Monster Hunter in League of Legends

Neeko, the 142nd champion in League of Legends, hails from the long-lost Vastaya race, the Misttail.

If Rengar's Flesh-toothed Beasts are Vastayan with human and lion characteristics, and Nidalee's Pakarin Cats are Vastayan with human and cheetah characteristics, then Neeko is a Vastayan with human and chameleon characteristics.

However, unlike wild creatures such as the Flesh-toothed Beasts and Pacarin Cats, the Misttails, who live in Ionia, love peace and also possess talents far exceeding those of ordinary Vastaya due to their innate bloodline.

Sure enough, when Nidalee heard Tarin suddenly utter an unfamiliar name, not to mention the little cat hiding in the shadows, she immediately showed a look of surprise.

Nidalee glanced at the herd of beasts, then asked in a low voice, "Who is Neeko? Do you know her? Or...did you 'see' her?"

Nidalee didn't know what Neeko was, but she knew that Tarin could see fragments of the past and future.

For example, the fact that Tarin noticed something unusual about the beast herd right now undoubtedly proves that Tarin may have seen things about Neeko in some fragments of his future.

Upon hearing Nidalee's question, Tarin nodded and then said, "Indeed, it was someone I saw in your future—a Vastayan from Ionia."

"Vastayan from Ionia?" Nidalee asked, a hint of curiosity on her face.

During her time living in Tallinn, Nidalee also learned that Ionia was the origin and homeland of all Vastaya.

In this context, why would an Ionian from the ancestral lands of the Vastayans come to Ixtal and secretly join their herd?

Upon seeing Nidalee's curious expression, Tarin calmly explained:

"Their race is called the Misttail Clan. Unlike you, the Vastaya of the Misttail Clan are perfectly in harmony with the spiritual realm, so their 'Soma,' or soul, can merge with the creatures around them, allowing them to mimic corresponding appearances, perceive the memories of others, and even manipulate their emotions."

Upon hearing Tarlin's account, Nidalee couldn't help but show surprise.

As a wild animal, Nidalee certainly knew what this ability to disguise represented. Similarly, she was well aware of how terrifying and powerful the ability to mimic the appearance of other creatures and perceive their memories and emotions was.

Not only Nidalee, but also Neeko, hiding behind the mother beast and listening to Tarin's story, unconsciously wagged her tail.

This person knows my name, which is one thing, but how does he know me so well? Could he be a member of my clan who has been separated from me for generations?

Thinking about it this way, if it were the old Neeko, she would definitely jump out excitedly to show off her existence, flaunting her beautiful tail and colorful magic.

But having fled her hometown and encountered countless malicious "Shoma" along the way, Neeko now realizes that the outside world isn't as wonderful as she imagined. She has also learned to hide herself.

Therefore, Nico simply shrank behind the mother beast, then carefully pretended to be asleep, and then pricked up an ear to listen.

It was somewhat obvious that Neeko was hiding somewhere, eavesdropping cautiously, but Tarlin didn't rush to search for her. Instead, he recalled stories related to Neeko.

As a "new" champion who appeared after the League of Legends universe reboot, Neeko's backstory is relatively simple, similar to Milio's, and has not been rewritten much.

Although born into the Misttail tribe of Ionia, as a "hero" in League of Legends, Neeko possesses traits that differ from those of ordinary Misttails—

Because every member of the Misttail is of one mind, there are no secrets among them. But even so, few members of the Misttail are as adaptable, curious, and energetic as young Nico.

Neeko is adept at hiding things. Even when she was still with the Misttail tribe, she enjoyed concealing small items, and sometimes her playful curiosity went completely overboard. However, because of her pure and innocent nature, Neeko was unaware of her ability to bewitch people.

Unfortunately, the Fogtail tribe's homeland was later affected by a disaster. The story doesn't specify what the disaster was, only that it was a devastating one.

Some players speculated that it was an invasion by Noxus—but Tarin thought it was unlikely.

Because if it were just an invasion, given the abilities of the Misttail, they could easily transform into other birds and beasts, or even Noxians, and escape.

Instead of the self-sacrifice of the elders of the Misttail tribe, who built a barrier with their shomar (soul energy) as depicted in the story, giving Neeko another chance to escape.

According to Tarin's speculation, this was likely some kind of catastrophe in the spiritual realm—possibly related to the spiritual shock caused by Noxus's invasion of Ionia. Because, according to the storyline, the remaining members of the Misttail tribe ultimately screamed and sank into the gap between the spiritual and material realms, their fates unknown.

As for what the spiritual realm of Runeterra is—it can be roughly understood as a relatively mild subspace.

The surviving Nico transformed into a bird and fled her homeland. After flying for several days, exhausted, Nico plunged into the sea. She clung to driftwood and drifted with the current until she encountered a merchant ship, where she carefully climbed aboard and settled down.

It perceives its own kind through fluctuations in the spiritual realm, but receives only sad and painful responses.

After that, Nico wandered on her journey. During this time, what Nico found most difficult to adapt to was the way of communication in the outside world—accustomed to communicating with soul energy, she felt that verbal communication was far too inefficient.

Neeko was actually a bit unlucky, because she landed at Harrell Harrier—a port located on the eastern coast of Shurima, a temporary port built by the Noxian pioneer fleet.

There, Vastayan sailors discovered Neeko, and upon learning of her ability to shapeshift into their likeness, they were filled with hatred, hostility, and fear. Neeko sensed these thoughts through her smoldering energy, and thus began to curb her playful nature and carefully observe the outside world.

Logically speaking, it would be almost impossible to enter Ixtal through Harel Harbor—Ixtal is protected by a green wall formed by the Primordial Axioms, and only a very few lucky people can pass through it, while whether they can get out is another matter entirely.

However, even this ancient technique, which has been practiced on a large scale for thousands of years, is not all-encompassing.

If a flesh-toothed beast like Rengar can find a way to pass through, then for Neeko, who can transform into any creature and directly read the soul energy of others, passing through the Green Wall wouldn't be too difficult.

If someone were to ask, "Tarlin, why can Neeko pass through the Green Wall, while the stronger Ryze and others can't sense Ixtal's presence? Why does Noxus have to clumsily send out the Expeditionary Fleet to search using ancient methods?"

Tarin didn't know how to explain this either, only saying that it wasn't a bug, that this was the mechanism of Runeterra, and that Tarin himself was figuring it out as he went along.

Now that he had noticed Neeko's presence, Tarin simply said, "Don't worry, Neeko, I'm not a bad person. I'm also from Ionia. Um, if I could, I'd like to help you."

"..."

Tallinn was met with silence.

Tallinn was not surprised by this.

From another perspective, if Neeko could really be fooled by a few words, she would probably already be imprisoned by the Noxians.

While pondering, Tarin also figured out how to handle the situation, and then said loudly, "Nico, I will not actively seek you out. The Misttails have the ability to sense Shuma. I will be passing through the herd of beasts soon, and you can use that opportunity to sense my Shuma and determine my intentions."

Hearing Tarlin's words, Neeko, who was hiding behind the big cat, blinked, her expression showing some curiosity.

This did surprise Nico.

Long ago, before Nico had left her homeland, she was puzzled by the tribal elders' aversion and wariness towards the outside world.

Because in Nico's past view, the outside world should be just like the Fogtail tribe, where everyone is of one mind, there is no deception between them, only pure honesty and happiness, and people play happily with each other.

However, after leaving the ancestral homeland of the Misttail Clan, Neeko gradually began to understand some things.

Because in many situations, when others learn that they possess the ability to read their emotions, become like them, or even have their memories, they will show strong vigilance and rejection. This, in turn, leads to many evil thoughts.

But like now, I can openly allow myself to read my own Shuma...

It's hard to describe, but Nicole hopes it's true.

As Tarlin began to move through the herd and approach her, Neeko obediently lay down on the ground and pretended to be asleep.

Without actively revealing her presence, Tarlin couldn't immediately determine Nico's exact location.

As Tarlin walked past her, Neeko secretly read Tarlin's Shuma.

Just as humans are sensitive to blue, green, and red because they have three types of cone cells, birds, with four types of cone cells, are able to see an additional fourth color—ultraviolet—that humans cannot see.

In Nicole's eyes, the world is different too.

Just like now, Nicole could clearly see that a halo of soul light extended outward from Tarin's body.

This is a unique visual experience for the Fogtail tribe, and it is also their way of perceiving and communicating.

Thinking this, Nico quietly activated her Shuma and began to explore along the edge of Tarin's soul halo.

When her soul connected with Tallinn, a name surfaced in her mind—'Tallinn'.

She came from an incredibly distant place, so distant that even Nicole couldn't see exactly where it was.

Perhaps it's some magical realm the elders were talking about?

Then what appeared in Nico's perception was a color with a scent.

First, it's a transparent grayish-white color, smelling like cooled dew. Like the thinnest morning mist, it dissipates at the slightest touch, and smells exceptionally lonely.

Was he from afar, just like me? Or was he, like me, all alone and lonely?

Then came a warm, pale gold color, and the smell of sweet wheat flour and warm milk... the scent of hope.

Full of energy, he doesn't seem like someone who likes to be depressed.

Then comes a soft orange-pink...

It smells like…sun-warmed flower petals? Clean spring water?

Mmm, and freshly kneaded dough! Gentle and warm, not at all scary. It smells of kindness, of wanting to help people!

And then...and then Nicole couldn't smell it anymore.

This made Nico somewhat frustrated, because this was the first time she had smelled such a pleasant scent outside... If it were the elders, they should be able to smell the scent of the shoma further inside, right?

Thinking this, Nico wasn't too frustrated; instead, she enthusiastically experienced the shimmering light of Tarlin.

Just as Nico was about to step forward and introduce herself, another aroma wafted over.

It was a taut, dark blue, like sharp leaves trembling in the wind. It smelled of astringent green fruit, cold metal, and the suppressed scent of dust when you hold your breath… Was it the smell of tension?

And...and there's a light, pulsating yellow-green, like newly sprouting buds. It smells like the sweet fragrance of new leaves after rain, unfamiliar flowers and fruits, and a slightly itchy, fresh scent from things I've never seen before.

Hmm... it's someone else's Shuoma.

Nicole remembered; it was the tall, honey-skinned woman carrying a spear. Through Shuma, Nicole learned the woman's name—Nedley.

However, unlike before, when this woman's scent was filled with hostility and wariness, now it was tense and curious.

Was it because Tarlin told Nidalee about Neeko's stories that her hostility turned into curiosity?

Feeling a little scared, Nico quickly abandoned the idea of ​​jumping out to greet Tarin, deciding to wait until Tarin was asleep before sneaking over to visit him...

Thinking about this, Nicole was also a little curious.

Why doesn't Tarlin have that dirty, smelly odor... He's clearly a male human, so why is he different from the sailors, pirates, and sentries he's encountered?

After walking through the herd of beasts, Tarin then spoke to Nidalee:

"Nico may be a bit playful, but she's a trustworthy person, so there's no need to worry or search for her. She'll naturally appear before us when she's ready to come out."

"Um."

Upon hearing this, Nidalee nodded and then said, "As long as she's not an enemy... Speaking of which, you saw her in my future?"

"Yes." Tarin nodded.

"So what happened between her and me in the future?" Nidalee asked curiously.