2بخش

Magic?

Arcane talents are something you’re born with.

They can’t be fabricated.

Actually, I believe it is possible.

Has anyone even tried it before?

The Arcane is the curse of our world.

My race was nearly destroyed by it.

Surely, we, the pioneers of science, can use it for good.

We’re the champions of discovery.

Why fear it when we can master it?

Jayce, enough.

This is the city of progress, think of the wonders we could create.

Let me prove–

Enough!

You don’t understand what’s at stake.

But how can you?

That’s a burden that only I here carry.

Time.

I’ve seen this power in the wrong hands.

It corrupts, consumes, lays waste to civilizations.

That cannot happen here, my boy.

It must not.

Heimerdinger is right.

Piltover was founded to escape the warmongering of mages, not cultivate it.

The Ethos is clear.

He must be banished from Piltover.

Please, let me speak!

As a lower house, my voice doesn’t carry much weight here.

But as a mother, I have a voice that matters deeply.

My son isn’t in his right mind.

His entire life, he’s chased an impossible dream.

What he did was, uh, foolish and unwise.

But he has a good heart.

Please, let him come home.

A crime like this can’t be overlooked.

The boy must be punished.

A violation of the Ethos calls for banishment, but I can sympathize with a young man’s dream to change the world.

Perhaps in this matter, a lesser sentence may suffice.

I move that Jayce be summarily expelled from the Academy and remanded to the care of his parents.

All those in favor?

You may take your son home, Mrs. Talis, but he is to never set foot on Academy grounds again.

First time I’ve been invited to the Lanes.

It better be worth my time.

Ah, you see, that’s your weakness, Marcus.

You carry your chin so high, you fail to see the opportunity below.

Who are you?

You’re looking for four children, the ones running circles around Piltover’s finest.

What about it?

Don’t look so concerned.

I’m about to make your day.

Can I come in?

Hmm.

I still remember the look on your face when you found these.

Jayce, please.

If I hadn’t spoken, you’d be lost to me.

I had to say something.

Magic saved your life.

Yes, but it won’t save yours now.

You need to let it go.

I could’ve convinced the Council.

If my own family won’t help me, I’ll find someone who will.

Oh.

That foolish boy.

Yeah, I must admit, his theory intrigues.

If dangerous ideas didn’t excite the imagination, we would never wander astray.

Could it work?

Could these stones really invoke magic?

Nonsense.

It’s far too unstable.

Could you stabilize it?

Me?

Why would I?

That only leads to more problems, and that poor boy has enough of them already.

There.

Come tomorrow morning, his research will be safely disposed of.

Lock up.

No, no, no.

Magic is far too dangerous in the wrong hands.

Will he live?

Long enough.

Beautiful, aren’t they?

Yet, up there on the surface, no one even knows they exist.

They’re monsters.

There’s a monster inside all of us.

What?

No.

No, no!

It’ll kill me!

I’d like to let you in on a very important secret I learned when I was about your age, boy.

You see, power, real power doesn’t come to those who were born strongest, or fastest, or smartest.

No.

It comes to those who will do anything to achieve it.

It’s time to let the monster out.

They won’t see you.

Your name’s no good now.

My dad says you’re a misfit, and that we can’t be friends anymore.

So, why are you out here?

I’m a misfit too, I suppose.

What will you do?

Join the Talis hammer business, I guess.

You can’t do that.

No, I can’t.

Come inside, Caitlyn.

Now.

I’m sorry.

I just wanted to explain…

I think you’ve done enough.

You said this was a robbery.

Did they take anything dangerous?

Hard to say.

We don’t exactly know what we did find, let alone what we didn’t.

This mention of magic has the people afraid.

The culprits must be apprehended.

We’re doing our best, Councilor.

I assure you.

Your attitude makes me question if your best is up to the task.

Oh, we’ll find them.

Don’t worry.

We’ve conducted exhaustive interrogations, frozen commerce for half the district.

With all due respect, Councilor, don’t you think we’ve pushed them hard enough?

Do whatever it takes.

Turn the undercity upside down if you have to.

Just find them!

Welcome to The Last Drop.

What can I get you?

Four sump-rats will do.

Search the place.

While you’re wasting your time, how about a proper drink?

I’ll take the strongest shit you got.

Mm.

You be careful with that.

Nearly forgot.

I ran into an old friend of yours.

He had some stories.

You weren’t always the peacekeeper, were you?

Yeah, well, you can’t escape the past.

Right?

Be a shame if I had to put them on again.

Cast iron’s, well, it’s hard to clean.

You people down here are all the same, mistaking arrogance for bravery.

You think you’re standing up for something, but we all know there is a crime behind every coin that passes through this place.

You’re just a small man in a little hole the world forgot to bury.

And I’m gonna bury the lot of you.

Are you all okay?

No, we’re not okay.

They almost saw Powder.

What if they took her?

No one is taking any of you.

Never let that happen.

It’s already happening.

You heard him, they won’t stop.

We need to fight back.

And if you won’t, I will.

I’ve heard this kind of talk before.

Why are we here?

You still don’t understand.

What I don’t understand is how you can work with them.

We were here.

We saw what they did.

I grew up knowing I’m less than them, that my place is down there.

I want Powder to have more than that, and I’m willing to fight for it.

So was I.

I was angry, just like you.

I led us across this bridge, thinking things could change.