Piltover And Case

"What a city," I marveled as I navigated among the bustling streets of Piltover. Unlike in the series, the streets were filled with even more people. They were lavishly dressed, and with the Yearly Exposition approaching, there were visitors from all corners of the world. I even spotted some Ionians, which struck me as odd considering they were still at war with Noxus. Nonetheless, they had taken the time to come here, a testament to the allure of the event, though I suspected many Ionians were more spiritually inclined than interested in materialism.

The Enforcers patrolled the streets, armed with their guns but without their masks, a familiar sight from Arcane. Their patrols were noticeably frequent as the exposition drew nearer.

Vagran had ventured into the undercity for some "sport," as he put it, while Morgana had retreated to her room after the Demacian attack. Despite my attempts to speak with her, she insisted on needing some time alone. Thus, I found myself exploring the city alone.

It was nearing midday, and while I had no need to eat, I was curious to sample the food of the city of progress. Perhaps even their cuisine had been innovated upon?

I entered a lavishly decorated pub, where a server promptly led me to a table. The menu was extensive, offering around thirty different courses. Morgana had provided me with more than enough money to dine lavishly, though I wondered how a demi-goddess had amassed such wealth. Nevertheless, I saw no reason to question it.

The meal was exquisite, though the astronomical price did cause my eyes to widen a bit when the bill arrived. Despite this, I continued my exploration of the city, enjoying its peaceful atmosphere. I was aware that magic was not as widely accepted here as it was in other places, but it was still far more tolerant than in Demacia. This was likely a consequence of the Rune Wars, a conflict that had left many empires devastated and scarred.

Heimerdinger, a yordle and one of the founders of Piltover, was both an inventor and a pioneer in the city. However, he harbored a deep fear of the misuse of magic, likely stemming from the catastrophic events he had witnessed in the past. It was understandable why he was so traumatized by the usage of magic.

I found that I fit in quite well with the citizens of Piltover. I noted that Hextech technology was truly remarkable. The Hexgates, for example, were portals created through pure technological innovation, devoid of the complexities of magic. It would be fascinating to witness a battle of invention between the Mages of the Seven Cities and Piltover.

I arrived at the grand Plaza, the site of the upcoming exposition. The area was heavily guarded by enforcers, and among them stood a familiar face: Violet, or Vi as she was commonly known. Her hextech gloves were both impressive and bulky, and I couldn't help but wonder how someone of her stature managed to handle such formidable pieces of equipment. It must have involved some intricate hextech engineering.

She was giving orders to some enforcers, but I decided not to pry into their business. Continuing on, I suddenly sensed the presence of magic in the city. Following my instincts, I made my way toward the source and soon stumbled upon another familiar face: Seraphine, the musician who could hear the inner voices of people. She was strumming her guitar and singing, captivating the crowd with her melodious voice. I created a mental barrier to shield myself and approached to listen to her songs, admiring her talent as I sensed the audience being entranced by her performance. I let myself be absorbed by the music for a while before opening my eyes once more.

With a sigh, I maneuvered my way out of the crowd, a task that wasn't easy but manageable. My goal was to meet with Heimerdinger or Jayce. The former was relatively easy to find, but convincing him to utilize one of the Hexgates seemed nearly impossible. As for Jayce, I had heard that he had become rather cocky and self-assured following his sudden rise to fame as the golden boy of Piltover.

'Vagran would have a field day with Jayce, he loves to destroy arrogant people,' I thought with a smile as I arrived back at the Plaza. This time, I sensed that something was amiss. A foreboding sense of danger enveloped me.

Gritting my teeth, I scanned the entire area with my senses. Then I saw it: a young kid holding a strange flowery device, smiling innocently at his mother.

Without hesitation, I teleported near the child and swiftly snatched the device from his hands. The child cried out to his mother, who turned to look at me just as I threw the device into the sky. It exploded in a strange, flower-like pattern.

As I watched the explosion, a dozen Enforcers rushed towards me, their guns trained on me with Vi leading the charge.

"Freeze!" one of them commanded.

"Drop your weapons!" another shouted.

I complied, raising my hands above my head as Vi approached, her hextech gloves crackling with energy.

"I just saved the kid," I explained, gesturing towards the disposed device. "I saw the device emitting some dangerous light."

Vi glanced at the child, her expression momentarily softening. "Hey kid! Who gave you that thing?" she asked, her voice firm yet gentle.

The child sniffled, looking up at his mother before responding, "A gentle man with a mask."

Vi turned back to me with a sigh. "I'd like to release you, but protocol doesn't work like that," she stated. "Accompany me to the post. I'll interrogate you, and after that, you'll be released, or imprisoned if you're a part of this."

Nodding understandingly, I followed Vi as she led the way towards a nearby building, my hands still restrained by the Enforcers.

We entered the building, and Vi led me to a small room that served as an interrogation chamber. Despite the grandeur of the building, the room was rather rudimentary, with a simple table and a couple of chairs. I was forced to sit on a rather uncomfortable-looking chair while Vi took a seat opposite me.

"So, what's your name, and why are you here in Piltover?" Vi asked, her tone stern but not unkind.

"I'm Lucas Aldaric," I replied with a polite smile, trying to maintain a friendly demeanor despite the circumstances. "I'm here to witness the Day of Progress."

She snorted. "Everyone is here for the Day of Progress," she remarked dryly. Then, her expression softened slightly. "But how did you detect the dangerousness of this bomb when our best operatives couldn't even detect anything?"

"I am a mage," I confessed. Vi facepalmed at that, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"A mage, of course. Just my luck," she muttered, frowning in annoyance as another person entered the room.

'Caitlyn,' I thought as I looked at the beautiful young woman with her iconic hat.

"Vi, are you alright? I heard what happened in the Plaza," Caitlyn asked, her gaze shifting from Vi to me with curiosity, then caution.

"Yeah, of course I'm fine. As if something like that could kill me, Cait. I was interrogating Mr. Mage here about what happened. He saved the kid and his mother from the explosion by throwing the bomb in the sky." Vi replied to her as she put her gloves on the table.

"But it seems that he is innocent. We should start a hunt for the one that gave the bomb to the kid," Caitlyn continued, placing a sketch on the table, which I immediately recognized.

'Oh, Jhin,' I thought, trying to keep my expression neutral, but Caitlyn caught my change in demeanor.

"You know him," she stated, taking a seat opposite me. Vi narrowed her eyes at me, clearly sensing something was amiss.

I raised my hands in front of me with a smile. "I am but a traveler. Of course, I would know one of Ionia's most infamous criminals. Well, perhaps a copycat, but his mask is quite memorable. I did hear that the Navori Brotherhood broke him out of jail so that he could kill Noxians and the Brotherhood's enemies."

Caitlyn rested her hand below her chin, appearing deep in thought. "Can you defend yourself, mage?" she inquired, her smile indicating a mix of curiosity and skepticism. "You are the only person here that knows him, so could you help us arrest him?"

Considering the gravity of the situation, and the danger Jhin posed if left unchecked, I weighed my options. "I accept," I replied with a firm nod.

"Good, then we have a case to solve!" Vi exclaimed with a grin, cracking her knuckles in anticipation. My agreement elicited a sigh from Caitlyn, who seemed resigned to the forthcoming challenges.

–

Truly, the depiction of police work in films did not prepare me for the complexities of real-life investigations. Finding clues about Jhin proved to be an arduous task, as he was disturbingly adept at obliterating all traces of his presence.

"Hey Lucas, catch!" Vi's voice rang out, followed by a sudden impact on my face as I received a ball of fortune.

"What's that, Vi!?" I exclaimed, rubbing my face.

Vi's laughter echoed as she darted out of the warehouse, leaving Caitlyn and me amidst the unconscious bodies of the Zaunite gangsters strewn across the floor. Vi was a formidable fighter, and I had no desire to experience the force of her metallic gloves firsthand. Her punches packed a serious punch, quite literally.

Over the course of a week, we scoured Piltover for any sign of Jhin, but he remained elusive. Instead, what we discovered were a trail of bodies left in his wake, each one more gruesome than the last. It seemed as though he was intentionally taunting us, leading us on a macabre chase.

While I knew little about Jhin beyond his reputation as a killer who turned murder into art, seeing the aftermath of his crimes firsthand was chilling. It reminded me of the horrors I witnessed during the war, where magical attacks left victims transformed into grotesque statues or puddles of flesh—a sight that haunted me to this day.

"Do you not have any kind of magic that could detect the perpetrator of these murders?" Caitlyn inquired, her expression serious as she closed her notebook. With the Day of Progress fast approaching and Jhin still on the loose, the city was in grave danger. His recent displays of explosive prowess only added to the urgency of the situation.

It was perplexing to discover that Jhin had targeted one of the Barons of Zaun. This led us to suspect that another influential figure from Zaun might be employing the madman as an assassin. Renata Glasc immediately came to mind—a ruthless woman known for her willingness to resort to violence to advance her interests. However, one aspect of the situation puzzled me: Jhin's prior victims in Piltover were mostly low-income individuals with no apparent connections to the Baron or Renata Glasc. It seemed incongruous that he would target such individuals before turning his sights on someone of greater influence and wealth.

We were tirelessly searching, leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit of Jhin. I spent an entire night with Caitlyn, assisting her as she meticulously combed through evidence while Vi slept soundly on the couch in Caitlyn's villa. Throughout the week, I tried to contact Vagran, but received no response, and Morgana remained secluded in her room at the hostel. She had mentioned that powerful Ionians were also present in Piltover to apprehend Jhin. While there weren't many prominent Ionians in the lore, the names of Shen and Zed crossed my mind, considering their intertwined histories with the madman.

"Caitlyn, I think I've located him," I exclaimed, sensing a surge of unfamiliar magic emanating from a part of the city. Suddenly, an enormous gunshot reverberated through the air, prompting me to swiftly erect a barrier around us. The bullet came within inches of Caitlyn's head, causing her eyes to widen in shock as the barrier began to crack under the force of the impact.

"What kind of weaponry is this?" I pondered, hastily reinforcing the barrier with multiple layers. I was taken aback by the sheer power behind the shot, which pierced through an entire wall before homing in on Caitlyn.

"Vi! Take cover!" I shouted, but before she could respond, another gunshot rang out. I watched in dismay as Vi narrowly dodged the bullet, propelled by her gloves, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. Two enforcers weren't as fortunate, their bodies falling limp as the projectiles pierced through their helmets.

Frowning at the sight, I released my mana, conjuring an enormous hand of light that descended upon the position of the shooter.

The hand effortlessly crushed the rubble from which the shots were fired. I swiftly transformed my body into light, reappearing near the shooter. His masked face met my gaze with a sinister smile as I summoned an enormous warhammer and swung it at him with full force. The blow connected, sending the shooter hurtling toward the ground like a falling star, creating a sizable crater upon impact.

As I descended toward him, I observed his masked visage with growing concern. This wasn't Jhin's mask.

"Shit!" I cursed inwardly, sensing imminent danger emanating from his body. In a split second, I transformed into a beam of light and reappeared near Caitlyn and Vi just as explosions erupted around the shooter's location. We narrowly avoided the deadly traps, finding ourselves back at the warehouse in a heartbeat.

"What the fuck was that!?" Vi exclaimed, rushing out of the warehouse to survey the aftermath. The district of Zaun was now a fiery pit, bodies still smoldering amidst the wreckage.

"It was a fake," I replied tersely, my teeth clenched. "Not Jhin, just a decoy with a plethora of traps."

Caitlyn approached me, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We'll find him," she said, her eyes brimming with determination. Meanwhile, Vi seethed with rage, her frustration evident as she punched a nearby wall, demolishing it in an instant.

–

That'll be all for today, next chapter will be quite big

See you soon :)