"How about it, do you like them?"
Duke patted the pauldrons of two armored suits, raising his brows at Caitlyn and Vi standing before him.
"You want us to go fight on the frontlines now?"
Caitlyn sighed and rubbed her temple. "And in Piltover, where we're just maintaining law and order, what use would we have for this kind of armor?"
"Better to be prepared than not!"
Duke shrugged, then tapped the armor styled after The High Priestess. Its upright meaning in the tarot: unlocking inner mysteries, glimpses of the future, profound thought, sharp perception, and keen intuition.
All of which aligned perfectly with Caitlyn's nature. Meanwhile, Strength, the other suit, matched Vi's traits exactly,
bold action, courageous decisions, new beginnings, sudden turns of fate, restless energy, overcoming hardship through sheer will, and the image of a strong woman.
Every single phrase described Vi. Bold, decisive, and now a reserve Enforcer, already a new stage in her life. With Duke's body-enhancement modifications, she embodied the idea of a dramatic turning point.
And overcoming hardship through willpower? Did that even need an explanation?
"Alright Caitlyn, enough objections!"
Duke fetched two metal cases and sealed the suits inside. Each case resembled the Cloth Boxes from Saint Seiya, engraved with the symbols of The High Priestess and Strength, partly Duke indulging his own strange taste.
His grand vision? One day, every wielder of his Tarot-series armor would march onto the battlefield carrying such a case, and with the most over-the-top, cringe-inducing, dramatic activation lines imaginable.
What a sight that would be... He couldn't help but look forward to it.
As the armor folded and compressed neatly into the cases, Vi casually hoisted hers onto her shoulder. Caitlyn, seeing no alternative, strapped hers on as well.
"That's that. I'll be in seclusion for a while, so you two had better train hard."
Duke waved them away, a clear dismissal. He never liked outsiders lingering in his lab.
Besides, he needed to begin preparations for his trip to Demacia.
Gluttony was just one piece of the puzzle. He also planned to forge new equipment, including a fresh pair of Trigger Gauntlets. The last pair had been shattered in his fight with Gangplank. This time, he intended to craft them from vibranium.
After all, he was about to enter Demacia's prestigious Grand Tournament. Showing up unprepared? Not an option.
The Fist-Gun style… It had been a while.
That evening.
Zaun, Fogen's Tavern.
"Do we really need to keep investigating the Undercity?"
Caitlyn looked at Vi, who was already dressed in her leather combat suit. Vi tossed Caitlyn her own set and winked. "I'm not letting this go."
"And besides, Duke told me a new batch of toxic alchemy drugs has hit Zaun. I need to cut it off at the source."
"Not to mention…" Vi's grin widened. "Don't you want to try out the new armor Duke made us?"
"I've been itching for this chance."
"You're impossible."
Caitlyn took the leathers without hesitation and began changing right there in the basement. When she was done, Vi gave a low whistle.
"Cupcake, you're looking tastier by the day."
"Shameless!"
Caitlyn rolled her eyes, grabbed her case, and slung it over her shoulder. The Mark V portable compression system inside shrank the armor and weaponry neatly into the container, with rune formations reducing its overall weight.
"Put this on too."
Vi tossed her a cloak, pulling one on herself. Cloaked figures in leather suits, iron cases strapped to their backs, they looked like smugglers hauling contraband.
Leaving through the tavern's back alley, they made their way into the depths of Zaun. Since Vander's disappearance, Vi had joined the Enforcers, chasing leads about him in Piltover. The tavern, meanwhile, was left in the care of Mylo and Claggor, with Ekko and Benzo helping keep order.
Guided by Vi, they descended to the Undercity's lowest layer. Only then did Caitlyn truly understand the meaning of "darkness that only the abyss can teach."
Here, sunlight barely reached. Zaun's canyon-like geography, a narrow rift beneath a wide-open sky, allowed the lowest level less than two hours of daylight per day.
Smog from the factories smothered even that, turning sunlight into a luxury money couldn't buy. Janna couldn't be expected to dispel the smog all day, every day. Her winds came in cycles, and tonight was not one of them.
The result: thick haze, oppressive darkness.
The alchemical lamps along the streets stood useless, shadows breathing with ragged whispers. Oversized plague-rats scurried boldly, baring their teeth at Vi and Caitlyn.
Masks over their mouths, hoods drawn, the two pressed close as they walked carefully down the street.
"I had Benzo dig into it," Vi murmured. "Lately, huge shipments have been coming through the Dark Docks. Silco's trying to use them to push Shimmer deeper into Zaun."
"Are the Dark Docks really that dangerous?"
On the way, Caitlyn had heard fragments of Vi's stories, her history with Silco, the horror of Shimmer, and the barest outline of the Docks.
"They started as just a smuggling pier. But greed grew, and now even the Chem-Barons have their hands in it. It's become Zaun's biggest black market."
The two wound their way through the haze until they reached a mountain wall. At its base yawned a tunnel, guarded by figures in thick protective suits, their alchemic respirators wheezing with every breath.
"Those are…?" Caitlyn whispered.
"Chem-Baron muscle," Vi muttered, cracking her neck. "They collect the entry fee."
"Want in? You pay."
Vi shook her coin purse, handed it over casually, and the guards let them through into the tunnel.
The passage was black and twisting like a rat's den. Without knowing the way, one could easily wander into a dead end that opened straight into the tide.
"Stay close."
Vi took Caitlyn's hand and led her down, guided by the intel she'd gathered. After several steep stairways, they emerged into a vast hollow carved into the mountain.
Factories, taverns, even inns, an entire underground city thrived here.
"They hollowed out the mountain?" Caitlyn gasped.
Vi smirked. "If the money's good enough, they'd dig right under the Council Hall itself. Welcome to the Dark Docks, criminals' paradise."
Pulling out a slip of paper, Vi matched the scribbled details with the layout below, finally settling on an oil refinery tucked in a corner.
"There. That's our target."
They descended into the Docks. Piltover-banned weapons lay in plain sight, rare animal carcasses displayed openly, and vendors hawked the most dangerous contraband without fear.
"If I wiped this place out in one go, think I'd get promoted straight to Sheriff?" Caitlyn muttered under her breath.
Vi snorted. "As if they don't have eyes in Piltover. The top brass have stakes here too. You can't shut it down… but you can bleed them."
At the refinery entrance, they watched hired thugs loading crates onto carts.
"Move it! Midnight deadline, we need this batch delivered to Mid-City!"
Through a crack in one crate, Vi glimpsed the telltale blue shimmer. Her expression darkened, memories flashing of the mutated monsters she'd fought under Shimmer's influence.
"We have to shut this shipment down." Her hand reached for her case.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Caitlyn asked.
"Remember that story I told you about the time the cops showed up?"
"You can't be serious, " Caitlyn's voice wavered, both nervous and, though she didn't notice, thrilled.
"Relax. I'm here. No one's laying a finger on you."
"And the investigation?"
Vi ripped off her cloak, a grin splitting her face. "We ask questions after we throw the first punch!"
"Piltover Enforcers! Surprise inspection!"
"Everyone down on the ground, now!!"
Her shout rang through the street. The lively marketplace froze, every eye turning on them with murderous intent.
"I knew this would happen," Caitlyn muttered, covering her face with one hand. Then, with a resigned sigh, she tore off her own cloak.
"Hands on your head! Crouch where you stand!"
She glanced at Vi. The two of them slammed open their cases in unison.
"Time for a full sweep!!!"
End of chapter....
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters + 3 BONUS CHAPTERS
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