FALL FROM GRACE , SILCO

1. venus in furs

Eliza could feel the blood drowning her tongue, she spat it all out. She ignored the groans of disgust coming from her kidnapper as the blood soiled their cloak. She could barely walk, but she didn't have to, she was being tossed over the large, stocky woman's shoulder, being carried to god knows where. Everything was a daze, the back of her head hurt so much that being dead was better than getting hit with a wooden plank in the nape of your neck.
She'd really done it this time. Out of all the jobs she could have gotten, she was given the one involved with messing up cargo from Silco, the Industrialist. No one really knew who he was, at least not outsiders like Eliza.

"You from the Overcity? You smell like you are." The woman asked with malicious jest.

It wasn't really the first time this has happened, she knew the risks, especially if you were messing with crooks from the Undercity. The longer and longer she got dragged to what she presumed to be Silco's headquarters, the more scared she became. Mercenaries working from Piltover weren't treated too kindly down here, she was praying the best she could get out of this was getting a few fingers cut off, or maybe her tongue.

She squirmed from her ropes, but to no avail, they were bound so tight she felt herself getting rope burn simply by moving around a little.

After what felt like an eternity, she was brought to a dark room, it seemed to be a study of some sort. Eliza almost swore it was empty, but the woman began to speak. The room was moist with musky-smelling air, and it overwhelmed her nostrils. How did anyone breathe in this air?

"She was caught trying to blow up the newest shipment of Shimmer." The woman informed. The large, leather chair turned around.

That was when she saw him. Silco, the Eye of Zaun. His eyes seemed to widen at the sight of her, as soon as he saw her. He regained his composure just that fast. Strange.

"Hello," He simply greeted, his voice smooth as silk and as soft as velvet.

Eliza said nothing, she huffed out soft breaths. Loose strands of brown hair covered her eyes.

He smiled, his baring his crooked teeth like fangs. "You've caused quite the trouble for me." He inched closer to her, grazing her cheek with his cold finger. She turned the other way, avoiding it. She couldn't see him anymore as he circled around the chair she was tied to, movements unpredictable.

Even through the rope burn, she had been wiggling her arms around in an attempt to free herself, and with lots of effort, Eliza could feel the rope loosen with every second. All she had to do was play for time.

"Eye of Zaun, we finally meet." He raised a brow at her accent. There was no way someone as elegant-looking as her was just some petty criminal. She looked up, there was some kind of vent or ceiling above, she could easily escape. That wasn't all she had, she also had her smoke bombs.

"I suppose our introduction is long overdue, darling." She continued, "I must say, I thought you were...taller." She teased, watching his smirk turn into a scowl.

"You've been destroying the past three shipments of my Shimmer." He hissed, "Why?"

"Why not?" She spat. The ropes were barely hanging onto her. The woman by his side didn't seem to notice as she stood there, eyes straight forward, unresponsive to the whole conversation.

"Sevika, take her away. Do what you want." He concluded, "I have no time for this." He massaged his temples.

"And where is Jinx?" That was a name Eliza had never heard before. Jinx, what a strange name. It was an Undercity name, no doubt. That didn't make her ignore the fact that it was a strange name nonetheless.

"Sorry, Sevika." Eliza spat, "Maybe we could have our little date next time."

Silco coughed through the smoke that suddenly entered his lungs, it was a foreign substance that seemed to plague his lungs. Sevika had felt the same effect. Eliza felt her skin burn as she ripped through the ropes, but she still made it out. She climbed onto the ceiling, noticing her captors in a coughing fit. She made it out.

-

Jericho felt a hand slap onto his desk.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that the cargo was going to be guarded, with ELEVEN people?!" She asked, nostrils flaring. He swore he could see steam coming out of her ears.

Jericho was a slimy man, he was the sort of man who'd betray king and country all for a quick cash grab. Still, he was the one with all the jobs. You wanted to be a famous mercenary? You'd go to Jericho.

"My dear, I know just as much as you." He replied, reclining back onto his chair. "You should just be happy you made it out alive, besides, you did the job, didn't you? I saw it in the papers." He grabbed a rolled-up piece of newspaper and gave it to her.

'Explosion at the docks kill 4, injures dozens.'

"Bullshit, I could have died! This whole entire operation could have gone sideways if I didn't escape! He almost killed me!"

Jericho narrowed his eyes at her, "So you met him? The Eye of Zaun?" She nodded, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Yes, I did. I killed 10 of his people, I might have to skip town now, thanks to you."

He paused, the gears turning in his head. The slender man watched as his mercenary paced back and forth.

"Well, look at it this way. Job's done, money's paid, you're happy, I'm happy. I see this as a win-win." Jericho smiled, showing her his silver teeth. "There's only one problem, though."

"What?"

"You."

Before Eliza could react, a shot rang through the building and into her chest.