Some time later, they were finally ready to get up again. Creaking and complaining, but a bit more refreshed, they shook out some of the remaining soreness, stretched what they could, and gathered around again. Gialli had spent the time running his hands over the damaged form of Mersingmergr, the dents and scrapes magically disappearing beneath his touch.

“So that was challenge number one,” said Teclis. “what else is there?”

“I’d guess whatever’s behind those doors” replied Gialli. This felt like an obvious statement, but someone had to say it, if only to get the ball rolling.

“Should we take another look at that altar as well?” asked Reg. They all turned to look at it. Nobody wanted a repeat of what had happened last time they poked it. Alf sighed dejectedly.

“I suppose we better had” he said. He lumbered over towards it reluctantly, and the others followed. There was an air of apprehension now.

“In the darkest places, you must find a beacon’s light to guide you” Reg recited. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I’d say it means we need to find some beacons” said Tove.

“Do you take anything seriously ever?” asked Reg.

“Not when I can help it” she replied.

Sarcasm aside, they all crowded around the altar once more. Studying the writing again, Gialli concluded that as far as he could tell it said something along what the lines of the figure had said, but it was too faded to make out properly. That didn’t stop everyone else from trying to take a look though. They now started looking at the top of the altar as well, which was a bit of a struggle for the more vertically-challenged of them.

On the ‘plinth’ of the altar were four bowl-shaped depressions. Each one of these was stylised with different carvings, which appeared to depict figures in a very abstract way. Even though they were faded though, they were recognisable figures, made so by their fame. They were gods one and all. From left to right were Hel, Odin, Freya, and Baldr. All were shown with some attribute of ostentation and embellishment, most of which had faded over time though. Only flecks of gold leaf and hints of paint remained now.

“Did Odin really send us to stare at an altar of himself?” asked Reg.

“It’s not just to him though” responded Teclis.

“You know what I mean”.

“I think” interjected Gialli “that we should perhaps be showing a touch more respect here”.

“I’m too tired for respect” grumbled Reg. “You’d think he’d have explained a bit more to us before we came all the way out here”.

“He did tell us it was a test” Gialli argued “so it stands to reason that we wouldn’t be told everything going in to it”.

“It would have been nice to know if we were going to maybe get killed by a horde of skeletons who probably all died trying and failing to pass this bloody test”. Reg was in full flow now. “I still don’t even really know what we’re meant to be getting out of this!” Tove tried to interrupt him, but he held a hand up to silence her.

“I know he made promises of rewards, but like always that was just bloody vague. Something actually tangible would be nice, maybe a downpayment for the new robes I’m going to need at the end of this all. We’re paying our own way, risking our lives, and for what? The chance to “grasp our destiny” or some shit like that. More words to make it sound like we’re special when really it’s just another attractive chance to commit suicide”.

His tirade over, he stopped for a moment, looking at each of them in turn. Nobody said anything.

“Well then I guess we’d better get on with it” he said with an air of finality. He stalked over to the nearest door to where he was stood, and yanked it open, as if impatience was the key to finishing the tests. What greeted him was a small, dark chamber. It was entirely empty, with the exception of a freestanding, unlit brazier and a plaque on the wall. He walked in and the rest followed. They brought a light up, and Reg read aloud: “Those that in this place bring war, may not light the flame of peace”.

“So we have to light some flames?” asked Alf.

“I guess these are the beacons we’re aiming for” replied Teclis. “My guess is there’s one in each room”.

“Are we waiting for something then?” asked Talani. Ever pragmatic, he was already withdrawing a flint and steel from his pack. He looked around, but there were no complaints forthcoming even though some people looked like they wanted to make one. He strode over to the brazier, which was remarkably well stocked with wood and tinder. Placing the flint to straw, he ran the shard of steel down it. There was a horrible scraping noise and a shower of sparks, but no fire larger than that. He tried again. And again. And again. Each time, nothing caught.

He turned back to the others, shrugging. “Let me know if you have any other ideas,” he said, before tramping back out into the main room. The others began to contemplate their situation. There were certain simple magics as well that could light fires, so they tried those. Each time they got the result that they expected, which was nothing. Having exhausted the easy answers, they now had to actually think.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

“So if this brazier is going to be the flame of peace, then I suppose we’re bringing war somehow?” said Reg. “Is it because we were just in a fight?”

“Maybe” reasoned Gialli “but then the fight was a test itself, so we must surely have been expected to do that anyway”.

“Fair enough. I guess we’ll need to put our thinking caps on then chaps” said Reg.

“The main question is: how are we bringing war?” asked Tove. “Is it because we’re warriors somehow?”

“Could be something like that” Reg replied. “So which of us is the least ‘warrior’-like?”

They took a look around each other. It was a hard question, since to some extent none of them except for Talani really fitted the ‘warrior’ mould.

“I suppose we could each try” offered Teclis. “There doesn’t seem to be much else to go on so far”. With that, he stepped up, trying his own flint and steel to no effect. They each took it in turns trying to light it manually, since magic was apparently off the table.

“Maybe we need to give the lighter more space” Gialli said. “If other ‘warriors’ are still in here then we’re still bringing war into this place”. There was a general agreement to this, so they each went on a rotation. All but one of them would leave the room, then whoever was left behind would try to light it, before the next person went.

Alf went last, but he made sure to make a comment about the lack of success before he went. To nobody’s great surprise, he too failed to light it.

“Maybe we’re not trying hard enough” Reg suggested.

“Like it’s so hard to light a fire?” Alf retorted.

“No, I mean not trying hard enough to make it seem like we’re not ‘bringing war’. Let me try something”. With that, he started walking back into the room, taking slow, deliberate steps. Holding each arm up in a gesture of surrender, he called out to nothing in particular.

“I bring no conflict to this place. I am a scholar before I am a warrior, and I desire only peace”. His declaration made, he took the flint and steel, and threw sparks over the kindling. Again, nothing. He came back out.

“Well I thought it was a lovely message at any rate” said Gialli”

“It would have been lovelier if it worked” moaned Alf. He caught a few glares for that, but nobody was giving any better solutions. By this point, Talani was just wandering around the room aimlessly, having given up any pretence of being helpful here.

“What does it mean to bring war somewhere?” asked Gialli.

“Are we really going to have to get into a philosophical debate to light a brazier?” replied Tove. “I think I left most of my brains on the floor over there somewhere”. She gestured aimlessly.

“No, I just mean that clearly when we go in there, we’re doing something that it considers equivalent to bringing war”. He looked around for confirmation, and caught a few nods. “So what is it about us? We’ve tried offering peace, and apparently all of us bring war in some way”.

“Is it because we can all do magic?” asked Teclis.

“Seems a bit unfair if it is” Gialli replied “since it’s such a wide-ranging tool, and it feels like we’re going to need it to get through this place overall”.

“So then where does that leave us? Reg enquired. “If we’ve all tried lighting it and we’re all bringing war”.

“It just means we have to try harder” replied Tove. “Use that big brain of yours”. Reg just sighed.

Talani was still roaming the room, mostly looking at the bones left on the floor, and crushing any skulls that looked a bit too intact for his liking. There was also the matter of the bodies resting in the slots on the wall. He started looking at these as well. Each of them were in some way dressed as warriors, laid to rest with some indicator of a life of battle. Most had a sword, axe, shield, or some combination laid across their chest, and scraps of any armour that hadn’t yet rotted. He absently picked up one of the ancient swords.

“What do you think you’re you doing?!” snapped Gialli. They had all heard the sound of old, dried skin tearing as he had picked it up.

“I just felt like it” Talani responded, completely blasé. Alf and Tove each had to suppress a chuckle at the difference in emotions on display.

“Well damn well put it back!” Gialli continued.

“Fine. I hardly see the harm”.

“The harm?! What if they’d woken up? What if that sword is cursed? What if he needs that sword in Valhalla, or Folkvangr? Did you not think at all about why all these people might have been buried like this? What it would have meant to be a warrior of this status, to have a burial like this?” All of this was delivered, ranting, by a nearly-furious Gialli. “Why don’t you put it down and treat this place with the respect it deserves, since it has already proven quite capable of killing us. This room can already create weapons out of thin air and attack us for the crime of entering. I can only dread to think what it could do with real weapons if we were actively desecrating it!”

Seeing the logic, but apparently entirely uncowed, Talani put the weapon back. Gialli sighed in frustration and relief, running a hand through his hair. “Thank you”, he whispered. “Now shall we get back to this?”

A look of puzzlement came over Reg’s face. He withdrew the spell-books he carried from the special pockets of his robes, and set them on the floor. Then he undid his belt, on which he carried his sword, and put that down as well. The others were all now watching him, seeing how far this routine would go. Reg just patted himself down, nodded once, and strode back in to the room. The others made to follow him but he held a hand out before they could catch up. “Just wait out here for now” he instructed. Walking over to the brazier he flicked his hand, magically generating a familiar spark. The tinder caught alight, and as the fire spread, so did a smile across Reg’s face, his eyes dancing with excitement and light.

“One down” he muttered. “Three to go”.