negatives. I had to stay as neutral as possible, unwavering in the face of war. The undercity was divided, ironic considering its clear division with topside too. I sighed as I stared out at the flowing river, its waters murky and polluted just as most was down here. The sun was rising, the sky a deep orange that I admired wistfully. I got up to leave, making my way to the underground again.
As I walked through an abandoned alley, I felt someone grab my shoulder. Turning around sharply, I was met with a familiar mask. The mask worn by a group called the Firelights to conceal their identity, however I knew exactly who was behind this one.
"Ekko," I mused.
He shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips. His identity couldn't risk being revealed.
"One of my firelights' boards broke down, we need it fixed and quick for a mission, y/n" he explained urgently.
"Can't fix it yourself?" I replied, smirking.
Ekko was a changed man, there wasn't much joking about with him now. Not after Benzo died. I supposed we all had changed, I for one had.
"Y/n you're the best of the best, we need you right now. I'll help out," Ekko urged.
I had worked with the Firelights before, the upkeep of their technology was challenging at times. Ekko was the brains behind most of it, his work truly was extraordinary.
"Deal," I nodded.
Another Firelight dropped down beside him, this time a woman with a hood draped over her head. I vaguely recalled her from visiting the Firelight's refuge before, however her name had slipped my mind. It was hard to decipher who was who behind the masks, but I could never forget Ekko. She handed me the board and I began my work on it, Ekko kneeling down and working busily alongside me.
"So what's the job today?" I inquired, screwing in a loose knut with my spanner.
"There's shimmer distribution going on, we're taking down an airship," he answered quickly.
My heart thudded. Shimmer. Ekko was unaware of my ties with the distributors themselves. I tried my best to be impartial when it came to my job, which often led to aiding both seemingly oblivious sides. It felt like betrayal, maybe it was, but it was better to stay on everyone's good side down here.
"Are you alright y/n?" Ekko asked suddenly, peering up at me.
"Yeah I'm fine, just focused that's all," I lied through my teeth, "Good luck, and don't get hurt."
"That's not a guarantee unfortunately," he sighed.
The board's imperfection was fixed, it was almost as good as new. I stood up, handing it over to the woman. She thanked me, as Ekko stood beside her and nodded gratefully.
"Thanks man, see you later," he said, waving goodbye at me.
I said my farewells and left, continuing off down the alley. The guilt I felt was sickening, but I tried to ignore it as I walked onwards. Some more jobs called for me today, my hands were full. It was better that way, it would take my mind off of these impending thoughts.
A couple of hours had passed by and my work for the day was over, I had made a fair wage.
"There you are," came a gruff voice, the hood of my cloak firm in a metallic hand.
"Sevika," I muttered, turning around to meet her grey eyes, "What do you want?"
"Boss wants you," she informed me, releasing her firm grip.
"Silco? No one's my boss, Sev," I retorted.
"Stop being all self-righteous or you'll get yourself killed," she grumbled, "I'm keeping you safe, just do as he says."
It was true, for years Sevika had ensured my safety by keeping my ties with Silco close. What drove her to look out for me in that way was a mystery, but she tended to show her fondness for people in strange ways. Her devotion to Silco was another unsolved mystery. She'd lost an arm for the both of us, I owed my life to her.
"Alright, I'll do the job," I decided, "What is it?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she responded bluntly, beginning to stride forward as I struggled to keep up with her.
We soon made it to The Last Drop. It was wildly different from what it used to be after being taken over by Silco. The people within it ran rampant, partying hard and getting drunk. The music blasted through my ears and the lights blinded me as Sevika guided me through the crowded dance floor. I kept my head down low, not wanting to catch the gaze of those around me.
The music faded to a muffled beat as we made it to the top of the groaning stairs, Sevika waiting for me outside of the looming door. Inside, a calloused and cold crime boss awaited my arrival, my heartbeat quickened at the mere thought of him. This was not a man you wanted to upset. Hell, he had held a knife to my throat without hesitation all those years ago. Three final knocks sounded as Sevika rapped on the door.
"Enter," came his foreboding voice.
Sevika pushed open the door, holding it for me as I stepped somewhat reluctantly into the room. A tall chair faced the back window, it's occupier concealed behind it. Trudging up to the desk, I stood stiffly in front of it, anticipation building up. The chair in front of me creaked as it turned around. A blue eye and an orange iris met mine, it felt as if they were boring into my soul, analysing my every move.
"Greetings, y/n," he drawled.
"Hello, sir."
He inhaled on his cigar, wafting out a ring of smoke as he returned his menacing gaze to mine.
"I have an offer for you, I suggest you listen."
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