The shifting sands passed by at slow speeds, each bump on the road rocketing her body back and forth, staring out through the dirtied and slightly cracked window she dared not lean her head against. Sitting within a vehicle that puffed out black smoke in great plumes, screaming in her ears as it struggled to keep them simply driving forward. The front window splashing around as if a fluttering wing, being made of thick plastic that somehow survived the onslaught of wind and sand.

She glanced left, spotting the Varangian at the steering wheel, able to sit straight, as this was the only vehicle they could find that he would even fit in. A truck, old and decrepit, barely functional, but the Varangian had chosen it so she could not say no, and simply tagged along.

Or rather, she guided their path while he pulled her along. She pointed a finger, spoke a direction, and he drove them there. A simple resolution. One she would abuse to hel and back, squeeze out as much time as she could get before the Varangian got too suspicious.

She knew she was taking a risk; she knew death was a significant possibility. But what else could she do?

The Varangian was as imposing as ever, large and faceless, slightly dusted and dirtied, yet weirdly lustrous and striking. The emblem on his chest sticking out even more as the rest of the armour was coloured in slight orange and brown. His helmeted head staring unflinchingly forwards, not even the slightest movement to compensate for the rocking of the truck, looking as if the vehicle was but an extension of his body.

They had driven like this for hours, and would continue to drive like this for several more, several days even. The next town being about a three days’ drive from the city of Haugar, venturing towards the town of Agra. But at the pace they were going, it would probably take four, maybe even five days for them. Good news for her.

Though, it wasn’t very good for her nerves.

Looking away from the Varangian, she focused her sights on the dunes outside her cracked window, doing her utmost to not think about the monster sitting beside her. Doing her utmost to look at the rather pretty sights of distant rocky outcroppings and vast sandy dunes.

It was hard.

Yet she persisted, staring out at the vast blue skies, shining down with the heat shimmering in the distance. Dunes passing by slowly, rocks dotted around seemingly randomly, mountains sticking out like pimples on a giant.

She stared, leaning against the only sturdy thing in the truck, and continued staring. Finding herself truly, and utterly, bored.

Until she spotted something, unsure of what, and wanting something to look at, she squinted her eyes. It looked dark and lightly covered in sand. The truck puttered closer, and she realized what it was.

It was a person.

Her eyes grew in size as her breath caught in her throat. So surprised was she, that she could do not but stare in a disbelieving second. The second passed as they came closer to the person, and she turned towards the Varangian, turned back towards the body, then turned her attention to the Varangian as she used her right- her left hand to point.

“There’s somebody there. We need to help them.”

Without even a glance, the Varangian continued driving forward as they said.

“I know, they are dead.”

She blinked at the response, momentarily stunned. But quickly composing herself as she spoke with only but a hint of anger in her voice.

“You can’t know that. What if they aren’t?”

“They are dead.”

“You don’t know that! You can’t just assume that. We-we have to help them!”

She said quickly, staring at him as they continued on driving. A second passed, two, three. Several more passed without even a hint of a response, and she realized he would not. Looking over at the person, she realized they would soon pass them.

Her mind panicked slightly, her stomach started sinking as she looked around desperately. She grabbed the truck’s door without thinking. But found a strong and impossibly stiff, something, take a grip around her arm.

Turning, she saw the Varangians hand holding her still. Her nostrils flared as her body froze in instinctual fear. Her mind remained clear though, and her eyes grew dark as she spoke.

“We have to help them. Stop, right, now.”

The Varangian didn’t respond though, continuing to stare forward, driving without a care in the world while holding her fast within the truck. She didn’t struggle. She knew it wasn’t worth it, but her mind worked overtime to think. She needed to help them; she needed to convince the Varangian.

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And she quickly realized how, though, it might just endanger her.

“Stop right now, or I won’t be your guide any longer.”

Her eyes held fast even as the Varangian turned inhumanly fast to look at her, staring with an unreadable expression across his probably inhuman face. She would not yield though, even as her heart started beating faster, harder, her breathing growing faster while her every instinct flared at once, screaming at her to flee, to run for her life. But frozen in place.

She did not yield though, she would- she could not let herself, not when a life was at stake.

But he did not stop the truck, continuing to drive as his faceless mask held her stare. A terrifying existence that was focusing his entire being on her. Shivers ran down her spine as the seconds continued ticking on.

Then he suddenly stopped, and if he wasn’t holding her, she would have slammed face first into the panel in front. Instead, she only got a mild case of whiplash.

Before she could comprehend what had happened, he had let her go and opened his door. He walked around the truck at speeds and moved with incredibly dexterous steps towards the prone person.

Realising what had happened, she quickly opened her own door with just a little awkwardness, and stepped out into the desperately scorching desert. Having to momentarily shield her eyes, it took her a second to reorientate before she also moved towards the person. Moving as quickly as the halfway sandy dunes and rocky ground allowed her.

She spotted the Varangian hunched down by the person, doing something she could not quite see. She speed up her slow jog, stumbling all the while because of the uneven ground, exertion and heat making her breath hard and pearly drops of sweat form on her forehead.

Eventually, she came close enough to see what the Varangian was doing, having moved the person to lie on his back. A him it was, and unfortunately, he was dead. She stopped on the opposite side of the dead man, leaning against her knees as she stared down at the dead body.

A man with sunken cheeks, sunken eye-sockets, staring up at the skies with hallowed eyes. His clothing was draped around him thickly, yet flowy. His arm was exposed, showing little muscle and fat, blistered and burnt, accompanied by the first signs of decay. Smelling dreadful.

The sight made her mood drop even more than it had earlier, looking down on the poor man whom must have suffered greatly before his demise.

“He is dead.”

The Varangian said in a cold tone, standing up opposite the body, staring down at the dead man. Her eyes also remained on the dead man, but her back straightened as hatred bubbled within her.

“I can see that.”

“Then we can’t help him, and we will resume the mission.”

He stated simply, turning his body towards the truck in the distance. She didn’t budge though, looking down on the deceased person, finding the thought of just leaving him, appalling.

“No- no we have to bury him.”

The Varangian stopped in his step, turning back towards her. She also turned, looking up at him.

Stopped in time as she found courage, courage to stand up to a monster to do what was right. Though, it might be helped that her body was tired and exhausted from the short run up to the dead man, as she was still not fully healed yet.

The Varangian didn’t move, standing inhumanly still on the uneven sand, standing so still whilest looming above her as she had to crane her neck upwards to stare back defiantly.

Eventually, he spoke in what she assuredly knew wasn’t interest or curiosity. For it couldn’t be.

“Why?”

A simple question that stunned her, her bubbling anger flaring as she almost screamed, keeping it in as she seethed instead.

“A monster like you wouldn’t understand, but we humans pay respect to those that die. We bury them to get them closer to god, or we bury them to give them a last resting place. We- I want to bury this man because if it was me, I wouldn’t want to be left rotting in the middle of a desert!”

She finished with a scream, shaking her head quickly as she tried to remember her training. Breathing in, breathing out. She should not show emotions.

Then realizing what she had just called him, she took an unconscious step backwards.

“You will not guide me unless we bury the body. I presume?”

The Varangian asked, sounding disinterested, staring down on her unflinchingly. She gulped, blinked twice.

“Yes?”

She said with slight hesitation. And the Varangian immediately turned towards the dead man, bending down as he, gently, grabbed him. Then, with a jump and the faint sound of a motor blasting, the Varangian suddenly shot up and into the air, flying a distance up that she could not truly tell.

But she spotted as he descended, descended towards what she now saw was some distant cliffs. Landing softly, she saw as he gently placed the body beside him and started, punching the ground.

It wasn’t really punching, more like, digging, but as it was quite far away, it looked as if he was punching the ground. Using his armoured fists to, presumably, dig a hole. Rocks spraying everywhere as he easily dug into the ground.

Minutes passed in relative silence as she looked on in slight disbelief. But eventually, the Varangian seemed content with the size of his hole, and gently placed the dead man within. He then gathered up the loose rocks and pebbles that had flown out from his repeated beatings and poured them back in.

More minutes passed until the grave was fully filled. Assuming the task was done, she closed her eyes to say a silent prayer. She may not be religious and she knew not if the man was, but if he was, she knew he would want a prayer to be said at his grave.

“Hel, great goddess, guardian of the dead. As this deer departed soul kneels before you, show mercy on him. Watch over him as he crosses the bridge from this life to the next, and welcome him with honour and glory so that he may live forever within your realm.”

She said in a whisper, closed eyes and head down. As she finished, she was silent for a minute before gazing up, up at the man’s grave.

She spotted the Varangian standing still over the grave, a grave that was surrounded by rocks in an almost ceremonial way. He stood still, staring down with the cliff behind shivering by the heatwaves, making it look as if the shadows of the cliffs coalesced around him, moved, branching out like two dark wings.

And for a second, she thought she saw Hel herself.

Quickly remembering the reality of the situation as the Varangian looked up, and suddenly jumped with a burst of fire shooting up from behind him. Landing near her with a deviously quiet thud.

“It is done. We will resume the mission.”

He said with finality, and she followed. Glancing back at the grave in the distance, she found her thoughts drifting towards her own death.

Would she be buried? Or was she destined to die by the hands of hel’s chosen in the middle of nowhere?

Only time could tell.