The God of Calamity’s Wife

Sirius struggled to adapt as he hacked at Nanna with Odin's sword but she just kept coming at him. Her rate of regeneration was terrifying.

"Just. Stay. Down!" He wacked and wacked at her, but she just dragged herself at him over and over again. Every time she fell, she got back up. Her flawless skin not even showing the cuts that had been inflicted on her.

Then, with fury, she had pieced herself together and began screaming in anger at him, "YOU IRRITATING BUG!"

She slashed her fingers to the right and a wave of ice whipped at him, cutting through the air like sharp glass and he barely dodged.

Hsssss!!!!'

His hair was cut clean through. It floated past him in the air, leaving the black side shorter than the white and a deep gash erupted in his side and the left side of his face.

Nanna began meniacally laughing and flung more ice at him, backing him into the far wall. It seemed that this space was a cube only 30 feet by 30 feet. Nanna sought to fill it to the brim with ice and crush him.

"Ahhhhhhh!" He gasped as the ice pinned him against the barrier. "I need Taz!!!!! I need to be stronger! I need to be larger!" He screamed, pushing against the ice but it wouldn't break. "I need fire!"

He slipped on the ice and fell to the ground as shards moved toward him threatening to impale him.

Now on his knees he yelled, "Enough, Ériu! Enough! Give me my beast back!"

Wsssst!

A sound cut the air. Sirius's head snapped to the side as another piece of his hair was shorn off. He froze.

Wsssst! Wsssst!

This time, an arrow struck true. It drove into his chest with brutal precision. Sirius's breath hitched as pain flared.

Wsssst! Wsssst! Wsssst!

Five more arrows slammed into him in rapid succession, the force of each hit jerking his body left and right. Blood sprayed onto the ice around him, and his vision blurred. He fell forward, barely catching himself with one hand. When he glanced up, six Valkyrie stood before him, their glowing eyes cold and merciless.

One approached, towering over him. She placed her foot on his back to steady herself and ripped the arrows from his chest. Blood gushed from the wounds as she wiped the arrows clean, placed them back in her quiver, and stepped away.

Sirius collapsed fully, his body limp.

The Valkyrie turned and leapt upward, wings slicing through the air as she headed for the ceiling. Thwack! She slammed into an invisible barrier and fell back, catching herself mid-air. Her eyes narrowed as she hovered, inspecting her prison.

"What is this?" she snarled, beating her wings furiously. She turned her glare to Ériu and Saoirse, who sat spectating beyond the barrier.

The Valkyrie darted forward, pounding against the barrier with fists and wings. Her blows were fast and relentless, like the fluttering of a hummingbird. "Release me!" she screamed.

Ériu laughed, her voice filled with mocking amusement. "She's like a fly! This is Odin's idea of an army?"

Saoirse, however, wasn't laughing. Blood poured from Sirius's chest and pooled on the ice beneath him. Saoirse felt her own chest ache, blood dripping from her nose and mouth as she coughed, her healing efforts draining her energy.

The Valkyrie spat at the barrier, glaring at Saoirse, but when Saoirse didn't react, she lost interest.

SMACK!

Nanna's hand struck the Valkyrie, and the warrior turned to face her in shock. Nanna's expression was twisted with fury. "How did we end up in Niflheim?" she demanded. "Quit provoking the goddess of this realm!"

The other Valkyrie approached, their leader bowing her head. "The beast ate us, milady," she said grimly.

Nanna's gaze shifted to Sirius, buried beneath ice and blood. "Well, it seems he isn't a beast anymore."

She turned to Ériu, her voice sharp and commanding. "Let us out, Irish goddess, or I will make it my business to deal with you later."

Ériu sat straighter, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, but I want you here. You're perfect for training my disciple." She gestured lazily to Sirius. "Can't you fight him just a bit longer? He's learning to fight without his beast."

"He's dead," Nanna growled. "Let down the barrier. Now."

Ériu glanced at Saoirse, who was still struggling to heal, and smiled. "I think you underestimate him. He's not dead until he's dust."

Ériu waved her hand. The ice around Sirius crumbled into mist, and he burst forward with a roar. His sword slashed through the air, severing the heads of the six Valkyrie in one clean motion. His blade carved into Nanna's arm, cutting it free.

Sirius's fangs bared, his glowing red eyes locked onto Nanna as he sank his teeth into her neck. Her screams echoed as he drained her goddess life force, closing his own wounds and weakening her in a way he hadn't anticipated. Her previously flawless skin now split open, her wounds worsening as her life ebbed away.