Heralding Tomorrow (Canon)

As the resident of the luxurious laboratory emerged, Viktor's eyes sized him up from behind the golden lenses of his metal face. He wasn't impressed. Jayce appeared, upon this first meeting, to be nothing more than an eclectic buffoon who wasn't even worth the facility he possessed. Fortunately, or not depending on your impression, the same officer on his left spoke before Viktor himself could.

"Ah, terribly sorry to bother you, sir. But this man had arranged with the Sheriff to meet with you. Seems he's got something important to ask you and he refused to be discouraged from seeing you in person."

The officer thumbed at Viktor with his right hand, as if to illustrate his point. Viktor made no move nor did he say anything to either prove or disprove the authority figure's words. He merely remained standing betwixt the pair of men in uniform, staring intently at the man in possession of the recently discovered arcane crystal.

"Viktor." The Herald had finally spoken up for the first time since the trio had left the precinct deeper in town, his voice so sudden and unexpected that both of his chaperones jumped a bit in surprise. "Otherwise known as the Machine Herald, a Champion of the League affiliated with Zaun. I have come to see you personally regarding the crystal you recently came into possession of, as I have a proposal for you." The stoic voice perfectly matched the unerring immobility of the form before the Piltovian inventor, who could not be blamed for being the least bit intimidated in the face of such a passionless disposition.

Both officers tensed up at Jayce's request, turning their heads to look at each other warily. They had been assigned to keep a close eye on the Zaunite "visitor" by the Sheriff herself, which meant that they could be looking at some severe demerits if anything happened on their watch. They had barely any time to respond before Viktor pushed past them and came a just inches from Jayce.

"Those who follow the law so fearfully, cultivating regulation with reckless conviction, are no better than those who seek the freedom to pursue their ambitions with little regard to rules." Although he was referring to the two members of enforcement behind him, his masked visage remained fixed upon Jayce. "Ultimately, the laws of man are meaningless. The only thing that matters is progress, to pave the way one must have a clear and unhindered sight of what is meant to be."

Although they were extremely opposed to the idea, the two officers that had accompanied Viktor this far were given no choice in the matter as Jayce welcomed the Herald into his abode. Viktor did not hesitate to accept the welcome, nor did he hold any reservations with leaving the officers outside. He didn't care for such kinds of people anyhow. Good riddance.

As he looked about at his surroundings, the Machine Herald came to formulate a more accurate impression of Jayce. So preoccupied in analyzing the inside of the building was he that he nearly failed to hear his host's offer, at which point he looked to the Piltovian while inclining his head slightly to the left. "Tea.....I do not require such a thing. I have evolved beyond the need for such trifling necessities. That is not to say that I can not ingest drinks and foods as any other, I can in fact do so but I am under no threat of demise in going for long periods of time without them."

He then folded his arms across his chest as he continued to stand despite being offered a seat. Due to the nature of his augmentations, anything not reinforced would merely be crushed under the weight of his artificial parts. "And you are further under the wrong impression that I would require such a crude source of fuel, as my superior anatomy is powered by numerous gears and capacitors."

Viktor's eyes followed his host's form with great caution, which also meant his shoulder-arm had trained itself on the independent inventor. It was, after all, linked to Viktor mentally so should he will it so it would waste no time in going on the offensive for his sake. For now, however, Jayce didn't mean any harm to the Herald so the peaceful visit would remain as such. "Yes. Everything you see before you now was done by my very own hands.....Or, at the very least, my original hands. I have designed and crafted the figure I now possess, from the very recesses of my brilliant mind...."

As if to illustrate, the augmented Zaunite held up his left hand as it began to crackle with arcane energy no doubt from whatever power source he utilized. "Both my arms and legs have been entirely replaced with superior hextech prosthetics, and certain sections of my main body have also seen some.....renovations. All of the devices at my disposal have been programmed and synchronized with my mind, even, making me the first of many to come. This is just a mere taste of what the Glorious Evolution entails, along with a spectacular era of techmaturgical dominance. Which brings me to my proposition, and the reason I have come to see you..."

Viktor's demeanor changed somewhat after Jayce's response, the former air of peaceful diplomacy shifting more to slight indignation. "You do not know, Jayce. How can you cast judgment upon something you have not yet experienced, and with such stark disinterest....The Glorious Evolution offers to better the entire world through the unification of one's mind and soul with technology, replacing inferior flesh and bone with vastly superior steel and machinery. Thus far, I've found it rather.....difficult, to empower the devices and parts I've produced, as Zaun has yet to develop an efficient source of fuel. That is not to say that my hextech isn't sufficiently powered, do not misunderstand. I simply mean that most forms of fuel are extremely limited....."

The Herald had begun with chastising the other inventor, but had quickly moved on to a more relevant topic. "Which is why I've come to you directly. I require the crystal. I have heard that it holds the potential to be a source of endless energy, capable of providing power for an indefinite amount of time. Jayce, just think of what this could mean! Not only would we need to be concerned about exhaustion, fatigue, but neither running out of energy! My devices could run for eternity, never losing momentum nor requiring periods of recharging! As you have been entrusted with its care, I am not so daft as to ask you to part with it. You need not be away from it, if you simply come with me. Together, you and I could unlock the secrets it holds and create technology powered by its boundless energy! We could do so much with it - the possibilities are endless!"

At this point the Machine Herald extended his left hand - claw-like in its design - to his Piltovian counterpart, a non-threatening gesture meant to show the physically inferior tinkerer that he wasn't some evil would-be overlord intending to conquer the world, merely a fellow crafter who simply wanted to improve the world around them. "All will soon change, Jayce, so instead of rejecting the inevitable why not embrace it and welcome it with all of your being? I am certain that our minds would benefit Valoran far more in forms that would neither age nor disappear - we could be the eternal masters of technology, designing and building a perfect utopia where death would mean nothing."

Viktor's steel visage remained as cold and expressionless as ever as the air around him seemed to darken slightly. Jayce's words, and his tone in general, were beginning to take root within the realm of rejection, something that the Machine Herald had no intention of accepting. "Gather.....No. I have no intention of doing such a thing. The people of this world will either come to realize the necessity of disregarding their flesh in favor of augmentation, or they will foolishly bring about their own destruction through their stubbornness. In the end, the Glorious Evolution will be the means through which everything will be totally and utterly optimized."

At this juncture, although his main limbs remained serenely stationary, a flare of slight anger on Viktor's part caused his third arm fidget erratically - convulsing as though it were experiencing some sort of intense feeling of its own. The Zaunite's own tone grew colder and harsher. "There is nothing wrong with seeking perfection, Jayce. Do not be a fool! Your flesh, your organs and tissues, none of it can offer you anything but your timely end! Renounce your frailty! Your weak constitution, your inferior motor functions, your meek physical aptitude! One must not merely use technology as a means to end, but embrace it! One must become one with hextech, to become inseparable and indistinguishable from it! Think about it! What else would you lose from this endeavor but that which holds you back, and threatens to inhibit your potential! Emotions which can easily lead you astray, anatomy that can barely withstand the forces that the universe can apply, a negligible morality only capable of narrowing your views and pure ideals that can easily be corrupted by others who would sooner see you wiped from existence than achieving your most vital goals!"

Viktor's main hands then curled into fists as he clenched them tightly and stared intently at the man before him, as his speech concluded with what his goal was. "That crystal holds more value than anything else in this world. If it can generate an endless supply of energy, then it can be a power source unlike any other. Imagine if you could use it to power a machine for twice, no thrice, its estimated lifetime! It would be unstoppable! Nobody would ever be capable of shutting it down! Anything from weapons to tools, to even forms of transportation! And, ultimately, everyone who has become one with technology would reap all the benefits while the fools who ignored the change would be left to rot in their graves...."