Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Northern Troll

“What’re ya, mute or sumthin? All yous do is watch me, kind of freakin me out.” The feather cloaked man asks the silent black-haired girl in front of him.

Black mist spreads across the ground of the alleyway, her bright purple eyes watching his every move.

“I guess ya are. But—!” He jumps into the air just as shadowy hands spring up from the ground, “Ahright, I see how it is. Ya wanna fight, let’s fight.” He kicks off a nearby wall and launches himself toward Hollie.

She steps back, his blade cutting through air as he slides across the powdery ground and sends snow into the air. He turns on his heel and continues his chase on Hollie, his blade flying at her form over and over, but all it hits is her vestiges as she continues to weave around his blade with little effort.

“Where's your fancy magic!? Or is the only spell you know being a rat?” He yells angrily, continuing his futile chase, each swing of his blade more pointless than the last. Each attack more and more wild as he is slowly consumed with irritation, his vicious thrusts and slashes beginning to barely skim past Hollie's slim body. Finally, getting too irritated to think straight he thrusts his blade with all the power his thin arms can muster; the blade harmlessly sliding across Hollie's own crescent blade as she closes the distance between them and stabs her blade towards his throat. He grabs her wrist and yanks her towards him, violently smashing his head against hers with a savage headbutt as soon as she is in range. She falls onto the snow on her butt, the man's blade lifting her chin up to look at him.

“It's my win, Miss Silent.” He sneers.

“I wouldn't be so sure.” Her quiet voice is filled with confidence, a light smirk on her face.

“Wha—” A lone black thread in a loop falls in front of his face and before he can react it is pulled around his neck and pulls him into the air.

A large cloud of shadows silently floats above the snow-covered floor of the alley. A thin man hangs by his neck from the cloud; desperately clawing for breath, his hands scratching mercilessly at the string around his neck. Hollie watches on while panting, the man’s strong struggle beginning to slow and just as the life is about to leave his eyes and he takes his final breath; the cloud drops him into Hollie's weak arms, the two toppling into the snow together as a mess of limbs.

“Wh—ack!” He chokes on his own spit and begins coughing, “Cough cough… Why'd you save me…?” The question comes out in a barely audible voice.

“Because you didn't kill me.” Hollie’s soft voice responds, the man dryly laughing at her reasoning.

“Hahaha… I guess even magic kids can still be dumb and naive just like us gemaene.” He wipes his tears, his eyes desperately fighting to keep consciousness. His body eventually too tired to continue and he passes out from exhaustion while still on top of Hollie. The small girl feebly tries to move him but quickly gives up and stares up at the cloudy grey sky, her eyes watching as the first flake of snow falls from the sky.

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“I'll give ya first move.” The towering man states while sneering.

“You go first; I'll support until I can start my plan.” Fang whispers to Kumiho, the girl nodding before running in a straight line towards the man.

She sprints through the snow with little grace, her glowing red legs powering through the snow with the cloud of powder around her growing with each step. Her dagger is pulled back to prepare for a slash and she bends her legs slightly to ready a jump; the man tenses his own body to ready a counterattack. Kumiho smiles at his tensed body and suddenly stops her sprint by slamming her feet into the ground, a large cloud of snow being thrown into the air and temporarily blinding the man.

He grunts in annoyance, his hair standing on end when a sudden heat travels through the air, instantly turning the cloud of snow into water vapor. A fireball aimed right for his chest appears within his vision. He swings his large club to meet the fireball, the club smacking against the fireball and melting significantly at the point of contact. He attempts to lift his club, but a small form appears and slams it to the ground with a freakish amount of strength. Kumiho launches herself from the club to the man’s face, her dagger aimed right for his head.

Kumiho's face freezes in an expression of shock and awe, the man grinning ear to ear with bright a blue mouth, her dagger stuck between his ice-covered teeth. He shakes his head like a dog, flinging Kumiho around like a chew toy; eventually his mouth lets go and flings her into a nearby wall with a loud crash.

“Haha!” A jovial laugh rings through the alley, “You kids are actually pretty fun! Where'd ya lil buggers even come from?” He enthusiastically asks the groaning Kumiho, but frowns when he notices her inability to answer because of the pain. “Will you answer me then, little cowardly Reynard?” He turns to where the boy once was, only to see nothing. “Huh…? I guess ya really are a coward then. Even left yur own kin to die. Wow, just wow.” He says in a mix of disappointment and disbelief.

“Maybe you should be a little more observant.” A clump of snow falls from above onto the large man’s head, Fang’s playful voice ringing from above as well.

“What is this nons…” The words of anger die in his throat as he stares up at a large mound of snow floating a few feet above him; Fang smiling at him from the roof of a building.

“It was a ‘fun’ fight for me too, you big lug.” Fang waves down at the man with a taunting smile, the mound of snow dropping onto him all at once.

Fang jumps from the roof and slides down on a path of hardened snow all the way to the bottom; the snow path collapses behind him and returns to its cold brethren as he walks away towards his companions.

He helps the red fox up and dusts the snow off her battered body. They then go to collect the still trapped Hollie; Kumiho lifts the thin man, and Fang drags the haggard girl out from under him while he's still raised.

“I see you won too, Hollie.” Fang gives a cordial but tired smile; his visible breath from the cold accentuating his quick and frequent breaths.

She nods and looks at Kumiho, “Thank you for trusting me, both of you.” She bows after her quiet but heartfelt thanks.

“I knew you'd win.” Kumiho answers without a second thought.

“RAHHH!!” A roar resounds and snow flies through the air, “Now that's what I call a fight!” The man yells with enthusiasm, his towering form lumbering out from the pile of snow.

Kumiho’s body begins to glow but the light quickly tapers out, her legs giving out from exhaustion; Hollie barely catches the other girl as her legs buckle. Fang gets in front of the two exhausted girls and stands between them and the laughing giant. Kumiho reaches a hand out to his shoulder but he simply shakes his head and moves out of reach to meet the grinning man.

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The burly man walks over to the kids with a large grin, cracking his knuckles loudly, ”I have to admit.” He stops right before the tiny grey-haired boy in front of him.

Fang's whole-body tenses, thin strings of red quietly wrap around his finger. His body is tense in quiet anticipation, his eyes scanning for any signs of movement from the giant man. His whole-body flinches in fear when a loud growl is heard.

“Grrrr…” The rumbling sound is interrupted by hearty laughter, the large man placing his hand on his stomach, “Sorry lad! I haven't eaten today, and magic makes a man hungry!” He chortles heavily, smacking Fang lightly on the chest, the boy temporarily losing his breath from the force. “I guess I was wrong about you lad. When push comes to shove yur quite alright in a fight.” The man continues his jovial laughter, the cubs staring at him in incredulity.

“Uh… why are you so…” Fang has trouble formulating his words, the man’s eyes flashing with small understanding.

“It's because ya didn't kill me or any of my friends here. Ya could've dropped a boulder on me, but instead ya just dropped snow. Ya could've slit Borne’s throat as soon as we showed hostility, but instead ya knocked him out. And the black fox could've hung Audun by his neck, but she didn't. You didn't kill my people, so I'll accept my loss and not kill yurs.” He stares down at them seriously, but a happy grin still remains on his face; a happy face that is quickly destroyed by a sudden river of blood that flows from it, Fang recoiling at the ghastly sight.

“Uh-uh, s-sir, y-your mouth!” Fang sputters out in concern.

“Huh?” He wipes his mouth, scarlet red painting his hand, “Ah… Well, shit.” The lumbering giant falls face first into the snow, a small cloud of white powder flung into the air that obscures vision of the alley.

Two radiant blue eyes shine through the cloud of snow, the owner of the eyes steps on the fallen giant with little respect and hops off to face the children.

“Didn’t your parents teach you to not trust strangers?” Oswin's warm voice chimes in their ears, his hands balled into fists with purple dripping needles sticking out of them.

The alley stays silent, the snow clearing the air and revealing the giant’s body with a dozen needles sticking out of his spinal area and back of the neck.

“Why so quiet?” He asks in genuine confusion, his eyes tracing the children's own gazes to the dozen needles in the man. “Ohh, I get it. You've never seen my needles before. Believe it or not, but before I could kill with a touch these and hand to hand were my main forms of fighting!” He says animatedly, his face falling when he notices the children's continued shocked silence. “Is everythi—”

“Is he dead?” Kumiho asks while staring coldly at the unmoving body.

“Uhm… do you want him dead…?” Oswin questions with a strained smile.

“I don't think he was planning to kill us or severely hurt in any manner.” The other cubs nod in agreement.

“Oh… Then he isn't!” Oswin takes out all the needles and surrounds the man in a cocoon of colors. Once the lightshow ends, the man rises from the dead with a dazed expression. “See? Perfectly fine!” He claims with a large grin and latches onto the other man’s arm.

The brown-haired giant looks around in a daze, his cloudy grey eyes staring down at Oswin's radiant blue eyes and he recoils in fear. The burly man pushes Oswin off him and stumbles into the snow, his eyes never leaving Oswin's form as he backs into the wall of the alley.

“No need to push. Especially after I saved you.” Oswin's cordial smile fails to reach his eyes as he laxly walks over to the haggard man covered in dirt and snow.

“Get—get away from me you monster!” He screams in a mix of rage and fear.

“Hey, I don't like that word: ‘monster.’ I just feel it doesn't really account for my humanity y'know?” Oswin squats down to stare into the other man's dull grey eyes that tremble with a hurricane of emotions.

“What then would ya prefer? Fiend? Demon?” He spits in hate.

Oswin smiles eerily, his fingers glowing with multicolored lights that cause Erik’s breath to hitch at their sight; the lights hidden behind Oswin's body from the children's eyes. “Run along for me now children. Me and Erik have some things to talk about.” The children hesitate, but Kumiho corrals them and leads them down the alley where they can wait out of Oswin's way, but still within his vision. “I’d stop playing games now. Especially since one of the the 'mighty' ‘heroes’ of the Civil War from ten years ago, Erik the Ice Troll, is sitting before me. Or does my memory fail me?” Oswin's blue eyes shine with fervor in the dim alley, the eyes peering deep into Erik’s soul, leaving no part of it unturned.

“Hmph. If the world cared for that pointless war I would be livin lavish in the capital. But instead, I'm here. Forced to stare at yur ugly mug again.” He says with mounting resentment.

“No, it doesn't care for dull rusted blades, and it never has.” He says uninterested, “But what's with all the hate for me anyways? This is the second time we've met in battle and yet you still live. Isn't that a testament to my kindness?” A warm smile on his face that holds no warmth for Erik.

“Just because I'm alive now doesn't mean I didn't die.”

Oswin smiles coldly, “Erik, Erik, Erik. Will you accept my mercy or continue to antagonize me? Because do realize please, that you're only alive because of them.” He points his thumb at the skulk of foxes in the distance. “Or would you rather stay dead this time?” He whispers into Erik’s reddened ear in a ghastly tone.

“You really are a monster...” Erik says with exhaustion.

Oswin let's out an extremely short and light laugh; more like an amused exhale than a true laugh. “And it takes a monster to judge a monster, for only an equal evil can understand the depths of the other’s evil.”

“And I thought you didn't like being called a monster.”

“I just don't like admitting it.” Oswin smiles coyly and stands up from his squat. Erik watches intently as Oswin walks out the alley with the kits in tow; their heads constantly glancing back at Erik's robust form with worried expressions on their faces. He mutters to himself alone in the alley; his mutterings only heard by the wind and the biting cold in the air.

“‘Even the worst monsters of humanity are still human: they have family, and lovers, and children, and things they love more than anything else.’" He quotes in a weary voice, "At first, I thought it was all just a bunch of hogwash Mr. Osfrith, but I guess there's a reason after all why yur so revered huh?” He chuckles dryly at his own words. His loud sigh echoing through the silent alley before he continues, “Look at you Erik. Pretending to have some wisdom as if you aren't some rusty old sword still chasing its days of glistening glory.”

The brown-haired man stops his self-deprecation and picks up his two cloaked colleagues; throwing their limp bodies over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes. He lumbers through what was once Fang’s stone wall but is now just rubble. The thief that originally stole from Oswin stands near the rubble, leaning against a wooden pole in the street; his breathing shallow and eyes glazed.

“Hey man.” Erik calls out haggardly, his companion’s head snapping to him.

“Hey… Was that… Judge?”

“Can anyone else do that? Let's just forget it all happened.” Erik shakes his head and stares into the cloudy sky, watching the small snowflakes flutter erratically because of the winter breeze; the bitter cold permeating the air acts as a striking reminder of his current feelings.

“Forget? Forget! How the fuck do I forget that?!” He screams out, but not in anger, in fear. “He killed me man… lobbed my head off with a smile—and now I'm just—just… back. Back like, nothen happened. How do I just—forget…” He says in a defeated tone, his voice withering away with every word.

Erik stares at his distraught friend with dim eyes, his body growing colder by the second. “I'm sorry… I didn't know that thing was even still alive…” He speaks in a soft wispy tone that seems to only anger his friend more.

“What?—Why are you apologizing! He did it! So why are you sorry?”

“Because I'm the boss. I'm the leader, and I'm the same stupid leader who wanted some extra stupid coats so the stupid cold ride home would be a little less miserable!” His voice rises with every word, his passion quickly deflating just as quickly as it appeared, his tired, dim eyes returning.

“Then we’re just supposed to act like nothen happened?” Erik's thieving companion asks softly.

“Do ya have a better idea?”

“Yea actually, I do. He's an enemy of the church right?”

Erik stares at his friend as if he's gone completely insane, “You serious?”

His friend simply smiles.