Frigga asked, sweeping into the room. Her long blonde hair trailed behind her along with her ankle length gown. Her very presence was imperious, commanding obedience and respect.

Baldr said wryly.

He snapped his fingers and summoned a stately white chair, draped in silk trimmed in gold, suiting her colors. Frigga smiled and sat, instantly transforming the chair into a recliner to match his own. Baldr snorted, expanding the screen and pushing it back so they could watch together.

Less than a second had passed, and the action was just getting started.

Halina’s dash was almost fated to miss, her speed paltry compared to Erland’s maxed agility. He spun away from her, bypassing her shield and throwing a hook down at her smaller frame. Without any apparent effort, and indeed without even looking toward Erland, Halina’s shield was there to block the blow.

“How did you—” he began, unable to finish as he was forced to dodge a swift thrust from her sword.

“You’re not leaving here alive,” she told him, resolute determination the only emotion behind her eyes.

Erland felt his grin stretch further, and the itch started between his shoulder blades.

She rushed him again, thrusting her sword out once more. Erland spun again, falling for her feint. Her shield flared with light before it caught him center mass, hitting him harder than he’d ever been hit in his life. He was tossed over twenty feet through the air, slamming into the ground hard enough to feel his bones creak.

Erland groaned but jumped back to his feet. He spat to the side, clearing some of the blood from his mouth before shooting Halina a grisly bloodstained smile.

“Disgusting,” she said with a grimace, rapidly closing the ground between them once again.

Erland was loving every second of this, but he was tired of being on the back foot. It was time to regain the initiative.

He exploded forwards, crashing into her shield and arresting her momentum. He reached up, grabbing the top of her shield and vaulting over the top. Halina swung at him, but with a deft twist he avoided her blade. His fist crashed into her cheek, and he felt it connect squarely.

With the full might and his entire bodyweight crashing into her, he barely turned her head with his strike. The first notes of alarm began to sound from the blood rushing through his ears.

Halina smiled and lifted her shield straight into his stomach, swatting him out of the air. Erland crashed into the ground, spitting blood once more. Nothing was broken just yet, but he could already feels the bruises clamping down on his mobility and strength. He really might be making a trip through Nagrindr, the Corpse Fence, if things kept going like this.

The difference between an E-Tier and a D-Tier was much larger than he’d expected. It was supposed to be the smallest jump of any tier, but she was still completely out of his league. He jumped back when she next approached, and his feet sank an inch into the loamy floodplains. The ground was growing significantly softer the farther they moved from the road.

An idea formed, and Erland stood straight once again.

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“You know, your brother was much weaker than you,” he said, stroking his chin as though in thought and drawing a glare from Halina. “Do you do all of his fighting? Is that why he was such a little bitch?”

“Shut up,” she growled, charging him again.

Erland dipped away, keeping just outside of her range and continuing to insult Bjarke. Farther and farther afield he led Halina, until the ground was so soft that they were both hiking their legs all the way up to their chests to keep slogging through. Then he made his move.

Erland rushed towards Halina again, his sudden aggression prompting her habitual block pattern. His smile grew to its full width, his blood singing a crescendo in his ears, the itch between his shoulder blades disappearing again. This time, instead of trying to avoid her block, he used the moment her shield blocked her vision to his advantage.

Tower shields weren’t designed for use in single combat, despite their massive coverage and incredible defense. The main reason she was able to be so effective with it was a combination of her superior stats and skills. Despite never seeing a tower shield wielder before today, Erland had seen the gaps it created for Halina.

He ducked low, disappearing from Halina’s sight under the top of the shield. She lowered her shield further in response, trying to track his approach. Erland’s grin turned smug as he closed, dodging Halina’s last second thrust and leaping with all the force he could muster. His legs drew into his chest as he launched forward before exploding outward in a powerful drop kick into the top of the tower shield.

Her foundation mired in the soft loam, Halina couldn’t fully stop Erland’s momentum. She toppled backwards, slamming into the ground and sinking into the loam. Erland slapped his hands backwards as he rebounded from his kick, dispersing the force of his fall and rolling back to his feet.

Halina was already struggling to get back to her feet. He couldn’t let her recover. This was his best chance. Erland sprinted across the space his kick had created, forcing Halina to block when he crashed into her. He balled his hands together, bringing them down repeatedly on her shield in a series of hammer blows.

“Give your brother my best when you meet him in Hel!” Erland crowed triumphantly, blood flying from his mouth in his frenzy.

With a wordless cry, Halina’s shield flashed once again, her skill finally coming off cooldown. Erland didn’t have the room, leverage, or strength to stop the blow from his position. He took his first clean blow of the fight, and that ended it.

Halina’s shield snapped into his chin, smashing even harder than the last time and launching him high into the air and across the field. He landed with a thud, the air fleeing from his lungs. Erland couldn’t feel anything anymore, and he slowly realized his spine was broken. His mind was oddly clear, and he felt as satisfied as he usually did when he won for some reason.

A shadow passed between him and Sol, and Halina was standing over him.

“Remember to apologize to my brother when you come back,” Halina said, spitting down on him. “I doubt any of the Aesir would want a craven whoreson like you.”

Erland simply grinned back at her, his lungs still absent of the air he would need to speak. Halina’s brow darkened in anger once more, but she simply shook her head. A moment later her sword parted his head from his shoulders, and he passed on.

Frigga directed at her son, her tone slightly smug in his mind.

Baldr said, but it was obvious he was being polite. This fight had solidified his decision.

she scolded him, her face twisting into a scowl.

Baldr replied flippantly, corners of his mouthing turning up in a small grin. His eyes were fixed on the tableau of the final moment of the battle.

Frigga responded with a resigned tone. Baldr’s personal projects were famous, or perhaps infamous was more accurate.

Baldr responded, turning his grin on her now.