Chapter 16: The Heist

The sun was setting over Piltover. The last rays of light glittered across the rooftops as Orion waited in an alleyway Topside, hidden under a pile of trash.

Honestly, the trash wasn't bad compared to some areas of the Sump. He had fallen asleep without realizing it and thankfully, nobody came to clear out the garbage.

Even if someone had, it wouldn't have mattered. Homeless individuals still littered Piltover, just like in the Sump, though it was observed less frequently.

Orion didn't leave until darkness had fully settled in. Once it did, he carefully weaved his way through the dead quiet streets. It took much longer than it should have—he was forced to stop often, hiding between buildings or flattening himself against a wall, praying the Enforcers wouldn't turn their heads.

Eventually, though, he made his way back to the front of Count Mei's Menagerie.

Once in view, after waiting for another pair of Enforcers to pass, he sprinted across to the side of the building.

'I would've liked to use the rooftops, but the buildings are too spread out. They're also irregular heights, so I'd be spending half the night scaling different buildings just to jump to the next.'

He shook his head, frustrated.

'Who said I can't use a little bit of magic, though?' Orion grinned, sneaking along the Menagerie wall. 'I mean, as long as I control it, I should be fine.'

As he passed a series of pipes, he finally spotted the employee entrance.

It was cracked open. No lights bled out from the other side.

'Did security fuck up?'

He'd only seen this door leading into the employee lounge while walking through the Menagerie earlier. He didn't know who was inside, or how many were on the night crew.

He also hadn't found any alternate entrances during his earlier scouting, besides the panel on the roof. But to get in that way, he'd have to use magic... and even then, there was a ten-meter drop to survive.

Yet here was the employee door. Ajar. No lights.

'Fuck it. Let's have a peek,' Orion shrugged, creeping closer. He listened carefully, waited nearly a full minute, and then slowly opened the door while peeking inside.

It was dark except for the moonlight that spilled in with him. The interior was luxurious for an employee lounge in Piltover. A sink, some pots and a stove, couches for lounging, darts on the wall, and a stairwell that probably led to the manager's office.

On one of the couches, a security guard lay sprawled out, snoring.

Orion stared at him in disbelief. His tense posture slackened in disappointment.

'Really? I worked myself up for this?' Orion thought glumly, eyeing the bottles of liquor on the table. There were two glasses, though... and the door into the zoo, between the couches, was wide open.

He quickly stepped back out and cracked the door again from the outside, assuming a second guard would return. But after several minutes of waiting, nothing.

He slipped back inside, tiptoeing around the snoring guard.

'The fucker pass out drunk in the garden?' Orion thought, agitated.

'Where is he? In the back?'

Orion blinked. His eyes scanned the zoo. It was completely dark except for the single ceiling window that illuminated the oval garden.

'Something's not right.'

Adrenaline and apprehension sparked through him. It was too quiet. His instincts screamed at him but it was too late.

He finally noticed the wolf-like eyes glinting in the shadows, watching him with predatory intent.

His first instinct was to slam the door shut, but before he could react, a flicker of motion caught his eye.

A powerful lifted him and flung him forward through the air. He crashed into the bushes with a series of painful impacts.

"Fuck," Orion coughed, trying desperately to get up, vision swimming, only to collapse onto his stomach.

"Be grateful, human."

An ominous, threatening female voice hummed from the foliage around him.

"The sacred spirit fox takes kindly to you. She is the only reason you live."

Through the shock and pain, Orion's vision slowly cleared. Looming over him was a cloaked figure, illuminated by the glow of moonlight above, and nine tails swaying gracefully behind her. Glowing golden eyes pierced through the veil of her hood, and green fox eyes hovered near her hip.

Coo.

"Ah..." Orion muttered, dazed. "I know that coo..."

Coo.

"I felt this energy days ago," she hummed dangerously, her fingers tracing his forehead. "This was from the falling star. It burns within you. Why?"

Coo?

The spirit fox brushed against her legs, its green tail flickering softly as it looked up at her with worry.

The woman retracted her fingers, looking down at it with brief confusion before glancing back at Orion.

"You cannot stay here with this... human. Your brothers and sisters miss you, and Ionia needs you to guide souls to the spirit realm. It is too dangerous to remain here."

Coo...

A sad, quiet sound echoed around him before both figures gracefully vanished.

Orion lay in the bushes, groaning. Slowly, his vision normalized. He rose, shaky and sore.

'Who the fuck was that? Foxes... There were a few champions that had foxes...'

'There he fucking is,' Orion muttered mentally, spotting a pair of feet sticking out from a distant bush.

As he passed the unconscious guard, he rubbed his bruises and winced from the pain.

'Foxes... Ahri? Or was it that champ that threw three or four at you each engagement? God, that character was annoying.'

The textured doors to the botanical garden swung open and Orion walked through.

Each plant swayed to an unseen rhythm. The blue-hued pollen hovered, distorting the world around him. It was beautiful, he couldn't deny that. A rich variety of intoxicating scents filled the air, drawing him in deeper.

Even in pain, Orion was mesmerized.

But he was also on a timer.

'I need to grab them and get out. I don't know how long they'll be out for.'

The Red Blossom Flowers taunted him from the center. Their vibrant crimson petals seemed to mock the blood dripping from small cuts on his body.

The collection process was arduous too. During it, Orion nicked himself on a thorn. His entire hand seized up in response. He cursed the task and the entire encounter but pressed on, determined to fill the sack.

C never specified a weight-to-payment ratio. Once again, he felt like he was on the losing end.

Under the moonlight, the innermost part of the flower opened, revealing the seed that could be plucked safely. According to the note, if done during the day or forced open, it would destroy its own seed for some unknown biological reason.

Orion didn't linger in wonder, though.

Bitter and sore, the moment the sack was full, he left without looking back.

The moon was high in the sky by the time he returned to where it had all started- an alley near the bridge. Enforcers stood guard at the empty bridge and so, unslinging the sack of flowers from his shoulder and gripping it tightly to his chest, Orion groaned in pain as he slid into the trash pile once more.

"Fucking flowers..."