Astria took only but a second to catch her breath. With her blood slowing and her breath settling, Astria started to feel the reverberations of her struggle. Her head pounded, her muscles screamed, and her skeleton felt as heavy as iron… and yet, she still stood. This pain, this suffering, was nothing new to her. After being both a slave and a Valkyrie candidate, none of what she experienced now could stop her. As she was now, suffering and pain were nothing but kindling to blaze her already scorching soul.
After picking herself up, Astria began to walk forward, yanking her spear out of the troll's head as she passed. She walked to where her shield had been flung after crashing with the troll's nose and to her dismay, the thing split down the center. It was only kept in one piece by a bridge of wood no bigger than her forearm. Seeing it in this state made Astria's heart sink a bit. She had spent so many years crafting and training with both her spear and shield. Now, however, all she had left was her spear, for she would have to leave behind her shield as it was now dead weight. She hated the thought of leaving behind something so precious in this desolate hel, but she quickly accepted the reality. Astria hoped, at least, that someone else would come along and find a use for it in the future, for that was always the way of things. Anything left behind will eventually find a new home. Astria regarded her shield one last time before turning away and venturing into the total darkness of the great tunnels before her.
*
Although her vision strained and blurred, Selda opened her eyes to a dazzling light. She thought about moving but could feel no parts of her body. So instead of forcing her, she just remained still and allowed the shifting light to dazzle her. Even Selda's memory was nothing but a haze. Nothing came to her as she tried her hardest to think, except for thoughts of Kindra and Astria. She vaguely remembers being with both of them before she her mind went dark, especially Astria. The thought shrouded her in dread. However, she quickly reasoned that whatever had happened, her friends must have pulled her out of it and were now resting by a campfire.
"I… tell… tha-… okay." Selda hazily thought as she tried to move and speak.
Although just barely, Selda was able to hear a muffled response. Overflowing with hope and promise, she took the response as confirmation that here friends were right next to her by the now warm fire.
As her sensations continued to return, Selda did her best to move and speak. She was given more muffled responses in return to which she assumed was her friends trying their best to comfort her and affirm she was okay. However, Selda's heart sunk right out of her as she discovered that whatever she imagined was far from the truth.
It took some time, but as her ears recovered Selda froze once she realized it was not Astria or Kindra talking to her, it was Yulla.
"Selda," Yulla shakily whispered. "Please, keep it down."
Utterly confused, Selda began to frantically look around with her newly recovered vision. She found herself hauled up against a frigid block of ice by chains around her wrists and ankles. Panicked, she struggled with all her might against the cold, rusted chains, hoping that her strength would be enough to break the loop end of the large and severely rusted nail that held the chains up.
"Please, Selda." Yulla whispered more fearfully. "You have to stay quiet or else they will take you away."
Hearing Yulla speak did more to embolden Selda to escape rather than deter her. However, the same could not be said about the sinister chuckle that came from her left. Selda froze in astonishment as she turned her head and witnessed Niel propped up just like her. The strange woman said not a word as she returned Selda's gaze and continued to softly chuckle, which made her stomach sink lower than it already had.
"If that crazy bitch is keeping quiet," Selda thought. "Then we really are in deep shit."
Selda whipped her head back around to finally regard Yulla and was equally astonished to find that the woman's once radiant and prideful face was now as pale as a ghost. Seeing them both as they were smothered any ounce of determination Selda had left. Her entire body went limp in futility as she tried her best to now comprehend what type of hel she was in. Selda resigned herself to gazing into bonfire before her, hoping that the dancing flames before her would lure out hiding memories as it had done so many times before. Back when they all sat and laughed around a campfire of their own. Back when she was surrounded by… and then it came to her.
Selda quickly looked around the circular ice cave they were in and noticed another set of chains on the other side of the great bonfire. Only, the wall of ice behind those chains held nothing but a large splattering of blood. Selda's heart began to race again as she cursed aloud and turned to Yulla.
"Hey," Selda did her best to whisper, failing miserably. "Have you seen Astria or Kindra? That's not their blood, is it?"
Afraid as she was, it did not stop Yulla from glaring at Selda. "How many times do I have to tell you to shut the fuck up? If you want to die fine, but don't you dare endanger me too."
Selda took a minute to bite her tongue before saying as calmly as she could, "Look here you dumb bitch, I'm asking you because we might be rescued. So, how about you stop being a fucking coward and just answer me."
Yulla rolled her eyes in aggravation and shouted a whisper, "No, I haven't seen your fucking friends. That blood…" Yulla stopped for a moment, shutting her eyes and biting her lip as the answer threatened to break her.
"Is Svana's."
Selda whipped her head around in shock after hearing Niel finish Yulla's sentence. With a sickening grin, she continued to say, "Oh, and that's not just blood. Svana tried her hardest to fight back and they tore off her leg for it. Poor thing… at least it was quite the show." Niel started chuckling again, which would have prompted a loud and furious retort from Selda had it not been for the thundering footsteps that approached them.
"Lucky, lucky Selda. You woke up just in time for another show." Niel cackled as two massive trolls stepped into the bonfire room. Selda did not even need to look at Yulla to know that the woman was shaking with terror, for she was much the same herself.
"Whhci noe bhteror? I awtn eth gldeno ehda xnet." A troll with a crooked nose said as it approached and sniffed Yulla, who in return whimpered like a pup.
"Floo, ttha noe sha aladrey eneb lida clmaied." The other troll with tusks barked.
"Btu ttha noe si oto ealn nda eth theor rkese fo ceday." The troll with the crooked nose barked back as it pointed a club at me and Niel.
"I odt'n fnicugk ecar uyo floo! Uyo teak eth gldeno aihdre noe nda eth efich liwl eahv uyor hdei ni hsi wtes oto." The troll with tusks roared.
As their argument became louder, Selda took the opportunity to suck in her fear and use it as strength. She yanked her chain forward, pulling with all her might for even the slightest budge at the nail. She grit her teeth as her muscles strained against the effort, but she did not relent. And neither did the trolls. Their argument had now escalated to a fight, with Yulla caught right next to them. If Selda did not act fast, then the two oafs would certainly crush her.
Selda relaxed herself for a second, sucked in another strong breath, and gave an even mightier heave against the chain. Small as she was, Selda had always been renowned for her strength and today she proved why yet again. Selda used every last muscle she could and with her last heave, the nail did not just budge, but broke completely against the chain, causing Selda to fall.
She quickly whipped around and used the edges of the iron chains to slow her decent, causing her to feel less of an impact as she slammed into the rocky floor. Though dazed, and likely in great pain, the rush of blood pushed Selda up as she began to reach for the chain at her feet. Giving everything she had again, Selda yanked at the chain. And although the nail holding in this one was much less rusted than the one lodged in the ice wall, Selda still managed to lodge it free. She then quickly whipped the chain on her arms around and dragged what she could along the bonfire and towards the trolls, flinging molting hot embers and rocks towards their feet.
The trolls quickly ceased their struggle to howl in pain. As they did so, Selda used this time to toss her chain back in the fire and let it sit. Soon after the trolls brushed away the hot embers and rocks, their howls of pain turned into roars of fury as they charged after her. With little time and distance between them, Selda acted fast and yanked the chain forward from the fire. She not only flung more hot embers and rocks, which slowed down the troll with the tusks, but also flung a now red-hot chain at the troll with the crooked nose that foolishly kept its charge. The red-hot chain cracked against the dumb beast's right ankle, causing the lumbering oaf to lose its balance and fall right on top of the giant bonfire.
The ugly beast roared as the flames engulfed it, burning its flesh to a nauseating crisp until the ugly thing finally rolled out of it. Although much of the flame was off it now, there were still tiny fires burning at the beast's hairs, which it tried frantically to smother. As the thing continued to flail and roar, its partner sidestepped it to charge at Selda again. Selda wasted no time as she tried to swing the chain through the fire again and hit the troll where she could. Unfortunately, the troll with tusks was ready. As Selda swung through the fire and aimed at the trolls knee this time, the troll with tusks simply grabbed. It roared in pain at the searing heat but that did not it from yanking the chain forward, easily lifting Selda off her feet, chains and all, towards the fat beast.
Selda could not resist the force yanking her up and toward the ugly beast's hand. Instead, she used the forward momentum to both swing her past the beast's hand and with a quick, and explosive, twist of her muscle, swing the chain trailing behind her feet around the beast's thumb. Without a another second to lose, yanked the chain hard herself as she dangled under the back of the big oaf's hand.
What followed next came as mostly a blur for Selda. For not too long after she pulled at the ugly beast's thumb, a sickening pop was heard and the troll with tusks roared as it flung Selda hard against the ice wall. The impact was not enough to knock Selda out completely, however she did end up returning to the groggy and hazed state she was in when she first awoke in the ice cave. Only this time, she felt a cool sensation running down her neck that even she knew was neither ice nor frigid water.
"Fuck…," Selda thought as she tried and failed to pick herself up. "Not like this… Not like… this…"
Even through her blurred vision, she could see not just the troll with tusks recover from the pain, but also the troll with the crooked nose finally begin to recover too. And both of them, were lumbering towards her. However, what truly caught her eye was not the great oafs lumbering towards her, but the two small specks running away beyond the fire. One black, and one gold…
"Bitches…" Selda thought as the two great oafs finally stood over her. They both raised their weapons and then… the world went dark.