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Talon leaned against the soot-stained bricks of the alley, his arms crossed over his chest to protect his scorched back. He watched Jikegar with a cold, detached gaze. "I didn't expect you to become Piltover's Great General," he said, his voice a rasp.
Jikegar took a deep drag from his cigarette, the tip glowing a fierce orange in the shadows. He exhaled slowly, the smoke curling around his scarred face. "What Great General? I'm just a Warden holding a crumbling wall." He flicked the ash onto the pavement and ground it out with his boot. "I saw you on the bridge. You fought Urgot. Why? Noxians don't usually cross the sea for fun."
Talon's posture stiffened. "General Du Couteau is missing. I've been tracking his shadow across Valoran. When I heard the Executioner of Noxus had surfaced in the Undercity, I came to find answers."
"And?"
"Urgot has changed," Talon muttered, a hint of frustration in his tone. "He speaks of ending rulers. He claims Noxus deserves to die. If he knows where the General is, he isn't talking." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "But there is a kid... the one with the lamppost. He used Decimate, Jikegar. Darius's signature move. When he hit me, his wounds closed. How does a Zaunite gutter rat know the secrets of the Trifarian Legion?"
Jikegar rubbed his jaw. "Chen. Our files say he's a native, but he's full of surprises. If he's using Noxian techniques, this is more than just a local riot." He looked at Talon with a smirk. "So, you want your answers, but you're stuck on the wrong side of a losing war. Is that it?"
"We are only losing because you lack focus," Talon retorted. "I can help you dismantle their leadership. But I want Urgot and the kid alive. I will be the one to interrogate them."
"Just you?" Jikegar scoffed. "You barely escaped with your life."
"I am not alone," Talon said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "My assassin squad has received my signal. They are coming through the Hexgate now. We fight as 'private contractors,' unrelated to Noxus. But we will get the job done."
Jikegar lit a second cigarette, his eyes turning toward the Council entrance. "Good. With your blades and one more guest, the tide is about to turn. She's here."
The Steel Shadow's Price
The heavy doors of the Council Chamber swung open. Camille Ferros entered with a rhythmic, metallic thump-thump-thump of her blade-legs. Unlike Jikegar, she moved with the grace of a high-born aristocrat, bowing slightly to the gathered politicians.
"Lady Camille," Councilor Mel Medarda said, her voice smooth but urgent. "Piltover is in peril. The Feros Family has a vested interest in the stability of this city. We request your assistance."
Camille circled the table, her gaze lingering on Jayce for a moment before turning back to the others. "Stability is a relative term, Councilor. If Zaun invades, the Feros Family remains. Only the names on the tax forms change."
"How can you say that?" Madam Kiramman demanded. "We are on a united front!"
"Are we?" Camille asked, a sharp edge to her voice. "Chen built your cars, your phones, your cameras. And how did you repay him? You let Marcus put him on the wanted list to steal his patents. You forced him into the arms of the revolution, and now you're surprised he's better at war than you are. To be honest, he's smarter, more ambitious, and more decisive than anyone in this room."
The councilors erupted in indignant protests, but Camille silenced them with a single, cold look. "Threatening you isn't my goal. My goal is profit. If the Feros Family is to intervene, the price will be high."
Mel leaned forward. "A seat on the Council for your family?"
"Insignificant," Camille dismissed the offer. "The Feros Family requires total tax exemption for our trade routes. Furthermore, once Zaun is pacified, the Black Alley will be ceded to us as a sovereign district. Your Enforcers will stay out of our business."
The chamber turned into a beehive of shouting. "Exemption?! That's billions!" "The Black Alley is the heart of their trade!"
"Take your time," Camille said, turning toward the door. "But remember—the longer you deliberate, the closer the 'gutter rats' get to your bedrooms."
The Coalition of Shadows
Camille walked out to find Jikegar and Talon waiting in the hall. Jikegar laughed, a dry, rattling sound. "They'll agree. They're cowards, Camille. They'd sell their own mothers for a safe night's sleep."
Minutes later, Jayce ran out of the chamber, his face pale. "The Council... they've approved your terms. All of them."
Jikegar's smile turned feral. He looked across the river toward the dark spires of the Undercity. "Did you hear that, Chen? The Ferros blades and Noxian steel are coming for you. Enjoy your little victory while you can, rats. The second wave is going to be a massacre."
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