Malphegor
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Arcane: TTB: Ch. 81
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 19:22:49 +0000 UTCTime passed in the blink of an eye.
Months ago, Cipher was fighting for Zaun's independence. Now he would be standing among the most powerful figures in Runeterra, waiting for a Noxian warlord.
Swain, leading ten thousand Noxian cavalry, embarked on a southern campaign against Shurima, determined to claim vast new territories for the empire.
Along the canal of the Sun Gate, an enormous fleet stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky darkened beneath their sails, the horizon blurred where sea met sky, and everywhere, black and red dominated the view.
The canal, normally filled with merchant vessels, now hosted a different kind of traffic. Warships stretched to the horizon, their black hulls and red sails transforming the waterway into a river of blood and iron. Gun ports lined their sides, hundreds of them, each housing cannons capable of reducing buildings to rubble.
Noxus had arrived, and it had brought its teeth.
This time, as Swain arrived in the the city as the supreme commander of the southern front, whether they wished to or not, all those with power and influence had to gather at the port to await his arrival.
At the docks, factions stood clearly divided. Silco had come back, accompanied by enforcers, representing Zaun, with Cipher hurrying back to assist. On the left, Lester led Noxian soldiers, ensuring security was tight. It was an unusual role for a Noxian general, acting as a bodyguard, but precautions had to be taken against unpredictable troublemakers.
Lester approached Cipher. "The Grand General will be pleased to see you've honored his request for your presence."
"As if I had a choice," Cipher responded dryly.
"We always have choices. Some are simply more survivable than others."
Cipher's eyes swept over the crowd, and nodded toward Camille, who stood among her faction. "Look at her, standing like nothing happened. Like she didn't attack Zaun at all."
Lester followed his gaze. "She has powerful friends."
A pair of Noxian soldiers marched past, eyes constantly scanning the crowd. Cipher noted how they paid special attention to Camille.
"Those men have orders to watch her specifically?"
Lester nodded slightly. "Precautions. Today's ceremony has gathered too many ambitious personalities in one place."
Silco, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. "How reassuring to know that Noxus takes the protection of its interests so seriously."
"Zaun is more than just an interest to the Grand General," Lester replied. "It's a valued ally."
Swain's arrival with his mighty southern army should have deterred any unrest, at least under normal circumstances. But when it came to chaotic individuals, normal logic did not apply.
Compared to the unified voice of Zaun, Piltover was far more divided. There, four distinct factions contended for influence.
Leading the largest group was the affluent and powerful Clan Ferros family, with Camille at the forefront. Her faction held the most people and wielded the greatest authority.
Next was the emerging force led by Ambessa. On the night of the banquet with Cipher, she had clashed fiercely with Mel, who left in anger to establish her own faction. For reasons unknown, she showed no hostility toward her daughter's defiance. Instead, she turned her attention to absorbing the allegiance of Piltover's elite. With her immense strength and status as a Noxian warlord, she swiftly became the second most powerful faction in Piltover. Yet she kept herself out of the spotlight, placing her supporter, Councilor Salo, at the forefront while she remained in the shadows.
Then there was Mel. She opposed Camille, seeing her raid on Zaun as a unilateral betrayal of the peace agreement she had signed with Cipher. To her, Camille's actions would only bring war and destruction upon the both cities. Yet she was equally displeased with her mother's ambitions, suspecting she sought to use Jayce to obtain Hextech weaponry for her own ends. Distrustful of both, Mel chose to carve her own path, striving to secure Piltover's future by her own means.
Thanks to her years of effort, her vision and charisma gained her supporters, though her allies were mostly from lesser noble houses with limited influence. Even two of her most loyal council allies, unwilling to stand against her mother, had abandoned her, opting to side with the more dominant Medarda. After all, their Noxian business ventures flourished under her patronage, and Ambessa was, after all, the head of the House Medarda.
The final faction was the weakest in raw power, yet all three other groups sought its favor. For now, it stood aligned with Mel, this was the Piltover Academy, led by Jayce.
Following Heimerdinger's inexplicable disappearance, he had been forced to take on the burden of leadership, his prestige rising as the Academy's most brilliant scientist. With Heimerdinger absent for so long and Viktor nowhere to be found, he had feared the worst, that both had perished at the hands of Camille. After all, when she raided Zaun, they had been there as guests. There was no logical reason for Zaun to harm them, both Jayce and Mel understood this well. And knowing their personalities, neither would have allowed Camille to get away with murder.
Thus, he believed Camille had either killed or orchestrated their demise. Although the misunderstanding was later cleared, the Academy faction still harbored deep resentment toward the Clan Ferros.
Like Mel, he saw Camille's ruthless methods as a dangerous path that would lead Piltover into regression rather than progress.
Yet he was still young, and his reputation was not fully established yet. Without Heimerdinger leading the Academy, its internal factions remained complex and divided. He wasn't officially its sole representative, but in reality, with his control over Hextech, the Academy seemed less significant than Jayce himself in the eyes of other factions. His political weight was substantial, even if he had yet to realize it.
The Noxian vanguard fleet suddenly split apart, making way as an enormous flagship, towering several dozen meters high, advanced into the harbor. Unlike the sleek warships, this flagship was a floating fortress, with black iron plates covering its hull, and Noxian war banners hanging from its towers.
"Impressive vessel," Silco remarked.
"The Leviathan. Noxus's floating command center. They say its cannons can level a coastal city in minutes."
"Reassuring."
"Don't worry. He didn't bring it to intimidate us."
"No?"
"We're already aligned. It's Piltover he's sending a message to."
"And what message is that?"
"That their technological advantage just became considerably less relevant."
---
At the bow of the ship, Swain stood, draped in a black cloak, his hands gripping the railing. His expression was stern as usual. Beside him, a blonde female general clad in armor remained silent.
His gaze stretched across the distance, overlooking the opulent cityscape of Piltover. Then, shifting his attention downward, he took in the depths of Zaun.
That feeble strategist had invited him to a game, using both cities as the board, yet refused to personally enter the fray.
How amusing.
A faint smirk played at the corners of his lips. If she wouldn't step onto the battlefield, then he had already won.
The flagship docked. Thick mooring cables wrapped tightly around the T-shaped bollards, the friction multiplied by 3.5 million times, bringing the massive vessel to a halt. Soldiers moved swiftly, setting up the gangway and rolling out an exquisite Frejlordian wool carpet.
He did not immediately disembark. Instead, he raised his left hand.
The gesture froze the crowd, stopping conversations mid-sentence. With the grinding of mechanical gears, the ship's upper deck doors rumbled open, revealing an imposing, vicious-looking main cannon. Its barrel locked onto Piltover.
Engraved runes along the cannon's surface began to glow, energy rapidly accumulating at the muzzle. As the cannon locked into position, its barrel aimed directly at the heart of Piltover.
The crowd tensed, some stepping back involuntarily.
With a simple gesture from Swain, the cannon shuddered. A concentrated energy mass crackled to life, then fired a brilliant blue arc of light.
"No!"
Jayce, thinking Swain had ordered an attack on Piltover, shouted in alarm and lurched forward.
At the last moment, the cannon tilted skyward. A deafening explosion shook the air as a projectile infused with energy shot into the clouds.
BOOM!
A thunderous boom followed.
The sky formed a mushroom cloud as shockwaves rippled outward, distorting the air like heat above stone, rippling outward and downward. When it reached the harbor, the gust was strong enough to snatch hats and flap coats.
"Jayce, you must learn to observe the shifting tides, like a fox. Hahaha!"
Ambessa's voice was calm as she stepped forward, spreading her arms in a grand gesture, her laughter echoing toward Swain.
"Grand General, welcome to Piltover. I trust your rather unique gift will help you better experience our city's hospitality."
"Bold move, addressing him first. She's claiming unofficial leadership of Piltover," Silco muttered to Cipher.
"Will the others challenge it?"
"Watch Camille. She won't let her speak for the entire city."
Among those present, Ambessa held the highest status, making her the most fitting to extend the first greeting.
The sharp click of metal against wood followed as Camille stepped forward as well.
"Welcome, Grand General Swain, to the ever-loyal Piltover." She bowed her head. "On behalf of our city, I offer you and Noxus our utmost respect."
That cannon shot had been a warning meant for her. Before the might of Noxian steel, she had no choice but to lower her head.
Comments
ZaK
I'm liking this political power play moves
