The Crusaders II Bets are placed 7.4

1.          Half a day from the den

The walk was torturous until Hval decided that Geraldine was a burden to follow him. The Frost Giant reached for a long branch and broke it. He then asked Geraldine to sit on it while he pulls her along the snow surface.They soon made more progress in these arrangement. But there are also obstacles to their journey.

"Hval, we bid you to stop." Hval looked ahead and saw his own kind standing there.

"Bergan, so Hela also bought you here." Hval can see the one named Bergan as huge as himself and also carrying the weapon of the Frost Giant.

"Aye, she offer me a piece of you in return. You insulted me when you defeated me in the trial of combats. Friya not for you." Bergan shouted back.

"Its Fredya and Friya, you oaf." Hval corrected his ex-friend. "If we are fight, then let us do it now. I can hear the wolves and they liked fresh cold flesh."

Hval rushed to his friend Bergan and they clashed with their issgeisl. The clash of the weapons revert through the forest that even the icicles on the tree branches within a hundred metres fell. Both of them circle each other and tried to looked for weakness in the other. They feign thrusts and swings with fancy moves. Then Bergan rushed ahead and his blade swung close to Hval but the later had jumped and rolled to the side.

"So Hela taught you how to fight." Hval got up and swing his weapon from the side to be deflected by Bergan but Hval held back the last moment and swing it downwards. Bergan did not made contact with his weapon, but Hval struck at the exposed left foreleg. Bergan jumped back with his leg bleeding while dragging his weapon. Hval did not stopped there as he pushed for the next move; an upward reverse swing with the issgeisl. The weapon of Hval dart out and cut into Bergan left side of the chest.

This time Bergan fell on his back and find himself looking at the issgeisl at his neck.

"Strike me down before I come back for you another day." Bergan hissed back. Hval did not hesitate as plunge the sharp blade into Bergan. There were no blood but a dark shaded liquid seeped out from the wound.

"Should you not showed him some mercy?" Geraldine spoke from behind Hval. "He ..."

"He is a Frost Giant. We hold no mercy in our .....kind." Hval pulled out his blade and then thrust it into the snow to clean it. "Should we continue our journey? The lodge is not far away."

The lodge is none other than a small hut in the middle of a snow covered forest. Geraldine stepped off the branch and looked at the lodge. She walked up to Hval and asked him.

"Isn't that a bit small for a God?" Hval looked at her.

"Its the perception of the mind. Look to the left." Geraldine saw the wolf there. "That's the real Fenrir; the wolf is the son of Loki along with the Hel the half-rotted woman, Jormungand the giant serpent. Its said that Fenrir would be one that would swallow Odin. He's afraid to leave the lodge where he was lure here by the deceit of Loki."

"Why do you seek Odin?" Hval continued in his questioning.

"I do not know, Hval. When I arrived here, I wanted to see Odin. It was in my mind to seek him." Geraldine looked at Hval. "My dimension is on the brink of a war with the Underworld. Here I am in yours and your champion held captive. I also know I need to see him."

"Lady, I find myself compel to assist you. Maybe if I believe in God, I would said he has a hand in it." Hval smiled at Geraldine but the later have walked towards the lodge by herself.

Fenrir the Wolf saw her approaching and the wolf moved towards her. Hval came running to assist her swinging his issgeisl at the wolf. Fenrir leap aside and charged at the Frost Giant. Both are about the same build with equal ferocity. The issgeisl slash the wolf but it bear no marks on the wolf. Suddenly Hval fell backwards with the wolf on his chest. He could smell the wolf breath on his face as he thrust his hand into the wolf's jaws. It prevented the wolf from biting his face, but he could feel the wolf fangs tearing at his ice coated cover on the flesh. Then the wolf howled in pain.

It was Geraldine who hit the wolf with her staff. The Yggdrasil staff bent itself to the wolf neck and hurt the wolf very badly. Fenrir slunk back and faced the two opponent. It could feel the blood on its fangs and then took off into the forest.

"Thank you." Both Hval and Geraldine looked at the old figure who just stepped out. He is dressed in a thick overcoat to keep warm with the large brimmed hat covering his left side of the face. He was holding a spear that towers his height. "I am Odin. I am in debt to you."