Disclaimer I do not own Lies of P nor do I own Arcane. I am not making any money by writing this story and am just doing it for fun and entertainment. Hope you all enjoy reading this story. Updates will be infrequent though as other stories are also being worked on, and this was just putting an idea to paper/word so it doesn't get lost.
Italics are thoughts
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Unknown location
Sitting in a bare room was a group of men who were not in the best of moods as they looked over the information they had gathered and started to complain and blame each other for things going wrong.
"We should never have taken him into the fold. The man was far to impatient in learning the art alchemy."
"Demacia has always been a pain to deal with, we should've known that bringing in a Demacian mage would be nothing but trouble."
"That fool Geppetto has put all of our years of work at risk and worse he has put the Alchemist order at risk."
"We should go and punish the fool. Drag him back to Demacia kicking and screaming and put an end to his foolishness. Let his own people deal with him, I'm sure they can devise a much more worthy punishment for the man than we could."
As the members of the order talked about and complained about Geppetto, in the shadows sat two figures watching the group talking. One a middle-aged man, and beside him was a young woman who seemed lost in thought as if she wasn't entirely present in the room as pillars of ergo crystals glowed and were even giving off an audible hum. "Fools the lot of them. they talk and complain yet they have no plan to deal with our runaway." The man turned to the woman a slight tug of her dress bringing her out of her trance. "Has the song informed you of anything? Some knowledge we can use to put a stop to Geppetto's ploy.
The woman shook her head as she gave off a sense of melancholy. "I'm sorry my lord. Geppetto hid his truths well. He hid from me so I could not hear his song in the ergo and he took anything that could reveal his secrets to me." The man tightened his grip on the cane in his hand, the only sign of his growing frustration at the situation while the young woman flinched a bit taking a step back. She slowly took a step forward to try and calm the man down but was interrupted when two ergo infused crows flew in through a window landing on the man's shoulders. The young woman grimaced looking at the twisted form of fusion between flesh and crystal as the observed the song the crows sang before they flew off again. The man turned to her again an expectant look in his eye.
"The agent you sent to Piltover may have found some we can use or at the very least guide to remove Geppetto as a problem upon the day he makes a mistake we can exploit." The man did seem to be in a better mood but that was changed as the young woman had some unfortunate news to relay as well. "The song of the crow's ergo also told me of inky shadows following and seeking. They were ignorant of identity, but they were searching none the less. Geppetto has damaged the veil of your anonymity lord Simon."
Simon took in a deep breath as he sat up from his chair. "Sophia, send the crows back out. Eyes and ears are a necessity at the moment. Return to your room and await my arrival, I will be preparing a dozen new crows to make our view of the situation clearer." Sophia bowed in submission even if she hesitated for a moment before deciding she didn't want to risk Simon's bad mood and fled the meeting chamber to her room. Once Sophia was gone Simon walked towards the others interrupting their arguing when they took note that he was coming towards them.
"Lord Simon, you honour us with your presence."
"We sincerely apologise for being incapable of seeing Geppetto for the traitor he was."
"We have no excuse for being unable to prevent him from stealing from you and from the order my lord."
Simon sighed even though he enjoyed the site of the men bowing and supplicating themselves before him. "My allies worry not as I am working on a solution to our problems. Like many of you I would enjoy nothing more than to capture and punish Geppetto for his actions but for now we must be patient as unfortunately the traitor has caught the eyes of those we wish to avoid. They hunt for his secrets and in turn our own secrets, our own existence is now at risk. we must stay hidden lest the eyes of those who would do us harm or destroy our work spot us." The other alchemists shuddered at the idea of their order being revealed to other clandestine groups, let alone to the kingdoms of Runeterra. Hiding in the shadows had allowed them to thrive avoiding the mage wars that tore Runeterra apart and destroyed so much magical research and knowledge, the runic crisis of magical backfires as less accomplished and more reckless mages filled the spots left opened after the mage wars and they had even managed to avoid the witch hunts of Demacia or the hiring of the Black Rose. They had stayed independent and their work unknown and secret, untainted by the hands of those who only sought after weapons of war and control.
"The black rose knows of us?" a lone terrified voice called out as the other alchemists looked around nervously well aware of how dangerous their enemy was and what they could and would be willing to do if they ever discovered their order.
Simon shook his head much to the relief of the other order members in the room. "No at the moment all they are seeking is how Geppetto managed to accomplish as much as he has. They know what he has accomplished is beyond a single man's lifespan. Such a shame for as talented as Geppetto was now he has put decades of secrecy at risk for whatever hubris has taken hold of him. For now, all we can risk is the eyes I'm having Sophia send out and the spies I already sent to Piltover to try and keep an eye on Geppetto."
"My lord there is still the matter of our ergo stores. We did the math and if we slow down our research and experiments, we can avoid draining away our supply faster than we can replenish it. Unfortunately, that does mean we will need to slow down my lord. We can't risk running out in the middle of an experiment let alone how difficult it would be to acquire more if we have none left of our own." The others looked shocked at the idea of slowing down and rationing, they had been so used to the constant and stable supply of ergo once available that to know how much resources their work took was a surprise and led to growing resentment and anger towards Geppetto.
Simon paused for a moment as he thought about the situation. "It is regrettable, but it seems our work must slow down lest we incur greater penalties later. Time is still on our side though gentlemen. A traitor he may be, but Geppetto allowed us to overcome many of the obstacles of our research over the years and we can still work with the knowledge we gained from those advances." I still can't believe the fool managed to steal the relic. I will have to remember to find out who was guarding it and making sure they pay their debt to the order in full.
"What if we simply let Geppetto continue with his work in Piltover unbothered by any distractions or obstructions?"
Simon and the others looked at their fellow order member in confusion though Simon motioned for the man to continue.
"Well, he has most, if not all of Piltover's resources at his disposal, massive research teams and money being thrown at him. Why don't we simply let him do the work for us and then claim it upon his downfall or step in to be the ones to finish it if he actually makes a breakthrough. He does have the relic after all, any he learns will be providing him with much more information and data than we can acquire without it here. So, I say we allow him to do the work for us. He does owe us after all for all we taught him."
Simon smiled, it was a cruel terrifying thing, especially if you looked into the man's eyes. Yes, it would be a perfect punishment, to deny him his victory just in front of the finish line. A traitor like Geppetto is not deserving of salvation, I shall drag him to the gates of paradise and then slam them in his face. Oh, I can only imagine the look that will etch itself onto his face when I crush his hopes and dreams in front of him. Simon felt a perverse joy as he thought about how he would punish Geppetto happy to be able to feel this sort of joy a second time in his life as he recalled the look on his father's face when he had risen to become lord and leader of the Alchemist order. How the fool had begged forgiveness and the mercy of remaining in the order after years of belittling and mocking Simon as being weak and useless. It had been such a joy to watch his father's heart and soul shatter as the doors to the castle sealed in front of him cut off from the knowledge and power of the Alchemists, striped of rank and title. "Brilliant my good friend, such a fitting punishment, I'm not sure I could imagine a more suitable fate for Geppetto than to not only be denied his wishes but for him to witness our success from his own actions. It is then agreed? We shall leave the traitor be for now while we set up eyes, and ears in Piltover."
All members present agreed on the motion. Simon would be heading to Piltover having business arrangements within the city once he was sure it was safe to travel without exposing the order. Simon also looked over some documents happy to see that the package he sent ahead of time to his property at Piltover would be arriving safely and without having to be processed. It wouldn't do for anyone to see the tool hidden inside, to many questions would be asked. The other alchemists of the order would be staying at the castle running maintenance and working on the projects that couldn't be put on hold. It was a risk being the only one going to Piltover but he was the one least likely to be found out and he had servants acting as his hand in the city meaning it wouldn't seem strange for him to visit and check on his investments. Do not get comfortable Geppetto, soon I'll drag you out of your Heaven and pull you into Hell.
Happy with the meeting Simon left to meet up with Sophia again it was time to plant more eyes in Piltover until he could arrive personally. "It is time Sophia. I have need of your voice to tune the melody of the ergo." The woman flinched looking a bit sick and uncomfortable, yet she followed after Simon into a small lab. Simon opened up a cage pulling out a crow before blue strings started to stretch from his hand as he picked up a ergo crystal. The strings stabbed into the crow as the poor bird screeched bloody murder as it thrashed about trying to escape. Crystal erupted and grew out of flesh and feathers as the bird seemed to almost go through a blender before it regained its bird shape even if it didn't truly look like a bird anymore.
Sophia felt weak as tears threatened to escape her grip on her heart. She couldn't show weakness here; she couldn't give Simon another way to control her. It was so difficult hearing the bird suffering but also hearing the song of the ergo as Simon twisted it and the bird's soul to his will. She could hear how the song was being warped and distorted as she began to sing herself through her mouth and through her soul as she sang out to the ergo, to the bird, birds. A calming effect went over the creatures as their twisted and mutated forms began to smooth over. The crystals growing out of them smoothed out almost becoming a thin sheen with the only thing that could be seen as not being the bird anymore was its eyes, fully replaced by ergo crystals.
Sophia fell to her knees, her strength abandoning her after Simon finished converting the last bird before sending his little spies out to Piltover. "Good work Sophia. You lasted much longer this time than in our previous sessions. Though that could just be because our latest subjects where much smaller and lesser than what we have worked with before. Get some rest because soon I will be having need of your skills again." Simon left the lab as Sophia rushed to her room collapsing on her bed exhausted as she just felt drained from the day's events. With Simon gone she let herself feel all she had bottled-up throughout the day as tears came out flowing. Sophia wondered if she would ever be free of Simon's grasp, if she could once again hear the songs of ergo untainted, clean and pure, untouched by Simon or the Alchemists.
She hummed to herself feeling the flow of ergo that tied Simon to his spies. She piggybacked off the link allowing herself to feel and see what the bird felt. She felt free, no walls keeping hers sealed in and an open horizon unobstructed and presenting endless possibilities and adventures. Look at me jealous of a bird. Sophia cut the connection as she looked out of the lone window in her room, her cell wondering if she would ever be free or if she would forever be Simon's doll and wondered if she should just accept her fate or if she could dare dream of being free of having a chance to feel like that bird felt in her own skin. Maybe? Everyone is moving about; they are getting sloppy and only Simon is ever keeping an eye on me these days. Maybe? Simon is leaving the castle……
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Noxus
Ambessa was walked down a more hidden and crumbling section of the city, where the shadows stretched long and those unprepared to deal with the darkness were devoured becoming part of the foundation of Noxus instead of the steel that was the kingdoms blade of expansion. She disdained having to walk these roads as only the desperate and the weak ever scurried along these paths of the broken and weak. She did not have much choice though as she stopped in front of a rundown tattoo parlour. The ink well, a store that seemed to be set up in all the various cities and even some of the bigger towns under the banner of Noxus. The store provided a service far more useful and valuable than just regular tattoos for men to show off and for daughters to rebel, the store provided a rare and expensive service of providing magically infused tattoos providing both strength and protection for those who could afford the service. Man, a noble and great warrior had been saved by the tattoos, yet Ambessa knew there was far more to the stores than most, a rare if dangerous piece of knowledge few in the kingdom held claim to.
Stepping inside all Ambessa saw was a lone table set up for two with a small, prepared tea set. A lone cup sat with tea already poured next to a single flower put with a black rose in it with a note taped to the side informing her that her host would be with her shortly. Ambessa looked at the tea wearily wondering if it was poisoned or not. Not like the Black Rose needs to use something like poison, they have other techniques, and it seems like they want something from me. This was a game to the Black Rose and Ambessa unfortunately knew she was not in a position where she could afford to avoid playing.
She sat down and drank the tea, surprised at the familiar taste, a reminder of her own youth before she became the head of house Medarda. A recipe her own grandmother had guarded jealously and made her the envy of some rival families after tasting it and being unable to replicate it. It was a message that no secrets could be hidden from the Black Rose, a lesson and a warning yet also an offering Ambessa realised. The Black Rose were offering her something rare, a second chance, a chance to be left in peace. What has captured their attention they are willing to settle our debt now?
"I do hope your enjoying the refreshments. It was such a hassle to get the ingredients this time of year when the frost trolls are testing our borders." An elderly woman sat down in the other seat taking a sip from the other cup of tea a light smile on her face as she enjoyed the beverage. "Your grandmother was a shrewd one. I do believe this is the first time I have been able to enjoy the taste of this flavour in over twenty years since her passing. I guess certain positions have their rewards after all." The woman continued to drink even as Ambessa stared her down looking ready to kill.
"I am not here for idle chit chat about tea. I was summoned, so please enlighten me on the reasoning behind this meeting."
"You always were such an impatient one, even as a child. It is a shame your grandmother was never able to teach you the lesson of patience or you may have been able to avoid this situation all together." The old woman didn't seem bothered at all as Ambessa looked ready to pull her sword out. "I do believe this store could be a good example of your abundant arrogance and lack of patience. You never did like the idea of the Black Rose and since becoming the lord of your family house you've done all you could to wipe out our influence. You burned this store down and spent so much time killing our pawns across your lands and the lands you conquered, annoying but ultimately the damage you did was superficial but then you decided to push, hunting our assets in the royal court, among the upper nobility, the military and even disrupting our operations outside of Noxus. You forgot the rules of the game Ambessa, you broke the rules were you so delusional in the might of your house, of your own strength to think we wouldn't punish you for your arrogance." The old lady continued to drink her tea as Ambessa sat down her sword abandoned images of her son's corpse flashing in her mind with a single black rose sitting on his body.
"If we so wished it, we could've burned house Medarda to the ground, but something has come up that has caught the attention of the Black Rose and thus we have some use for you still Ambessa. Something that was hidden in the shadows outside of our sight has been made known to us. We do not like unknowns."
Ambessa growled out in frustration at the idea of being used as a tool by the Black Rose and that all that kept her house alive was the fact she had some sort of use as a pawn, she was no pawn however she was intrigued by the idea something had managed to avoid the all-seeing gaze of the Black Rose. If something or someone could hide away like that maybe she had a chance to escape the chains of the Black Rose. "You were blind to something? I find that amusing to learn. It seems the Black Rose isn't as all knowing as you want everyone else to believe." Ambessa took a sip from her tea happy to see the façade of calm break even just slightly on the face of the messenger who had come to give her orders.
"Nothing stays hidden forever Ambessa but yes, this unknown is an annoyance we cannot allow and that is where you come in. Recently in Piltover a new inventor has made himself known through the creation of a new sort of puppet that once was exclusively seen in Demacia. The puppets are one thing, but he has shown a knowledge and use of something quite ancient and once thought lost and forgotten. No matter how skilled and knowledgeable a man he may be, Geppetto the inventor could not have learned and crafted such technology and magics in a single lifetime. someone must have shared with and taught him and that is who we seek."
"Then why do you have need of me? Just send you little spies to Piltover, grab the man and be done with it. You have so many ways to pull the knowledge out of his head so why come to me for assistance if I'm so small in your eyes?" Ambessa was actually curious now as she thought about ways, she could use this to her advantage.
"As we said this puppetry was once exclusive to Demacia and thus if we are too overt in our actions, we could end up bringing Demacia knocking on our borders. No, we need to do this clean and carefully and thus were you come in. your disdain for our order is well known and thus you and in turn your daughter are the method through which we can seek out Geppetto and learn not only the secrets of his craft but also who taught him."
"What does Mel have to do with this?" It was a rhetorical question as Ambessa had a very good idea about why the Black Rose was involving her daughter. Mel had a seat on Piltovers ruling council, held a great deal of influence and power in the city and could be used to get close to Geppetto without causing any sort of alarm or suspicion. Ambessa also had a sneaking suspicion that the Black Rose sought to claim Geppetto, to have him join their ranks and thus wanted him to have a more positive view of them which would be difficult if they had to pull a regular snatch and grab on the man. "I help you and my debt it will be cleared. My family will be safe and be left untouched?"
"Your family will be left alone. The game as always will be between you and us Ambessa but we will be more than willing to go back to following the rules, just remember this clemency is a once in a life time gift and if you break the rules again we will be far less kind and lenient in how we punish you." The elderly woman sat up and left the old decrepit ruins of the former tattoo parlour giving Ambessa a slight curtsy before leaving, disappearing into the many alleyways the only proof the conversation had even taken place was the tea set and the black rose sitting on the table.
Ambessa sat calmly for a moment as she finished her cup of tea before throwing the pot against a wall and taking out her sword and just hacking away at the ruined building as she let herself vent her frustrations at being used as a pawn, basically being a slave in the hands of the Black Rose. All of her work to elevate house Medarda pointless and in the end risked the downfall of her house not its elevation. By the time she returned home she started writing letters to Mel about the situation and what was now needed of her. She made sure to also hide away some secrets in the letters, old fake codes her daughter and son had made up in happier and less complicated times, nonsense to others but her daughter would know, would understand. Ambessa may have a chain around her neck at the moment but her daughter had no such disadvantage and as much as Ambessa had never been a fan of it her daughter had a mind for manipulation and business that would be far better suited to not only getting access to Geppetto but also maybe finding a way around the noose that the Black Rose had set up around house Medarda.
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"Was antagonising her really necessary Leblanc? Ambessa will already be such a hassle to work with, we need her to be compliant and I doubt she will be willing to just bend the knee and accept your orders." A pale man walked into a strange endless hall of a room with its walls covered in wispy ink all shaping into art like tapestry of events long since passed and many different events yet to come.
"Ambessa is a rabid dog that needs to be taught her place in the world. All we need to do is get her to do the job we need done. If she tries to force the issue, we will just destroy her like originally planned, house Medarda has many enemies within Noxus that would be more than willing to see Ambessa fall to ruin. That woman was never very good at making friends." Leblanc scoured the inky tapestry on the walls scowling as she still was unable to find what she was looking for.
"If you keep your eyes on the fall for to long my dear you will forget we are still living in the present. It doesn't do to forget that fact even if we are trying to shape events yet to be more to our liking." The man was sipping a strange red liquid from a glass as he looked over the area Leblanc was searching.
"I just don't understand how Demacia of all places found a man that knew how to handle ergo. It's been ages since we were even able to acquire just a handful of ergo crystals and yet somehow this man, this Geppetto was able to produce and refine ergo as if he had an unlimited supply of it. Now its all over Piltover and we still can't do or learn anything lest we get dragged into a fight with Demacia" Leblanc was visibly irritated as she vented to her compatriot about the situation, they found themselves in. it truly did irk Leblanc that she needed Ambessa's assistance in this circumstance and that she hadn't been allowed to punish the woman for all the trouble she had caused.
The man took a small blue crystal out of his pocket looking it over before handing it over to Leblanc. "Truly a wonderful little thing isn't it, the essence of mind and soul given physical form without all the hassle of having to deal with ghosts. To think the Shadow Isles was hiding a prize like this from the world…… Look my dear I know you do not like the woman but simply leave her be for now, have our agents talk with her and let that be all the interaction that takes place, we do not need her to act foolishly in a blind and stupid attempt to spite us lest we risk not acquiring the prize we seek. If you still hate her so much just wait until after we have acquired either Geppetto's benefactors or the mans ergo source, then you can kill or torture her to your hearts content."
Leblanc looked over the crystal in her hand before dropping it in her compatriot's glass. "You have always been my rock in my fouler moods Vladimir. Yes, you are right, we will need to be more patient in this game, willing to lose a round to win this contest as a whole and have the tapestry of fate be better shaped to suit out needs." Leblanc took out her own wine glass as she and Vladimir had a small toast to their future endeavours each downing their own drinks as they planned their next moves in the many operations, they had going on inside of Noxus and around Runeterra as a whole.
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Zaun/the under city (the last drop)
Silco sat in his office looking at the partially recovered Jinx who was covered in ugly looking bruises and bandages. Silco had thought about using a diluted version of shimmer to speed up the healing process, but Sevika had convinced him that having Jinx heal the slow and natural way would be more capable of teaching her a much-needed lesson than a simple lecture she would likely forget the moment she left the office. "So aside from getting your face beat in, did you learn any Jinx?"
Jinx wasn't paying attention to Silco as she was still focusing on Sevika pouting at the woman. "Hey, where is my prize money? I saw you pick it up before I blacked out entirely. Give it to me, there are so many upgrades I can get for fishbone with that cash."
Sevika just gave Jinx a smirk as she only handed over that strange man's business card. "Sorry but I spent it all already. Next keep a better eye on your money and be grateful I even brought you back down here to get patched up."
Jinx stuck her tongue out even though she still swiped the business card out of Sevika's hand. "No fair I won that cash fair and square."
"That may be true brat, but you still got knocked out. If you want to keep your money you need to keep an eye on it, you know the rules in Zaun." Sevika just smirked as Jinx called her a meany trying to punch her in retribution but in her injured state her punches were quite ineffective as she just couldn't muster the strength to hit any harder than throwing a stuffed animal toy.
Silco sighed in annoyance having gotten far too used to the bickering of the two women in his life, but he couldn't tolerate this at the moment. "Ladies as entertaining as your quarrelling can be at the moment I just need information. I sent you up there on a job so I am hoping that you actually did as I asked and gathered intelligence I can use or that could be useful to know about." Jinx at least had the decency to look sheepish though Sevika didn't seem to be all that ashamed of getting into a petty argument with a teenager. Silco motioned for Jinx to provide him with her intel first once he was sure the two wouldn't get into an argument again.
"Well from what I was able to scope out the puppet tech only seems to be showing up on the Promenade level of Zaun, not sure why but that the only place anything seems to be sold or built. Have to say the puppets have a lot of variety to them capable of doing a ton of jobs in support or even replacing human workers. Tough things to, though that could just be the model I fought against was something of particularly good quality though I did learn something of interest from my brawl. I don't think the enforcers like the puppets much, a lot of the people who bet on me were enforcers, their type doesn't like use very much so its interesting to see them throw all that money in support towards someone they view as lesser"
Silco mulled over what Jinx had told him before turning to Sevika for her to give him what she had learned.
"Well, I learned similar things to what Jinx found out, but I believe I have the answers to some of the things Jinx was wondering about from what she managed to learn. Apparently whatever powers those puppets and allows them to be so articulate in their movements doesn't seem to like pollutants. I overheard some guys complaining about how the toxic air in the lower levels degrades something called ergo making the puppets useless even if they used a regular electric core to power them. I didn't have a chance to learn much else as I ended up decking the guy."
Silco raised a questioning eyebrow. "And why may I ask did you feel the need to knock the man out?"
"He started talking and complaining about how he would be unable to replace his useless parasitic undercity rat workers in the mines. Talking about all the money he could've saved if the puppets were capable of functioning in the Sump level of Zaun." Sevika shivered with a barely restrained rage wishing she had caved the man's skull in instead of just knocking him out and robbing him blind.
Silco let out a huff of disgust recalling his own time working in the mines and reminding himself to have Sevika track this man down so Silco could have a chat with him. Maybe give him a more personal tour of the Sump and the mines compared to the paperwork that had likely been the only mans only interaction with the mines and its workers. "Anything else you need to inform me of Sevika?"
"Well, I think I know why Marcus has been so irritated lately and why so many enforcers were throwing money at Jinx. Looks like a lot of the major merchant houses and even some on the Piltover council have been augmenting their security forces or even replacing them with puppets. At this point in time, it seems like Piltovers famous found is the only one who isn't using puppets at all, the Academy seems like a puppet free zone from what I learned from a few loose lips after I got some drink into them." Sevika was no fan of the enforcers but even she didn't like the idea of losing your job to a puppet not to mention how badly this could affect their operations. As much as an enforcer could be an asshole they could still be reasoned with, bribed or even scared off. At the end of the day an enforcer was still human, someone you could still talk with and even reason with at the end of the day, a puppet was not human. A puppet lacked the many weaknesses of a human and thus could lead to so many problems down the road if any of Silco's operations ran into them. Sevika could imagine that the streets could end up seeing a lot more bodies and blood instead of a thug or goon spending a short vacation at Stillwater. There would be no mercy, no second chances, only a quick death.
Silco mulled over what he had learned as he sent Sevika and Jinx out with the two bickering the moment they were outside the door. I'll need to contact Marcus again, he should know more about what is happening in Piltover and if his job is in as much of a precarious position as Sevika's news could be implying then I do believe I should be able to get the man to be much more compliant with my requests. Silco planned and plotted on how to deal with the new problem that had laid itself but also on how to use the opportunity that was currently available and hopefully learn and acquire more access to Piltover as a whole. "I wonder what you would do in this situation brother?" Silco looked at a small framed picture of Vander as he puffed away at a cigar pondering as a messenger was dispatched to get Marcus.
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Stillwater prison
Viktor looked over his research notes as he measured the differing results from his many tests over the last few months and compared them to the notes Geppetto had been willing to share with him. He looked at the bear corpse covered in ergo crystals as puppets harvested from the corpse of the creature. Too slow, too inefficient. I am missing something crucial in this process but what is it? A nearby cage rattled as he looked at a very much alive and active deformed and mutated bear, an unnatural fusion of flesh and crystal, of all his animal test subjects in this current batch it had been the only one to still be alive at the moment, a carcass if he recalled Geppetto's description of animals mutated by ergo correctly.
What he found confusing was that the surviving bear had been the oldest of the group which went against the practical knowledge that younger, healthier, stronger animals should be more likely to survive in these sorts of test and experiments yet that wasn't what he was seeing. It was the older animals, some of them in poor health having been bought cheap from circuses and entertainment groups looking to get rid of money sinks that weren't making them money anymore. Viktor needed to know more to understand what it was that made these weaker, older animals more compatible with the ergo. If only professor Geppetto would share more with me, I could do so much more than just crafting fancy dolls like all the others are doing. Maybe I could ask Jayce for assistance on this, he has a mind for these sorts of puzzles, and it may do me good to get out away from my work for a while. Viktor got up to leave only stopping to grab his coat before he got caught up in a coughing fit. Sinking to a knee he looked at the blood on his gloved hand frowning as he put the idea of taking a break, out of his mind and sinking back into the notes he had available.
"Maybe it's not the animal but rather the ergo itself. What was it the professor once said about it?" Viktor recalled the first conversation he had, had with Giuseppe Geppetto how ergo could be considered memory given physical form by the world. The man had clamped up after that not willing to speak anymore on the matter. "Memory given form." Viktor thought on the concept while looking over his tests once more as he started to make connections adding to his notes and writing up entirely new ones as he felt roadblocks he had been dealing with fade away. That's why their age doesn't matter in the physical sense. The ergo is more like a metaphor given form. The ergo is tying itself to their experiences and memories. All they have learned, all they have experienced, all that represents the animal not just the physical nature of it.
It made sense to him now, it also gave him an idea of why there was so many more crystals growing on those carcasses than the younger dead ones, the ergo had more to connect to, to grow from and build off of. Picking up a recently harvested crystal Viktor focused on it as he felt the ergo tie itself to him as strength flooded his body, a strength he had never known and yet on an intrinsic level he knew what was happening as if his body was remembering the strength the dead bear once had. He dropped his crutch taking a few careful steps around his lab laughing at how easy it felt as if he had never needed the any support in walking, it was strange how natural it felt before he felt the fatigue and weakness rushing back as the crystal crumbled in his hand. Viktor frowned unsure of what was happening as he grabbed another harvest crystal feeling that same rush of strength again even lifting one of the massive heavy storage boxes and tossing it like it was a crumpled ball of paper only to yet again have his newfound vitality wane and fade away.
He repeated the process several times trying to figure out what was wrong, why the crystals kept falling apart, why the ergo faded away. Keeping a careful eye on the crystal this time he watched in fascination and horror as the crystal dulled as the wonderful light within it was pulled out into his body and then a barely visible blue light exited his skin. Why is the power fading, what is causing this leakage? I've seen puppets work for days on end and no sort of leakage occurs with them. what is the difference between me and those puppets or is it the ergo I am using that is the problem? Do I need to refine it? I can't ask Geppetto for help or he will know I was the one who copied off the notes he refused to share with me even if I could only do so with a handful. It was such a pain working with only a fraction of the wisdom his teacher refused to provide him yet to have so little also meant Viktor could learn not only from his own mistakes but also not be trapped in only following the logic of Geppetto simply because that logic worked.
Looking at the caged and still living carcass Viktor felt an idea sneak its way into his head as without hesitation or forethought he reached into the cage breaking off a piece of crystal. The bars of the cage bent as the creature was enraged from the pain caused by the sudden action yet Viktor paid it no mind as he felt the ergo of the shard he had just taken connect with him. It felt different to the other crystals, there was a stronger connection, he could feel more from it not just a past memory but a more concrete present feeling. He could feel the pain of the bear, he could feel its anger and rage, he could see himself through its own eyes even as the beast now charged at him only to stop a few feet in front of him. It looked at Viktor and Viktor looked at it, there was an unspoken understanding that they recognised each other. They were both damaged things broken and left behind by the world that still sought to use them up until there was nothing left of them. the carcass could understand Viktor was not a bear and yet it could recognize him as one as it turned around and sat down in its damaged cage. Several dolls came into the room to repair the bares yet Viktor felt like he had a far better understanding of what he was missing.
Looking into his hand he could see that the ergo shard he had taken was still keeping its glow, yet it had dulled. He chuckled as he realised, he was looking for a singular solution to a two-part problem. Ergo harvested from the dead was just as much dead as the source it was claimed from. No knew memory and life was produced, the ergo would become stale and upon use with an improper vessel its power would just leak out in the world as their would be nothing to contain it yet also that power would dissipate and fail as there was no weight, no true truth behind its power, its existence, no a living source of ergo was needed, something that could provide ergo yet not die, keep the link, keep strengthening the ergo and its ties to the truth, the memory and life the crystal offered. Geppetto had one such source Viktor was sure of it as no doll he had seen produced by Geppetto needed to have its ergo power core replaced like the other crafters and students that had taken up the art of puppet making. He has such a powerful thing, yet he squanders it on the foolish whims of the merchant families. Oh, what I could do if I acquired it, or maybe I should leave it in his grasp for now. having such a powerful tool would leave me dependant and could even stunt my own research, no I won't allow my mind to atrophy like my body has. Viktor looked at the partially faded ergo shard he had put on the table as he thought about the other question he would need to answer. His body was an imperfect vessel, compared to the puppets the human body was porous, it could release just as much as it could take in and the ergo needed something that could keep it within. Looking at the puppet parts lying around the lab Viktor recalled the many children and older men of the undercity that had replaced their limbs with crude metallic prosthetics just to survive for even a day longer after accidents in the Sump. He needed to craft a vessel, a proper and true vessel that could contain the ergo, keep it where it needed to be and not release it just as much as it took the ergo in. It will need to be something special though, the undercity seems toxic to ergo. I need something good enough to keep the ergo withing contained but also to make sure nothing outside can get in to affect the ergo present. There were so many he could help, he could save with what he was figuring out here, he could save himself. "But this I'll have no idea how to perfect this knowledge if I only stick to animal testing." Viktor felt sick for a moment as he contemplated what he would need to do to make sure he could perfect his work, but he steeled himself recalling the strength he had felt upon allowing the ergo to flow through his body and the desperation he felt when that strength and vitality faded away, his body unable to retain it.
Viktor felt a renewed faith in himself as he started to write out new formulas, drew up designs not just for new puppets but puppet limbs, specialised prosthetics and even new tools he would need. This was followed by him directing the puppets to bring him the prison files. If he wanted to test his theories, see what he could make work and what he would need to avoid, then he would need a bit more evidence than just his thoughts and theories, he would need definitive evidence. Looking over the collected information on the inmates he found what he was looking for. The ones who had been in Stillwater the longest, the ones who had a history with the prison and had managed to survive it all despite the horrid conditions they must have suffered under
He had them moved to the isolation wards, he needed them outside of the general population so nothing could taint his tests but also, so the others didn't see what was happening. He knew from the prison records these sorts of isolation events had happened frequently so no one would be suspicious of what was going on. He still needed the prisoners to be compliant as he still needed them both as a source of labour but also so he could keep an eye out for the ones most useful for his research, not to mention the risk to his work and his own life if a riot broke out. No for now, he would have to be careful, avoid rocking the boat.
The isolation wards would have ground up powdered ergo pumped into the ventilation to see how the ergo and the prisoners would interact in a somewhat natural setting while he would also have a handful of prisoners in the medical ward where they would be artificially infused with ergo. Using their medical records and comparing them to how the test subjects reacted to the differing methods alongside comparing them to the general population of the prison would give him the result he needed to start his project. If this proved successful, he could start fixing himself, he could start helping and fixing his home. I can stand next to Jayce as an equal and not just his lab partner in the field of hextech. Viktor sang an old melody he recalled from his youthful days in the undercity as the ergo around him glowed brightly in response only for him to notice he was crying for some reason he couldn't fathom.
Dear lord this was a big chapter. I think this may be the largest amount of writing I have done for a single story yet. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as we get to have a small look into the actions of the bigger and smaller players of the setting and how Geppetto has them acting or reacting. Also, oh Viktor you're a poor broken child you need help, the professional mental kind but we all know you won't get it. You may live in Piltover but you are a child of Zaun and to see a mental health expert would be a sign of weakness, risk the exposure of weakness and secrets that would be a death sentence in your old home. Sometimes you can't forget old lessons and sadly those old lessons will lead Viktor down a dark road. Keep an eye out dear readers as we draw ever closer to the opening events of the puppet frenzy and oh boy the lead up will not be pleasant for anyone involved. Coming up next we will be looking a bit at Geppetto, Mel and back to Jayce and Heimerdinger as they do some 'clandestine' research into ergo, Geppetto and who ever that mysterious Mr R is who sent Heimerdinger the mysterious letter and package as we get closer and closer to a nightmare breaking out.
