Iceborn Vindication (League of Legends FanFic)

Chapter One, The Frozen Wastes.

        Everything was white. All around there was nothing but endless tundra, and the only movement for miles was the gentle fall of snowflakes. As they fell, a few came to rest upon a motionless figure, lying face-down in the snow. The shape was almost completely still, save for a weak breath that would shudder through its body every now and then. Time passed; it could have been an hour, it could have been days. In the snowy domain, there was no way to tell the time. Nevertheless, some kind of change occurred within the corpse, and it rose on shaky and uncertain legs, testing itself to see if it truly was alive, and if it could find anything else hidden in the snow.

        The man looked around, for a man he was, searching for a shape or landmark in the wasteland surrounding him. However, despite his efforts, nothing could be detected in the unending frost. Disheartened, but not to the point of giving up, the man took a few tentative steps forward, his tattered scarf blowing in the wind as some of the snow began falling off of his heavy winter clothing. Almost instantaneously, however, he fell back into the snow, his legs crumpling beneath his unfamiliar weight, betraying him to the cold embrace of the snow once more.

        After some time, the man stood back up, his resolve stronger than before. This time, the man had made is at least ten paces before he had been forced to pause for breath. He wished just to lie down, to surrender himself to the soft embrace of the comfortable white fluff, but he knew that if he did so, he would never arise from his chilling bed. The man forced himself to keep moving, groaning with the effort. After a few moments an idea dawned on him, and he reached to his back, pulling out two identical swords from their sheathes. He grasped the hilts and began to use his blades as trekking poles, aiding him in his trek through the frozen wastes.

        The endless tundra, as its allegedly given name indicates, felt indeed like it was without end. How long he wandered cannot be said. After a period of time however, he stumbled and fell upon a piece of ice jutting out from the ground, nearly impaling himself on one of his swords. Despite the unfortunate stumble, when he looked up, he saw the most encouraging sight he had seen since waking up; the maw of a cave.

          It wasn't a massive hole gaping in the earth, nor was it an animal's hovel. By looking into the entrance, the man saw that it continued a decent ways, possibly connecting to an entire underground system. He grinned underneath his cloth mask, before gathering himself and continuing forth.

        As the man stumbled in, he realized that the howling winds had now quieted themselves, leaving him in  silence once he had made it far enough into the cave. It was not just silence, it was a complete, unadultered absence of sound. The peace that came with it was both beautiful and terrifying, for it was something the man had never experienced before. He knelt down, planting both swords in the hard-packed dirt beneath him, and had a moment of reverent respect. Before him the cavern deepened, the tunnels lit with glowing ice hanging from the ceiling. After recovering some strength, he stood back up, venturing even farther into the unknown territory. 

        As he got deeper in the icy caverns, the temperature began to drop even more, and it was then that the man realized that he had not been cold this whole time, or rather, the cold hadn't been uncomfortable. Somehow, he didn't feel affected by the chill winter's bite. Instead, he felt like it had embraced him like a friend with whom he hadn't seen in ages. What this entailed, the man was not sure. However, he didn't have much time to think upon this revelation, for as he continued to stumble through the dimly lit cave, he heard the trickle of water and realized that he was parched beyond belief.

        The man tripped over stones and protruding icicles until he fell next to the life-giving flow. As he moved to drink, he realized that he was still wearing the mask that protected his face from the wind. He desperately pulled the cloth down over his neck, revealing his mouth, and plunged his face into the water. It was freezing, as cold as the ice surrounding him, yet he drank greedily, filling his stomach with as much of the sweet liquid as he could. His body shivered with relief as life flowed back into his each and every limb, and he sighed with relief and satisfaction. After he had drank, however, he became aware of his hunger. Hunger was not be an understatement, for he was beyond ravenous. This hunger consumed him even more than his thirst had, and he gasped with surprise, clawing at his empty stomach. The sudden, blinding pain made him cry out. His voice echoed throughout the cave system, and the tunnels morphed the sound into a lower, more animalistic tone. After a few moments, however, he realized that the sound hadn't subsided, and he sat up, his momentary flare of agony having subsided, though his empty stomach still complained loudly. He felt a chill go up his spine, and now the cold felt harsh, not friendly. The growling had gotten louder, and before him stood a colossal beast.