Arcane: Red Sands

--------Timeskip------

It had been four days.

Four days since she had walked away, since the weight of their last conversation had settled between them like an unspoken wound.

And though neither had acknowledged it, they both felt it.

They moved as they always had—side by side, through the garrison, through the city, through the quiet that now clung to Bel'zhun like a storm waiting to break.

But their words were fewer.

Their glances shorter.

And Su'Rhaal?

He had not spoken of it.

Because there was no turning back now.

And today, things would start to change.

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From atop the black stone walls of Bel'zhun's garrison, Su watched the arrival of Ambessa's forces.

They did not come like reinforcements.

They came like conquerors.

Two thousand soldiers, marching in perfect formation, their crimson banners rippling in the dry Shuriman winds.Their movements were swift, precise, methodical.They did not ask permission to take their positions—they simply did.

And in that moment, Su Knew:

Bel'zhun was no longer Dorrik's city.

Not anymore.

Because the moment Ambessa Medarda had decided to take it, it had already belonged to her.

The rest?

Formalities.

Zanaiya stood beside Su, her arms folded.

She had not spoken since they reached the battlements.

But she was watching.

The same way Su was.

The same way a predator watches another predator enter its territory.

Then—finally, she spoke.

"So, this is how it begins."

Su did not look at her.

His golden eyes remained locked on the streets below, where Ambessa's forces were already moving into position.

Zanaiya exhaled sharply.

"Do you expect resistance?"

Su narrowed his eyes.

"I expect Dorrik will do something foolish, trying to show he still has control of this city."

That was all Dorrik had left.

A pretense.

Dorrik still had 7,000 men under his command.

But loyalty in Noxus was never absolute.

And the officers under him?

They were loyal to Noxus.

Not to Dorrik.

Which meant that when the moment came, they would choose survival over loyalty.

They always did.

From his vantage point, Su watched the silent coup unfold before his eyes.

Ambessa's soldiers entered the lower barracks without resistance. They took control of the supply depots—quietly, without fanfare. They positioned themselves along key streets, blocking access to vital points of the city.

Not a single order had been given.

Not a single word had been spoken.

But it was already done.

And Su knew that when the time came, Dorrik's own men would hesitate.

And hesitation was all it would take.

A messenger approached from behind, armored in black, red and gold—the Sigil of House Medarda.

"Captain Su'Rhaal."

Su turned.

The soldier stood rigid, his expression neutral.

"General Ambessa requests your presence aboard her flagship."

Su exhaled slowly.

He had expected this.

"When?"

"Now."

Zanaiya shifted slightly beside him.

Su knew she was watching him closely now, though she said nothing.

For a moment, he considered bringing her along.

But then—he shook his head.

"Stay here, I will return."

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The docks of Bel'zhun had seen many great warships.

But none quite like this.

The Leviathan's Grasp.

A floating fortress, its hull reinforced with ironwood and plated steel.A vessel that did not arrive as a guest, but as a conqueror. A warship that carried not just soldiers, but the weight of an empire.

As Su'Rhaal stepped onto the heavy wooden boarding ramp, the atmosphere shifted.

Ambessa's forces moved with mechanical efficiency.

There was no noise. No wasted movement.

Because these were not just soldiers.

These were weapons.

And like all weapons, they belonged to the hand that wielded them.

At the top of the ramp, Rictus was waiting.

He said nothing at first.

He simply watched Su'Rhaal.

And Su?

He watched him back.

Finally, Rictus nodded.

"She's expecting you."

Su followed Rictus toward the warship's inner chamber, the air growing heavier with each step.

There were no guards at the door.

No ceremonial rituals.

Because rulers do not require permission to be met.

And when the door swung open—there she was.

Ambessa Medarda.

Standing at the war table.

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The war chamber aboard The Leviathan's Grasp was a room built for conquest.

Maps stretched across the heavy ironwood table, detailing Bel'zhun, Piltover, and beyond. Lanterns swayed gently with the ship's rhythm, casting long shadows across the faces of those who would decide the future.

But this was no council of equals.

Ambessa Medarda stood at the head of the table—a ruler shaping the world with her will.

Su'Rhaal stood before her—a warrior being tested.

Ambessa did not offer Su a seat.

This was not a meeting.

This was a lesson.

Finally, she spoke.

"Come."

She gestured to the map.

"Let us discuss the future."

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Su stepped forward, his gaze tracing the map of Piltover.

And there—he saw it.

Not written, not marked, but present in every shift of power.

Hextech.

He had seen what it could do.

The Piltover airship that had arrived weeks ago, carrying supplies—a journey that should have taken days, completed in mere moments.

Tools wielded by workers that seemed to imitate powerful magic.

They could become Weapons unlike anything he had ever seen.

Su's fingers hovered over the map.

"It is a game changer."

Ambessa's lips curled slightly. "Yes."

Su exhaled slowly.

"It will change war."

A pause.

Ambessa's eyes gleamed. "It will change the world."

Su narrowed his eyes.

"why diplomacy?"

Ambessa smirked.

"Because those pompous fools in Piltover still believe they can keep it contained."

She leaned forward, hands pressing against the table.

"I will go as a diplomat from Noxus, check on my financial interests, see my daughter Mel and remind those fools the Weight of my Name."

A pause.

Then—her voice sharpened.

"I will see Hextech for myself. I will learn of its potentials, It's uses. And if need be…"

She exhaled.

"I will take it."

Su was silent.

Then, carefully, he asked:

"And if they prove difficult?"

Ambessa tilted her head slightly.

And then—she smiled.

"That is why we are here."

She leaned back, calculating.

"Bel'zhun's Proximity to Piltover and it's naval Might will ensure they give it to us, By force if necessary."

Su studied her.

She was revealing her hand—but not all of it.

And he knew this was another test.

Ambessa measured men by their answers.

If he hesitated—if he showed doubt—he would never hold her trust.

So when he spoke, his words were carefully chosen.

"You believe they will not see what you are doing?"

Ambessa smirked, golden eyes glinting.

"Let them see."

She clasped her hands behind her back, beginning to pace.

"Piltover is full of soft men who think themselves rulers. Merchants who mistake wealth for power."

Her voice turned sharp.

"They have never known war."

She stopped, fixing Su with a piercing stare.

"What happens when men who have only ever known comfort are faced with a force that does not negotiate?"

Su did not hesitate.

"They break."

Ambessa's smirk widened.

"Good."

She turned back to the map.

"But they do not know they are breaking. Not yet. That is why we play the game."

Su remained silent.

He was listening. Learning.

And Ambessa knew it.

She studied him for a long moment.

Then, she asked:

"And what would you do, Captain, if you were in my place?"

Su's expression remained unreadable.

But he felt the weight of the question.

A lesser man would have hesitated.

Would have seen only one path.

But Su was learning.

And so, when he answered—his words were careful.

"I would not take what I could make others give me."

A beat of silence.

Then—Ambessa smiled.

And from the corner, Rictus chuckled.

"He's learning," the old warrior muttered.

Ambessa nodded.

"Indeed he is."

Ambessa studied Su for a moment.

Then, she spoke.

"I expect you to play your part."

A pause.

"I need this city under your control."

Su's jaw clenched. "Dorrik will try to hold what little power he has left."

Ambessa smirked. "Let him dig his own grave."

She gestured to the city's layout on the map.

"My forces will be under Dorrik's command."

A pause.

Then—she looked Su dead in the eye.

"But they will be loyal to you."

Su's breath slowed.

"And they know this?"

Ambessa's smirk deepened.

"They have always known."

She folded her arms.

"When the time comes, they will rally in your name. Dorrik will see nothing until it is too late."

She turned back to the window, gazing out at the horizon.

"Power is not always taken with force, Captain."

A pause.

Then—she glanced over her shoulder.

"Sometimes, it is simply handed to the man who dares to reach for it."

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Su exhaled slowly.

The city had been too quiet.

Something was coming.

And Ambessa? She knew it too.

She exhaled through her nose. "There is unrest in the city, Captain."

Su nodded. "I can feel it."

A pause.

"The Suns of bel'Zhun have been awfully quiet, they are planning something."

Ambessa turned fully now, watching him.

And then—she smirked.

"Good."

A pause.

Then—she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let them come."

A beat.

"And when they do—leave none Alive."

Her grip was firm.

"This City shall be yours, Su'Rhaal."