A WARRIOR'S END ||| GOD OF WAR

Prologue

A thick deathly stench hung in the air as the gentle sound of rain pattered against the deep cavern's rocky walls. Droplets trickled downwards merging with the thick mud lining its depths slowly forming deep trench like puddles glistening in the bleak darkness of the tight passage.

In the depths of one of the many small chambers separated by winding tight passageways lay an unmoving figure, face down on the ground. His blonde braided hair was matted with dirt along with his lightweight blue jerkin and baggy brown trousers. The pattering of water against rock filled his ears when suddenly his ocean blue eyes shot open, slowly adjusting to the pitch black of the confined prison he found himself in. 

Straining almost every muscle in his body he hauled himself to his knees with a grunt, instinctively reaching for his belt feeling for his weapon only to find the blade had seemingly vanished. Confusion turned to panic as he darted forwards clambering through the mud and darkness for any sigh of Gramr, but it was to no avail his actions only served to strain his already weakened form.

Trying to gather himself the Aesir struggled to his feet, his fur lined boots sloshing in the mud as he did so. Without hesitation the man limped towards the opening leading into the passageway, pressing his shoulder against the cold rock as to not lose his way in the maze. Deeper and deeper into its Boules he ventured, feeling himself grow more unnerved as if something were following close behind.

"No escape." A feminine voice whispered softly into his ear; the man immediately twisted on his heel hurtling his fist towards whatever stood beside him. Unfortunately, his fist collided with the rock on the opposite wall with a resounding crack breaking away some of the tightly packed stone. 

"They're watching. Can you feel them watching, yearning?" another voice echoed.

Growling he pushed forward slightly faster, his heartbeat pounded in his ears as he pressed on in uneasy silence the wounded man kept going with the singular goal of escape. His vision practically useless in the dim light relying on touch more than anything, the hope of escape was the only thing pushing his broken body forward. However, after what felt like minutes turned into hours his sliver of hope faded beginning to scramble desperately through the winding caverns, he now found himself lost in.

His form cut through the darkness and finally he spied the one thing he craved most. An opening which moonlight shimmered through a wide enough slit for him to escape through. Without a second thought he sprang forward in relief hissing in pain as he stood upright clasping onto his side painfully.

As quickly as his weakened legs could carry him, he marched forward determined to escape the prison. But as he kept going the dim rays of light seemed to creep away while he inched closer, the cold breeze pulling further and further away along with his freedom. The place he found himself in almost toying with him like a dog would its dinner.

Without warning he felt elongated fingers clench tightly around his throat, stopping him dead in his tracks. Gritting his teeth in rage his eyes darted towards the wall widening slightly as he saw an emaciated grey-skinned lanky arm which had somehow emerged from the solid rock. Instantly he grabbed the entities wrist wrenching himself free of its ironclad grip and tearing the fleshy limb from the rock, leaving behind nothing but a bloody stump. The limb turning dust in his grip.

Trying his best he broke into a sprint watching in horror as the rock crumbled to the floor, peeling away to reveal thousands of the same limb either side of him all grasping desperately out all of them twitching unnaturally as they did so. Although, just as he inched closer to the mouth of the cavern it's fleshy walls began closing in, the screams of the damned filled his mind as the unnatural surroundings before him fought every step of the way refusing to let go of the man who had cheated death countless times.

The walls pressed further and further inwards; the man felt their sharpened claw-like nails dig into his exposed flesh drawing blood as he screeched in pain. Some pulled in opposite directions trying to rip him asunder as he watched the opening collapse on itself, his only hope of freedom gone.

One last blood curdling yell spilled from his lungs as the limbs engulfed him entirely, the only thing he felt was the excruciating agony of the claws tearing deep into his flesh.

"You belong to us, now and forever..."

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Gasping loudly the very same man shot up from his bed, the dirt which had covered his face, hair and beard was gone. The furs which surrounded his bare torso now obvious as he took control of his rasping breath, calming himself as he closed his eyes tightly breathing deeply through his nose.

Regaining control of himself he glanced around the large open lodging he had called home and his safe haven for near a century. his war gear sat tucked into the corner, his shield and Gramr propped up against the timber wall alongside Freya's many ingredients used in her spells the Aesir warrior scarcely understood.

His pounding breath finally came to an end as he rubbed his right forearm, the bandage all too clear against his pale skin covering the corruption which had plagued him since his days in Asgard. A corruption which the witch quietly laying next to him worked tirelessly to cure, but even she only managed to stifle its effects. 

Without so much as a sound the hulking man craned his head to peer down at her sleeping form. Freya's long back-length and braided reddish chestnut hair splayed itself across the straw filled pillow. The beads intertwining with some of her locks famous with Vanir women glimmering slightly in the moonlight from the magical projection cast upon the window. Its view sat as a reminder of the realm she once called home.

Sighing Bjorn lay onto his back, his nerves calming while his head sunk into the rather comfortable pillow. Twisting on his side he tenderly wrapped the much smaller Goddess in his muscled arms without awakening her, closing his eyes and silently praying for a decent night's sleep.