Peril in the Snowy Plains

After bidding farewell to Fiora, I had to fulfill my promise to help Darius, and we set off on our way back.

As we left the eastern mountain range, we couldn't avoid paying a toll to Alvin. Even the people of the Dauntless Vanguard were tempted by money; the future of Demacia is truly worrying.

Darius had me drive while he lay on the cargo humming a tune, looking relaxed. I took the opportunity to ask:

"Why did you come to Demacia with me so trustingly? Aren't you afraid I'll betray you?"

"Tam said you wouldn't."

"..."

Tam always leaves one speechless. Darius is indeed incredibly bold, whether he trusts Tam's words or his own strength.

"If Fiora had asked me to stay, I might have actually revealed your identity to the public."

"Is this your love for her? A man's aspirations should not stop here. If you truly love her, you should cherish everything she loves. She loves honor, so you should protect her honor. She loves her family, so you should help her protect the Laurent family. She loves Demacia, so you should protect Demacia."

"Since she loves Demacia so much, how can I serve you?"

"That's not a contradiction. I also love Demacia, in a sense."

Darius loves Demacia?

This was simply the most ridiculous thing I had heard since arriving in Runeterra. "Your words sound like a joke. Why aren't you staying in the army and wandering around so freely?"

"The army? I haven't belonged to the army for a long time. I was dismissed ten years ago when my invasion of Demacia failed. Thanks to that, I gained a broader perspective."

"A broader perspective? Then what do you need me for?"

"You just need to follow my arrangements. Oh, and use the weapon Fiora gave you well, otherwise, it will be tricky when you face mages in the future."

"Of course."

Halfway there, Darius got up and took the reins and whip from my hand. "You lie down in the back. I'll drive. We're not going back to Doco for now."

"Then where are we going?"

"To see an old friend. This disguise is perfect for avoiding attention."

Darius, shedding his usual lazy demeanor, whipped the gray horse pulling the cart, urging it forward quickly. Watching his retreating figure, I felt as if I saw him charging into battle in his youth.

We traveled north, and the temperature dropped steadily until we slowed down in a vast expanse of ice and snow. Fortunately, we had a cart full of furs; otherwise, we would have frozen to death.

"That's strange. I remember there being a trade route around here. Why haven't we seen it after traveling so long?" Darius wondered aloud.

"We're lost."

Looking at the vast snowfield, I remembered the Man-eating Bear I had captured before. Now there were only the two of us. If we encountered similar ferocious beasts, it would be a considerable problem.

At the same time, I recalled that battle. Darius was present then and should know something:

"You saw my duel with the Man-eating Bear. Can you tell me what happened in the end? Why did the Man-eating Bear stop moving?"

"Stopped moving? Of course, you killed it. Otherwise, would it still consider you a brother? Hahaha..."

Darius burst into laughter. Since he said so, the audience in the stands probably thought the same. But I clearly felt the Man-eating Bear's intense rage at the time; it wouldn't fall easily. And its final gaze was filled with terror.

If it wasn't my imagination, that fear was an instinctive reaction. Is there any species that could make a Man-eating Bear afraid?

Darius shook his head at my question. "The only thing that can make a Man-eating Bear fearful is the legendary Freljordian Giant Sheep. They live in the far north and are unlikely to appear in an arena."

"Then have you considered what we would do if we encountered a fierce beast here?"

"We won't. Man-eating Bears rarely come to places this close to towns. Last time was just an accident."

"I'm not talking about Man-eating Bears. Look behind us."

Just as we were discussing the Giant Sheep, I suddenly noticed several animals following us. I couldn't see them clearly from a distance; they looked like wolves. This guess was confirmed by Darius:

"Oh, damn it. It's Northland Giant Wolves. These guys are much more troublesome than Man-eating Bears. Hurry up, we'll be safe once we reach my friend's territory."

Easier said than done. It was already dusk, and the gray horse had been running all day. It had no strength left and soon collapsed.

"There's no other way. Let's hope this horse can buy us some time. Run!"

We took off running. We didn't need to look back to know the gray horse was definitely torn to shreds. But trudging through the snow was exhausting, and soon the wolf pack caught up.

Darius stopped. "No more running. We'll die of exhaustion before we get eaten like this. Damn it, let's kill them!"

"It looks like we have no choice but to fight them!" I straightened my spear.

→

Wolves are social animals, especially showing strong cooperation during hunts. Darius and I decided to find and kill the alpha wolf leading the pack first.

As the wolf pack approached, I couldn't help but be secretly amazed. Are these wolves? Their size is comparable to African Mighty Lions, and there are more than twenty of them!

No wonder someone as big as Jeram was severely injured. So these wolves are this large!

The giant wolves quickly surrounded us. Darius and I defended back-to-back, and soon we spotted the alpha wolf behind them.

It was a magnificent beast, a bit larger than the other wolves, with lighter fur. It sat regally on a snowdrift.

Darius roared, "You pups are unlucky to run into me!"

Before the pack could charge, we attacked. The wolves in front quickly retreated, but others from different directions immediately closed in.

This situation reminded me of the ten-man squads in the arena; they would surround and not attack, slowly draining my stamina. These beasts are truly cunning. Perhaps humans learned from them.

Darius saw the situation was unfavorable and quickly retreated: "There are only two of us, and being surrounded by over twenty wolves like this is too much."

"Then what do we do? You used to be a commander, so you should have experience fighting outnumbered."

"Let's fight separately. It might seem disadvantageous, but it will disperse them to a great extent. Fighting ten at a time is better than two against twenty."

"Alright, let's do it."

I was a bit anxious, partly due to the immense psychological pressure and partly because it was too cold here. I urgently needed a fight to relieve the tension!

After discussing, we each charged into the fray. In the first wave of attacks, I successfully took down two giant wolves, one with a blow to the head and another by ripping open its belly.

Darius's side was more lively. He swung his great axe left and right, not killing any but heavily wounding many!

As expected of the Hand of Noxus, he never shied away from a direct fight! Of course, I, Zhao Xin, also had the resolve to charge into enemy lines, willing to die!

The giant wolves clearly hadn't expected us to be so powerful. With a howl from their leader, they quickly regrouped.

"What tricks are these guys playing now?" Darius wiped his axe blade with snow and then sat down on the spot.

"You're something else, daring to sit down at a time like this."

"Just taking a moment to recover. I don't have your youthful stamina."

"So you admit you're getting old, haha..."

The giant wolves stopped their encirclement and began to guard, retreating when we attacked and chasing when we fled.

This was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario. If we continued fighting, we might win at the cost of severe injuries. But with this kind of back-and-forth, if night fell, we would surely die!

"Is there any other way?" I asked Darius.

"The only way is to fight while retreating, slowly moving towards my old friend's camp. Hopefully, his sentries will spot us and send reinforcements."

"How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure. At least a day's journey on foot, but if we enter their scouting range, I think two hours should be enough."

We stood back-to-back again and slowly moved towards the camp. But not long after we started, we suddenly saw some dark spots appearing behind the wolf pack. The visibility was too poor to make out what they were.

Could it be locals? I hoped someone would pass by and help us. As we got closer, I realized it was another pack of Northland Giant Wolves!

This pack had about a dozen wolves, and their leader was also a large one with lighter fur. It seemed they were drawn by the scent of blood.

There was no choice; we had to fight them head-on. We charged again.

The first pack of wolves was clearly hesitant, constantly retreating. The newcomers, however, didn't hold back and pounced directly at us, their stamina full.

Following our previous tactics, we killed four more. At this point, the new pack leader personally intervened. It charged at Darius's side with incredible speed and, seizing an opening while he was attacking, lunged, aiming to bite his throat.

Darius twisted forcefully, dodging the attack, but slipped and fell. I rushed to protect him, only to find the first pack of wolves also closing in. They saw an opportunity to win!

At the critical moment, shouts of battle suddenly erupted from nearby. Without a doubt, this time it was humans!

We bolstered our spirits and moved closer together. There was no need to rush into an attack this time!

Soon, a group of large men arrived. They wore bone helmets and animal skin cloaks, wielding various weapons. They were barefoot even in this icy, snowy landscape.

Their arrival immediately turned the tide. They charged into the wolf pack and drove them away.

"Are these your friends?"

"No, I'm looking for the Noxus army, not these barbarians. This is Noxus territory, and their appearance here can't be for any good reason. Falling into their hands might be even worse!"