"A flood of strength has surged within me. A sudden influx in believers?" ~Janna, The Storm's Fury
Hope your holidays are going well! Haven fun with your family and friends!
Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holding the nearly torn mask in her hands, Ambessa looked at the man in front of her.
Corin he called himself.
Corin Revek.
A scientist.
"That monster was of your making." She stated.
He looked unfettered, not at all intimidated by Ambessa or the others behind her.
"Yes." He replied calmly.
Ambessa leaned forward, "And you had it attack the prison."
"That was purely by chance." He answered, "I was walking by and your group captured me. And since I was planning on testing my experiment..... You gave me a lot of useful test subjects."
"Can you track down the creature?" Ambessa asked.
The man nodded, "Easily."
Ambessa turned around and began walking toward the exit, "Do it. I want that creature captured."
On her way out, she spotted Caitlin, "Miss Kiramman, I would like to have a few words with you."
Caitlin looked at the woman and then to Corin and then back to Ambessa. She nodded.
"The morale is already as low as it can be." Caitlin began as they walked outside, "And with this... this massacre.... the chances of anyone new joining the enforcers is non-existent."
"A small problem." Ambessa waved her off.
"No." Caitlin stood her ground, "This wouldn't have happened if you did not have your soldiers and the other enforcers go after bystanders."
"You heard the man. He was planning on testing his invention anyway." Ambessa answered as if talking down to a child, "If not here then somewhere else."
"But it would have been localized to Zaun!" Caitlin shot back, "Our current situation is extremely precarious. And all of this could have been avoided if this plan to capture the protestors was better. I mean... if you and the others were right.... then the creature would have been the least of your worries."
Ambessa frowned, "What do you mean?"
"His daughter was put in Stillwater." Caitlin said, "And the siblings along with Jinx and Sevika also broke into the prison. You decide to anger the man you have just entrusted the safety of your daughter with?"
"His children were among the prisoners?" She asked, gritting her teeth. That complicated things. A lot. Gregori Hastur was unforgiving. And if the stories from the Demacian nobles were to be believed, he was capable of doing damage the likes of which she couldn't imagine.
Dangerous magic and then the so called transformation of his.
And even if those were just tall tales...
Gregori was a dangerous man. The Hastur title wasn't given just to anybody. If he wanted to, he could kill her by the end of the day and no one would know how. And his actions as The Gray only cemented his position as an absolute danger.
Though she didn't know much about the inner workings of the Black Rose, she knew that they were on alert for any traces of Gregori. Which led her to believe that at least some of the information from the Demacians were true.
"Were they able to leave safely?" She asked.
Caitlin nodded.
Ambessa frowned as she remembered something. Something she saw but had written off.
If the children were there.... then her daughter had come as well.
Mel.
She had vaguely seen her silhouette.
She was awake.
Her heart began to calm. Her daughter was safe and was awake.
That was all she needed to know for now.
"Then we will face that problem when it comes." Ambessa spoke, "But first. I'd like you to be Piltover's figurehead."
"Until you can claim it?" Caitlin replied.
Ambessa shook her head, "I cannot claim this place. I do not want to either. Piltover's identity is worth more independent than under my control. I do not expect you to understand my thoughts regarding this but Noxus is where I belong. It is where I aim to build my legacy. What I have with Piltover is... " She stretched her words, "Partnership."
Caitlin scoffed, "You seem to be heavy handed in your actions in trying to manipulate Piltover to speak about independence."
Ambessa nodded, "Which is why I want you to be its de-facto leader."
"What if I stand against you?" Caitlin asked.
"Against your biggest source of import and export?" Ambessa smiled, "Unlikely."
"There are always other Noxians." Caitlin pressed.
Ambessa nodded, "There are others..... but they don't have your best interests."
"And you do?" Caitlin asked.
"My daughter considers this home." Ambessa answered, "And that alone places me as your safest bet."
"Then what are your plans with that man." Caitlin gestured to the room they had just left.
Ambessa walked forward, not meeting her gaze, "That is none of your concern."
Caitlin sighed, "It is my concern. Piltover is where the monster was unleashed and Zaun's relationship with the person who was made into the monster is complicated."
"The man?" Ambessa spun around.
"The man that had attacked the prison was once the Hound of the Underground." Caitlin responded.
Ambessa frowned, not recognizing the name.
"The one who led Zaun before Silco. The man who raised Vi and Jinx. Him being the monster will throw every possible spanner in your works."
"An interesting saying." Ambessa remarked at this new information. "But the monster must be captured. Its prior allegiances does not matter to us."
"You will start a war." Caitlin said.
"Between my soldiers and Zaun. Your enforcers and Piltover will remain unaffected." Ambessa said.
Caitlin seemed surprised, "You are willing to lose that many soldiers?"
"Vision. Might. Guile. These are what Noxus runs on." Ambessa spoke, "But I've discovered a fourth principle, one that triumphs over all others. Sacrifice. Sacrifice of your people. Sacrifice of your desires. Sacrifice of yourself. Each one for a goal you never knew you needed to achieve."
Caitlin walked faster, falling into step with Ambessa.
"This is one such moment. The creature isn't something you can just overlook. I faced it. It was rage incarnate. Wielding power that would shake the very foundation of the way wars are fought. Noxus relies on blood magic and the dead. An army of these creatures will decimate the army of the dead. Better yet. They will dismantle any army that dares to stand in front of it. That is my true goal. To USE this to reshape Noxus." Ambessa explained.
"But the people of Zaun-" Caitlin began.
Ambessa interrupted, "The people of Zaun are parasites. Every single time Piltover does something good for both cities, Zaun is always there, dragging it down. If it is not treated the way it should be, then they will drag Piltover down." She leaned close to Caitlin, "And you do not want to see Piltover be dragged to the depths now do you?"
Caitlin clenched her fists as she stared at Ambessa. She knew what the older woman was doing and it was working on her. Her hatred for Zaun was not that big.
Her love for Piltover however, that took priority. This land had already suffered. Anymore would be unfair. A lot of the truly rich had already left Piltover and the only ones left were the lifeblood of the land. The ones that truly mattered to the city needed to be protected.
They needed a leader that stood tall.
She needed to be that for them.
And currently, working with Ambessa did not seem like a bad idea. And she was willing to handle her Zaun sized problem. The results of which did not matter to her. As long as Zaun didn't have the power to fight back for the foreseeable future it would be a worthwhile investment to work with Ambessa.
"I accept." Caitlin spoke, "You are allowed full use of the passages to Zaun but you will not be getting any help from the enforcers."
Ambessa chuckled, "I don't need them."