A symbol of Piltover and the clans that govern it, the council has been a symbol of the City of Progress for centuries, a shining beacon of ivory and forward-thinking above everything else in the city. Now though, cracks cover every surface of the council building that hasn’t been entirely blown off. Behind Jayce, the wall that once held a pristine glass window overlooking the whole of Piltover is simply gone. From the city below, the council appears to the public just as it is internally: a disaster. Without the shroud of luxury surrounding them, the council’s weakness and complacency is laid bare.
Jayce stands at the head of the destroyed table, the same spot he stood last night when the strike hit. In a relatively large radius around him, the cracks simply stop, halted by an invisible shield. His back to the horizon, the counselor places both hands on the desk, the cloudy sky obscuring his face and notes.
Counselor Shoola stands on the right side of the marble room, somewhat far from him. A large chunk of the right side of her face was badly burned by the attack, leading her to obtain a prosthetic eye and golden grafts to replace the old skin and organ. Other than that, she is in good health, making it out much better than Salo, both mentally and physically.
Being wheeled into the room, Counselor Salo looks at the impatient crowd with disbelief and quiet contempt. His legs hang limply below the chair as he’s pushed down the steps, the construction of the council building unfriendly to his needs; After all, it’s simply unheard of for a counselor to be in such a condition. Salo looks up, his fists clenching on the sides of the wheelchair, “To think we nearly extended sovereignty to the creatures who did this…” He’s wheeled to the front of the room, opposite the side of Jayce, “We’re charged with imposing order: And we’ve been asleep at our posts. Well, my eyes are open. There will be no more fairy tales of peace until we scour our basement of its demons.”
Behind him, Ambessa Medarda holds a neutral expression, much contrasting her daughter, who glares at her with clear antagonism. Mel returns the look, the two squaring off like two predators hunting the same prey. Mel addresses Ambessa neutrally, looking past Salo and his words, “So kind of you to assist Counselor Salo, Mother.”
Salo speaks up immediately, unflinchingly confident in having Ambessa present, “I thought it prudent to seek the counsel of an experienced veteran, seeing as we are now at war.”
Jayce grimaces, the exact same thought crossing his own mind. He spoke to Ambessa before, and he does hold respect for the Noxian’s wisdom, much to Mel’s dismay. Shoola, however, does not entertain any of this. Too much is at stake to bicker like academy students. The time they waste here could bite them later, “Back to the matter at hand: our people are suffering! They need to know their leaders have the situation under control.”
Salo speaks up immediately again, a fire in his voice. From how he fixed his posture, he had been ready to give this announcement: “An unprecedented show of force—“
“We use Hextech,” Jayce loudly interrupts, his voice dropping Salo in his tracks. The blonde counselor looks at the scientist in shock. Mel, Caitlyn and Ambessa all view him with differing expressions. Mel is horrified, staring at Jayce with disbelief. Though she knew it was coming, she can’t help but feel surprised he actually followed through. Caitlyn is similar, though with a grim understanding hiding behind her disappointment. The Undercity has been treated unjustly by Piltover, but something must be done about this. Ambessa, however, simply smirks, her advocacy for Hextech all this time having not gone to waste.
Meanwhile, the candle in Salo’s eyes ignites into a blazing inferno, “Exactly! We flood the Undercity with enforcers, tear apart every floorboard until we find those responsible!”
“Innocents will be caught in the crossfire,” Caitlyn argues, Salo’s nose upturning at the sight of her. She’s not her mother; Council appointments aren’t hereditary by nature, so technically she has no right to be present unless voted in.
He looks around to the other counselors, “Why is she even here? She’s no counselor.”
Mel answers for her, definitively speaking the girl’s defense, “Officer Kiramman witnessed the attack firsthand: she confirmed it was the act of a single, deranged individual who was apprehended immediately after the attack by a respected Undercity organization.”
“A gang with some ‘street cred’ is no substitute for justice! And what of the stolen Hextech gemstone? Enforcers must be the ones—“ Again, Salo is interrupted. This time, it’s the loud opening of the council room’s doors and the scampering of a petite yordle that ceases his speech. A voice that many thought they’d never hear within the halls of the council ever again resounds through the room.
“Sorry for being late everyone! I simply had some checking-up-on to do!” Heimerdinger strolls in, his jolly mood a stark contrast to the somber weather and dark skies that seem to infect the others in the room.
“Professor,” Jayce greets him, a genuine smile appearing on his face, “It’s great to have you back—especially given our current situation.”
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Salo and Shoola share a surge of frustration, the latter speaking up while citing established precedent, “This is a democratic body! The vote to remove Heimerdinger was unanimous among the council; he cannot be reinstated via unilateral action.”
Jayce lowers his head calmly, levelling his gaze to Shoola, “We are in a time of crisis. The Father of Piltover’s experience and opinions are invaluable in guiding us out. If you want to remove me after this situation is resolved, then fine, but for now we need to move forward. Restoring the council was the first step I took while you were recovering.”
After a few long seconds of silence, those present then awkwardly offer their greetings, welcoming the former counselor back with wildly different degrees of enthusiasm. Heimerdinger himself doesn’t appear particularly excited to be there, but remains in good spirits regardless.
Salo, annoyed at the second interruption, continues soon after, “We need to command this gang to hand over Jinx and the Hextech gemstone. Bring that terrorist to rot in Stillwater for what she’s done!”
Heimerdinger pops up happily, climbing onto a half-broken chair, “I can personally confirm that Jinx is safely hidden away. The Firelights are trustworthy, and you have my word she won’t be causing any trouble in their custody.”
All present are taken aback by Heimerdinger’s casual, confident defense of the gang. The council has heard of the firelights—the gang was presented as the culprit of various smuggling operations. Though now Jayce knows those investigations were led by the turncoat Marcus, he isn’t ready to let every single gang off the hook, since he isn’t aware of just how many of Marcus’ reports were true. For all he knows, the Firelights could be completely innocent, or they could be like the monsters Marcus painted them as. With Heimerdinger’s blessing, Jayce is willing to bet it’s closer to the former–since an Undercity gang can only be so clean. Caitlyn, meanwhile, is no stranger to the Firelights, but simply astounded at Heimerdinger himself, and his defense of them.
Shoola leans against the wall, frustrated, “What matters is the people believing they’re safe; No one will be reassured by the terrorist being held captive in the Undercity.”
Salo agrees, nodding his head emphatically. Jayce, however, does the opposite, “I trust Professor Heimerdinger and Caitlyn’s judgment. I suggest that—until further information is provided—Jinx is to be considered a neutralized threat,” Jayce continues, giving Salo a frightening glare, “We have actual enemies posing real threats to our city. The chembarons will fight for control and the Solver is still running free: these should be our top priorities.”
Ambessa and Caitlyn raise an eyebrow at the mention of the Solver. To the public of Piltover, the gunshots at the academy and the grave robbing was due to a dangerous animal that was being hunted for. To the council, it was reported as an unknown monster still at large, with no clue as to its whereabouts. Shoola speaks up curiously, “The creature that dug up the graves? Do we have any reason to believe it’s on a similar priority to the Undercity?”
Jayce frowns, “It was there at the shimmer refinery. It was evolved, dangerous. It also attacked Heimerdinger, he too can attest to its strength, and the urgency this has to be dealt with,” Jayce nods to the yordle.
The professor continues Jayce’s reasoning, “It was at a Firelight warehouse, actually. Killed a few guards… and… it was wearing the amalgamated bodies of the dead from Piltover. If not for the Firelight’s leader, I wouldn’t be here. It was only thanks to him we were able to barely escape with our lives,” This surprises many, though only Salo seems unimpressed. Heimerdinger doesn’t stop there, though, “That monster… it’s been the destruction of civilizations past. It evolves, consumes, and destroys everything in its wake. In just the day since I’ve seen it, that thing has doubtlessly claimed dozens of innocent lives. Its evolution must be stopped as soon as possible.”
Salo’s dismissive posture corrects at the dire tone of the typically up-beat yordle, but Jayce is the one who speaks up first offering a plan, “We do as you said Salo: we flood the Undercity with enforcers. We locate and apprehend chembarons while executing a search and destroy initiative on the Solver.”
Ambessa moves away from behind Salo, crossing her arms with a smug look that she fires like a bullet straight toward her daughter. Mel speaks solidly, “I believe Hextech should remain a last resort.”
Ambessa frowns, taking a step closer toward her kin, though remaining far away due to the size of the room, “Half your council is dead! Now is not the time for half-measures!” She proclaimed with force in her voice, her breath blowing through the room as if it were the wind itself, whipping through the
“I agree with the mobilization of Hextech,” Jayce confirms, his demeanor downtrodden, disappointed but stalwart in his approach, “We have to limit it, though. At the refinery, the Solver proved capable of effortlessly disabling Hextech. The extent to which it can interface with our devices is unknown, but I don’t think we should risk finding out here. Hextech should only be used against the chembarons.”
Salo scoots up to the center of the room with Ambessa, his crippled form slouched beside her standing, menacing form, “Then let us vote: Jayce’s plan. All in favor?”
Four hands raise of the five counselors present, agreeing to the proposal. Mel being the only dissenter. Heimerdinger–voted among the majority–clarifies his action when he receives curious looks, “I firmly believe the Solver is too great a threat to ignore. It must be our priority over the chembarons. You all know my views on Hextech, but if this is the compromise to be rid of that monster, then so be it.”
Shortly after, a scowl forms on Ambessa’s face. Jayce can’t tell if this is directed to Heimerdinger or Mel, since the Medarda heir is addressed next, “In a time of crisis, it may be advantageous to put up a unified front—regardless of your personal feelings.”
Mel mirrors her mother’s scowl, her feet firmly planted next to Jayce in the solid, uncracked tile, “How wise,” She stalks forward toward Salo and Ambessa, “I’ll agree to this plan, but only one Hextech weapon should be made. It must remain our final resort.”
Ambessa Medarda rolls her eyes. She remains utterly unconvinced by her progeny’s argument, though still backs away behind Salo and allows others to speak.
Jayce, ignoring the familial strife, cuts through the tension with a punctual adjournment of the meeting, “If that’s all, we have a solid course of action. Some enforcers will be dispatched–armed with Hextech–to subdue the chembarons, other officers will hunt for the Solver with conventional weapons.”
Jayce, along with the others, begin their departure just as the rain evolves into a downpour. The horizons of Piltover are gray as its future feels to Jayce. He hopes, dearly, he won’t regret what he has permitted today.
The scientist-turned-counselor picks up his papers, neatly tapping them against his chest to align the edges. The final one left in the room, he heads toward the exit where Ambessa–ever the opportunist–awaits him. She places her hand on his shoulder and gives a single-sentence offer, “My soldiers are at your disposal, Counselor Talus,” Then, she leaves, confidently marching down through the council halls with a satisfied expression. To any onlooker, she’d be easily mistaken for a counselor.
