19

Chapter Five

"Good afternoon, Councilor Medarda," I smiled politely, standing, two days later, as the woman entered my office in the Hexgate building, along with that ever-present assistant of hers, Elora, half a step behind her. My voice carried my Siren Song, another purchase I'd made through my true employers, one that gave my words more metaphysical weight, enough to pressure others, though it was by no means full mind control. That said, even having trained it up, beyond the worries of over-using my social ace in the hole, it was still hard on my throat.

Having spoken to Mrs. Kiramman, the Councilor was not sure of the reason for Mel Medarda's request to talk to me, which had not been passed to my Patron, which itself was a bit of a faux pas, and telling, and boy did I hate politics!

But I was a political figure, though still a fledgling one, so I needed to play the Great Game whether I wanted to or not, or else it would play me.

"Thank you for seeing me so promptly, Jayce," the dark-skinned woman smiled back, though with one much smaller than my own, emotions hidden behind a pleasant mask, showing a familiarity that was… unearned, but, itself, was a move, and one whose response to would also be telling on my part.

"I take it that you're not here on Council business, then?" I questioned, not addressing her move overtly, from behind my desk, smaller than it could be, but that, too, was a statement, one that could equally be taken for confidence, humility, naivete, or cowardice, a tea service sitting on it, the surface of my bureaucratic workstation cleared of anything that might give information, but with enough items that it seemed tidy instead of scoured.

"Nothing so pressing," Mel deferred, gracefully striding across the appropriately-large space of my office, and noting the seats, one across from me, another slightly back and to the side, just as Elora was, mirroring their positioning, which, yes, was a message as well, as the woman was a little predictable in this minor detail, and, thus, I was showing I was paying attention.

Letting out a slight fake breath, as the only way it would be Council business was if they'd frozen out Mrs. Kiramman, which… would've been big, I instead asked, "Tea?"

Taking the seat provided, her assistant still standing, the Medarda Spokeswoman replied, "Yes, please. Heimerdinger has raved about your tea, but would not divulge your supplier."

Which, translated, told me she was talking to the presumptuous fluffball, about me, but also had made friendly inquiries that he had denied, subtly giving the Dean credit in the process. Now, whether he had refused, or had merely stated he didn't know because he didn't ask, was up in the air, but that was what she was telling me.

Following Faerie Feast, turned down, I poured three cups, to the woman's slightly raised eyebrow, adding sugar as each of us liked it, the substance slightly laced with Mana-Crystals, which served a bit like supernatural MSG, making every flavor subtly more.

And, coincidentally, acted like low-key catnip to Yordles.

Taking a seat myself, only then did Elena, a little concernedly, sit, as I picked up my own cup and gave it a sip, showing it wasn't poisoned, the 'Assassin's Teapot' not a known thing here yet, not that I would utilize it, while simultaneously being a bit presumptuous, as the Councilor, given her position, would theoretically move first, with me only doing so after her. The other two women followed suite, Mel not so rude as to make her assistant taste hers first, though both women froze, as it was exactly how each of them liked it, and then some, which, as I smiled, showed a degree of knowledge that, to be honest, I didn't already have, but was the social version of taking out a sword, polishing it, and putting it back on the wall.

"So, to your liking?" I questioned mildly, point scored, but in a way that left ambiguity.

"Very much so," Mel replied appreciatively. "Where do you get it?"

Shaking my head slightly, my answer of, "The Kiramman's private reserve," was a declaration of my own allegiances, though my addition of, "though it's in the brewing that you bring out its potential," created another possible opening, emphasizing my own skill, and the worth of it separate from my backer.

"As is often the case," the dark-skinned woman agreed, which could have been just about the tea, could have been about my own implied statement, or could have been about some other topic entirely which I stumbled into referencing without meaning to.

God, I hated fucking politics.

Now let's try something a little riskier. "And you?" I questioned Elora, her assistant freezing, eyes widening, used to being treated as so much furniture.

"It's… good. Very good. Great, in fact," the Piltovan woman responded, visibly shutting herself up. Adding, after a moment, "I do like mine sweeter than Councilor Medarda…"

The unspoken question of how did you know that? did not go unheard, as I smiled indulgently. "Then I guessed correctly," I lied, badly, showing I was lying, and showing that I was showing I was lying, but did not care in the slightest.

'How many other secrets do I know?' was one of… several messages I was sending, another being, I do not just deal with you, I deal with your people as well. If I were an ally, it would be a mark of humility, not dismissing the 'help', but if I were an enemy it would be a cause for concern, showing possible attack vectors, while also showing that I was showing multiple attack vectors, though it could also be a mark of naivete, not realizing I should have ignored the assistant, though my setup of the chairs negated that, while it could also be seen as a mark of disrespect, bringing Mel down to Elora's level, though my standing and waiting to sit countered that, as political conclusions were never single-factor products, but formed via webs of interpretation that eventually led to intended messages, without ever having to say them.

If I didn't fuck it up.

Taking another sip, I let the message rest for a moment, which, was, itself, you guessed it, a message, stating my own power in this meeting, my unhurried state, and the fact that I wasn't her underling.

"But I doubt you asked to talk over tea," I stated, calling a close to the opening moves, "however nice," I added, subtly yet visibly stroking my own ego, though, to be honest, it would be difficult for me to care less about the drinks. "Other than for the original discussions to fund this structure, we have not had the opportunity to talk directly," I noted, underlining the out-of-nowhere nature of this meeting, and the fact that we weren't friends, but were business associates.

On firmer social ground, Mel gave me an indulgent smile, "Perhaps something to rectify, though you are a very busy man, both here and in the Undercity. One wonders whatever you could be working on down there," she commented, stating her own knowledge of my activities, as well as a request for additional intel, intel she might already possess and was testing me on my willingness to divulge it, possibly with a threat of exposure if I didn't comply, though that last one was iffy.

"Mostly Hexgate Adjacent tech," I revealed, while not revealing anything at all. "Still in the experimental phases, but trying to create an entirely new niche, instead of merely taking over someone else's, is more difficult but," I paused, the low Thrum of the array above us firing passing through the structure, "also more profitable."

The Medarda Spokeswoman nodded, "Indeed. Though I have heard something about… fans?"

So your request is more than mere fishing, and was checking how much I'd spill, I noted internally, only having a moment to decide how I wanted to play it, but, if I kept the social games at the cutthroat level, I was just as likely to get nicked myself, so it was far safer, not to mention more honest, to lean into my own 'inventor' persona, one that, if I were still like Jayce was, make me much easier to manipulate.

"The Air Filtration systems?" I clarified, reading from her expression that she didn't have its full name or use from the flash of confusion I spotted, subtle enough it may not have meant to be shown, as the Politician/Diplomat didn't really understand why I'd be making something like that, but she rallied within half a second and nodded.

"Yes, those," she stated, as if she'd meant that all along.

I smiled, honestly this time, "They're actually a use of the base Hexgate matrix that we stumbled across earlier, and that I've been trying to refine! Have you ever been to the Undercity?" I questioned, leaning into my 'academic excitement', carefully not calling it Zaun.

"I… have not," Mel slowly stated, still confused. "Should I?"

"Probably not," I answered easily, only furthering her confusion. "But the mining they do down there, as well as other things, makes the air in the Undercity… not great. Unpleasant for a short visit, but my partner, Viktor, has health problems stemming from being over-exposed to the worst during his formative years. I'm seeking to change that, at least for future generations."

The dark-skinned woman pursed her lips, visibly considering whether to pursue the topic, giving in and asking, leaning forward slightly, "By cleaning the air?"

"Yes!" I stated confidently, pausing, changing my answer to, "No!" pausing a second time, and shifting my answer to, "Yes, but by doing other things at the same time!"

Elora tried not to laugh at my purposefully comical way of speaking, showing my plan was at least working on her, while Mel wore a slight smile, as she inquired, "And those other things are?"

"Well," I answered, opening my free hand and waving in the general direction of the Academy, "finding pure materials, especially those of more volatile natures, like certain acids and toxins that are still useful if carefully managed, is a pain, but many of those things are in the very air of the Undercity, hence its denizens' health problems, and likely their varied colorations, but that's a different field of study, so, short of making clean mining techniques, which would inevitably be less efficient mining techniques, and be thus a fool's errand to try and enforce, removing the toxic fog, mining dust, and such from the Undercity should help things down there, which will lead to a happier populace and more effective workers increasing our overall profits, while also selling the strained out materials to the Academy, for more, well, profit all around!" I grinned.

The woman who supported diplomacy and construction over her mother's destructive warmongering above all else approach blinked, considering what I'd just said, then frowned, asking, interested, "And you are close to this?"

"Not in the slightest!" I still smiled broadly, laughing a little at her offended expression. "The Hexgates took a year to figure out from when I officially 'started', but were really a work a decade in the making beforehand, and that was with a Mage's spell to deconstruct directly, but the proof-of-concept devices are working, cleaning the air, except it just does it all at once, creating a slurry which is not useful at all. That said, it's a when, not an if, that I figure it out."

Councilor Medarda leaned back in her seat, finger tapping her cup, taking a sip, surprising herself at the taste, her mind elsewhere, then, with a small nod, made up her mind, declaring, "Well, when you do, Jayce, please contact me, as I am sure my family would be interested in helping to fund such a device that would help all of Piltover, not just its elites."

"But one that would make a good deal of profit in the process?" I lightly teased, given she was being too familiar again.

"There's no reason that good deeds should not reward those performing them," Mel agreed with a smirk. "The world would likely be a better place if that was more common."

With a nod of my own, I stated, "Agreed," and we both had a moment of seemingly companionable silence.

After all, it was a good deal she was offering…

If you were the original Jayce.

First of all, Ms. Medarda hadn't actually offered me anything. No help with testing, not even an offer for me to politely turn down, not even any suggestions of people she could put me in contact with to assist, nothing.

Second of all, the 'offer' she did make equated to 'come do the thing you were already going to do', as going to the Medardas to help with funding was what Mrs. Kiramman had instructed me to do for so many reasons.

Third of all, she only wanted to get in when all the work was done and all that was left to build it, akin to waiting thirty feet from the finish line, running the last bit with me, and then talking about how 'we' finished the marathon, and should share in the reward.

Fourth of all, I was not a random inventor from the Academy, looking for speculative funding, I was a proven commodity. We were, after all, sitting in the building which was generating a profit akin to a significant portion of what her family's Sungates produced, the not-Panama-canal one of the main sources of the city's wealth, and I also had the Kirammans backing me. Yet no concessions were being made to those facts.

And, fifth, yet foremost, she still hadn't told me why she wanted to talk, as, while she'd gone fishing and I'd offered her a great catch practically giftwrapped, she hadn't even bothered to take it, but stated if I wanted to toss it into her boat so she could hold it for me, that'd be greeeeeat.

So, Charisma? Six out of ten.

Skill? Four out of ten.

Substance? Zero out of ten.

Impact? Negative Three out of ten.

Mind you my scale was calibrated to handle literal gods, as that's who I'd learned from back in Basic, but if you gave everything a two-point bump to compensate for her mortal status, I was still annoyed, though I didn't show it.

And the fact that Mel was now hesitating before going with her original topic meant she was less skilled than I thought, which was possible but doubtful, or that she didn't want to jeopardize her 'win', as I gave all the outward effects of feeling like she had just done me a favor, even if, inside, I was… a little irritated, but the show had skimped on what Mel had done before Jayce had fully fallen into her designs, and I truly believed the young man had tripped face-first into them, decided to set up shop there on his own, much to her surprise.

"There is one other matter," she stated, carefully. "Given we are business partners, both past, and future, perhaps we can better help each other."

Your loan to me is current, which I'm currently making maintenance payments for, and your future offers are worth the gold you've promised, which is to say none, I noted internally, even as I smiled a little confusedly, and echoed, "Help?"

"Yes, help," the dark-skinned woman continued, when I didn't react badly to her probe. "We Medardas are, after all, part of the reason the Hexgates were built at all, but our ships are treated as any other. That is not how friends act, Jayce, and we are friends, are we not?"

… Holy shit, you think you're subtle, I couldn't help but think, as well as, the fuck you are, but I was interested in seeing where this was going. "Well, we haven't talked that often, Councilor Medarda," I reminded her, seeing the tiny, momentary frown as I shifted to formal speech, while she tried a charm offensive, which, given when I'd had training by, among others, Fucking Freyja, was… cute. "However, I would definitely say we're friend-ly," I added, further baiting the trap, and playing clueless.

Because I was laying two patterns at once, and I still wasn't sure which one I was going to go with.

"Then consider this the first step towards better relations," Mel smiled. "Something I'm sure you wouldn't say no to."

"Perhaps I should hear what I'm not saying no to first?" I offered, a little hesitantly.

"Of course," she smiled, sure of her victory, and started listing things like, 'Priority Queueing', 'Reduced Fares', the ability to 'Reserve Ongoing Timeslots', and more, ending with, of all things, a 'Remote Processing Location' that people using 'our' services would need to go to, in order to keep track of things, provide services, and, of course, help control trade at the distant ends, not just the Hexgate, doubling up on profits.

Which would be fine as an opening buffet of options.

Except they weren't.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Audacity of this Bitch.

I'd really thought she was better than this.

Except… what if she was?

And she was running into the exact same problem I had worried about before?

"So, what do you think, Jayce? It would help provide regular trade, and dependable profits," she offered.

Yes. Because if there's one thing I'm having trouble with, it's too little traffic through the Hexgate, I remarked internally. That's why you want the ability to Queue Jump. But reframing favors you were asking people to do for you as favors you were doing for them, while very scummy, was fairly standard as far as Politicking went, and getting upset over it every time someone did so would be a losing proposition, according to Mrs. Kiramman.

Okay, time to lean more into the Entrepreneur persona than the Inventor persona. While my opening moves had been strong, they had also been indicative of research more than diplomatic skill, so by bouncing between the two, the conclusions she could come to about me would be firm enough to feel comfortable, but not so firm as to feel confident to mess with me.

"Huh, okay, pick one, and not the others," I stated, leaving my suggestion vague, but, if the way things were how I'd thought they were.

Nope.

Instead of fear, I got hints of annoyance, and even Mel wasn't that arrogant, as she replied, "Only one? But, Jayce, be reasonable here," she pressed, "without the Medardas, the Hexgate would not be built. Surely that is worth more than a slight lessening of fees, or a reserved slot, which we would pay for regardless if we use it," the diplomat argued, motte-and-baileying her offer, as her initial request was not 'slight', nor did it have 'payment if unused' stipulations in it the first time, but she was now acting as if that had always been on offer and I was being unreasonable.

Oh, Gaslighting, how I haven't missed you.

However, again, it wasn't personal, it was just… Politics.

"You've invested that much?" I questioned, sounding sympathetic, but I allowed a slight… edge into my tone that made her hesitate, as I understood exactly what was going on here, and, of the two of us, I was the stronger one, interestingly enough.

After a moment, she slowly agreed, "Yes. Without our investment, this place would not have been possible. I think an appreciation of that fact is not unreasonable."

I couldn't help but laugh, getting a concerned look from the diplomat, as, the irony of that statement…

"Please," I replied, the situation such that I could drop this verbal bombardment and still come out of this with the high ground, "we both know that your loan, while appreciated, was by no means required. If there has been a misunderstanding, and if the amount given was truly that great, I would be happy to rework my finances to repay the loan as soon as possible."

I smiled genially, as, behind the Councilor, her assistant froze, less trained than Mel was, and said employer was visible taken aback, verbally backpedaling, "There's no need to go that far, Mr. Talis, nor am I asking for anything you aren't already doing for the Kirammans."

"Ah, but you see, the Medardas are not the Kirammans," I countered genially. "To start with, the Kirammans supported me when I was first trying to develop Hextech, becoming my Patrons and allowing me to pursue the research that made this all possible. Did you know, however, that they were the third group I visited?"

I could see understanding blossom, as she reached the wrong conclusion, that this was personal.

"I take it Medardas were the first?" the dark-skinned woman questioned, tone showing the question was rhetorical.

"Second, actually," I corrected. "Clan Ferros was my first choice, based on advice from others in my Clan, though they themselves refused to support my research. A decision that they currently regret," I stated with a trace of dark humor. "Ferros were polite, while the Medardas told me to, and I quote, 'Do not bother to darken our doorstep with foolish ideas beyond your station again.' This would have been a year and a half before you arrived from Noxus, Councilor," I smiled, showing that I did not hold her personally responsible, which lessened the blow, but it was a blow.

"That said," I continued, before she could respond, "I would not be so… impolitic as to 'return the favor', though, in turn, when the Medarda Bank gives out a loan, that itself is not a favor they have done for me, Ms. Medarda, that is the basic functionality of being a bank, the same way that, when you order a Clan Ferros technician to repair something in your sizeable estate, if you pay them, that is a business transaction, and not a favor from Clan Ferros."

"You claim to not make this personal," Mel stated, going on the offensive to try and regain the high ground, "but when this is your reaction to a friendly request, Mr. Talis, the first request we have made of you, I must say that it certainly feels like it is."

And there's the opening.

"First?" I asked incredulously, reaching over to open a drawer on my desk, causing both women to stiffen. "First?" I repeated, even more skeptically, pulling out a binder, and with a bang, dropped it on my desk. "Councilor Medarda, this is the thirty-seventh request you have made of me, and, I, quite frankly, am getting sick of them. Despite what you may believe, I am fully capable of looking past initial problems, and do remember your assistance with the Council when I was brought up on false charges of Magic Usage, though true charges of Unauthorized Experimentation, but if this were personal, I would not have made the first Concession you asked for, or, when you finally decided to meet me in person, and ask for unequivocal favoritism, revoked all of them, instead of, as I said, granting you one and revoking the rest."

"The… rest?" Mel echoed, confused, going over our conversation, and, subtly, but visibly, putting my words into their proper context.

Flipping open the Binder, I started reading off, "Here we have the first one, before the Hexgate had even finished being built, and you asked us to calibrate a jump point specifically near one of your colonies." I flipped to the next page. "A month later, still not finished, you asked us to give your ships free passage, which was denied, but a reduced usage fee based on percentages was hammered out, as we hadn't yet figured out the actual pricing structure yet." Next page. "A Demand for Priority Queueing, which was quite rude, but we'd been planning on a 'frequent user' system, so we just added Medarda ships to it off the bat." Next Page. "This one at least waited until we'd started moving ships, with a request to block off a timeslot for the Medardas during our busiest time, for free, which was denied, and then you backed off and only then offered to pay, which is why you do have such as a time-slot, from seven to eight pm three days a week."

Looking up, at the woman, who seemed completely poleaxed, "The 'Exit Processing Structure' you mentioned earlier, is something you haven't asked before, but I asked Councilor Kiramman, my Patron, about that, having thought of it myself, and my Patron was able to explain how the difficulties in using them, especially given how relatively inaccurate the targeting was, would outweigh any possible benefits, especially as it is a one-way trip. Building a set of smaller Hexgates, even ones locked in to only go to Piltover, while they might solve that problem, would only create a dozen more. So, Councilor Medarda, I have been more than fair to your Clan, and the suggestion that I have not, is both an insult to me, and an insult to my Patron."

"I," the Diplomat started to say, realized she had nothing to say, and then did what I actually expected her to do, which was one of the reasons I rather liked her.

She apologized.

"I am sorry, but I believe there has been a misunderstanding. I have not sent you any such request," she stated. "Had I done so, to press for more was something I would not have done. Who was it who did so? I would very much like to know who was presuming to speak for Clan Medarda."

Well, she kind of apologized.

"Oh, they've all been sent by Clan Medarda Couriers," I stated, turning the binder around, and motioning to her to peruse the files. "And they all bear the Medarda seal. These are copies, but I've had the originals checked by my Patron's people, who confirmed their authenticity."

Which means if you call me a liar, you are calling Clan Kiramman liars.

Hesitantly, putting her now-empty cup down, Mel stood, to better see the files, leaning over my desk, reading one, then, flipping the page, taking a moment to observe the binding mechanism, as I'd had to 'invent' three ring binders just to use them, then the next set of missives, then the next. "The fidelity of these copies?" she murmured, glancing my way.

"Visually indistinguishable, though, clearly, flat," I stated, having already fucked up by using modern paper around Caitlyn, who'd commented on it, and then I'd rejiggered the printer in my office back Home to work on local paper stock, which were a lot harder to make, ironically, though thankfully not the rigmarole that was required for parchment. I'd just needed to get some samples and feed them into my Sweet Home's data-matrix to start mass producing them myself, but I'd needed to get a couple hundred sheets, or else it'd just recreate the same base sheet, down to its minor imperfections, perfectly, every time.

Finishing the binder, she moved it to the side, for her assistant to look over, and glanced my way, asking, "Do you have-"

I brought out one of the original correspondences, one that was minor in the scheme of things, should it be destroyed, and handed it to her, as she looked over the page, studying not just the writing and the seal, but the makeup of the paper itself, and, flipping it over, looked for something, which she found, and I made a mental note to scan that side too, as I'd clearly missed a security feature.

However, by her dismayed look, the paper was as true as the stamp had been, which was… interesting.

"Jayce-" she started to say, and, at my flat look, changed her statement to, "Mr. Talis, I can assure you that this did not come from my office. To start with, to put such a thing in writing…"

I lifted an eyebrow, "Councilor Medarda, I would have required that any agreement we came to today to be put into writing, and marked with our respective seals." At her surprised, almost offended look, I smiled, explaining, "As an investor, of a sort, it is perfectly legal and aboveboard for certain preferential treatments to be enacted, as I have made no statement of 'equal treatment for all customers' or any such foolishness. As such, records, while secure, will be kept, just as they are for any invention created by the Academy. They are not publicly available, of course, but kept in case they are needed. Like Now," I added, "Or would you have believed me without such proof?"

The sour look on the woman's features gave me my answer, but she went a step further and stated, "I must admit, I would have been doubtful. Doing things this way… is not how they are often done, in Piltover, and elsewhere."

At that, I couldn't help but smirk, "Ah, but Piltover is the City of Progress, Councilor Medarda. Mind you, it would make backroom dealings, graft, betrayals, and corruption a great deal more difficult, but while I prefer Diplomacy, the intricacies of politics hold no appeal. To be frank, Mel," I stated, catching her attention, "I'd rather be inventing, be building, than spend my time extracting every gold possible from those around me. So I do as I wish, because I can, but will still take time out of my day to meet you, because I believe doing so to be worth it."

Which was, well, an incredibly loaded statement, but one that straddled both of my webs, while dropping a metaphorical gauntlet, though one that did not need to be picked up.

"You would do so even for personal favors, Jayce?" the dark-skinned woman asked, with a hint of recrimination in her tone, but no more than that.

"For personal favors, no, for ongoing business transactions, yes," I replied easily, holding my hand out, for the document she still held. Reluctantly, she returned it, and I placed it back in the secure drawer it'd come from. "You can keep the copies," I added, waving towards the binder. "Also, while I have been receiving payment for the deals I made with Clan Medarda, or at least those bearing your Clan's seal, as they were not, as they claimed, coming from you, would you prefer I refuse future payment, finish the current set of agreements, and allow you to sort out this issue, or to continue as I have up until now."

And let you track down the issue yourself?

Before she could answer, however, the door behind us opened, and a familiar looking man opened the door, dressed in red and gold, carrying a satchel bearing the symbol of Clan Medarda.

"Delivery for Jayce Tal…" he stated, then froze, as Councilor Medarda turned and regarded him. "-is, he finished weakly, moving towards me as I waved him forward.

I hadn't expected it, or planned for this to happen, but the communiques from the Medardas were somewhat regular, to the point I thought Mel's request had just been a continuation of 'her' previous, increasingly less polite, demands.

Accepting the envelope, which would normally have been left on my desk for whenever I arrived, I handed it to the Medarda Spokeswoman, who broke the seal on it, and emptied out another missive, which, reading it sideways… was another request for certain Medarda ships to be able to be able to use the Hexgate at cost, as opposed to the standard 'Preferred Shipping Bulk Rate' I charged, as opposed to the 'Premium Preferred Shipping Bulk Rate' I charged the Kiramman vessels, just to make a point, and which Mrs. Kiramman had informed me wasn't needed, but was still appreciated.

Reading it herself, Mel sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose with rose-gold painted nails. "Who sent you?" she inquired of the messenger.

"I-I don't know, Madam Councilor," the younger man stuttered, clearly aware that he'd been caught in the middle of Clan Politics, which was not where any sane commoner wished to be. "I-I can ask-"

"No, do not," she commanded. "Act as if you delivered your message to Mr. Talis without my presence, and, if asked, state that you passed me by from behind, though I did not notice you. Understood?"

"I-I, Yes Councilor!" the messenger replied, worried, nodding stiffly, and starting to leave, before, hesitating, looking to Mel, who nodded, the young man quickly retreating.

Saying nothing, I gave the dark-skinned woman an expectant look.

With a sigh, she considered her options, and made a decision. "Continue as you were," she commanded me, adding a belated, "please," when I stared, not moving.

"I will," I nodded. "And, in future, I shall send you a missive if I receive another 'request' from your office, as I am perfectly fine dealing with you, Councilor, for numerous reasons, but I hold no loyalty to House Medarda. I'm sure you can understand why, though I won't let that get in the way of business. Experiments don't pay for themselves, after all. At least not at first."

With a wince, which she allowed me to see, Mel nodded. "Understandable. Also, given what I have just read, the fact that you have attempted to work with… whomever this was, instead of denying them outright, given the…aggressive phrasing of their requests, is to your credit, Mr. Talis. I shall look into this, and there is no need to pay off our loan at this time. If… If it comes to it, I shall negate the debt myself."

I leaned back in my chair, impressed at the statement, which, yes, could be so much air, but coming from Mel Medarda… it had weight, because she was an actual Diplomat, and not a realpolitik Snake.

With a smile, steepling my fingers, I replied, "And that's why I'm more than willing to deal with you, Ms. Medarda. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

Thinking for a moment, though I had no idea if that was real or her just showing she was giving the question the appropriate weight before responding, she shook her head. "No, I think you've given me more than enough to work with, Mr. Talis."

"Then good hunting, Councilor," I wished her, internally wincing at her momentary frown, too used to Caitlyn, who preferred such terminology, whereas Mel, as an avowed Pacifist, would shy away from even violent metaphors.

"Hopefully things can be solved with a minimum of fuss," she stated, watching me with practiced casualness.

"That would be for the best," I stated, showing no desire for vengeance, which is what she wanted, as the dark-skinned woman smiled slightly, nodded my way, turned, and left, Elora giving me a momentary measuring look, the woman clearly intrigued, before the assistant quickly followed along after her employer.

I stayed seated, as much of a message as her letting me get in the 'last word', in deference of the fact that she had fucked up, at least politically speaking. And it had been a fuckup on her end, as not being aware that someone was speaking on her behalf, at the level we were working on, wasn't an 'oopsie' it was a failure of skill.

Regardless, I waited a moment after the door had closed, before announcing, "You can come out, Piper."

The side-door to my office opened, and the girl stuck her head out, "Why'd ya say you were gonna pay her back like it was a threat, Jayce?"

"Because it was," I replied, turning to face her, and gesturing towards the newly vacated chair.

Piper promptly came over and took a seat on one of my legs instead, swinging her feet as she asked, "But, like, how? Aren't you supposed ta pay back your debts? That's what you told me. Or is this one of those Catty things?"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Yes, this is the kind of thing Caitlyn has been teaching me about. So, do you remember what the Medardas control?"

"Uh, Banks?" the girl questioned, and I nodded. "But aren't Banks all about payin' back loans?"

"Again, normally," I agreed. "And I am making 'Maintenance' payments, to keep the debt from growing, but, remember, politics is all about power. All the Counselors have financial power, in some way, but for the Medardas that's a little more literal than most. They also control the Sungates, and have their own military, though they call it 'Security' Force, which make up a good portion of the Enforcers."

"Wait, she runs the Enforcers?" the Zaunite questioned with derision, the Piltovan city guard… not well regarded by the people they normally were ordered to go 'pacify'.

"No, the Medarda Clan is… big, and while she's the one in charge at the top, they've got a lot of people doing a lot of things. Also, only some of the Enforcers, as that organization, well, it's supposed to only be answerable to Piltover as a whole, but… it's complicated," I semi-explained. "But just like the Kirammans can either kick you out of their property or refuse to sell you raw materials, the Ferros can make sure your workers walk out, or the Tariosts can refuse to ship your goods, the Medardas needs their own way to enforce their power, if only to feel safe that they won't get taken advantage of."

Piper frowned, "But you don't do that, do you?"

I wiggled a hand, "I could, by refusing to let some people use the Hexgate, but I'm trying to make it a Utility, just a thing that's kind of there. I still need to play games with prices to make others happy, but, well," I summoned my phone to my hand, "I'm not that worried."

The little genius laughed at that, her mirth trailing off as she got thoughtful. "So, Mellie-"

"Don't call her that where she can hear you," I warned, only slightly joking.

Piper paused, nodded, then repeated, "So, Mellie could, like, not offer any more loans to people? Or. No. Then paying the one you already have with 'em back wouldn't… Wait, she could ask for all of it right now?" the girl questioned, dismayed, making the jump, as I was sure she would. "That's not how debts like that work!"

"That's not how debts like that worked in Zaun, under Vander," I corrected, the man not a fan of loan-shark tactics and other forms of financial warfare, "But this place is neither of those things. So, yes, they could, but they don't, because if they did it too much, everyone would start working to pay back all their debts, which would mean the Medardas would have less of a hold over others in case they do want to call those debts in, so they usually just use the threat of doing so to get extra things, like we were talking about. Usually getting things that, if you added it up over time, are worth a lot more than the debt itself."

"But, but then they aren't payin' for the stuff they want," the blue-haired girl argued. "They're just threatening people for it! That's wrong!"

"That's how Piltover works," I agreed. "And it isn't pretty, but Councilor Medarda isn't the type of person to abuse that power, at least too much."

"But it wasn't Mellie," Piper noted. "So, wait, like, if you stole her 'seal', you could send out letters pretending to be her?"

"It wasn't just the seal, it was the paper the letter was written on, and maybe something else too, but, theoretically, yes, however, just like happened here, when we actually talked, it came out that whoever doing that was doing something wrong," I explained, also warning the girl off from any… plans she might be coming up with, as, while she wasn't as bad as her sister, Piper still didn't really like any of the Piltovan elites, and I'd had to warn her off from 'pranking' Caitlyn a time or three.

Though, the question was, did Mel come to me on her own, or had she been asked to by someone else trying to set her up, as, had I not already been predisposed to like the highly moral woman, based on information I wasn't supposed to have, I would absolutely have been inclined to open with annoyance instead of trying to figure out what was going on.

"So… so someone was threatening you, because you owed Mellie money, by pretending to be Mellie?" the girl checked, likely repeatedly using the nickname because I'd warned her about it, but, well, teenagers. "But then why did you take their money at all? You didn't need it."

"I didn't need to take the money, they needed me to take the money," I explained, continuing before she could interject. "It's Politics. I needed to care what they wanted because if they don't have a way to try and control me, or at least if they don't think they have one, they'd try and find one. The trick is managing those controls so they're not actually controls. For instance, if I wanted to, I could pay back their entire loan in, like, a month, from my personal funds alone. They lowballed the amount they gave me, not realizing the extent of what I wanted to do, and I didn't press for more, because I didn't need it. Also, I wasn't taking any of the funds I was asking for the Hexgate for myself like they thought I had to be doing, because 'everybody' does that, but that means, now, as the profits from the Hexgate have gone into savings and other profit-generating ventures, their hold on me is far less than they think."

"Nice," the Undercity native nodded in appreciation, though she paused, "But… what about the other Council people? Do they have, uh, holds?"

"They do," I replied. "While most of our people are from Clan Kiramman's businesses, there's enough I've hired myself to run the Hexgates if needed, at reduced capacity, and we've got Clan Ferros Technicians doing a lot of work as well, but on nothing really vital. A good portion of the ships that come through are owned by Clan Tariost, so not using my Hexgate would be lost revenue for me, though also for them, and they carry goods created by Clan Arvino, who could throw a hissy fit and refuse to deal with me if they really wanted to. A number of the laborers we have are non-humans, who look to Councilor Bolbok for marching orders, and Councilor Heimerdinger, well, he's the only one that doesn't really care, but I literally run most of my experiments in his Academy, so he's happy. It's a giant mess, but, well, that's politics."

Mulling that over, Piper declared with her full adolescent authority, "Politics freakin' suck!"

"Indeed," I laughed. "But, unfortunately, that's how those things work here."

"Cattie's not that bad, for, ya know, a Topsider," the small girl argued, having slowly gotten used to the heiress. "And she's not all 'holdy'." Piper sniggered at the thought, adding, "She's actually really bad at holds!"

"No, she's just not as good as you are when sparring, because she hasn't figured out biomechanics like you have," I countered, the blue-haired girl grinning broadly at the, to be honest, deserved praise. "And when it comes to politics, Caitlyn is a good person, so doesn't run that shit on friends, and while Councilor Medarda might, I haven't talked to 'Mellie'," I stressed, "in over a year. We're friendly acquaintances, at best. If I talked to her more often, she might not feel the need to do so, though she still might. It also doesn't help that Ms. Medarda is a Councilor, while Cat's not one yet."

Making a show of thinking, the blue-haired inventor stated, "So, Cattie's mom is more grippy?"

"Mrs. Kiramman is more politically minded, but, while she's a bit colder, she's a lot like her daughter," I disagreed. "We work together because she helped me, back when I first needed it, and I've shown that I'm not only appreciative, but I'm willing to pay that help back, and then some. It's a bond, yes, a restraint, and a check on my actions, like the others, but unlike the others it is one of honor, not one founded on the threat of possible ruin. Thing is, while Ms. Medarda herself is better than most, from what I've heard, her family isn't. They don't want a bond, they want a leash, that they can pull whenever they want something, and, to be honest, finding out those letters probably came from them make a lot more sense."

"So her offering to pay off your debt…" Piper prodded.

"Was her prioritizing a working relationship with me over possible closing ranks with her rogue family members, assuming it wasn't someone outside of the Medardas doing that, but, well, considering they've been paying me for services specifically for Medarda-owned ships, it probably wasn't," I filled in.

I could see the girl working through the issue, adding things together, though she still occasionally divided by zero yet somehow still got close to the right answer anyways.

"Then why go to them at all?" she questioned, leaning back, resting against my desk. At my confused look, because I just explained why, the girl specified, "When you were starting out?"

"Ah," I nodded in understanding. "I did it because I was younger, didn't have the experience I do now, and well, I was obsessed with trying to prove Hextech could work, to the point I thought that was all that mattered," I revealed. Reaching over to ruffle Piper's hair a little, the girl having started to grow it out, I added, "I have other things I care about now, beyond proving I was right."

The girl reddened a little, but didn't knock away my hand like Vi would've.

"So, are you going to pay them back?" she questioned instead. "Mellie said ya didn't need to, but… politics."

"You're right," I agreed. "And I'm not going to yet, but I am going to start setting aside the funds to do so at any time. This is… it's not quite a spar, Piper, but it's… like a Zaunite fistfight. We've both thrown political punches, but I'm not pulling a financial blade on them over that, which is what paying it back would be seen as, removing any hold the Medardas think they have over me. That said, having that weapon hidden in my pocket is just smart."

With a flourish, the girl pulled her own blade from its back-holster, spun it, smiled at me, and re-sheathed it in one semi-fluid motion, not missing scabbard like she used to, but her expression fell slightly. "But, Jayce, with these Topsider bigwigs, you're not, like, really threatened by them, right?"

I snorted, "Please, you've met my boss. Do you really think anyone here bothers me?"

The last bit of worry disappeared from the teen's face, as she playfully disagreed, "Well, he didn't look that scary last winter."

Frowning in mock confusion, I replied, with comical sincerity, "That clearly wasn't DEATH, that was the Hogsfather! After all, DEATH does not wear a red hood, or a beard, that occasionally falls off, so who else could it be?"

Piper, despite herself, fell into a giggle-fit, trying to nod and respond, "Oh, right. Of course!"

Chapter Six

"Clear the testing area!" I called, the large runic array sketched out onto the thin metal plate having been checked, re-checked, and re-re-checked. There were no glaring flaws with the formation of arcane sigils Piper had re-designed, having had 'An Idea', which were often either amazing leaps, or catastrophic disasters, in equal measure, so the three of us had gone over it with a fine-toothed comb, catching minor errors that, while it would've made the entire thing far more unstable, wouldn't have caused a cascade failure.

Another cascade failure.

Thankfully that wall hadn't been load bearing.

Regardless, the nearby labs had been warned, and the improved 'Remote Energy Reclamation Array' was, after several hours, ready to go!

With any luck, this would allow us to tap into more distant sources of Mana, not needing to try and layer the recharging circles right next to the things that were pumping Magic into the air to begin with.

Looking to the others, all three nodded to me, Piper bouncing in place, so, giving the girl a thumbs up, she used the mostly depleted Hexcrystal to give the array its starting 'spark', the device needing a bit of energy to get itself going, like kick-starting a generator.

We all watched carefully, the runes lighting up, starting with the outer ring, before filtering inwards, more and more of the array activating in sequence, as it should, until it reached the center, where the depleted hexcrystal rested, the darkened blue sphere starting to float and glow with an inner light, showing that it was working.

Not only that, as the crystal continued to brighten, instead of slowly accruing the charge over the course of hours at a rate that was hard to determine in the moment, it was clearly working really well.

… it was working too well.

And, as the blue crystal started to hum, the pale blue starting to darken, to a vibrant purple, I felt my stomach drop, as I realized what we'd done.

"Shut off the Array!" I commanded, not looking away as the Hexcrystal smoothed out, into a perfect sphere, The front of which split open, to reveal an eye, gazing at us from within.

Reality shuddered, and, with a wet tearing sound, a C̸͓͍͖̥͌̾̐͘r̷͈̓̄̌̎̿a̵͇̹̒̿̏͗c̶̡̘̯͛k̶͖̋͂͝ in the world formed, a long, sinuous, hooked tentacle smoothly sliding out, and-

No!

I bolted, dashing across the space, and barely managed to shove Viktor aside when the eldritch limb struck, its hooked suckers ripping into my shirt, but unable to pierce the spider-silk under-fabric, even as it felt like all of my Company-provided Defenses RANG at once, stopping whatever the Voidbeast was trying to do cold.

But it was still enormously strong, as it wrapped around my chest, lifting me into the air, yet not before I was able to reach back and pull my weapons, my blade sinking into the rubbery, purple flesh that held me, eliciting an ear-piercing SHRIEK of pain from the creature.

"Piper! Shut it off NOW!" I shouted, Viktor struggling from where I'd thrown him, Ekko watching, frozen in fear.

And, from the portal, came a burbling, hissing, unnatural proclamation.

"§Ymg' ahf' mgep mgepmgnnn nglui, ymg' orr'e llll ah ya! ot ln'ghanah soth ng ah ai'drn llll ymg' mgepnah r'luhhor!§"

​

Snarling back, I levelled my pistol at the watching eye, and responded, "§h' ahh'mglagln yogor ymg' mgep!§"

Firing, my rounds struck the crystal, which was, apparently no longer crystal, as the orb burst, the tendril around me tightening painfully as more started to emerge, glowing tips pulling at the crack, before, with a bright flash of blue-light, the array cut off, and the tear slammed shut, slicing off the tentacle, which dropped me, letting me roll away.

However it wasn't done, as the tendril itself started to grow eyes, the smaller tendril tips balling up into insectile creatures, which I promptly shot, their splattered gore not reforming, but the large one started to rear up as it-

Fwooooosh!

Was promptly consumed in a blazing azure inferno, shrieking unnaturally, while Piper, wearing a rebreather, standing on a table, kept her weapon, almost as big as she was, trained on the creature, the bright-blue Hex-made holocaust she was spewing from its nozzle burning away its void-tainted flesh, until nothing remained.

Looking around, while bits of purple gore were splattered about here and there, the others were clean, Viktor and Ekko wearing gas masks as well, though the thick, oily smoke, itself slightly purple, filling the space was probably bad for everyone that wasn't me.

Ekko tossed me a mask, which I put on anyways, as the boy scurried to open the windows, and I finally relaxed, as the threat had passed.

And, while I couldn't see her mouth, I could hear the grin in Piper's voice as she mockingly announced, deepening her voice to try and imitate mine, "'No, Piper, we don't need a flamethrower! We should be fine without one!'"

Looking at the smoking, twitching mass of eldritch flesh, I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, okay. My bad."

​

"I have… many questions," Viktor pronounced, after we'd finished cleaning up. Thankfully, I kept an extra change of clothes, because, stained as my current outfit was with Void-gore, it would be very, very bad for anyone other than me to touch it.

Thankfully, I'd been able to mop up all of the Eldritch viscera, which Piper had merrily burned, and we were now breaking for lunch.

"I do too," I replied, looking to my apprentice. "So, do you know what went wrong?"

Blinking at me, not having expected the focus switch, Piper thought for a few moments, before shrugging helplessly. "I set it to find the most Mana-y thing in ten miles. Unless… Wait, is that below the, you know?" she questioned, worried, pointing downwards.

I started to shake my head, paused, then completed the motion. "Probably not. And if it's that close… No, someone would've noticed," I decided. "If we were in Shimura, that'd be a concern, but here? No."

I stood, walking over to the example array we'd sketched out on a blackboard, the circle separated out into two halves to not become an array itself.

I would've copied it off of the Array we'd made, but whatever was on the other end had started to… shift its structure, several symbols that none of us knew inscribed upon it, and at least one of which that, very lightly, prodded my Defenses just by looking at it, so I'd taken an axe to the runes and ripped them to pieces until they stopped being… wrong.

"So," I stated, pointing to the bit of the Mobile Recharging Array that used a bastardized Gate setup to connect the Array to the nearest source. "This is the problem. But it's one I didn't realize until now." Turning, and gesturing with my coffee mug towards the torn-up runic circle, I asked, "Are any of you familiar with the §Void§?"

"The what?" Viktor questioned.

I went over my words. "Sorry, auto-translated. Are any of you familiar with the Void?"

Ekko shook his head, while Piper wiggled her hand in a 'kinda' gesture. Viktor, meanwhile, peered at me, suggesting, "Perhaps we should start with the fact that the… thing that came through spoke. And you spoke back."

"That's just Aklo," I told him, waving away the point. "Language of the Void. I'm still trying to learn it. It either wanted to consume my soul, or copulate with my shirt, I think. Still not super good with it. Oh, and it called itself a god, but, like, a third of them do that, so that doesn't mean much."

"Oh, that's all," Viktor noted dryly, resting his face in one hand, and gesturing for me to continue with the other.

Nodding, I flipped the blackboard and grabbed some chalk, drawing a circle. "Okay, so, this is our world, the Material Plane. Think of it like a bubble, and everything we do exists on its surface. It's not actually a sphere, but we're dealing with gated layers, so this works. Then this," I added a second circle, three-fourths the size of the first, and within it, "is the Spirit World. Which extends…" a smaller circle, half the size of the first, was inscribed, and then I flipped the chalk sideways, using it to fill in the space between the second and third, "to about here."

More circles were added, tiny ones, bumping up against the largest, but inside it, "These are the various pocket dimensions that exist, with this one," I added a larger one, not directly attached to the 'Material' circle or the 'Spirit' ring, "being Bangle City, home of the Yordles." More lines were added, connecting that circle to various points in both main areas.

"And finally," I finished, drawing unattached squiggles on the outside of the 'Material' circle, "is the Void, the space outside of spaces, full of magic, and very, very bad things. But, these are layers of reality, and, in our three dimensional space, everything is kind of everywhere all at once, but on different layers, where you don't move up, or down, or left, or right, but in," I tapped on the 'Spirit' ring, "or out," I tapped on the 'Void' squiggles. "Makes sense?"

Piper nodded, while Ekko lifted a hand, and, when I pointed my chalk his way, asked, "What's at the center?"

I shrugged, "No idea! Could be a world-spirit, could be some kind of 'underpinnings of reality' realm, could be more Spirit Realm, could be another, smaller Void, though it's probably not that last one, heck, could be an egg. But that's one of those 'mysteries of our world' questions were probably not gonna get to for, like, thirty, forty years? Yes, Viktor?" I prodded as the man had tried to speak a couple times, stopped himself, and tried again.

"How do you know all of this?" the academic finally questioned. "I know this is not found in our libraries-"

"It actually is," I disagreed. "Most of it. It's just not put like this. It's all vague references and inferences and other 'if you know you know' guild-esque cult-y bullshit, but you're right in some of the specifics, no, aren't available here, but, well, I've been at this since I was their age," I reminded the pale Zaunite, waving towards the kids. "Hextech was the culmination of my studies, but I went through a lot of stuff before I got to it."

Which was… half true, as, while the original Jayce had read most of this, he hadn't understood. Partly because he lacked the underlying knowledge of standard multiversal cosmology that I possessed, but mostly because the man was so hyper-focused on seizing the Arcane for himself, not having it granted from some great Spirit or God, that he'd ignored most of what he'd read. Thankfully he'd gone on research trips, using the money he was granted by House Talis, and by House Kiramman, which had led to his discovery of Hexcrystals in the deserts of Shurima.

Which meant that, if he'd gone out on research trips to find those bits of solidified Mana, it was plausible that he could have found… other things.

"So, the Gate spell we've reproduced," I continued, drawing a tight pair of parallel arches from the 'Material' circle, out into the 'Void', and to another part on the largest circle, "makes a corridor of reality that the traveler is pushed through, in seconds because the zero-G effect lets you do some odd things with the fabric of space. Piper," I stated, making another set of parallel lines, but these extended out, just an inch, ending at one of the 'Void' squiggles, "you sent it to connect to the nearest source of strong Mana. Which it did."

"Oh," the girl replied, eyes wide, and with recriminatory panic starting to creep into her tone. "I- I didn't mean to-"

"I know," I cut her off, holding up a hand. "And I didn't see this coming either. None of us did, and we're fine."

The blue-haired teen sighed, and winced, "Still, sorry. Also, uh, the, uh, Void. Is it underwater?"

The non-sequitur confused me. "I… I don't think so. Maybe more like a, well, void, that's kind of empty, but also full in a way that doesn't make a ton of sense. Why do you think…"

"Well, it was a squid. So, like, duh," Piper shrugged.

That… "Oh, huh, they do kind of have that theme. Well, that and insects, but it's more non-mammal in general leaning, more evolutionarily basic creatures, though they're all purple for some reason," I mused, which wasn't just a Runeterra-specific rule, but a rule of thumb that worked in most places. "Either way, just know, everyone, that Void creatures are the very Arcane that Heimerdinger fears, and often goes beyond that, into the Eldritch, which corrupts everything it touches. That tendril, had it touched you, Viktor, would have done very bad things, up to, and including, ripping out your soul."

"But…" the man frowned, starting to worry himself, "But you are fine? Or, are you not?"

"No, I'm a little bruised, but that's it," I reassured my partner.

The older Zaunite just stared. "…How?"

"Because he's Jayce!" Piper told the pale man, Ekko, beside him, considering that before nodding in agreement, the boy knowing that I was the 'Spirit of JUSTICE', but not my more… alien identity, as an Agent of the Company.

"While true," Viktor smiled, "that does not tell me very much…" he trailed off, giving me a significant look, inviting me to explain, but not demanding.

And while telling him everything was not going to happen, for a large variety of reasons, perhaps this would let me set the stage a little.

"When I went looking for the base of Hextech," I stated, gesturing to the case in the corner that safely held our supply of hexcrystals, "I found a lot of other things. A lot of weird things. Let's just say that, when it comes to things like soul corruption, I don't need to worry. On a completely unrelated note, Void creatures taste absolutely terrible," I stated, which was, in actuality, completely unrelated, but, stating it as I was, Viktor would make the false-connection I wanted him to, despite me literally saying there wasn't one. "It's, unfortunately, a protection that I am not able to replicate for you, and even if I could... Well, I would for you Viktor," I amended.

Ekko frowned, the tinkerer questioning, "Why not for me? Or for Piper?"

Because you're male, and I can only stamp women, I thought, answering instead, "Because you're still a kid," which was also true, as I could theoretically Stamp the girl beside him, but I only would after giving her the choice, a choice she had to be an adult to make, not because the Stamp required it, but because I did.

Shaking my head, I continued, telling a distracting truth, "Performing Rituals on kids, unless those rituals are specifically designed to be used on kids, is a bad idea. And I don't know near enough about ritual magic to design one that'd work on Viktor, let alone you two. We're having enough trouble with Hextech, whose greatest strength is its stability. Rituals?" I questioned scornfully, not of him, but of the subject as a whole, my attempts to understand them in Basic only telling me how much I didn't know.

"They are unstable?" Viktor questioned.

I frowned, wiggling a hand. "No, they're complicated, more complicated than Hextech by several orders of magnitude. Anyone can use them, Mage, Non-Mage, it makes no difference, but there's so much that can go wrong with them, that, well, most people just reuse old ones, and maybe try and tweak them, if they really know what they're doing, or are suicidally foolish. Usually the second. It's why most of them are given by spirits and gods, the latter of whom might just be really powerful spirits, giftwrapped and ready to go, but then, because you don't know how it works, only that it does, they can slip in all sorts of things."

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed, "And, if you've got a completely benign and honest spirit, which, good luck, then there might be other hidden dangers because most spirits don't get what it's like to be a non-spirit."

"Some do," Ekko pointed out, giving me a significant look, realizing what he was doing as Viktor turned to look at him questioningly, the white-haired boy adding, "Or, like, that's what I heard."

Subtle, I thought, as the girl beside him repressed a giggle, in on the 'joke', continuing, "Yes, some do, but, historically speaking, those that 'get' people tend to be less of the 'Worship me, do these things for me, and perform these Rituals' variety, and more of the 'Stop being an idiot and go do shit for yourself before I kick your teeth in' type. Like the Kindred," I offered.

Piper perked up. "Oh, that's the death-god-person-thing! Where there's, like, a lamb-person, who handles peaceful deaths, and the wolf-ghost, who handles violent ones!"

"And, from reports, they're actually rather personable, if a bit hyper-focused on their chosen task, but that's Spirit-Gods for you," I shrugged.

"Do, do you know any Rituals, Jayce?" Ekko questioned, interested.

"I know one that tells you if someone is dead. Step one is removing their heart!" I smiled.

Viktor, thinking me to be teasing, asked, "And you have found it to be effective?"

"Hasn't failed yet!" I grinned, which, at the older Zaunite's look, was a little more bloodthirsty-seeming than I meant to come off as, but the man rolled his eyes, while Piper sent me an inquiring glance, and I winked, nodding slightly, because step one was removing the heart, steps two-through-six were performing a ritual to tell you whether or not it would come back, be it through delayed regeneration, through the possession of additional bodies, or through the existence of phylacteries, Lich-style.

Didn't do anything to keep it dead, unfortunately.

Clapping my hands together, I announced, "But that's why we always test things small before we test things big. Because, as limited as we try and be when we make things work, it's very easy to accidentally reach far further than we mean to."

"Like when we tried to make the transmission receiver?" Piper questioned. "Wait, was that the Void?"

It'd been another idea of mine, a Hextech Radio, using the vibrations in the flows of magic that Hextech could make to create rudimentary magical radios. Actual radios were effectively nonfunctional here, at least basic ones, because there was just so much random bullshit throwing out actual radio waves that trying to use it was an exercise in futility.

However, while the standard bands were a riot of noise, recreating the same setup with hexcrystals had been silent, except for a single, otherworldly voice, deep, sibilant, and unnatural to a point that it'd started pinging my Defenses, whatever it was.

And it had been speaking Aklo, language of the Void, and Class C, the Outsiders found most commonly in the Cthulu Mythos.

Hence my study of it.

I'd turned off the Hexradio, and disassembled it, as the voice had seemed… interested, and Viktor had been reaching for the crude microphone we'd functioned, glancing at the device often, even after I'd powered it off, though he couldn't explain why.

Grimacing, I shook my head. "No, that… that was local. And by that I mean somewhere on Runeterra."

"Well," the girl declared, after a moment of silence, "then we definitely need a Lab Flamethrower!"