16. Of Ideals And Iron

Chapter 16 – Of Ideals and Iron

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POV: Ashryn – Stillwater Hold

Silence blanketed the room like fog, thick and oppressive. After Ashryn's declaration—her flat-out refusal of Marcus's surrender—no one dared to speak. Even Silco paused, shimmer still pulsing through his veins like a neon poison.

Caitlyn's eyes darted between them. Her confusion was palpable. Slowly, it gave way to realization. Ashryn wasn't just denying a man's plea. She was making a statement.

Vi finally broke the stillness. "Wait… why are we doing this?" Her voice was low, cautious.

Ashryn turned with exaggerated surprise, her glowing blue eyes wide and teasing. "Vi, Vi, Vi... don't tell me you're going soft on the Pilties now?"

Vi's brow twitched. "No! I'm not! But you're the one who always said we should avoid bloodshed. That we keep the fights clean. Don't kill unless we have to."

Ashryn's smile turned razor-sharp. "And who said Marcus is innocent? Do you know how long he's had deals with Silco? Before any of this began. You know how many Zaunites he's trampled while looking the other way?"

Marcus stepped forward slowly, a little pale and weaponless. "So… you really are that girl from back then."

Ashryn's expression cracked—not completely, just a faint tremble at the edge of her lips—but it vanished in a blink, replaced with that vibrant, cheeky grin again.

The others looked between them, startled.

"Virelle's war isn't about Marcus," Ashryn said, spinning slightly on her heel to face everyone. "It's about Piltover. About the council. About the system that allowed this mess to happen in the first place. Marcus is just a cog. A captain. He doesn't speak for Piltover. But..." she paused, eyes glinting, "if he withdraws because we cornered him, it'll look like we won through tricks. Schemes. Not strength."

Caitlyn frowned. "So this is… what? A performance?"

"No," Ashryn said gently. "It's proof. To Piltover. To the people of Zaun. That we earned this. That we didn't steal it. That we took it."

Her voice dropped. "Let's move."

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POV: Cael – Stillwater Battlefront

The gates of Stillwater shattered inward.

Enforcers in Piltover armor rushed forward, side by side with Silco's twisted shimmer-men. They came in a tide of boots and broken logic.

"Positions!" Cael roared. His team snapped into motion.

Virelle soldiers formed structured lines, pulse rounds ready. Gauntlets hissed. Cling mines scattered.

"Stagger your volley!" Cael shouted. "They'll rush us fast!"

Silco's forces were strong—but reckless. The shimmer made them monsters, not soldiers. That was their weakness.

"Down!"

A shimmer brute hurled itself at the line—until a Virelle trap activated, locking its limbs with instant adhesion. It crashed into the ground, roaring, only to be silenced by a shock-pulse from a gauntlet.

Phaser bursts—bright, controlled beams—fired in sequence from the flanks, stunning and dropping hostiles with calculated precision.

Wire guns lashed forward like vipers, ensnaring limbs, snapping weapons from hands. Every trap, every strike was measured.

Vi slammed into Marcus. The gorilla arms crackled with bracing energy as she tackled him across the courtyard. He rolled, staggered upright, blood at his lip.

Vi spat. "Still think this fight's clean?"

Marcus steadied his rifle. "I never said it was."

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POV: Callum – Sumps

The Sumps were a nightmare of rusted catwalks and oil-streaked vents. Steam hissed in every corner. The reek of old shimmer clung to the air.

Callum ducked a pipe swing from Finn, who was surprisingly fast even without enhancements.

"Come on, kid!" Finn roared. "This all you've got?"

Callum activated his gauntlet, redirecting a heavy blow and landing a counterpunch that crackled with vapor-boosted force. Finn staggered but recovered, eyes flashing.

Wire guns hissed from Callum's bracers, looping around Finn's arm—only for the older man to rip through them with brute strength.

Finn laughed. "Fancy tricks. You think tech makes you strong?"

"No," Callum said quietly. "But it helps."

Finn drove him back with a sudden flurry. Callum skidded, boots scraping steel. He fired his phaser in stun mode—Finn rolled under it.

"You're green. You don't know what it means to bleed in these streets."

"You don't know what it means to build them."

Finn froze. Then snarled—and jabbed shimmer into his veins.

The transformation was instant. Muscles bulged. Eyes went glassy. He howled, then charged like a beast.

Callum braced, switched modes—phaser to wide dispersal—and fired. The blast staggered Finn, but didn't stop him.

They clashed. Blow for blow. Vapor gauntlets hissed. Metal rang.

Finn was stronger. But Callum was faster.

Still, the shimmer made Finn relentless. He fought like a wounded animal—erratic, unthinking, savage.

A wild swing clipped Callum's ribs. He stumbled, gasping.

Finn turned toward the sidelines—where Lynne stood with Marcus's daughter, trying to stay hidden.

"Don't you—!" Callum yelled.

Too late. Finn charged.

But Lynne wasn't defenseless.

"NOW!" she shouted.

Cling mines detonated under Finn's feet, trapping him mid-lunge.

Callum surged forward, vapor boosters propelling him like a cannonball. He drove his fist into Finn's gut. Again. Again.

Finn howled, tried to break free.

Callum leapt and struck a final time—with a full-force phaser blast to the chest.

The shimmer cracked. Finn collapsed.

Panting, Callum turned to Lynne. "You okay?"

She nodded. "He's not."

Marcus's daughter stared up at them. "Are you… the good guys?"

Callum blinked. "I hope so."

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POV: Ashryn – Stillwater Showdown

Ashryn approached the center.

Silco stood alone, shimmer hissing through a needle. He stabbed it into his neck and let the high take him.

"Didn't think you'd need performance enhancers," Ashryn said. "You used to rely on words."

"I still do," Silco growled. "But words don't crush skulls."

They charged. He was fast, violent—flailing with shimmer-powered rage. But Ashryn moved like water.

One dodge. Two counters. A sweep, a punch, a backhand.

"You could've built something!" she yelled. "You could've been more than this!"

"I am Zaun," Silco shouted.

"No," she whispered, stepping in close. "You were a broken man who built a city of orphans. That's not strength."

He swung. She blocked. Then punched him square in the chest—sending him flying.

He coughed blood. Fell to a knee.

"You'll regret sparing Piltover," he rasped.

Ashryn knelt beside him. "I might. But I'll never regret sparing us… from you."

She closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, Silco."

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POV: Virelle Interrogation Room

The room wasn't large, but it was full. Caitlyn, Marcus, and Grayson sat side by side on one end. Across from them—Ashryn, Lynne, Cael, Callum, Sevika, Vander, and Vi.

Vi leaned back, smirking. "So, what now? Prisoner swap? Public hanging? Ice cream party?"

Sevika grunted. "Not the last one."

Lynne pushed her glasses up. "We'll probably need a statement. Piltover can't ignore this anymore."

Cael crossed his arms. "And we've officially taken every sector. Zaun doesn't exist now. It's all Virelle."

Ashryn looked thoughtful. "Then tomorrow, we make it official. Broadcast from the tower."

Caitlyn's eyes were still on her. "You really planned this whole thing… years in advance?"

Ashryn winked. "More or less."

Vi glanced at Marcus. "Back during the fight… you said something. About knowing her."

Everyone turned.

Marcus sighed. "Eight years ago. We caught a girl stealing books in the Academy District. I know that's a excuse but didn't care. Bright blue eyes. Clean tongue. Too well-spoken to be a slum kid. Said she was looking for a professor."

He looked up. "I never forgot those eyes."

When everyone turned to ashryn.

Ashryn's smile faded just a little. "Let's just say… I was once a girl waiting for a knight in shining armor."

Vander snorted. "Guess he never showed, huh?"

Ashryn just laughed.

"Not yet."

Every one knew there was a story but ashryn's gang didn't push. But Caitlyn decided to investigate it after her mother bought her back.

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