Great Revelations

14/10/975 AD

The rim of my neck tingled with an odd feeling as strings of flesh stitched my head back on. I had revived.

"Fight number two!" Asger's voice roared from the side lines. "Begin!" he boomed again. This time, rather than dashing straight at them, I was a bit more wary. I watched their movements with an analytical gaze. It wasn't long before I spotted a movement; someone dashed towards me. "Njal! What are you doing?!" the other nine exclaimed as the man who'd tripped over earlier made his way towards me. I could see his focus was blinded by frustration of some sort. His axe swung out at me, coming nowhere near to me as I leapt over the axe. I landed firmly on the floor again, his body still spinning to the side as he finished his swing. Taking the chance, I darted towards him and sliced through his stomach. Blood spurted from the wound in a cloud of crimson red. The man, Njal, fell backwards, screaming in agony. I leapt over his body and sprinted towards the other nine, but unlike Njal, they were ready. I easily jumped over them, appearing behind them, where they were left unguarded. Just as I was about to swing my sword, I felt a foot slam into my stomach. Blood poured from my mouth as the force of the kick sent me skidding along the dirt. When I'd come to a halt, my head was only inches away from the trunk of a tree. Struggling to stand back up, I felt a blade tear my chest wide open. A disgusting red liquid exploded from the wound, staining my body blood red. I died.

A few moments later, my consciousness returned and I reinhabited my body. I stood up slowly and awaited Asger's orders. "And, the third fight... Begins!" Asger's voice exploded from his throat, signalling the beginning of the fight. I warily took a few steps towards the nine men. They were all grouped up together in a line; quite the formidable defence. I realised that the best way to attack would be to go for the sides, so that's what I tried. I sprinted towards one of the two sides, the eyes of the nine men following me warily. In a few moments, I was upon the man on the edge. I swung my blade at him, just grazing the surface of his chest as he took a few steps back. Just when I was about to pounce at the man, I felt the cold feeling of a blade on my right arm. Before the man could finish through with the attack, I dashed backwards, away from the long line of Vikings. A light stream of fresh blood flowed down my arm, running along my hands and fingers before dripping to the floor. "Tch. This fight's going to be tough," I muttered, my eyes flicking from the cut back to the Vikings. "Haha! Yes it is!" the voice of a man exploded from behind me. I spun around and was met with the sight of a man leaping from behind a tree. "When did you get there?!" I exclaimed, only barely sidestepping the attack. Blood trickled down my side as the tip of the man's sword grazed me. 'Hm. I'm curious about something... Can I generate skin around my wounds and heal them?' I thought to myself curiously. Since it was only a small cut, my mind quickly imagined the cut on my arm being covered by a new layer of skin. The moment that picture appeared in my mind, I felt the small stinging of the cut disappear as a new layer of skin began to form over the cut. "Aha! It works!" I roared, looking down at my arm in amazement.

"What works?" two men said in unison as they appeared on both sides. Instinctively, I bounced up above them. As I came falling down from the sky, my sword swung down beneath me, easily slicing through the head of one of the men. His body crumpled, lifeless to the floor, blood dripping from his head in a slow stream of red. Landing beside the corpse, I tried to swing at the other man, but I was too slow. The other man's sword pierced my heart, causing a volcano of blood to erupt from my chest, staining his sword a dark red. I died, again.

The moment I stood up again for the fourth fight, Asger's voice filled my ears, "And, the fourth battle begins!" As soon as the words were said, the eight Vikings who were left all sprinted towards me. I stumbled backwards in shock. I wasn't expecting them all to come at once. I turned around and tried running away but I was met with a long line of spectators blocking my way. "Don't run! Coward!" they insulted me. My mind sifted through idea after idea of how I'd fight against this, before I finally landed on one. 'Just, attack,' There really was nothing else I could do. So, I turned around and faced the men with a determined look on my face. I broke into a full on sprint towards them, my sword held readily in my right hand. It wasn't long before I met with the group of men. I felt some resistance as my sword moved out in front of me. I saw an arm go flying as my sword pulled away, covered in fresh blood. I'd cut one of their arms off. But, I couldn't do anything more to defend myself. The entire group of Vikings were in front of me; their big muscular bodies towering over me. The world went pitch black as my head filled with a sharp pain. I died.

A warm golden light spilled down from the skies of death, lighting the realm completely. I only had a few moments to admire this beautiful golden light as the other colours of the world began to bleed into my vision. When the golden light had completely evaporated from my view, it was replaced with the cocky faces of seven Viking men, their weapons held tightly in their callused hands. There were eight Vikings, but one was rolling around in agony on the floor, clutching at his bloody stub of an arm. "Let the fifth fight begin!" Asger's voice exploded again, filling our ears. 'I think it's time I really use my strength - speed,' I thought inwardly, my eyes staring scarily through my brows. A storm of dust lifted as my foot burst me into a sprint. My eyes locked onto the man on the floor, my legs moving me swiftly towards him. I spotted one of the men step out to block me, but I easily slid through his legs. The guy, clutching his stubbed arm clearly saw me as he struggled with his other hand to pull himself along the ground. "Pathetic," I muttered, leaping over one of the other men. With a thud, my legs crashed into the ground, landing before a rather pathetic looking man. "Will I go to Valhalla?" he stuttered, looking up at me with hoping eyes.

"Sure," I answered quickly so the other Vikings didn't have time to get me. My blade moved and with it came the head of the man. "There we go. Three down, seven to go," my face, stained red with drying blood, broke into a manic grin as I slowly turned around.

"I got ya!" the man before me roared as he swung his axe through the air. I easily dodged, my sword lashing out with such speed one could barely notice it moved had it not sliced the man's legs off. The Viking howled in pain as he fell to the floor, his hands going red as they gripped his leg stubs. Without hesitation, my sword shot out in front of me, going straight through the man's chest, piercing his heart. "Six," I murmured, kicking the man's body off my blade. The remaining men stood, huddled in front of me, their weapons drawn to form a sort of shield of weapons. They had blocked all the little openings I could duck through. It was quite formidable and, had I been a mortal, I probably wouldn't have stormed them head on. My legs blurred as they moved me across the field towards the Viking men. Sword raised, I took one last leap at the group, with intent to take a slash at them, but I didn't live long enough to see that dream come to fruition. Blood poured from my mouth as I hung on the tip of a spear, blood trickling down the handle, coating the man's hands with red. "I'm close," I gave the men one last smile, my teeth covered red with blood. Then, the lights went out.

"Hey, Asger?" a nervous voice came from one of the Vikings.

"Yes?" Asger responded.

"How exactly are we supposed to survive this?! This man's not going to stop till he kills us all!" the man exclaimed, his voice trembling in fear.

"You're not meant to survive this. You guys are merely a tool for Aslerta's training," Asger stated coldly, his icy green eyes locked onto the man's trembling eyes.

"B-but you said we'd be compensated for this!" he retorted, his lips struggling to pronounce the words.

"Yes, with death. Death is the greatest gift, don't ya think? Don't you want to go to Valhalla?" Asger answered, the edges of his lips twisting into a smile. "Ah, well, looks like we've run out of time to talk," Asger nodded at me, my eyes moving around beneath my eyelids. I heard the spear crack and snap as my regenerating chest destroyed the bit of the spear that had pierced me. I fell to the floor, just in front of the group of men, their weapons still held to form a shield. "Ah! He broke my spear!" the spearman exclaimed, inspecting where the spearhead used to be, which was now just some splintered wood. "Haha! Like your new spear!" I cackled, watching the man's face twist with fear.

"Gernot, now that you have no weapon, would you be so kind as to distract Aslerta in this next fight," one of the Vikings gave a toothy grin, giving Gernot a gentle pat on the back.

"This isn't fa-" he began to exclaim when he was pushed out in front of the weapon shield to join me.

"Let the sixth fight begin!" Asger roared, choosing the perfect time to begin this battle.

"Hi there, Gernot. You killed me earlier so, I think a punishment is only necessary," I grinned, leaping at him. My sword moved swiftly in every direction, the edge of it digging through the man's flesh. Blood sprayed out in a light mist as I tore open many big gashes along his front. Some of the other men trembled in fear as they watched me destroy Gernot's body with my blade. Gernot screamed in agony as my sword moved up and down, left and right, gliding easily through his skin. His chest was now just a bloody mess, hardly fit to sustain life. Silently, he fell face first to the floor, blood pooling beneath him. Taking no time to pause, I swung my sword at one of the others. A loud 'clang' reverberated through the field as my blade crashed into his. We pushed on each other's blades in a fight for dominance. The steel of our swords scraped against each other, sending small sparks out around us. With one final burst of strength, I knocked the sword out of his hand and was about to take a swing for the kill. As my blade moved towards his neck, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I looked down and, to my surprise, there was a sword wound. I took a few steps backwards, away from the group, so I could deal with the wound. I could see their arms and legs adjust as they prepared to run at me. I didn't have much time. I quickly pictured the wound being covered by a new layer of skin - being healed. As the picture formed in my mind, my body quickly followed, generating a new layer of pale white skin over the deep gash in my side. "Ah, perfect," I muttered, twisting my upper body as the pain dissipated. I looked up and was shocked to see the men had decided to take an offensive approach. They were positioned in an arrowhead formation, one man up front, with four men behind him, on either side. They were moving quickly towards me. "Going on the offensive now, are we?" I asked, poising myself to take all their attacks. I inhaled slowly, and deeply, letting my lungs overflow with oxygen. I allowed my mind to calm, to enter a state of pure calm. As I continued to breathe, I felt my mind clear, enabling me to see with more efficiency. My eyes darted around in front of me, taking in the movement of the five men. They were closing in fast. 'I have a feeling they're going to try and circle me,' I analysed their strategy internally, holding my sword at the ready. Then, with a clang the group came into my range. My sword crashed into the sword, the man acting as the point of the arrowhead formation. Using the force of the impact, I bounced back a few metres, giving them no chance to surround me. "You know what. Screw defence," I thought aloud, annoyed with how boring defending is. I bolted towards them, my sword ready to swing. As I stepped into their range, one of their weapons moved at me. I quickly blocked it with my sword, knocking the man off balance. When he fell, I spun, my sword crashing into the blade of a man I sensed behind me. The Viking expected it as he met my blade with equal strength, locking us in a dance for superior swordsmanship. My confidence in my sword skills showed clearly on my face as my lips parted into a stupidly confident grin. The confident gaze I had moved to the man's eyes, analysing his expression. But, what I didn't expect was to see that he also looked confident. That's when I realised I was caught in one of their plans. "Good plan," I gave him a respectful nod as I felt the familiar feeling of cold steel moving through my neck.

***

Nothing too notable happened in the seventh and eighth fights. I got trapped in their little schemes and failed to kill any of them. So, their number was still five. But, I could feel my swordsmanship growing and my ability to use my speed and regenerative capabilities advancing. I was getting stronger - rapidly.

"Let the ninth battle, begin!" Asger spoke the words I was so familiar with, thanks to my previous eight fights. I had come to expect their little schemes, so my eyes instinctively darted from face to face of the five men. They all bore confident expressions; they were seemingly very confident they'd win again. The men were in a similar formation as earlier; just a line, nothing too advanced. I felt my eyes looking almost everywhere instantly. At one moment, I was looking at one of their faces, then next thing I know I'm looking at the weapon of someone on the opposite side. My observation skills were evidently increasing. Within only a few seconds of my eyes searching, I spotted a weakness amongst the group. I could see the man on the edge trembling, only slightly, hence why it went unnoticed by the rest. "Heh. Fear is not good in a battle," I muttered, exploding off my feet. As I ran, I took in the reactions of the rest and, for the most part, they didn't seem worried in the slightest. Did they think a weakling like this guy could take me one on one? I don't think any of the men present could defeat me in a one on one, it's only the fact they're in a group that I'm struggling. With a loud 'swoosh' my sword burned through the air, aiming directly for the trembling man. At that moment, his eyes froze, completely still, the two daggers he was holding falling to the floor with a clatter. "That's what I thought," I muttered proudly, bringing my sword through his neck with ease. "Well, now. I think its time we end this fight!" I grinned, my sword already moving for the next man. This one, however, could keep his calm. He lifted his sword to meet mine, blocking it with a clang. "Trying to sneak up on me are ya?" I asked as I clashed blades with the man in front of me, my eyes picking up movement from the other three. The power in my right arm exploded as I forced the sword out of the man's hand. The man, now defenceless, shuddered in fear, "Please, don't kill me!"

"You may now be silent, you foul Viking," I spat, my sword tearing through his chest. Blood poured from his lips, colouring his chin and clothes bright red, as he fell to the floor. "Don't think I didn't see you!" I roared, spinning around to meet blades with the man behind me. As my sword clanged with his axe, rather than tremble, the man smiled confidently like he'd won. My eyes quickly shot around in every direction, trying to find any way that this could've been a trap. That's when I felt my head fly; torn clean off my neck by an axe. The same axe that man was holding... 'Was that his plan? He acted confident, knowing it would make me look for a reason why he was confident. Then, when I was distracted, he took the chance to kill me. Not bad,' I thought, with genuine respect for the guy. 'Ah well, I know I'll win next round,' my confidence took helm of my thoughts as I felt my world fade away into nothingness.

"Oh, do I love this place," I spoke sarcastically, floating around aimlessly in an infinite plane of black. As I spun around, my eyes caught something, something very odd. I saw orbs, like the white orbs. But these orbs... They were different. They were a bright red, floating in the darkness. And, rather than only two, there were hundreds of them, creating a sea of red before me. "W-what are those?!" I exclaimed, my eyes looking out over the sea of red. I could hear murmuring emanating from the sea. I could barely make out the words, "Murderer," and "Psycho,". But, what I could hear quite clearly was, "How dare you kill me!" That must've been the most common thing they said for me to be able to hear it. I gulped, my eyes trembling as I listened. "H-have I a-already killed this many?!" I murmured with regret and defeat. "N-no! I-I'm sorry... P-please forgive me!" I yelled but to no avail. The murmuring only got louder from there. Their voices dripped with rage and anger as they continued to spit insults and hateful comments. My hands clutched at my head as I curled up into a defensive ball, trying to make the murmurs stop. Fortunately, it was time for me to leave. I struggled to smile as I felt the great holy light of revival flood out all the orbs surrounding me, filling the nothing with... Something. Then, I felt my mind placed back inside my body.

My hands still covered my ears, the words still booming in my mind. Tears fell from my eyes as I shook with regret and despair. "I'm sorry," I muttered over and over, my body spasming. "Please forgive me," I murmured. I desperately began breathing deep breaths. But, time and time again, it failed; interrupted by the murmurs. I could feel the eyes of the spectators drilling into this poor sight before them with confusion. That's when something clicked in my mind. I felt my mind split? Or perhaps it duplicated. I was thinking two different sets of thoughts, in one mind, were the orbs and in the other, was calm. Then, I forced myself to duplicate my mind again. Now, I had three different minds or thoughts happening simultaneously. "What is this?" I muttered dumbfounded, rubbing my aching head. Trying to keep the calm mind in priority, I stood up, feeling absolute calm wash over me. Then, almost as though I were physically in my mind, I looked to the side. There, floating in the distance was a sad, depressed little mind, emanating a blood red aura. I could see it tremble with fear and regret, words of sorrow floating around it, dissipating into nothing. I reached out and stroked it comfortingly, whispering calming words. "It's okay. There's nothing to worry about," I spoke from this ethereal form I had, similar to the one I bore in the death realm. It was my body, but it lacked colour and opacity. It was a slightly transparent blue outline of me. As I comforted the mind, the red aura began to fade, it's trembling ceasing. "That's it," I continued to comfort it with my blue, ethereal hand. It began to go quiet, the regret and despair being destroyed, torn up by the destructive nothingness. Then, just as quickly, I felt myself return to my body. I wiggled my fingers thoughtfully, as I looked back around the world with a new vision. "Aslerta! Are you okay?!" Eira's small, worried voice, emitted from over near Asger. Asger stood there, his green eyes sparkling, telling me he knew something good had happened. "I'm okay. Now, at least," I responded in the calmest voice I'd ever spoken. Eira's eyes shone with relief before darkening. "Well, You're all good now Aslerta?" Asger asked, receiving a small nod from me. "Right. Well, let the tenth battle begin!" he roared, giving a small wave with his arm. With that, the three Viking men appeared before me, their weapons ready to lash out. Sheathing my sword, I felt my three minds analysing each of their attacks individually. One of them was attacking from my right. My right arm shot out, my fist landing cleanly in the centre of his face. 'In front,' one of my minds ordered my body. My left hand slapped him clean in the face, sending him flying. 'On your left,' another of my minds ordered my body. My leg exploded from a still position, kicking him clean in the stomach. His body wrapped around my leg, blood and undigested food launching from his mouth. That one kick had killed him. 'The last two are struggling. On your right,' my minds spoke in unison. I turned slowly, my eyes and face completely void of emotion. My eyes, darted around analytically as my minds all focused on different things. 'There,' my minds notified me, walking me towards the two pathetic Vikings. They were lying on the floor, trembling as profuse amounts of blood leaked from their mouths and noses. "Please don't kill us!" they both begged in sync.

Ignoring them, I spoke the words, "I win," Both my hands shot out, wrapping around their necks. Blood dripped onto my hands as they coughed and coughed. Their eyes leaked lakes of water as their hands desperately tried to free their necks. But, they failed... Their eyes went blank, the hands went still. Their wholes bodies froze as life slowly sank away. I had won.

"And, this concludes the battle! Aslerta has won, after ten fights!" Asger roared proudly.

"What was that in the end? He was like a different person," some of the spectators whispered amongst each other.

"I know! It was scary!" another whispered back.

"A-aslerta... What was that?" Eira's voice trembled as she and Asger approached me.

"I unlocked something," I responded, my voice flat and lacking emotion.

"W-well, t-the way you fought reminded me of someone..." she whispered, her eyes trembling with tears.

"Is it Silotona?" I asked. As I spoke, I cut away the two extra minds I was using as they took a lot of energy to uphold; which was evident by the way my legs shook as they struggled to keep me up.

"Y-yes. It reminded me of Silotona," Eira murmured, her small hands shaking.

"Focus not on one point, but many..." I repeated quietly.

"Is that what it was?!" Asger leapt into the conversation. Before I could speak, Asger's voice boomed again, "Everyone, you may now leave! The fight is over!" With those words, everyone did as told and marched away, shooting looks at me over their shoulders. One, however, did remain. The massive man marched over, the Earth rumbling with each step. He placed his hand, which was bigger than her head, on Eira. "That was quite the display you just put on, my little god," Guttorm gave a hearty laugh. "Are your true colours finally starting to bloom?" he asked, with mock fear. I shot Guttorm a disgusted glare as I looked from Eira to him. I could see Eira trembling, she really was afraid of Guttorm. "Guttorm, set Eira free!" I demanded, pointing at the trembling woman beneath Guttorm's hand.

"Why? So she can be your slave instead?" Guttorm responded mockingly.

"No. So, she can be free," my eyes narrowed as I stared at the man.

"You sure that's a good idea? She'll just end up being captured and raped by these little bastards," he gestured to the Viking camp.

"I'll protect her," I looked up at him stubbornly, my eyes digging into the black dots he had for eyes.

"Is our little god here thinking of cheating on that. What's her name again? Right! Irene! Are you thinking of cheating on Irene with Eira, perhaps? How disloyal," Guttorm shook his head with mock disappointment.

"Don't you dare say Irene's name again!" I felt my hands twitch at my side, instinctively moving for my blade.

"Calm down you two!" Asger stood between us, his arms up to block us.

"Move, Asger," I growled, my hand gripping the hilt of my sword.

"Why woul-" Asger was cut off as Guttorm's hand slammed into his stomach, sending him flying into a tree. Eira had started crying now, her whole body shaking with fear.

"Let's see what ya got!" Guttorm hollered, his face a bright grin.

"Here we go!" I roared, leaping at Guttorm, my sword in hand. With one clean swing, I made Guttorm dash back to dodge. It wasn't a hit but it was progress. "I need that multi-focus again," I whispered to myself, trying to force my mind to split. But it wasn't working. Then, my eyes picked up movement; Guttorm was sprinting towards me. Cursing under my breath, I bounced backwards, barely missing Guttorm's fist - well, it wasn't a fist anymore, it was just the wrist; a stub of what used to be. "Oooh! You're combat abilities are... Better, I can tell you that!" Guttorm complimented as he rushed me again, his massive legs causing earthquakes as he moved. "But, where is that cool power you showed in that last battle! I want to fight that you!" he complained, throwing a right hook for my face, which I barely managed to dodge. Slowing my mind down with my breathing, I began to focus on Guttorm's movements, looking for an opportunity. As I watched, I quickly found an opportunity. Guttorm's fist was flying towards me, leaving him unguarded. Using my lack of height, I ducked under his arms and slashed at his stomach. But Guttorm saw that beforehand and had kicked me clean in the stomach, the moment I moved. I was sent flying, my body howling through the air. My flight was finally broken as my back crashed into the trunk of a tree. I felt the bones in my back cracking beneath the force, small shards of bone tearing through my skin. "I can't heal bone," I muttered in defeat as my plans to heal myself drifted away. I sat, slumped against the tree, my head down in defeat. "Come on boy! Show me that ability from earlier! I want to fight it!" Guttorm roared with anger, his fist rocketing straight into the side of my head. Almost instinctively, I formed more skin there, blocking the damage of his attack somewhat. "Argh! What was that!" Guttorm shook his fist, covered red with blood; not my blood but his. "Why is your head so hard!" he complained, looking from his fist to the side of my head which was unscathed.

'What did I do just now?! Did I harden my skin?' I thought excitedly, eager to learn more about my abilities. 'I've been growing so fast today!' with a new sense of confidence, I forced the skin of my back to heal, generating a new layer. To make up for my lacking ability of bone healing, I made the skin push the bones back into place. Slowly rising to my feet, I faced Guttorm, my eyes raging pits of anger and confidence. "I will kill you today, Guttorm!" I roared in pure anger and rage. My fist, hardened by my new skin ability, slammed into Guttorm's face. Guttorm howled in pain as my fist crashed into his nose, shattering the bones; almost inverting it. Then, before he could make a comeback, my other fist, also hardened, crashed into his cheek. His cheekbones cracked beneath the power of my punch, turning his face into an even bloodier mess. Guttorm stumbled sideways, clutching at his bloodied face. "You... You've really done it now, boy!" Guttorm spoke darkly, his expression painted with the most rage I've seen him in.

Guttorm pounced at me, his fist rocketing forwards. I barely dodged it, letting it slam into the tree behind me. He howled in pain as the bones in his fist cracked against the tree. Taking this opportunity, I leapt away from Guttorm and the tree, back into the open. "Aslerta! What are you doing?!" I heard Asger's voice from behind me.

"Just testing my abilities!" I shot back at him with a cheeky grin.

"On Guttorm?! He seems really angry!" Asger exclaimed with worry as Guttorm slowly made his way toward me. His face was a bloody mess; cracked cheekbones, a nose that now looked deformed. His only remaining hand swung, limp, by his side, the fingers cracked and bent in unnatural ways. "Guttorm... I think I'm winning this!" I grinned confidently, slowly drawing my blade again.

"No! You're not!" Guttorm's voice exploded from his throat, letting the whole world hear his anger and rage. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he stormed towards me, each step he took lifting up a dust storm. I stood, my sword held up in a defensive pose. In moments Guttorm was upon me. Disgusting creaking noises resounded from his hand as he forced the broken fingers to form a fist. With this fist, he launched a massive punch straight for my face. My eyes widened fearfully, my sword moving to block the blow. Then, I found out why this man was the captain of a Viking band... His fist crashed into the sword, splitting it in half, taking the blade with him. Guttorm's fist crashed into the side of my head, somehow cracking the bones even though I'd hardened the area. The world around me went black as the force of his punch killed me instantly.

"I failed... Again!" I screamed out loud, in the vastness of death. The only things there to hear me were the twinkling white orbs and the sea of red orbs. I could still hear the red orbs murmuring comments of revenge and hatred. My eyes trembled as their words pushed me over the edge, "I've killed so many and yet... I still can't beat Guttorm!" I tried punching my head but my fist just passed right through. Giving up, I turned to the sea of red, looking at them regretfully. "I'm sorry..." I apologised solemnly, even though I knew it wasn't a good enough apology. They would never stop hating me. Finally, after a few seconds which felt more like hours, the world became golden. Then, quickly after, I returned to my body. I was on my back, staring up at a fist. Guttorm's fist. It slammed cleanly into my forehead, killing me instantly.

Then, again, I was revived. And, again, I was killed by Guttorm. "This is what you get for everything you've done to me! How dare you break my bones! How dare you make me bleed!" Guttorm roared with hatred as his lone fist, covered in a mixture of our blood, continued to pummel my face. "This isn't what Silotona promised me! He promised me power; the power of immortality!" Guttorm began revealing his secrets as his fist continued to kill me over and over. "I'll kill that darned Silotona bastard! How dare he give me such an insolent brat!" Guttorm's anger was clearly controlling his words as secrets poured out one, after the other.

"Stop!" I demanded in between deaths.

"Stop?! Why would I stop for you! You disgusting immortal!" Guttorm bellowed, his fist already pulling back to punch again.

"Stop it Guttorm!" Asger ordered, grabbing Guttorm's arm. Guttorm shot him a disgusted glare before loosening his arm, relaxing it at his side. Scrambling to my feet, I backed away a few metres.

"Guttorm. How do you know Silotona?!"