Chapter 1
It’s that time of the night when the drunk patrons shuffled their way out of the Last Drop, relocating themselves to find warmth from the brothel as a reward for winning their bets or to drink their losses away in the shadows of the streets of the Undercity.
Kora glanced around from behind the bar and saw only two tables still occupied.
Close to the entrance sat a group of four inebriated men who flailed about and complained over the way their games went. One of them had a cheaply crafted metal eye, it bulged out of his socket grotesquely and twitched with irritation. The man’s anger boiled over as he barked orders at the three others, yelling at them to shut up as they began to have a hushed conversation.
Seated in the far corner at a booth was Sevika, she had a lit cigarette dangling lazily between her lips as she counted her winnings, her expression was unreadable.
Ever since Kora started working at the last drop two weeks ago there was never a night when Sevika didn't make an appearance. Either she drank her weight in alcohol whilst swiftly winning every game of cards against a new group of unsuspecting men, or she disappeared up the stairs that her manager said were strictly off-limits. Kora caught herself being quite drawn to the woman’s mysterious aura. That was, until her co-worker shared details about Sevika's colorful reputation. Kora decided she would keep her distance..
With a rag in hand, Kora made her rounds to the sticky surfaces of the wooden tables.
She huffed out a short breath as it was becoming that time of year when the weather felt clammy and the pounding warmth would relentlessly overwhelm her. The air pollution was something she was still not used to even after almost four years of living in Zaun. She used her forearm to wipe the sweat away from her upper lip as she weaved her way through the tables, dishes in hand.
Suddenly she was pulled to a halt by a tug at her skirt, looking over to see the man with the metal eye who sat in his chair and grinning at her hungrily.
“Come on and take a break sweetheart,” His voice was slimy and slurred from his drunken state, he patted the top of his leg with his other hand.
She stared at him in disbelief and gritted her teeth, forcing a smile, “I'm fine, thanks.”
He licked his lips and reached for her waist despite her rejection and tense discomfort. Kora's fight-or-flight instinct kicked in as fire ran through her muscles, urging her to move out of his reach. She quickly turned to leave, unable to pull her knee-length skirt out from his grip with both her hands full, the man growled and yanked her closer. Caught completely off guard by his strength, Kora stumbled sideways which caused the half-filled cups in her grip to go flying and spill all over her as she fell to her knees in front of the unbothered man.
His men chuckled at her pitiful state as the one closest to her leaned down to reach for her face. “Oh you clumsy girl, looks like you’re gonna have to take that o-”
A violent thud echoed along with the sound of a chair being knocked over. Kora, still on her hands and knees, shifted her eyes up slightly to see the man’s face pressed between the floor and someone's huge boot. Her eyes slowly moved up to see Sevika’s towering form glaring down at the wailing man on the floor. She pressed the side of him into the sticky surface with a relenting force till his face flushed into deep purple.
“P-Please! C’mon! I-I w-was only foolin’ around! Let me go! Please!” He squirmed helplessly on the floor, his pleading streamed out in pathetic sobs.
The other three men, standing from their seats, stared at Sevika in terror. Unsure if they could take on this one giant woman.
With her back still turned to them she growled, “Get out.” Almost instantly, they stumbled over each other through the door, back into the street. Sevika kept her eyes pinned on the sobbing man as she grinded the heel of her boot deeper in his skull. He lets out a pathetic wail as saliva and snot dribbled onto the floor.
Kora stared at his contorted face in utter shock, gradually, she snapped back into reality from the feeling of sticky alcohol that soaked her whole torso. She rose to her feet and opened her mouth to ask Sevika to let it go when, suddenly, the woman’s stormy gray eyes locked with Kora’s. Sevika's look of disdain was completely gone and replaced with calm despite the mess of a man under foot.
“Go on into the back.” she ordered.
The look in her eyes made her heart skip a beat, this is a side of Sevika she had never witnessed nor ever heard talk of. The smug brute of a woman who she usually served had vanished. Kora was unsure what she planned to do to that man, but whatever it was, it was something Sevika didn’t want her to see. Did she trust Sevika? Kora wasn’t sure. She had already proven how much of a terrifying woman she truly was.
But what would have happened if she wasn’t there.. Kora’s mind trailed off.
She shuddered, holding her breath, and looked back into Sevika's calm eyes, searching for a clue if Sevika knew what she was doing. She didn’t want to feel responsible for what would happen to him, even if the man wasn't considering his own part.
As though the older woman could read her mind, she nodded assuredly which caused Kora's heart to skip a beat again.
Kora, still holding her breath, simply nodded back and hesitantly turned around making her way to the bathrooms.
Three steps in, she heard the sound of the man gasping for air as he was dragged away by the throat by Sevika’s mechanical hand. The back door slammed shut, and the bar was quiet again save for a gentle song that was playing on the jukebox.
The door swung open as She entered the poorly lit bathroom. She slowly walked towards the sink to stare at her reflection, looking into her exhausted amber eyes.
Her black hair was tied back into a neat braid that went down to the middle of her back, a few stringy strands of hair around her face were wet from the accident. Her shirt however, soaked through all the layers which caused her to shiver in discomfort.
She quickly slipped her shirt off, left in her bra. Kora wrung the alcohol out of the fabric and shook it out before resting it on the counter. She then wet a kitchen rag to wipe the sticky residue from her skin
Another shiver came over her, this time the discomfort being caused by the memory of the way the man looked at her. Looked at her like she was an easy victim to do whatever he pleased, like she was nothing.
She seethed with frustration.
For seventeen years Kora had the luxury of being raised in a comfortable part of Piltover, her father’s birthplace, and her mother was from Zaun. Anyone who was raised in such a place like the Undercity would be greatly humbled, but not Kora's mother. She was deeply ashamed of her poor upbringing and projected that heavily onto Kora. She sculpted her daughter into the most perfect woman in the eyes of Piltover, which meant she was well educated in math, science and culture. Her schools never went into heavy detail about the history of the Undercity, not even her mother would speak a word about the place below them and if she did have something to say it was harsh.
Her father was distant and spent most of his time networking with people outside of Piltover as if avoiding being around Kora who grew more and more curious about the world. She only found out her mother was from Zuan four years ago when her father got caught smuggling illegal goods which landed him behind bars. All their money was seized by the council since not a penny was earned under the law, they had no choice but to go back to the slums of her mother’s birthplace.
Kora didn’t expect danger would find her if she avoided a life like her father’s.
She gripped the sink as she tried not to let her anger boil over. Every person she looked up to failed her: her professors, her parents. What good was it to groom a child into thinking the world is only about business meetings and fake smiles over bite-sized pastries.
Kora wouldn’t even bother bringing up her frustrations to her mother. She had been consumed by a miserable void of sickness, both mentally and physically. Her mother spent most of her time lounging around the apartment and smoked tobacco from her father’s old pipe, which could pay for a month's worth of food.
Kora wished she could help her mother, wished she could show her there’s still a way to make a life with the cards they’ve been dealt. But her mother’s bright amber eyes that once shone with pride now sank in her sockets and reflected only misery, as she would mumble her own delusions for Kora’s future.
She glared at herself, the eyes her mother gave her looking back at her, determination set on her face. Kora was determined to make her own future however she could.
The bathroom door swung open.
Sevika took one step into the bathroom, which caused Kora to jolt away from the mirror from surprise. Her eyes landed on Sevika's body, noticing her arms and chest was speckled with a deep red.
Sevika’s eyes instantly landed on Kora, then shifted to her exposed chest. “Shit, sorry uh.. I’ll go.”
“W-wait!” Kora stepped forward as Sevika was halfway backing out the door. “Did you..”
“No.”
Kora looked at the blood on her again.
Sevika shifted to fully face her. “Made sure he won’t be putting his hands on another pretty girl again.” She said simply.
Kora blinked at her. Sevika complimented her in the same sentence hinting that she dismembered some guy. If Kora’s cheeks weren’t already flushed from the heat it would’ve been visible to Sevika how easily that got a reaction from her. She wasn’t certain if it was a good or bad reaction. The other woman’s face was unreadable with the tiniest hint of a smirk as if she did take notice of the slight change on Kora’s face.
Kora shifted uncomfortably under the powerful gaze of those beautiful cool grey eyes and she hastily folded her arms over her exposed chest “Are you going to wash that blood off? Or do you enjoy looking that menacing?”
Sevika let out a soft chuckle, taken aback by the sudden quip. She pushed off the door frame, strolling past the sinks and stopped in front of Kora.
Kora was taller than the average woman, measuring at about 5’8, and yet she was completely dwarfed by the older woman.
With her flesh arm, Sevika reached for her shoulder. Kora's eyes widened in anticipation for what to expect, her body tensed and she almost took a step back until Sevika unclasped her cape and handed it to her.
Without the cape, Sevika's mechanical arm prosthetic was completely on display for her to gawk at. The light hum of the mechanism was less muffled. Despite the fresh blood splatters, the bronze metal was shined and well taken care of, along with tubes filled with a purple liquid that subtly peaked through the crevices. Kora was shocked that the woman would hide such a beautiful piece of her.
Kora’s eyes eventually looked down to the worn thick red fabric. She hesitantly took it from her hand. “Oh.. thank you...”
She draped it over her shoulders. The aroma of rich tobacco and shimmer filled her nose, making something invigorating spark within her. Sevika walked back over to one of the sinks and started washing the blood off her arms.
Kora leaned on the wall and watched her, she took advantage of the random bit of confidence to pry information out of the terrifying woman. “What do you do exactly? I see you around here everyday.”
Sevika was silent for a minute as if she had to assess how to answer the question. “I work closely with the owner of this place.”
That explains her going into the ‘off limits area’. Kora thought to herself.
Kora hummed and pressed further “So.. is the kind of work you do for him something you need to drink to forget?” She flicked her curious eyes to look at the speckles of blood on the woman’s body.
Sevika’s posture tensed and she stopped washing her arms. She growled a response still facing the sink. “What I do around here is none of your concern, girl.” She spit the last word out like an insult.
Kora stared at her silently, her confidence from earlier completely dissipated as she anticipated the older woman to walk over and slam her against the wall. Sevika’s features softened slightly, she sighed and grabbed a rag to dry her arm.
Kora contemplated apologizing but she'd had enough of being the submissive bar maid who took all the shit from the drunks. Not wanting to end up like the guy in the alley behind the building, Kora silently readjusted the cape. She grabbed her wet clothes and made her way to the door.
“How far away do you live?” Sevika asked flatly, her body still facing the sink as she turned the tap off.
Kora paused, unsure if it’d be smart to tell her. The woman was so unpredictable and dangerous, the last thing she’d want is for her to know where she lived.
As if Sevika could hear the girl’s mind racing she added, “I know you may not trust me, but I’d sleep better tonight knowing you got home alive.” She turned around folding the muscley, metal arm over her chest and leaned against the sink to face Kora. “Those three goons might be around the block waiting for a chance to avenge their friend.”
Shit. She’s probably right. Kora thought as she tensed up
“I live.. not too far.”
“Let's go then..” She walked past the on edge Kora and opened the bathroom door for her expectantly. “Unless you wanna spend the night sleeping in the damp bar booth.” she raised an eyebrow at her as the corner of her mouth tugged up in a smirk.
Kora bit the inside of her cheek, confused if Sevika was genuinely concerned for her safety or if she was just a sick person who enjoyed toying with her victims.
The woman may have had a menacing aura about her but with every subtle soft look in her eyes Kora could start to see this hard shell she displayed was what has kept her alive down in the Undercity for so long.
Kora admired that about her, she envied her if anything.
Kora would have to try not push her buttons anymore. Begrudgingly, she clenched her still wet shirt and walked past Sevika to leave the bathroom.
…
The walk to her apartment was calm and no one tried to ambush them. They didn’t speak a word to each other the whole walk, mainly because Sevika kept a seven foot space between them.
A stiff warm air pushed at the cloak as Kora gripped it tighter. Eventually she approached the stoop to her rundown apartment building, she paused in front of the door glancing over her shoulder at Sevika who was, of course, seven feet away from her.
During the walk Kora thought about changing directions so Sevika would leave her at the front door to some random place then sneak back to her real home after the woman disappeared. But she didn’t. She just walked the same route she’d always walked since the first day she started working.
A shaky sigh escaped Kora's mouth and she turned around away from her door and approached the older woman before she retreated into the shadows.
Sevika just stared down at her with her signature unreadable look as Kora stopped a foot away from her. “Teach me how to fight,” Kora blurted out as if she'd been holding back from asking all night. “Please.” She added.
The older woman just stared at her as a look of amusement painted her once stoic features. “Teach you how to fight? HAH!” Her eyes raked over Kora's frail body. “You can barely carry two bar chairs, girl,” Sevika humored herself. Kora’s eyebrows knit together in frustration as her cheeks flushed from embarrassment over the fact Sevika watched her do the closing up chores. “What’s in it for me anyway?” She smirked.
“You won’t have to be stuck chaperoning me again,” Kora folded her arms. “And you won’t find my dead body on the street.” She matched Sevika's challenging look minus the smirk.
Sevika’s gaze was unwavering but her eyes flashed with a bit of consideration, as if shocked Kora was actually serious. “Quite the negotiator aren’t ya?” She assessed Kora’s body again with one swipe of her eyes. ”I have just one condition..” Her eyes met Kora’s again.
Kora’s heartbeat quickened.
“Get your weight to.. lets say 130.. and maybe I'll consider helping.”
“Excuse me??”
“you really think you will be able to fight.. let alone manage a bar like this?” She gestured with her eyes to Kora’s whole body.
Kora felt her nose sting and her throat become sore with bile from Sevika's harsh acknowledgement of her unhealthy state. She never thought it would be that obvious. She stopped maintaining a consistent diet ever since she was forced to live down here. She grew up having hired help to cook only the best dishes for her and her family. She couldn't bring herself to learn how to cook, let alone get out of her comfort zone and try the slop they eat down here. Her and her mother have been living off boiled yams and occasionally some fish if she could afford it.
Tears threatened to prickle her eyes unexpectedly. Kora quickly turned away to leave before Sevika saw the flood of her pent up emotions. “Whatever, forget it..”
“You're not from around here are you?” Sevika asked, a hint of softness in her tone.
The question caught Kora completely off guard. She stopped in her tracks, the tone of Sevika’s voice was caring, coaxing Kora to give in and spill all her secrets. She may not fully trust that woman but she was the only person down here who's shown some concern for her well-being in some way. It made her feel warm inside as her emotions simmered slightly and Kora breathed out a tense sigh with her back still turned to Sevika.
“No.”
Just like that, she gave in so easily. She didn't know what to expect to happen, didn’t know if that woman would out her to everyone she knew that she was a privileged piltie, or if Sevika would kill her and her mother so she could ransack her apartment for the few valuables she still owned. But Kora did not run, she just stood there silently with her back turned as if she had been seized.
Kora stared down at the roughly cobbled street as she waited out the long tense silence. To her it felt like hours passed but it must have only been a few seconds as Sevika broke the silence with a low chuckle. “I figured,” she said simply, her tone light but still edged with authority. “You don’t carry yourself like you belong here.”
She knew the whole time?? Has it been this obvious for everyone else? Kora’s mind raced.
She couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed. Sevika’s wise prying eyes were not just there for show, she truly could see through Kora since day one. She swallowed hard, forcing her breath to remain steady. “What does that mean?” she asked quietly, her back still turned.
“It means,” Sevika began, pausing as if choosing her words carefully, “you’re not like the rest of us. You haven’t had to fight for every scrap or claw your way out of the dirt. Not yet, anyway.”
The words cut deep, but they weren’t cruel—just honest. Kora turned to face her, fists clenched at her sides, her amber eyes burning with a mix of frustration and determination. “Maybe I haven’t,” she admitted, her voice trembling, “but I want to learn. I need to learn. If you think I can’t handle it, then fine, but I’m not going to give up.”
Sevika smirked, “That’s the spirit of a fighter. You’ve got it in you, girl, I won’t lie. Just get healthier and maybe I’ll consider helping you.”
Kora eyed her warily, the older woman stood there with her smug smirk and confident way she folded her arms. She let out a tense sigh. “Stop calling me girl. my name is Kora.”
Sevika raised her eyebrows subtly. “Kora huh? That name sounds way too piltie. You’re gonna have to change it..” She shrugged slightly.
Kora stiffened. “What?! I'm not changing my name!”
Sevika chuckled. “I was just messing with you. It's a cute name. Suits you.”
Kora blushed from humiliation mixed with flattery, she huffed out an annoyed breath and changed the subject. “So.. If I get healthy and prove to you that I can handle it, will you teach me?”
Sevika smirked faintly, her eyes glinting with amusement. “We’ll see. Don’t die before then.”
Without another word, Sevika turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Kora standing alone in the street.
Kora huffed a sigh before turning to make her way back to the stairs, she peeked over her shoulder to find Sevika’s back disappearing in the shadows of the street while a yellow light flickered and went out.
As she entered her home, the familiar stale stench of her mother's tobacco smoke hit her, the stark contrast to the sweet, rich scent of Sevika's cloak pulling her back to reality. Without thinking, Kora pressed her nose into the soft fabric, allowing the unique scent to comfort her.