All Falls Down

Astria moved quickly but quietly through the pitch-black tunnels. She kept her eyes closed as she did, trusting only her hearing and touch. However, none of that was needed anymore as the tunnels began to shake violently. The force was enough to make Astria slip and fall hard on the ice, rocking her skull against the ice. But even between the disorientation and ear ringing, Astria could still feel the rumbling from the guttural roar that reverberated throughout. Whatever it was, Astria was sure to either run past it, or face it down. That was until she heard the multiple wailing of trolls.

"Fuck…" Astria groaned, trying her best to catch her breath, calm her heart, and fight back the stupor she was in. Although the steel she often felt was now more malleable than ever, just thinking about Selda and Kindra waiting for her was enough for Astria to move. She rose on wobbly legs and used the pointed back of her spear to dig into the unmistakable under her for support. With each step, her steel reformed back into the hard material it had once been. Just as the disorientation fell away as well. Astria strode forward, ever so confidently, ever so strongly, and ever so passionately. She vowed before that her and her friends would make it through no matter what, and Odin be damned she was going to keep that promise.

More rumblings shook the tunnel as Astria drew closer to the guttural roar and dreadful howling. She guessed that the trolls must have kept an infant giant within their caverns and that now it was somehow going out of control. It was quite the stretch she had to admit but the only alternative she could think of was a small ice wyvern, which seemed to be even less possible. But upon witnessing what the true threat was, Astria had wished it was the wyvern.

She peered around a surprisingly bright corner that fed down into a vibrant battle zone. The scene she peered down upon was so otherworldly Astria lost herself in the moment. For, below her was the base of a dome filled with bloodied green grass, various guts and limbs of trolls and goats alike, and the rush of live trolls running into battle against… something Astria could not even begin to comprehend. The thing that the trolls faced had to have been the brightest red monster Astria had ever seen. It was massive, about the size of a baby ice giant with fur covered hindquarters that bore six hooved legs. The front end led into a torso that was sparsely furred and strangely enough, bore breasts. Astria almost certainly thought that whatever the beast was that it was female, and she especially came to the conclusion upon the horrific face that draped across the thing's skull. It was hard to spot given the beast's rapid movements but at the end of its long neck was settled some sort of equine head, and on top, nestled in between ram horns, was the unmistakable face of a woman.

It did not move as it was permanently frozen in distorted agony, but what unsettled Astria more was that the face looked so… familiar. She wanted to figure it a trick, that maybe the beast emitted some sort of illusion. Or maybe that the face was simply a common one among women. However, whatever the case may be, Astria could not shake the unnerving feeling that she knew who that face belonged to. But the thing's guttural roar, to which Astria now recognized as monstrous bleating, shook Astria out of her unsettling trance. Whatever that thing was and however the trolls either found, or created it, were questions for much later. For between the monster's roar and the battle that raged on, the caverns continued to shake and now ice and snow began to fall everywhere. Astria figured she only had maybe ten minutes to figure out an escape before either the tunnels collapsed, or the roof of the dome would, causing many of the tunnels to be flooded with snow. And though the flooding would not go far, it would not only block off multiple entrances for Astria, but it could very well reach where she was and bury her.

Astria did not even consider trying to climb the walls of the dome or turning back to find another route for she knew that she would never have enough time. Instead, she took a deep breath, used the almost blunt, backend of her spear to slide down the walls, and without a second thought, charge along with the remaining trolls against the thing that threatened them all.

*

Small as the approaching flames were, Yulla could still feel their singeing touch. And no matter how many she squashed, more just kept pouring into the void. At first, she was afraid that she would be lost in the void, drifting for all eternity till the little flames approached her. And though they may have reignited her senses, Yulla soon feared that she would be surrounded. Engulfed in a fiery blaze and gone forever. Wherever she was, and whoever she was, Yulla knew she was here. Knew that she could touch, she could see, she could feel, even though she could only feel fear and confusion right now. And no matter how grateful she was to the little flames, Yulla would not relinquish her existence. She would fight for all eternity, snuffing out every flame to the very last.

*

One of the first lessons Sigrid taught her candidates was the idea of war tactics. Not simply counterstrategy regarding an enemies strength and placement, but more importantly self-evaluation. How far was she away from her target? Does her target notice her? Is she tired? Is she wounded? Are there ways to indirectly attack the target? How much will she lose engaging with them? All these ideas and more Sigrid not only brought to her candidate's attention, but also heavily enforced. This ability alone was what set Astria on par with Kindra and Vinga. And according to Kindra, was what set her above even them. Not just because she could evaluate a situation and come up with a quick solution, but Kindra, and apparently in whispers Sigrid as well, noticed Astria sheer aptitude for contingency plans. For Selda said it best, "It's like nothing can stop you."

Even now it was as if Astria's mind moved at the speed of lightning. She knew where to step, which troll would find her hostile and which would not, who to trail behind so that the beast would not see her coming, that her left arm felt off as she tried to move it and that it was because of the fall, and even how to hold her spear so that the glint of its metal caught as little attention as possible. Astria calculated all of this within the first seven steps of her charge, and she executed them flawlessly. Astria maneuvered behind one troll to the next, sneaking herself away from the faint sunlight that peered through the open space within the top of the dome. All the while keeping her spear held front down behind her in her right hand, keeping it steady so her feet could hide the metal tip. Now she was only two-hundred and fifty-three steps away from the beast's middle leg tendon. The beast was largely stationary so Astria figured that if she stabbed through the back end of the middle leg and then spun around to slice and stab the adjacent hind leg, then that should be enough to cause the beast to lose all strength in its hind body. Thus severing its center and reducing its strength to about half. At least, that was the hope anyway.

As she predicted, the surrounding trolls left Astria alone. Many of them did not even notice her while the rest simply paid her no mind as she did not harm any of them unlike the much greater threat before them. Which, along with their constant engagement in battle, gave Astria the chance to execute her plan. She honestly wanted to finish it quickly for although the trolls would not hesitate to skin her alive and devour her if not for the current situation, she still felt sorry for them. It was her that invaded their home for a trial and now they have to defend it against something hideously otherworldly. Whether by their design or not, no one deserves to have their home destroyed.

Two-thirds of the way towards her target, Astria swiftly slipped away from the raging crowd of trolls and veered towards her left. She noticed that although the beast carried two sets of eyes on either side of its head, its perception was still very narrow as it seemed to lock in on much of the trolls that approached it. This was compounded with the stream of trolls attacking more towards the beast right due to that sides direct positioning from the cave tunnel entrances. Now, she did account for the possibility that the beast's peripheries might be wider than she expected, but as she could not verify that was just one thing she would have to leave to chance. However, that was actually the least of her worries.

*

Yulla howled and clawed at the impending flames. Fighting forever more desperately, forever more ferociously. And with every singe of their touch, Yulla become ever more conscious of herself. She could feel the sinews in arms, the vibrations racing along her throat, the pain of battle, and fear giving way to the joy of victory. Yulla had never felt such bloodlust and as she became more aware of herself, she became lost in the frenzy. Opening up new possibilities that she had never managed, or even dreamed of doing, before. Such as leaping up and hurtling herself directly into the flames.

*

Niel watched from high above, ignoring the rumbling and falling of ice around her. Her philosophy, one of many, was that knowledge was dangerous. That only by endangering oneself can anything be learned. For, per Niel's own thoughts, how was she to learn if she was not there to observe? How were any of her sisters supposed to adapt if they did not face challenge? And How was Yulla to evolve if she continued to be coddled? Continued to be held back? No, Niel would see differences, progress more like. All she wanted was the best, for everybody to reach the pinnacle. And as they are all learning now, to climb the mountain meant sacrifice. To forsake the body, soul, and mind so that the egg may crack, and something beautiful may be born.

*

Astria could not believe her eyes, but as the dust settled, she could see that what had happened, had actually occurred. From her eyes, Astria lowered her arms in horror as she witnessed nothing short of a massacre. Mangled and torn bodies of both trolls and goats alike were scattered everywhere. And there, at the center of it all, was the red beast, gorging itself on its fresh kill like the mad pig that it was. But more curiously, she also saw massive chunks of ice surrounding herself and the beast. A sudden wind chill broke her from her terrified state, causing her to look up in both astonishment and joy. Above, most of the dome had fallen away and the outside was within reach. If Astria moved now while the best was distracted, she could snap her spear in half and use the sharp ends to climb her way out. Normally, breaking the tiny wooden slit required precise strength and aim in the midst of battle. But as it was, the battle was over, and it would have been nothing for her now to snap her spear to escape. Or so she thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, Astria saw movement. She figured it was probably a lost little lamb but was in reality a small troll. The bluish child was about her height but with surprisingly much softer features. And with utter horror, Astria realized that the poor child was not alone. Several other troll children stepped forth, all picking up or bringing in whatever weapons they could to face the red terror. It was then that it dawned on Astria that of course trolls bred and the reason so many adults came pouring out of the tunnels was not just to kill the red invader, but ultimately to protect their children. Although Astria knew it had nothing to do with her, she still felt a surge of heat coursing through her veins. And so, Astria snapped her spear in half, threw the bottom half at the beast, and commanded the trolls, in their tongue, to run.