The Arcane Trilogy: Sins of the Past - Book 2

Chapter 29: The Need to Evolve

Much like her entrance into Piltover's interim council, Camille had not wasted any time in making sure her impact upon Piltover would be felt. The team of engineers and scientists that she mentioned were a small unit, but each came equipped with many years of experience in the relevant fields that all supplemented the diverse skill set and talented mind of Hakim Naderi; all according to Camille. A few hours after hearing such bold claims, the rest of the interim council were all invited to meet Hakim and see the blossoming lab as it was rapidly assembled.

Mel's footsteps softly echoed off the walls of the corridor that funnelled her towards her destination, with each step refusing to satisfy her desire for a quicker speed whilst maintaining her composed demeanour. The person who was supposed to be Mel's ace in the hole had already shown signs of breaking the skeleton of a plan that she was constructing to defeat Brynden. If she didn't feel like she was struggling to stay afloat amidst shark infested waters before, she could definitely feel the water rising at that moment.

After rounding a corner, she was greeted by Ambess and Jayce already awaiting her alongside Camille, who's calm and composed gazed cut into Mel, with the latter acutely aware of the brief analytical stare that she was being subjected to. As Mel approached the small group, she quickly scanned around them, trying to spy their two missing colleagues as Camille greeted her.

"Councillor Medarda. Thank you for joining us." Spoke Camille with the smallest amount of warmth that was required for a cordial greeting. However, Mel hardly acknowledged her greeting beyond a brief nod as she concluded her sweeping glance.

"Will Mr Goodbrook and Seastar not be joining us?" Probed Mel with a casual tone.

"I believe Councillor Goodbrook has had to go and attend to a few matters regarding his private firm, and Councillor Seastar has assured me that he will catch up with me after resolving some recent concerns from some of his long standing trade partners." Explained Camille, with Mel briefly pondering upon the validity of that information.

Had Camille and Brynden been colluding with each other for some time prior to Miss Ferros' arrival?

Was Camille covering for Brynden's absence with a vague reply for personal gain?

Was she telling the truth?

Was it a mixture of all three?

The paranoia that had gripped Mel due to having to deal with two new serious and legitimate political threats that had seemingly sprung up out of nowhere in such quick succession was continuing to chew away at her composure. In under two weeks, her hard work over several years was close to coming undone.

"I see." Was all Mel responded with as she turned back to regard the stern, stoic and focused visage of her mother, the continually tired face of Jayce, and the cold composure of Camille Ferros. "Shall we?" Finished Mel, gesturing towards the door that housed the newest addition to the council building's interior.

The workshop that the group entered was already abuzz with activity. A dozen scientists and engineers rushed around the various tables and workspaces, all busy completing various activities. Chalkboards flanked the workspace, with fields of calculations, measurements and general notes sprawled across the black surface. Crates of weapons sat away from the hive of activity, with the most common content proving to be rifles and pistols. Their design fit the Piltover aesthetic, with their metallic shells broadly resembling the firearms used by the Enforcers, but they had silver linings to them, clearly indicating in a suitable way which Clan was responsible for their creation.

The group cut through the sea of engineers and scientists, which caught the attention of a dark skinned middle aged man with a bushy and curly mop of brown hair upon his head. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he scanned over the group, with his attention focusing on Jayce for a split second longer, which prompted him into action. He quickly passed off the clipboard he was analysing with a colleague off to said colleague, before dusting his sleeveless deep blue formal attire down that sat over a slightly loose white short, wiping off the dust that wasn't even there. He briskly walked over to greet the group, slipping off his elbow length brown gloves and folding them quickly into the pouches that sat upon his belt.