Contents
Chapter Forty-Three: Varg
Overview
The Bloodsworn spring their assault on the tunnel, clashing with skraelings and a shield wall before a troll and a red-eyed leader with a bone sword emerge. Vol’s Seiðr briefly checks the sword but shatters. Varg unleashes his rage, kills the red-eyed man, yet suffers a grievous waist wound as the fight rages on.
Summary
Varg advances with Svik’s band as the Bloodsworn encircle a glade of carts, thralls, and skraelings. Chaos erupts: thralls scatter, skraelings and warriors form a defense. Varg’s line meets a ferocious charge; he and Torvik are thrown apart by a skraeling before Einar arrives to cleave it down. Regrouping, Svik’s crew smashes a shield wall and scatters the defenders.
A troll and a cadre of mailed warriors appear, led by a red-eyed elder wielding a rippling bone sword that radiates crushing power. The leader hurls Glornir back in a single clash. Svik’s crew charges, but the troll barrels through them, killing Vali and injuring others as they hack and harry its legs. Amid the struggle, Glornir is wounded and forced to a knee beneath the red-eyed man’s descending blade.
Vol interposes, slashing her palm and casting a blazing Seiðr-rune that halts the bone sword mid-strike. The red-eyed man bellows a counter-working; the rune flickers and explodes, hurling Vol and Glornir to the ground. With the sword rising again and Bloodsworn blocked by hard-fighting guards, the moment teeters on disaster.
Varg surrenders to his red mist, tackles the red-eyed man, and in a savage exchange buries his cleaver in the elder’s skull. The bone sword’s momentum still carries, shearing into Varg’s waist. As light sears and darkness closes on Varg, the troll still rampages and the wider melee continues unresolved.
Who Appears
- VargPOV; unleashes berserk fury, tackles the red-eyed leader, kills him with a cleaver, but is grievously cut.
- GlornirChief of the Bloodsworn; duels the red-eyed man, is wounded and nearly slain before Vol and Varg intervene.
- The red-eyed manBone-sword wielder leading defenders; counters Vol’s Seiðr; nearly kills Glornir; slain by Varg.
- VolSeiðr-worker; casts a fiery rune shielding Glornir; her ward shatters and she is blasted back.
- SvikLeads his crew in the assault; dodges the troll and presses attacks on leader and beast.
- EinarSaves Varg from a skraeling; hacks into the troll’s leg; cuts down foes in the melee.
- TorvikFights beside Varg; spears the troll; helps save Varg from a skraeling.
- RøkiaBreaks an enemy shield wall; hurls a spear at the red-eyed man, which he slices aside.
- JökulSmashes foes and the troll’s toes; is swatted away and badly injured.
- ValiSvik’s crewman; fights ferociously; abruptly killed by the troll’s sweeping blow.
- HaljaIn Svik’s line; battles through shield work and reels at Vali’s death.
- EdelArrives with wolfhounds as Bloodsworn converge; present at the battle’s outset.
- TrollMassive guardian; rampages through the Bloodsworn, maiming and killing, fight unresolved.