Bjorn let out a groan as he quickly grabbed the spear shaft before it could go too far into his chest. His feet slipped backwards in the snow as bodies fell to the ground around him. With a heavy grunt, he tugged at the weapon to remove it before lunging forward with his axe! The enemy raised his hands to cover his face as he yelled, but Bjorn sliced straight through his wrist and buried the blade in his skull.

'Damn!' Bjorn groaned as he sunk to his knees and attempted to hold his wound closed with his free hand. Warm blood flowed over his fingers as he stared at it with blurry eyes. He gazed around at the battlefield with a determined expression. It was the fourth time they had been ambushed so far on their way to the next settlement. 

Troops kept appearing from seemingly nowhere, which led him to lead a vanguard for the main army. 'Harik should have heard the fighting by now... We just need to hold on until he surrounds them.' Bjorn felt his arms getting weak as a crimson puddle appeared in the snow. He tried to stand up, but his legs would not listen to him. Instead, he fell backwards into the cold embrace of the snow.

The boots of the warriors around him gradually moved away as the fighting forced a change in their position. A cough escaped from his pale lips as thoughts of the afterlife started to surface in his mind. As his mind began to shut down, the last thing his blurry vision saw was the silhouette of something massive and furry.

Nobody on the battlefield noticed the giant wolf dragging Bjorn into the forest by the leg of his pants. A deep groove was left in the snow as the only sign that something had moved that way. As Harik led his force around the edges of the battlefield, he studied the strange marks in the snow when he came across them. 

'Damn wolves are starting to get bold. Dragging off bodies before the battles are even over now!' Naturally, he did not know that Bjorn was the one who had just been dragged away. 'This beast is a monster! The size of those prints is much larger than they should be!'

He could not help but make a mental note to hunt down such a dangerous beast once the fighting was done. There was no telling if it would make its way towards Eraldsfen if it were left alone. Harik shook his head as he waved his sword to signal the warriors to keep moving. In the cover of the forest, Harik's rebels slowly completed their encirclement and were poised to spring their own ambush on these enemies.

The sound of blades clashing was intense as their encirclement slowly closed in. Once Harik was certain that the enemies could not escape, he blew on the horn he was carrying to signal the attack! Cheers erupted from the warriors in the vanguard as their reinforcements appeared. Meanwhile, their enemies cried out in anger at having been surrounded like that. 

Fresh snow fell as Harik parried a sword before forcing the tip of his own through his assailant's throat. He did not waste time on finishing him off. Instead, he withdrew the blade and left the man to drown in his own blood while choking. A roar escaped from Harik as he drove his shoulder into the next warrior to turn and face him. His blade slashed down as he hacked at the man's shoulder and severed the arm it was attached to. 

Harik was not in the mood to be careful about this, he only wanted the battle to end as quickly as possible. For the sole reason of preserving as many of his warriors' lives as possible. Meanwhile, Ania forced her way to the front of the vanguard. She was on the side of the encirclement that was meant to relieve them and take over the fighting. 

Her eyes dashed back and forth as she tried to locate Bjorn, but he was nowhere to be seen. A tinge of worry appeared in her mind as she called for the vanguard's retreat as her fresh warriors took their places. The effect it had became apparent immediately as the enemy warriors began to lose ground. Except, they had no way out, with Harik's men behind them and other warriors pushing in from the sides of their formation.

Ania had become a terrifying force on the battlefield during their journey. It was not that she was skilled with the spear. After all, she just had to poke her enemies with the pointy end. It was her increased strength, speed and reflexes that made her appear like a war maiden of old tales. The enemy even doubted that she was a human woman at all, with her delicate frame containing so much power.

Whoever she faced always underestimated her at first. If they survived the first few exchanges, they took her seriously. But mostly their first mistake was their last. A wall of bodies began to pile in front of her section of the front line. Her shield was taking so many blows that it was splintering. But her spear never stopped.

Eventually, a warrior noticed how lethal she was if she were left unchecked. He stood head and shoulders above her as he forced his way to her position. The two-handed hammer he held in his hands gave away that he relied on his pure physical strength to beat his enemies to death. Ania noticed the warrior coming her way. A small smile appeared on her face as she moved along the line to meet him sooner. 

She felt that she had to do this, as anyone on her side who got close would soon find their brains out in the open. Even those who tried to block his hammer with a shield or weapon could not stop him. It was as if everything gave way to his strength. The warriors on both sides began to back away when they realised these two were aiming for each other. But they did not stop to watch the show. 

They merely paid attention to their positioning so they would not get caught up in their fight. With a clear space formed, Ania slowly circled the giant brute of a man. Her eyes studied his scarred face and bulging muscles as he easily held the massive hammer with a single hand. Although she was aware that she was stronger than most, she had to admit that she doubted that even she could stop one of his blows. 

'Is he an oracle too?' Ania wondered, thinking that it would explain his strength. However, unknown to her, he was just a normal man that was gifted with an extraordinary body. Sparks seemed to fly between the two as they held their own positions, waiting to see what the other would do. 

Harik continued to slay his enemies as the back lines shrunk against their offensive. He had obtained several new cuts, but nothing serious as far as he could tell. He groaned as he finally caught sight of the battle between Ania and the giant of a warrior. A groan escaped from his throat as he saw her shield shatter beneath the blow of the mighty hammer. 

Ania appeared to escape unharmed from that exchange, but it became evident that her shield arm had either become numb or broken. She began to use her speed to keep herself out of reach as she tried to use the length of her spear to her advantage. But the man was a seasoned warrior who easily deflected these lame assaults. It seemed to have become a contest of endurance, but Harik did not like the look of that either.

Ania was having to move around a lot more than her opponent. Meaning that she should tire out a lot quicker than him. If that trend continued, then she could very well be defeated! Harik roared at the warriors to put an end to the rest of the fighting as quickly as possible. The duel would not continue if the man found himself overwhelmingly surrounded. 

Just now, he did not have to worry about his back because he had comrades there. At the same time, nobody on Ania's side could interfere because of how much she had to move around. If they jumped in now, there was a chance they would get her killed. The sounds of battle grew more frenzied as Harik's army tried to put an end to the battle even faster than before. 

Dark clouds gathered in the sky as the distant sound of thunder could be heard. This sound drove Harik's force into a frenzy. The warriors believing that Exile was watching over them. None of them wanted to anger their god. Each of them was driven to prove their worth! A flash of lightning appeared in the sky as the hammer swung for Ania. The flash blinded Harik for a moment, leaving him worrying about what had happened in that instant...