BTtNR - Book 2 - Chapter 023 - A Fight Worthy Of The Gods (Patreon)

Battles had taught Einar the importance of breathing and remaining calm.

Shit always hit the fan and when it did, as it always did, not panicking helped one to react in the best possible way.

The moment the first troll made it near the first wire they had set up, Einar yelled, waving his weapon at the troll.

It responded in turn.

However, instead of yelling, it threw its weapon as it ran. The large tree trunk, easily ten feet tall, flew through the air with a speed and aim that seemed impossible to believe.

Einar realized it wasn’t coming for him. The log was set to impact Bodalf, and the warrior stood there unable to move in time.

Dashing forward with a burst of speed, Einar held up his shield and prayed that what he was about to do was going to work.

Let’s see what you’ve given me Odin!

[ Divine Protection activated ]

[ Blessed Healing ]

The trunk crashed into his shield, and the weight and power behind it slammed into him. His bones ached from the impact and he stumbled backward two steps, bowling into Bodalf’s raised shield.

The trunk somehow bounced or slid partially off his shield, tumbling behind and slamming into a tree.

His arms were numb and his entire body felt like it had been beaten all day by someone's fists. However, he still stood there, alive.

“Einar?”

Glancing at his shield, upon hearing his name, he saw the shield was cracked, bent in half and the part which his arm was looped through had snapped, only his fist still gripping the metal handle.

“Move! I need a shield!”
In that moment, the battle began and even though he was hurt, the power of the healing ability was filling him with energy.

Dropping the broken shield, he smirked.

His Wyrd begged, yearned to be drawn upon, and Einar ignited his hand, summoning fire in his left hand and forcing the elbow to bend, ignoring the pain and aches of it as his body felt alive.

The troll seemed confused at the man that had shrugged off its attack, now holding a hand outward and flames engulfing it.

It roared, running forward and found the first metal rope with hooks.

The new and improved version had been lowered some, no longer at four feet but instead right about two feet off the ground, trying to blend in more.

Larger hooks were set in it and the moment its green colored skin connected with the wire, the speed and force of its impact dug the hooks in.

Right at the bottom of its foot as it stepped down.

Stumbling, the troll pitched forward, roaring in pain as its flesh was torn from the bottom of its calloused appendage.

The next step sent it forward and then the one after placing its right foot on the dirt covered sticks, giving under the weight and force, sending it plummeting into the hole where its injured right foot found multiple sharpened and fire hardened logs impaling it.

Even better was the result of the creature dropping down, tripping and pitching forward, right onto the second set of cables tied higher.

Its face and a hand connected, impaling the troll’s nose, cheeks and ear as its head hit sideways.  The monster’s left hand was raked across the cable, setting the hooks and gouging out thick rivets of flesh.

All that happened in less than ten seconds, yet it felt like minutes had passed as the first one found itself unable to rise.

The larger troll roared at seeing its fallen ally and was only about twenty yards away.

Unleashing the fireball he had summoned, Einar directed it at the troll’s face, watching as arrows streaked across the air ahead of him, one striking the left eye of the troll.

It raised a log, trying to block the fireball he sent but the arrow that impaled its eye caused it to move too far and instead the log only partially blocked the magical spell, flames exploding on impact and some reaching the troll's face.

More spells came, ice shards pelting the incoming one while a fireball struck the first troll’s head.

Warriors moved, shouting and attacking.

“Your shield, sir!”

A young man held out a replacement and Einar took it, not bothering to do more than nod as he raced forward, igniting his axe as he ran.

Coming up on the troll that was struggling to free itself from the barbed rope, Einar hacked at its injured hand, severing multiple fingers clean off and causing the troll to yank its hand free, putting more pressure on its face.

Blood flew through the air and Einar saw Skardi coming toward the troll, axe in hand.

The large Viking hacked at the downed troll, cutting deep into the armpit section that was now unprotected.

His new weapon sliced with greater effect, opening up the loose skin and causing blood and fat tissue to fall from the wound.

Skardi prepared to swing again, unable to see what was above him, and Einar ran toward the man who had tried to kill him years ago.

He was focused, ready to kill the beast and blind to the hand about to come down on him.

With his shield he slammed into Skardi, sending the Viking to the side as the troll's eyes were fixed upon the spot it was attempting to hit.

Holding his shield up and bracing under it, the weight of the troll came down, forcing Einar into a kneeling position, yet unable to crush him into the ground.

Muscles, tendons, and bones all felt strained and pained yet each second brought healing.

It felt like forever that the weight and might of the troll pressed down upon him.  Blood from the missing fingers coated him.

His eyes spotted movement to the side.

Skardi was on his feet, reacting to the scene before him.

Einar couldn’t see what the man was doing but he heard the roar of the Viking and felt the pressure of the troll's downward hand vanish a second later.

Blood washed over him and a hand grabbed the back of his leather tunic and lifted him to his feet and pushed him away from the troll.

On the ground lay the damaged hand, severed at the wrist where Skardi had cut it off. A fountain of blood sprayed as the troll waved it in the air, crying out in pain as its face was still stuck and it couldn’t climb to its feet.

The sound of another troll in pain caused Einar to turn.

A tree trunk fell to the ground from a raised hand, two large logs having impaled the troll in midair from the tree trap.

The right arm was raised, fighting against the ropes and the three-foot trunk that had been used like a spear.

The left arm was hanging limply, broken it appeared by the log that struck it on that side.

“Move! Shift right!”

Thorodd’s words were beckoning Einar to focus.  His ears were ringing and his body ached.

Stumbling as Skardi pulled him in the direction that had been called out, Einar realized the shield was partially wrapped around his left arm.  

The troll bent it…

“Focus!” Skardi shouted. “Can you move on your own?!”

Nodding, Einar took a few steps, trying to not stumble sideways.

Only his increased perception allowed him to do so.

“Don’t die! I owe you a life!”

Skardi was gone, moving toward the shouts coming from where Thorodd had called.

Blinking multiple times, Einar tried to watch what was going on.  

The first troll was barely moving, its head covered in flames, and a Viking being dragged away by another one.

Is that Starkard?

A loud thud came as the second troll fell to the ground, slipping free from the two wooden logs that had held it up, pinched in place and open to all attacks.

Ice shards littered its upper body and both eyes were pierced with at least half a dozen arrows.

Geir was limping away, using his broken spear as a crutch to move from the falling troll.

Broken leg?

Shouts from his right rang out, answering a roar, and Einar turned to see an elven warrior smashed under a large rock.

Her white hair, stained with red that seeped out from under the stone.  

Fire burned within, begging to be released, and Einar watched as the smaller troll bent down, picking up whatever it could and threw it at anyone in its path.

Arrows came, yet the angle and position of the third troll was just as Raihan had mentioned.  It didn’t pursue the path of the other two and it wasn’t moving in for melee combat.

Maybe fourteen feet tall, it was quicker, always moving and grabbing something to use as a weapon.

“Use the trees! Protect yourselves!”
Those who had moved to engage started trying to get closer, pushing it further to the right, circling around as they darted from tree to tree.

Another handful of stones and dirt pelted one of his men, knocking them down, not standing back up.

[ Divine Protection Expired ]

A sensation of cold washed through his bones and body.

The numbness and pain that had been held at bay suddenly erupted and Einar fell to his knees.

He had been trying to push himself, yet without the decrease in damage, his body started to shut down, overloaded from the pain of each joint, muscle, bone and tendon that was damaged.

Breathing was suddenly harder and even as he tried to use his shield to catch himself, the arm didn’t work right, the shield went flat and he pancaked his body on top of it.

Turning his head was hard, lifting it even more so but he couldn’t take his eyes off the battle.

“Einar!”

Geir had hobbled over to him and dropped down beside him.

“Are you okay?! Healer! I need a healer!”

“No, get the others. I’ll be okay!”

Shouting hurt, but knowing others needed healing more than him drove him to endure it.

An elven woman appeared in robes about twenty seconds later and she bent down.

“What do you need?”

“I'm fine. Heal him first!”

“But-”

“Heal him!”

Einar forced himself upright. Letting go of the shield and axe, he sat up, wincing as he leaned back on his knees.

It hurts… but I can feel everything knitting together…

The woman nodded and turned to Geir who stared at Einar with an open mouth.

“Your leg is broken?”

He nodded and she moved to it, light radiating from her hands as she touched his lower leg where it was bent funny.

“I’ll set it. This will hurt.”

Grunting, Geir nodded and said nothing as she put his leg into position, setting the bone.

Cries came everywhere, and each second allowed Einar a chance to recover more.

He focused his Wyrd through his body.  Letting the fire wash over him. It seemed to help and there was no limit to how much he could draw right now.

Breathing got easier and Einar knew that the time had come and he got to one knee slowly and stood up.

“How… how in the name of Odin can you stand?”

Ignoring Geir's question, Einar bent down and grabbed his shield and axe.

“Stay here and don’t move. We need to finish this.”

As he began to slowly walk toward the fight that was moving through the woods and the area Raihan had said to lay a few traps, Einar let the rage inside him grow.

He was pissed.  

This was Nissa’s fault.  She put them in this position.  Only a fool would throw lives away and risk Ragnarok.

King Erik came to his mind and the anger he felt at knowing someone sat in power and did nothing to lead as she should ignited the fury he felt.

Every person that stood in their way began to flow through his mind and his steps began to quicken.

He missed Avitue, and all this was because of people in the capital.

Arngrim had spoken the truth.  Men and women in power didn’t want to give that up.  They fed the king lies, plied his broken heart and soul.  Grew stronger and gained wealth while all the people of Midgard suffered.

It wasn’t right.

He was here because of them.

One chance was offered by Odin and he was going to take it.

A memory of Dawson and Martinez appeared before him.

It was a summer day, and they were on leave, enjoying a beach and a few beers.  No worries and for once, each of them could relax.

He felt the lightning coursing through him.  There was only one way to control this roaring storm inside him.  Arngrim had warned him about the power of lightning.  It wasn’t like fire.  It couldn’t be summoned so easily.

Until he mastered it, until he learned to harness the power over time, only in moments like this could it come.

Einar ignored the looks he saw on his men’s face as they watched him charging through the trees.

His body ached, but the power inside drove him forward.

Like a bolt of lighting, he moved.

Arcs of power flowed from his feet and to the ground with each step.  It moved between his arms and torso, causing his shield and axe to glow.

Thirty yards was all that remained between him and the troll.

Almost as if it sensed something, it began to turn from where it had been focused.

Its black eyes trying to comprehend the image streaking toward it.

Einar roared, his mouth white and hot as lighting arced between his teeth.

Then he released his axe.

Every bit of the power inside him was sent into the axe. 

It spun like a blade of lightning, flying through the air, crackling with power and it cut through the half turned torso, slicing from the bottom of its ribs, upward and out the other side.

Without stopping, the axe continued its course, cutting through a dozen trees before the light faded and it finally disappeared into the forest.

Darkness overtook Einar as his body gave out.

All the fury was gone.

The earth rushed to embrace him and before everything went completely dark, a notification appeared.

[ Thor has witnessed your rage. A boon…]