Tyranny of Steel

Berengar awoke with the dawn. However, something was different on this morning. His mind was fresh and clear, unlike the groggy state he commonly found himself after first waking up. Usually, the man would need a cup of coffee before he could even think about getting any work done. Yet at this very moment, his mind was awake, perhaps more so than it had ever been in his entire life.

After rising out of his fur cloak, which he had used as covering the night prior, Berengar noticed that Brynhildr was in the act of cooking breakfast. Meanwhile, Siv was still asleep in another corner of the longhouse. His first instinct was to play a trick on the mature beauty, but the moment he stepped out of bed, she heard his feet touch the floor, and was quick to greet her guest.

"Awake already? Come, enjoy some eggs, sausage, and a glass of fresh milk. You are going to need your strength for today's trial."

Partially disappointed that he could not be mischievous so early in the morning, Berengar sighed and did as he was instructed, and in doing so, admitting defeat on this particular day. He was quick to scarf down a lion's share of eggs, sausage, and milk. It immediately became apparent that his appetite had increased, which was no doubt due to the rebirth that his body had gone through.

Despite this, Brynhildr continued to feed the man with a happy smile on her face. It was as if her storehouses were unlimited, as the woman gracefully cooked more and more servings for Berengar until he no longer felt the need to eat. Once satisfied, he leaned back in his chair and thanked his host for her hospitality.

"It was truly delicious. Thank you for putting up with me."

Exactly as Berengar had expected, the woman was quick to bow her head and reply with a humble response.

"It was my pleasure. Assuming you make it back from your trial alive, I will prepare a similar breakfast for you tomorrow. If you have any requests, you can tell me when you return."

After finishing his milk, Berengar placed his horn on the table, and wore a confident expression as he stood up from his seat and headed for the door. He left behind one simple response before exiting the long house.

"I look forward to it."

It was only after the man's figure disappeared that Siv awoke from her slumber. She wiped her eyes in an act of exhaustion before looking across her home, noticing that Berengar had already left. When she realized this, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck the girl, causing her to scramble out of bed and into some proper clothes.

Brynhildr only smiled and shook her head as her daughter ran out of her home, and after her benefactor, with a piece of bread in her mouth. By the time Siv finally caught up with Berengar, he was in the center of the city, wearing nothing but wool trousers as he entered a small clearing which was used to host duels.

This time it was not Wulfgar, but the seeress who was announcing the trial. There was a stoic expression on the woman's eerily beautiful face as she announced just what horror Berengar would be facing on this day.

"Berengar Sieghardson, you are a conqueror who is unrivaled throughout history, and though you have fought in the front lines of war, you did not use your own strength and skill to defeat your enemies. Rather, you relied on superior technology and the aid of your allies to overcome your opponents.

The gods have seen fit to give you a proper contest, with an enemy from your past who had once bested you in single combat. You will not be fighting here in the mortal realm, but rather in a temporary plane created by the god Odin to oversee your duel. Step forth, and enter the battleground, where only the gods shall bear witness to your trial.

After saying this, Berengar stepped up towards the seer, who placed two fingers on his forehead, and in doing so instantly sent the man into a pocket dimension. The world around Berengar looked nearly the same as where he previously stood, but he found himself alone with nothing but a sword in one hand and a shield in another. Just when Berengar was about to search for his opponent, a voice called out to him, one that sent shivers down his spine.

"Brother..."

Berengar immediately turned around and gazed at the other end of the dueling pit, where, to his dismay, he witnessed the sight of a teenage boy, one he had not seen in over ten years. Lambert stood at the opposing side with a hate filled gaze in his ocean blue eyes. Berengar could only stammer in shock as he tried to express the thoughts in his mind.

"I.... It can't be..."

Despite struggling to cope with this reality, there was no mistaking it. The boy who existed on the other end of the dueling ring was his long deceased brother Lambert, or should I say, the spirit of Lambert. The hatred that was contained within the boy's eyes was enough to devour entire galaxies as he cursed at the men who had sent him to the depths of hell.

"What? Are you surprised to see me? It's the head, isn't it? I know what you did to my skull after you killed me. It's not just that. I know everything that has happened after you shot me through the chest.

Hell has been especially cruel for me, as when I'm not being tortured in a boiling lake of blood, I'm forced to watch what is transpiring in the mortal plane, specifically everything that my dearest brother has accomplished after he sent me to the pit!

However, now I've been given another chance. If I kill you here, we will trade places. That is the agreement that Odin has made with Satan. You will take my place as a tortured soul in the realm of the devil, and I will be given a new life. Where the first thing I will do is rape that redheaded bitch of yours and dine on the flesh of her accursed children! Come at me, brother, let's end this once and for all!"

Berengar did not even get a chance to respond to Lambert's hatred, as the boy jumped into the ring and unleashed his sword. Knowing what was at stake, Berengar silently cursed Odin in his heart before raising his shield in defense.

The two brothers circled one another in silence for some time before Lambert unleashed an attack with his sword. With an angled slash toward's his brother's neck, the boy attempted from the get to go to claim Berengar's life.

It had been a long while since Berengar had last trained with a sword, and he knew practically nothing about using a shield. However, he did his best to reflect the boy's attack, before piercing towards his heart.

But was defeating a skilled knight so easy? Berengar could only curse himself for forsaking his swordsmanship these past few years, as he struggled to block and or deflect the oncoming blows that Lambert lashed at him with.

In fact, Berengar was at a complete disadvantage, as he was well accustomed to training with the sword while only having one eye. Now that his sight had been restored, everything felt off. Soon enough first blood was spilled, as Lambert's cut nicked his brother's abdomen, spilling the sanguine liquid of life all over the grass beneath their feet.

Berengar gritted his teeth as he pressed forward and swung his sword towards Lambert's face with a reverse slash. In doing so, he cut the boy's cheek, an act which would only further aggravate his opponent.

Realizing that he had been careless, Lambert re-adjusted his position, and attacked with increased intensity, for every third strike he made, it would pass by Berengar's defenses and cut the man. Just when Berengar thought he had gotten accustomed to the duel, a sword slash came out of nowhere. A vertical strike from a high guard cut through Berengar's right eye, in the exact same way it had done so many years ago.

After losing the sight in his right eye, for the second time in this life, Berengar was thoroughly enraged. He gazed upon Lambert with his one good eye, and cursed the boy, who was mocking him from afar.

"You fucking bastard! I just got the damn thing fixed, and yet for the second time in my life, you have stolen my sight. The Joke's on you, after you died I became quite proficient in the sword with only one eye. Now I can finally test what I have learned!"

As if he was a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Berengar stepped forward with newfound zeal, and increased the intensity of his attacks. For every slash or stab that Lambert attempted, Berengar expertly avoided it before providing a counter attack.

In the end, the two men had cuts all over their bodies and pools of blood beneath their feet. Their shields shattered from the sheer volume of blows which they had received in this fight. The hatred that existed between these two brothers could not be buried without one entering the grave.

In a desperate attempt to kill his brother, Lambert lunged forward. However, to his surprise, Berengar did not attempt to avoid it. Instead, he took the blade into his gut before grabbing hold of Lambert's wrist with his free hand.

The boy struggled to get free, but he could not, After all, Berengar's strength was superior to his own. He looked in horror at his brother's murderous smile, before feeling the burning sensation of cold steel piercing through his heart. The last thing Lambert saw in this temporary plane of existence was the sight of his elder brother spitting upon his face before saying the words he least wanted to hear.

"Go back to hell where you belong!"

Having said this, Berengar pulled his sword out of Lambert's heart, before decapitating the boy as he fell to his knees. The severed head of the tormented spirit rolled for several feet before it, along with the rest of the body turned to ash, which faded away with the wind. No longer capable of standing up on his own, Berengar fell to one knee, where he heard the sound of clapping in the distance, followed by a single phrase.

"Well done..."

That was the last thing Berengar remembered before he fell to the ground completely unconscious. By the time he awoke the next day, his wounds would be healed, as if they had never occurred, all but one. The right eye, which had been restored during his rebirth, was beyond repair. Luckily, he still had the eye of Horus in his possession.