Arming for War

Riven, several other soldiers, and I fled together. It took us all night to shake off the enemy's pursuit. We were only able to keep up thanks to the thick fog, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to stop!

I was surrounded by four berserkers and two barbarians. I didn't know their names, but fighting side by side made us feel like old friends.

We stopped running but didn't rest, continuing our journey for another day, hoping we hadn't lost our way in the thick fog. After the fog cleared, we encountered four more barbarians fleeing for their lives, bringing our group to twelve.

We didn't have much food to begin with, and besides, everyone else had a big appetite, so the food ran out quickly.

Fortunately, it's spring now, and many animals have awakened. With Riven and me being skilled, catching some wild game is a piece of cake.

Because of the war, the villages we passed through were deserted, making it a major problem to start a fire.

We each carried two fat rabbits. We had also caught a huge wild boar, but it was too heavy to carry on the journey, so we abandoned it, much to the envy of the barbarians.

They had lived in poverty for a long time, and even when they finally saw some meat, they couldn't get any to eat.

Judging from their eyes, if they were starved for another two days, they would eat raw food. Even if I didn't try to stop them now, they would do it anyway!

Persistence pays off. When we arrived at the third village, we finally found flint left behind by the people. With the help of the discarded tools, we had a hearty meal. But before we could even wipe our mouths clean, we suddenly heard people talking outside.

"Why does it smell so good? Someone in the village is cooking! Be careful!"

That's a Noxus accent! Could it be that Darius and his men have already advanced?

The barbarians and berserkers quickly stood up, ready for battle. I told them to lower their guard; this was not the enemy.

Although they sat down as I told them, the wariness in their eyes hadn't disappeared. To dispel their doubts, Riven and I went outside.

Seeing people come out of the house, the Noxus soldiers all drew their weapons. Riven then approached them. "Hey, whose team are you?"

"Riven! We are Colonel Russo's men!"

"Now that Russo is here, is General Darius arriving soon as well?"

"Yes, the Great General is about 30 kilometers away. We'll come over once we've scouted the terrain."

"Take me to see Russo."

"Yes!"

Just as the soldiers were about to lead the way, Riven shouted towards the house, "Come out! They won't hurt you!"

As a dozen Great Han appeared, the soldiers were startled. Riven quickly explained that they were not enemies and that they were only forced into this situation by circumstances.

We arrived at Russo's camp, the vanguard of the War Axe Legion. After Riven explained what had happened, everyone who came with us was treated to a good meal.

"I never imagined the Avarosa tribe would be in such disarray. I thought they were very united," Russo said.

"I've already explained everything clearly, but I need to trouble you with one more thing, Colonel Russo."

"Please say that although you have left the War Axe Legion, everyone understands the feelings you have for us."

"More than two hundred people escaped with us. Please order that the fleeing Freljord people not be stopped. If you find them, please bring them here."

Russo agreed to Riven's request, since these people were no longer enemies; on the contrary, they might become powerful allies.

So we waited there for a day. Of the 232 men, 188 returned. The whereabouts of the rest are unknown; they are very likely dead in battle.

Most of them were barbarians, because they had already begun confronting the Avarosa before we arrived, and their stamina was not as abundant as the berserkers.

After we gathered, we rested for a day in Russo. The Noxus army was well-trained and well-supplied, so they didn't care about the rations for an extra two hundred men.

Early on the third day, Darius arrived with his army. "It seems the prophecy the Tabor Family gave you has been fulfilled."

"It was extremely difficult. If it weren't for a benefactor's help, I probably wouldn't be where I am today." I briefly recounted what had happened to Darius, mainly focusing on Mona's assistance.

"I'm not worried about the two of you; an ordinary army would have a hard time holding you back. My only concern is that your loyal friends might suffer heavy casualties."

"But the powerful tribe found a way out of their predicament." I repeated the second half of the prophecy.

Jeram walked up to Darius, looked him over carefully, and suddenly remembered their encounter on the snowfield years ago. "It's you!"

"Hahaha... Long time no see, your name is... Jeram?"

"You have a good memory. I never imagined that the person I saved back then was the famous Darius. Whew..." Jeram let out a long sigh, his expression unreadable.

"What? If you had known it was me back then, would you have chopped me up and used me as a snack with your drinks?"

"That's hard to say, but now it's your turn to show mercy."

"Hahaha... Don't you think it's all fate?" Many people didn't understand, but they all laughed along.

Since the war began, it was nominally Noxus invading Freljord, but in reality, both the berserkers and the barbarians were being slaughtered by their own people.

Therefore, their hatred for Noxus is far less than their hatred for Winter's Claw and Avarosa. Now that Darius has extended a helping hand, they certainly won't resist, especially given my connection to him.

After days of intense fighting, we finally got a chance to catch our breath and rested at the Noxus military camp.

With Russo's troops leading the way, the Noxus army did not stop its advance. News also came from Demacia that they had advanced to within 100 kilometers of the Avarosa tribe and were preparing for battle.

The barbarians had no doubts; they were going back to avenge their people. They only had about sixty men left, having suffered nearly half their casualties in the past few days. Moreover, Ashe and Tryndamere's relationship was still unresolved.

A disagreement arose among the Berserkers: Olaf wanted to go back and confront Sejuani, while Jeram wanted to advance on Avarosa as soon as possible because Mona was still with Bernie.

"Don't you care at all about the feelings of your people? You're going to save a woman?"

"That wasn't an ordinary woman; she saved us all."

"What's wrong with going later?"

"Isn't it the same to go find Sejuani later? Besides, with only a hundred or so of us, do you think we're a match for her? I doubt we can even handle Udyr!"

"You!"

"Stop arguing!"

Both Hris and I said that he was trying to break up the fight, while I wanted to relay Sejuani's words to them.

I haven't had time to explain in detail these past few days, but now it's time to clarify.