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"Damn it... If I wasn't injured, I would've taken him down by now!" Vi panted painfully while she and Caitlyn took cover. The berserk Barrett was not far away, furiously scattering trash everywhere. If it weren't for their injuries and exhaustion, Vi wouldn't need to hide from him at all. However, both she and Caitlyn were barely holding on to life and had to avoid further confrontation for the moment.
"Shimmer can enhance the user's physical abilities, but it also affects the mind," Vi quietly explained to Caitlyn. "I thought Shimmer was just something to relax the nerves..." Caitlyn frowned. As an enforcer, she'd often seen this contraband while inspecting cargo at customs, but their typical response was only to impose fines, much like with the smuggled liquor from Noxus. No, she must remind Sheriff Musk when she returns to prevent such dangerous substances from entering the upper city. All Shimmer smugglers should be locked away!
"I see you!" Barrett roared, charging at them, forcing them to flee once more. "If this continues, we'll have to find Ekko in the sewers," Barrett was closing in, but Vi wasn't overly concerned, though being chased by a former defeated opponent was quite irritating. "The sewers are dark and cramped; perhaps we can deal with him there," Caitlyn suggested. "Good idea, let's go!"
Vi and Caitlyn doubled back and jumped into the sewer, plunging into darkness. Caitlyn hadn't adjusted to the dim conditions when something hard thudded against her head. "Is someone here?" Both Caitlyn and Vi were startled, only to realize it was Ekko, tapping her with his sniper rifle.
The small Ekko stomped around, expressing his rage: "Squeak! This thing is useless! How dare you trick me, you cunning humans! I'm going to kill you! Squeak squeak squeak!"
"Useless?" "I gave him a gun, but no bullets," Caitlyn playfully winked. "Squeak!" Ekko bared his teeth, ready to attack. At that moment, Barrett also jumped down, shaking the entire sewer. "Squeak! What's this monster?" Ekko was so frightened he tucked his tail between his legs, instinctively turning invisible. Vi, however, quickly kicked him, revealing Ekko again, took the gun, and tossed it to Caitlyn.
"This is Ekko's gun!" "Just borrowing it; we'll return it soon."
Together, the pair and Ekko fled through the sewers, Caitlyn loading a special bullet. There was only one, but it would deal significant damage, provided nothing blocked its path. "Ekko, let me show you how to shoot. Find me a long, clear path!"
"Squeak! Follow me!" Ekko couldn't turn invisible again yet and reluctantly went along with the plan. Besides, he was still intrigued by the mysterious "gun."
In the maze-like tunnels, Barrett could barely maneuver. After a few sharp turns, Ekko managed to create some distance. Upon reaching an upper level with a long, straight path ahead, Caitlyn quickly dropped a Yordle Snap Trap before continuing to run. Barrett leapt up, landing directly on the trap. Despite its small size, the trap was ingeniously designed, clamping tightly onto Barrett's foot and hindering his movement.
Now is the moment! Caitlyn spun around swiftly, crouched, raised the gun, and aimed. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she adjusted her aim slightly lower and pulled the trigger. Barrett didn't even feel the pain before one of his legs exploded, flesh and blood spraying everywhere. Only then did the gunshot echo through the narrow sewer, reverberating for some time.
"Ah!" After falling, Barrett finally felt the pain. The effects of Shimmer were wearing off after such a long chase. The severe pain knocked him unconscious, and the dangers of Shimmer addiction became evident. After losing a leg, he was bleeding much more than normal and would be in critical danger if not treated immediately.
"Why not just go for the headshot?" Vi knew Caitlyn's aim was precise and that she'd never miss. "I'm an enforcer, not a murderer," Caitlyn shot her a glance, suddenly feeling a weight on her hand. It turned out Ekko was hanging onto the gun, clinging to the barrel, unaffected by the heat, trying desperately to pull it away while muttering, "Give it to me, give it to me!"
Caitlyn hesitated; after all, it was a gift from her mother. She offered, "I can't give you this gun, but how about a trade? I'll owe you one and bring you something next time." "No way! I want this one!" Ekko bared his teeth, ready to bite Caitlyn's hand, but Vi kicked him away.
"Let's go." "But…" Caitlyn looked at Ekko shrinking into the corner, still unsure.
"It's alright, that's just how the undercity is—survival of the fittest. If it were stronger than us, it would've torn us apart instead of negotiating."
"Damn humans..." Twitch clutched his stomach, watching the two figures vanish into the distance, engraving hatred into his eyes.
After navigating through several obstacles, Vi finally brought Caitlyn to the familiar undercity. Before meeting Powder, Vi first sought out a familiar locksmith to remove the handcuffs for both her and Caitlyn. As the shackles came off, Vi and Caitlyn's hands were finally freed. Even as they sighed in relief, there was also a strange sense of having lost something. The atmosphere suddenly turned subtle.
"Though I never pry into my customers' secrets," said the stout man who unlocked their cuffs, resembling a dwarf with his leather hat and bushy mustache. "But Vi, I haven't seen you in years, and you've really gotten wilder. This enforcer..."
"Uh, Uncle Muradin, I have things to do. I'll catch up with you in a few days!" Vi quickly cut him off, worried that Caitlyn might remember some duty as an enforcer. Turning, she said, "Let's go for now. I'll bring you back to the upper city later."
"Alright." Caitlyn seemed to have forgotten her identity, nodding with a calm demeanor.
Guided by memory, Vi led them to the abandoned café. The closer she got, the slower she walked. Despite her anticipation, she feared receiving bad news or that Powder would refuse to recognize her. So much so that when she reached the entrance, she stopped in her tracks.
"This is it?" Caitlyn peered inside. Although it was quite old, it was evident that it used to be nicely decorated. Who would've thought there'd be a café here?
"Yes."
"Not going in?" Caitlyn inquired curiously.
"...The front door has traps; we need to enter through the side door via the clothing store." Vi hesitated for a moment before finally mustering the courage to call out, "Justin! Powder… are you there?" Her voice trembled by the end, but there was no response from within the house.
"Not home?"
"Perhaps." Vi appeared a bit despondent. The midday sun strained to penetrate the thick clouds, offering no warmth to the street. Despite the gentle wind, Vi felt a bit cold and noticed that Caitlyn was only half-clad in a shirt. Trying to lift her spirits, she asked, "Are you cold?"
"Ah, a bit." Caitlyn was not just a bit but extremely cold. Having lost a lot of blood and exerted a great deal of energy along the way, she was on the verge of collapse.
"W- Well, thanks for bandaging me up," Vi awkwardly scratched her head. After two rounds of emergency bandaging, Caitlyn had almost torn her clothes apart. "Next door is the clothing store… though the clothes are old, they will still keep you warm. Let's find you something suitable."
"You should change too," Caitlyn commented as she looked at Vi's prison uniform, which was quite glaring.
"How about this one?" Vi picked up a dress with the same sense of humor as Justin and mischievously handed it to Caitlyn.
"I'm not suited for that style..." Caitlyn quickly waved it off. "Plus, it's inconvenient to move in a dress."
"You might want to try this," Caitlyn said, putting on a jacket and suggesting one to Vi as well. Donning new clothes, they finally shed the marks of enforcer and criminal.
A full-length mirror, thick with dust, stood on one side of the clothing store. Caitlyn cleaned it, and they stood together in front of the mirror. Although the handcuffs were gone, their hands still unconsciously stayed close.
"They look like a couple's set," Vi blurted out without thinking, leaving Caitlyn blushing as if she had a fever and mumbling an explanation, "It's just that this store only had this style jacket... other styles could work too..."
"No need to change, let's go next door first and wait for them to come back."
"Ah! Oh, okay."
Vi took a deep breath and squeezed through the broken glass wall, turning to reach out to Caitlyn, "Come this way, be careful of the glass shards."
"Is this your home?" Caitlyn, like a lady, took Vi's hand and stepped over.
"Ah, it's not my home... it's Justin's and Powder's." Vi's words carried a hint of sadness, her demeanor somewhat unnatural, as she tightly clenched Caitlyn's hand, causing her some pain.
"The living room has a sofa where you can rest," Vi said, her memory of Powder's home impressively clear despite having only visited once. "But watch out ahead, there are traps. If you step on one, you'll get hoisted up to the ceiling. Where was it again..."
"Perhaps..." Caitlyn hesitantly said, "right below us."