The Monster You Created

Perhaps leading the behemoth of a man down into the mines was not a great idea. To be frank, it was a pretty bad one but, seeing he had that or roll over and get taken, he chose the latter. He wanted to take him in that badly? That brick for a brain would have to GET HIM first. Plus, it was highly unlikely he'd know these mines as well as he did. It had been a few years but, couldn't have changed THAT MUCH, right?

How he wished he could be having a mere trip down memory lane, reminiscing of simple days long since passed... Of himself and Jinx chasing each other playing an impossible game of tag. How she'd always let him win and cheat using his cane and pretend to trip and stumble to give him even a false chance. Now, the memories hurt more than ever. Especially how complicated it all became. Time stole away their innocence, and sometimes he wasn't sure who Jinx was anymore. Ever since she started working UNDER their father, Silco... She hadn't been the same ever since.

Pain shot up his leg with every step, as he busied himself taking off beaten paths he knew somewhat after years of sneaking down into the depths. Until the day Silco literally barred it up to prevent them from getting hurt. Or lost. And when it became convenient, converted it to Viktor's escape plan. Though, right now it was seeming to be his damnation. Still. He had to try. No child of Silco was going down easily. He was so exception. He refused to die like an animal down here.

Perhaps the largest challenge facing him presently was the never-ending darkness... NOT TO MENTION how walking BLINDLY within a mine had a LOT of safety hazards. Oh, just the pitfalls, falling rocks, trapped ancient mine gasses, perhaps the unlikely chance something was insane enough to make it’s home down there. Probably had sharp pointy teeth claws and fed on stupid humans’ flesh that were idiotic enough to venture down without a light source.

Or a giant of a man built like a literal tank that could just bend solid metal like it was a child’s toy. Was he missing anything? Probably his sanity. Sure, wasn’t using it earlier, he chided himself. The best option he had was to rely on his other senses rather than his eyes. With a heavy but quiet sigh, he closed his eyes before reaching out his hands to feel for the closest mine wall he could find. Using a guide that wouldn’t clank loudly like his cane was going to be his best chance of survival.

With an angry grunt, he threw his cane as far as he could when it came into contact with the closest wall he could find. It clattered loudly, knocking some objects unfortunate enough to be in the way. The other metal tools or whatever he hit made very loud clattering sounds echo lazily through the mine. Silence fell once the items settled, and not a peep after. Good. Perhaps that'd throw him off his tail for a while. He needed any extra time he could get.

Using his hands and feet, Viktor kept himself close to the wall, keeping his eyes firmly shut, using his right leg to slowly and quietly probe the ground in front of him. This hopefully kept ensuring his next step would not be the one leading to his death by stepping right off an open ledge. It's happened to many miners within the Fissures. No one bothered to search for the bodies. No use wasting more man power, they said. The thought made his stomach churn viciously. How could anyone be so callous?... And cruel?...

Step by step, he shuffled his way further down, sweating a bit as he hated being unable to see where he was going. Plus, the fears of falling to his death seemed to inching closer with each quiet step. The idea was not helping him move any faster. If anything, it was causing him to hesitate more than ever every step forward. This was not working. He was psyching himself out...

A cruel thought wormed it's way through his mind. This was like the worst possible game of hide and seek anyone could ever think of. Except the person doing the seeking clearly enjoying his current suffering a little TOO much. All he could do now was put as much distance as he could between them and hope he can wait them out... And pray by some typical Jinx like miracle or sheer dumb luck she found him first...

When his right foot hit a rock, he felt his body lurch forward, and he quickly forced his body close to the mine wall. The idea of relying on his other senses was proving difficult, but panicking wouldn't help. Though it didn't exactly stop him from nearly doubling over trying to take very shaky breaths to steady himself. Pressing his back harder against the wall, he managed to calm himself down enough to stand up again.

One thing he did try to do to ease his fraying nerves was grounding himself, feeling the sensations around him. A good one is the touch of the rocky walls and the somewhat nippy temperature and smell of the mines. The rich, heavy, earthy smell, rusty old discarded tools, the smell of disturbed dirt beneath his feet. It felt familiar, like the life he vaguely remembered before Silco swooped in and adopted him... The smells and sensations caused him to press his hands more firmly against the rocky wall, feeling the rough and even textures helping level out his breathing.

The walls were cold and semi damp, with lots of thick sedimentary water running down the walls. The soft drips of the water dripping off of the newer stalactites, also helping make stalagmites in turn. With no maintenance crews to shatter them and use their minerals, they'd grow out of control. But they did help create differences between when the water droplets hit solid ground versus a rocky jagged protrusion forming out of the rocky ground beneath his feet.

It took him a couple minutes of grounding before he went back to leaning heavily on touch and sound to press forward deeper into the mines. On occasion, he'd hit a rock or two with his foot rare occasion literally nearly trip OVER a stalagmite or a discarded pick axe. Not that he could even LIFT it. The axe probably weighed more than he did. What good were these items if none of them would be USEFUL IN attempting to defend himself?

That made a cruel smirk crease his face. Him? Against that guy? Even in the dark, he'd be a fool to think he'd be able to hit the guy once, let alone surprise him. Oh the irony was being a REAL bitch today it would seem. Why would today be different? Life liked to insult him on a daily basis, but today seemed a lot less tolerable. One day he'd find the way to literally destroy irony. Wipe it completely from the world entirely. That was on the back burner of his plans, as Jinx would tease him. Oh if only she knew how serious he was.

It had been what seemed like a miserable eternity he had been feeling blindly around in the mines. If he had to guess, he'd estimated they'd be down there for a solid 3 hours. As always, that day he'd forgotten to eat two meals before working and his stomach began to protest at the worst possible moments. Even his stomach? REALLY? Unbelievable, his entire body was intent on getting him killed! What was next the kidneys, liver? May as well join his aching back hips and leg, he thought mirthlessly.

Now that he thought about it, there was an increasing worry about the oddly dull but persistent pain emanating from his left thigh. He hadn't given it much thought, but when he landed badly off the ladder, he swear he heard metal snap. There wasn't much time to truly worry about it, and he hadn't... realized how much it was hurting now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Wasn't broken... he wouldn't be walking at all of that were the case...

A leg injury down here literally could be a death sentence... especially from infections and the grey. He had seen first hand what it had done to Silco's eye... Now he was trying to be hoping that liquid he felt making his left outer thigh damp was the water from the cave wall he brushed against and wasn't blood. That would explain why he suddenly felt... very dizzy. And somewhat nauseous.

A sharp pain in his stomach nearly made him double over and lose what little contents remained in it. There was some shaky breaths before he managed to press onwards. No time for stopping, he chided and kept stumbling forward, doing his best to sway the spinning of his head and the violent churning of his guts.

The mines aside from his occasional stumble were oddly silent, aside from the gentle trickles of water and soft drips. And rarely a falling rock or two or a hiss of escaping gas seeping through a rocky prison. It was oddly peaceful, and soothing if it wasn't a literal death trap of looming fatalities. By the time he felt his legs shake and his body finally collapse into the mine wall he'd been using as a life line, he heard it. It was faint, but much more distinct now.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Each one was in time with his own footsteps, cautiously tracking just 20 paces behind him the entire time. It was so soft that unless he stopped, he never would've picked it up. What blood still ran in his veins went colder than the mineral laced waters slowly rolling down the cave walls. He'd been patiently biding his time for this exact scenario.

This was just utterly fucked up. It was all to make him BELIEVE HE'D have a single chance of escape... His guts wrenched, anger filling his small body. That was just sick, CRUEL EVEN. The soft clicks came closer, and a faint green light seemed to glow from a metal looking spear/glaive in the man’s hand. Smooth small rectangular shaped stones with odd writings carved into them glowed ominously in the darkness. It illuminated just enough of the man's face to show the slightly amused expression on his stoic face a creepy metallic gleam from the metal stud piercings in the man's face. All he got in return was a glare enough to actually raise the man’s busy brown eyebrow.

"I will not lie. I am impressed you managed to evade me for half of that chase, little mouse. Not often have I had an enemy able to slip out from under my radar. Using the cover of sheer darkness, with no training still managing to not slip to your death and out pace me? I will not lie. I am... impressed. You are not like the others, are you...? I see why she chose you now... Mouse. That wit of yours. Is a great weapon."

It took all his might to bite back some snarky retort. Of course. Why did EVERYONE want to use him for weapons? Weapons this weapons that. One thing he DID let slip was a very teenager like groan and an eye roll. That definitely made the amused smirk fade into that steely sneer he was met with at the beginning of this sick game.

Despite his heart rate picking up to about twice the rate that was considered healthy, he managed to actually duck away quickly when a massive outstretched hand reached towards him. It was so fast. He barely had a moment to blink by the time he felt his body lean too far backward. He EXPECTED to hit the cold wet mine floor. A loud gasp slipped through his lips when he wasn't met with the ground. He felt his body being dragged down into the stagnant air and the horrible sensation of falling -

Panic gripped him as he desperately tried to right himself, feeling his back graze a ledge, preventing him any chance to cling to the rocky cliff for dear life. It slipped right off so easily thanks to the moisture and years of running water over it, making it very smooth to the touch. For a split second, he thought he'd survived falling to his death until he felt his hand slide off like it was never there.

Now just suspended in mid air, time seemed to go in slow motion. All his past memories danced before his eyes, too stunned to process the reality he was about to die. In one of the ways he feared most. Falling. All the images of happier times, he and Jinx as kids playing building causing mayhem and tormenting Sevika. The rare chances to see Silco proud of his kids. That extremely rare genuine smile. It all flew past his eyes within two blinks. Until something perked him out of his thoughts-

A flash of green, and he saw a massive hand shoot out over the ledge before quickly grabbing his wrist too tightly in its grasp. Bone and muscle mashed together, as the momentum of the sudden grab made his shoulder jerk. The loud SNAP made him cry out in pain, as his shoulder unfortunately took the entire backlash of being rescued. Which nearly ripped his shoulder out of its socket. He hated himself for letting the pained whine slip through gritted teeth, tears forming on the edges of his tightly clenched eyes.

Within seconds, the man hoisted him back to solid ground like he weighed little more than a handful of feathers. The hand on his arm let go, and it was immediately replaced by one gripping his shirt collar TOO tightly. Momentary relief caused him to go limp, sweat beading his brow and slipping down his neck. He nearly cried out in relief when the hand released his wrist, sending his limp arm flop lifelessly to his side. Pain seared all through his arm and joint, as it already felt like it had started swelling. Weakly, his free arm clutched his aching shoulder, casting angry spiteful glances at his savior/captor.

"Not one of your better escape plans." The massive man mused, with a faint hint of sarcasm. Viktor felt the urge to throw up growing a lot stronger by the second, processing what nearly happened. The solid ground felt like the safest place ever on their planet, and he was shaking so badly he nearly cried out in delight to be back on it. That was until the realization of being back EXACTLY where he really didn't want to be. In this monster's clutches.

The man seemed gracious enough to allow him a couple moments to catch his breath, judging from how ragged and choked it was. That didn't last long when a massive hand firmly grasped his left shoulder, making him cry out in surprise and pain. Not only did that hurt like a bitch, it also kept his right hand completely trapped.

Against his better judgement, he struggled doing all he could to squirm his aching shoulder and crushed hand out of the iron clad grip, before he saw the man's other hand quickly collide right into the side of his neck, striking with a strong enough blow to neatly render him unconscious in seconds.

All the mines heard was the soft sounds of a limp body hitting the wet floors before quickly being hauled off the ground. A soft whine of someone being slumped over a massive steel armor clad shoulder heading back the way they came with their prize. The cat had won.

** Meanwhile, in Piltover, the Kiramman residence… **

Loud footsteps could be heard pacing back and forth. This usually happened when the owner of said boots were thinking too much. And was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders like a giant moron again. The noise was disturbing her concentration and she lasted about an hour before she finally exhaled loudly before storming off to his room and bursting in without knocking. Long blue hair rested neatly over her beautiful shoulders, along with that knowing sisterly scowl etched on her stunningly gorgeous features. Oh shit. He was in for a SERIOUS earful.

“JAYCE, you have been pacing around like a caged ANIMAL for an HOUR! It is driving everyone CRAZY!” Cait snapped, anger creasing her features before they softened slightly. The pout he was wearing probably softened her wrath just a bit, but it would still end with him getting his ass chewed. A half smile crept across his face as he stopped pacing, looking up at her with his almost puppy like golden eyes.

"Awe come off it Cait. This situation has been a real bitch! The explosions, the missing gems, and now the unexpected visit of Mel's mom all within the week? The Council has been right up my ass about this mess and their REALLY barking up my tree about this shitshow... the Council is furious and their threatening to cut my fundings with HexTech... Until we relocate the gems and bring those responsible to justice..." he said, his voice husky from lack of sleep. He looked haggard and like he hadn't slept at all since the explosions occurred.

It only took 3 steps before she cleared the room and swiftly snatching his ear and yanking him down to her level. The gesture made him yelp and grimace at the sudden assault on his ear.

"OWW OWWWWW OWWWWW CAIT!!!" He shrieked, doing as she demanded as she dragged him to his armchair and half tossed him into it. The gesture would've been comical if it weren't for the circumstances.

"Jayce. I told you as I told the Council, I have been scouring the City high and low for evidence, and I am running an internal investigation on the lack of security during that incident. We have a suspicion that there may have been some internal assistance regarding the lab break-in... so far, none of my enforcers collected anything of use. We are working on it, but your job is to make sure no more Hextech or gemstones go missing... and to help me keep the citizens calm. I can't do this without you. You're just as much of a protector as I am... I handle the offense and long range you handle defensive tactic, weapons, and armor. And some close range offensive. But we both know it's not your favorite. So I handle the messier side of the job." Caitlin stated matter of factly. Her face quickly goes back to her scary, intense mode when she glared down at him.

"When was the last time you slept Jayce?"

The immediate avoidance of eye contact and the way he cleared his throat gave her all the answers she needed. The single step she took towards him made him cower deeper into the armchair he was currently trapped in.

"Whoa whoa whoa hey! First off, I'm busy! Second, I couldn't... I have tried to sleep alright? It's the... nightmares. I- they've been getting worse. Every night. It's been easier NOT TO SLEEP to avoid them... It's been hard to... not see them. They don't make sense! At all... The psychologist state they could be nothing. Heimerdinger has been feeling their... telling me something and I shouldn't blow them off. I told him that's crazy but, the more I think about them, the more real they feel. It's maddening... it's getting scary, Cait..." Jayce confided, his voice teetering on literal terror. He hadn't mentioned how severe they've gotten. And seeing him this on edge was bad.

"Have you told Heimerdinger how badly they've been affecting you?! He's your former mentor-"

"I hadn't... mentioned that part. Just... tidbits. He doesn't need to know the full details. He'd force me out of my position from Hextech, from being a PROTECTER for 4 months if I did-"

"....Perhaps for your own mental health it's for the best-"

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT, YOU OF ALL PEOPLE?!"

OK, that was a bit uncalled for. And judging from that EXTRA scary expression on her face, he crossed a line. The gleam in her eyes cowed him into silence, instantly making him cower a bit.

"Cait I'm sorry I didn't-"

"Are you saying I don't get nightmares? OF the people I have put down? The families whose parents, kids loved ones aren't coming home?! Do you think I am a MONSTER Jayce?! That I don't FEEL ANYTHING ANYMORE?" She snapped nastily, a fist slamming down on the side of the chair he was trapped in. Sensing that provoking her more only would make the situation worse, he sighed and bowed his head in defeat. He slumped deeper into his armchair, which had a lot of marks from precious nasty spats between them. A lot of them too uncomfortably similar to this exact argument.

When had their jobs made them so cruel to one another? He was deeply regretting ever accepting it now... Or her ever getting the permission from her parents and full approval from the Council to take it. Or for the Council to split the position between them both. Look at what they were becoming. Deep down he felt that deep slow festering self hatred growing, gnawing more aggressively at the edges of his sanity and morals. His humanity. What was he even doing-

"No... I never meant that. And I'm sorry. I.. I won't lie. I'm, I'm SCARED. The nightmares... are getting more specific... more detailed." Clearer. Faces. Names. Those he loved. Those he was piecing together, he'd become close to. All slaughtered. By some eerie machine. Those glowing yellow eyes. How heartless they grew to be. The unrelenting HATRED they bore at him. And yet how much seeing that hatred hurt him. How? Why? None of it made sense -

He must've been spacing out again because the next thing he knew was Caitlin throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Judging from how hard she was squeezing, she knew exactly what he was going through. She didn't need to say anything. It took him a slow moment to return the gesture with a heavy, exhausted sigh.

"It'll be OK Jayce, I promise." She whispered softly, before returning to standing. "You need to talk to the psych doctor, keep telling them about each dream. And... maybe they can help get you some sleep soon. I'm really worried..." She said, a worn smile trying but failing to grace her lips. It doesn't quite form into a smile, but for now he'll take it. Unlike her, he managed to force a fake tired smile despite feeling hollowed out emotionally.

"I will. Don't you fret about me, kay? I'll be fine. Promise. And... and I'll talk to Heimderdinger tomorrow. About it all." Jayce said, fully intending to keep his word. That real smile came back to her face, and she leaned forward and flicked his forehead with a mischievous sibling chaos gleaming in her eyes.

"You BETTER, otherwise I will get you GROUNDED." Cait threatened, grinning broadly. The shock written plainly all over Jayce's face nearly made her break composure. Gods he was so predictable. And still acted like such a child.

"GROUNDED? I AM 32 I CAN'T BE GROUNDED IN MY OWN HOME-" he bawked, slack jawed. The dangerous Kiramann eyebrow raise and a faint frown made him scowl in return.

"Would really challenge MY MOTHER AND YOUR OWN?" She snapped, fingers drumming on her forearm folded over her chest. Judging by how he immediately backed down and snorted angrily told her everything. Her own mother was scary, but JAYCE'S Madre could be a very scary woman when she wanted to be. 99% of the time she was as docile as a very old chill cat, but that 1% when Jayce did something EXTRA stupid? Absolutely different woman. And that 1% was enough to make her respect her all the more.

"Didn't think so." Cait said with a bit too much pride in her tone. The glare she got made her huff, his death glares didn't phase her. He was as harmless as a puppy. The moment he opened his mouth to protest a brisk knock at his door made them both pause and turn towards the door. Something felt deeply concerning about the urgency of the knock. And unfortunately it was an all too familiar knock. The two exchanged a glance, immediately switching into Protector mode, before briskly heading to his front door.

There was no emotion on Jayce's face when he reached the door. This was not strictly business. It somewhat hurt to see that sweet innocent dorky fun loving brother she knew fade, but on the inside, she knew he kept it buried well when there was work to be done. Workaholic to the core, she thought with a tired internal sigh. The door swung open, her longshot gun now bolstered on her back and his trademark massive Talis hammer leaning against the wall closest to the door, just an arms length away from him. Never hurt to be cautious, despite numerous enforcers guarding all their homes lately. Now Jayce rarely dropped his guard even around family. Not since those nightmares. This was much worse than he was letting on... she'd have to bring up to their family next. She hated going behind his back, but this may be much more serious than they anticipated.

The knob turned and clicked in Jayce's hand, and he pulled the rather simple door open, eyebrows rising when he was met with the calm but stoic gaze of Commander Greyson. His and Caitlin's mentor. She bowed her head slightly to them both as a sign of respect before straightening up.

"Protector Talis, Caitlin. We have... made a rather disturbing discovery. And it requires both of your immediate attention. This is a lot bigger than we originally expected." She said, her voice at first devoid of much emotion, until the end of her sentence made her raspy voice drop a few octaves, making it hard for the closest guards to pick up what she had said. The gesture made Caitlin's guts wrench, while Jayce looked like he may be sick to his stomach before clenching his hand around his hammer's handle. His face returned to that scary callous unfeeling beast Caitlin was learning to fear. This was seriously much worse than she ever thought it could be...

"Lead the way and tell us everything." Jayce demanded, his eyes devoid of all empathy. He strode past them both, as Caitlin and Commander Greyson exchanged a look. This was DEFINITELY a lot worse than they ever predicted. And neither of them were sure what to do about it. Grayson shook her head sadly and turned to follow after Jayce. The sight of her shoulders slumping ever so slightly made Caitlin's head shatter. What were they going to do...? And how could they fix this before Jayce was too far gone...? Or was it too late already...? Her train of thought was interrupted by a familiar raspy but rather impatient voice.

"Caitlin?" Grayson asked, pausing to glance over her shoulder at her. Poised prim and literally a perfect image of a brilliant protector and Enforcer. Caitlin shook her head and walked right after her.

"Sorry. Tell me everything." She said firmly, eyes narrowed and brimming with determination. She was going to fix this. No matter the cost. She had to, for Jayce's sake. AND perhaps now all of Piltover's.