Arcane: Let's Burn Down Runeterra!

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Chapter Two: Conflict

"Any news on Vi yet?"

"Still not sure," the old woman slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "All I know is that Silco's bald henchman got caught smuggling Shimmer last time and was inexplicably beaten up by a little girl in Stillwater Hold."

"Hmm, sounds like something Vi would do." Ever since the night Vi slapped Jinx, the two have parted ways, and there's been no news since. Neither alive nor dead, it's as if she vanished from the face of the earth.

After narrowly escaping Silco's pursuit, Justin has been secretly searching for Vi's whereabouts, keeping it from Jinx because her mental state isn't very stable. Whenever Justin casually brings up Vi, she descends into madness. Time has managed to lessen some of these troubles, so it's best not to recklessly tear open old wounds. Find Vi first, then discuss everything else.

"This Stillwater Hold, what a mess." Stillwater Hold is Piltover's most notorious prison—not because it holds any irredeemable criminals—but when compared to those corrupt, murderous types, the inmates in Stillwater Hold could be seen as paragons of virtue. Stillwater Hold is the only prison that incarcerates Zaun criminals. From petty theft to murder, no matter the crime, as long as you're from the Undercity and caught by an enforcer, you're thrown into this harshly managed, perilous prison.

"By the way, does Stillwater Hold even allow visitors?" Justin suddenly realized this oversight. Despite all the scheming with Jinx, they've never been officially wanted, so he could still be considered a citizen in good standing. The old woman stared at Justin with her cloudy eyes. "A prison for Undercity criminals... visitors? Still stuck on those humanitarian rights, are we?"

"Heh." Justin awkwardly scratched his nose. After all, he's from a more civilized world—no wonder people saw him as an orphan from the upper city. This was troublesome; he had no skills to spring someone from Stillwater Hold.

"Bang!" The door was forcefully pushed open, raising clouds of dust. Isaac glanced up; the already weak sunlight was completely blocked by the group at the entrance, leaving only shadows across the room.

"Sevika, bringing friends to play today?"

"I'm not here to play, Isaac." Sevika looked down at him. Their sizes were no match, especially with a group standing behind Sevika.

"Hmm... I don't like **." Surrounded by hulking brutes, Isaac appeared even more relaxed, softly exhaling a pink smoke.

"Get the old woman out here." 

"After the Fortune Bar, now coming for us? Even taking over brothels—Silco sure is ambitious," Isaac quipped. "What's next? Taxing the beggars?"

"Smart mouth." Sevika was about to grab Isaac when a small object flew through the room.

"This is..."

"Damn it, Justin!" Isaac finally opened his eyes, leaping up. A loud explosion followed, and Isaac barely avoided the shockwave, his mask getting blown off as he tumbled across the floor.

"Why are you going crazy too?" 

"Haha, I'm just trusting your abilities." Justin, holding dual pistols, walked over unhurriedly. 

"A rat from the gutters actually dares to show its face?" As the smoke cleared, Silco's men lay scattered, with only his right-hand, Vander's betrayer, Sevika, using her mechanical arm to shield against the shockwave and shrapnel. "Perfect, I'll deal with both of you together." 

"You think you can fistfight me when I have firearms? Don't you know? Beyond seven steps, the gun is faster." However, in the cramped space of the store, the two were only five meters apart. For Sevika, enhanced by Shimmer, it was just a two-step distance. 

"Within seven steps — the gun is both accurate and fast." The chemical substances in the Shimmer rapidly circulated within Sevika, hormones driving her muscles to unleash extraordinary power. With a heavy step, she leapt three meters in an instant! 

Simultaneously, Justin raised his gun but didn't shoot recklessly. Instead, he waited until she leapt again, her feet leaving the ground, before skillfully pulling the trigger. "Bang!" Two shots, yet only one sound. Both shots hit, and Sevika couldn't use magic; airborne, how could she change direction? 

Nevertheless, Justin instinctively sensed danger and quickly leaned back. As Sevika landed, she swung a punch, the gust from her mechanical arm making his nose tingle with heat, forcing him back several steps before realizing he had a nosebleed. "Almost lost face returning to see Jinx..." Justin felt a shiver of fear; if that hit had landed, it wouldn't just be his face—his head would have been gone. The enhancement from drugs and body modifications pushed Sevika beyond human limits; as of now, she might just be the strongest in the Undercity. 

The two shots, one aimed at her head, blocked by her mechanical arm, and the other at her ankle, successfully incapacitated her left foot. For a normal person, that would mean losing mobility, but for someone on Shimmer... are they still human? Every time he saw those using Shimmer, Justin felt a sense of dread. Especially the heavily addicted ones—they no longer seemed human, more like zombies. Large doses of Shimmer could numb their nerves, turning them into monsters without pain. Silco once had thoughts of recruiting Justin, but Justin ignored him. Aside from the personal vendetta over Vander's death, a more critical reason was that Shimmer inherently disgusted Justin, who came from China. 

"Is it enough? Let's call it a draw, step back, and be peaceful." Justin raised his gun, aiming at her head. He inherently disliked fighting and was a rarity as a pacifist in a place like the Undercity. Even Vander used to worry, thinking that his good nature would make him easy to bully. 

"Okay." Surprisingly, Sevika agreed. Justin was momentarily stunned and was about to lower his gun when he heard Isaac warn, "Someone's coming!"

Silco's men? No, something's off... that uniform, it's enforcers! "What wind blew this group over..." Justin's mouth twitched. Saying they had nothing to do with Silco was lying to himself. The big shots from the upper city saw the Undercity as a dump. Why would they come here for no reason?