"Follow me if you can, eel-den!" Gjalp howled, slipping out the window in the next second.
Skadi screamed in reply, using the wall Byleister had made to spring off of and out the window herself.
"Let them be." Laufey called as several warriors made to take after them.
Loki looked to his elder brother as he resumed his seat. But before he could say anything, Fandral beat him to the question, asking, "Is this type of event commonplace here?"
"No... Apparently Gjalp took offense to Skadi's request for her to join the annual troll-hunts she started up. She declined Skadi's offer, and then Skadi took offense... the chemistry between those two is just bad. If they're going to fight, better that they do it outside." Helblindi sighed.
"Very little can stop a fight between witches once it gets going," Byleister agreed, "So one might call my attempt foolish. I had hoped a reminder of the events around them might calm them down, but I guess not."
"I just hope Madam Skadi shows Madam Gjalp some kindness." Vafthruthnir worried.
Loki turned his gaze to his new friend. "What do you mean?" he asked in concern.
"Gjalp may be younger and more magically inclined, but in a physical fight like this, Skadi has the upper hand. While we don't condone murder for any reason, Gjalp is going to be hard-pressed to stay alive while they're both so riled up." Byleister explained quietly.
Gjalp felt the air whoosh out of her lungs as Skadi drove her into the ground. Freezing long needles of ice onto her claws, she drove her hand towards the elder's thigh. Contact was made, skin was broken, blood was drawn, and ice snapped.
Howling, Skadi tumbled off of her, rolling to the side. Staying on her back, Gjalp kicked, sending a clumsy spear of ice in Skadi's general direction. She missed horribly, but Skadi retreated further anyway. This gave Gjalp time to roll over, crouching on all fours.
Skadi mirrored her, and they circled, both bristling and growling.
Gjalp lunged first, shrieking bloodthirstily. Skadi met her with twice the brute force, but Gjalp had moved far enough forward that she had the upper hand for all of two seconds. She made use of it by raking her frost-whorled claws down the huntress's face.
Skadi screamed, putting one hand to her eye. Retaliation came quick, in the form of a huge ice-spear that pierced Gjalp's shoulder.
Both of them were bleeding now. Gjalp's lip was split, her back scraped, her shoulder pierced, and her ribs clawed. Skadi had a bite-wound on her arm, her leg bleeding from the ice-shards still lodged there, and dark rivulets running down her face. It appeared that Gjalp had, in actuality, missed Skadi's ruby orb, but the sting of indigo fluid was still blinding the older witch.
Gjalp had expected a moment to recover after that— She was denied, Skadi sweeping her feet out from under her.
As she rolled to the side to escape the skull-crushing blow she saw coming, Gjalp gasped.
Her claws scrabbled against jagged stone, searching for purchase. In a heart-stopping moment, she found one, and dug her claws into the cliff.
Somewhere along the line, she and Skadi had taken their battle to the edge of a canyon. Looking down, she could only see shadows. It wasn't Ginnungagap, but she wouldn't survive the fall, especially at night like this.
"Well, look at this!" Skadi drawled, leering down at her. "I'd say you're in a bit of a tight spot, youngling!"
Gjalp took a shuddering breath, forcing a shiver. Panicking in this situation wouldn't do any good, she needed to be calm...
"So? Going to beg for help?"
"From you? I'd rather fall!" Gjalp spat.
Skadi scowled. Drips of indigo fell from her chin to Gjalp's cheek, sticky and metallic-smelling. Narrowed pupils shifted to look at Gjalp's hands.
Fear clenching her chest, Gjalp froze her hands to the cliff.
Skadi's pupils widened, and she burst out cackling.
"How do you intend to get free now, white moon?! You can't break it like that, not without dooming yourself to fall! You're completely trapped!"
... She was so stupid.
Skadi was right.
She was stuck, hanging from the cliff like a piece of meat.
"I have, contrary to what you think, my honor— I won't kill you," Skadi sneered, "But I won't force my help on someone who doesn't want it."
With that, the older witch stood and left.