Immortalized | Viktor - arcane

Councilor Talis

Rose and Elora were both called on by Mel the next morning to accompany her to the council building. It was odd for Mel to need them both at the same time without advanced notice, and the news made Rose's stomach drop. Something had gone terribly wrong after she left the celebration.

As Elora and Rose walked across town that morning they passed by part of the crime scene. A building in the square, near the council chamber had been destroyed in an explosion. Most of the wreckage had been cleaned up before they arrived and the injured and killed had already been removed. The pair made sure to walk by slowly as they passed and observe what they could.

Rose could make out splatters of colorful spray paint and a design that had become the emblem of a criminal in the fissures. They suspected they were connected to the leader of the fissures, Silco who rose to power shortly after Vander's death, but little was known about them and Mel kept many of the fine details private. All Rose knew was despite investigations on Silco turning up empty, he was far from innocent and it wouldn't shock her if he was tied to this crime.

When the council gathered she learned the crime was more drastic than one destroyed building and she realized why Mel had called on her. The newly stabilized Hextech gemstone that was meant to be introduced to the public had been stolen. The explosion had only been a diversion so the intruder could make it in an out of the lab with plenty of time to ransack it as they left.

"The gemstone is gone, along with some of our research papers." Viktor stated from his seat before the council, beside Jayce. There was a broken look in his eyes worse than Rose had seen the night before. He could feel his time running out and now not only was Heimerdinger slowing his progress but there was someone out there who had stolen his work. His technology had landed in the wrong hands. It was exactly what Heimerdinger was afraid of and now he had been proven right.

"The situation is still developing." Sheriff Marcus said. "No one in the undercity has claimed responsibility yet."

"How did it come to this?" Heimerdinger asked.

"For too long has the underground been left unchecked." Hoskel said. Rose grit her teeth. She'd been in the chamber many times as they discussed the problem of the undercity and she always struggled to hold her tongue, but this was different. This was a new kind of attack that would start conversations that were long overdue for the council.

"We've lost touch." Shoola added. "They may not be your preferred constituents, but they're still our people."

"The undercity cannot be controlled. Not by us." Cassandra said, her tone biting as her daughter had been among the enforcers injured in the explosion.

"So where does that leave us?"

"Mr. Talis, could the trenchers build a weapon with the stolen crystal?" Bolbok asked.

"Shimmer, body replacements, we've seen their ingenuity over the years, of course they can." Hoskel said angrily and even Rose had to admit he was not wrong. There were many intelligent people living in the underground and they were rightfully angry, now they had a way to act on it like never before.

"If the right person got a hold of it, it's possible they could utilize its energy." Jayce answered.

Rose shifted uncomfortably. Viktor had given Rose her own gemstone as a graduation gift, it was worth a fortune, so much that Rose kept it in a locked drawer in her room. If the council knew she had it, if they knew her origin, they'd likely call for an investigation.