Of Ice, Death & Monsters

Chapter 54 : And Brothers Holding Strong

Derek and Topher were finally free. They raced out of the battlefield as soon as possible and into the storm that was the River Smorodina.

“Holy fucking shit dude! That was a mess!” Derek turned to look at how everyone began to fight each other as if they were wrestlers on TV.

“I know, man. Can’t believe we really thought we could kill her.” Topher peeked and pointed towards the relatively okay and now empty spot near the River, which is the bridge.

They ran towards it as fast as they could, leaning against a big rock as they both peeked to see if they were followed, which, to their relief, they were not.

“She was a fucking war machine… Those things would have definitely murdered us all.” Derek patted his body, as if to make sure he wasn’t on fire.

“Yeah… How did she even do that contract-burning thing, too? I thought that shit was permanent?” Topher stared at the river and then his hand as he saw it begin to glow.

“No clue, guess she’s some super mages like those stories ma and pa would talk about.” Derek sighed in relief and began to walk over to the Smorodina.

“Well, either way, we came here for one thing. We can’t really offer much help, but maybe this can work out?” He looked at his hand as well, finding that strange mark glowing again.

“Are you sure we can’t help ourselves. Ms Masha gave us the cool senses, and it feels like I’m roaring for a fight.” Topher boxed in the air as Derek pointed towards Jane, who was firing off beams of fire as if they were some kind of laser.

“You know what, point taken.” He walked towards the river as well, both of them now staring down into it as they saw how it began to crash into the shores and even swirl up into the ongoing typhoon.

“You really think we’re not gonna get uh… well, Ms Masha said something about this place consuming us.” Derek asked with unease written across his face.

“I mean, she promised she’d reward us; they can’t reward us if we’re dead, so that part of the Contract needs to hold.”

“Are we still under that Contract, though?” Both Derek and Topher stared at each other for a bit as they blinked in realization.

“I’m sure she would still honor it, right?” Mumbled Derek as he began to hear the whispers of the damned echo into his head, the closer he got to the Smorodina.

“She should anyway. Hopefully, she won’t eat us.”

“Speak for yourself, dude…” Derek shot Topher a sigh and a smirk as he said that.

But just before they could plunge their hand into the river, a massive winged beast instantly appeared by the bridge as if it were always there. It leaned in with its three heads, watching the red-headed brothers before it spoke.

“Children of desire, who have come seeking pleasure… Welcome.”

Derek and Topher immediately jumped, nearly falling off to the waters, before they were paralyzed by the will of Zmey.

“Ah… What is that? A gift from the Fae? Really? In my guardian zone? Hahahahaha”

His three heads guffawed as they grinned with sadistic pleasure. “What a wonderful day. Ah, how I wished every day was this exciting.”

Zmey’s heads slithered around the duo, watching them with glee. “You come here, seeking to taint these waters? Ah, no, I can feel your desire, no, this is but a means to an end. You are simply pawns in another game, but whose game is that I wonder…”

The three-headed dragon slithered to the brother’s hands, tilting its heads as it saw the marks upon them. “A fox?" He grinned with delight. "How old-fashioned. Come out of your little hiding place, oh Jester.”

The brothers’ marks glow, swirling upon the back of their hands before jumping out, revealing a red and white fox with floral patterns across their body. It giggled softly and ran around the edges of the river.

“Looks like I couldn’t exactly escape your sight, Zmey~" It waved its tail at Zmey as the dragon laughed once more. "Long time no see.”

“You haven’t visited in ages. I was beginning to get worried that your presence had disappeared across the land.”

“My my~” The fox jumps around playfully across the paralyzed duo’s body as if they were statues.

“Well, I was just taking a long nap~ but now I’m being awoken by all this ruckus! Aren’t you supposed to be the guardian of this place? It looks like it’s getting absolutely demolished.”

“The Nawia is not being demolished. If I ever desired such a thing, I could simply lock every single soul here.”

As if to demonstrate his power, the storm all around Zmey and the fox simply paused as if stopped by time. “All is well. I merely wish to see it unfold, to see what comes forth from this event. If it gets out of hand, all I need to accomplish is to wish them all to cease, and they shall cease.”

“Veles wouldn’t like this very much now, would he?”

“A god he may be, but he is quite the fickle deity. Irina ensured that I would only interfere if the matter completely threatened the Nawia, and he well, he decides whatever he wants to do… Unless, of course, he too is quite enamored by the ongoings here.”

“Is it really so interesting to find these mortals fighting? To see them squabble? Do you enjoy the chaos?”

“Thousands of years with nothing more than dead souls who moan and wail, ah, alas, I too require something more passionate. This shall satiate me for centuries to come.”

“So you’re not scared~ not even a little from the threats that the Chosens can pose? I mean, look at Jane, she’s nearly about to reach the state needed to Ascend.” The Fox then nudged its head towards Marian. “And well, her, maybe she can help out as well, but alas, perhaps it’s more interesting if you can help her out, give her more of a fighting chance to make it last longer.”

Zmey narrowed his many eyes. “And you? What may be your part in this? Why are you dancing on this throne, Jester?”

“Little old me? I’m just here for fun, just like you~ I want to make sure that the most fun can be had for everyone here! Come on, wouldn’t it be amazing to have me roam around, dancing upon the souls? Wouldn’t you like that as well?”

“Ah, but alas, what would you offer? What entertainment could one like you bring upon this hall?”

“I would bring upon the storm that you are not permitted to. I would rouse them all up into one big dance! Oh, I know you would love it. I’ll make them all fight each other, not just the Chosens, but their friends as well. Kufufu, come on, allow me and I’ll give you a taste! You can always stop me at any moment; you just need to pause the souls. It’s a win-win ~”

Zmey hummed, looking at the battlefield. It was true, some of these beings don’t seem to fight normally, and he was in need of some dire entertainment, as much as possible, until this was all over.

“You may do as you wish, Jester. Entertain me for as much as you can.” The three-headed dragon then forced the duo to dip their hands into the River Smorodina, transferring the mark into its waters before being levitated up and thrown far into the mountainside.

The fox grinned as it leaped into the river, giggling madly as it was subsumed by the waters. “Thank you so much for your warm reception~”

Instantly, the storm grew, a wall of water droplets erupted into the sky as a hurricane manifested all across the Nawia. The fox danced alongside each raindrop, humming to itself as it sent each one to a specific person.

Memories of war to Charlie. The souls of the damned to Rook. She scattered the Keeper's final thoughts all across Nawia, as well as the Descendants' hope for a better future. She twirled and played with each spirit, carefully making sure the right person experiences them while the storm grew in power, inflaming the passions of everyone within the living in Nawia.

There was no escape, not even Jane and Marian were immune, as the fox carried each spirit and soul to their ears as they whispered madly

The Chosen of the Harbinger heard every soul and cry that Marian had put down. The voices of her friends whose lives were ended short by the wolf’s rampage. Their screams echoed throughout her mind as they tried but failed to fight back.

However, the fox did not even stop there. It further plucked Jane’s memories, those from her time under Ephitet, where she was forced into torturous experiments and degrading positions. Where she watched her friends wither away or slowly die off. She couldn’t save them. No one could save them. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to wipe the slate clean, to start again, to burn it all down and rebuild stronger than before!

For Marian, she heard the voices of the Keepers, and the many hundreds to thousands that the Descendants have slaughtered, burning them away until nothing remained, their souls falling down to the Smorodina to be washed away for eternity.

Her mind was filled with memories of her beloved, of Adrian, of those who lost their jobs, and those who had perished in the line of duty because of the Choir’s constant need for attention and moral superiority. They have only made it about themselves and never had the ability to think of others. They are selfish ego maniacs fueled by their pretension to play hero. There was only one thing to do, and that was to erase them all from this world!

The fox giggled, looking at Zmey right before the dragon once more made himself invisible to everyone in Nawia aside from the gods, removing his presence from their minds completely. He was so enjoying himself that he decided that this show had to go on for even longer.

To grant someone strength, he would need to make a Contract with them. That was not something so viable, but what he could do was understand them. A dragon’s power was in domination, in ruling over the world; in his case, it was being a guardian of souls.

This was his duty as a groundskeeper, as a gate guardian. He ruled over the souls here, well, aside from the gods of course, but aside from them, he could manifest control over the souls that resided within.

Zmey could see that Jane's power was great because of the growing connection between her and the Harbinger, especially since she was so suited to her personality. They were also in the land of the dead, where a conglomeration of souls existed that aligned with the desires of the Harbinger as well.

All he needed to do for Marian was to find and strengthen the connection with the Caretakers. A task easy enough; all she needed was a wellspring.

With his power, he dominated the souls within the Smorodina; each drop of water became his as he began to grant them the facsimile of living, a pseudo-rebirth that, instead of fusing the souls together, divided them, giving them their own individual sense of life.

They all started to shimmer, taking on familiar forms brought to their memories. They became human, then monsters, then swords, and then candles. They morphed their forms so much that it appeared to be like a kaleidoscope, constantly shifting and twisting, trying to fit into a proper shape that they could all agree upon.

The tides literally shifted, and the wind began to blow back against destruction.