A story of zaun

The pursuit of library card and a rat Today was the day. He shouldered his best cloak letting it drape all around him until he was sure it covered everything from his head to his tail. Finally pulling his hood over his face until it was surely that it covered his entirety of the face. After so many years living in the depths of zaun's pipes it had always amazed him that he could maintain this form of dress with ease. But today was the day, after months of planning he was finally going to get it: A Piltover Master Library card.After years of reading the dog eared and faded discards of half honest hextech and oddity vendors he was finally going to be able to hold a new book in his hand. As he ran his fingers across his own collection of now ancient almanacs. His hand stopped and sighed at the collection all he was now missing was the letter Q. One day he vowed he would make a special trip to find it, Ah well it was time, to the surface! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As he stalked through the dim sublevels of the off canals of zaun the grey swirled around him as every step caused it to spin around him. Around him the small forms of rats and other such animals scurried to and from their holds dashing to and from, he felt them, every charge that ran through them. It always amused him how they could survive were the humans who constructed this travesty that not even the speed of the current bellow could cleanse the almost solid level of refuse. Occasionally he stopped to watch a discarded piece of hextech still buzzing with life cut its way, being pulled by the current he thought maybe just maybe it could be something of value, but he continued “I’m after better stuff today”. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As he began to get closer to the dismal docks of zaun he checked that his guise was properly affixed. Humans,especially sailors tend to panic when he showed himself. It’s not that he was a true terror like the madman, even his general appearance was not something as loathsome as the butcher from noxus, it seemed that he was just strange. Checking the clasps a third time (for clasps you must understand where necessary to maintain the costume did not fall apart) he began his way first down an alley then a pipe and finally he stopped in a few more steps he should stand among the humans he could feel the raw hextech energies and pulse of power from the massive dock that rippled well beyond zaun itself. He stood for a moment as one might before attempting something truly terrifying, for no matter how many times he stood amongst the mighty throngs of people, his heart always seemed to quiver. He felt sick maybe, tomorrow he thought, No it must be today, and today it would be. He twisted the grating got out and bent the middle bar up so that no one would place anything on it to prevent his return and began his journey to ascend to the whirring city above. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As I walk the streets I am reminded of two large fundamentals, the first being a grand perspective: A city is more than masses of iron and glass built for being the pinnacle of all civilization, it is more so the people that live, thrive and die side by side day after day supporting each other knowingly or unknowingly. The second: running into a wall of crates while admiring the former hurts, a lot. After several shouts half concerned over me, more so of whatever merchandise was in the box I again focused my attention on making it to the pulsing city above hoping to make it to at least the promenade level without further incident. It's not that I can not make the trip by lift it’s just they make my stomach well… lurchy and after a few choice words of the ionian language(which is surprisingly well furnished with curses) I find it’s best for all concerned to take more terrestrial modes of traveling. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. I had almost made it when I found the road blocked by a large group of people. As I skirted round I heard many comments most of which sounded akin to “Dam well’s gone scuggy”, “Did the rat get that one too”? Amidst the thinner parts of mass hex-tech clad enforcers were holding the inquiring mob at bay. This close to the promenade level it made sense as this was a thoroughfare to the most of the major inland trade routes, that the enforcers would take a look at matters, I know wells deeper districts that had been sabotaged for months. I paused a moment as people carrying litters (or barrels) of unfortunates who had been caught in whatever had transpired were carried away. I turned down a small alley I knew and waited to leap over gate with some others who had the same idea and finally crossed one of the walkways to piltover. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Piltover is a strange place. In zaun all the denizens energy beat as one, faintly, but as one. Here, here everything beat oddly and off tempo. Shure everything seemed to run like clockwork but hardly any two people had the same rhythm, some bounced sprinted with odd boxes of who knows what, while some merely waltzed in some form of arrogant fashion, parading like some ornamental birds. Still he continued on with his quest. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. After a several wrong turns and three very indignant accounts of asking for directions he crossed a large terrace to a very large building richly decorated with a constant stream of well to do’s crossing in and out. He again was forced to hold his breath and lean against a building for support, one for being in joyus awe, the other was that he was out of breath. As he approached he noticed several armed enforcers take note his presence. He was well aware that his guise was not perfect, but standing head over shoulders and wreaking like a zaunian sewer rat probably was probably not helpful either. As he walked through the grand doors he gasped. Books! Mountains upon mountains of books! Large, old, thin, thick, leather and wax bound books all ordered and in pristine condition! He would have fallen to his knees weeping and thanking those above, if he did not value his discretion! He, trying to contain himself to at least a dignified fast walk and ran his hand , just hovering, above the spines of those blessed articles lest his scatter this saintly vision away. They had books from other continents, in different languages, in every language about things he had never heard of by people with names he had never heard off. If he had not found heaven surely this was the closest thing in runeterra he could find! He goggled for what felt like mere minutes just trying to take it all in, a mixture of ecstasy and silent glory. “Sir, would you please present your library card or letter of credentials”. He slowly spun around to find the voice that brought him out of his joyus stupor. Sheepishly in the most polite accent he could muster “I have only just arrived here, however I should like to attain a card post haste”. The man he had turned to face was older well set with marks of being very formidable in his younger years and retaining his ability. His only extravagance was that of a hextech monocle and gloves one of which covered a small but functional hextech hand and the other for symmetry. “Very well, this way, please sir” he said ushering him to a large desk. Getting out a page and dipping a quill into a small pot of ink inquired “Name”?
“Hallogan-” “Address or other residency” “Zaun murk levels” The clerk stopped the quill took a breath and stared at him for five seconds “Sir if this a joke I assure for these purposes I can deny you”. He suddenly remembered that most humans regard that area as impossible to survive in. “Bilge pump row ninth landing, slump pump, lower left hovel”. “Now that I believe” he muttered under his breath “Now I will need the fee of one thousand cog or equivalent in other currency, trade, or voucher from a sponsor bearing a seal unless you can provide me with a letter of commendation from a ruling family”. “What”? He stammered “The fee for your library card” This this was something new, the shock reverberated through him like grabbing onto an exposed circuit blindly. “What fee, why”? The clerk tilted his nose back and closed his eyes slightly making him seem like a pompous bird and his voice seemed to be the model for those who lived in piltover. “Sir many of are books, materials and articles are valuable, irreplaceable or antiquities as such we cannot allow simply anyone to handle them in away to damage or steal them”. He was silent. For all the talk of progress this was worse than zauns extortion rings. Still one word could be helpful. “What would you consider a trade equivalent”? Barely batting an eye. “A book of rarity or artifact of considerable value or a valid patent for Hextech not currently in mass circulation”. “Ugh”, he thought, his entire collection would probably not cover it and finding something not already missing from piltover was as likely as the being produce out of thin air. The tips of his fingers crackled involuntarily with hex-tech energy which apparently the clerk was quick to notice and gave a curt wave to a nearby sentinel. No, he thought this was not the time to use fists. He bowed, low waving out his hand like the actors he had watched rehearse one day and said “Please do not discard that form, I shall be back as soon as I have acquired the necessary funds or trade equivalent”. Apparently this amused the clerk and he turned away before he would do something of a foolish and regretful caliber. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. “Dam”! I hissed with all my rage. I had returned to the promenade level was doing my best to vent without breaking a wall or twisting a pipe into a knot while nearby alley cats scattered like skuge hitting a swift current. I cursed some more like I had heard sailors do and surprisingly it didn’t help. It would take years before he could save up that money. Thievery was an option but while appealing it didn’t seem right stealing from someone who had earned their money properly. As I was puzzling over this new problem I failed to notice an all too familiar wind sweep slowly into the alley. “Why, so glum fish face”? The voice was calm reassuring I had heard a thousand times. “Janna why are you here”? “I noticed you’d visited piltover and they have a tendency to look down rather than at those of zaun”. I had known janna since the beginning or whatever one might call the first memories of one’s existence, she had taught me like a child, and kept me alive for my first years, she also had a very interesting way of knowing when I was emotional. “I’m fine, just annoyed at those jerks”. “Did you make it to the library like you wanted to”? “Yeah but getting there is worthless, they wouldn’t let me read anything but the covers and would have probably thrown me out had I not left of my own accord”. “Well you didn’t break anyone or anything that was valuable right”? “That doesn't change the fact I need a thousand cog or something worth it just so the let me pick a book up”. Janna bit her lip, suddenly her face lit up with a smile “Wait here, I have an Idea”! With a poof of air a bird flying well faster than most birds should was hurtling across the skyline to the shopping districts. “Whoa boy” I murmured, Janna's Ideas were usually well intentioned but that's more than likely that was as far as the got especially when they concerned me. As I recall the last one which I call “Adventure in L” nearly involved the death of two guardsman (unintentional of course), the detonation of illegal weapons stockpile, fourteen arrests and the loss of personal articles and an entire stand of sugar treats to be distributed to a house of orphans. Now most would consider the turnout of this event as mostly positive except we were supposed to be “sneaking” into a warehouse for almanac L which, led to accidentally interrupting a sting investigation. I sneezed and some idiot actually shot a fireball at me in a warehouse of hexplosives. Somehow a chem weapon got into the mix causing a bigger explosion and several people caught fire and ran throwing various articles off as they ran to the docks. At the apex someone threw their scarf onto a nearby sugar treat cart which caught fire and in its turn exploded launching its contents high into the air. Thanks to janna most of the snacks were saved unfortunately those that weren't, lit the surrounding buildings on fire. On a side note we found almanac in the rubble and made out of their with only minor burns. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. The moon had reached its zenith and had nearly passed and I was getting tired so I propped myself upside a wall. I didn’t doze off for two reasons, the first being that falling asleep in zaun could prove lethal, the second is the moon always seem to keep me awake. After a few more hours I began to wonder if she was coming back when I felt someone walking through the nearby alleys. I involuntarily drew into a darkened corner. “Hallogan will you get out of the shadows, you look creepy”. As I stepped out I saw janna was dressed in like some sort of Demencian mage, with her hair tucked up under her at hat, and her staff was bound in cloth to her back, only her eyes remained the same always blue and bright. In her hand held a freshly printed wanted poster with an image of a very large rat and crossbow. “This should do it”! I took the poster and looked at it carefully. Name: Twitch: AKA the rat,AKA twitchy, AKA ladies rat 117, Rodent lover (1-17) Charges: Burglary, theft, assault, vandalism, public indecency, fraud, destruction of private/public property, the use of unlicensed chemicals, murder, melting, industrial sabotage and interfering with official investigations. Threat level: High, proceed with extreme caution do not attempt encounter, do not engage. Last known whereabouts: lower Industrial district, condemned section F, Zaun Distinguishing marks: He’s a RAT of extreme size with a crossbow. Reward for capture or proof of death: Special commendation, 5,000 Cog (or equivalent), custom hextech fitting and access all official buildings upon request. (Other rewards and offers listed by private parties are not included but a list can be made available upon request of proposed bounties at precinct central). I whistled, this cheese muncher had been busy. “Well”? Janna giggled with glee. “Um janna are you really shure bounty hunting is the best thing, couldn't we try something simpler like renting ourselves out for experimentation”? “Oh come on grumpy gills, think of it as big game of hide and seek and if we win we get a huge pie at the end”! “Pie”? Janna went a shade of bright red “You have no idea what it's like to perch near the baking districts for a day or two”. Their was probably no real way to talk her out of this, but maybe I could at least bring down the threat level some “Okay but couldn't we at least start with someone a bit smaller in the pipework”? Janna frowned and suddenly turned serious “ We could but twitch is causing a large amount of trouble of late and the people of zaun going to get hurt if we don't do something soon”. After saying this she looked sadly down into the light grey swirling around the dimly lit metal gouged streets of zaun beneath us, a light rain suddenly began to fall almost out of no wear. It always did when she was sad and I knew she was remembering that day. Most all who live in zaun remember that day, the day of the flood. That was my first memory so it had always bothered me it was one of her saddest. I asked her about it once, and what I understood was that when the main canal was ready to be finished there was an oversight and the water rushed in and over flowed the flood bank sweeping its way through the lower sections carrying off everything and everyone that wasn’t stuck deep into the ground. People called to her, so many called to her, but she wasn’t strong or fast enough to answer. She never forgave herself for that, which I never understood because it was the humans who had endangered themselves in the first place. “Alright” I said trying to sound upbeat “ Lets go ratting”! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As we began are way for the half mad sprawl of zauns old factories Janna resumed her usual happy demeanor, some were still in use but most had been hollowed out by gangs, boozers or groups of less than reputable techmurgists. Still it seems no matter where we went in zaun janna knew everyone often stopping to chat with downtrodden strangers who politely nodded and in return talked to her with surprising ease but never seemed to know her name. We even stopped to talk with a charming old woman about her grandchildren who janna knew each by name. She almost recognized her but then had to return to her shift at the sewing mill. As we began to get closer to the outskirts I couldn’t help but notice janna had these stops less and less but when she did most of them would go on for a long time. To be honest I am a bit jealous at how easy janna can talk to people, but that's a topic for a different burner. As we approached the F district I couldn’t help but marvel at the decay that had happened here. Buildings crumbled into their own foundations, rusted out dated hextech slumberd unused and picked clean of anything useful for gods know how long. “Well” I said “this the place” “Yep” janna said with a bit of nervous excitement. I took a moment gave a sniff to the air, there was definitely a rat nearby but the entire area smelled so much of it even I couldn't distinguish a direction other than around. “Think he’s home”? Janna murmurd. “If he isn’t then this is still going to be the best place to start looking”. As we walked down the avenues of agged factory workings I reached out at the hextech devices to see if there was anything that still worked or even lived nearby. A single rod was my only answer and it was pretty weak, but it ran right through to the center factory which stood well on its own for that of being on a rock jutting. Janna stopped and pointed scrawled on the wall was a very large notice that said “Now entering twitches kingdom, trespasser will be shot, Salesman shot twice”! Well, we were in the right place at least. The door to the factory floor was wide open so we did what any sensible couple would do, we walked in. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. The first thing that commanded a majority of are attention was the large hole in the center of the factory floor, the second the large throne with a large pile of moldy cheese presiding over said hole. A few chemicals simmered on an unchecked burner belching something akin to the sent of burning spoiled milk. Suddenly we heard a large crash behind us, (The door falling shut) and reverberating around the room came the menical song of “Trespasser come to steal my juice”. I was knocked flat from behind which is not easy to do and janna was sent hurtling into the side of an of a chem vat “Thank you don’t come again” Suddenly I was doused in some solution and I felt a burning sensation as my cloak began to catch fire and it began to melt off my body as I looked up I could see the rat leaning over janna sniffing with his nose, she was unconscious but breathing. This sight galvanized me I sprang at the rat, letting the hextech charges I had around me spring fourth, the rat pulling his crossbow was quicker than me and I received a nasty blow to the face that sent me reeling in the wrong direction. “When souping doesn't work, smashing will” I was able to see just as the rat shot a bolt into the aged structure causing it to collapse above me “By,by fishman”. The bastard disappeared down the hole with janna on his shoulder like a helpless ragdoll. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. If you ever wake up and there is a building on top of you I can guarantee the only thought you will be thinking is ow . As I shifted the rubble off of myself I gazed at the destruction that had happened. Only the foundations were left, a group of scavengers who had been braver than the rest were picking around to see if they could find anything of value that had caused the collapse. Quite frankly, I think I scarred them for a while because all they did was scream and point. One who probably was scarred as heck but was just standing still and pointing. I could work with that. “Which way to the nearest canal” I growled He pointed a different direction “Thanks, happy hunting” I sprinted jumping old walls and dilapidated machinery like there was no tomorrow, I had to save janna. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As I reached the water's edge a few fishers gawked in awe as I dove in as I let my body acclimate I decided to help them out “Left canal subdistrict 8 under the old pub tell your friends”. They'd probably figure it out. If that rat was anywhere near a canal in zaun I would know. I swam like a tor%%%% dodging everything submerged feeling every inch of the canal. Shure enough I found his and janna’s scent. He was taking her to the promenade level I had no Idea how much time had passed but I knew I wasn’t far behind. Barreling through the water I burst into the pipe network the rodent was using. Almost their. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As I found my bearings I realized that this system fed Into the grand cathedral of the glorious revolution. What in the name of magic was this rodent trying to do? As I came out in a nearby canal I followed his scent through the almost hidden trail up to the rooftops and despite my drive I felt a familiar sickness as I saw the rodent had made use of a rope to make his way across to the cathedrals sprawling domed roof. I held my breath and murmured “for janna” and began my way across the rope. For those who are neither natives or visitors of zaun the cathedral maintains an entire city block ergo the closest buildings this rope was suspended on are very high and very far away. This helped me in no way at all. Also I seem to weigh a considerable amount more than both of them which anyone who could guess what happens next, it did. Fortunately I was halfway across when it broke and was able to hold on until I slammed into the cathedral and climbed the rest of the way. My stomach contents not so much. After a brief breather I resumed my mad pursuit following them into the mass sprawl of the cathedrals air ducts until finally I found them in a large grated maintenance cage. We were well above a the main sanctuary and I couldn't help but shutter. Janna was now garbed in a old faded mold eaten wedding dress and tied to the grating. She was still out of it but as I got nearer she woke up “Oh, my”. “Where's the rat”? “I was hiding”! A crossbow bolt got me square in the back I roared, Somewhere and organ began and I turned to face the rat. Janna got out of her bonds and called her staff. I lashed out blindly and twitch yelled “You not take twitches new wife”! I’ve seldom seen janna mad but this rodent pushed a button and she unleashed a malstrom just for that purpose.By now two things had happened one being we were now noticed by the congregation and two the grating we were standing on had lost its integrity. As the rat and I plummeted I’m not shure who screemed louder us or the people down below. Janna called on the winds and I hurled what was left in my stomach splattering the crowd below. Even with janna’s intervention I hit the ground hard. “Guards, someone get the enforcers”! Came the cry of the more composed As I recovered I felt the the hextech energies ripple around, not a single person in that room had not been augmented. Janna rushed beside me “You okay”? I gave a weak thumbs up “Where's the rat”? Janna pointed. Twitch had landed on the organist and was attempting to make for the door. I ran at him and caught him hard by the tail. As we struggled I felt a strong wind bowl us over behind the columns. Suddenly janna was right beside us as a flurry of hextech pulsed beside us. Twitch struggled but I grabbed him by the throat and face planted him into the stone floor. “What now”? I shouted over the noise of the volley “I’ll knock em down you get out of here”. Suddenly Janna was gone again and a fierce wind blew through the building shattering glass and knocking them down. I took this as my que and I sprinted through with twitch on my shoulder. As I barreled out into the streets and acolytes scattered and passerbys gocked. I made my way through the alleys I couldn’t help but worry if janna was safe. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. After I was sure I had lost any pursuers I hid In a small alley and breathed heavily. Twitch groaned and I tied him up with some discarded chain. Janna appeared on a nearby crate “Well that was fun”. “So what now”? “We turn twitch over to the authorities and then you get that card”. Twitch began to wriggle so I pulled the chains tighter. “Could I get something to wear first i’d rather only be shot at once today”. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. As we approached one the promenades precincts people parted around us some staring others, just making a wide circle around us. Personally I would to. I was wearing a hastily knitted cloak of livestock blankets some of which had been only recently shed from their past owners so the smell was something like the biggest shit storm in history, Twitch was still struggling and swearing fiercely, so in addition to his chain I had him logged under my arm and janna had resumed her initial disguise. As we made it to the door I couldn’t help but notice the enforcers guarding it couched their weapons in are direction. As we approached the desk in the lobby I found that at least half of everyone in room either draw a bead or stare at me. The clerk at the desk looked up and said “May I help you”? Janna slid the poster across the desk and said “We like to collect the bounty on this menace to society”. The clerk looked at the poster then twitch “Third holding cell to the right down the hall, the warden will open it for you”. “You go ahead I’ll make sure this end is covered” janna said. Twitch had begun ( if possible) to struggle even more and scream even louder “ You not, I will escape, I will get…”. A punch in the snout ended whatever threat was coming next. As I walked down the corridors the rat actually escaped me for a second, but I got him by the tail and swung him hard into a wall just as a young lady with large hex-tech hands came out of a nearby cell. She smiled, nodded and gave me a thumbs up saying “Nice one”! The warden waiting at the end of the hall opened a door and I bowled the rat inside. As I returned to the lobby I found myself I found janna waiting with a large bag of gold and another piece of paper “Alright they said they can only give us a bit of the cog now but so long as we present in a few days you can get the rest of the reward for the bounty”. “Great let's get out of here for know though I’m hungry”. Janna lit up and almost flew off the ground “I know a great place for pie”! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. THE END (For now at least)- By Hallogan “Canal spirit of zaun”, luminary first class, piltover master library.