Arcane: TTB: Ch. 147

Vander's fist came up in a wicked hook. The shockwave rippled outward, yanking Teneff, her four warhounds, and even Marit on her struggling mount straight toward him.

They had maybe half a second to register what was happening before he was already moving again.

His follow-up jabs blurred into afterimages.

Teneff's head snapped back from three quick hits to her jaw. One of the warhounds yelped as a strike to its skull sent it crashing into its packmate. Marit tried to raise her spear but took a straight punch to her solar plexus that folded her in half.

The demonic bird squawked in panic, wings flapping as Vander's fists found its center mass.

The whole exchange lasted maybe five seconds. To the victims, it felt like drowning in slow motion.

Vander's final uppercut was almost merciful. Teneff's eyes rolled back as she crumpled. The warhounds collapsed. Marit slumped across her mount's neck, unconscious before she even processed the pain.

"They're handled," he said calmly into his earpiece. "How do you want them transported back?"

Back at The Last Drop, Cipher was watching the whole thing through his drone feeds.

"Thanks. I'm sending the drones now."

A swarm of his smaller surveillance units descended, linking together in modular formation. They assembled into a cargo net that could handle the combined weight of unconscious soldiers, warhounds, and one very disgruntled bird.

The improvised transport lifted off, heading toward Zaun's industrial district where he had a secure holding facility ready.

"One more thing. I need you to grab Riven. Jayce couldn't handle her, and Ambessa's trying to poach my recruit."

Vander paused mid-reach for his cigar case. "Jayce lost?"

"I had a feeling this might happen, which is why you were on standby. Get up there before Ambessa closes the deal."

"On my way."

Vander pulled out a fresh cigar, took his time lighting it properly. He drew in the smoke, let it settle in his lungs, then exhaled slowly while studying the Hexgate's upper levels. Through the haze, he could just make out two figures on one of the massive turbine blades.

Time to crash a recruitment drive.

---

High above, on the curved surface of a Hexgate turbine blade, Ambessa stood with her arms crossed.

"Absolute loyalty demands absolute commitment," she said. "Half-measures get people killed."

Riven was on her feet, barely. Blood ran down her face from where her skull had met metal. Her blade was so heavy she had to use it like a crutch just to stand upright.

"I admire your loyalty to your duty," Ambessa continued. "But your stubbornness? That I find less appealing."

She rolled her shoulders, loosening up. "Since you insist on this, learn your lesson in defeat."

Her wrist flicked, and the chain shot forward in a straight line.

Riven had nowhere to go. The turbine blade's surface was curved and narrow, maybe three meters across at this point. To her left and right, the edges dropped away into open air and a very long fall. Behind her was the turbine's central hub. Forward was Ambessa.

Her blade was too unwieldy for acrobatics. She could try to jump to another turbine section, but loaded down with her weapon and injured, she'd never make it. And abandoning the blade wasn't an option.

Without the runic sword, she was just another decent fighter facing a Noxian warlord. The blade was the only thing keeping her competitive in this fight.

So she did the only thing she could. She charged.

The runic blade flared as she swung it to intercept the chain. Her other hand extended, projecting the blade's energy into a barrier around her body. If she could knock aside the initial attack and get close enough, she could unleash Wind Slash at point-blank range. The concentrated blade wave would either punch through Ambessa's Petricite absorption or at least force her back, buying time.

It wasn't a great plan. But it was all she had.

The chain met her blade. The impact jarred her arms, sent vibrations rattling through her bones. She pushed through it, trusting her energy shield to protect her from follow-up strikes.

Then the chain moved in a way that made her blood go cold.

She'd knocked it aside. The momentum should have carried it away from her, at least for a moment. Instead, the chain seemed to flex mid-air, curving back on itself. Her energy shield could absorb impact damage. It was designed to diffuse strikes. But it couldn't stop something from reaching her body.

The chain whipped around her torso once, twice, three times in the span of a heartbeat. By the time her brain caught up to what was happening, her arms were pinned to her sides, the runic blade's weight now working against her as it dragged her off-balance.

Her body locked up. The chain wasn't just binding her; some property of Ambessa's weapon or technique was disrupting her ability to channel the runic blade's power. She couldn't summon the energy for Wind Slash, or even maintain her barrier.

A rush of air was her only warning.

Ambessa materialized behind her. "Sleep, child."

Her hand clamped onto the back of Riven's head. Then she drove Riven's face into the turbine blade's metal surface.

The impact was brutal. Riven's vision exploded into white, then red, then black at the edges. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Her legs stopped responding to commands.

Ambessa released the chain. She stepped back out of the cloud of dust, shaking her hand clean.

"Get her to Zaun for medical treatment," she ordered her nearby soldiers.

She smiled in satisfaction. The Black Rose might have outmaneuvered her politically, but when it came to pure martial skill, few in Noxus could match her.

"Wait."

A weak voice rose from the dust.

Ambessa's smile faded. She raised her hand, stopping her soldiers before they could approach. "Stand down."

The dust was settling, revealing Riven's form. She was upright, somehow. Using the runic blade as support, trembling with effort, blood streaming down her face in rivulets that dripped onto the metal beneath her feet.

"This is pointless. If I hadn't pulled that blow, your skull would be cracked open. You've proven your worth. Submit with honor."

By Noxian tradition, the fight was over. Riven had given everything, shown courage and skill. To yield now wasn't shameful. It was practical. There was no personal vendetta demanding satisfaction.

To keep fighting was just stubborn pride leading to a pointless death.

Riven raised her head. Her left eye was swelling shut, and blood had painted half her face crimson.

"I appreciate the mercy you've shown. But I'm a soldier of Noxus, and my duty is to cover the retreat of my commanding officer and my squad."

She spat blood to clear her mouth. "This is not about right or wrong. It's not even about living or dying. It's about duty. The only thing I have left."

Her grip tightened on the runic blade. Energy began to swirl around it again. Wind currents formed into visible spirals.

"I have one technique left. After this strike, I'll have given everything I have."

The energy intensified, turning the air around her into a miniature storm. Debris and dust began to orbit the blade.

"If you can withstand it, I'll accept whatever comes next. I won't have any regrets because I'll know I fought with everything I had."

Ambessa studied her for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, her expression softened just a fraction.

"You should have sworn loyalty to me from the start. We could have avoided all this." She took a step forward, settling into a ready stance. "But I understand. I've been where you are. So out of respect for a warrior's pride, I'll give you this chance."

She spread her arms slightly. "Come then. Show me what the legendary Exile's ultimate technique looks like. Give me everything you've got."

She wasn't being cruel. This was pragmatism wearing the mask of honor. To recruit a powerful warrior, you needed to demonstrate overwhelming superiority. Half-measures bred resentment and future betrayal.

Better to let Riven throw everything into one final strike and watch it fail. Then she'd know, in her bones, that Ambessa was simply better. That submission was the logical choice. And if, by some miracle, the Wind Slash proved more dangerous than expected? Well, she had weathered worse.

"Brace yourself, General."

Riven lifted the runic blade overhead with both hands. The energy vortex above it grew, pulling in more and more power. The wind screamed. The turbine blade beneath her feet began to vibrate.

Ambessa didn't interrupt. She just waited.

Riven's eyes locked onto her target. She drew in one deep breath.

The runic blade came down in a diagonal arc. The compressed wind energy erupted forth in a massive crescent, tearing across the turbine blade's surface toward Ambessa. The attack was huge, easily four meters wide, enough to envelope most of the fighting space.

Ambessa could have dodged. But she'd given her word, and more importantly, her instincts told her this attack was within the Petricite's absorption limits.

She raised her forearm directly into the path of the Wind Slash.

BOOM!

The two forces met with a sound like thunder.

"That's enough."