A horn rang.

  Loud enough to feel like the ground was shaking.

  They had been placed to form a circle around the large tree.

  Nadia had come.

  She had descended from the sky and many more valkyries with her.

  They had spread to distribute weapons to the crowd.

  She had handed Erik a viking greatsword and a battle axe. He smiled as she did

  To Ulf a simple wooden bow and a full quiver.

  Then it was Alec's turn. A Viking sword, a inch shorter than Erik's. It was simple but felt great in his hand.

  Then came the shield. A wooden blue shield, clearly used judging from the dry blood and the battle scars on it.

  He feinted a smile as he took it.

  The shield was here as a testimony of the battles it had survived

  But the person that wielded it before Alec wasn't here.

  Thorgester and his friends were standing close too.

  Their valkyrie handed swords and knives to the group with a battle axe for Thorgester.

  "I don't have to warn you." Ulf begun

  "You don't," Erik answered.

  "What are we talking about?" Alec asked.

  "Weapons are a clear reflections of how you fight, every fighter knows that." She answered.

  "So?" Alec pressed.

  She sighed.

  "Just think. In a world that rewards glory by the bodies you leave behind, who do you think use..."

  The horn ran again before he could grasp the end.

  He was sure now that the ground was shaking

  Nadia stood in front of Alec.

  "Valkyrie, when we win your game what will you offer us?" Erik said.

  "Whatever your heart desire!" She scanded.

  A blinding wave of light emerged from the tree.

  It took Alec a second to cover his eye.

  When he reopened them, once again nothing made sense.

  They were in a different place. Even the ground below them was different.

  They were in a snowy clearing, surrounded by tree line as far as they could see.

  They were clearly less than before, so Alec had understood that they had been dispatched.

  The smell of the air nearly made him threw up, this was clearly the same place where he had woke up.

  But they were still near thirty teens here.

  No one dared to move.

  Worse, now that he wascseeing clearly, they were slowly turning to his group.

  One of the teens in front moved first, hand brushing his sword.

  Alec barely raised his shield before Thorgester lunged.

  His heavy axe slammed into the enemy’s chest with a sickening thud.

  Warm blood splashed onto Alec’s face, stinging his eyes.

  “Move!” Erik screamed, fists flying into the nearest attacker, smashing bone and muscle with terrifying precision.

  Alec felt the vibration up his arms from the impact, the raw force of it echoing in his chest. Screams erupted, steel clashing, sparks dancing off the snow.

  Alec's leg nearly gaved up.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Ulf caught him by the collar, and pulled him violently.

  Helping him dodge the sword strike that was coming for him.

  In a swift movement, she took one of the arrow from her quivers and plunged it into the enemy's throat.

  "We're leaving this place, focus." She said before pushing him.

  The weight of the shield pressed into his forearm as he raised it to block a sword strike that bounced off it.

  Survive or die trying.

  He wasn't dying here.

  He parried the second strike with his sword, before punching the teen in the face with the edge of his shield.

  And as he stumbled back, an arrow pierced the sky and logded itself in the teen'd throat.

  Alec couldn't focus on detail, he stepped back as he parried a slash aimed for his side.

  Then again to dodge as somebody else tried to hit him.

  He found himself back to back with Sieg, Thorgester's friend.

  "They are too many." He screamed to Alec as hid sword pierced in the hole of an enemy armor.

  "Run for the clearing. I'll cover it." Ulf screamed.

  The next second, she launched into the air, snow exploding beneath her boots.

  Time seemed to stretch as she aimed her bow.

  Arrows streaked through the sky like sparks from a blacksmith’s forge, impossible in their speed and precision.

  Alec’s jaw went slack for a fraction of a second.

  He had known she was different.

  But no human moved like that.

  By the time he blinked again, she had vanished, leaving a trail of enemies collapsing in her wake.

  Thorstein was trying his best to fight while trying to defend Ingrid.

  Erik didn’t slow down, Thorgester right by his side. Steel rose and fell. Bodies dropped. The path slowly opened.

  And as soon as the smallest hint of space appeared. They bolted for it.

  Sprinting as they reached the clearing and diving deeper into it.

  Lungs burning, they only stopped as the clash of steel faded behind them and only wind, trees and the crunch of snow remained.

  Ingrid nearly fainted, she used a tree to support herself.

  Sieg and Thorstsein didn't look better either.

  Thorstein eye's were locked on a flower, no emotion straight exhaustion.

  "Let's stop to catch our breath." Erik suggested.

  "Yeah let's do that." Thorgester answered.

  Alec could breathe just fine, his left arm was still vibrating from blocking strike with his shield.

  But apart from that he was fine.

  "You fought well" Erik sais to Thorgester, turning his back to the others.

  "You too, you are way beyond my expectations." He replied with a smile.

  Alec didn't know how to take that smile.

  "Where's Ulf?" Erik tought out loud

  "To be honest," Thorsgester continued. "The three of y'all are clearly beyong my expectations. Thanks to the gods y'all accepted the alliance."

  Alec turned to him too.

  "You're one to talk. You did good out here."

  He smiled again, the same crocked smile.

  "Yeah but not as strong as you. Having y'all as enemy would have been suicide."

  Ingrid’s arm wrapped around Alec in an absurdly tight embrace from behind

  For a second, he froze.

  Her armor was still warm from the fight. He could feel her shaking — not with exhaustion. The smell of iron clung to her hair.

  After all of that screaming and steel, it felt almost human.

  “It’s sad,” she whispered against his shoulder.

  He almost smiled.

  “I liked that one.”

  Ten her grip shifted, just enough to press him against her. Her forearm pressed along his ribs—not comfort, control. The warmth turned cold.

  "Gaining trust was the only way to win."

  Thorgester’s smile stayed unchanged as his battle axe rose infront of Alec.

  Erik moved fast enough to block the strike that was meant for Alec's head.

  Knives. It hit Alec like lighting.

  Ulf had a bow for distance.

  Erik had a sword and an axe for brutal combat.

  Knives.

  Of course.

  Backstabbers.

  "You're showing your true colours that fast?" Erik asked. "I was mistaken, you're a fool."

  "Maybe, but Thor's reward is to good to not try to claim it."

  Sieg raised his sword and rushed for Alec.

  Panic flared in Alec’s chest. He twisted, tried to wrench free, stepped on her foot, shoved with his shoulders.

  The hug wasn’t a hug anymore—it was a trap.

  For someone that was tired to the point of falling down, she was incredible strong.

  Sieg was fast.

  Alec could see the focus in his eyes — not rage, not hatred. Just calculation.

  He stopped struggling for a fraction of a second.

  If he shifted his weight left— Maybe

  If he ducked at the last instant—

  The sword lifted.

  And then an arrow punched through Sieg’s forehead.

  The force snapped his head back mid-stride.

  His body carried forward two more steps before collapsing into the snow at Alec’s feet.

  Warm blood sprayed across the white.

  For a heartbeat, everything went silent in Alec’s mind.

  Ulf.

  Ingrid’s grip tightened instinctively — just for a second.

  That was the mistake. Alec was brought back.

  By instinct, he drove the back of his head into her nose.

  She gasped and stumbled.

  The moment her hold loosened, he dropped low, swept his shield into her legs.

  As she fell he saw a window to cut her with his sword, but his body refused to move.

  Then he quickly rolled away as Thorstein’s blade cut through the space where his neck had been.

  He turned to see Erik in close combat with Thorgester.

  Alec really wished he didn't have to fight them.

  They could have been friends, but if it was him or them, the choice was obvious.

  Thorstein rushed in, but Alec dodged the first sword strike, raised his shield to block the followings.

  He couldn't openly stike back.

  Under the weight of the assault, he planted his sword and used it to kick up snow in his face.

  And as he got distracted, an other arrow lodged itself in his throat.

  "Thorstein!!!" Ingrid screamed.

  The sound of it hit like a physical force.

  Snow lifted from the ground.

  The air vibrated inside his ribs.

  His knees buckled before he understood why.

  As he fell to his knees, he turned to see Erik do the same.

  He could see the rage of being restrained burn in his eyes.

  Thorgester spat at Erik's feet, before running away.

  Ingrid ran.

  He had believed her.

  He had almost paid for it.

  As she gain distance, an arrow sliced her leg as she turned.

  As soon as Erik regained his force, he tried to run for her.

  "Don't, let her run." Ulf voice erupted as she dropped from one of the tree branches.

  He clenched his fist but obeyed.

  He watched her limp away.

  "You moved too late," she said to Erik

  "Maybe i would’ve been quicker if you had told me they was a demi-god with them."

  "She's not powerful enough to matter. The scream is probably all she can do." Ulf answered.

  "Y'all knew they would betray us?" Alec asked

  "Of course, it was clear as day." Erik said as he kicked the snow under his boots.

  "I looked around," Ulf begun. "We were dispatch in little groups all around the forest. Many people died quickly, that's good for us. But the remaining ones are strong."

  "If you knew, why did you let them get this close?" Alec asked in disbelief.

  "We had to test their strength. You let them play their hand. And in doing so, they walked into their own trap." Erik coldly answered.

  "But the situation is worse than i tought. Thor's bounty got to their heads, they decided to create alliances until one of them eliminate us."

  Nausea filled Alec.

  This wasn't a deathmatch, it was turning into a manhunt.

  "And what can we do?" Alec asked.

  "We hunt." Erik answered.

  They walked for hours, struggling in the snow, trying their hardest to dodge other squads.

  Ulf was surprisingly good at finding ways not to get seen.

  Erik’s words hadn’t been an exaggeration.

  They walked for hours.

  Scouting terrain, discussing strategies, watching other warriors fight.

  Laying traps, and alarms.

  It felt like the first time Alec truly saw his friends faces.

  They weren’t scared teenagers like him. They were built for this.

  Worse — they were frighteningly good at it.

  Ulf watched fights like she was reading invisible patterns in the wind, predicting movement before it happened.

  Erik gave sword advice like he was remembering something he had learned a lifetime ago. He spoke about brutality the way farmers talk about weather — practical, unavoidable, necessary.

  Alec was seeing it clearly now.

  These two were real demigods. Powerful ones.

  And a heavier thought was growing inside his chest.

  How long would it take them to realize he wasn’t like them?