“Ha, did you see the face of their boss boy? Stupid bandits think they own the world… This is why I always tell you to keep your shovel handy boy!”

-Alvard Alvardsson, Bal-Vagn coal stoker to his apprentice after helping thwart an ambush.

“Back! Back! Down! Side! Down!”

Skard tried to follow Sigurn’s shouted instructions but he couldn’t match her speed, metal crashed on metal as weapons locked then with a flick of her axes beard Sigurn swept away Skards spear and slammed him back down onto the ground, levelling her axe to his throat, Skard wheezed like a deflating bellows, nearly regurgitated his dinner, and slumped down waving a hand in surrender.

Laughter and jeering echoed around the camp as Sigurn gave an exaggerated bow to the audience, people had stopped betting against her after her eighth win, a moment later Sigurn hauled Skald up from the ground and nodded to him.

“Not too bad,” she said with a smile. “Quite predictable though, try sprinkling in a chop or two with your spear next time, it won’t really hurt but it can throw your enemy off, most people think spear are only for stabbing.”

With that Sigurn slapped the man on his back hard enough to send him tumbling right into his twin’s lap, there was more laughter which quickly turned into boozy cheers when Skard raised his fist in faux-victory still face down in his brother’s lap. More mead was passed out by a pair of bustling Silvermane chefs as another challenger was shoved into the rough ring with Sigurn.

During all this Erika had been sat on the side of the impromptu arena (really just a large circle scratched into the ground) alongside the only others who had been spared Sigurn’s “entertainment”. One was a short dirty looking old man called Tathra who was apparently a locksmith and trap expert, another was Solvor who Sigurn had declared a “known quantity” whatever that means, and the third?...

“What are you looking at primitive?”

…The third was willowy human woman with red hair and burned black fingers called Ammeris, an alchemist!

“An idiot who thinks mixing gunk will do anything!”

Ammeris dropped her pot and rounded to glare at Erika fully who was already glaring back, Solvor and Tathra both sighed the former hiding her face in her palm. Everyone knew about the whole alchemist/vitki rivalry but neither of them had thought it would be this bad.

“Godless heathen!”

“Lackwit degenerate!”

“I'm the one who can actually use magick here! You’re the one lacking something!”

“I need no magick! I understand my treasures, you know nothing of the sacred mathematics and the holy geometry that…”

“No I don’t because I don’t need to, I have magick!”

Luckily for her Erika was also spared any sparring, Sigurn hadn't wanted her to overdraw on her well. The odium well of a vitki did refresh itself naturally over time as the sal of the vitki drew in odium from the world tree and the realms, purifying and storing it in the blood, but it only did it over time, nothing in the nine realms had ever been found that could accelerate that apart from sleeping and eating well and even those just sped it up a tiny bit, so if they needed Erika to cast three healing spells and she only had the odium for two? Tough luck.

“Please please ladies there is no need for this, your beauty will be spoiled, too terrible a fate to think of, no?” Solvor smacked Tathra around the head as Erika and Ammeris stared at him, it didn’t stop him though instead he beamed at both women and raised a gallant hand.

“Surely you both see that the gods put us together here, yes? That we are destined to be together, yes?”

As if the damn alchemist wasn't bad enough Tathra flirted with anything in a skirt and Solvor? She hadn't been so bad at first but as time went on the cracks started showing.

“Please leave our collages alone Tathra, they are not intestined in a romantic relationship at the component, I am sure.”

Erika, and the other two in fact, spend a few seconds decoding what Solvor had said before Ammeris nodded. “We are on a mission Tathra.”

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“Ah and what a mission it is!” Exploded Tathra entirely undaunted. “A gallant dash across the width of the realm, under Yggdrasil’s branches we fight together, armies and beasts laid to waste before us… romantic, no?”

Erika sighed explosively and shared a, somewhat, consolatory glance with Ammeris although neither woman would admit it. Behind them the spar finished up leaving Sigurn undefeated and her opponent lodged in the side of a caravan.

“Looks like its calming down.” Said Ammeris idly.

“Hopefully.” Muttered Erika, she wasn't overly impressed with the way every branchnight turned into a party, the normal nights were bad enough with Erika lying in her cold foreign caravan bed unable to sleep tossing and turning wracked with doubt and guilt, what did her mother think? Had she gotten home yet? Had she seen the letter?

Erika shook herself and diverted her train of thought down another track, apart from the alchemist it wasn't all bad, the mead stocks were dropping rapidly but she thought she understood, it was all about morale, right? Keeping people happy at the start so they stuck around when the going got tough? Erika was still nursing her first mug whilst a few of the veterans had swallowed down four or five in as many heartbeats and were now happily snoring away underneath the wagons.

“Right well if everyone’s well fed and properly exercised?” Samar quipped to tired amusement and a few last cheers. “Then we’ll seal the kegs up again, everyone remembers their watch? Turn up for that but otherwise do whatever, just don’t wake anyone up.”

There were some tired grunts as people began to haul themselves towards their caravans, and a few of the louder groups huddled closer to the bonfire. Tiring of the company and the party both Erika stood up. “Should probably get some rest.” She said to the others, they muttered a few platitudes to her and she wandered off into the rough camp. Along the way she saw a few more groups heading the same direction… and a handful of couples (or more) heading out into the darkness, Erika blushed when she saw them and definitely didn’t run away clambering up the back step of her green caravan and pulling the door closed behind her.

Inside was her narrow bed with the thin sheet and thinner mattress, her runed lantern, both of her bags thrown haphazardly into the corner… and that was it, even as small as the caravan was it seemed to yawn with emptiness as she looked around.

Erika sat down on her bed and curled into a ball she tried her best to remain professional out there, but yesterday she’d realised she couldn’t see her home anymore, it had hurt her deep in her heart. Here she was, in the dangerous wilderness heading into the Fimbulwinter itself all on false pretenses running from a mistake and this was the FIRST time she’d ever left her home town, the very first!

Tears glittered in the distant firelight that shone around the cracks of her door.

“Erika?”

Erika’s head shot around and she nearly swallowed her tongue, stood at the front of the caravan was Helga, looking slightly dishevelled and like she’d just rolled out of bed… Erika wanted to curse, she’d forgotten that yes Helga had a bed under the steering box, she must have heard her.

“Can I come in,” said Helga with a faint, almost shy? smile. “Some things are better shared.”

Erika found herself blushing as she scooted up along her narrow bed towards the wall, usually she’d object to someone bursting into her space but Helga was just trying to be nice, it wasn't that she wanted to be close to Helga oh no not at all.

Lost in her sadness she didn’t notice Helga moving until her hand landed on her shoulder softly.

“There there,” Helga said softly. “It’ll all be ok.”

Erika wiped the residue of tears off her cheeks and managed a wet laugh. “I don’t know how you’re so composed? You barely look older than me.”

Helga nodded. “But you’re a city girl, right? Vitki don’t get out much so no wonder you aren’t used to this.”

“And why are you used to it?” Asked Erika quickly, Helga’s hand on her shoulder felt very nice and she was trying to avoid thinking about that.

“I… well I’ve always liked exploring, delving, getting into fights, the whole thing… it’s always seemed fun to me.”

“Is that why you joined up?” asked Erika wide eyed. “For fun?”

“Yup,” said Helga happily. “No greater reason than that, they didn’t even need to pay me, I just want to have an adventure, I want to see the frostfire sky or Trollheim or Viterg or the Bloody Teeth you know?...” Helga turned to look at Erika but never stopped her gently patting.

“…And what about you?” she asked lightly. “It’s not fair for you to worm all my secrets out of me without giving up some of your own.”

Erika realised she was trying to get her to open up but she didn’t care. “Well…” she started as her tired mind tried to decide which bits to lie about and which bits to keep at least vaguely close to the truth. “Broadly speaking…”

“Yes?” asked Helga in the silence that followed.

Erika sighed. “I'm in it for the money.”

Helga didn’t look shocked. “Debts to pay?” she said her tone oddly understanding and sympathetic… at least oddly to Erika’s ears.

“Some pretty large and important ones yes.” Erika managed, finding herself disinclined to lie to the woman trying to soothe her, she’d been meaning to claim she was just greedy. “And this expedition is the only thing that can pay them, I don’t want to be here I don’t want to be a delver… but try finding another job that pays two hundred penningar for a few months’ work.”

Helga looked down at her and squeezed Erika’s shoulder. “If your still having trouble after we’re paid off, I’ll give you some of mine… I don’t need much you know? Rich parents’ nice big communal home kind cousins and all that.”

Erika felt herself starting to blush again. “You don’t need to promise something like that.” She muttered.

Helga just shook her head. “You’re right I don’t need to, I want to… besides I’ve always had a weak spot for pretty girls crying.”

Erika giggled which became a laugh which turned into a guffaw. Whether it was the truth or not she didn’t feel so scared anymore.