Ethan blinked as his eyes adjusted from the darkness he’d just left and the bright afternoon sunlight. The smell of lakewater and cedar replaced the heavy incense.

War Shaman Hertha walked towards the Earth Column and stopped, waiting for him to catch up.

“Now, you want to know the other Elemental Spirit that has touched you?” She asked him.

Ethan nodded, uncertain of what was about to happen.

“Are you absolutely sure? Because this may not be as fun for you as it is going to be for me.” She suddenly seemed much younger than her appearance to Ethan.

“Yes, I am.” He took a couple of more steps, imagining that the determination he felt was a gift of the Earth Spirit.

“Very well then.” She paused, crossing her hands behind her back and standing up straighter. “I want you to attack me.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Ethan was bewildered. Just moments before she’d led his discovery through introspection, and now she wanted him to attack her.

“I want you” She paused to emphasize her words. “To attack me. You need to see how this gift affects you, and how you use it.”

“Are you sure?” Ethan asked, his brow furrowed in hesitation

“Do you think that War Shaman is just an honorific?” Hertha’s tone suggested mocking in her admonishment. “I promise you, there is nothing you and that paltry axe can do to me that I haven’t suffered ten times worse in decades past.”

“Okay…” Ethan hesitantly drew his axe from his back. He wasn’t worried he’d hurt the War Shaman, he just did not want to get beaten around a practice ring again. This time he wouldn’t have Leah here to heal his wounds after the fact.

Hertha simply smiled at him and waited for him to begin his attack.

Ethan sighed and slowly walked towards her, his axe ready for an attack. There’s no way she’s going to let me get a free hit in. She’s going to block and then counter attack. At least if I let her get her first attack in, then I can try to figure out some sort of strategy to keep from getting my ass kicked once again.

He swung his axe low, hoping to at least cause Hertha to side step. Instead, she easily kicked his axe handle, deflecting his attack. Faster than he could have ever imagined her moving, she landed a blow directly in the middle of Ethan’s chest and knocked him back several feet onto his back.

Fucking ouch. He’d been expecting a hit, but this had been something else completely. His entire chest throbbed in pain, as if her fist had been the size and weight of a bowling ball. Craning his neck from the ground, he thought he saw Hertha shake pebbles free from her hand before returning it behind her back.

“I think I will continue to call you ‘Sorry’ after all.” She taunted him, standing calmly with her hands behind her back. “That attack was the first thing you’ve done you should actually apologize for.”

Her grandmotherly demeanor from earlier was now completely gone. Her voice was mocking and her gaze full of disgust.

“Try again.” Hertha commanded him, her voice boomed across the small area.

Ethan got to his feet, confused about how quickly the situation had changed. Is this some sort of test? He picked up his axe from where it had fallen and looked again at Hertha Korisdottir. She had taken her eyes off of him, instead tilting her head to the side as if watching butterflies.

Ethan crouched low, hoping he looked like he was going to charge at her. After two steps he launched himself into the air. He could see her expression change from indifference to smile as he changed his tactic.

In the split second that he flew through the air with his axe ready to bear down on her, she raised her hand and pushed at him. A sudden gust of air knocked him back to the ground. His eyes watered from pain and he spat out dirt as he landed on his chest. Ethan tried to push himself up onto his hands and knees, catching a glimpse of Hertha kicking the ground several feet in front of him.

Instantly, hexagonal columns of rock burst forward from the ground at angle, and launched him backwards in the air. He landed hard on his back, coughing as the impact knocked the air from his lungs.

“Are you even trying to hit me, Sorry?” Hertha’s mocking tone angered him.

Ethan could feel his rage burning him from the inside. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t hit her, her constant mocking was starting to get to him.

He grunted as he pushed himself off of the ground, grabbing his axe from where it had fallen as he stood. Once again, he sprinted towards Hertha, readying his axe to swing down from the left.

Ethan only barely saw her hand move, the aura of electricity caught his eye, as her right hand whipped up and grabbed his weapon near the axe head. Ethan was shocked, he had no idea anyone could move that fast in game.

Hertha Korisdottir locked eyes with him and smiled. Almost as fast as her block had been, her other hand swung forward. It appeared to be covered in magma. Ethan braced himself for another brutal impact from her punch. Instead, his arms jerked forward as the handle of his axe shattered from her blow.

Ethan blinked in amazement at the loss of his weapon. Then a second blow hit him directly in the chest. The heat of the blow burned through his armor, enhancing the strength of the attack.

His back scraped the rocky ground as he slid backwards. Ethan lay there for several seconds, a Stunned debuff icon preventing him from moving.

My axe…gone… He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. I’ll have to yield, I can’t beat her with no weapon.

His debuff fell off, and Ethan struggled to his feet.

“Yield…” He couldn’t muster more than a whisper as he tried to call for the end of the one sided duel.

“What was that, Sorry, I couldn’t hear you?” Hertha taunted him from several feet away, still holding the remnants of his broken weapon.

“I yield.” He forced his voice higher, the impact of multiple blows to his diaphragm making words hard to force out.

“Are you certain that’s what you want? To leave here a quitter and disarmed?” Her tone was serious and disapproving as she questioned his choice to end the fight.

***You are choosing an action that will automatically abandon the questline. You will lose all progress towards your quest and also will not be able to accept the quest again in the future.***

Shit. Ethan hadn’t been expecting that. If I don’t finish this duel, then I can’t even take this class. I’ll have to take Weapon Master as my class. He didn’t like that option, Warmaster Torben didn’t seem like he’d be any easier to learn from than War Shaman Hertha was.

“Waiting on you, Sorry.” She taunted him again.

Fuck this. I am so fucking tired of getting my ass handed to me. He was pissed. Her constant belittling combined with her breaking his beloved axe was getting to him. Ethan was seething in rage.

“Are we continuing or are you wasting my time?” Hertha called out again.

Ethan roared in anger, his Enrage activating without his input. The enhanced strength caused his body to burn as his rage surged through him.

“AAARRGGH!” Etham slammed his fists into the ground, causing a blazing explosion of molten stalagmites to erupt from the ground in a line at the War Shaman.

He didn’t wait to see the effect of his Earth Spikes, before leaping behind Hertha. The intense burn of his rage flowed through his veins. His hands felt like they were on fire as he swung wildly. Red hot flames cracked across his forearms, harmless to him, but sizzled on the ground as the flames flew from his hands.

Hertha grinned while ice crystals froze around her forearms. Effortlessly, she blocked his reckless attacks. The piercing cold chilling the intense heat of his attacks.

“Enough!” She yelled, pushing her open palm into his chest.

Instantly, his anger dissipated. The icon in his view signaling his enraged state vanished and Ethan felt exhausted. The fire surrounding his arms instantly disappated, revealing his completely unscathed wrist guards and hands.

He stood hunched over and panting while Hertha walked towards him. She placed a hand on the back of his sweaty neck and a cool wave washed over him. Immediately he felt his exhaustion leave and his body felt rejuvenated.

“I take it you finally understand which other vættr has touched you?” Her warm and friendly tone had returned as she smiled at him.

“Fire.” He had no doubt in his voice. The burning effect of his Earth Spikes had been obvious, along with the empowered physical attacks.

“You are correct.” She nodded, still grinning. “Like the single minded determination you are blessed with by the Spirit of Earth, your passion is driven by the Element of Fire.”

“But there was nothing ‘passionate’ about that.” Ethan was slightly confused by her words. “I was just angry.”

“Passion, and all emotions, can be taken to the extreme.” She walked over and tapped his chest, directly above his heart. “You didn’t give up, a sign of Earth’s influence, but the rage and drive to finish the fight came from the Fire inside of you.”

Ethan thought about what she’d said. Since his respawn, the rage inside of him had always felt hot or burning. Exactly like an out of control fire. As he reflected, he realized it really should have been obvious to him before this moment. If I’d realized this sooner I might still have my axe… He thought as he looked down at his destroyed weapon. The haft was shattered into splinters and the metal head lay discarded where Hertha Korisdottir thrown it, half buried in the dirt.

“Ah, yes, I am sorry that I destroyed your weapon.” Hertha said as she caught the direction of his gaze. “But, would you have realized your potential if I hadn’t? Or would I still be knocking you down over and over again?”

Ethan reflected on that. It was the shattering of his weapon that had almost driven him to quitting, but then had also ignited his rage. Truthfully, that was a worthwhile sacrifice, he only had a couple of more levels with that weapon before he replaced it. But it was a memento of a good start in the game and his time in Grassmere.

“Probably.” Ethan nodded as he realized the truth. “So what happens next?” He looked expectantly at the War Shaman.

“Tonight, you rest.” Hertha replied. “Tomorrow you begin training as my student.”