Chapter 25

I forgot how good the food back on earth tasted. Doritos and flaming hot Cheetos washed down with a big gulp of beer are the best. The beer is great as well, but to be honest, the stuff that the dwarves gave me was much better. The only part in which the earth beer had an edge over the Dwarven stuff was in its sheer amount. Even at their best, the dwarves could never produce enough beer for a large group of giants to relax and knock a few back. I wonder if I could find a brewer who worked in one of these warehouses, and then, “recruit” them in my pouch until I brought them back to the tribe. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. After all, they would be serving a primordial's purpose, right? Maybe I’ll think of it later if I can find a good beer master. Picking Kristina back up, I placed her inside of my helmet with the visor open, while I carried the two house-sized wooden barrels of beer and marched forward.

I continued to march for another two weeks until I noticed a smaller troll running in my direction. I had not had my necklace on for some time, as I did not feel the need to use it in such a deserted and remote area. It also made it difficult to travel while not being able to see where you were stepping, or if you could squeeze past an area that was very close to your size.. The being that was sprinting in our direction looked to be a troll. He appeared to be around 14 feet tall and had earthly, gravel-like skin. His hair was like tree roots, and his eyes were like quarts and topaz. He looked like he had just been pulled from the ground and had dirt in every crevice. His teeth were gray and dark, like granite and he made the earth tremble with his every stride. Finally making his way to us, he did not stop to speak, but began to mumble with gibberish. “You’re going the wrong way! There's nothing left over there but bare branches and death now. Save yourself! I told him again and again not to trust those sneaky, selfish bastards! Seeing the troll continuing to babble without knowing what was going on, I decided to stop the little guy before he hurt himself. Putting down the two massive beer vats, I grabbed the troll by his head and began to pour beer down his throat. Gurgle,... gurgle,... gurgle... Beer poured down the troll's massive throat and out of his mouth as he tried not to drink the liquid. However, I quickly held his mouth open with one hand and massaged his throat with my fingers while and continued to pour him some drinks.

After a minute or two, I finally let the troll go and asked if he felt better. This was met with an look of astonishment, anger and confusion. However, after another few minute and feeling partially buzzed, the troll admitted to feeling much better. It was at this point that I was informed of the situation. He had come from the forest that I had been looking for, and the situation there was worse than previously known. Apparently, the original settlement that was built in the forest has been rapidly ballooning in size ever since the beginning of the wars and destruction. The humans there, once they discovered that the forest was divinely protected, proceeded to claim that it was their god that had been protecting the people and land while using the protected area to grow in power and people. These people were completely unaware that it was actually a Norse nature deity that was protecting them and their area. Apparently, once they found out, they did not believe that it was not their god who they worshipped that was protecting them and the one protecting them was a pagan diety. This being was a demon in their religions and so they proceeded to rebel and burn down the forest in their Christian and Muslim gods name and fervor. Once the rebellion was over and the zealots were caught, the citizens chose to drive the perpetrators out of the village despite protests from the original owners of the village, the Woodland folks. These prisoners were driven out of the village regardless and without forewarning by the humans. This was despite the ruling of the other inhabitants to have the zealots pay for their actions. This would have insured that they could not return and seek revenge or pillage resources from the remaining citizens. However, they were driven out by the humans quickly, so there was no chance to stop them or change their actions. After they were driven out, they returned almost immediately, just like the forest creatures said they would with more people claiming as much of a right to the forest as those inside had.

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This began a war where the humans continued to hide behind the stronger, and kinder woodland creatures, and causing their numbers to rapidly decline. Once their numbers declined and the humans were told they would have to fight or leave, they quickly changed sides with the humans on the outside of the forest and claimed that the forest god had no right to not sacrifice itself for the survival of the human race. This was the point where the remaining woodland creatures and beings fought against the humans, but were too far outnumbered by the time loki's daughter/son asked her creatures to fight back. Hearing the sad and angering story from the troll, I asked him to bring me back to the forest. In his drunken stupor, he didn’t seem to have an issue with it.

Looking at the medium-sized forest covered in spot fires and listening to the constant crackling of gunfire through the area, my anger grew and grew inside of my mind. Most humans were around six feet tall, which marked them right at my ankle level now. I no longer viewed humans as opponents but more as pests to dispose of. Placing the two huge barrels of beer on the ground, I pulled out my poleaxe. However, this time I no longer wanted to use it as a pole axe, but I imagined a massive and deathly sharp scythe blade and a handle that allowed it to reach right at human waist level. With how large and heavy the blade was and how sharp and fast it would be coming towards these modern, non-armored humans, It's easy to imagine them being cut down and reaped like grass. Taking my new weapon, I began to walk into the forest when the first humans saw me and began to scream. Some humans screamed, and a few even passed out. However, the majority began to either toss things at me, flee, or if they had a gun, shoot at me.

Fortunately, it turns out that armor that can stop another giant my own size swinging a massive multi-ton battle axe at its full force isn’t exactly affected by small or even medium-sized guns. This was bad news for humans. It took around half an hour to step on the remaining humans after scything the ones that grouped up. After finishing the last armed group, I noticed another group of humans kneeling face down facing an outdoor temple. I’m guessing the effigy on the stained glass is Ishar? I’ll stay quiet for now and see what Loki’s son/daughter decides. If it becomes an issue, I can always just scythe everyone. Why does this weapon seem exceptionally happy to be in the shape of a scythe? It seems like its energy is flowing much easier, and the weapon's spirit even seems... Happy? Strange.

Putting the scythe to use, I knocked down the burned-through trees and buried the rest of the fires in sand. After finishing this, I went outside of the forest and grabbed ahold of each of their vehicles and tossed them into an empty river bed. Unfortunately, there seemed to be an infestation of vermin children inside a few of their campers, but nothing that a big fire couldn’t take care of. Unfortunately for me, the quiet Ishar decided to choose that moment to make her introduction. Walking out of the forest, she walked in front of me and introduced herself by staring at the vehicles full of children and then back to me with a judgmental look much to my dismay.

She looked like a massive elk, but an elk mixed with a short-faced bear. This caused him to look like a gorilla when they lurched forward with its front legs being longer and taller than it's shorter back legs. The creature also had a back full of sharp spine barbs sticking out of its skin, a skeletal face with pieces of flesh hanging off, and a massive stack of sharp and jagged antlers covered in blood, with pieces of its velvet fleshly case that haven't fallen off still dangling from its rack. He or she was also androgynous and would present itself differently at different times. It was very odd, but at times the creature would appear more masculine and aggressive, and at other times it would appear more caring and nurturing.

As I was about to set the cars alight, the creature asked me to stop by putting itself in the area where I was going to toss the vehicles. After I reluctantly stopped, another human went into the vehicles and rescued the children while angrily looking at me until I stomped my foot, and the human almost wet itself. This, of course, led to another,"are you a two year old." look from Loki's child. Looking at the nature god, I had to ask, “You know they think you are a monster, right? And you know, they almost killed you and all the woodland beings. Are they not as worthy as the humans in your eyes? Are all things not equal?”

The massive 30-foot elk-bear creature, with its dripping skeletal face and moss dangling from its antlers, simply turned to me, produced what I could only conceive of as an attempt at a smile, and walked back into the forest with the children and humans in tow. Thinking of the encounter in my mind, I could only respond, “I’m going to need more beer.”