[Check Out My P4treon For +50 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roaverse]
===
Just minutes ago, Caitlyn had been patrolling the lower docks, her boots clicking against the pristine white stone of the Academy district. Above her, the Firelight Squad was already in position.
They had infiltrated through the Sump-lines, winding their way up the vertical shafts of the Hexgate until they reached the scaffolding of the main harbor. Six members—the first real deployment of the unit since the foundry explosion. Ekko led the primary wing, while Chen and Powder spearheaded the flanking teams.
The strategy was pure Chen: a triangular offensive formation. Offense, cover, and support. Using their hoverboards, they clung to the shadows of the high rafters, watching the illicit transaction unfold below.
A guide waved a Hextech light stick, guiding a heavy freighter blimp into the docking bay. Silco was too smart to show his face here, so he'd sent his heavy hitter. Sevika stepped off the ramp, followed by a squad of bruisers. They began offloading large iron barrels—the purple "S" on the side left no doubt about the contents.
The Hexgate administrator approached, looking nervous. A tattooed, bald guard—the same one Chen had humiliated weeks prior—glared him into silence. "Cargo manifest," the administrator wheezed.
A heavy bag of gold landed in his palm with a metallic clink. "A greeting from our friends downtown," Sevika said, her voice like grinding stone.
The administrator didn't need a second invitation. He stamped the manifest and vanished.
"The Topside is just as rotten as the Sump," Ekko whispered from the rafters, his face twisted in disgust. "Colluding with Silco's thugs in broad daylight."
"It's not just about the gold, Ekko," Chen whispered back. "It's about the pressure. Not everyone is ready to be a martyr. Most people just want to get home without a Shimmer-mutant breathing down their neck."
Below, the buyers arrived—a rough-looking crew from Bilgewater. Pirates with harpoon scars and half-human sea-vastaya with scales glistening under the Hextech lights.
"Money first," Sevika demanded. She knew Bilgewater pirates weren't known for their "Customer Service."
The pirate leader didn't argue. He slid a heavy iron chest across the floor. "Mutual trust is the foundation of long-term business, sweetheart."
Sevika opened the lid. The sight of the gold was enough to make even her stone-cold face soften for a second. "Start loading," she commanded.
"Now!" Ekko signaled.
Six green streaks of alchemical light lanced down from the darkness.
"DAMMIT! THE FIRELIGHTS!"
Chen was the first to hit the floor, his heavy streetlamp leading the way. He was hungry for Grasp of the Undying stacks. The moment Silco's men saw the lamp, they recoiled like they'd seen a plague god.
"It's Jax!" "Watch the spin! Don't let him hit the lamp!"
Chen felt a pang of guilt. Sorry, real Jax. I'm definitely getting you cancelled in this timeline.
He charged into the center of the crowd, spinning his lamp in a blurring overhead circle.
"COUNTER STRIKE!"
Sevika's team knew the drill—they backed off instantly, waiting for the "invincibility" window to close. But the Bilgewater pirates were new to the "Jax" experience. They pulled out harpoon guns and fired point-blank at Chen.
"MISS! MISS! MISS!"
Chen ignored them, using his hoverboard to rocket straight into Sevika's personal space. He slammed the counter-attack, stunning her for a second, then lunged forward with a quick poke to the ribs.
Green pulse. Grasp proc. +5 Permanent HP.
With his health pool growing, that magic damage was starting to sting. While Sevika was dazed, Chen's fingers closed around the handle of the gold chest. He snatched it and turned to bolt.
"Money's in the bag!" Chen shouted, his internal HUD counting the gold. "I'm out! See you guys in the Topside!"
"Chen!" Ekko roared, dodging a pirate's blade. "The Shimmer! We haven't blown the barrels yet!"
"Right! Right! Focus on the objective!"
Chen pivoted his board, hugging the gold chest with one arm and raising his lamp with the other. "Alright, let's do this!"
Sevika shook off the stun, her eyes burning with a murderous light. "Focus fire! He's vulnerable now! Kill him!"
The entire dock surged toward Chen. Knives, harpoons, and Chem-tech blades were inches from his skin. This would have been a death sentence for the "Old Chen," but the New Chen had a trick up his sleeve.
"UNBREAKABLE WILL!"
Chen let out a guttural roar. A phantom pair of golden bull horns manifested over his head, and two shield-runes began to rotate around him. He felt his skin turn to iron.
With 55% damage reduction, Sevika's blade hit his shoulder and didn't even draw blood—it felt like a mosquito bite. He put his head down and literally gored his way through the crowd.
"What IS this guy?!" Sevika screamed, her mechanical arm sparking as she tried to penetrate his defenses.
Powder seized the opening. She blurred past the chaos, planting her Flame Chompers! on the Shimmer vats with the speed of a professional sabotuer. "Set and ready!" she cheered, backflipping onto her board.
"Retreat!" Chen activated his Turbo Chemtank.
"Relativity check!" he laughed. "If I go 40% faster and you're 50% slower, you're basically statues!"
The shockwave hit the dock, turning the pirates' legs to lead. Six green streaks vanished into the clouds just as the countdown hit zero.
Sevika had been blown up by Powder enough times to know the smell of the fuse. She didn't even try to save the cargo. "JUMP!" she screamed, diving off the blimp.
The Bilgewater crew wasn't so lucky.
BOOM!
The Shimmer reacted with the explosives, creating a violent, violet mushroom cloud that shook the very foundations of the Hexgate.
A minute later, a breathless Caitlyn sprinted onto the dock, her rifle raised. She stared at the burning wreckage, the scattered gold coins, and the fading green trails in the sky.
"Oh, sweet Mother of Piltover," she whispered, her eyes wide with a mix of horror and professional fascination. "What kind of monsters are we dealing with?"
===
Note: This story is currently available up to chapter 50 on my Patreon, go check it out.
exclusive 18+ character images, and early chapters, please visit my Patreon. Thanks for your support!
https://p4treon.com/roaverse
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 40 Power Stones==Bonus Chapter
every three 5-star reviews == Bonus Chapter