Taric drudged through the snow, the cold, near-blinding blizzard not slowing his advance. His eyes scanned the area, searching carefully for his quarry: the tribe fleeing a storm, led by a woman with a scar.
Taric had received the vision from the Protector earlier that week. A tribe in the cold reaches of Freljord fleeing a great storm of lightning and teeth. This tribe would be snuffed out of existence completely if he could not reach them before the storm consumed them.
Suddenly, Taric caught a glimpse of something in his eye. He turned towards the source. It was a torch, held aloft by a woman, a scar having blinded her left eye. This was her. This was the woman leading the tribe. He made his way to her, tightening his grip on his mace. Eventually, the woman saw him, and she drew her sword. Taric noted that in the center of the crossguard, there was some kind of blue gemstone, a kind that differed greatly from those that perpetually hovered around him.
The woman spoke first. "Name yourself," she said. Taric could tell that she was nervous of his presence. Maybe it was the floating gemstones that gave him away. Taric could see other shapes moving through the fog. The rest of the tribe. Despite Taric having the Protector's magic at his side, he doubted that he would be able to take on so many at once if they decided he was a threat.
"I am Taric," he replied. "Shield of Valoran, Endurer of the Crown of Stone, Aspect of the Protector." Despite being a relative newcomer to the far north, Taric had made sure to familiarize himself with local customs. "I believe it is only fair I learn your name as well." He further tightened his grip on his mace. Until both parties had named their leaders, to lower one's weapon was a sign of weakness.
"I am Karina," the woman replied. "Iceborn Warmother of the Heljak tribe, Slayer of Trolls, Spite of the Ursine. You are not of these lands, Taric, Shield of Valoran." She lowered her sword as Taric lowered his mace.
"No, I am not," Taric replied. "I received a vision, I came to these lands to protect you."
Karina suddenly threw her head back and laughed. "None can protect us from what we are being chased by," she said. "I should know, I fought them before. How do you think I got this scar?"
"What are you being chased by," he asked.
"You were not warned of them," Karina asked. "You know our customs, so I am surprised you have not learned of their existence. They are the Ursine, followers of the great bear, the old god of storms and war. Their faith to him has twisted their minds and bodies, turned them into savage beasts no better than animals. I was in a raiding party of a dozen Iceborn sent into their lands to gain vengeance for a caravan they had ambushed. I was the only survivor. They have hounded us since, decimating our lands and driving us from our villages. This band is all that remains of the Heljak tribe."
"Then we had best seek shelter," Taric asked. "I came over the mountains just south of here. I did see a number of caves that were large enough to conceal a tribe your size. Perhaps you could seek shelter in them."
Karina shook her head. "Those mountains are the territory of the Winter's Claw. They attack any tribe smaller than themselves, forcing them to incorporate or die. We would never hold against their warbands."
"Surely it is a more appealing alternative than being slaughtered by the Ursine in this valley," Taric suggested.
Karina bit her lip as she considered her options. "You make an appealing argument, Taric," she said. She turned back to the tribe, which had gathered and gave curious faces.
"My people," she began, "We cannot rest in this valley, and we cannot move beyond, for we will not last the night. However, it seems the Three Sisters have smiled on us, this stranger, who calls himself Taric, has told me that there is a cave in the mountains to our south that can shelter us for the night. We will move inside and leave at first light tomorrow."
"But the mountains are Winter's Claw," someone shouted from the crowd. "If they discover us, we will be killed for intruding on their territory."
"That is a chance I am willing to take," Karina replied. "The Ursine would treat us no better. At least by hiding in a cave, we have a defensive advantage."
Taric saw the various members of the tribe mumble among themselves for a moment, before Karina pointed towards the south with her sword. "We make haste, we must reach the mountains before nightfall." As the tribe began to move out, she turned to Taric. "Thank you, Shield of Valoran," she said. "I would ask you to spend the night with us. For as cold as it is during the day, it gets even colder at night. As you are not Iceborn, I would advise you to shelter with us."
Taric nodded, for he sensed his task was far from complete, then followed them south to the mountains.
Taric helped guide the tribe members up the mountain. There were even less than he had expected, less than a hundred people. He had arrived barely in time. He looked up towards the cave entrance, Karina was guiding people inside slowly, Taric noticed she was being especially careful with a pregnant woman, who seemed dangerously close to giving birth. Taric noticed that Karina had seen him observing how delicate she was with the woman, and he turned his attention to helping people up the path.
Taric saw a child, barely ten years old, gripping the rocks in terror. He seemed to be terrified of falling, to the point where his fear had immobilized him. Taric slowly shouldered his way past the other tribespeople to the child. "It's alright," he said. "What is your name?"
"Jordir," the boy replied.
"Why are you afraid of falling," Taric asked.
"I fell through some ice once," the boy said. "I nearly froze to death. I was lucky I survived at all."
"It's alright," Taric said, stretching out his arm. "Give me your hand and I'll catch you if you fall."
"You sure," Jordir asked, his eyes reflecting his terror.
"I'm a lot stronger than I look," Taric said. "I promise, I won't let you slip."
The boy slowly took Taric's hand, and he let Taric slowly guide him across the narrow part of the path. Once he reached the cave, he saw that the rest of the tribe, with the exception of Karina, had moved inside. Karina took the boy into her arms and carried him in. Taric walked in after her.
He was surprised how quickly the tribe had made itself at home inside the cave. Despite being directly between two of their sworn enemies, the Heljak Tribe seemed to be unusually comfortable living in it. Taric saw that Karina had placed the boy with a group that he had assumed contained his mother, then had made her way over to a beast of burden. She untied a waterskin from the ropes across its back and took it over to another corner, where the pregnant woman and a man Taric believed was the baby's father, were resting. Karina handed the woman the waterskin, then turned towards Taric. "My daughter, Yevir," Karina said. "Barely 19 winters, and already preparing for her first child."
"My congratulations," Taric said. "You must be proud of her."
"Worried more than anything," Karina replied. "You cannot raise a child without a hearth to warm them, especially here in the far north. If it were up to me, she would carry the baby indefinitely until we found a place to settle and give them the stable life they deserve. But that is not an option, and a child in its mother's womb rarely has a sense of when is a good time."
"We all have choices," Taric replied. "And we all have our own path and can choose whether or not to take it, mine was to ascend Mount Targon and become the Aspect of the Protector. Yours was to become the warmother of your tribe. If the child chooses that now is the time to begin its own path, then only the stars themselves can stop them."
"I see, Taric," Karina said. "Tell me, you seem quite young, yet you have wisdom far beyond your years. Tell me, what led you to such a place?"
Taric considered the question before he replied. "Once, I was a soldier in Demacia, the place you call the southern lands. I was promoted to the highest position a soldier can reach there, the Dauntless Vanguard."
"So, what happened," Karina asked.
"I found myself at odds with my own personality," Taric replied, hesitating. "I had duties to perform, yet those duties kept me from being my true self. I visited a temple to consider my life path. As I meditated, the others in my unit went on patrol. Bandits attacked and slaughtered them. I was slated for execution."
"What saved your neck," Karina said, raising an eyebrow.
"My friend, Garen Crownguard," Taric replied. "He proposed an alternative punishment, the Crown of Stone. I was to be exiled from Demacia, and if I wished to return, I had to ascend to the peak of Mount Targon, the tallest mountain in the world."
"Tallest mountain in the world, not just in its region," Karina asked.
"Correct," Taric said. "By a rather large margin. It towered above the surrounding mountains, like a huge pillar reaching for the stars themselves. These mountains were but hills compared to Targon. But the mountain is a fickle thing, the path to its peak is not constant, it is constantly shifting, twisting, no two ascents are ever the same. Many die before they reach the summit. Those that do often either took months, or reached it in a single day. In the rare case where someone who is worthy ascends to the peak, local tradition states that they face one final test. Those who pass become an embodiment of an aspect of life in Targon, like the Aspect of the Sun, or the Aspect of Might. I became the Aspect of the Protector, charged with protecting life across the whole of the world."
"And this Protector sent you to us," she asked.
"I am a servant of its will," Taric replied. "I go where the stars command."
"Then I pray for the stars to aid us," Karina said. "For your sake." Karina then turned and made her way deeper into the cave, moving to help another group of tribespeople. Taric simply remained rooted to the spot, Karina's message clear.
Taric gripped the stone face of the cliff, his fingers digging into the ice. He glanced down and his heart froze as he saw the ghost of a man who had failed the climb before him, reaching up to grab his leg. He tried to shake it off, but the spectre's grip was iron. His hand slipped. Weightlessness claimed him as the peak rose high over him and Taric fell, limbs flailing, down the mountain.
Taric woke with a start. He slowly righted himself from the position he had laid down in and placed his head in his hands.
Despite having successfully ascended the peak, Taric still had nightmares of climbing Mount Targon. The feat had nearly claimed his life and soul several times, and yet he had reached the summit of the mountain. He tried his best to put it out of his mind.
As Taric's senses slowly returned to him, he became aware of a screaming from within the cave. He grabbed his mace and made his way over to the source. It was the pregnant woman, Yevir, Karina's daughter, and she was in labor.
"How far apart are the contractions," a man asked, who Taric believed was the tribe's shaman.
"Very close," Yevir replied. Her husband clasped her hand tightly in his. "By the sisters, they hurt!"
"Is everything alright," Karina asked, carrying a bundle of some kind in her arms.
"She is stronger than she knows," the shaman replied, taking the bundle and placing it beside himself. "But the onset of full labor was much faster than normal. We must move quickly if the child is to be delivered safely."
"Is there anything I can do to help," Taric asked. Karina looked up, her eyes seemed to say that she wanted to say yes, but the shaman spoke first.
"Unless you have ever delivered a child, I'm afraid you'll only be in our way," he said. "Remain aside and allow me to do my job." There was nothing more to be said. Karina stood up and walked over to Taric, being careful to step over everyone else there.
"My apologies, Taric," she said. "But the shaman has spoken, and though he can be more stubborn than the ram god of old, I respect his judgement."
Taric opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of distant thunder cut him off. Karina turned suddenly, and Taric could see the hairs on the back of her neck raising. "No, it can't be," she said. She rushed past Taric towards the cave entrance. Taric followed close behind, and paused just inside the entrance.
The blizzard had lessened, but a huge storm cloud was on the horizon. Lightning flashed within, and Taric could see the faint outlines of warriors in the snowstorm beneath it. But these weren't men. They were various eldritch hybrids of man and bear, so utterly alien that Taric was unsettled just looking at them.
"The Ursine," Karina said. A snarl was in her voice. "They have found us."
"Can we try to flee," Taric asked.
"We have nowhere to go," Karina replied. "If we try to move through the valley the Ursine will run us down. The scouts found another exit deeper in, but it leads into Winter's Claw territory. And if we ignore both of those problems, my daughter is in labor. She cannot be moved."
"Then we have no choice but to stand our ground," Taric said. He felt the Protector's magic flow into him, and he felt its strength coiling itself around his mace and the crystals that perpetually floated around him. "We must fight."
"And fight we will," Karina said.
Within an hour, Karina had rallied the Heljak tribe's remaining Iceborn warriors. They numbered only a dozen, Karina included.
"Thirteen warriors," Karina said solemnly. "Thirteen warriors to defend eighty people. I doubt it will be enough."
"It will be," Taric replied. "The Protector would not have sent me if this was a lost cause."
"Then there is nothing more to be said," Karina replied. She stepped to leave, but Taric motioned for her to stop. He reached for the crystals above his right shoulder, willing them to hover near Karina. They encircled her, and they could all see a faint line of stardust tying the two together.
"Stay near me and Karina," Taric said. "We shall lead the charge that will break the Ursine's ranks."
"But charging directly into their lines is suicide," one of the warriors shouted.
"Have faith," Taric replied, but he caught a glimpse of Karina glaring at him, and he realized that he shouldn't have said that. Faith to their god is what twisted the Ursine into the abominations they were. And now he was asking them to place their faith in a stranger with otherworldly power. Taric did not speak, he simply motioned towards the entrance.
As he and the other warriors stepped out into the cold winter air, Taric looked down to the base of the mountain. The Ursine had crossed the valley with alarming speed. It was as if they were running from the Winged Protector herself. The rough terrain would slow them down, but Taric knew that it would not stop them.
"Down the path," Karina said. "Quickly now, before they determine the safest route up." Taric lead the warband down the path they took up to the cave. By the time he had reached the bottom, the Ursine were rapidly closing in.
"Taric and I will break their lines," Karina said, the crystal in her sword glowing an unearthly blue. "Stay behind us and pick off stragglers as they run past." Taric could sense the other warriors fidgeting nervously. Most of them had seen battle before, but this was their first time fighting the Ursine in open conflict.
Taric planted his feet in the snow, the blizzard had picked up again, obscuring his vision. Suddenly, there, movement. He glimpsed a creature charging at the band of warriors. It was a hulking abomination, something resembling a bear with a human head, and several swords were lodged in its back. Taric waited for it to get close, then swung his mace. He caught it on the side of its face, and it fell to the ground, stunned, but very much alive.
Karina didn't wait a second. She plunged her sword into the creature's temple, severing the brain stem. The creature cried out in pain, before freezing solid as whatever magic fueled Karina's blade seeped into its blood. She then kicked the head, shattering the beast from the shoulders up. "There will be more," she said. "Stand your ground."
As if on cue, another shape emerged from the fog. Taric swung again as it neared, and this time, his arm was true. He brought the mace down on the neck of this creature, a bear's head and body with human limbs, smashing the spine. Even if it somehow survived the blow, it was incapacitated. Then another emerged, followed by two more. Before long, the fog before them was nothing more than a writhing mass of half-human, half-bear creatures.
Taric and Karina fought hard, but occasionally one slipped past. The other warriors picked them off easily, but at the rate they were coming, it wouldn't be long before they were overwhelmed. Suddenly, Taric could see the main mass emerging from the fog. Various assorted combinations of bear and human emerged, screaming unnatural battle cries.
"Now," Taric cried. He called on the Protector's magic, and he felt its cosmic radiance flow into him. As he lept forward, he glimpsed Karina, her outline visible as starlight shone from her brighter than the sun. The other warriors were directly behind them.
The Ursine were caught by surprise. Blinded by the brilliance of the thirteen warriors, some turned and fled. Others simply stood dumbfounded. Taric and Karina didn't waste their chance. They mercilessly cut down the greatest of the Ursine warriors, the other Iceborn behind them cutting down the stragglers before they could recuperate. Before Taric even knew it, the battle was over.
Taric collapsed to his knees, and he was forced to drop his mace to keep himself from face-planting in the snow. Karina rushed over to him, catching him before his elbows gave out. "Apologies," Taric said. "Using so much of the Protector's magic at once is very taxing on my body. I can still stand, but whether I'm battle-ready is another matter."
"I don't think it matters," one of the Iceborn cried. "We drove the Ursine off. Your Protector's magic has saved us."
"I doubt it," Karina replied. "The Ursine are relentless, and though they'll think twice, I have no doubt we'll see a second wave."
Suddenly, thunder crashed in the distance, and Taric looked up to see a storm cloud was gathering. Lightning was striking at alarming frequency within it, as if the cloud was filled with rageful spite.
"They've summoned Valhir himself," Karina said. "The Volibear has come."
"I will face him," Taric said, shakily rising to his feet. "Everyone else return to the cave. You should be prepared for a counterattack."
"But Taric, you said it yourself," Karina said. "You can barely stand, much less fight."
"I don't have much of a choice," Taric replied. "I can at least stall him long enough to ensure you can collapse the entrance and keep it sealed against him."
"No, there must be another way," Karina said. "Maybe we can draw the Ursine away for our people to flee."
"No," Taric shouted, turning to Karina. He realized that her eyes had turned somber, as if pleading him not to make this stand. His eyes gave all the reply he needed to give. Karina nodded, then motioned for her warriors to return to the cave. Taric waited until they melted into the fog, then turned back to the storm cloud. It was rapidly approaching, the storm-god within boiling with anger. Taric began to move towards the storm cloud, his first step crunching the snow uncomfortably loud underfoot.
The blizzard continued to grow in intensity as Taric continued to move through it towards the center. The snow was falling so rapidly, that a visible layer of snow accumulated on his armor between strides. Then, without warning, the wind stopped. It caught Taric by surprise, and he nearly fell over from adjusting his stride to a force that was no longer there. He looked up, and the storm still raged above him. When he looked forward, he saw a forest. This must have been the forest the Heljak tribe ran through to reach this valley. But something was emerging from the trees.
This was no abomination that walked from the treeline. It was completely bear, there were no human elements to it aside from the fact that it was walking upright on its hind legs. Taric had wondered if these old gods of the Freljord were like the Aspects of Targon, choosing mortals as their vessels and eventually turning their flesh to suit their preferred appearance, but as Taric looked on, he doubted that this creature was ever human. The bear's white fur was inscribed with runic symbols, and its hairy mane was tied into braids that fell down over its chest, tied with two enormous rune stones. Its claws, arms, and legs were braced with some kind of crystal, resembling frozen lightning. Taric caught a glimpse of similar crystals sprouting from its back, resembling swords. He could tell why the modern people of the Freljord called it "The Thousand-Pierced Bear".
The creature looked down to him, and to Taric's surprise, it spoke. "Stand aside, creature," it said, its surprisingly human-sounding voice booming like thunder. "It is unwise to stand before the storm."
Taric tightened his grip on mace, and the Volibear frowned. "Then you have made your choice," the creature said. It raised its paw, the lightning crystals that formed its claws crackling with energy. Taric braced to dodge, but to his surprise, the creature only paused, its paw crackling with raw power. Taric heard a crumbling around him, and he looked down to see a runic symbol being burned into the ground by several small lightning strikes. Taric glanced up and saw the power of the storm was gathering above him.
He reacted instantly, he lept to the side, just before the lightning struck. The clap of thunder deafened Taric, and he heard a ringing as a hot liquid ran down the side of his face from his ears. He realized that the sound had ruptured his eardrums.
As he recovered, Taric glanced up and saw the Volibear was preparing to bring its other claw down on him. Taric rolled, just as the paw flattened the snow where he had been standing just then. He saw a gap in the crystal bracing the creature's arm, and Taric swung his mace, aiming to bury one of the blades in it. As it passed through, lightning jumped from the crystal, and Taric felt a sudden, powerful blast, forcing him back to the ground. Taric glanced over and saw he was still holding his mace, but when he looked up, he saw the Volibear preparing to bring both of its paws down on him.
Taric rolled again, bringing himself to his feet. Taric then acted on instinct, jumping on the bear's arm. Surprised, the Volibear tried to shake him off, but Taric held on for dear life. He summoned a smaller burst of the Protector's power, shooting it into the Volibear's eyes. Stunned, the creature seemed to be temporarily blinded. Taric saw his chance. He ran up the creature's arm and smacked it across the jaw with his mace, and Taric could see blood spill from the wound. The bear creature roared suddenly, and Taric was thrown from its shoulder, landing on his back in the snow.
Taric, now stunned himself, looked up at the bear creature, it had recovered from both strikes, something it seemed to have regarded as an annoyance, but now it seemed genuinely angered. The Volibear parted its lips in a snarl, then prepared to bring its paws down on Taric, it was prepared to deliver the killing blow. Taric tried to find his legs, but he had no strength to move them. This was it, he realized. This is how I die. He had nothing more to say. He simply closed his eyes and prepared to accept his fate. He heard the Volibear roar, but the final strike never came.
Taric opened one eye, then saw the bear creature grasping its neck, reaching for something that seemed to have grabbed its attention. It twirled around, and Taric saw a figure had buried its sword in the back of the creature's neck, it seemed to be a woman. "Karina," he said weakly.
Karina continued to hold onto the sword for dear life, she seemed to be trying to bury it deeper in the Volibear's neck, but every time she managed to get both hands on it, the bear swung wildly, causing her to lose her grip. Taric eventually managed to stand up, and she saw him. She seemed to be shouting something. Taric had to listen closely to make out her words.
"Taric, your mace," she cried. "Throw it to me!"
Taric realized what she had planned. He threw the blade weapon to her, curving through the air like a swung hatchet. She grabbed the handle with her free hand, then struck down on the hilt of her sword with the flat of one of the blades, the sword still gripped with her other hand. The blade was driven deeper into the Volibear's neck, almost to the cross guard.
The Volibear cried out in pain, and Karina dropped down, landing on her feet. The Volibear tried to reach for the blade, but the ice magic of the blade spread out from the wound, turning the entire creature to ice. The Volibear was frozen, reaching up for the skies. Then, lightning striked its outstretched paw, and the entire beast shattered. Taric shielded himself from the shower of ice, and Karina ducked, covering her head. Taric looked on at the pile of loose ice shards, surprised that the Volibear had fallen so easily.
Karina stood up and made her way to the pile, finding her sword among the rubble and sheathing it. She scoffed at the pile as the storm dissipated. "It seems even a god cannot contain the power of a true ice weapon," Karina said. "That, or whatever vessel he had was not Iceborn."
"So is the Volibear dead," Taric asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but he couldn't help but ask it aloud.
"I don't think so," Karina replied. "We have angered him, no doubt, but we have destroyed his vessel. I doubt he will give us trouble for some time yet." She looked up to Taric and could tell the question on his mind. "I know, you told me to wait in the cave," she said.
"So why didn't you," Taric asked.
"You saved my people," Karina replied. "I felt it only fair to at least try to return the favor. Also, no one can hope to stand against the Volibear alone." She smiled, and Taric couldn't help but smile as well. "Come," she said. "Let us return to the cave."
As Taric and Karina walked into the cave, the shaman rushed to greet them. "Karina, Taric," he said.
"What is it," Karina asked, a look of worry on her face. "Is it my daughter, has something happened to her child?"
"No," the shaman replied. "In fact, they were born healthy."
"They," Taric asked, confused.
"Yevir had twins," the shaman said, a look of joy on his face. "A boy and a girl."
Karina's mouth hung agape, as Taric's eyes widened in shock. "Come, see for yourself." The shaman guided them to Yevir's alcove. Inside, Taric saw Yevir, two babies wrapped in fur blankets held in her arms. The husband was laying beside her, his arm wrapped around Yevir.
"I heard the rumors," Yevir said. "Is it true, are the Ursine defeated?"
"For the moment, yes," Taric said. "They have been routed, though it was your mother who delivered the killing blow unto the Volibear's vessel."
"Valhir himself came," she asked. "By the sisters, they must have been angry."
"But as Taric proclaimed, the Volibear's vessel is destroyed, and the Ursine are routed," Karina replied. "I doubt they will trouble us for some years. As for Taric himself, he may not have dealt the killing blow to their god, but he at least gave us a fighting chance, and for that, I name him friend of the Heljak tribe. He may come and go as he pleases."
"Thank you," Taric said. "In the meantime, I must be on my way. Already, the Protector is pulling me elsewhere."
"Taric, wait," Yevir said. "It is not customary in the Freljord to not name a child until they survive their first winter, but I would call my son by your name in honor of what you did for us today. Before you leave, I would give you the honor of naming my daughter."
Taric paused, rooted in place. "I'm not sure asking me to name your child is wise," Taric replied.
"Please," Yevir said. "I insist."
Taric stood for a moment, considering names he could give the girl. "Very well," he said. "I name her Kayle, in honor of the Winged Protector of Demacia."
"Kayle," Yevir said, as if turning the name with her tongue. "I like that name. Taric and Kayle, those would be the names of my children. Thank you, Taric, Shield of Valoran, both for saving us and for naming my daughter."
Taric nodded, then continued to the exit. He saw Jordir was looking on at him in awe. Taric could tell he had inspired the boy, no doubt. Taric wondered what would become of him? He then noticed Karina walking beside him. "So then, what's next for you," she asked. "Where do you travel now?"
"The Protector shall guide me," Taric replied as he stepped outside. The dawn was beginning to break. "But I do know that my task here is done, the Protector would not be tugging on my mind to travel elsewhere if this was not the case. What of you, what will you do now?"
"I do not know either," Karina replied. "But we cannot stay here. In this cave, it is only a matter of time until the Winter's Claw finds us. But at the same time, it is a good defensive position. Perhaps we will collapse the entrance on the Winter's Claw's side of the mountain, and claim this valley for our own. This terrain is pretty rough, I doubt they would be willing to try to travel over it to reach us."
"Very well," Taric replied. "Choose the path you think is best for your people. As for me, I must be on my way."
"I see," Karina said. "Good luck, Taric, Shield of Valoran."
"Good luck unto you, Karina," Taric replied, as he felt the Protector's magic pull him upwards. He continued to glance down at Karina as she watched him fly off into the distance, and Taric turned forward, ready to save whatever needed to be protected next.