Chapter 12
Ivy gritted her teeth, her hand pressed firmly against her side as blood seeped between her fingers. Every step sent a sharp, burning pain through her, but she refused to let it slow her down. Her pride wouldn't allow it.
Caitlyn hovered close, her brows knitted with concern. "Ivy, you're not going to make it far like this. Let me help," she said, reaching out to steady her.
"I'm fine," Ivy snapped, shrugging off Caitlyn's hand. Her voice was strained, betraying the pain she was trying so hard to hide. "Just focus on keeping up with Vi."
Caitlyn hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line as she pulled back. Her worry didn't diminish, but she knew better than to push Ivy in this state.
Ahead of them, Vi moved with speed, her fists clenched and her jaw set. She didn't look back, as if she were silently accommodating Ivy's struggle. The revelation about Jinx weighed heavily on her, and her usual fiery energy seemed dulled by the weight of her thoughts.
The streets of Zaun were dimly lit, the glow of neon signs and distant streetlamps casting eerie shadows across the alleyways. The farther away they walked from the main part of the city, the less lights showed. The outskirts of the town seeming like a ghost town. The trio moved in tense silence, their footsteps echoing softly.
Ivy stumbled slightly, catching herself against a wall with a hiss of pain. Caitlyn instinctively moved to help, but Ivy waved her off with an irritated glare. "I said I've got it," she muttered.
"You're even more stubborn than Vi," Caitlyn muttered under her breath, stepping back but keeping a watchful eye on her.
Vi finally slowed her pace, glancing over her shoulder at the two of them. Her eyes briefly flickered to Ivy's wound, a flash of guilt crossing her face before she masked it with her usual tough exterior. "We're almost there," she said gruffly. "Just hold it together a little longer."
Ivy straightened up, forcing a smirk despite the pain. "Don't worry about me, Princess," she said, her voice laced with mock bravado. "I've been through worse."
Caitlyn gave her a sidelong glance, her expression unreadable. "You don't have to do this alone, you know," she said softly.
Ivy didn't respond, her gaze fixed ahead. The truth was, she didn't know how to let anyone help her—didn't want to, even if she needed it. Her pride was as much her armor as it was her weakness.
Vi led them down a dirt path, the faint hum of Zaun's undercity growing quieter with every step. Unspoken emotions simmering just beneath the surface. They all knew this wasn't over—not with Sevika, not with Jinx or Silco, and not with the scars, both physical and emotional, that each of them carried.
As they reached the bottom of the dirt path, the faint hum of life in the undercity became eerily quiet. The purple glow of a massive neon sign flickered against the darkened skyline, casting an otherworldly light on the decrepit, abandoned building it marked. The air was heavy with a metallic tang.
Ivy stumbled, her hand clutching her side as her legs threatened to give out beneath her. Her vision blurred, the world around her shifting in and out of focus. She leaned against a rusted lamppost for support, her breath shallow and labored. She shut her eyes, trying to gain more strength.
Caitlyn stepped closer, reaching out instinctively. "Ivy, you're not okay," she said, her voice firm but tinged with worry.
"I said I'm fine," Ivy growled through gritted teeth, waving Caitlyn off. Her eyes darted to the flickering sign, her expression hardening. "Let's just... keep moving."
They pressed on, their steps crunching softly on the dirt path, until they noticed movement around them—shapes shifting in the shadows. Tents and makeshift shelters came into view, tucked into the crevices of the undercity's walls. The figures inside were hunched, shrouded in tattered cloaks, their movements jerky and unnatural.
Vi slowed her pace, her expression unreadable as she looked around. Caitlyn glanced at the figures, her hand instinctively hovering near her weapon. "What... what are they?" she asked, her voice hushed but trembling slightly.
"Victims," Vi said, her tone grim. "The shimmer does this to people. Eats them from the inside out until there's nothing left but... this."
Caitlyn's eyes widened, her initial fear giving way to something softer—curiosity mixed with horror. "How could something like this happen?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
"It's what happens when you're forgotten," Ivy cut in, her voice bitter despite the weakness in it. She gestured toward the huddled figures. "This is what the topside ignores. Pretends doesn't exist. It's easier to act like it's not a problem when it's not in their perfect little world."
Caitlyn didn't respond immediately, her gaze lingering on one of the figures. They twitched and shuffled forward on all fours, their face barely recognizable as human, their body gaunt and twisted. She instinctively shone her flashlight toward them, but the light only caused the figure to hiss and scuttle back into the shadows, retreating like a wounded animal. Others followed, their movements eerily quick as they disappeared into the darkness.
Ivy clenched her fists, her heart aching at the sight. These were her people—people who had no choice but to rely on the shimmer, who had been left behind by the world above. The sight of them reduced to this... it burned something deep inside her.
"This... this isn't living," Caitlyn murmured, breaking the silence.
"No," Ivy replied coldly. "It's surviving. Barely." She took a shaky step forward, her gaze fixed on the abandoned building ahead. "And it's all because people like you—your people—decided we weren't worth saving."
Caitlyn didn't argue, her expression thoughtful as she followed Ivy's gaze to the looming structure.
Vi pushed open the old wooden door, the hinges groaning in protest as it swung inward. The interior was worse than the outside—a crumbling skeleton of a building. Broken beams jutted out from the walls, and the remains of what once might have been furniture were scattered across the dusty floor. Above them, the roof was long gone, leaving the night sky exposed, a faint glow from the purple sign casting eerie shadows on the fractured walls.
Ivy followed, her steps faltering. She reached out to steady herself against the wall, but her legs gave out beneath her. Before she could hit the ground, Caitlyn was there, catching her. "Got you," Caitlyn murmured, carefully lowering Ivy to the ground.
Ivy didn't resist this time. She was too tired, the pain in her side draining her strength. Her breaths were shallow, and her hand remained pressed against the wound as she leaned her head back against the crumbling wall.
Vi was already moving further into the space, her sharp eyes scanning the room. Faded drawings lined what little remained of the walls—chaotic scribbles of people, monsters, and symbols she didn't recognize. She paused in front of one, her jaw tightening, but she said nothing.
Kneeling beside Ivy, Caitlyn reached into her pocket and pulled out a cloth. Gently, she began wiping the dried blood from Ivy's face. Her movements were tender, precise, and for once, Ivy didn't push her away. Ivy avoided her eyes, looking down at the floor. Caitlyn on the other hand, studied Ivy's face. Each singular freckle. Each singular scar. Everything.
"You're still bleeding," Caitlyn said softly pulling her hand away, her gaze dropping to Ivy's side.
Ivy looked up at her, smiling weakly, though the effort was strained. "Guess that's what happens when you get stabbed." Her tone was sarcastic, but the weariness in her voice made it clear she wasn't as tough as she pretended to be at the moment.
Caitlyn sighed, pressing the cloth against Ivy's wound. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"Yeah," Ivy muttered, closing her eyes briefly. "So I've been told."
Vi finally turned back to them, her expression hard to read as she looked between Caitlyn and Ivy. "You good?" she asked, her voice unusually quiet.
"She's stable for now," Caitlyn replied, not looking up. "But she needs proper care, Vi. We need a doctor. This is only going to get worse if we don't do something."
Vi nodded, though her focus was elsewhere. "Yeah we don't have a lot of those down here."
Caitlyn stood, brushing the dust from her knees as her gaze wandered to the walls. Her eyes caught on a name scrawled in faded paint—Powder—etched in bold, uneven strokes among the chaotic drawings. Something about the name seemed important, and she turned toward Vi.
"This place..." Caitlyn began, her voice hesitant, "it used to be your home, didn't it?"
Vi's back was to her, but she stiffened slightly at the question. Her eyes flicked to the name on the wall, and for a moment, her tough exterior cracked. "Yeah," she said quietly, the word laced with bitterness and pain.
Caitlyn hesitated before asking, "Who's Powder?"
Vi crossed her arms, her jaw clenching. "My sister," she said after a long pause. Her voice was strained, as if even saying the name hurt. "Don't know if she's dead or alive now."
The weight of that admission hung in the air. Caitlyn frowned, her curiosity mingling with concern. "How do you not know? What happened to her?"
Vi let out a bitter laugh, turning to face Caitlyn. "It's hard to keep track of things when you're locked up in a cell for years," she said, her voice sharp. "The last time I saw her... everything was falling apart. We were kids, just trying to survive. And then..." She trailed off, her fists tightening.
Caitlyn pressed gently, "And your parents? What happened to them?"
Vi's expression darkened, her eyes hardening. "Enforcers happened," she spat. "They killed them. Left me and Powder to fend for ourselves."
The room fell silent, the weight of Vi's words sinking into the crumbling walls around them. Caitlyn looked down, the revelation clearly affecting her. She had grown up surrounded by the polished world of Piltover, shielded from the realities of the undercity. Hearing this made her acutely aware of just how much her world had ignored, or worse, contributed to.
From her spot on the ground, Ivy opened her eyes. Her hand still pressed to her side, she glanced at Vi with a newfound sympathy. "Enforcers took my parents too," she said softly, her voice low and strained. "Killed them... left me with nothing aswell."
Vi turned her gaze to Ivy, her anger momentarily softening into something almost like understanding. "Guess we've got more in common than I thought," she muttered.
Caitlyn looked between the two of them, her chest tightening. For once, she didn't have a response. Instead, she simply sat back down, her thoughts racing as she tried to reconcile her own identity as an enforcer with the pain she now saw reflected in both Ivy and Vi. The silence stretched on, heavy but unspoken, as the three of them tried to make sense of everything.
Ivy's breath hitched as a sharp, burning pain shot through her side. She tried to shift her position, but the movement sent a wave of agony coursing through her body. A wet cough escaped her lips, and her hand instinctively covered her mouth. When she pulled it away, her palm was stained red.
The ringing in her ears grew louder, drowning out the muffled voices of Vi and Caitlyn. Her vision blurred, the dim room around her fading in and out as her head swam. The blood on her lips was warm, and panic began to creep into her chest.
"Ivy?" Caitlyn's voice broke through the haze, her tone sharp and alarmed. She was by Ivy's side in an instant, her hands hovering uncertainly before pressing lightly on Ivy's shoulder to steady her. "You're coughing up blood—this isn't good."
Vi turned from the wall, her eyes narrowing when she saw Ivy's condition. "Damn it, Ivy," she muttered, kneeling beside her.
Ivy tried to wave them off, her hand weakly batting at Caitlyn. "I'm fine," she croaked, though her voice was raspy, and her words were unconvincing. "Just... need a minute."
"No, you don't," Caitlyn said firmly, her face pale but determined. She reached for her satchel, pulling out gauze and disinfectant. "You're losing blood, and if this gets any worse, you might not make it through the night."
"Then leave me here, continue with the mission." Ivy said looking over at them.
Vi grabbed Ivy's hand to keep her still, her grip firm but not unkind. "Listen," she said, her voice softer now. "We're not leaving you like this."
Ivy groaned in protest, her strength waning. She leaned her head back against the wall, her breathing shallow as the ringing in her ears intensified. Despite her protests, she could feel her body giving out.
Caitlyn worked quickly, pressing a clean cloth against the wound to staunch the bleeding. "I need you to stay awake, Ivy," she said, her tone commanding but edged with worry. "Keep your eyes on me. Can you do that?"
Ivy blinked slowly, her gaze drifting to Caitlyn. Her lips curled into a faint, defiant smirk despite the blood trailing down her chin. "Bossy," she muttered weakly.
Caitlyn shook her head, her focus unyielding as she continued tending to the wound. Vi stayed close, her eyes darting between Ivy and the room around them, clearly uneasy but trying to stay calm.
"Stay with us, Ivy," Vi said, her voice unusually gentle. "We're not losing you here."
Ivy's smirk faded as her eyelids grew heavier. The edges of her vision darkened, and the pain in her side seemed to blur into a dull ache. The ringing in her ears drowned out Caitlyn's words, though she could see her lips moving, her face tense with concern.
"Ivy, stay with us," Caitlyn said again, her voice barely cutting through the haze.
Vi leaned in closer, shaking her lightly. "Hey, come on—don't you dare check out on us now."
But Ivy couldn't fight it anymore. Her body slumped against the wall, her head tilting to the side as her breathing slowed. Her hand slipped limply from Caitlyn's grasp, and her eyes fluttered closed. Suddenly everything went dark and quiet.