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Simultaneously, the residents of the Herald’s utopian settlement dropped. Every enlightened once-crippled civilian of the colony fell to their knees, withering and trembling till perish. There was no sign of him - the saviour - who’d turned around the lives of the shimmer-addicted junkies of Zaun, creating a thriving society of peaceful residents. These residents were now either dead, or dying, scattered around the colony, following the currently-undisclosed death of their soon-to-be saved saviour.
Jinx, Isha and Vi were only in the colony to help Vander, the one aspiration the two estranged sisters shared. Isha had a simple basis to join them, where Jinx goes, she follows. Jinx and, by extension, her mute, honorary-sibling, had wanted to get the hell out of this town as soon as they got there. The blue-haired felon was not interested in playing games with a herald who she considered a “metal fortune cookie” ; But if Viktor was her dad’s only hope, so be it. They had already seen some progress in bringing Vander back, however it would take much longer for the herald to save him. Vander’s psyche was so intertwined with Warwick’s, the beast which had become of his physical form and conscious, that it would be near-impossible for Viktor to restore his human form..
Before anyone could question what had happened, why the enlightened Zaunites had all collapsed, a savage roar pierced through the uneasy silence…
Vander… He had grown monstrously huge in a blink of an eye, his blue-tinged slate fur appeared a menacing charcoal within the dark scene. His veins bulged through his skin, lava coursing through them. His eyes glowed in a similar fiery colour, instead of their original heterochromatic hues. He growled in a gut wrenching mix of ferocity and agony as the scolding amber bled from his chest.
“GGRRAAWW”
.
.
.
“AAHHRRRRGGGG”
A higher-pitched war cry mimicked that of Vander’s growl, the Noxian warriors rushed into battle, followed by their commander, Ambessa… Of course they were behind it. Isha had heard some things about Piltover’s Topside and the Noxian army working together, mainly from Jinx, but neither of the two could conceptualize how enormous the infamously savage army was.
The three Zaunians, along with Caitlyn, a Piltovan decorated officer, who Isha knew Jinx despised, were faced by a tidal wave of metallic silver and red cloth. A jarring percussion of metal armour accompanied the scene, growing louder with each moment. Why Vi was with Caitlyn, or why the officer wasn't with the Noxians, were questions for later, as the army charged at the quartet. Rushed glances confirmed the four mutually shared the goals of protecting Vander from the Noxians, and protecting themselves from both the army, and an enraged Warwick.
Instinctively, Vi charged into the battle as soon as the Noxian army got close. The pink-haired fighter challenging several of the trained warriors charging at the group. Vi truly was the muscle to accompany Jinx’s incredible mind. The two siblings, Jinx and Vi, were so incredibly different, having different strengths, personalities and were once working for different sides of Zaun. But their differences complemented each other so well; Brains and brawn.
Vi fought off three warriors, punching, kicking and snapping their weapons in half; fiercely battling until a slash of a Noxian blade tore through Vi’s midsection. She cried in anguish as she fell to her knees, blood gushing out of the open wound. Vi was too engulfed in agony to protect herself when the same soldier lifted his blade in order to finish the job. As he was about to thrust the bladed baton into her back, a blast of energy flew over her. The Noxian collapsed lifelessly as Caitlyn fired her weapon at him; The baton falling harmlessly next to Vi.
Vi’s injury was enough to jolt both Caitlyn and Jinx into realisation of what was happening. As Caitlyn shot the Noxian, she hurried to aid Vi, putting an arm around her injured ex and helping Vi to her feet. Jinx had however ran past the two, only briefly glancing at her injured kin.
Warwick had gone feral twice before, but never like this. Both times, he had calmed down after seeing Jinx or Vi. His adoptive daughters being what grounded him to his humanity, his previous life as Vander, and all the memories that came with that. Jinx, remembering this, flung herself in front of Warwick, arms open.
“Vander- Wait!”
Her cry was drowned out by the sounds of metallic clashing and Warwick’s bloodthirsty growls. As she tried to reach him, another Noxian baton was skewered through his back. The beast turned to strike the attacker, blinded by agony and rage, he failed to notice how he harshly swatted Jinx. She groaned as she hit the ground, creating a small cloud of dust where she landed. Jinx unsuccessfully picked herself up, hitting the ground a second time with another yelp of pain.
Isha observed all of this with wide eyes. Vi, one of the strongest fighters in all of Piltover, struggling and crying in anguish, Caitlyn helping her; And Jinx, Isha’s pseudo-sister, laying in pain, her violet eyes glossy with un-fallen tears. And Isha… she was just standing there… Too small, too young to help, no matter how it felt. Isha’s heart was heavier than the dense air in the fissures. The cool feeling of the Hexgems in her pocket, brushing against her leg, is what woke her from her momentary trance… And that's when she knew what she had to do.
She took one of the blue orbs in her hand, rolling the cool crystal between her fingers. After a moment's contemplation, she exhaled her held breath and stuffed the gem back into her pocket, running into the crowd.
At that moment, all she could think about was Jinx, her sister. Isha knew she would never actually be related to her, Vi was actually Jinx’s sister, but Isha thought of herself as a good substitute whilst Vi was gone.
No matter how crazy, unhinged or violent Vi, Caitlyn or anyone else in Piltover saw Jinx as being, Isha could only see a sister. She could recall all the times they played and laughed together, how Jinx would do anything to keep her happy. When Jinx would recall memories and tell stories from long before they met, some from before Isha was born. When the two would make childish bets and play with beetles in the hideout, or go up, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the Undercity. When Jinx dyed Isha’s hair the same electric blue as hers, braiding the patchy coloured hair into matching twin braids. When the two would hallmark the allies and buildings of Zaun with spray paint; How Jinx would draw monkey motifs every time. Or when the two first met, how Isha would only be here now due to the fate of Jinx saving her from a gang of goons in the undercity.
The two had spent months together as each other's only company, each other's only friend. Sure, Isha saw the outburst, saw how the voices in Jinx's head enraged her, made her anxious and unpredictable. She saw the nights when Jinx would sob as quietly as she could, trying to keep Isha from worrying. But she also saw how brave, funny and daring Jinx could be. Isha could see how Jinx cared, and Isha could see how she herself felt untouchable when around Jinx. How nothing could hurt her and scare her when she was around. And right now… Isha had to let go of all her fear.
Isha was not going to be scared, not now, not when Jinx needed her. Jinx had saved her life, Isha was just repaying the favor.
Isha's legs moved under her without command, faster than she had ever ran. Her memories of Jinx flashing through her head as she navigated through the chaos. Tears rained from her eyes… she smiled. Jinx was barely on her knees before Isha had ran right past her. Navigating through the crowd, towards Warwick. The bustling crowd of people closing the line of view that Jinx had of the young child.
She tightly gripped an icy Hexgem, to a point that her hand almost ached. She set her eyes on her objective, less than ten metres away from her… She ducked, sliding under the chaos as she grabbed a hold of it, a blaster.
It was one of Jinx’s inventions, a Hextech powered blaster; Jinx being one of three people in the entire city of Piltover who understood how to use Hextech. The metal was cool in her hand and had some weight to it, but Isha didn’t have time to dwell on the meagre sensations that felt so heightened in this slow-motion moment.
The gun already had one sparking blue crystal loaded into the powering compartment, the weapon only designed for one Hexgem; Hextech was an extremely powerful, if not, the most powerful way to energise any piece of machinery. She stuffed the Hexgem from her hand into the powering compartment, clicking it in with her thumb until the gem magnetically sucked itself inside the blaster, clanking against the other crystal. From there she reached into her satchel again, taking another crystal out to force into the little remaining space inside the chamber.
Jinx, peering from the gaps between people, barely had time to process what Isha had done, her body moved on its own, launching herself towards Isha. But Isha had already decided, she turned back and smiled at Jinx, miming a finger gun at her, mouthing “pew” , just like the times when Jinx had used this blaster. Vi dislodged herself from Caitlyn's grasp and grabbed a hold of Jinx’s arms, before she ran into the crowd and got herself killed.
Tears were still falling down Isha's face as she saw Jinx struggle against Vi’s hold, Jinx screaming a long desperate “ No” ; She was silently thankful Vi stopped Jinx from doing something impulsive. She smiled and put on a brave face for her mentor.
“You feel it? That buzzing behind your eyes? Because you know, in a moment, it could all... POW! Best feeling in the world, kid”
That memory of their first meeting, that's what gave Isha the courage to look up at the raging Warwick above her, the bloodthirsty beast roaring ferociously. But Isha wasn’t scared… She lifted the blaster over her head, the blue energy sparking around it a foreshadowing of what was to come. One final glance at her mentor…her sister… her only friend; Jinx was still sobbing, still screaming, fighting against Vi, trying to get to Isha. Isha looked back up to Warwick and closed her eyes…
POWWWW
The blast was a blindingly bright electric blue, engulfing half of the field. Jinx lowered her hands from her face after a minute… Vi had released her grip on Jinx, Caitlyn was now helping Vi to the closest safe place to rest. Jinx glanced back to the centre of the stagnant battlefield… Warwick, who had only recently had just been fighting ferociously at the heart of brawl, was now gone. So was Ambessa, and all the Noxian soldiers; except for those killed in the fight or the explosion. The already-dead commune members were still lifeless, although some of the bodies closer to the fight were charred and disfigured. Isha was however nowhere to be seen…
Tears trickled down Jinx’s face, she bit her lip until a metallic taste filled her mouth and sniffled back her sobs. Falling onto her knees in despair, she couldn't pick herself up; She dragged herself towards where Isha’s metallic hat layed on the ground. The rim was slightly dented, the goggle lenses shattered and the hand painted details were all charred black. But it was still recognisable, it was still Isha’s. A few stray strands of dyed blue hair remain caught on the inside. The last remnants of her.
Isha had ended the fight… had stopped Warwick, but at the cost of her own life... Jinx had never even heard the kid speak, didn't know how old she was, but knew she couldn’t possibly be older than ten. But Jinx at least knew Isha... Isha did this for her… Isha may not have shared her blood, but they would always be sisters…