Battle Through the Nine Realms - Chapter 26 - Rumors (Patreon)

The crowd was roaring as the two teens moved toward each other.  The stone walls almost seemed to vibrate from the shouting and stomping.

It took all his training to keep his heart from racing.

This is insane!

Magnus and Arnor each shifted toward each other slowly, neither taking a real step, choosing to move with caution and keeping their center of gravity and the ability to react versus closing the distance.

Those icy blue eyes peering out over the edge of the green and black colored shield followed his movements.  They were on a different level than so many of the others he had faced or watched fight.

It was quickly apparent that Arnor had been training for this moment since he could probably hold a stick.  Each arm displayed a tattoo, and the one Arnor sported on his chest was supposed to be one many warriors took, gaining Endurance from it.

The two years of actual training Magnus had received felt inadequate, even with the way his rune from Odin helped him learn.  Reinn had complimented his learning the axe many times, but watching how his opponent appeared, even before either of them attacked, was inspiring.  

Arnor’s eyes twitched, and the boy moved forward like a bolt of lightning, covering the three steps between them in a moment.  The teen's axe came from the side, not an overhead chop like many first led with.

Magnus angled his shield, letting the wood absorb the blow, knowing it wasn’t a real attack.  Arnor immediately shifted and drove forward with his shield, pressing into the edge of Magnus’s turned shield.  It pushed Magnus’s arm out enough that when he tried to counter, the swing was off and barely took any wood from one of the green sections of his opponent’s shield.

Sensing the shift and follow-up, Magnus moved backward, watching the axe that had been coming overhand catch the top edge, cutting out a section and splitting a board.

People roared and shouted, watching the pieces of wood fall to the ground, excited to see who was going to bleed first.

The dance began, and both rotated their shields inward and outward, creating space between them while trying to catch and pin either the other's weapon or shield.

He almost took the edge of Arnor’s shield to the face when the teen managed to trap Magnus’s shield with the hooked edge of his axe.  Dodging backward just in time while twisting allowed him to avoid that hit and sweep with his leg, catching Arnor’s shin and making the boy stumble.

Coming at him with a slice, Magnus had to shorten his swing. The blond-headed foe rolled and came up with his shield over his head and his axe swinging under Magnus’s legs.

Groans and cheers continued to wash over them both as the pace picked up.

Each of them was covered in sweat, dirt now sticking to Arnor’s arms where he had touched the ground.

I’m faster, and yet I can’t get past his defenses… how am I going to reach him?

More pieces of wood met their demise under the continued pounding that each boy delivered. Magnus saw his shield suffer a good size chunk come out from a nasty underhand strike.

Where it had come off was right at a point where two boards came together, and Magnus saw the opening he needed if it would work.

Now, he just had to set the trap.

Slowly, he continued to attack, keeping his shield higher and begging for another underhanded swing. When it came, Magnus rotated his shield, making the axe head come up in the same spot while driving down with his shield.

The axe head wedged itself tight between the two planks.

With the blade stuck, Magnus twisted his shield sideways and leaned it over and toward Arnor, who found himself unable to get it free.  Swinging downward with the teen’s shield and weapon pressed under his shield, Magnus’s axe head bit into the boy’s left shoulder, hitting bone.

The impact of the blade caused Arnor to let go of his shield, falling to the ground. Magnus then thrust his own shield into the boy’s face, catching him in the mouth, drawing blood, and sending a tooth flying.

Stumbling backward, Arnor held up his right hand as he let go of the axe and muttered words before falling to his knees.

The judge raced forward as Magnus stood tall, his eyes never leaving the boy until he was certain the match was finished and no threat remained. Backing away slowly, he gave a nod at Arnor, who held a hand over his mouth, fighting the pain of a shoulder that wasn’t working as the healers made their way to him.

Shouts of celebration came from those who had obviously bet on him, and the loudest cheers rang out from where his village was sitting.

“Well done!” Arngrim shouted over the din, clapping his hands as Magnus approached. “For a moment, I was worried!”

Nodding, he slipped his axe into the leather strap on his hip and dropped the wooden shield on the ground.

Wiping the sweat with the cloth the rune crafter offered, Magnus took a few deep breaths and then happily accepted the mug of water that came next.

“Tell me you meant to do that with the shield and that it wasn’t just luck!”

Bobbing his head, Magnus dumped the last of the liquid over his head and wiped himself down.

“I remembered it happening in practice with Reinn. He caught my axe and then smacked me on the head.  Arnor had me until I remembered that and saw that chance.  The fact it worked; I’ll have to give to Odin.”

The goat laugh came, fighting against the continued shouts of praise.

“Well, let's go join the others! We’ll be really celebrating tonight!”

***

Every inch of the Berserkers’ Den was covered, and pushing through the crowd to offer congratulations to Guat and Magnus was an ordeal in itself.

Teit somehow managed to glare and smile at the same time, having paid a few warriors to guard the door and keep people from coming in.  If one wasn’t drinking, they were promptly told to start or get out.

A jug was on the table where both boys sat, and those who came by tossed a copper or even a silver coin and wished them good luck tomorrow.

“Day five!” Osvif exclaimed as he sat at the end of the table.  He had missed the fighting, but as the day started to wind down, he had been allowed to join them.

“I’m just glad you’re not as pale as you were when you showed up,” Guat said, ignoring the idea of making it one more day. 

“Still, you both made the top twenty! Nineteen people remain!”

Neither Magnus nor Guat could hide their excitement as Osvif continued to celebrate for both of them.  Reinn had already received a summons from Jarl Bior and was supposed to meet with him tomorrow after the fights, regardless of the outcome.  Producing two day-five challengers from the same town had not been heard of in ages.

“The real problem comes down to tomorrow,” Guat said. “Rumor has it there is a betting pool taking place on whether Skardi will get another pass.  Apparently, his actions have angered the judges, and some wanted him thrown out.”

“Surely it has happened before.”

Guat nodded at Osvif and shrugged.  “Sometimes the boy was removed, most of the time they are not.  It was the fact he tried to maim and kill you even after the first blow and ignored the judges’ involvement.”

Osvif shrugged and pulled his shirt over, displaying the scar again that ran four inches below his collarbone, all the way over and onto his back.  

“At least the ladies will enjoy getting to run their fingers along this.”

“All the ladies, he says,” Magnus teased. “Like there is a line out there waiting for him.”

Winking, Osvif nodded and grinned.  “You two don’t know what kind of treatment I got in the recovery hall.  When word got out who had caused my injury and what I had done to Skardi, the women there gave me extra special attention.”

Both boys couldn’t help but laugh, seeing that Osvif was extremely proud of whatever had taken place.

“So tomorrow?” Guat asked, looking intently at Magnus, who was watching Thora and Valgard celebrate with the others.

“We don’t die and win.  Depending on who you draw, our plan of attack will be determined.  Part of me wants to use just a spear, but I also know the weakness of it.  I guess I’ll have to blame Osvif for showing everyone how good they can be.”

The three of them laughed, joking and teasing each other until they were forced to retire for the night.

***

“Seems weird having a room,” Guat said in the darkness of the room. “I guess winning does pay off.”

Magnus chuckled, nodding even though neither of the boys could see him.

“It does feel nicer having a few extra blankets to sleep on and not having to listen to every sound that drifted up the stairs.”

Closing his eyes, Magnus found sleep came quickly.  

Dreams of tomorrow fought for a place in his head, some of them with him winning and others of him dying.

***

The crowds were shouting and screaming at the ones pulling from the pot.

“Cheaters! Make the boy fight!”

“Kick him out!”

Some of the guards for the dueling fields pushed through the stands, threatening to remove those who were causing the biggest problem.  

“I’d prefer it this way if I’m honest,” Guat whispered.  “You can see that almost everyone else feels the same way.”

Magnus studied the arena and nodded. Only three of the nineteen looked upset that Skardi was not going to fight.  Rumor was that there were a few hoping for the free pass to the next round, and the amount of money that was offered to acquire it was getting ridiculous.  

“Either way, we are going to fight.  Tell me, if you got the pass, would you take it or sell it?”

Guat chuckled and shrugged.  “It’s a lot of gold, and some of those fathers are willing to pay everything they’ve earned to see their son get one more guaranteed chance.  Either way, that doesn’t matter now. Tell me what I’m up against.”

“You already know,” Magnus replied.  “Why don’t you tell me your thoughts.”

Frowning, Guat nodded and motioned at his opponent.

“He’s fast. I mean, really fast and uses a spear almost as well as you.  If he goes that route, my only hope is, what? Two axes?  You saw what he did to the last guy he faced who used a shield and axe.”

Frowning, Magnus couldn’t help but agree with Guat’s assessment. Ufi was like most of the other teens, decently built and of above-average height. Being over six feet tall provided the boy with some added reach with the spear, and each thrust had a decent amount of force behind it. He didn’t even use a shield, preferring the longer spear and its power.

“At least you know what your opponent is going to fight with.  Mine has changed up three times, often waiting till the last minute to declare what he will use.”

“What’s your plan then?”

“Win,” Magnus replied with a grin. “I already told you, I’ll probably go spear this round.  I want to practice it against someone before the end, but this Orest guy has not shown me anything special that would make it look like the spear is a bad choice.”

A hand tapped Magnus on the shoulder, and he turned to see Arngrim motioning for him to move a little bit away.

“What’s wrong?” Magnus asked.  He could see the frown and the way the older man was biting his lip.  “If you squint any harder, your face might freeze like that, and then people will think you’re attractive finally.”

Growling, Arngrim snorted and then sighed before chuckling.

“Boy, you have no idea what you are up against.  You need to stay near Guat and don’t leave Reinn or Hrein’s side.”

It was Magnus’s turn to frown as an eyebrow moved toward his scalp.

“Do I want to know?”

“Someone has been jailed. Rumor is they were trying to hire someone to kill you.”