Your voice cut through the chaos of gunfire and screams like a knife through soft flesh. All of a sudden the world fell silent again.

The veil of dust still had it in its chokehold, clouding everything from your vision. Only figures remained visible, deformed and not able to be identified.

And yet you were able to pick out Vi with ease.

Her back bend and her shoulders slurped she had frozen mid movement. Her back rose and fell in harsh, uneven breaths that were strained from quick physical movements.

The scarlet strands of her hair were messy, stuck to her forehead while her blue eyes glared so full of hate. She was willing to end it all right then and there.

"Vi.", now you couldn't help but sound calmer, softer.

You understood why she did what she did. But from an outside perspective it simply was not wise to do so. There would come a better time.

"Fine.", with her teeth clenched, Vi threw the weapon to the ground.

Dust and sand were chased away and the next thing to be seen was her, covered in sweat and some blood. It was hard to tell if it was her own or some of the enforcers. Or both.

Either way her entire body trembled with held back anger. Hatred shimmered in the blue of her eyes. But there was also something else.

Maybe you were just imagining things but you believed you could see a smirk tug at the corners of her mouth. As if she had won.

Confused, you frowned but did not have the time to process things before multiple pairs of hands reached out to grab you by the shoulders and tore you to the ground.

Blood wet sand nestled against your cheek as your head was pushed down. Growling in warning you tried to tell the enforcers that it would have been better for their own well-being to treat you a little better.

But the moment was heated and hate grew on either sides of this feud. Cold metal wrapped around your wrists and ankles.

Only then did they allow you to sit up on your knees. The feeling of muddy sand stuck to your skin, made you feel dirty.

Not far from you, Vi still tried to put up a fight but was ultimately overpowered by two large men. If you had to give her one thing it was that: she had fight.

Not in the best moments, admittedly. But she'd be able to make it far just by the sheer iron strength of her will. Or it would be her downfall.

Depending on if there would be someone to level her.

If you were completely honest with yourself you had not been planning on becoming that person. But she wasn't hostile and not really dangerous unless provoked which made her far more reliable than anyone else in this prison.

With a cocky look on her face she sat up on her knees as well. Her face was a little roughed up, the strands of scarlet hair messy as ever from the fight with the enforcers.

Your eyes met and a soft expression lit up inside your eyes while you shook your head. She rolled her eyes, let out a low huff. But she did take the silent advice to heart and did not cause any more trouble.

Blood stuck to your legs. It was a cold, muddy feeling, accompanied by something far better: the feeling of gaining something.

You had managed to gain something very valuable that day: knowledge. And the possibility to abuse it. Or at least use it to your advantage.

Possibly to get this entire prison under your control. Only thinking about it made your fingers tingle.

While you were walked down the long, empty corridors your thoughts ran wild, creating all the possibilities, all the fails and wins this could get you.

Worst case scenario would be death. But in return you could gain everything and so much more. At this point there was nothing to loose anyways.

So why not give it a shot for shits and giggles?

Life as a muppet for the arena had a time limit set anyways. And the once the game ended it would be over forever. There was no escape only perishing.

But if you'd be able to turn the tables against them it could promise a more comfortable, longer life. Still imprisoned, of course but no longer as a rat in a cage. More like a rat with its own sewer system to dominate.

Yes, that thought appealed to you. At least more than the prospect of fighting in the arena for the rest of your life. It made you smile to yourself a little.

"What's so funny?", a familiar voice suddenly cut through your thoughts.

A shiver chased down your spine. Not because you were scared but because it took you by surprise to see him here.

"Sheriff.", you greeted him with a confident yet not at all friendly smile. "Should I be honoured?"

Curling his plump lips, the sheriff of Piltover himself gifted you one of his infamous grumpy glares. You had once met him as a younger man than he was now, with short cut black hair and small sideburns.

Now he had grown, had gotten larger in height and size. The blue and white enforcer uniform now fitted him better, as well as the moustache he had grown.

The sides and back of his hair started to grey, indicating that he was in fact older than his face let to believe. But just like many years before there was still this boyish grumpiness visible in the deep brown of his eyes.

"Shut it.", he ordered the two enforcers who held you to leave.

Taken by surprise you did not expect him to push you into the next best empty cell, leaving you cut off from Vi. Your heart skipped a beat. Immediately your lips opened to call out a warning for her.

But he pressed his brown leather glove to your mouth to seal the words.