BTtNR - Book 3 - Chapter 034

Einar and the rest of the Vikings all stopped at the same time upon reaching the dueling area. A massive room was sunk into the floor, easily ten yards below a section of stone that bordered a hundred-yard square area.  Columns, choke point tunnels, sections with uneven ground and other obstacles filled different areas of the square, which was marred in some sections where weapons had removed stone.

“What is this place?” Thorodd asked.

Akrini chuckled and pointed to the dwarves who were lining the four sides. “This is where we fight and practice for the caverns. You’ll notice there are even a few covered spots in the middle. None are allowed to climb on top of the area below but here is where a dwarf learns to fight. Inside the mountain, one doesn’t often find oneself on a flat section of stone with all the space of a field. Instead, they’re forced to fight in tight quarters, unable to bring their weapon to full height or swing with full force.”

The Captain of the Guard pointed at another section of stone where boulders were bunched up, creating tight spots and pockets to move through as well as some dead-end areas. 

“Those get moved around so that no one knows where they will be fighting or what might be a dead end.  Once we descend into our starting corners, my men and women will adjust them so that neither of us knows which path to take.”

“I love it,” Avitue stated. “This is far better than the training area Einar has occasionally had us practice in.”

A thick black eyebrow rose as Akrini glanced in Einar’s direction. “You have something similar?”

Chuckling, Einar shook his head as some Skardi and Thorodd groaned. “Nothing like this, but I’ve set up a few areas with trees, which are nothing more than large trunks set into the ground and force them to fight among them. As you said, not every fight takes place in an open field and learning to use terrain as an offensive and defensive weapon is important.”

The dwarf gave an approving nod and pointed to a set of stairs nearby. “You can take those down and the warriors below will offer you some armor and weapons. We don’t use our normal ones here,” Akrini stated. “As you can see, the stone below carries the scars of combat and some, like my hammer, would shatter them completely. Our stone crafters do not like it when I request constant help to repair what may be avoided.”

Fighting back the minor frustration he felt at not getting to use his regular axe, Einar said nothing, pulling it from his loop and handing it to Avitue.

“Maybe I’ll bet two silver,” Thorve said as she rose on her tiptoes and studied the area below. “Either way, this should be a good fight.”

Akrini grinned and motioned to a burly dwarf nearby, who came over immediately.

In each hand, the dwarf held a bracelet. Taking one, Akrini handed the rune-covered band to Einar. “Put this on your… ankle. It should fit there as your wrist isn’t thick enough to keep it from sliding. While you wear it, it should prevent me from killing you.”

“Should?” Einar asked, inspecting the metal object, studying the runes and able to sense the power within. The metal looked black yet also had a polished chrome look, where each rune was.

“They’re designed for dwarves,” Akrini replied, taking hers and pressing on a small clasp that opened it and snapped it around her wrist. “You’re a Viking and are rumored to be strong and healthy. If you do die, I will not apologize. Every dwarf who enters here knows the risk of training in this manner. In the caves, no bracelet will keep them alive.”

Without hesitating, he took the band, opened it as Akrini had and slipped it around his ankle. Standing, Einar held out his hand. “I’ll do my best not to do the same to you.”

An oversized gauntlet gripped his hand and shook as the Captain of the Guard smiled.

“Prepare the arena!” Akrini shouted a moment later, her voice echoing around the stone room. 

“Is it me, or is the lighting in here dimming?” Skardi asked a moment later.

Akrini roared with laughter and nodded, approaching the Viking she towered over by more than two feet. “Caves, caverns and other areas in the mountain aren’t bright. One learns to fight with more than just their eyes.”

Einar noticed that all of the light runes in the area above the fighting section had dimmed by half their normal light and shadows grew and deepened in the pit below.

“I’m definitely betting three silvers now,” Thorve said.

“I’m headed to my side,” Akrini stated, pointing once more to the steps nearby. “Head down there. They’ll give you five minutes to prepare and then sound the start. Find me, Einar Sibbison. Show me what a Viking can do.”

Without another word, the Captain of the guard moved around the edge of the square, making her way toward the other side of the room.

“You sure stepped in a pile of shit,” Skardi muttered. “How bad is this?”

Unable to help himself, Einar grinned. “It’s bad but I’m going to love every minute of it.”

***

A loud gong reverberated off the walls and Einar felt the lights dim again.  The darkness of the section he was in grew and having tightened the chain armor the dwarves had given him as much as possible, he began moving across the stone floor, carefully placing each foot as there was a variety of small stones scattered everywhere.

It’s just like the gravel trick Osvif and I use.

No noise came from above, a band of runes set along the top of the fighting area. The dwarves who had helped him prepare stated that it prevented cheating from those above giving directions or a heads-up on where their opponent was.

Truly a great place to learn to fight. I’ll have to rethink the small area Bior let me create in Kopanes.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Einar focused on letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, drawing a small thread of wyrd through his body.  His senses sharpened, allowing him to see a bit further and hear better.

Staying along the wall to his left, he followed the section until a boulder blocked his path, forcing him deeper into the maze of stone.  Every step was slow and Einar knew that it was taking more time than he had anticipated just to move through the arena. When he paused, trying to hear anything, nothing came that gave any hint of where Akrini might be.

She could be waiting or moving. Or she could be–

He froze, pulling his foot back and regaining his balance as a section of stone he was about to step on changed.  For the past few moments, it was hard rock with the occasional pebble or larger piece scattered, but the path he was on turned to an entire area of small stones set against each other.

Had he taken a single step, dozens of them would have shifted, grinding against each other and announcing his presence.

Frowning, Einar turned, keeping his back to a stone and retraced his steps, locating the last fork he had been in and taking the other direction.

The pair of hammers he held ready was well-made. Any Viking would be honored to have some forged with this metal and the magic in them vibrated gently. Einar knew they were designed to somehow not damage stone while still inflicting pain upon the one they struck.

His new path led Einar through twists and turns, coming to another fork, and after listening, still unable to hear anything, he picked the left path again. Soon, he found himself at the center of the fighting area, the section of stone where what had to be fifteen or so meters of covered, narrow tunnels intersected.

In them was absolute darkness.

If I were a dwarf and launching a secret attack, that would be the perfect place to hide.

Bending down, Einar gently set a hammer down and picked up a stone. Glancing behind him, he turned his attention back to the dark tunnel area and tossed the rock inside.

It bounced along the floor, the sound of its movement seeming louder than it should.

With both hammers in his hand, he waited, listening for any hint of his opponent.

Seconds passed. Soon, almost half a minute had gone by.  No noise or movement had come. Einar knew he was in Akrini’s home, and this fight was more than just a simple test. It was a lesson to show him and those above what the battle against the goblins would be like. There would be no telling where a horde of those creatures might come from. 

Yulgas had warned him that if they heard goblins, it meant others were coming from different directions. Even worse was if the war drums sounded. 

A slow, silent breath brought Einar back to the moment he was in. This wasn’t his field and standing here, waiting would not turn the fight in his direction. Instead, he needed to find a way to change the duel. 

Once again he carefully swapped a hammer for a rock and infused it with a bit of wyrd, the stone beginning to glow as fire enveloped it. Flames danced around the rock, casting shadows that danced all around.

Einar tossed it again into the dark tunnel and watched as the light flew into the void, a hint of metal reflecting as it flew past.

Got you.

With his hammers ready, Einar moved, silent as a mouse across a field. He placed each foot, preparing for what he had seen. The very air around him felt like it didn’t move at all and the blood in his ears tried to distract him with the sound of his heart beating.

As he took the first step into the tunnel, Einar felt the darkness wrap around him.  The ceiling was about ten feet tall but the width was only about six feet wide.

Bent down, hammers held at the ready, the truth of what Einar had just entered caused his senses to send out a warning.

Leaping backward, the movement of an object from above slammed into the stone where Einar had been standing.

A loud crack came as the massive hammer Akrini used sent stone shards flying from the impact.

Einar emerged from the darkness, his weapons immediately igniting as the hulking shape of Akrini appeared for a moment. Her grin was the only thing he saw; her armor was black, and the piece of metal that had reflected something was behind her and to the side.

Laughter echoed from inside the section of this arena floor that would have been his doom had he not sensed that attack.

“Well done,” the Captain’s voice floated out from the darkness. “Not bad for a Viking. Now then, come and find me, Einar Sibbison. This fight has yet to really begin.”

Sending a small flaming bolt into the section he had just been, it traveled down the dark tunnel, glinting off the small piece of a bracer that was set on the floor. Nothing else came, and no more sound could be heard after the spell splashed against a stone wall.

I’ll bet they’re wagering far more silver on her now.

Two choices were before him. One was to extinguish the flames that provided some light while also making him stand out like the moon through a break in the clouds. The other was to extinguish them and fight the Captain in a place she was apparently king of.

Grinning, Einar added a little more fire to his hammer, sending out more light as it spread.

“Prepare yourself, Akrini. I’m coming for you,” he called out.

Laughter echoed around him, bouncing off the walls.

“Come and find me, Viking. Show me what Thor sees in you.”