BTtNR - Book 3 - Chapter 035

Chapter as promised! Will try to get a few more done this week!

***********
She wants me to come to her. That's the trap.

Einar extinguished the flames on his hammers, plunging himself back into darkness. He knew this opponent was going to be different from many of the others he had faced. The sudden shift from light to shadow would blind him temporarily, but it would also force Akrini to recalculate.

If I can't see her, she shouldn’t be able to see me…

Moving along the wall opposite the tunnel where she had attacked, Einar kept his steps measured and controlled. Each placement of his foot tested the ground first, ensuring no loose stones would betray his position. The chain mail the dwarves had given him was tight, preventing any rattling, but he could feel how it restricted his movement more than his usual armor.

In these tight spaces, that might actually help. Less chance of catching on to something and making noise.

The darkness felt heavy as he moved away from the central intersection. His eyes slowly adjusted again, picking out the faint differences in shadow that marked walls, corners, and openings. Behind him, he heard nothing. There was no pursuit, no movement.

She's waiting. Counting on me to make the first mistake.

Einar paused at a corner, listening. The silence was absolute, broken only by his own breathing. He drew a thin thread of wyrd through his body, sharpening his senses without flaring any visible magic. His perception increased just slightly, allowing him to hear the faint scrape of metal against stone somewhere to his left.

There.

But was it really her, or had she done something to draw him in?

Grinning in the darkness, Einar picked up three small stones. He infused the first with just enough wyrd to make it warm—not glowing, but radiating heat. Tossing it down the path to his right, away from where he'd heard the sound, he waited.

Five seconds passed.

Then ten.

A faint whistle of air was his only warning. Einar dropped flat as a throwing axe sailed over his head, clanging against the stone wall behind him. The weapon had come from where he'd thrown the stone.

She's faster than I thought. She covered that distance in silence as well.

Rolling to his feet, Einar moved left toward where the earlier sound had originated. As he rounded a corner, his lowered hammer met resistance, a thin rope stretched across the passage at shin height.

A trap.

Stepping over it carefully, he pressed forward. The tunnel here was wide enough for two dwarves to walk side by side, perhaps twelve feet across, but the ceiling dropped to only ten feet. For Akrini, that meant limited overhead movement. For him, it was still plenty of room to maneuver.

The passage opened into a chamber roughly fifteen feet across. Einar froze, analyzing the space. Four exits led from this room, each pitch black. The ceiling here was higher, maybe fourteen feet, giving more vertical space but also more shadows to hide in.

A soft chuckle echoed from somewhere ahead. "You're learning, Viking. Most would have charged in by now."

Einar didn't respond. Speaking would give away his exact position.

Instead, he infused his second stone with wyrd and threw it into the leftmost tunnel. As it clattered along the floor, he moved right, slipping into that passage while keeping his back to the wall.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from the left tunnel—Akrini had taken the bait.

Or she wants me to think she did.

He continued forward through a passage that twisted and turned, its width varying between eight and fifteen feet. The uneven nature of it meant that some sections forced him closer to the center, while others allowed him to hug the walls. After thirty feet, it opened into another intersection. This one had five paths radiating outward, and in the center was a raised stone platform about four feet high.

If I get near that, she’d have the high ground. She'd have even more of a reach advantage from up there.

Einar studied the platform, noting how the paths all provided clear approaches to it. Anyone standing on it would be exposed from multiple angles, but a dwarf of Akrini's size would dominate the space, her hammer able to sweep across any approach.

A scraping sound came from behind him.

Einar spun, both hammers rising, but nothing emerged from the darkness. He took a step back toward the platform, then another.

His foot came down on loose stones.

The grinding sound echoed through the chamber as dozens of pebbles shifted beneath his weight. Einar lunged forward, diving away from the noise just as a massive shape exploded from the rightmost tunnel.

Akrini's hammer flew through the air where he'd been standing. The weapon was enormous, easily five feet of solid metal and wood, and she wielded it one-handed as she charged. At nine and a half feet tall, the female dwarf was a mountain of muscle and armor bearing down on him.

Einar rolled, coming up in a crouch as the dwarf's second swing moved through the spot he'd just vacated. Her follow-through was perfect, using the momentum to spin into a third strike that would have caught him if he hadn't scrambled backward.

"There you are!" Akrini roared, her grin visible even in the dim light as she pressed her advantage.

The space gave her room to move freely. Einar couldn't rely on the environment to restrict her strikes like he'd hoped. He parried the next attack with both hammers, the impact sending vibrations up his arms.

She's stronger than me by a fair amount. I can't trade blows.

Akrini advanced, her hammer rising for another strike. The ceiling here was just high enough that she could use overhead attacks, though not with full extension. Einar waited until the last moment, then dove and rolled to his left, coming up near one of the tunnel entrances.

The Captain's hammer crashed into the stone floor, sending chips flying. She pivoted smoothly, cutting off his escape into that passage. Her reach and speed were forcing him to give ground.

"You're fast, Viking," Akrini said, stalking forward. "But speed alone won't win this."

Einar backed into the tunnel entrance. This one was narrower. It was only about eight feet wide, and the ceiling dropped to eleven feet. Still, there was plenty of room for Akrini, but it limited her somewhat.

He struck at her leading knee as she entered, both hammers aimed at the joint. The weapons bounced off her armor with dull thuds, but the impact made her shift her stance.

Akrini's counter swing forced him deeper into the tunnel. The confined space meant he couldn't dodge to the sides as easily. He backpedaled, keeping his hammers up defensively.

"Good try," Akrini said, following him into the passage. "But you'll need more than that."

The tunnel twisted sharply to the right. Einar took the turn at a run, his mind racing for any advantage. Behind him, Akrini's footsteps thundered against stone.

Twenty feet ahead, he spotted another rope trap. Instead of avoiding it, he stepped over it and kept going another thirty feet before stopping at a junction where three paths met.

Drawing wyrd into his final stone, he made it glow with soft firelight and wedged it into a crack in the wall at shoulder height. Then he pressed himself into a shadowed alcove just around the corner of the left passage, hammers ready.

Akrini's heavy footsteps approached. He could hear her breathing now, controlled but measured.

"Leaving me a light?" she called out. "How thoughtful!"

She rounded the corner into the junction, her silhouette visible against the glowing stone. Her hammer was raised, ready for an ambush, but she was scanning the wrong direction—toward the straight path ahead.

What she didn't see was the rope trap.

Her foot caught the line and Akrini stumbled. It wasn't much—a dwarf's balance was legendary—but it was enough. In that half-second of distraction, Einar emerged from his hiding spot and struck.

Both hammers targeted her weapon arm at the elbow joint where the armor plates met. The impacts landed solidly, and Akrini's grip on her hammer loosened for just a moment.

Einar didn't try to disarm her. Instead, he seized the opportunity that arose when she tried to recover. He swept low, striking at the back of her knee with his right hammer while his left came up toward her ribs.

The dwarf grunted and her leg buckled slightly. Her hammer swung up in a vicious arc that would have caught Einar's head if he hadn't already been moving backward into the left passage.

"Clever!" Akrini growled, straightening up. "Using my own traps against me!"

She advanced more cautiously now, testing each step. The passage here was only seven feet wide, forcing her to angle her shoulders slightly as she moved. Einar backed away, drawing her deeper into the narrower section.

I can't keep this up forever. She'll wear me down.

The passage ahead opened into another chamber. Einar burst into it, his eyes quickly getting a read on the space. It was roughly oval-shaped, maybe eighteen feet at its widest point, with four tunnel exits. The ceiling here varied wildly—twelve feet in some places, higher in others where the natural cave formation created pockets.

Those height differences...

Akrini emerged from the tunnel seconds later, cautious as before. She stayed near the entrance, hammer held defensively.

"No more running?" she asked.

"No more running," Einar agreed.

They circled each other slowly. Einar's mind worked through possibilities, calculating angles and distances. The uneven ceiling meant Akrini would have to be aware of where she could fully extend her strikes. The multiple exits meant either of them could retreat if pressed too hard.

But she won't retreat. This is a test of will as much as skill.

Akrini feinted left and struck right, her hammer whistling toward Einar's ribs. He parried with his left hammer while striking at her extended wrist with his right. The exchange lasted seconds. Both of them attacked, countered, parried and attacked again, finally separating to reevaluate the moment.

Again and again, they clashed, each one managing to get in a small glancing blow, taking whatever opening the other gave.  Neither could land the finishing one, and the sound of their onslaught was like a dozen drums being beaten nonstop.

Minutes passed, and finally they both withdrew again. Blood roared in Einar's ears. His arms could still feel the vibrations from blocking her strikes, and he could feel bruises forming across his body despite the protective bracelet.

"You're good," Akrini admitted, breathing heavily. "Better than I expected."

"You're not bad yourself," Einar replied with a grin. "For a dwarf."

She laughed, a deep, genuine sound. "I'm going to enjoy this last part."

Akrini charged. Not recklessly, but with purpose and control. Her hammer became a blur of motion—high strikes where the ceiling allowed, low sweeps that forced Einar to jump, side swings that made him give ground. He blocked what he could, dodged what he couldn't, and felt himself being backed toward one of the tunnel entrances.

This one was different—only six feet wide and with a ceiling that dropped to just nine feet. For Akrini, it would be restrictive.

This is it. If I don't do something now, she wins.

Einar let himself be pressed back until he was at the tunnel mouth. Akrini's grin widened as she wound up for a finishing blow, but she had to adjust her grip slightly as she calculated the lower ceiling behind him.

At that instant of adjustment, Einar dropped and rolled forward, directly between her legs. At her height, there was just enough clearance. As he came up behind her, he drew deeply on his wyrd, not wanting to ignite or electrocute her, but to enhance his strength for just a few seconds.

Both hammers struck the back of Akrini's knees simultaneously with everything he had.

The dwarf's legs buckled. She caught herself with her free hand against the tunnel entrance, but her hammer lowered for just a second as she stabilized.

Einar moved. Three rapid strikes followed. He struck her left shoulder blade, right shoulder blade, and then the base of the neck where her helmet met the armor. The protective runes on both their equipment flared, preventing serious injury, but the impacts were solid and precise.

Akrini dropped to one knee, her hammer falling from suddenly nerveless fingers as the runes on their bracelets pulsed brightly.

Silence filled the chamber.

Then Akrini's laughter echoed off the walls. She pushed herself upright, turning to face Einar with a grin that split her bearded face.

"Well struck, Viking! Well struck indeed!"

Above them, Einar heard the roar of dwarven voices fill the training hall, a mix of cheers and groans as bets were settled.

Akrini offered her gauntleted hand, and Einar clasped it; both of them were breathing harder than he had expected.

"You fight smart," she said, respect clear in her voice. "Used every advantage you had. The traps, the narrow spaces, even my height against me in that last moment. That's the mark of a true warrior."

"You had me on the defensive the whole time," Einar admitted. "Another minute and I would have been done."

"Perhaps. But you didn't give me that minute." Akrini replied, releasing his hand and bending to retrieve her hammer. "Thor was right about you, Einar Sibbison. The Vikings are not weak, not if they have warriors like you leading them."

As they made their way out of the fighting pit, climbing the stairs to where Einar's pack waited, he caught Thorodd's expression, a mixture of pride and relief.

"How much did you lose?" Einar asked quietly.

"Three silver," Thorodd muttered. "But it was worth every copper to watch you pull that off."

Skardi was grinning ear to ear, his massive hand thumping Einar's shoulder hard enough almost to make him stumble. "The way you rolled between her legs at the end! I thought for certain she had you trapped!"

Akrini removed her bracelet and handed it to one of her guards before turning to address the gathered dwarves and Vikings.

"Let it be known that Einar Sibbison has proven himself in the arena! Any dwarf who doubts Viking strength has only to look at what we witnessed here today!"

The dwarves cheered, their voices echoing through the massive training hall.

Yulgas approached, his weathered face showing approval. "You did well, son of Odin. Very well indeed. Come, there is much to discuss about the goblin raids, and after that display, I believe my people will listen to your counsel with more open minds."

As they walked, Einar caught Akrini's eye. The Captain of the Guard nodded once, a warrior's acknowledgment of respect earned. He returned it with a smile and a slight prayer.

Odin… Thor… I owe you more than I can ever repay. Thank you.

With one more small battle won, Einar knew that the real fight lay ahead.