Andal stepped outside of the old lady's house to take in the sunrise. They'd found their way from Bezpin through the area the Haverdash loosely controlled and back to proper civilization. There they'd found housing in return for doing chores for a friendly old lady at the edge of town. She'd already left the house when Andal woke up, presumably to market since she had mentioned it last night.

Andal looked back in at Jeva, who was still asleep on the cot. He wished he was still sleeping himself, but a feeling of foreboding had woken him up. The sunrise was a nice counter to that feeling. He sat down in front of the door and leaned against its frame, trying to relax.

He closed his eyes at some point and dozed into a half-asleep state where he lost track of time. He stayed that way until someone shook his arm, and he opened his eyes to see the old lady. "Oh, good morning. Were you at market?"

She seemed more jittery than usual, but answered, "I was, want to help me make breakfast before Jeva wakes up?"

"Of course!"

They prepared scrambled eggs with peppers mixed in. Jeva popped up, incited by the smell. The old lady smiled at her, but looked oddly sad. They served themselves and talked while they ate, but Andal had to comment on how distracted the old lady seemed. She dismissed his question, encouraging them to enjoy the meal.

Once they had finished, it looked like she was ready to talk. She started, "I heard some really bad news when at market. A bunch of cities and towns have been getting destroyed in a straight line, starting at Tiermac and coming North."

"Tiermac?" Jeva exclaimed, "Do you know what happened to the nominees of the Council of Nations?"

"I didn't hear anything, I didn't even know they were in Tiermac. That's more bad news, but I'm not done. There is only one Haverdash causing all this destruction, someone named Trots, and he's looking for two specific people. He questions the inhabitants everywhere he goes, looking for them. He's looking for Andal and Jeva. He says you killed someone dear to him."

Andal buried his head in his hands, and Jeva looked solemnly at her empty plate. Andal asked, "Do you know where Trots is now? How close is he?"

"Someone said that Saheri was destroyed, which is maybe fifty miles from here. Since news had time to get from Saheri to here then Trots must be visiting places nearby, and could come here literally at any moment. A lot of people are leaving town. They don't want to die."

Andal looked helplessly at Jeva, "We can't fight Trots. We'd lose."

She nodded. "We would lose… we have to go back to the Dalmatian."

Andal recoiled, "What are you saying?"

"We have to show Kollus and Gol the way out. He's the only one who can fight Trots."

"You don't know that, there must be more people that can help us!"

"They wouldn't be as strong as the other nominees, and we barely beat Manier when fighting all together. You know I'm right. Kollus and Gol can fight him."

Andal put his head on the table and his hands on his head. After a few seconds he spoke muffled words. "Yea, I know you're right."

Jeva told the old lady, "I suggest you leave, but make sure to tell someone where we're going so that they can direct Trots there. We're laying a trap. The place is called the Dalmatian, it's a mountain with a bunch of caves in it about twenty miles west of here."

"I'm staying right where I'm at honey. This has been my home for more than fifty years, and I'll die here if it comes to that. I'll tell Trots to his face." She cupped Jeva's face in her hands, "Good luck you two."

They gathered their stuff and packed some food the old lady gave them, then started their truck back to the Dalmatian. They greatly missed the templar horse they had, which they hadn't seen since the negotiations with Moxey. Hopefully he was okay, better than they were anyway.

*

It was the next day that Trots arrived. Unseen roots tore doors from their frames, and his voice was clearly heard in every house. "I have searched for days, and have little patience. If anyone knows of Andal and Jeva, has any hint of where they might be, tell me now. This could be the first of many villages to survive my passing."

He stopped, seeing an old lady walking toward him on the street, and reading her mind. "You know? … You know! A trap, is it? Haha, your terms are acceptable!I have found you, Andal and Jeva!"

*

Andal looked down the hole where that giant had grabbed him from. "As soon as we descend this we have to be ready. We don't want to have to fight any giants before finding Kollus and Gol."

"We've got this, Andal. Let's go down." Jeva put her hand on his shoulder.

He smiled, "You know, you might be putting too much faith in me."

"Hasn't failed me yet!" She laughed.

At the sound of her laughter, a giant's head turned the corner at the end of the tunnel below. The sight of it stifled their smiles.

Andal told Jeva, "I don't want to have to fight through a wave of giants. We haven't actually seen them fight, but we know they can kill a lot of Haverdash. Let's see if he's responsive first." He called to the giant, "We want to see Kollus and Gol!"

The giant paused when they said Mal Moggog's titles.

"We want to show Kollus and Gol the way out."

The giant stopped climbing, letting itself slide back down to the bottom, and seemed to wait for them.

Jeva slapped Andal on the back, "See? You made that easy."

"Hmm, but I'm also right. I barely did anything."

"You made that easy by barely doing anything? Even more impressive!"

He shook his head with a smile.

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They descended the tunnel with platforms of light, the giant waiting patiently the whole time. When they reached the bottom the giant turned and trudged toward a specific hole in the wall, seeming to know exactly where Kollus and Gol was. The giant was surprisingly easy to follow, despite its size and stride length, as it wasn't the best walker. After taking a few turns, and going down the path they'd tricked Kollus and Gol into going down before with that fake cave-in, they began to feel his presence. They'd passed by many giants, but they acknowledged that Andal and Jeva were being led by one of their own, and let them be.

As the presence of Kollus and Gol grew to a weakening fear, they lost their desire to walk further. Instead Andal called to him, "Kollus and Gol, we returned to show you the way out!"

All the giants ceased their movement, and the tunnel shook. Mal Maggog’s booming voice echoed, “How dare you trick me! How dare you escape!” His decayed face emerged from the darkness, and static waves rushed out of him that made their hearts palpitate. His staff turned black, and their breath left them. Andal tried to speak, but he had grown so lightheaded that he couldn’t get words out. Instead he fell to the ground and bowed, his arms extended in front of him with his face on the ground. Jeva had fallen and caught herself on her hands, but seeing what Andal did, also bowed.

Mal Maggog held them like that, at the cusp of death. After a few minutes he lightened the pressure to where they could speak, “Why did you… come back?”

Jeva caught her breath first, “We are running from someone who wants to rule us, and if we are going to choose who would rule us, we would choose you over them.”

Though Mal Maggog’s face was mostly expressionless, the way he jerked back showed that he was amusedly surprised. “You choose for me… to rule you…? Ha, hahaha! Did I not… tell you… I am Kollus… and I am Gol! And I told you… what that means… since you’d forgotten! I am a tyrant… who controls the individual… like the many… and I am terror… that weakens bones!”

Jeva responded, “We made our choice, even if it was in ignorance. We did not see a better option.”

Andal added, “He could be on his way here now, if you’ll let us hide ourselves while you face him, we will show you the way out right now!”

“Hah! Then show me… the way out!”

A tremor went through the ground and threw Andal and Jeva back. Mal Maggog’s mighty step landed where they were, edging them to hurry up and go.

They came to the vertical shaft, so Andal started making shields of light for he and Jeva to climb on. Mal Maggog grabbed them though, “We will not move… so slowly.” He tapped his staff on the ground, turning the shaft into a flight of stairs sized for him and his giants. He carried them in his hand as he ascended, commenting, “I feel it… the breeze! This is the way! I feel the… rush of air!”

Their speed accelerated, and Mal Maggog only asked which way to go a couple of times. Though, Andal smelled something odd in that breeze. “Kollus and Gol, something has definitely happened at the cave entrance. If you can find your way from here, can you let us split off and hide? I think the one who we’ve been running from is at the entrance.”

He held them uncomfortably close to his face, “The last time I… let you go off… you escaped from me. But… this time is different… for I can indeed… find my own way. Hide yourselves… and if you run… know that my rule… is all-reaching. I shall find you… again… today, or another.”

He set them down, then marched on. The undead giants ignored Andal and Jeva, which proved dangerous nonetheless. They had to duck and weave to avoid being trampled by that horde, seeking out another tunnel that the giants weren’t going down which also potentially led to one of the caves exiting the Dalmation.

As they hid themselves, Mal Maggog reached the final tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, after ages of living in darkness, was light. There was the light of the sun, which though painful to him in his undead state, he had longed to see again. But, there was another light. This light was painful, but had no redeeming qualities. It was ominous and proud, and at the center of that light stood a man-sized creature with gray skin. Behind that creature lay an undead giant, which had been destroyed and burned. Despite the creature killing one of his giants, Mal Maggog was too excited at the sight of the sun to be angry, “The sun… the sun! I am back… land of the living! I will rule over you… as in ages long past!”

Trots got his attention, “Mal Maggog, or Kollus and Gol, which is it you go by?”

“You remember… my names? I am not… forgotten yet!”

“I’m afraid not, I read your mind. Kollus and Gol it seems, at least to strangers like myself. Tyrant and Terror, quite a title.”

Mal Maggog drew close and loomed over him, “You do not… know your place. You are the one… who wishes to rule… when that right… is mine?”

“Andal and Jeva told you that? For the moment I have no desire to fight you, but you stand between me and them. They must die, by my hand, for they killed someone dear to me.”

A wave of terror covered the area, though Trots didn’t react. “You shall not… touch them. They are the first… of many… in my kingdom. They may die… by my whim… but only I… have the authority… as the tyrant. As for you… rival ruler… my whim says… you shall die.”

Trots drew his sword, but seeing what Mal Maggog was about to do, went wide eyed and flew outside of the cave.

Mal Maggog made a rumbling roar, and his staff glowed with a black light. He shoved his staff against the roof of the cave, causing the mountain to burst open. The explosion that came from his staff sent all the earth above and in front of him hurling through the air like the eruption of a volcano, demolishing the surrounding area with falling rocks.

With the tunnels removed, the giants behind Mal Maggog had plenty of room to flood out. Mal Maggog walked toward Trots with his staff raised, but the giants spread out in every direction. Spurned on by their master, and no longer aimlessly wandering, they broke into a sprint that shook the earth under them.

Trots kept expecting the giants flooding out of the broken mountain to end, but they kept coming. He asked Mal Maggog, "Dead giants were seen on the other side of the continent, do not tell me those were also yours?"

"My army knows no bounds… nor will my kingdom! You've read my mind… but you did not understand… Kollus and Gol!"

Mal Maggog's flesh turned black, as did the clouds in the sky, and the snow on the ground. The black clouds sent bolts of lightning at Trots, and the black snow beneath mirrored the clouds to send bolts of lightning upward.

When the bolts of lightning entered Trots's glowing aura they faded, simply merging light with light. Trots dove to the ground, landing by Mal Maggog and slicing through his shin. Though, Mal Maggog's leg was so big that the sword didn't ultimately sever anything.

Mal Maggog caused an intense rush of fear, enough to be distracting to Trots even as he enjoyed it. It didn't distract him long, but the split second was enough for Mal Maggog to spin his staff around and slam the butt of it into Trots's chest. He was driven into the ground, and his chest caved in.

Something unseen grabbed Mal Maggog and hurled him against the mountain, then it picked up Trots and his chest reinflated.

The closest giant turned to attack Trots, but Trots froze the giant with a wave of his hand. He snapped, and the sound wave of his snapping shook the frozen giant to break it apart. Other giants turned to attack Trots, but they were attacked in turn by Haverdash that Trots had envisioned.

Mal Maggog scoffed, "I see your army… I see all living… like the roots that assaulted me, and the tree in the distance. Your army is small… you cannot possibly… mean to counter mine?

"I can tell you now, Kollus and Gol, you are stronger than me. I could not maintain such a vast army the way you do. My forces here will simply keep those of yours that would turn to attack me from being a distraction. However, if you think you can beat me while maintaining this vast army then you are sorely mistaken. You could disband them, but I see that you will not do that. After all, what is a tyrant without his army?"

"I will make you… keep your mind… in death… that you may be eaten… by worms… eternally!" Mal Maggog pointed his staff, and a wind of bitter cold rushed out.

Trots made a flourish of fire to counter it.

Mal Maggog switched to sending a blazing wind, and Trots defended with freezing water.

Before Mal Maggog could make another attempt a root burst from the ground and wrapped around his leg, flinging him toward Trots. Mal Maggog turned it into an attack, his black hand bubbling with necrotic energy. Trots took flight and dodged Mal Maggog's hand as it slammed into the earth, landing on his shoulder and swinging his sword through it with a mighty blow that cut far beyond the length of the sword.

Mal Maggog's arm was completely severed, but he wasn't dazed. He spun in the air to whack Trots with his staff.

Trots couldn't have reacted fast enough if he'd been watching the staff, but he was watching Mal Maggog's mind, and knew what he was going for. He flew higher and punched upward, a root following his hand movement and piercing Mal Maggog's chest.

The root was instantly consumed by necrosis, and long sinews came out of Mal Moggog's shoulder to grab his severed arm and pull it back in.

Mal Maggog landed on his back with a heavy boom, and a flood of dark waters came out of the hole the root had left to fill the wound it had left in Mal Maggog's chest. Trots shot down and landed on Mal Maggog, freezing the waters within him and making them expand. Mal Maggog groaned as his chest swelled. Trots tapped some exposed ice, and Mal Maggog’s whole chest shattered.

Trots walked to Mal Maggog’s head, “You are very strong, you got a good hit in, but I’ll tell you why you lost. You are consumed with your own glory, and enlarging it. I seek a greater glory, and become glorious by reflecting it. You could have won this fight if you cared more about it than your ability to glorify yourself through conquest, but alas, your mindset was the death of you.”

Trots reached Mal Maggog’s forehead and raised his sword. He drove it in, and it hit like a cannon that made a hole going all the way through. Mal Maggog’s magic faded, and the undead giants collapsed. Roots came from the earth and fed on their bodies, but feeding on Mal Maggog’s body would kill the roots.

Trots jumped to the ground, and looked at the destruction of the Dalmation. Last he’d seen in Mal Maggog’s mind said that Andal and Jeva were hiding in tunnels that were far enough back to still be intact. He’d have to flush them out.

Then something to the south caught his eye. The dead giants, fallen rocks, and snow were disappearing. It was like a circle was expanding, and everything within that circle became a pleasant springtime day. Though, the curvature of the circle remained the same. So, nothing was expanding, something was approaching. There were enough dead trees coming to life that he couldn’t see to the center of the circle, but he waited.

Then a human, young and strong, came into view. Something was off about him. Trots looked into his mind, and found it oh-so-familiar. He gasped, “Lars?”