Age 13
Training Grounds, Asgard
Day 1
"I can't," I tell Loki, fidgeting nervously with the cuffs of my new uniform. Even though it was tailored for me, it's still a little big. I stand a whole head shorter than all the other recruits. I'm glad not to be training with them yet. It's only my first day, and apparently, I'm a little too volatile to train with other people.
"Ally, I saw you do it, the first day we met," Loki reminds me gently. He's smiling encouragingly, but I stop looking at him in favor of staring at the ground.
"I can't do it like that anymore," I mumble. "It won't be small anymore. It's always too big." The small amount of control I had over the Flame is gone, ever since Sakaar. I can only use it the same way I did in the arena: large destructive bursts.
"Hey, it's okay. I need you to try anyway. You won't hurt me. I can shield with magic, and then we can work on controlling it." My stomach twists, he's being so patient with me, and I still don't think I can do this.
I have to though. If I can't go with them on the Niflheim quest, they'll have to send me back to Eldmara. The thought of it makes me shake.
"Just show me what happens," Loki prods again, and this time I nod. He steps back, and a swirling green energy surrounds him, like a tint in the air between us.
I close my eyes and just barely tap the power inside me. It's like a flood gate, and when my eyes open, everything is on fire. Or at least, everything around me for about ten feet. I cry out, and try to make it go away, but it just keeps burning.
"I can't stop it!" It's starting to grow past the initial burst, and I have no way to tell if I'm pushing it or if the flames are just following their natural destructive course.
"It's okay," Loki says, skirting the edge. I look at him with worry, he's going to hurt himself getting that close. "I'm fine, I'm shielded."
He looks at me, and I realize with horror that my clothes have caught fire, even though they're supposed to be fireproof. "Ally, just breathe. Make it stop, control it."
"I can't!'
"Okay, okay, then just stop feeding it. Take a deep breath, wait for it to burn out." He's even closer now, standing in the flames. He's not close enough to touch me, and there's obvious effort to hold up his magic. "Just breathe."
I do what he says, deep breaths in and out. I can do this, I have to, or Loki's going to get hurt trying to help me. I don't fight the fire, but after a moment, I sense something. I stop giving it fuel, and eventually, the fire right around me stops, though a good portion of the training ground is still on fire. Loki mutters a spell, and it fades too.
I'm not happy though, it happened just like I said, and I don't know if I can get it to change. I look down at my clothes, surprised to find them looking untouched. But I feel like I'm only covered in ash.
"An illusion," Loki explain. "Don't worry, I can't see under it." He's close enough now to touch me, but I'm still surprised when he does. I can't have cooled enough to make that hand on my shoulder comfortable. "I'll work on the fireproofing, now that I know what we're up against."
I don't know what to say, I've gone back to staring at the floor. The sounds of metal clanging and soldiers shouting reminds me of why I'm really here. I can't get to that point if I keep catching fire. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it, I wanted to! It was so small before, I don't know what changed."
Except I do know what changed. Eldmara made me fight everyday, and the fire is the only thing keeping me safe.
"Ally, you did stop it," he tells me. I don't look at him. "Hey, no one got hurt, you didn't damage anything. Well, besides your clothes, but we can fix that."
"But I can't control it."
"Ally, you're holding an incredibly powerful source of energy. It's a miracle you can hold it the way you can. You could control it before, and you'll learn to again. I'll help you."
Day 5
I shove the now familiar panic down and focus on letting the fire die. The circle around me is smaller, and it takes less time to go out. But the whole point of this exercise was to not ignite at all, and I haven't succeeded yet.
Loki takes the pot from me, hand encased in protective magic, and rinses it off, filling it back up again. He sets it beside me, and waits for me to cool before taking my hand. At least we solved the fireproof issue; I'm covered in ash now, but my clothes are more or less intact. No nosebleed yet either, I haven't overexerted myself.
"Okay, let's try something else," he says. "How much do you understand about the Flame?'
"Not a lot," I admit. "I can feel it inside me, I can tell when it gets… bothered. I know it's powerful. And it's, well, Eternal, it doesn't go out like other fires." I wish it did, then I wouldn't have to worry about all this. I could go home.
Loki nods, and then elaborates. He likes explaining things. "The Eternal Flame came from Muspelheim, it's the intrinsic power of the whole realm. It uses to be held by Surtur, and the histories are unsure how exactly the Flame made it to Asgard, but my ancestors did defeat him. It's powerful, yes, but not untamable. You're only holding a part of it."
"It just, it seemed so natural before," I tell him. "It took some concentration, but I could turn it on and then turn it off and it wasn't much." I can tell Loki is thinking about it.
"From what you've told me, it sounded like Eldmara made you use your powers quite often." I nod to confirm. I haven't told him most of what happened on Sakaar yet, I don't like thinking about it.
"So it's like you've exercised it, you've increased it's basic capacity. Turning it on is the same, but the Flame has… gotten bigger. It's used to being explosive. You have to retrain it to do what you want it to do."
"Which is why you're having me boil pots of water."
"Yes."
"But all I've done is catch fire, I can't just focus on the pot, fire just comes out."
"Hmm." Loki's considering something, and he looks perplexed.
"What?"
"We have to break it down more," he explains. "Do you understand how fire works?"
"Yes? It needs air, something to burn, and something to start it." I learned it in school, on some field trip. I wish I remembered the fancy science words for it.
"Yes, and the way the Flame works is similar, it needs air, but it has its own energy start it, and it feeds off of what you give it. But there's another part to it. The Flame is magical, it doesn't obey the rules of normal fire. Its functions can be separated, used independently."
"What?" I'm not sure what he's saying.
"Forgetting the more complicated parts, fire is conceptually two things. Light and heat. The Flame can be used as both, in the form of fire, but also individually. You're already doing it subconsciously, you glow almost all the time. If you focus on just one aspect, heat, then maybe it'll help you gain control over it."
I'm following, just barely, but it's worth a try. "So just think about warming up, not lighting a fire?"
"Try it." He scoots back, not out of a comfortable range for me, but I know he won't move any more. I take a deep breath, and cup my hands around the bottom of the pot. Just heat. Mentally, I try to engage my powers, begging them to just make the pot warm.
I erupt in flames. Loki throws up a spell just in time, a curious look on his face. He's never disappointed in me, but I do plenty of that on my own. "Sorry!" I shout.
"It's okay, we can figure this out." Loki waits for the fire to die out, more patiently than I feel. He takes the pot again, filling it back up. We'll go until I get too tired to continue, repeatedly getting set on fire is exhausting.
"Try putting your hand in the water." I look at him sideways.
"I thought I needed air."
"For fire, yes, but maybe not for just heat." I guess that makes sense, so I stick my hand in the pot, watching pieces of ash float off into the water. I concentrate, just thinking about my hand and how hot it is.
The water begins to bubble almost immediately, and then the singed sound of water evaporating precedes me catching fire. I remove my hand from the pot. Once the fire and smoke clears, I can see that Loki is grinning.
"See? You did it."
"I still caught fire," I say, "but it felt different." I take the pot over and rinse it off myself this time, and fill it up. "I want to try again."
Day 57
I burst into flames, but a smile comes with it. Only my arms are covered with fire, and there's no panic, only control. Two months of working at it everyday and all day, and I can finally control the Flame.
I fire at the targets Loki throws into the air, dissolving them with short bursts of fire. He thinks with a little more work, I'll be able to throw fireballs. I hit almost every target with good aim.
Loki runs at me, and I extinguish the fire almost automatically. I'm hot enough for our next exercise, but there's no exposed flame to catch things that get too close. He tries to grab me, but I counter with the three self-defense moves I know so far, elbowing him in the diaphragm, twisting and knocking his chin back with my head, and kneeing him in the groin. He's still telling me to hit harder on that one.
I run after that, into the room that's been magically darkened to hide all outside light. It's pitch black, exposing me and my glow. I take deep breaths and concentrate, focusing on not glowing at all. It takes a lot of effort, but slowly, my hands and arms go dark, and then my face. It helps that my chest is covered by my shirt, but I can never quite get it to stop glowing entirely. The Flame sits in my heart, and I can't stop it completely.
There's a noise in the room, and I know Loki has come to find me. I hold completely still, holding my breath, even though he's not supposed to use sound to track me. He likes to cheat though.
I jump a whole foot in the air when his voice sounds in my ear. It didn't take him as long this time, which means I have to do better. I lunge forward and change goals, focusing on glowing as brightly as I can. This takes even more effort, since instead of shutting both functions down, I have to concentrate on just light, while keeping the heat down.
I try to illuminate every part of the room, but Loki's magic pushes against me, simulating the mists on Niflheim. I pour all my concentration into it, and my head starts to pound. The room comes into view, and then becomes clearer. It's almost daylight bright in here, and I keep going, expanding my reach. Blood starts to drip from my nose, but I hold steady through the dizziness.
When it gets to be too much, my whole body catches fire, but I shut everything down immediately. The room goes back to being pitch black and I sink to the floor. Loki stops me from hitting the ground, a glowing psychic construct in his other hand. It won't last long in here, so Loki wraps an arm around my waist and deposits me outside.
"That was well done," he says, handing me the canteen he carries around while training. I drink, draining it. We've discovered that half the reason I felt so crappy on Sakaar was dehydration. The Flame makes my body use up water too fast, and I have to consistently replenish it.
"I can't stop glowing," I say, but I'm not that frustrated. We've already discussed this, the tailors are working on clothing that can hide it. "You cheated."
"Just keeping you alert," he teases.
"I should go again," I tell him. It's not like we can rest every twenty minutes on Niflheim. I have to get my stamina up.
"Take a minute, you're exhausted." He hands me a handkerchief and I clean my face off. "I worry what will happen if you push yourself too hard."
"And I worry about what will happen if I push myself too hard on a death world with no way back. At least if I do it here, Eir can help me." The head healer has taken a special interest in my case; I have to go in every week so she can monitor the Eternal Flame.
Loki sighes, but I can tell he's relented. He fills up the canteen again, making me drink another one. "Don't forget, tap out before you pass out."
"Where's the fun in that?" I tease. I think it's better for me to go until I can't any more, plus I like getting an exasperated look out of Loki.
Day 63
"It's too heavy." I complain. "How am I supposed to fight in this?"
"It's armor, Ally, it's meant to protect you. Do you need help with the straps?" Loki is trying his best not to tease me, but he's got an amused look on his face.
"I need help walking. I'm telling you, it's too heavy." I lift my arms to show him, I can't even bring them even with my shoulders. "I'm going to fa-" I fall back, off balance, and the resounding clank echoes in the armor room, mocking me. I can't even roll onto my chest to push myself up; so I lay there like a stuck turtle.
"Help!" I cry, trying to be heard over the sound of Loki laughing at me. "Don't just stand there! I'm gonna be late!"
Loki hoists me up, holding me steady. He tightens the straps for me, which only makes this more of a death trap. "You'll get used to the weight, I promise."
"Not if I die first." It's the smallest training armor in the armory, nowhere near as heavy real battle armor. And I can barely carry it.
"You're not going to die," he chuckles. "Do a practice lap for me, you'll be fine." I stick my tongue out at him and I start jogging. I'm painfully slow, and the armor drags at me.
"I'm telling you, it's too heavy!" When I look back at Loki, he's got a frown on his face.
"You should be able to carry this, Ally, it's child's armor." I spin in a slow circle, teetering halfway through and falling over again.
"Ow! Can I take it off now?" Loki comes over to help me undo the straps and as soon as I'm out I give him my best 'I told you so' look.
"Stupid Asgardians and their stupid too heavy armor!" I declare. Loki sends me a chiding glance, but changes to a more understanding one.
"I'm sorry, I really thought this would work. We'll find some leather armor for you, you'll just have to be careful not to burn it. I'll talk to the blacksmiths, see what they can do."
"Thanks." Twenty minutes later, I'm lined up with the other recruits, wearing a leather breastplate and arm guards over my tunic. My sword is lighter too, and I've never held one before today. I stand out from the metalclad boys, and they watch with different levels of interest. It's embarrassing, I've never known a boy who had a crush on me, and now is not exactly when I'd like them to start.
I follow every order I'm given as best I can, but I'm uncoordinated in the moves. Granted, so are the other recruits, but they have the advantage of belonging here. They've known for years they were going to end up in this training ground, fighting for this army. I'm supposed to be at school right now, learning algebra and Shakespeare and what you're actually supposed to do when a boy has a crush on you.
We run through basic sword stances, and the trainer knocks me on my butt a couple dozen times before I get it. I don't notice until we're almost done with the exercise that I'm not the only one. Everyone is learning. One kid manages to land on his own sword and gets whisked away to the medical wing.
And tides continue to change. Basic training is brutal, but not as high pressure as Sakaar. I'm fast when I run, with my lighter armor. I learn more quickly as the day goes on, and by the end of it, I'm doing better than most of the recruits.
Because I'm the only one who's actually been on a battlefield before. I'm the only one who's actually killed anyone. I'm the only one who understands exactly what is at risk.
Day 104
I tighten the straps on my newest set of armor, leather still, but for a different reason. We tried going back to metal once I completed basic training, but when I use it with my powers, I dehydrate too fast. Like an oven. But magically reinforced leather works just as well for what I need, at least for now.
"Keep your grip higher," Sif instructs. She's the only female member in Asgard's army, one of the elites. There's only a handful, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, known as the Warriors Three, and Tyr, head general of the Einherjar army. Thor and Loki count too, being princes, but otherwise being an elite is only for Einherjar who perform incredible acts of bravery on the battlefield.
I adjust my grip and track Sif with my eyes. I'm more comfortable with sparring now, after the disaster last month. I know this is just training. I'm not in danger. I don't have to kill anyone.
Sif comes at me, harder than before, but still slow. I parry as best I can, trying to keep technique. I ranked third at the end of basic training, but that was against the other recruits. Now I have to work harder to keep up.
I'm doing okay, but Sif only goes easy on me because she has to. Time and time again, I end up on the ground, her sword at my throat. The day I'm able to do the same to her is the day I make Einherjar. Loki assures me I won't have to in order to go on the quest. I plan to anyway.
Sif helps me up, and we run through my key mistakes. She likes pointing them out. I like learning how to not die. Then we spar, again and again. I end each day covered in bruises, and thanks to my healing, most of them disappear by morning.
"Don't swing that way, it's too easy to trap," Sif calls out. She then demonstrates what she means by twisting the point of her sword around and ripping it out of my hand. I shake out my wrist, it hurts.
Sif comes over to talk to me, handing my sword back. "Remember Ally, you're smaller and limited, but that doesn't make you-"
"Any less powerful, yeah." It's not the first time she's said that, but I'm still working on feeling it. "Use everything at my disposal, but only if I'm sure I can execute it." That one is Loki's, but Sif nods in agreement.
"Let's go again," Sif instructed. "Make your strikes cleaner and faster."
Day 149
I parry the flail with my sword, barely keeping ahead of Hogun's blows. I wouldn't think a ball on a stick could move that fast. But it does and it's scary.
I dance away from the blows, trying to get on the offensive. There's just so much to avoid, one good hit could knock me to the ground, and if I'm too slow I could lose my sword.
I push myself faster. All the recruits that are left in my group are watching. Some of them have already fought an elite, and those have all sustained injuries. This is our first taste of what a real fight is like, against an enemy that isn't holding back.
I land a blow and keep pushing. I never stay inside Hogun's reach for longer than I need to, and I fall into a rhythm, getting a couple more hits. In a trick move though, I find the flail slammed into my chest, hear the sound of bone cracking, even with the armor. I yelp, sinking to the ground. I hold my sword up, the spar isn't over, but Hogun easily knocks it to the ground.
Another flail hit to the back sends me to the ground, and the flail thuds next to my head, signifying a fatal blow. I've lost the spar, and I pull myself to my feet. I can't stay, I have to get out of the way. Pain shoots through where I hit, hot and familiar. At least one broken rib.
I stumble off the grounds, to the waiting area. We have to sit through he rest of the spars before we get medical attention, it's part of the training. You can't walk onto a battleground unfamiliar with pain.
The recruits that have already gone are feeling it. I see a handful crying, myself included, though I'm trying to fight it. A couple's eyes are glazed over, unaware of anything. The one who went first is bleeding still, and fighting passing out.
I lasted just as long as any of them, and most of them defended the whole time. Still, all of us have a long way to go before we can defeat an elite.
The next spar ends surprisingly quickly, and very bloody. The kid has a track record of not fighting well, he likely won't make the cut. He sits dazed on the bench, losing blood.
I take a roll of bandages from the basket they gave us and go over to him. Ouzt, I think his name is. I do know all their names, but I've never been one who can keep people straight. But I can help, Loki teaches me basic survival skills on my days off, as well as answering my many questions about magic and Asgard and the vast universe.
I wrap Ouzt's wound as best I can. It's not a pretty job, but it'll keep him from losing too much blood. I get him some water too, and some for myself. I don't mind helping out, better to practice now than not know what to do if something like this happens on our quest.
And when the next recruit gets injured, I'm not alone in helping out. We aren't really a unit, we train together, but we haven't been given a reason to unite yet. This though, realizing we can help each other when we're in pain, starts to bring us together.
Day 196
"You ready?' Ouzt asks.
"Hel no," I reply. "I'm about to get the uskit'r beaten out of me. Age fourteen is still too young to die though." That had gotten a rise out of everyone at breakfast. Not only was I the youngest recruit, the gap between me and the next was a full century. Even though I'm definitely the most mature. Happy birthday to me.
I shake out my arms, trying to relax. It's Einherjar day, the first of many. I don't know who I'm facing. But I am the first to go, based on rankings. But there's no hard feelings anymore between recruits, we've grown close. We work together, train together even when we aren't required to.
I fidget with my armor one last time, and check my sword. I'm ready. I step out to the sparring ground and come face to face with Volstagg. Massive, dangerous, and not holding back.
I hear a chorus of voices behind me wishing luck, but I'm going to need much more than luck to win this fight.
Volstagg sprints toward me, and for just a second, I can imagine what it's like to be a bowling pin. At the last moment, I sidestep, draw my sword, and strike. I had hoped it would throw him off balance. It does not. I simply don't have enough force.
From there, it's sword against battle axe as I try to find an opening. I use my speed, getting blows in, but none of them close enough to fatal. I also take hits, glad that my armor has been magically reinforced and is holding up. I'd already be dead without it.
Pushing through a cracked rib, I land a kick to the inside of Volstagg's knee. He goes down, but kneeling, he's still almost as tall as me. I jump on his back, using my knees to hold on so I can pull back his head and put my sword to his throat.
Right before I can get there, I find myself flipping over him, landing hard on the dirt. I can't breathe, can't see. And after a sharp pain to my forehead, I can't feel anything either.
When I come to in the infirmary, my whole group of recruits is there, looking mildly uncomfortable but happy to see me awake. They sport a plethora of wounds.
"I told them the last thing you wanted to see when you woke up was a bunch of sweaty boys," Loki says from my bedside.
"And we told him there was no way we were gonna let you be alone on your birthday," Ouzt answers, and the other boys nod in agreement. "Especially after you lasted longer than any of us did." Not every recruit is on board with that statement, but the sentiment is nice.
"To Pernix!" Someone else cheers, and I smile, glad that my friends are here.
Day 231
"You can't beat me," Loki says. "No one has ever made Einherjar by beating me."
"But Thor and Sif both say they've beaten you in spars."
"As elites, not as recruits. They put me on the roster to greenie bust, you saw what happened to that big brute last week." I had to admit, Egil had an ego and needed to be knocked down a peg. He was just behind me in rankings. Neither of us had made Einherjar yet, though a couple had gotten lucky against their opponents. But none against Loki, and apparently no one ever had. And he, Tyr, and Thor were the only ones who I hadn't tested against yet.
"They're still gonna make us test," I argue. "I can be hopeful. And I'm not gonna fold because you think you can scare me."
"Ally, I can't go easy on you," Loki shot back.
"I'm not asking you to. But I'm good, and I know you better than anyone else I've sparred, so I've got a good chance." Loki just chuckles. Part of me knows that I'm being naive, but I just really want to get this test over with. Most recruits average nine or ten tests before they make it.
"You'd have a better chance if you used the Flame." I try to argue that, but he cuts me off. "It's not technically cheating; Thor got to use his powers for his test."
"It's not that," I say. "I'm just worried about hurting people."
"Ally, you've got to trust yourself. You have the control you need. We can practice more if you want, but you can do it. And we Asgardians are more than durable enough to survive that kind of spar. I promise. Who do you think Thor practiced his lightning on?"
"From the way he wields it, I wasn't sure he practiced at all," I grumble. Loki laughs.
"We can handle it, I promise."
"Can we practice?" I ask, then grin. "And if I beat you in practice, does it count?"
"No, but it doesn't matter. You can't beat me."
We warm up and work up to sparring with my powers. Adapting them to the fighting style I've been taught has been a struggle, since I need a hand free to use my powers and a longsword is a two handed weapon. But we've figured a couple tricks out, though it's difficult finding opportunities to use them.
Once I've warmed up, we spar seriously. Loki promises not to hold back. I'm fast enough to stay alive, but just barely. That's why I have to use my powers. I try to anticipate his movements, defensively all I can do is cover myself in fire. It's not super effective as far as deflecting blows, and I can't sustain enough heat to melt a blade unless I maintain contact.
But it takes a lot to make yourself hit someone who is one fire, at least for a moment. Even Loki seems cautious, though he gets over it too quick. I lose the element of surprise and just barely avoid getting a dagger swipe on my forehead. I get it now, he's not holding back. But I'm too embarrassed to tap out.
I wonder if he'll stop if I get risky enough. It's these kinds of moves that are going to win me a spot anyway, so I've got to practice. I heat up more, but stop the flames as much as I can. He won't be able to see it, but if I can get a hold on him, he'll feel it.
I dodge his knives, becoming deliberately slow with my sword. A swipe comes close enough to me and I drop my sword, grab his wrist, and use his momentum to push him to the ground. I keep a hold of the wrist, twisting Loki's arm so I can keep him in place and sit on him. I'm mostly just surprised I got to this point. I pull out one of my on daggers, intending to land a lethal blow.
But my weight isn't enough to keep Loki pinned, and in seconds, I'm disarmed and switched positions with him. The knife is pressed to my side, and Loki is grinning. I scream. The pain comes white hot, like I've actually been stabbed.
"Ally?" He looks down, realizing what had happened. I've softened the leather with my powers, breaking the magic and leaving it weak enough to break with just the slightest pressure. Leaving a dagger about two inches into my skin.
"You stabbed me!" I yell.
"I'm sorry!" He's panicking now too, taking the knife out and keeping pressure on my side. It's not deep, or threatening, but it hurts. "I'm sorry, I didn't know! Cool down, will you, you're going to burn my hand off!"
"I thought Asgardians were durable!" I retort.
"It doesn't mean it's comfortable!" He places my hand over the makeshift bandage he made and picked me up. In relation to the other wounds I've sustained, this really is more like a paper cut, but we're keyed up from the fight.
"You know what else isn't comfortable? A stab wound." Loki lifts me into his arms, and I see his half panicked, half annoyed face.
"You know what?" I tell him. "Put me down, I'll walk." Loki stares at me for a second and starts to laugh. I do too, but it hurts. Loki puts me on my feet, but keeps an arm around my waist.
"You know, I let up on you there at the end, just to see what you would do."
"Sure," I tease. "Sureeee." We walk to the infirmary.
"It was a good move," he concedes. "It just doesn't work on me."
Day 254
I stumble off the sparring field, exhausted. I failed against Tyr, but I'm conscious, which is a small victory. My team welcomes me back to the waiting area, I came closer than I ever had.
"You were so close, Pernix," Egil tells me, shaking his head. "If he hadn't leg swept you, you would've made it."
"It came out of nowhere," I agree. "And I can't clear it, I couldn't jump it." I'll have to ask Loki how to get out of that one later. We've been practicing a lot lately, not just weapons either, but hand to hand. Neither one of us likes the idea of me being unprepared.
"You just need to grow a couple feet," Egil teases. "Are you sure humans get any taller than this?" I punch him hard in the shoulder.
"I kick your trash four spars out of five, Egil, so you better fear me actually getting a growth spurt." I take the bandage he offers and press it to the cut on my arm. I can match Tyr's technique, but not his tactics. The result is lots of bruises and no winning.
"Pernix!" Ouzt comes running around the corner, worried. "They've got you sparring again!"
"What?"
"They put you on the roster again, you spar as soon as Holchr finishes. And he's against Sif, he's gonna sit there and fawn at her until she knocks him out." My stomach drop, and I look for Loki, but he's not here. He's with the other elites, on the other side of the field. And he can't change the roster, he can't help me.
And there's only one person I haven't tested against yet.
"I'm gonna die," I groan. "Thor's gonna pummel me."
"Just fold," Egil suggests. "You haven't yet, and they won't penalize you for it." I glower at him. I'd rather get knocked out again than yield a fight.
"See you in the infirmary." I move back to the warm-up area and grab a fresh sword. It isn't weighted right, so I grab a different one.
Thor is equally as confused when I step out, like no one told him we were testing either. He could call it off, I suppose, but maybe he can't, because he doesn't say anything. Thor just raises Mjolnir.
It's a strange experience fighting a war hammer with a sword. There's no stopping it or catching it, just deflecting, and trained as he is, Thor tends to prefer just swinging it hard in any direction he can. Plus, it's covered in lighting. With every clash of our weapons, a tingle shoots up my arm. I realize as we fight though, that the Flame is counteracting most of it. I've already got too much energy running through my veins for the electricity to hurt me.
I take a hammer to the chest when I'm too slow to deflect it. Every muscle in my body aches and just briefly, I consider yielding. But I can't do it. Even though it's admittedly the smart thing to do, I can't find it in myself to back down mid-fight.
But if I'm going to end this, I'll have to pick a different strategy. I push myself to go faster, feeling the weight of the fatigue. Every small shock that makes it through throws me off. The Flame inside me is angry, and I realize that if Thor's lightning can't hurt me, then the Flame probably won't hurt him.
But I can use it to win.
We wear the same kind of armor, durable, magical leather. Thor's got metal accessories, but essentially, it's the same thing. And I already know my powers can weaken it. The trick will be to stay alive long enough to burn a hole through it.
I pick a spot on his side, and use my sword to shove Mjolnir away. Letting go with one hand, I press it to his armor, heating through it as much as I can. I don't have the concentration to just use heat, so my whole arm erupts in flames. It makes me tired, and I'm almost too slow to drop my hand and block the next blow.
I can't use the same move twice, Thor's too smart for that. I find another opening and heat up the same spot, but only get half the time. Thor will have caught on by now, I'll have a hard time getting another hit and it'll have to work.
I push back, trying to take the offensive. The moment the battle starts to shift, I switch to a one handed grip, slam a flaming hand into the weakened leather, and let go of the sword once I've followed through with the stroke.
I've burned a hole in the leather and it's just the opening I need. With my newly freed hand I pull a knife from my waist and cut across the exposed skin. If I had stabbed him, I would've punctured a lung, but all the test requires me to do is make a mark where a fatal wound would be.
"I win," I announce, and Thor must've felt it, because I don't get a hammer to the back of the head.
My team rushes the sparring ground; I'm the fifth out of our group of twenty-four to make Einherjar. I'm officially a soldier. The elites come to congratulate me too, it's quite the victory. I'm the youngest person ever to make Einherjar, and only the second female to acquire a rank since the Valkyrie perished.
But honestly, now all I want to do is take a nap.