Runes determine our path

"Thank you very much for your assistance, Caitlyn." Although Garen had already expressed his gratitude to Illaoi earlier, now that they were in the resistance camp, he formally thanked Caitlyn.

"No need for thanks. Let's just say I'm repaying a favor." During the crisis years ago, when the werewolf Warwick ravaged Zaun and Piltover, Caitlyn had been almost completely helpless.

Warwick had used his keen sense of smell to chase her relentlessly, and his powerful hearing, which could pick up sounds from several kilometers away, helped him dodge every bullet she fired.

Caitlyn had tried every type of ammo. Her unique Hextech rifle could fire a wide range of projectiles, electric net rounds, armor-piercing bullets, and incendiary shots, but none of them worked against Warwick.

Not only did they fail to harm him, they barely even slowed him down. Warwick was too familiar with Hextech. His extraordinary reflexes rendered all her Hextech-dependent tactics useless. Her cleverness might help against other foes, but to Warwick, it was meaningless.

Zaun and Piltover were merely his hunting grounds. Caitlyn's intellect was no match for a monster like him.

Traps? Sure, she could set them, but who would act as bait? Warwick could cross all of Piltover in ten minutes. Who could lure him into a trap? Having a group wait in ambush? That's a joke. Warwick could probably smell them miles away.

"Alright then, do you know why Riven... the Crimson Elite, showed up here?" Garen naturally knew what Caitlyn meant by "repaying a favor." She was someone truly dedicated to freeing Piltover from the grip of underground crime, a woman who dreamed of a better Piltover.

To have to watch helplessly as her beloved city trembled and crumbled under Warwick's claws must've been unbearable. It was no surprise she was grateful to Garen, one of the two people who had saved the city.

"I'm not sure. According to our intel, Darius should be preparing to head to Freljord. Maybe that was false information." In front of Caitlyn hovered a holographic map of Runeterra. Shurima had mostly broken free of Noxian rule, but the city she loved, Piltover, remained under Darius's bloody, tyrannical control.

"Darius doesn't seem keen to hand over Zaun and Piltover. Two Crimson Elite operatives are no small force," Illaoi walked in then, still holding her idol of Nagakabouros, known as "Nagakaboros" or "God of Motion."

Lux is resting. The medics say she'll recover in a few days."

Two Crimson Elite.

Everyone knew Noxus's elite unit, the Crimson Elite, never operated alone. Besides Riven, another member was surely lurking in the shadows. That's why Illaoi had let Riven and Singed go.

The Crimson Elite were powerful warriors and even stronger assassins. Perhaps only the long-silent Ionia ninja clans could rival them. Attacking Riven without locating the other operative was essentially suicide.

"Thanks! But I still have one question for you." Garen had never expected to see Illaoi in Shurima. It was far too unusual.

"Speak, ranger who cast off honor and duty." Illaoi's words weren't wrong. Garen shouldn't have betrayed Noxus. He had been a friend of Darius and should have helped him sweep away the Empire's enemies. Yet now, he had become one of them.

"Why are you here, True Believer of Nagakabouros, to resist the Empire? The Empire's actions haven't violated your god's teachings." Garen knew about that powerful deity, Nagakabouros, the Great Serpent of Motion.

That god had no reason to oppose Noxus. Noxus's unification of Runeterra should've been perfectly aligned with the god's ideals, driving the advancement of civilization and motion.

"When you see the truth, you will no longer be deceived by illusions."

"The great Nagakabouros has shown me: someone is trying to bring motion to a halt!"

As she spoke, the air itself seemed to change. The desert took on a touch of ocean wind, damp and wild.

"And right now, in Runeterra, I don't know who else but Noxus could bring it all to a stop! Darius and those two cunning others are scheming in secret. Can you see it?"

"...Maybe you're right," Garen admitted. "But Darius has spent his life fighting for Noxus's rise. He wouldn't destroy it himself. Perhaps it's something else trying to destroy Runeterra."

Even now, Garen still tries to speak up for Darius. Though they were now enemies, they had once been friends. Their split had been a matter of ideals; Garen believed the twisted experiments of alchemists like Singed should be banned. Darius supported them:

"Alchemical enhancement of the human body may be the key to strengthening Noxians."

"Desire stirs chaos. He may no longer be the Darius you once knew."

"Let's set talk of emperors aside for now," Caitlyn interjected. "Taking Zaun and Piltover is the top priority. Whether you want to confront Darius or defeat him, you'll need those cities first."

If Illaoi was right, then Piltover, while she was away, might have suffered greatly under Darius. She wanted to understand her city's current state, and soon.

Meanwhile…

"Darius! Are you seriously not heading to Freljord to fight that mutation and are instead staying here to fight your bestie?"

Balyard sounded nervous. Calling Darius by name could easily get him beaten.

But now that his identity as the Lord of the Shadow Isles had been exposed, if he kept acting meek in front of Darius, Thresh might just lock him in a cage for months! Still… it came down to one thing: he was too weak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have to fear Darius.

"You better watch your mouth, you pathetic, useless excuse for a Shadow Isles monarch. Or you'll end up a corpse in the gutter."

Suddenly, a figure emerged behind Balyard, pressing a blade against his throat.

"I'm sorry!"

Sigh. You had to show weakness sometimes. These people were way too violent. Was resolving everything with fists the Noxian way? What about cunning and strategy?

He hoped that if a timeline existed where Demacia ruled Runeterra, maybe they'd be a little more civilized…

"Coward. As for the mutation, I will handle it."

Darius sat in the mayor's chair in Piltover City Hall. For a moment, he seriously considered chopping Balyard to pieces. But to stop a threat that could destroy all of Runeterra, the Shadow Isles' help could significantly improve their odds.

Being Emperor was no easy task. In truth, Darius had once supported Swain becoming Emperor and leading Noxus. But Swain had refused. Years of ruling had forced even a man as unyielding as Darius to make compromises.

"Can't you tell me what's going on, Darius Your Majesty?"

Balyard had learned his lesson. He didn't dare call him "Darius" again, at least, not after the blood lesson he got from the Crimson Elite blade behind him.

"We're allies now, right? I think I have the right to know your plan."

...Hopefully that didn't sound too arrogant?

"To defeat that creature, I need all of Noxus united. If the resistance continues to grow, we'll lose. Swain devised a trap to prevent Garen and Lux from joining them.

But Caitlyn had already been working on recruiting Garen. While we watched him, so did she. In Swain's plan, if our ambush worked, nothing else mattered. But if it failed, there was a fallback: have the resistance kill Lux, and drive a wedge between them and Garen."

Darius explained the plan to Balyard. But what truly shocked Balyard was how resolute Darius was about targeting Garen. This wasn't a world where Demacia and Noxus were enemies; they were friends here!

"You're not afraid that once Garen learns the truth, he'll become your mortal enemy?"

Who would want to taste the bitterness of losing a friend?

"I'm prepared for that."

Balyard suddenly felt a little sorry for Darius. The burden of empire had aged this man's soul. Because he was the Emperor, he had the duty to protect Noxians. And because of that duty, when his friend became an obstacle, he had to act with cold resolve.

"Maybe I can help. I'll try to persuade Garen and the resistance. The stronger we are, the better our chances against that creature."

"There's no need," a voice behind Balyard said coldly. It was the Crimson Elite operative. Balyard's suggestion annoyed him.

Lux will need two days of rest. I'll give you one," Darius said, addressing the man behind Balyard.

"After that, she's yours to deal with."