17 Battle Against the Fire Demons

With a steely glint in her eyes and her sword gleaming in her right hand, Hela leapt into the fray and rushed towards the nearest Fire Demon, outrunning even the Aesir from their significant head start. Her blade – made from high-quality Asgardian steel, quickly and easily cut through the creature's tough molten skin from their shoulder and diagonally down to their torso; their pained scream cutting off before they even hit the ground. She stepped back and watched it fall before a faint whistle in the air alerted her to an incoming arrow. Hela twisted her body out of its way and at the same time, threw a dagger quickly created by her seidr, nailing the Vanir archer right in the eye.

Fire Demons were ridiculously fast, Hela was quick to discover, as they ran, leapt, and crawled over themselves in an attempt to get at the Aesir first. Up close, their skin resembles hardened magma with fire quite literally coming out of their bodies and eyes. Their touch could burn and melt skin if not careful, and Hela suddenly remembered how they resembled the Frost Giants in this sense.

"Avoid their touch!"

Around her, the legions of Einherjar rushed past and engaged them in battle, the expressions beneath their helmets all looking fierce and eager. There were a few who caught her eye as they ran past and nodded respectfully, and Hela felt a part of her feel satisfied at the acknowledgement of her actions. She wasn't deaf, she heard their skepticism quite clearly when she had walked past them all.

Ever since the beginning, she had planned to prove seidr's usefulness in battle to the Asgardians in an effort to remove their prejudice from it. It might have happened earlier than she thought, but perhaps this was for the best. However, that was just one thing. For the Aesir to respect her completely, she had to prove her worth as a fellow warrior.

With this in mind, Hela crouched and began running as fast as she was able towards an Einherjar who was knocked flat on his back when a Fire Demon tackled him. His proximity to the creature caused his armor to sizzle from the heat, and Hela knew it was only seconds before it reached his skin.

She held her left arm back, judged the distance, and threw the eagerly humming Mjolnir straight towards the creature. The force caused its entire body to explode and for the Einjerhar below it to gape at the display as rocks and ash rained down on him. He gawked at the hammer floating in midair, before watching it fly back to its wielder who caught it with ease. Hela didn't wait for the Einherjar to stumble back to his feet though as more and more of the creatures charged towards them.

Wrapping the leather strap on her wrist, Hela utilized a move she had watched from the Thor movies so long ago, planted her feet, and began whirling the hammer around like an overpowered fan. Any Fire Demon who came close got smashed to bits, and she let out an elated laugh.

It was oddly satisfying to watch the creatures explode in a burst of rocks, dust, and hardened magma whenever the spinning Mjolnir came into contact with them, and she found herself quite literally dancing around the battlefield, weaving around their opponents and destroying any Fire Demon that came close.

Heavy footsteps drew near from behind, and Hela immediately turned and met the attacking Fire Demon with a face full of hammer. Its head crumpled like paper with the force, and Hela once again wanted to marvel at Mjolnir's strength. The warhammer wasn't exactly her first choice for a weapon, but she couldn't deny its uses. Mjolnir was even vibrating with sheer excitement at its first battle, and she got the sense that it was truly as battle-hungry as its original owner.

The Fire Demons weren't the only ones participating in this battle though. Hela was suddenly reminded of this when a Vanir warrior suddenly ran towards her and swung his sword at her head. She crouched down and kicked out a leg to knock him off his feet, making him collapse heavily on his back. In an amazing display of reflexes though, he thrusted his sword up as he fell, and she immediately snapped her head to the side to dodge it, missing his blade by centimeters. Not giving him a chance to recover, Hela quickly plunged her blade down at one of the visible crevices between his armor, and pierced his exposed neck.

He screamed as blood spurted at the wound and coated her blade and hands, and Hela was violently jolted back to reality as he gurgled and drowned in his own blood. The nauseatingly wet sounds were oddly reminiscent of the assassin she killed in Asgard's dungeons, and she quickly slashed her sword sideways, ultimately severing his head from his thrashing body.

The gurgling sounds finally stopped, and Hela breathed raggedly as the sounds of battle around her gradually faded away, her attention narrowing at the head rolling to a stop at her feet, lifeless eyes staring straight into her soul.

She was then starkly reminded of the difference between hardened magma bodies and a real breathing human.

Suddenly, this doesn't seem as fun anymore.

She stepped back and breathed deeply to center herself, before willing herself to move on and head to the next nearest opponent. 'No hesitation, remember? You planned for this!' She scolded herself.

Don't falter now.

She thinks this as she smashed Mjolnir right in the back of a Vanir soldier's head, instantly crushing his helmet along with his skull.

Her mind felt blank and cold as she settled into the rhythm of fighting. Her whole life, she trained and prepared relentlessly for this moment. She sharpened her senses and instincts, and honed her body. As a result, it knew what to do by now. However, she couldn't help but notice one thing.

It turned out that once you cut down an enemy or two, killing people was easy. Oh, the nausea and overwhelming guilt were definitely still there, but when all her instincts were screaming at her to 'stay alive!' and 'fight!' as Fire Demons and Vanir came at her and her people, it became easy to shove any remaining misgivings at the back of her mind.

Why was it so easy to plunge her sword through someone's chest, crush their ribs to powder with Mjolnir, or take out their eye with a well-aimed dagger?

Why the fuck wasn't it harder?!

Real war wasn't like the movies, where the viewers can clearly keep track of what's happening, who's getting slashed to bits, who's screaming, or who's doing fancy cinematic moves to evade enemy blades or arrows. There was neither any overly dramatic music nor organization of fight sequences. Here, no one cares what you do as long as you kill the enemy. There was only smoke, sweat, and the overwhelming scent of blood assaulting her unwilling nose, and Hela could see nothing but chaos and slumped bodies on the ground; the blood making it difficult to know if they were even Vanir or Aesir, much less their identities. For all she knew, her friends could already be one of the bodies at her feet.

Don't think.

She rolled to her feet just in time to see a gigantic foot suddenly land on a horrified Aesir soldier, crushing him a few feet away from her. His companion leapt back in shock and tried to stab his sword through its skin, but to no effect.  Horrified, Hela looked up to see the Fire Giant wholly focused on fighting the Valkyries flying past atop their winged horses, heedless of the people he was stomping on.

His indifference fueled her rage, and Hela quickly spun Mjolnir, the leather strap binding tightly around on her wrist, before leaping. The warhammer struck the chin of the preoccupied Fire Giant with the force of a thousand battering rams, causing its massive head to snap back with a loud and sickening crack! and lifting its huge body up the air.

Hela landed and turned away, off to find her next opponent just as the dead Fire Giant landed and violently shook the ground. If he was indifferent, then so was she.

Don't think.

A Vanir suddenly charged at her, eyes gleaming madly underneath his helmet and entirely focused on her bare neck. Seeing this, she quickly ducked under his attack, grabbed his outstretched arm, pulled him forward, and slit his throat before he could slit hers.

Her blade slipped smoothly and quickly on his skin, cutting arteries, muscles, and tendons like paper. There wasn't any of the resistance one would expect.

Why was it so easy?!

She let the man's body drop, walked away, and took a deep breath. She already saw that man kill two Einherjar before heading towards her. He deserved it.

Suddenly, there was a flash of brown hair, and Hela thought she momentarily saw Tyrkir before the color was swallowed by the endless sight of red blood and silver armor. She stared worriedly in that direction for a moment, debating whether to go there or not, but a sudden cry of agony behind her suddenly caught her attention.

She clenched her fists, 'I have to trust him and Ornulf. They'll be fine; we've all trained for this.' 

Nodding to herself, Hela gazed one last time in that direction before turning to see a horrific sight. An Einherjar dangled helplessly from his arm by a Fire Demon, its harsh burning grip causing the man to scream as his vambrace melted and the flesh on his arm literally bubbled and hissed at the immense heat. Rage filled her at the sight, more so when the man's pleading eyes tearfully met her own.

'My people are suffering…!'

Avenge them!

She snarled and quickly burst into action; bringing her sword straight down the Demon's arm and cutting it clean through. It howled in pain and backed away, and the man collapsed and curled up pitifully on his melted and disfigured arm. Seeing that he doesn't have the strength to move, Hela quickly stepped protectively in front of him and blocked him from view before glaring fiercely at her opponent.

It roared back, and she noted the air around the Fire Demon was almost sizzling with the heat and flames of its body. She couldn't get near without it being very uncomfortable and painful for her. She doesn't exactly want to repeat the fire wall experience anytime soon.

Although… perhaps that spell will work…?

Quickly, she held out a hand and waved once at the air around the creature. Her seidr rushed out at her command and began snuffing out the Demon's flames, leaving its body in its original hardened magma-like state.

Just as she thought.

The Demon tried to summon its flames back, but the spell was too strong. The air now absent of its body heat and fire, Hela slashed her sword, the blade easily cleaving through its torso as if it was clay.

Nullification, a standard spell learned by all beginners, especially in case of accidents. It was only meant to nullify small accidents and stop any harmful magical effects, so she couldn't use it at the vast fire wall earlier, but individual fires are a different story.

And with Mjolnir's help, Hela may even be able to slightly amplify its effects.

Her hand tightened around Mjolnir before whirling it yet again by its leather strap. She had seen this done countless times in the movie and immediately tried to replicate the move a few days after she received the warhammer, but doing it now will be the first time anyone will see her utilize the warhammer in such a way. In spite of the grim circumstances, she oddly felt excited for this.

The warhammer whirled with the speed of lightning, ironically enough, and with a determined look of concentration, she let go and allowed the hammer to pull her along and streak her through the air, just like a comet's tail. The leather was thankfully enchanted to be unbreakable, and so Hela wasn't worried as Mjolnir pulled her along through the air and towards her destination, feeling the wind rush up her face and whip her hair loose from her helmet, her ascent catching the stunned gaze of every Aesir and enemy alike.

The feeling of weightlessness and rushing winds helped clear her head immensely, and with newfound energy, Hela quickly spotted an optimal spot before bringing the hammer down in the middle of the Fire Demon battalion and slamming it to the ground.

The incredible impact caused the ground to cave in and produce a small crater right as her green seidr rushed out and dispensed in waves and ripples in the air. As she willed it, all Fire Demons in the vicinity who were touched by the bright green light suddenly found themselves extinguished of their flames.

Fire Demons without fire were certainly an unusual sight, and even the Demons themselves were struck dumb as their hardened magma-like bodies were suddenly exposed. It frankly gave them a feeling of nakedness, and that thought caused half of the Einjerhar army to pause and stare at them in disbelief.

Thankfully, the unexpected silence was quickly shattered by someone from the Einherjar's side, who took several brave steps forward before slashing his sword cleanly through the nearest Fire Demon, unhindered by the nonexistent flames that were supposed to protect their body. The Demon slumped lifelessly, and the Einherjar roared with renewed vigor at the sight.

"The Eldjötnar are defenseless, slay them all!"

Like a massive wave, the Aesir charged, mercilessly tearing down the Fire Demons' defenses and slaughtering them all one by one; the Vanir who relied on the Demons to cover their much vulnerable forms hastily turning and retreating from the massacre happening behind them, heading straight towards Vanaheim's palace for protection and leaving their Fire Demon allies.

Hela watched them go, feeling uneasy as Heimdall's words rose at the forefront of her mind.

…

"Be vigilant," Heimdall had warned, his golden gaze becoming worried. "There may be other forces at work, especially with the way the Fire Giants and Light Elves arrived in Vanaheim so quickly. Even with using portals, it should not be that easy."

…

'It shouldn't be this easy, so why are they already retreating?' Hela wondered suspiciously. 'What is Lord Freyr thinking?'

Something's not right.

"The Vanir are retreating!" General Tyr's voice rose above the commotion, and the crowd parted long enough for Hela to glimpse the great general striding forward confidently, his bearded face scowling and determined. "Brunnhilde, you and your Valkyries finish off all the remaining Eldjötnar. None is to leave this city alive."

Atop her winged horse, Brunnhilde nodded silently, her hair loose from the winds and her previously immaculate armor and sword Dragonfang now smeared with blood and ash. Their eyes suddenly met, and Hela hastily tore her gaze away just as the General spoke again.

"Commander Herryk, create a perimeter around the palace and the capital. Capture any Eldjötnar, Light Elf, or Vanir that might have slipped away in the chaos. No soldier, civilian, or any form of communication can leave until I say so." He glanced at the Commander, who looked grim. "As of now, Vanaheim is under Asgard's control.

"Now, my Einherjar," General Tyr glared straight at the palace gates, before marching forward. "Bring me Lord Freyr."

"Understood!"

Feeling torn, Hela remained in her position as the entire army began doing their assigned missions. She was technically assigned to Commander Herryk's unit before she came here, and so she began joining them in their preparations to set perimeters, however, the General's gaze suddenly found hers across the huge battlefield, and she paused.

His eyes seemed to convey for her to follow them, and so she did, quickening her steps before joining their ranks. The General watched her before striding to the front, and Hela suddenly found herself standing among the veterans and the strongest of Asgard's Army, heading straight towards Vanaheim's looming palace.

Vanaheim's palace would have been beautiful, if they weren't in the middle of a war. Hela observed the intricate stonework, its tall towers, the strong wooden gates, and its stone ramparts where the archers and seidmadr launched their long-ranged attacks. Terrified at their approach, said archers let loose a volley of arrows, which were swiftly dodged and blocked by the Einjerhar's raised shields. The remaining Vanir infantry soldiers formed a defense line in front of the gates, faces set in grim determination and acceptance at their defeat.

'Now then…' Hela marched towards the palace in anticipation.

'Let us see what the clever and cunning Lord Freyr can really do.'

…

It turned out; he was far more cunning than she thought.

General Tyr and his Einherjar searched the entire palace thoroughly, breaking down doors, secret rooms, the basements, royal rooms, the throne room, and its endless halls. Many soldiers and seidmadr who were in hiding and defending the palace were captured and imprisoned in their own dungeons as the Aesir marched further in.

Hela herself participated in the search and utilized her knowledge of being a royal to find rooms other royals may be privy to. She searched for every possible nook and cranny for hidden rooms Lord Freyr and his family may be in, and found a total of 29 hidden rooms in the entire palace, one behind the throne and the others in rooms, kitchens, and hallways.

Not one of them, however, contained the elusive Vanir leader.

"Lord Freyr's gone!" One of the soldiers declared after they checked the last hidden room, and Hela frowned heavily at the implications of this.

An enemy leader on the loose could still marshal his forces. Worst of all, the people and his soldiers will still have hope if they knew he escaped, and they cannot allow that. Not to mention, the Light Elves were still unaccounted for.

They'll have a rebellion on their hands soon if they aren't careful.

The General seemed to realize the same, for his scowl is deeper than usual. His soldiers doesn't have anything notable to report, and Hela shook her head when he glanced inquisitively at her.

"No sign of him anywhere," He muttered aloud, and Hela frowned thoughtfully before asking, "What about Lady Freyja?"

"The King was told that she preferred to stay neutral in this conflict." He said distractedly as he strode through the halls. "She resides in Sessrúmnir 1in Fólkvangr until her brother 'ceases this foolishness', according to her."

'Well that certainly says a lot about her.' She filed that information away for later, before looking at the General. "Then all that's left is to interrogate the prisoners. We cannot let them know he escaped."

He glanced at her approvingly, "Indeed." He signaled to his soldiers, who saluted and left promptly to head down to the dungeons. She watched them go, before realizing that he had stopped and turned to face her. He assessed her for a moment, before nodding. "You did well out there, Your Highness. Better than I thought considering what the Commander said about his trainees. The King will be pleased to hear of this."

Hela was momentarily stunned to silence. Was she just complimented by one of the best warriors and Generals in the entire Realm?

Yes… yes she was. After so many years of constantly hearing Herryk's griping and complaints about her technique, hearing a compliment was certainly a breath of fresh air. Best of all, whatever outlandish story Herryk told him, the General didn't let it affect his judgement of her. She couldn't even be bothered to think of the possible implications of him telling the King and Odin liking her actions enough to have her participate in more battles.

Just let her have this moment, for Norns sake.

She saluted, pouring all her emotions in that single action even as she tried to remain impassive. "Thank you, General."

He nodded again, before turning with a whirl of his cape and heading straight down the dungeons. Hela schooled her face into something resembling seriousness again as she followed a step behind him.

'Now, where exactly are you hiding, Lord Freyr?'

…