skapa sókn sverðum, slítask af brynjur, höggva svá hjalma sem þeim hugr dygði.
(With their swords fought mightily, mail-coats they sundered,
And helms did they hew, as their hearts were fearless.)
- Atlamál hin groenlenzku, 52, fighting of the Niflungs
Once they regained themselves, Luna and Link looked at each other, their faces and hair speckled with snow.
Link chuckled. "Thanks. You saved my life."
Luna smiled. She sat on her heels, pulling something from her sleeve...the Zora's Sapphire.
He sat up. "You...got it?"
She nodded, shaking her head of snow. He wiped snow off her eyes. Opposite from the flaming hall, by some unfinished walls, was a burial mound surrounded by dolmens. A bulky, dark sarcophagus rested amid the dolmens, the base engraved and chiseled with deep, right-angled grooves forming horizontal semi-stairstepped forms, each half also having two pairs of sideways curved shapes in the stonework. The sarcophagus was partly buried by snowfall, black swirls engraved along the edge of the lid.
"Look out!" Kibou cried; a cindered pillar was caber tossed, crashing into the snow and sizzling.
Luna clutched the heirloom, she and Link jumping up. Link grunted, hurled into the snow; Luna spun around, a giant hammer flying through the air...
The gigantic man stepped out the collapsed hall, hair and beard smoking, catching his flying hammer. The largest mailed guard, and another redhead barbarian wearing a wolf pelt, appeared next, coughing smoke.
Link saw his jeweled sword nearby, its bloody blade contrasting the snow. He grabbed it then flipped to his feet, clutching his stomach but ready to fight on, sword ready.
The mailed guard eyed Link's sword. "Mæki liggja ek sé míns vinar allan í dreyra drifinn..."
Luna felt uneasy, the barbarian wearing a wolf pelt staring at her.
"Er þetta hann Luna?"
The giant grunted. "Hrrm? Fleira mæla?"
The mailed guard squinted at Luna and paused. "Ah... Hon nefndist Luna ok var valkyrja. Svá, með þvi." He partly relaxed. "Well, ghostly girl, we meet again by strange circumstances. I now know the meaning of my dreams. Fate is undone."
Luna stared blankly. What does that mean?
Kibou flew close. "Do they know you?"
She didn't react.
The skin-wearing barbarian frowned at her. "Þú vart, in skæða, skass, valkyrja!"
Without taking his eyes off his foes, Link asked, "Well, do they know you?"
Luna needed a few seconds. "Erik..."
"Hm." Link slightly relaxed, staring at the wildmen. "Your hall burns away. There's nothing left for you or your vicious ways here. Leave Hyrule and never return."
"End the fighting?" the pelt-wearing barbarian asked. He tapped his sword against his shield, chuckling. "That's a good joke! Erum-a varmar í valdreyra?"
"I will avenge the death of my companion, jarl Thorir," Erik explained. "As a former jarl myself, this is personal."
The giant redhead grunted. "Sér þú geðleysi í grams skapi?"
"This man of fond colors indeed seems fickle," Erik agreed.
Link sighed. "The only wildmen we come across who can speak our language...and they're senseless."
Skǫll and Hati ran around from either side of the burning hall, each followed by wolves who leapt out of the snow. The beasts assembled at the flanks, growling, their fur raised.
Erik flipped his sword. "Harnack, you and Vingþórr deal with the wolves. I'll face this ljósálfr myself." Growling, he charged, Luna jumping away.
Link's sword crossed Erik's, both men's footwork slowed by the snow as they fought...
Skǫll dodged the giant's thrown hammer as it hurled his wolves away, jumping sideways to avoid the hammer flying back to its enraged owner. Skǫll growled, leaping up to avoid a swing, then kicking off the burning wall and landing atop Vingþórr's shoulders, gnawing his head...
Hati and his pack charged Harnack who put his back to the burning building, preventing encirclement. The Norseman chopped back several wolves, who naturally feared the flames behind him. Yet Hati tackled him with such force they flew into flaming debris. The Snowpeak Wolfos ran in but then leapt out, afraid of the flames...
Harnack kicked Hati off himself, both getting up and shaking embers off themselves.
The Norseman dragged his thumb along his sword edge. "I'll skin you alive as well."
The white-gold wolf glared at Harnack. The Norseman's pelt...a lifeless, hollow wolf skin reminding Hati why he hated the wildmen so much...the reason he and his pack wanted revenge.
Snarling, the white wolf leapt; Harnack spun while cutting across Hati's side. Hati landed upon coals as blood leaked down his flank. Yelping, Hati skipped off the embers, teeth bare as Harnack approached. The white wolf leapt, claws gleaming; Harnack kicked him under the throat. The beast landed, coughing as Harnack repeatedly hacked at him, fur bloodied up. The Norseman lunged. Hati jumped sideways, sword following; Hati rolled beyond the attacker's arc, then sprang upwards, uppercutting his forepaw and hurling Harnack off his feet.
The wolf dove in, slamming his paws upon the Norseman—Harnack dragged his sword downwards, carving Hati's face open. Hati backed off with a bark, right eye destroyed. Harnack stood, Hati slowly prowling sideways as his visage dripped blood.
"HRR-RRAH!" The white wolf snapped his jaws while veering to and fro, Harnack's blade cutting fur repeatedly. Hati squirmed around the sword and stood on his hind legs, snarling face to face with his opponent; Harnack headbutted Hati's nose. Snorting, Hati reared from pain, the Norseman realigning his sword... Hati jumped, kicking his rear leg into the flat of Harnack's sword, then biting around his neck. Jaws locked, Hati pulled back, flipping Harnack over himself and slamming him against the charred floor, ashes fluttering, yet Hati's jaws remained affixed to the Norseman's throat.
Harnack grabbed burnt timber and struck Hati, cinders bursting, yet the white wolf did not let go. With his free hand, Harnack unsheathed his seax and stabbed. Hati groaned, releasing his bite and retching blood, the seax left sticking in his chest. Snarling, the Norseman realigned and swung his sword...
Right eye and body bleeding, Hati leapt, catching the incoming blade with his teeth and wrenching it aside. Rearing on his hind legs, Hati was punched but nevertheless leapt, headbutting Harnack's chin, teeth flying out. Hati drove his teeth in the stunned man's side, lifting Harnack then slamming him into a bed of coals. Panting, Hati bit Harnack's pelt, pulling it off just as the the coals ignited the Norseman's clothes. Hati limped away, dragging the wolf pelt with him, leaving the bellowing brute behind.
Padded feet seared, face bleeding, fur bloodied, Hati hopped out the hall. He collapsed in the snow.
Skǫll ran over and nuzzled Hati, who wasn't moving. Skǫll sniffed the wolf pelt Hati dragged out. "Mrrmmh?"
Several wolves were hurled over, smashing into the burning walls; upon falling, they limped away with their tails between their legs. Growling, Skǫll turned as Vingþórr knocked away more Snowpeak Wolfos. Jumping to and fro, Skǫll evaded the hammer, running up the giant's arm. Biting around the brute's brow, Skǫll spun while keeping his jaws locked, fangs tearing the giant's forehead open.
Grunting, Vingþórr grabbed Skǫll and slammed him into the ground. He raised his hammer two-handed, Skǫll broadening his pose—the icy wolves erupted from the snow, burying their claws and teeth into the giant, stifling his arms. Skǫll evaded the slowed hammer then ran up his brethren, headbutting the brute, breaking his nose. Yet, despite their combined effort, the wolves couldn't topple the giant, and he once again threw them down.
Vingþórr grabbed Skǫll's neck with one hand, the wolf wiggling his legs and snapping at air to no avail. Vingþórr hammered Skǫll's head repeatedly, the wolf going limp and tossed aside. Skǫll opened his eyes, too weak to move, the giant raising his hammer—Luna ran over, shielding Skǫll. The giant grunted, backing off, pestered by the few remaining Snowpeak Wolfos, who could only bite then scurry.
Elsewhere, Link and Erik fought. Without protection, Link danced around, chopping here and there, though Erik was quite good. After parrying Link's blade, Erik rammed his shield into Link's face, pushing him backwards until Link rammed into a dolmen. The hero jumped, kicking himself off Erik's shield and landing around the dolmen.
Erik came round, shield raised as he charged. In a single fluid motion, Link grabbed the incoming Norseman's shield and pulled himself up, flipping over Erik while slashing his head, sundering the helm. Erik collapsed, Link turning mid-air then slamming his sword into the Norseman's mailed back, a dozen mail links flying apart.
Link gasped, leaping off Erik as the giant hammer boomeranged past, shattering a dolmen. The gigantic redhead had a temper tantrum, though caught his returning weapon anyways.
Erik got up, rather dazed and bloodied. He moved his shoulders, mail shirt feeling imbalanced from its damage. "Ack... Brotin er brynja..."
The angry giant lumbered after Link, who swerved amid the dolmens, the giant's hammer destroying the stones. Link ran up a larger dolmen, jumping off it backwards as the huge hammer flew through, shattering everything. Link turned while airborne, landing atop the giant's shoulders and attacking his head. The giant staggered from so many blows. Link backflipped off, allowing the whirling hammer to fly back into the giant's face, knocking him down.
Staying low, Link charged, rushing past Erik and his sword. Link jumped. The giant sat up, Link diving his blade into the brute's mouth to slay him—the giant's teeth clamped upon the blade, holding it in place
Link paused, the giant spitting out his blade. "Well, you sure can eat..." The redhead punched Link off. The hero rolled backwards over his shoulders, then spun around to parry Erik's attacks. Erik continuously swung his sword around the rim of his shield, ramming his shield into Link without ceasing attacking around the rim. With feline agility, Link rolled his shields, evading the cuts despite the shoving.
Erik lunged shield and blade—Link ducked, slipping underneath the incoming threats while thrusting his sword upwards from below. "Hyyaahh!" Link's blade slid beneath Erik's hauberk, piercing his bowels. The Norseman grunted, hammering his pommel into Link's head then uppercutting his shield. Link's mouth forcefully slammed shut, teeth making a loud clack as he flew off his feet.
Link landed in the coldness, some snow going into his boots and clothes. He gripped his sword and flipped back up, Erik hunched over as blood leaked out his bowels. The barbarian lumbered forth, snarling through clenched teeth.
Link bent his knees, ducking under the boomeranging hammer. He pointed his sword back, blueness swirling around his blade, the air darkening as Erik neared. Notwithstanding the agony of his injury, the Norseman leaned forth, thrusting his shield sideways while lunging his sword.
"HYYAAHH!" Link's revolutions waved Magic Power, disarraying Erik's sword and shield, rapid attacks hurling him away. The boomeranging hammer whirled through the air, Link twirling around it, finishing his Spin Attack.
The giant raised his hand to catch his hammer; Link withdrew his Hookshot, shooting the spike into the brute's forearm The chain protracted and tightened, Link yanking it to pull the giant's arm off-center. The giant rolled his shoulder, his hammer flying past his head. The brute looked at the spike stuck in his arm; he grabbed the chain and pulled. Link's eyes went big—he was jerked off his feet.
Link realigned himself mid-air. Heels digging into the snow, he pulled his Hookshot two-handed, yet the giant reeled him in. The brute heaved, Link let go; the Hookshot retracted, springing into the giant's face. He grunted, ripping the spike out his forearm.
Link looked back, seeing the hammer boomeranging around, Skǫll and the several remaining wolves going low, wondering what the heck the spinning thing was.
Gripping his sword, Link charged, keeping his back to the path of the inbound hammer, hiding it from the giant's sight. The brutish redhead stepped forth, cracking his knuckles. He swung a mighty fist; Link backflipped while cutting upward, slicing the brute's hand open while the returning hammer fly underneath Link. The hammer clanged into the giant's left knee, ricocheted, then kept flying as its owner stumbled.
Link ran forth and Jump Attacked. "HYEAAA—" The giant grabbed Link's neck, shutting him up, holding him mid-air one-handed as he stood.
The sausage fingers clenched Link's throat so tightly his trachea cracked, arteries blocked, Link's vision darkening followed by heavy dizziness.
The giant extended his other arm, catching his hammer. "Hendi inni hægri drep ek þik Hrungnis bana, svá at þér brotnar beina hvat!"
Link grimaced, legs twitching, lungs grinding inside his chest, unable to rip oxygen from somewhere.
Snarling pierced the air—Skǫll tackled into the giant's already injured left knee. The brute's other knee hit the ground, Skǫll snapping his jaws around his neck, the few remaining Snowpeak Wolfos sinking their fangs anywhere they could.
Link managed to wheeze some air in. He slashed his blade upon the giant's arm. Freeing himself, Link toppled into the snow. He grabbed his trachea and relocated it. Grimacing, he gasped heavily, each cough feeling like it would rip his throat open. Breath held, his ears twitched—Link rolled, the hammer slammed, snow rippling everywhere.
Link stood, fluffy with snow, panting. The brute swung his hammer angrily, bellowing in rage, though wolves' teeth gave him no rest, their ferocity disorientating him. One by one, he grabbed them and threw them away, yet they always jumped back on him.
Link hesitated. "I can't attack him without risk of hitting the wolves..."
The brute spun, his mimicry of Link's Spin Attack hurling the wolves away. As he finished his last rotation, he threw his hammer at Link. The hero jumped sideways. The giant howled in rage, stamping his foot and shaking his head.
The hammer flew over the dolmens, eventually ricocheting atop the large sarcophagus then cartwheeling across the snow.
...
Thud!
Dust fluttered out along the edges of the sarcophagus. The lid slid off.
