Arcane: The Young Hound

(3rd Pov)

(Fuck it, I'm in a writing mood. Yall get another)

'I'm sure your asking,' Nyx thought, ducking under a knife thrust,'why did I choose the name Warwick? Answer: ion know, I just said the first thing that came to mind.'

Nyx's left hand flashed out, slapping the hand holding the knife to the right and opening up the attackers side. Handing off the offending arm to his right, his left slammed into the thug's liver, effectively crippling him for the next half hour. Kicking him down off the catwalk to clear the way, Nyx prepared for the next.

Nyx had been fighting constantly for nearly five minutes now, and he could keep doing that for quite a while. Especially with how untrained these guys were. 'The Firelights are definitely getting mandatory training when I found it with Ekko.' He decided.

Up next was a brawler. That's how Nyx categorized him by his heavy set frame and the fact that he didn't carry any weapons. Despite his size though, he was decently fast. Throwing punches left and right, he managed to make Nyx take two steps back before he countered.

'Not enough room for kicks, I'll have to stick to my fists for now... no, I can't regret leaving the staff behind anyway because I don't even have enough room for it. Not that I really like using the thing anyway.'

Event though he was rambling on in his head, Nyx stepped deep into the brawler's personal space, hammering in rapid punches to his gut. In response, he bent over in pain, lowering his guard to block.

That would prove to be a painful mistake, however, as all he could see in the next few seconds was a metal fist, then nothing.

THUD

Taking a deep breath to recover his stamina, Nyx waved on the next challenger, keenly noticing some figures sneaking in from the same roof panel that he had.

'Must be Vi and the others.' Subtly gesturing behind him, he tried to point out that Vander fell back. If they decided to look that way, was up to them.

"So, Silco, why are you rushing," Nyx paused as he knocked out another thug, "this Shimmer business when you know that's it's too volatile to actually be if use."

"What do you know? From your voice, I can tell you're too young to remember. Remember the worst of it. When was the last time that you watched someone die in front of you? When-"

"Uugh!" Nyx grunted, blocking a kick before uppercuting the bastard who did it. "Four years ago, when my parents died on the bridge."

"So you do know. The struggle. The pain. The weight of the air down here."

"Of course I know, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life down here in the dark."

Silco frowned. "Then why fight against me? This fight will end it all! All the pain and suffering! We will finally be free!"

Nyx shook his head. "Because this isn't the way to do it. You're killing our own people, Silco."

"I will do whatever it takes to ensure the Nation of Zaun is realized!"

It was at that moment that someone else called out from behind Nyx. "Vander's out!" Glancing back, Nyx saw Vi waiting for him in the opening of a broken wall. It seems that they had managed to bust it open.

'Vander probably did it before the adrenaline wore off.' Nyx smirked. "Well while I'd love to continue this little spat Silco, I've gotta blast. Literally."

Knocking another thug out, Nyx turned and ran, pressing a button on his belt.

Tick, Tick, Tick

Silco frowned, looking for the source of the sound, only to see Nyx slap a flashing bomb on the wall as he ran out. He also keenly noticed that there was one could conviently right next to a stockpile of Shimmer.

"Run!"

BOOM

---

(The Last Drop)

Sinking into a chair, Vander was tense as he watched Nyx and Violet drag Benzo's corpse inside.

Picking him up, Nyx laid the heavy set man on a table. Stepping back, he stared at him silently for a while. Noticing this, Vander tried to comfort him, despite the pain he himself felt.

"It's not your fault. The enforcers shot him trying to stop Silco from taking me away. It's not your fault."

Nyx didn't say anything, just standing there, mask still on.

Watching this, Violet, who was next to him, stood in front of him, blocking his vision. 'He's shaking.' She noticed.

Hesitating, she slowly reached up before pulling the wolf mask from his head, revealing the tears falling down his face. "I should have been here."

Violet, crying herself, cupped his cheeks with her hands and wiped his tears. "It's not your fault, Nyx. You were up there trying to make our lives better."

"But I'm the reason the enforcers came down here in the first place." He frowned. "And if I was down here, I could have at least saved Benzo's life."

Vi shook her head, her own guilt shining through. "I'm the reason you had to fight in the first place. If we never went on that heist, none if this would have happened."

"And...I messed up by knocking those crystals all over the place. It's my fault we got caught." Powder spoke up, staring holes in the wooden floor.

Shaking his head, Nyx laughed dryly at their attempts, but no matter how much they tried to comfort him, he wasn't here to protect them.

"...We should bury him." Vander was crying too, but just barely. Not much could make him cry anyway, no matter how much he wanted to.

Nyx nodded, taking Vi's hands from his face and wiping his eyes, though he didn't exactly let them return to their owner. Not that she cared. "I know a place. It's...sigh. it's the best spot we'll ever find."

---

(Bit short, but I'll make the next one 1.5k at the shortest)