The rhythmic click-clack of a typewriter echoed through the workshop as Link Star absorbed every detail of Singed's research notes from an alternate timeline. He rapidly transcribed the information onto paper with a typewriter he had personally assembled.
For someone like Link, crafting a typewriter was child's play—he could have cobbled it together from scratch without blueprints, thanks to the wealth of knowledge stored in his mind.
After all, the skills of a Level 8 machinist from his previous life hadn't faded. Growing up dismantling and reassembling machines had given him a knack for engineering. Forget typewriters—he could probably handcraft a clockwork excavator if he wanted to.
As the typewriter kept clattering, a notification lit up in the corner of his vision:
You have a new message. Please check your inbox promptly.
"Huh, Mrs. Kiramman moves fast," Link muttered, finishing his current task before stepping away from the workbench. He crouched in a spacious part of the workshop and opened his "inbox," pulling out a pile of materials.
There were alchemical tools, herbs, and minerals for shimmer production, as well as steel and ores for crafting equipment. The items spilled across the floor, filling nearly every available inch of space.
"Sponsorship secured. Time to get to work!"
Grinning, Link sorted the materials meticulously, setting up the alchemical equipment before sketching out new blueprints.
His previous clockwork exoskeleton had been thoroughly tested during the Memorial Hall ambush, revealing both strengths and flaws. To build a new version incorporating all the lessons learned would take at least three days, maybe even a week.
But he didn't have that kind of time.
The unfolding plot of Arcane Season 2 was relentless, with events tightly interconnected. The montage sequences used to depict time skips made it hard to pinpoint exact intervals between incidents. Without that information, targeting the key moments in the storyline became nearly impossible.
Even so, his actions during the Memorial Hall attack had already caused ripple effects:
Caitlyn's task force might never be formed, which meant her direct confrontation with Jinx could be delayed.With Caitlyn now investigating the forces behind the attack (thanks to Link's cryptic hint about Ambessa Medarda), her attention had shifted away from Jinx.Jinx, self-exiled and now accompanied by her companion Little Hat (Ekko's nickname for Powder), would likely stay off the grid for a while.Ambessa's absence from Piltover's affairs meant events like the breakout at Stillwater Prison might never occur.
This domino effect altered the timeline considerably, yet Link knew the overarching flow of events remained a looming threat.
Sooner or later, Ekko would uncover Hextech's harmful impact on Zaun and drag Heimerdinger to investigate. Their encounter with Jayce at the Hexgate base would inevitably lead to the portal's malfunction, propelling them into the Wild Magic Realm—and setting the story back on track.
To prevent this, Link had to act faster.
Instead of relying solely on clockwork exoskeletons, he turned to alchemical technology.
If clockwork epitomized the peak of mechanical evolution and Hextech married machinery with magic, then alchemical tech explored the boundless possibilities of biology and nature.
By combining alchemical enhancements with clockwork weaponry, Link envisioned a new path forward.
"Why settle for one when you can have both?" he chuckled, drafting a helmet design.
Time constraints meant he couldn't create a custom solution for himself. Instead, he opted for a mild shimmer variant with minimal side effects.
As he ignited the furnace and prepared the necessary ingredients, Link mused about Singed's work. In another timeline, shimmer had been Singed's magnum opus. But the notes hinted at far more versatile formulas, including one capable of altering a person's gender.
"Classic Singed—no wonder he thrived in Noxus," Link thought, smirking as he got to work.
Zaun, Black Lanes, Fogen Tavern—Second Floor
BAM!
The door slammed open as Sevika, holding a bottle of liquor, stumbled into the office. Frustration etched on her face, she took a swig from the bottle.
"The damned plague rats… those moronic swine!" she cursed, slamming the bottle onto the desk. "They don't understand unity—fighting over scraps while tearing each other apart!"
Sevika grabbed a screwdriver and began adjusting her mechanical arm, her movements clumsy due to her single remaining limb. The inability to align the screws properly only fueled her anger.
She stabbed the screwdriver into the desk. "Why the hell am I still cleaning up your mess?" she growled at the empty chair across the room.
"You're talking to ghosts now?" A raspy, mocking voice came from above.
Without hesitation, Sevika flung the screwdriver at the ceiling beam, pinning a stray blue pigtail to the wood.
Jinx dropped from the rafters with a laugh, yanking the screwdriver free. "Still talking to dead people? Wow, Sevika, you're really losing it."
"Are you here to end me or what?" Sevika hissed, grabbing an empty bottle for defense.
Jinx ignored her, assembling a shimmering injector with practiced ease. She turned to the empty chair, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "What, you still need me to do this for you? Can't even inject your own shimmer these days?"
Before Sevika could respond, the room's light shifted as a massive silhouette blocked the window.
CRASH!
Glass shattered, and the cloaked figure leapt into the room.
"Who the hell are you?" Sevika barked, gripping her bottle tightly.
The intruder casually tossed a small bullet onto the desk. "Careful. Shooting at strangers can be dangerous."
Jinx tilted her head, intrigued. "Spider, huh? Nice mask."
The figure removed their hood, revealing a crimson-eyed metal mask.
"Spider… I like it," Link said, a faint smirk playing on his lips.