A Piece of History

There was a time when the mountains were taller, the forests fiercer, and the hearts nobler. Even the, Ivan was.

A day found him walking with a friend, Denis by name. A boon pair they were, taking their life together - adventure called behind every tree. To Urscov they were heading, so fresh they dreaded nothing of evil on the way. Denis' mother had sent for him, and the two were going to visit. And the forest - ah! - the forest. Yes, such danger it possessed. But this time, none threatened them (yet).

The night was wondrous in its terror. Blood dripped from every limb, but Denis and Ivan were smiling upon the path. They had been victorious against the Vruacha, and had cleared yet another day for other travelers on the road. Their laughter echoed off the trees, and waked many a creature, most whom skulked far away. Yet some gathered and waited in ambush, springing upon the pair while they stopped and ate. A horde of Grotchier these were, yellow alone but red en masse.

Back to back Denis and Ivan fought, and the battlelust overtook Ivan, so enjoined was he. Somehow, a frightened Eltal ran into the fray, and Ivan went to swing through him at his target. He found his axe in the ground, being knocked there by Denis, who received a Grotchier's notch for his trouble.

Ivan and Denis got back to the fight at hand, but when done, Ivan spun and asked, "Why did you do that?"

"In killing a monster, you were to kill an innocent?"

"The Eltal died a moment after, trampled by more Grotchier!"

"Exactly, Ivan. Would you fight as they do, as monsters?"

Ivan, stricken, tended and healed Denis' wound.

The pair left the forest soon after this, and entered the pasturelands of Urscov. The children came to greet them, and Ivan had them on his head, his shoulders, hanging from his beard, his belt, and climbing on his legs and his arms. Here was joy - yet Denis only watched, with admiration, for he was afraid of crushing ones so small.

The miles of pastureland melted away, until, on a tall hill, Denis and Ivan spotted smoke - too much smoke, coming from Urscov. Denis sped. Ivan put the children down, sent them to their farms, and followed. When Ivan caught up to Denis, it was in the razed city. Denis was on his knees, beard torn out, wailing his grief to the Dream. One of Denis' cousins was close by, sore wounded but living. Ivan asked him the tale.

"It was that sorcerer, Malla Fua," the cousin said. "His army came, destroying and killing. They had just found me when I heard Malla say, 'Enough! We have the bones I need for my ward! Break off!' And so they left."

Ivan started to tend the cousin, but the cousin said, "Vengeance! You must not let Malla Fua do this!"

At which Denis got up, stopped crying, and started after the sorcerer. Ivan caught up and went with him. In another wood, they found the bones, arrayed, arranged, and built as a fence - a wailing, silent wall. The pair went forward, but the bones whispered, "Only Denis. Only Denis, our Avenger, may go. None else may pass."

And so the pair parted, knowing the ward to be not yet complete, and not wanting to alert Malla Fua of Denis' approach, since they had this chance. Ivan sat down, and waited.

And waited another day.

And waited as only a Troll can.

Finally, Ivan felt a breeze, and a wind stirred the bones. They rattled, then began dancing, then clattered to the ground.

Wielding his axe, Ivan gathered himself, and went to find Denis and Malla Fua. No sooner had Ivan taken three steps when he was assailed by ghosts.

"Never!" They wailed, "Never shall you pass!"

But Ivan looked to the ground and began singing an ancient battle hymn of victory over the dead, rather more loudly than the ghosts could wail, and continued. Then also many horrors attacked him, and he fought, ferocious and bloody and grim. Eventually, even these paled away with the edges of a maelstrom. But as Ivan had the strength of mountains and absolutely no fear, he walked on.

Ivan heard a whispering in that maelstrom - "Denis." Finding the calm nexus of the storm, Ivan saw the remains of a body hacked to minutae, as well as the spread of an explosion. Swirling around in the nexus was hair. Ivan realized - Denis' hair.

Gathering himself again, Ivan stood, his axe also standing on the ground, and called, "Denis!" At that, the hair swirled in, and tried to grab the axe from Ivan. Ivan grabbed it also, and rooted himself as only mountains can. The hair drew back, then slammed into the axe, suffusing it fully, and tried to chop at the minutae. Ivan resisted and held the axe still firm.

"Please," the axe said. "He is not yet dead."

Ivan asked, "Who?"

"The sorcerer. His eye lives still."

"Show me."

And so the axe pulled, taking Ivan to an unlidded eye, which stared back. Ivan swung at the eye, which rolled out of the way. The very earth flew from under Ivan's feet, but the axe kept him fast - then the axe itself swung back and split the eye, which exploded. Not even mountains withstood that. Ivan flew.

When Ivan woke up, he was in a field of crushed trees, axe still in hand. The axe said, "I am what is left of Denis. The sorcerer's other eye destroyed me. I and my family thank you, Ivan, and I will be your axe while you are yet remembered."

Feeling a world crash in on him, Ivan wept, but vengeance had already been taken. So, slowly, Ivan gathered the bones of all who were slain, and built a memorial with and for them, a mountain - Mount Urscov, which can still be found in Dreaming to this day.

Then he went back and helped the living who were left rebuild and live again.

Note: Ivan's current incarnation does not remember or know this about his past. His axe has not talked to him (Ivan has yet to use Willow Whisper on it).

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